#I’m going to get more nail polish and stuff and see where I go from there

[thatbitch151]

I’ve recently started to truly deconstruct the internalized toxic masculinity I developed from watching Kalvin Garrah when I first came out as trans 6 years ago.

Because of him I didn’t realize I was non-binary for 5 and a half years, because I thought that wasn’t an option. I thought I wasn’t trans enough because I didn’t have bottom dysphoria, or hip or leg dysphoria, I was worried that I “couldn’t be trans” without those things. It was hard and really brought down my mental health.

Now, I fully recognize my non-binary identity, I’ve learned to be happy I don’t have as much dysphoria as others do, and I’ve very recently started branching out into more typically feminine stuff.

Yesterday for the first time in years, I painted my nails. They’re not good and my nails are already horrible to begin with from chronic nail biting, but I’m hoping to get better at it as time goes by.

I am healing :)

[livwritesstuff]

Steve is fighting a losing battle.

He’s fighting it regardless – there's something kind of courageous about that, he thinks.

Or maybe it’s just stupid.

Steve doesn’t care, he’s gonna fight it anyway.

The battle involves the stairs – the landing, to be specific, and the way it has become an unofficial final resting place for so much of his daughters' shit.

So much.

He loves his children. He loves them more than anything, actually.

Still, they drive him goddamn insane sometimes. They just – they’re teenagers, right? So they’re spending all their time holed up in their rooms which, fine, sure, whatever, that’s normal enough. But why, then, is their stuff all over Steve’s house?

Steve isn’t the kind of guy who needs the house spotless, or whatever, but he could do without it looking like a tornado-stricken Walmart.

Hair dryers and bottles of nail polish in the living room, Hazel’s makeup all over the kitchen counter, phone chargers and headphones all over the bathroom, and – Jesus Christ – the sweatshirts. Between his three daughters every single surface in his house has a discarded sweatshirt on it, and it’s not like he can do anything about it because he has no goddamn clue which ones belong to which kid and guessing wrong leads to World War-level fighting.

His solution: he’ll just leave all their stuff on the landing so as they head upstairs to barricade themselves in their rooms, they’ll see it and take it up with them.

The problem with his solution: the girls (who he loves so much) just step right over the mess and continue on their way.

“Why the hell am I stepping on fucking hairbrushes going down the stairs?” Eddie asks him one day.

“You wouldn’t be if your children would just bring their shit up to their rooms,” Steve replies drily.

Later, when the girls get home from school, Robbie passes through the kitchen where Steve and Eddie are sitting at the counter.

“Hello, my darling daughter,” Eddie says, “How was your day today?”

“Fine,” she replies, not taking her eyes off her phone as she heads for the stairs just like she always does.

“Robbie,” Steve says, “I left your books on the stairs. Please take them up with you.”

“Uh-huh,” she mumbles, but as she approaches the books it becomes evident that she would be doing no such thing.

“Robbie,” he calls, “Amelia Robin.”

The only response he gets is the sound of her bedroom door closing.

“I’m listing all this shit on eBay – swear to god,” he tells Eddie as he waves a hand loosely in Robbie’s direction in a can you believe this shit kind of gesture.

Eddie replies, “Maybe list her too while you’re at it.”

[ferrstappen]

max, the wag (for the third time) l Max Verstappen x reader

a/n: i was in the middle of writing this when news of Danny coming back to the grid!!! omg I'm so happy of seeing RIC and listening to his radios and everything, it wasn't the same without him <3

also, about requests. Please keep sending them, I've LOVED all the reqs I've gotten but right now im getting ready for my bar exam in a couple of weeks so my time is super super limited, but I promise I'll get to most of them (bc imsorry there are some reqs that I really can't connect with) after the exam, it's one of the things I'm looking forward to <3 but for now this kind of mediocre story telling will have to do...

ANYWAY, HOPE YOU LIKE THIS INSTALLMENT! you can find part 1 and 2 on the master list <3

summary: the continuation of your favorite paddock couple.

Max arrived to the track by himself.

If he was being honest, it wasn’t on his plans to walk alone with the photographers, Red Bull marketing team snatching him for stuff right after he swapped his credential. Even from far away he was able to hear chants of fans and more media than usual. 

But you weren’t right there next to him. 

He knew it wasn’t your fault, Silverstone not being a track where he was usually welcomed with opened arms and he was aware of you not wanting to be too in the eye of photographers who didn’t make questions to you, but there still were different WAGs and outfits or whatever accounts tracking your every step, especially with the new wave of partners and sudden break ups and polemics. 

Still, the selfish part of him wanted you to enter the track with him, even if it was a few steps ahead or behind him, holding your hand and smiling as you complained about the amount of credentials you had to carry: the usual green VIP Paddock, Red Bull something. You’d think after all these years they’d know me, you’d say and he’d laugh.

On the other hand, you finished getting ready and called the front desk to get a taxi to get there, feeling a bit guilty of letting Max go on his own, especially when there were more eyes on the track with Brad Pitt being there and a lot of important people who’d want to talk with him all day. 

Texting Max to let him know you were already by the guests entrance waiting when you noticed some intense flashes getting near. You’d been around a time or two to know this wasn’t usual, maybe in Miami but not when you were on the abandoned back entrance, not very glamorous and low key. 

But you saw her…

Shakira, are you visiting Lewis?

Who are you cheering today?

Shakira, third Grand Prix of the year! 

Did you talk to Lewis before? Is he nervous?

Your eyes followed her, mouth opening when you followed her small frame, exuding class and sympathy, even Alexandra who was also making her entrance stopped to get a closer look of the Colombian bombshell. 

Of course, they didn’t ask her to show and get accredited, she just walked by with a radiant smile leaving paparazzi behind as she kept talking with the friend she came with. 

But wasn’t that a Haas credential?

It didn’t matter, it wasn’t important, because right then your brain made the connections and started dialing Max while nervously biting your polished nails. 

“Baby, everything okay? Are you already inside?” Max answered, but his words were quiet and rushed. 

“Yes, but you’re never going to believe…”

“I’m sorry we have a meeting, please don’t go to the paddock, go straight to the driver’s lounge, okay? Love you” 

He hung up and you wanted to pull your hair out, knowing he is the one and only person you wanted to share this information with, and you were also certain he was the only person who would truly appreciate the gossip and speculation about his fellow driver’s love life. 

Max was able to leave the meeting almost forty minutes later, getting outside for some air until he remembered your call and that you probably were bored to death on the lounge. He was turning around to go there when…

When he saw the one and only Shakira in all of her glory. 

He wasn’t starstruck or anything, being immune to celebrities and the imaginary pedestal where most people placed them, but this wasn’t about that, it was about the way she was supposedly hiding under a cap walking towards the Mercedes garage.

He covered his mouth and hastily made his way to you. 

You didn’t greet each other with the usual peck on the lips and short hug; his slightly widened blue eyes told you exactly what you needed to know as he opened the door to his small room. 

“Please tell me that you saw her!” You said as soon as he closed the door. 

“Yes, just now she was walking to Mercedes,” Max was whisper shouting as if someone would hear him and it was the highest of secrets. 

“Did you see Lewis?” You asked Max but he said no. “What if you try to ask Brad Pitt if he saw her and like if they’re friends… with Shakira?” This time both you and your boyfriend laughed at the idea.

"I did see Sainz trying to go unnoticed with a tall brunette,do you think she is the new girlfriend?" Max asked and you nodded.

"I'm pretty sure he cheated on Isa with her, and I am almost certain she was in the Paddock Club in Monaco during qualifying," Max whistled at the new information.

Now he kissed you, lips fitting perfectly against each other, but your eyes suddenly opened and separated from him. What? Why? What happened? Max was disconcerted. 

“Please don’t laugh at me because this is a serious idea…” You told Max who had your entire attention. “What if we write to Deuxmoi?”

“Deux what?”

“They have all the inside scoops  and sightings, even your name’s popped up once or twice,” Max’s eyebrows rose at the information. “We should write that Shakira was seen on the British Grand Prix and I am one hundred percent sure someone will have more information!” You proposed and Max chuckled.

“Schatz, I can just ask Lewis why she’s here,” Max told you before embracing you, his arms circled around your waist.

You rolled your eyes before resting your head on his chest, but suddenly it hit you, swiftly lifting your head and facing Max. 

“Then why haven’t you asked him yet?!”

[nochukoo97]

boyfriend drabbles (pt.1)

pairing: Jungkook x reader

summary: fluff omg, jk being a cute bf, painting each others nails and its just basically cute stuff HAHA

word count: 600+

boyfriend drabbles masterlist!

Ever since you and Jungkook had started dating three years ago, he became a major part of your daily life, and even on days where he would not be able to see you in person, your boyfriend would always make the effort to give you a call and whisper sweet nothings into the phone.

One of your adopted habits was to include your boyfriend in every aspect of your life. Whether it was a casual get-together with your own circle of friends or any other social event, you had an inclination to bring Jungkook along with you, a gesture that he wholeheartedly embraced, never once expressing reluctance or complaint.

In this case, Jungkook finds himself trailing behind you and your best friend, Sohee, as the both of you enter the familiar shop. A subtle wince crosses his face as he observes the two of you quickening your pace, your excited squeals filling the air upon reaching closer to the rows of products displayed before you.

Jungkook watches as the both of you light up upon noticing a small booth, remembering you had mentioned once about that particular brand. A quiet hum leaves his mouth as he watches the both of you excitedly swatch the different shades of eyeshadow, but to him, they look exactly the same shade.

—

“___, I’m gonna go to the toilet, wait for me here okay? Don’t you dare to try other stuff without me,” Sohee raises a finger at you playfully as she walks off. Now it’s only you and Jungkook, and your boyfriend is more than content to finally get some of your attention.

“Jagi,” Jungkook whines as he leans down to peck you on the lips, you chuckle as you reach up to ruffle his hair in sympathy. Poor boy, you thought.

“If we stay here any longer I’m literally going to go insane,” He whines, eyes adverting to your hand filled with various makeup products smeared onto your skin.

“I promise we’ll be quick,” A laugh sounds out from your mouth at his exasperated state, as Jungkook sighs, mentally cursing at himself for not charging his phone the night before, now that it’s battery had gone flat.

You begin to test out more shades where you and Sohee had left off, not leaving anywhere else, but it seems as though your boyfriend had other plans.

“Hey!” You gasp as Jungkook gently tugs on your arm, forcing you to follow along behind him as he trudges towards another aisle.

“Baby, what are you doing?” You question his sudden actions when your boyfriend reaches for the nail polish tester and raises your hand to paint your index finger oh-so-gently, his brows furrowed as he tries his best to paint within the nail. You begin to laugh at Jungkook’s sudden actions, but he cuts you off, “Jagi, stop moving, you’re gonna make me mess up,”

After he’s done painting your fingernail, Jungkook looks contented at his little artwork on your nail, and then he proceeds to attempt to paint his own finger too, but it’s harder for him when he attempts to use his non-dominant hand to paint. A disgruntled sound emits from his mouth, eyebrows furrowing as you grab the nail polish from his hand to do it yourself.

“I should have known you would betray me for you man,” You hear Sohee dramatically sigh as she approaches the both of you, Jungkook sticking his tongue out at her as she rolls her eyes.

Even though you and Sohee had spent at least another good twenty minutes in that store, your boyfriend didn’t mind as he held your hand the whole time, sometimes hugging you from behind and leaning his head on your shoulder as your best friend clearly annoyed from the third-wheeling.

a/n: hello!! i kinda wrote this in a rush without really planning so it might not be the best but its really short anyways haha, i realised i havent been putting a note at the end of my fics recently 😭 and i want to talk with you guys more! i also def need more inspo to write more scenarios so if you guys have any pleasee send an ask to me ❤️

[thatsatricky1]

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 | 𝐳.𝐜𝐥

“Chenle your end is near.” Y/n gritted out through clenched teeth furiously scrubbing her hands in the bathroom sink.

“My stylist specifically bought non staining body paint Y/n.” Chenle’s voice came muffled through the closed bathroom door, no doubt with his face squished against the door as if it would help.

“Yeah? Did she happen to also test it out beforehand?” Her question was met with silence.

Chenle had rushed his makeup artist to find the paint since the party had been only a week away back then. They had in fact not tested it beforehand and if he recalled it right it was the same brand they’d used on Renjun, Jisung, Jeno and himself which had not come off well.

“We could try using nail polish remover?” Chenle suggested through the door.

“You do realise that amount of nail polish remover would make us high off the fumes right?” Y/n retorted all the while Chenle heard the sink still on full blast.

“Alright you got me there, open up, two pairs of hands are better than one.” Chenle offered. At the moment he wasn’t feeling too good about this outcome but he knew they’d both laugh about it later.

Chenle half expected her to just dish out another anger induced insult but Y/n was unlocking and swinging the door open seconds later, hands clearly still stained blue with light blue drops of water dripping down.

“Oh shit.” He winced out now realising why she’d be so mad.

“Not helping.”

After a whole fifteen minutes Chenle had managed to remove a bit of the staining on her hands with the effort of a lot of lavender scented soap. Chenle moving to slather more soap on his hands moving toward her face.

”Uh no.” Y/n cut off his actions, shoving his hands away.

“So you want to be like violet from Willy Wonka that bad?” Chenle asked out unhelpfully.

“No I’m just gonna shower instead, it’ll be easier to do it all in one.”

“Why didn’t you think of that to begin with?” His next question was met with a blank look.

“Why didn’t you get me proper non-stainable body paint to begin with?” Y/n shot back before getting up from where they’d been leaning over the bathroom sink. The white porcelain now splodged in blue.

“You’re gonna have to let that go.” He groaned out.

“Oh I will, but only when the blue fades.” Her words only caused his eyes to squeeze shut since it had taken a good couple of days for them to get the blue of their skin after the whole Smurf fiasco years ago.

“I think I might actually break something soon.” Y/n sighed out trying not to freak out when the zip on her dress wouldn’t go down, not sure if it was just the frustration or a bit of the alcohol they’d consumed during the party.

“As funny as it would be seeing a blue stained you smashing shit I’d prefer it not being my stuff.” Chenle answered back, moving closer.

“Help?” Chenle asked out without context knowing she knew what he meant.

Chenle only moved to grab the zip after seeing her nod from behind. It was already a bit open but had caught against fabric so he had to pry the material out from under the zip first beforehand.

“This is not what I expected to be doing after the annual Halloween party.” Y/n grumbled out as Chenle unzipped the back of her dress.

“What, you mean you don’t enjoy being a Smurf 2.0 while fighting with your dress around 11pm at night on the 31st of October with a guy dressed in an oversized suit?” Chenle practically snorted out.

“Next time I want to dress up as an introvert, and take my role seriously by staying at home and being a no show.” Y/n replied done with the day not caring Chenle was in the room as she slipped the dress off.

“You did your whole body!?” Chenle exclaimed, noticing the blue everywhere.

“Wow Lele, I was expecting a different kind of comment coming from you seeing me in my underwear but yeah, your stylist helped me paint myself so there’s that.”

“Well I’m not complaining about the view but that’s gonna take you at least two hours in the shower.”

“Not my water bill.” Y/n shrugged, moving over to the shower.

Chenle knew this could screw up everything, but then again she’d literally undressed in front of him. If not he could pass it off as a joke.

“Remember how I said two sets of hands are better than one?” Chenle suggested, following towards the shower.

“Your game is weak, but grab a loofa or something.” Y/n agreed amused.

“Should I grab the blue one?”

The only response he got was a bar of soap flung at him.

𝐓𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭: @rotinyzen @wonyoungmywife @snflwrhaerecs4u @thegreenlynx @serinebsblog @delululi @molensworld @morkiee @marvelahsobx @kaciebello @kgneptun @bluedbliss @haechansbbg @officiallyjaehyuns @bunnychui @audreybub 

(This Taglist is used for all my nct context so if you’d like to be tagged in my nct content please comment or write to me to be added)

𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞: Tbh honest talking from experience blue body paint is hella hard to get off when it’s not a good brand, but PINK is so much worse 😭 I spent days looking like I was recovering from a nasty sunburn.

𝐁𝐨𝐨 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐰:

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𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭:

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[bonny-kookoo]

Jungkook

+1 Chance | Short/Oneshot

In which some people get an extra life.

Tags/Warnings: pro Esports!Kook, Teenage crushes to ???, SFW, Short, Open ending, all around fluffy

Length: 2.2k Words

A/N: Yes I'm still writing on existing stuff dw. Just a random valentines day drabble. Not proofread.

—--——--——--——--——--🩷--——--——--——--——--—

You met Jungkook in summer, many years ago, when the sun was hot and your friends turned out to be nothing but situationships.

You’d been seeing the hints of their friendship not being of honest nature for a while now- but as a young girl barely about to graduate a year later, you didn’t want to be alone during your allegedly best years of your life. So you ignored the warnings one after another, always found excuses as to why their behavior was totally justifiable and normal, even if deep down you knew that you were just trying to convince yourself of that.

And then, you met him- a guy showing you honest kindness for nothing asked in return.

It was hot, sun burning, and you’d tried to get out the pool- but your small strawberry floaty had kept slipping from underneath you, making it hard to find the strength to get out of the large pool in your ‘friend’s’ backyard by yourself- when suddenly, a hand had grabbed the red item to keep it still, so you could properly hold onto it for a moment.

“Here- let me help.” He’d said, black nail polish chipped. And you’d taken on the help, too tired to really care about the fact that your friend had told you to just ignore her brother’s ‘weirdo friends’- him clearly being one of them. “Want me to help you get out? The sun is pretty hot right now, you should get out soon.” He had worried a little, and you'd nodded, pushing yourself up on the ledge after having let go of the floaty, finally having been able to escape the pool with his help, as he made sure you wouldn’t slip or end up back inside because of your strength leaving you.

You weren’t sure back then where your friends even were at that point. But somehow, it was like a moment of realization- a clear sign you couldn’t ignore any longer. “your uh.. friends went to watch a movie upstairs now, in Kate’s room..” he says, watching you sit down in the shade, drying yourself with a towel you brought.

“..thanks.” you’d mumbled. “I.. Probably should go home now.” You’d shrugged, feeling ashamed and embarrassed to ever having trusted these people at all. All they did was use your kindness and clear need for just someone to talk to and befriend- and you’d willingly accepted that, blinded by the glimpses of happiness they’d made you feel every now and then.

They knew how to manipulate you- keep you happy and clingy enough with occasional treats never given too often.

“I mean.. I can drive you. It’s late.” Jungkook had offered you. “But we’re also missing a fourth player for mario-cart right now, down in Kate’s brother’s room.” He’d jokingly told you- something that had given you hope.

“..but won’t it be weird?” You’d worried. “They don’t know me.”

“Well, everyone’s a stranger when you first meet them.” Jungkook had laughed, as he gave you a towel from close by, both of you having slowly walked back into the house. “I’m Jungkook. Just in case you didn’t know. “ He’d introduced himself, smiling like he’s the sun itself.

And little did you know that on that day, as you gave him your name, you both also set the foundation for much more than just a friendship.

—--——--——--——--——--🩷--——--——--——--——--—

“So you two have history?” Your friend asks, sitting across from you on your hotel room floor, both of you occupied with making sure your freshly applied nail polish dries well. You’re on a weekend trip for just the two of you, to take some time off the stressful life and to nourish your friendship a little.

“Not really.” You shrug. “I wouldn’t call it that. More so.. An awkward friendship when I was younger, before I moved away.” You answer, explaining your situation as to why Jeon Jungkook, one of the current top e-sports players had greeted you when you randomly ran into each other today in the hotel hallway.

“Oh, so he was the guy you had a crush on when you were younger?” She teases, never forgetting anything it seems like- not even a random confession during a childish game of never-have-I-ever. “I knew it. Damn, you were so close! Imagine your life if you’d bagged that guy.” She swoons, having made it known time and time again that she wouldn’t pass up any opportunity to ‘get her hands on those abs’ if she ever had the chance to do so. You know this is simply a joke, but still, her words do make you think.

How would your life have turned out if you got with him?

Would he have chosen to go against his parents’ advice to just keep his hobby as, well, a hobby, or would he have accepted their wishes to instead study something more steady, to earn a position in a stable company? You’ll never know- but despite that, its still interesting to just humor that idea for a moment.

“Hey, maybe there’s still tickets for the tournament!” Your friend chirps up, having noticed her nailpolish having dried by now, phone fetched and disconnected from the charger as she swipes and inputs her passcode to unlock it. “Or I’ll ask if we can have my brother’s tickets, since he didn’t go..” She mumbles, texting him most likely now.

“It’s.. I don’t know, we wanted to go out for dinner though.” You mumble, checking your polish for any imperfections. “You don’t even like gaming that much.” You also add, teasingly so. She rolls her eyes.

“Just cause I don’t play them, doesn’t mean I cant enjoy watching someone play them instead.” She argues. “Also, you can watch the game- I'll watch the pretty boy.” She winks, making you laugh with her, when she receives a text, phone falling out of her hand for a second before she can pick it up again. “Oh- he said we can have them!” She chirps up, clearly excited. “As far as I know they’re free seating- so if we’re early, we get to choose where we wanna sit and watch.” She explains, texting him some more while you contemplate.

This is dumb. He probably has a girlfriend, a life of his own, hell- you have a life of your own now, far away from him. There’s no reason for you to try and test your luck like this, but you’re also a fan of the game he’s competing at. So, maybe..

Yeah. You’re totally not doing it for him. You’re just going to watch the gameplay.

What’s the worst that can happen?

—--——--——--——--——--🩷--——--——--——--——--—

It’s not even the next day yet, but you already see him again.

On your way down to the reception desk, mission clear in your head to muster up the courage to ask for another pillow instead of sleeping uncomfortably like this, you’ve barely exited your room when your eyes meet again in the hallway.

He says your name. His voice has gotten deeper after all those years, you notice. You nod, and he smiles, the turn of the corner of his mouth pulling your attention to the twin piercing he has placed there, silver rings piercing right through his skin. “It’s been a while.” He offers, hands in the pockets of his pants. He must’ve been out with his teammates, smell of faint cigarette smoke clinging to him as you walk a bit closer.

You nod. You feel awkward, all dressed down like this, having gotten reader for bed hours before, trying to find sleep without the extra comfort another pillow would bring you. “how are you?” He asks, and again, you nod.

You hate this. You’re still terrible at talking to people. “I’m good.. and you?” You answer, avoiding eye contact. Of course he’s obviously doing good- great even, about to bag thousands of prize money tomorrow when he’ll surely win the tournament.

“Good. Great even, now that I.. anyways, do.. What’re you doing here?” He wonders, clearly happy to initiate smalltalk. “vacation or work?”

“vacation. With.. a friend of mine.” You tell him, toes digging onto the fluffy slippers you brought on this trip for yourself. “like.. a girl’s weekend.” You explain, and he nods.

“Yeah.. guess you gotta leave the men at home sometimes to unwind.” He jokes.

“hmhm. Well, she had to- I don’t, you know, have anyone, so I’m flexible.” You tell him, and that seems to make his eyes sparkle almost like you’ve challenged him. Which you didn’t- so why does he look so energized now.

“Cool! I mean.. yeah.” He nods to himself, before he seems to realize something. “Oh hey, if I interrupted you or I’m holding you in a conversation, don’t mind me! You look like you were on your way somewhere-“ he starts, pointing down the gall to the elevator. “But uh.. if you wanna go down, there’s a bunch of drunks down in the lobby, just a warning.” He offers, making you deflate.

“Oh.” You hum, defeated. Well, maybe you cal roll up your sweater or something.

“If you.. I can go with you, if you’d like.” He offers. "I’m still pretty fit. Still boxing. So.. I can be your meat-shield basically.” He jokes, making you giggle, his eyes brightening up at the sound and sight.

“I.. that would be nice, actually.” You accept, and he happily walks next to you into the elevator at that, faint music drowning our the heavy buzzing of the mechanics.

“so uh.. how’s your family?” He wonders. “is your dad still making your mom’s life harder every day?” He jokes, but you shake your head, smiling fondly.

“No, they surprisingly settled these days. They’re.. on a trip themselves. For valentines day and all.” You explain, and Jungkook nods.

“romantic.” He teases, and you giggle, nodding along.

“they.. ask about you a lot. It’s kind of funny.” You tell him. “I can only ever tell them what I see online though.” You shrug.

“You.. know what I do?” he wonders, and your eyes widen as you look at him.

“are you kidding me? You’re the top player at my favorite game.” You say, making his expression moron into one of both wonder- and slightly bashful.

“I uh.. didn’t know. Guess I’ll take that as a compliment.” He laughs it off. “I.. have a tournament actually, tomorrow.”

“I know.” You nod, elevator doors opening. “I’ll be there. With my friend.” You say.

“Oh wow.” He chuckles. “I better win, in that case.” He.. flirts? As he walks towards the reception desk with you- drunk group of friends luckily only being loud, but not aggressive. “where will you sit?”

“its.. free seating, so I’m not sure.” You mumble, before you ask the lady at the desk for another pillow for your room number.

“I could probably reserve some good seats.” He says, and you smile.

“You really don’t have to.” You reassure him, when he suddenly asks the lady for something else as well- a flower from the last bouquet left over from the hotel’s valentines sale for the guests. She happily gives it to him, free of charge, before she tells you that housekeeping will bring you the pillow shortly, before she resumes her own work again, letting you and Jungkook walk back into the elevator.

You’re not sure what you think of this- but junkook has liked flowers back then, so why wouldn’t he still like flowers now. Or, maybe he’s staying here with his girlfriend, and he’s just wanting to gift her something on his way back to her- it’s valentines day, after all.

“I’ll.. can I have your number? To text you where you’ll sit tomorrow.” He asks, and you nod, walking into your room to fetch your phone, showing your number for him to type into his own, screen cracked a little in one corner. “awesome. Now then, the only thing I gotta do is..-“ he starts, slipping the phone in the pocket of his pants. “-ask you to be my valentine?” He wonders, holding the flower out to you. "Don’t have to say yes. I’m a big boy, I can take rejection.” He jokes.

“Can I.. ask why?” You wonder, and he grins, shrugging.

“I feel like, maybe the universe is trying to tell me something.” He simply answers. “..giving me a second chance, to ask you out for real this time.”

“wait.. you mean-“ you stammer, and he nods.

“I had.. kind of a huge crush on you back then. And, seeing you again.. it all just.. flared up again. Exactly the same way.” He confesses. “I’m not.. asking for something big. Just one date- and we’ll go from there.” He asks, and you slowly take the flower from him, smile on your lips as you think about his words. Fate, huh? A universe’s second chance? What are the chances?

You decide you don’t care.

“okay.” You answer him,-

And his eyes sparkle brightly, while he smiles at you like you’re the sun.

—--——--——--——--——--🩷--——--——--——--——--—i

[alexfromjersey]

𝓓𝓸𝓬𝓽𝓸𝓻 𝓥𝓲𝓼𝓲𝓽𝓼 & 𝓒𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓭𝓲𝓬 𝓠𝓾𝓮𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷𝓼

jenna x g!poc

summary: jenna and jah going to the obstetrician. jah asking stupid questions.

warnings: jah being a comedian, mature language, partial smut

a/n: tumblr didn’t save the first draft 😭…anyway enjoy the chapter and a Jenna edit 🤭. also I’m not a medical professional. I tried to look up the actual terminology and stuff to be semi-accurate but I started to lose interest 😂 - 4.3k words

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MAY 2023

“YOU GOT YOUR BACK BLOWN OUT BY KID CUDI?!? WHAT THE FUCK!” You shouted on the phone.

You and Jenna were currently on FaceTime, she was in her last fitting for her Met Gala outfit. She was bored waiting for the designer to come and make potential adjustments. So she called you to entertain her someway. She regrets calling you now.

You were doing your due diligence as a baby mama and friend to watch Jenna’s work. You started with The Babysitter: Killer Queen. It was alright in your opinion, you gave it a 7/10. Next, you watched The Fallout. It made you tear up and you applauded Jenna on her work. You considered it her best character.

Then, you watched both Scream movies and now you’re watching X. She tried to get you to not watch the movie by not even telling you about it. You had to look up her filmography to find out about it.

“You’re so lucky I have my headphones in” Jenna rolled her eyes.

“Nah you ain’t tell me this movie like that. I was jumpscared with so much ass and titties and now I gotta see you have sex with Mr. Day N’ Nite. Insane” You stated.

“I told you not to watch it. Actually I specifically remember withholding the information” Jenna said.

“Hm. They did you dirty by pairing you with that white man though” You shrugged and ate a fistful of popcorn.

“Shut up” Jenna mumbled.

Your eyes slowly drifted away from the movie to the phone screen. Jenna was preoccupied fixing the nail polish on her nails. She was doing something so simple yet captivating. You couldn’t take your eyes off her. The feelings you felt for her was starting to scare you.

“So, Nancy helped me book an appointment with the obstetrician not far from you” Jenna spoke bringing you out your thoughts.

“You did it for here? Why not back in your hometown, you know to be closer with your family” You questioned.

“It was the best one and…I always wanted to live in New York. I also want to be far away as possible from my mother when I tell her that I’m pregnant” Jenna smiled.

You laughed taking in the information, “When’s the appointment?”

“Tomorrow morning, 9am” Jenna replied.

“I’ll be there” You playfully salute to her. You turn your attention back to the movie. It was now on the part where the white man get killed by the old lady brutally.

“Speaking of families, how exactly are you going to tell yours?” Jenna asked.

“I’ll just call my brother and tell him. Now, for my mom, I’m gonna need a police riot shield” You huffed.

"You and I are in the same boat. I'm praying for you more though" Jenna said.

Your head snapped toward her, "Nah, don't say that."

Jenna chuckled at the expression on your face. The door behind her opened and the designer walks in. "I have to go. I'll call you later" Jenna said.

"Okay...wait you don't get your back broken like a glow stick anymore in this movie right?" You jokingly asked.

Instead of a verbal response, you got the sound of the FaceTime call ending. You laughed out loud and placed your phone on the charger and turned back to the movie.

Meanwhile with Jenna, she rolled her eyes secretly amused as she hung up on you. It was starting to get hard for her to ignore the growing feelings she had for you. She stalked your Instagram, staring at each photo for at least 10 minutes. She stayed up late last night and watch all your YouTube videos.

“Okay, since you’re not showing yet. The dress still fits perfectly but we will loosen it up around the waist just touch” Thom complimented.

Jenna looked at herself in the mirror, “I feel good in it. It feels good, I’m really happy with it” Jenna smiled.

Thom and Jenna continued discussing the dress some more before Thom had to leave to another client. He bid Jenna a bye and congratulations and left the building. Now, it was just Enrique, Nancy, Hudson, and Big L in the room.

A phone alert has Jenna snapping her head to her phone but unfortunately it was not her phone that made the sound. Enrique snorts at Jenna’s actions. An embarrassed blushed appears on her face.

“Shut up Enrique” Jenna mumbled.

“I’ve never seen like this before. It’s adorable” Enrique chuckled.

“It’s just hormones” Jenna lied.

“Yeah no it’s not. You know it’s okay to like her right. I mean the both of you kinda skipped a couple of steps but it’s good to backtrack” Enrique joked.

Jenna playfully punched his shoulder which made him laugh. Nancy let out a little giggle at the home. Hudson just grumbled something incoherent to himself.

“What does she look like anyway? I wanna see if your baby is going to be ugly or not” Enrique said.

Jenna rolled her eyes and grabbed her phone. She went to Instagram and went to your profile.

“This is the most recent photo” Jenna said.

liked by jennaortega, davis, and 12,683 people

bronxshiesty no bite marks no scratches and no hickeys

“Oh my….she got a brother?” Enrique asked.

Jenna laughed, “She does actually but he lives in Barbados.”

“I always wanted to go to Barbados. When’s my vacation?” He joked.

Jenna just shook her head while laughing. She carefully took off the dress and Enrique hung it up on the mannequin.

“You know it still hasn’t fully hit me that you’re about to become an actual mother. Shit is wild” Enrique commented.

“You and me both. I downloaded this pregnancy app and currently my baby is the size of a large strawberry” Jenna smiled and placed her hand on her stomach.

“Ain’t all strawberries large though?” Nancy questioned.

“I guess not” Jenna shrugged and sat down in a chair. Her stomach growled loudly.

“Get used to that. You’re gonna wanna eat twice more than usual.” Nancy said.

A text message alert can heard throughout the room. Jenna picked up her phone.

NYC 🩵: yo u got anything else to do today?

Hollywood 🤰🏻: no I’m free for the rest of the day

Hollywood 🤰🏻: why?

NYC 🩵: I want to see you

Jenna’s heart fluttered at the message. She bit her lip and smirked.

Hollywood 🤰🏻: what are we gonna do?

Jenna watched as the text bubbles appear and then disappeared. It happened a few more times before the text bubbles stayed.

NYC 🩵: i mean…whatever you wanna do shawty. I’m down with whatever 😁

“Let me guess, it’s her” Enrique smirked and tried to peek at Jenna’s phone she turned away. “Ohh not y’all sending spicy messages”.

“We’re not sending spicy messages. She just said she wants to see me” Jenna smiled.

“See you as in watching movies or see you as in Neighbors know my name?” Enrique joked.

Suddenly, a loud slam can be heard throughout the room. Everyone looked confused at the sudden sound and disappearance of Hudson. But shrugged it off.

Hollywood 🤰🏻: I’m hungry

NYC 🩵: what u want

Hollywood 🤰🏻: seafood

NYC 🩵: u like seafood boils? I know a banging spot that I can get

Hollywood 🤰🏻: absolutely

NYC 🩵: bet 🫡

“You’re all finished for the day Jenna. Go spend it with your baby momma” Nancy said.

“Thanks guys” Jenna said and grabbed her things. She hugged Enrique and Nancy before walking to the door.

“Don’t get pregnant…oh wait” Enrique joked.

Jenna stuck up her middle finger and Enrique and Nancy’s laugh can be heard as she left the room.

🤰🏻🩵

45 minutes later, Jenna finally arrived at your apartment. She texted you that you were here. A couple of minutes later, you came down in a gray tank top, gray shorts, and your slides.

“Yo Hollywood” You greeted and helped her out of the SUV. Jenna smiled and wrapped her arms around your waist. It was unexpected but you wrapped your free arm around her back and hugged her tight.

Jenna looked up you with a certain spark in her eyes. You noticed but decided to look away from her.

“Big L, I got you a boil too. You ain’t allergic to seafood right?” You asked.

“Nah I’m not. Appreciate it though” Big L said appreciative and took the bag of food. You nodded in response.

The two of you then head into the apartment complex. You lived on the 6th floor of the building, the nicest floor out the entire building. When you applied for the place, the landlord tried to stick you in a moldy and roaches infested apartment but one of the neighbors put you on game and helped you get this one.

“Welcome to mi casa” You said as you walked into your apartment. It was two bedroom and one bathroom. Their was music softly playing throughout the apartment from your speaker on the counter.

Jenna looked around the thankfully, clean apartment.

“Not bad” Jenna playfully shrugged.

“Yeah it’s not the high rise, plants in the windows, Hollywood type of apartment but it’s something” You chuckled.

Jenna giggled and sat down at the dining table with the food.

“I didn’t get yours with sauce on it. I got it on the side, it’s a Cajun style sauce and it’s a little spicy. I looked up if pregnant woman can eat spicy stuff, they said it was safe but might cause heartburn or indigestion so I also got a lemon garlic sauce too just in case.” You ranted.

Jenna looked at you with admiration in her eyes, “Thank you. I like spicy stuff so it shouldn’t be a problem.”

You smiled and the two of you engaged in a light conversation as you ate. You took the sausages from her bag and you gave her your corn. You also helped her with cracking the crab legs open and showing her how to get the meat in one piece.

You and Jenna finish your food and clean up before sitting on the couch. You sat in the middle while she sat at the end with her back against the armrest and her feet in your lap.

“Are you wishing for a boy or girl?” Jenna asked.

“I’m wishing for a healthy baby. I genuinely don’t care if it’s a boy or girl” You shrugged.

“Good answer. I want a girl though” Jenna said.

“That’s surprising. Most mothers want boys” You said.

“Girls are more fun in my opinion. But either way I’m going to love our child regardless of gender” Jenna stated.

She then sat up, scooted closer, and looked at the number tattoo on your wrist. “What’s this mean?”

“It’s my angel number. 555. It’s means change. Changes are coming and that I shouldn’t be worry or scared just have trust in the process” You explained.

“What about this one?” Jenna said as she pointed to another tattoo. This one was a small writing.

“Speak your mind, even if your voice shakes. It was my second ever tattoo. Believe it or not I was a shy kid before my junior year. I used to let people walk over me and bully me and take me for advantage. That was until the last day of sophomore year, I was on the yearbook committee and I had a really good idea but I was too scared and one of the other students stole it and took credit for it. My yearbook teacher pulled me aside one day and told me she knew I was the one that came with the idea. She told me, “you’re never going to get what you want if you never speak up. Speak your mind, even if your voice shakes because you never know who could be listening”. It’s a quote that stuck with me ever since” You explained.

“You had a great teacher” Jenna commented.

“Yeah, she reached out to me a couple of months ago and told me she loved my videos. It was wholesome” You smiled. Your hand start to rub her thigh unconsciously. “What about you? You got any ink?” You asked.

“Nope. I want one though. Maybe for my first one I’ll get our baby’s name behind my ear” Jenna answered. You nodded in response and continued rubbing her thigh. Your eyes kept looking down to her soft lips.

You wanted to feel them on yours, it’s been a minute since you felt any intimacy. You were longing for her soft touch.

Jenna’s eyes traveled down to your hand. She was starting to grow hot. Her hormones making it very difficult to keep in check.

“Jah?” Jenna called out.

“Hmm?” You hummed in response.

“Kiss me” Jenna demanded softly.

You leaned in and connected your lips to hers. Jenna immediately deepened the kiss as soon as she could. She climbed into your lap and her hands were placed on your cheeks. You placed your hands on hips. The kiss was starting to get sloppy and eager.

Jenna pulled away and took off her top leaving her in her navy blue bra. Her lips then latched onto your neck.

“You know…we should…talk about our relationship” You struggled to get out due to the pleasure.

Jenna placed butterfly kisses on your neck until her lips found your pulse. She then began to suck on the area. Your hands gripped her waist tighter and a small hiss escaped your lips. She smirked against you, happy that she found your sweet spot. She continued sucking until she felt satisfied with the hickey she left on your skin.

Your lips connect once more, your tongues clash and you slide your right hand up her back. Your fingers find her bra strap and with one hand you undo it. You help her pull it off your body. This time your lips leaves hers and attach them to her sweet spot. A sigh of pleasure leaves her lips and her hand gets tangled in your hair.

Your left hand grabs onto her slightly larger breast and begins to massage them.

Thank god for this pregnancy.

Your fingers rolling and pleasurably tugging at her hardened nub. The hand in your hair start to scratch at your scalp which felt really good. You take your attention away from her hickey littered neck.

Yikes, her make up person is going to have a field day with that.

Your lips clamp around her nub. Your tongue swipe over it a few times before sucking on it.

“Oh my god” Jenna moaned softly.

You let your teeth graze over it just a tad bit before switching your attention to the other breast. While you were giving her breasts attention, Jenna slipped down a little to sit on your knees before her hand found it’s way into your sweatpants. Her warm hand quickly found their prize. The long and girthy beast that was growing in your pants.

You pull away from her breasts and look into her lust filled eyes. You lifted your hips and pushed your sweatpants along with your underwear off your hips. Jenna got up from your legs and pushed the rest of it off your legs. She got on her knees in front of you.

Her small hand wrapped around your third leg. It jerked in her hand at her touch which she smirked at. She placed small kisses up and down your shaft until she got to the tip. Her tongue circled around it, her eyes never leaving yours. You lick your lips as she takes you into her mouth.

Your eyes rolled into the back of your head. Your head fell back against the cushions and your right hand tangle themselves in her hair.

One hand at the base of your shaft and the other rested on your thigh. Jenna started to bob her head up and down. Her muffled moans sending vibrations against your member which made you hiss.

“Damn girl” You hissed and licked your lips. You pushed her head down farther. You were deep in her throat, tears were pooling in her eyes. Jenna then took you fully in her mouth, her nose was touching your pelvic area. Your eyes slightly widened, you can feel her uvula grazing across you. She stayed there for a second, flexing her throat until it got hard to breathe and she pulled you out of her mouth. Her hand continuing to pump your length.

Once she got her breath back, she swallowed you while again. You grabbed a fistful of her hair and helped her bob her head up and down at a fast pace.

You were close, the knot in your stomach started to tighten.

“Fuck Jenna” You moaned.

Her nails dug into your thigh, enjoying the way your tip abused the back of her throat. You start to pant as you got closer and closer. Before you knew it, you halted her head before you felt your length twitch as it emptied into her mouth.

You relaxed into the couch, sweat glistening on your face. Jenna milked you for every last drop before she pulled you out of her mouth. She showed you the thick substance in her mouth before closing it and swallowing.

“Me gusta esa mierda extraña (I like that freaky shit)” You spoke.

“You know even though it’s sexy. It’s not fair when you speak Spanish knowing I have no clue what you’re saying” Jenna pouted.

“Chupa para chuparte fraude (Sucks to suck you fraud)” You shrugged with a chuckle.

Jenna sucks her teeth before standing up. She goes to walk away but you grab her hand.

“I’m joking. I’ll teach you Spanish if you want me too” You said. She stood in front of you. You pulled her down and interlocked your lips again. This kiss you guys took it slow, building the mood again, even though it technically never left. You pulled her pants down her legs until she kicked them off somewhere.

You stood up and hoisted Jenna up. She wrapped her legs around your waist. You walked until her back made contact with the wall in your bedroom. Your fingers pulled her underwear to the side and you ran your middle finger through her folds.

Damn, she was mad wet. She got that WAP.

Your middle finger massaged her clit. A whine left her lips as you flicked her clit and her hand gripped the back of your neck.

“Jah…” She moaned.

Unbeknownst to you, she was close to the edge. Usually, she lasts a lot longer than this. You barely touched her and she was already close to the edge. This pregnancy was making everything heightened.

You pull her from the wall and lay her on the bed. You were on your knees to the side of you, you took her underwear off before you slipped your middle and ring finger inside her.

“Fuck!” Jenna gasped.

Your long fingers worked their magic, quickly finding the rough spongy spot inside her. A loud moan ripped through her as she arched her back. Her hands gripping the bed sheets tightly.

“I’m…about to cu-” Jenna choked on her words as a powerful orgasm ripped through her. She stilled with her back arched to sky and eyes squeezed shut. There was a pool under her and your hand was soaked to the max.

You were slightly surprised at how fast she came. You didn’t complain though.

“Holy shit, that was intense” Jenna swallowed harshly. She relaxed her body on your bed, her chest was still rising and falling rapidly.

“I’m good at what I do” You smirked.

Exhaustion creeped in and Jenna struggled to keep her eyes open.

“No way I just fingered you to sleep” You laughed.

“Shut up” Jenna mumbled sleepily.

You chuckled as you grabbed some boxers from your drawer and pulled them on. You grab an old T-shirt from your drawer.

“Here put this on” You said and handed her the T-shirt. Jenna lazily put it on while you changed the blanket on your bed. Jenna crawled into your soft queen sized bed and curled up in your blanket.

You locked up your place and put the blanket and her clothes in the wash. Before going back to your room to see Jenna fast asleep. You climbed in the bed and stared up at the ceiling. As soon as you closed your eyes, you felt Jenna scoot closer to you. You turned your head towards her to see her grabbing your hand. You placed your hand in hers and she placed it on her stomach. You turned your body to her, spooning her. She relaxed into your hold and fell back asleep. You soon followed with a big smile on your face.

🤰🏻🩵

It was the next morning, you and Jenna were currently at the obstetrician's office waiting for the doctor to return to do the physical exam. The two of you got to know Dr. Nightngale better and vice versa. Her daughter was a fan of Jenna's which didn't bother or surprise the girl.

When it came down to asking questions about the other parent, Dr. Nightingale was stunned to learn that you were. Questions were thrown at you, which didn't bother you. You were used to people asking questions about being intersex. You were asked questions about it from the minute you could speak full sentences.

When you were younger, you used to go into full details but they got boring real quick. So you opted to tell people a quick summary. Which was 'I was an experiment from Area 51. My father was a spy that fell in love with an alien'. Most people didn't find it funny.

“What to expect when expecting?” You read aloud. It was a pamphlet that you picked up from the front desk. All morning you were reading up on anything related to pregnancy. You wanted to at least have a little bit of knowledge of what’s happening. Plus, it was kinda interesting learning about everything.

“Holy shit” You gasped as you were instantly hit with the sight of a stretched-out vagina…not the kind of stretched you want.

You look at the pamphlet with a disgusted look and then over to Jenna. The girl looking at you with an amused expression.

“I’m so sorry” You apologize to the girl.

A knock on the door was heard and Dr. Nightingale came in.

“Alright, Ms. Ortega and Ms. Jimenez are you guys ready to see your little bundle of joy," Dr. Nightingale asked.

Jenna was laid back in the exam chair with a sheet covering her breasts. Her slightly protruding belly was out in the open. You got up to stand next Jenna and also see the screen. You felt a shaking hand grab yours.

"You okay?" You asked the shaking girl.

"I'm nervous. I'm finally realizing how real this is" Jenna gulped.

"It's normal to be nervous. But I'm right here." You reassured the girl. She gave you a smile and a quick squeeze of your hand. Dr. Nightingale smiled at the interaction between the two of you. She put the gel on the medical instrument.

"Okay, this is going to be cold." Dr. Nightingale warned. She put the instrument on Jenna's belly, who flinched slightly at the sudden coldness of the gel. She moved the instrument around a little before a little body appears on the screen. The room was then filled with a rhythmic thumping.

"Oh my god" Jenna gasped at the screen. Her eyes started to fill up with tears at the sight. You, on the other hand, couldn't stop looking at the screen. You had a huge smile on your face.

"Your baby has a strong heartbeat. You are about 11 weeks pregnant. 2 months almost 3 if you like to go by months. Judging by the date of conception, you are due to give birth on November 28. But there's also a possibility that you could give birth in December" Dr. Nightingale said. She starts to take pictures of the baby.

“A Sagittarius baby…oh lord” Jenna joked.

“Better than a Scorpio” You shrugged.

Dr. Nightingale continued the exam. Everything coming up clear for both the baby and Jenna which you were happy about.

“When are we able to know the gender?” Jenna asked.

“By 14 weeks but I like to do it around 19-20 week mark so it can be accurate” Dr. Nightingale asked.

“What about sex?” You impulsively asked.

“Jah” Jenna sighed and rolled her eyes.

“What? It’s a smart question to ask” You defended.

Dr. Nightingale laughed, “One of the most common questions we get. Sex is completely fine to continue doing. It’s actually beneficial, it can ease discomfort or pain, great for physical health, and a good partner bonding experience. But I would highly recommend still using condoms because STI/STDs are still a thing.”

You smirked and nodded at the response. Jenna just smack your arm as she rolled her eyes.

“Any more questions?” Dr. Nightingale asked.

The both of you shook your heads no.

“Okay, well that is it for today. I’ll see you guys next month. Congratulations to you both” The older woman smiled and left the room. You helped Jenna wipe the gel off her stomach and she puts her shirt back on.

“You know…last night I said something to you. We were kind of busy so I don’t know if you heard me” You said.

“What did you say?” Jenna asked.

“I said we should talk about this. You know…us” You gestured to the two of you.

“What’s there to talk about? We’re just two people who had sex and are now having a baby together.” Jenna shrugged.

You furrowed your face, “Is that how you see us? Just two people having a baby?”

“Not just two complete strangers. Like friends” Jenna said. She watched you as you stared at her with no emotion on your face.

“Friends” You muttered and nodded.

Not gonna lie, the statement hurt you. You didn’t want to be just friends with her. You wanted to be more. You liked her and you thought she liked you too but you guess wrong. You respected her decision though despite the mental pain it brought you.

Just friends…

taglist: @grandpatrolnut @raven-ss @fanboy7794 @morganismspam23 @cinffy23 @darklron @cheesybacon1 @octavias-next-meat-bite @playboysaleen @niqmandu

[bettyfrommars]

v a c a n c y

Eddie x afab!Reader

This is a short snippet of a world I've been thinking about for a while, loosely inspired by the film Equilibrium where feeling is a crime punishable by death, but also by my fascination with abandoned places, wastelands, and the idea that, even though love sets us up for pain and grief, life is not worth living without it. I hope to expand on it eventually. Hint: this might also be interwoven with my nightmare Eddie.

wc: 1.3k

18+MDNI, dystopian au

This is rough, I just spit out this scene because I needed this Eddie to cheer me up.

The sting of the frosty air bit your cheeks when you stepped out of the motel room you shared with your aunt Ramona.  Wiggling the knob to make sure it was locked, you zipped up your coat, and then checked to make sure it was locked one more time for good measure. 

Nearby, someone whistled to get your attention.

You snapped a look across the way to find that the newest resident of the Grove Motel was out in the parking space in front of his room working on his van. He waved a wrench in the air at you.  “She needs tender loving care when it’s cold outside,” he shouted, possibly unaware of the noise ordinance for loud voices on the premises.  

You wondered if perhaps he had mistaken you for someone else, so you adjusted the bag on your shoulder, turned your back on him, and kept going.  

The steel of the wrench clinked to the cement, and then, at a jog, he caught up to you, and extended the spread out fingers of his hand for you to see.  “What do you think?”

He was referring to the new skull ring he wore, and was about to tell you a story about how a Hell’s Angel traded it for a six pack, but you were fixated on something else.  

“You’re not supposed to do that,” you gestured to the chipped, black polish on his short fingernails, not to mention the jewelry adornments he so proudly wore. “If they catch you, you’ll get a fine.” 

“Fuck ‘em,” he put a cigarette to his lips, lit the end with a metal zippo from his pocket, and then clapped the lighter shut, keeping the coffin nail in the corner of his mouth as he spoke.  “They can put me in jail, wouldn’t be the first time.”

You came to a full halt on the pavement then, unnerved by his unique and utterly idiotic nonchalance. His gaudy rings, the flash on his vest over his leather jacket, his long hair, everything.  Hell, you could very well get a fine for just associating with him.  “They banish people too, you know? To the Outer Limits, I bet you wouldn’t be so cocky then?”

He puffed a laugh out his nose and leaned in, his voice a murmur that melted into a purr. “Well, then, you don’t know shit about me, sweetheart.”

You dodged to the side to avoid him, marching ahead with brutal determination.

“Hey, hey, hey, please wait,” he jumped in front of  you, waving his arms. “I’m sorry okay? Just...wait,” and then his hands were up, palms out to mime the invisible wall between you.

Your gaze lingered on the dead tufts of grass around the sidewalk, but then cautiously rose to his brown orbs rimmed in gold.

“My name’s Eddie,” he bobbed forward before bouncing back on the balls of his feet.  “I’ve been seeing you around for a couple weeks and thought maybe I’d introduce myself.”

“I know who you are,” you swallowed.  “You moved into Curtis and Janey’s old place. They were friends of mine.”

“Oh shit, that’s right.  He was taken away, wasn’t he? By those rent-a-cops with the cowboy hats.”

You nodded, working your jaw.  “Curtis and his wife, they were always holding hands and kissing and…” a part of  you worried you’d get in trouble just for speaking the words. “...being really affectionate with each other.”

Eddie gave an exaggerated grimace.  “Yikes, that sound like some hardcore stuff.”

“Don’t make fun,” you inclined your head.  “This is serious.”

He broke into a chuckle, biting his lip.  “I can tell that you think it is.”

You kept walking, only to have him take backwards steps to keep pace with you, wallet chain bouncing with each jolly movement.  “So, what’s your name?”

“You’re not from around here, I can tell,” you let him know, mumbling your name so it was almost inaudible.

“What gave it away?” 

“Do they not have laws against feelings and self-expression where you’re from?”

“No, they do,” he spun on his heel to face the same direction as you.  “I guess I just don’t care about their rules.”

You came to another abrupt stop to gape at his casual smile.  You’d never met anyone like him before, and it made you curious almost as much as it infuriated you.  He appeared to welcome your assessment of him with matched intensity, rolling his bottom lip through his teeth a few times.  

“I have to get to work,” you stepped from the curb, gnashing your teeth.

“Are you taking the bus?” 

“No genius,” you spat over your shoulder.  “I’m waiting for my limousine to pick me up at the curb.”

At that, Eddie guffawed with laughter and sprang up next to you, shuffling in little hop-steps.  “You had me worried there for a second.  I thought maybe you were dead inside like the rest of them.”

“I’m plenty dead inside,” you muttered, thinking it was time to take your pills again, the medication that kept you from feeling anything and sucked any and all joy out of life.

“Do you want a ride?” He exhaled toward the sky, jerking a thumb over his shoulder.  “I know a guy with a van who has some time to kill.”

“No thank you,” was your quick and curt response.  

“Suit yourself,” he flicked the butt into the street just as an old, rusted Plymouth cruised by with a huge dent in the door.  “But if you ever need like, milk or sugar, you know where to find me.”

“I won’t.”

A few yards from the bus stop, he called your name, and you spun around to face him, brow creased with irritation.  

“Was that Led Zeppelin I heard coming from your place the other day or was I dreaming?”  

You froze, panic flushing arctic ice through your veins.  

The enjoyment of music was absolutely forbidden in your territory, and the only thing on the radio were news and religious stations.  You’d kept your dad’s old cassette player and a shoebox full of tapes hidden in the wall behind your dresser for years.  It was a secret you’d kept so long, you were always very careful about when you listened and how loud.

You were shaking your head, moving your jaw, but no words could come out.  He would tell on you, and then the Troopers would come and ransack your room and take the only thing of your father’s you had left.

“Please don’t,” you took cautious steps, searching his face.  “I can’t, I won’t listen anymore, but please don’t tell anyone. I’m begging  you.”

Eddie frowned and grinned at the same time, confused.  “I would never—” and then he realized you were actually freaking out, and his tone got very soft.  “Hey, listen, it’ll be our secret, alright? I like to listen to music too.”

You looked around, worried that the aluminum skeletons in the junkyard next door had ears. You believed him, you had to.  You’d been caught and you were at his mercy. 

“I was just going to say we need to get you some headphones.” He bucked his chin and gave a proud wink, “I know a guy.”

[natimiles]

I See the Light (Levi x reader)

Summary: It’s your wedding day with Levi!

Words: 1500

Tags: female reader; wedding; established relationship; assertive Levi (but not that much).

Notes: IT’S MY 5TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY TODAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! And you guys will celebrate it with me with this cute little fic where we marry Levi. I’m gonna be self-indulgent today, so we have a female reader.

The title is the song from Tangled, I walked down the aisle at my wedding to that song. Half of Levi’s vows are from his proposal at the “Wedding” event. And the reader’s vows are my real vows, teehee. I cut some stuff so it isn’t too big and adapted the demon references, but it’s essentially mine. Yes, I said it all at my wedding, and there’s one awesome picture with everyone laughing with a big :O face.

This is queued because I’m obviously not here today. Enjoy the fluffy!

“I swear I’ll hit you,” Asmo threatens, pulling the tie a little more roughly than needed to tie the knot, just to make his point.

“S-sorry,” Levi says, taking his hand away from his mouth with a sheepish smile.

He hasn’t felt this nervous in so long… But could he be blamed? It’s an important situation, one that makes him anxious and sends him spiraling.

He never thought he’d be so nervous doing something with you — well, not anymore. You’ve been together for so long, sharing your days and nights with him, showering him with love and appreciation. After all these years, he grew accustomed to all of it. So feeling nervous now is kind of new again.

He knows better than to test his brother’s ire, and he knows that if he bites his nails and ruins the nail polish — again — Asmo will kill him.

And you’d have no one to marry today if his brother killed him.

Levi tries to calm himself down. He closes his eyes and thinks about you. You must look so beautiful in a wedding dress. You didn’t let him see it yet, saying it’d bring bad luck — some human superstition. He imagines you in the room next to his, getting ready for this important day...

“Just breathe,” Asmo smiles. “Everything is going according to plan.”

“Alright,” Levi tries to take a deep breath, but it’s shaky. He wonders if you’re ready, if you can start this and bind yourselves to each other for eternity, and... Oh... Oh, he hopes you attend it. You wouldn’t run away, right? You’ve had years to realize he was a loser; it’d be really mean if you decided to leave him now... He frowns; his hands are sweating again, and— “Ouch!”

“I told you I’d hit you if you bit your nails,” Asmo glares. “I’ve already painted them three times, and we have no time left to do a fourth. So stop it.”

A soft knock on the door interrupts the two brothers’ light fight, and Satan peeks his head inside.

“Are you finished? She’s good to go.”

“Good to—” Levi starts yelling.

“To go get married, Levi!” Asmo cuts him shortly, pinching his arm and earning a loud yelp. “For the love of anything!”

“Don’t need to hit me,” he mumbles, rubbing the spot where he was pinched.

Satan chuckles, looking at the banter. “Can we go?”

“Wait!” Asmo raises a hand to make them stop. He checks his brother, his eyes roaming over him one last time to make sure everything is fine. The dark blue suit is pristine, the tie is straight, Levi’s hair is still in place (combed back), his makeup is good, and his nails are still painted. “Alright, let’s go!”

When the three arrive at the entrance to the Demon Castle Garden, they meet the rest of their brothers, Simeon and Solomon, gathered there. They whistle, cheer, and smile, making Levi blush even more. Asmo complains, saying he forbids them from making Levi start biting his nails again and adjusts everyone in line to start.

With everyone ready, the Avatar of Lust flicks his wrist, and a soft song starts to play on the speakers on the other side of the door, making everyone there fall silent. As the door in front of them opens, it’s possible to finally see the garden and everyone waiting there.

The long dark blue carpet connects the beginning to the end of the corridor where they’ll walk down now. The string lights hung in the trees — probably with a bit of magic — giving an air of stars illuminating the place. The large vases beside the rows of chairs, filled with flowers from the Devildom and the Human Realm, in beautiful compositions of navy blue and orange.

The best men start to walk in pairs through the corridor, splitting into two when they reach the end — one pair going to Levi’s side and the other to yours. One by one, the pairs walk: Asmo and Solomon, Lucifer and Mammon, Belphie and Beel, Satan and Simeon...

“I think I’m dying,” Levi mumbles under his breath, to no one in particular.

The song changes slightly, and he closes his eyes for a few seconds to take a deep breath. He regrets suggesting he could enter alone so his brothers could pair between them with no problem. Levi feels the cold sweat trickling down his spine, making his whole body shiver. It’s so scary; he wonders how people do that without passing out. But he will be strong, and he will fight this anxiety one more time — for you.

He reopens his eyes and takes one step forward. He is so nervous he can’t even look to the sides to see who attended the wedding. Slow and steady, he makes his way to the end of the corridor. He breathes a sigh of relief when he gets there, turning around to see the guests. Levi smiles softly, but it falters when the song stops and the door is closed again.

For a few seconds, it’s all silent and quiet, but then your song starts.

This is it.

There’s no turning back.

You won’t run from him.

You’ll never be away from him ever again.

You’ll share your lives and stay together forever.

The door slowly opens, and his breath catches in his throat. Your white dress sparkles under the moonlight of the Devildom and the fairy lights in the garden. You’re smiling, and he notices how nervous you are when you meet his gaze. In an instant, you’re right in front of him, and he sees you’re just as emotional as he is, which soothes him.3

The ceremony goes well, with Diavolo being responsible for officiating it and saying a few words about humans and demons coexisting together. 

And it’s time for you and Levi to say your vows. The sea serpent demon is shaking so hard, you think he might faint at any moment, but he does his best to keep it together. He reaches for one of the rings and holds it in his hand to pronounce his vows to you.

“I always mess everything up when it counts the most, but this is who I am,” he starts with a shaky voice, slowly gaining courage. “I want you to be with me despite that. I never thought I’d be lucky enough to find someone, but I found you. I want us to overcome the difficult stages in life together and defeat whatever stands in our way. I promise to always, always love and cherish you. To infinity and beyond.”

You smile widely as his unsteady hands put the ring on your finger, kissing it lightly right after.

It’s your turn now, so you grab his ring to do the same. And looking into those deep sunset eyes, you begin your vows.

“Who thought we would be here today, getting married? Me,” you smile, and he returns it, blushing slightly. “Because I liked you since the first time I saw you. And after 4 years, 11 months, and 11 days together, it’s finally our time, and I couldn’t be happier to be marrying you. You’re the most wonderful and beautiful demon I know, inside and out. It’s really easy to be with you because you never laugh at the things I share with you, and our silliness complements each other. You are, above everything else, my best friend; the Lord of Shadows to my Henry. Lots of things might change now, but I promise you that my love will never change. I promise to always be your support and keep my games updated. I promise to bring you breakfast in bed on all your birthdays, and I promise to expect the same thing on mine. I promise to make you happy in the same proportion that you make me, and to be by your side forever because ‘the team is us’. I can’t see me loving nobody but you for all my life. I love you, to infinity and beyond.”

With shaky hands and your vision blurred with tears, you slide the wedding ring on Levi’s finger, giving him a peck too. He reaches for your face and cups your cheeks, wiping the happy tears with his thumbs.

You’re so giggly inside, like your happiness can’t be contained anymore. And when Diavolo finally says you two can kiss, it’s like everything explodes. His lips are glued to yours in no time, and you’re returning the kiss with the same intensity.

All shyness, anxiety, and nervousness are left behind, for now, it’s like there’s only the two of you. You can’t hear the guests cheering, or Mammon crying saying he’s happy but that’s enough kissing, or Asmo whistling suggestively and loud.

It’s just the two of you, in your own little world.

You pull away to look into each other’s eyes, foreheads pressed against each other, and you know this is the start of an even happier life.

Taglist: @sh0jun @chandeliermichel @judejazza

Masterlists

[not-a-space-alien]

Desperate Daybreak Chapter 6

In this chapter: Valen gives it a try...

MMSS masterpost

DD masterpost

On AO3

Warnings for this chapter: Self harm, pregnancy dysphoria, depictions of someone undergoing dissociation and extreme mental trauma, sexual assault TW. This chapter has heavy themes and depictions of self harm. Also some brief touching on disordered eating.

Update: Here is a summary of the chapter for those worried about whether or not they can read it due to the self harm depictions.

***

Lex and Ari managed to cook quite a good dinner.  They then sat eating it at the table, remarking over and over to each other how good it was.

Valen desperately wished he could taste it.  To experience this with them.  He couldn’t even get his own equivalent and partake alongside him–his equivalent of a delicious meal would be horrifying to them, something he wouldn’t want them to see.

The braindead humans loitering around would occasionally shuffle over and sit at the table, as though they knew mealtime meant sitting at the table together despite none of them being hungry or eating.  They didn’t respond to Lex’s offer to let them taste the food.  They didn’t appear to be particularly enjoying anything that was happening.  They just knew dinner meant sitting at the table together.

Valen wondered if they developed their own limited social dynamics, locked in here with barely a thought between the lot.

“I’ll figure out the best way to help you,” he told them.  “Just be patient a little while longer, okay?”  He was beginning to realize what a monumental task that was.  These humans wouldn’t remember their own names.  Their families.  Where they came from.  How to even survive and function on their own.  No one had ever documented a human reverting to having higher brain functions after being mindwiped from years of exposure to persuasion.  It might not even be possible.  They were essentially walking corpses.  They barely cared if you hurt them.

He could grapple with the moral implications of that later.  For now, he locked the door to the human quarters and left things as they were.

When they got back to the guest suite, Tessie was laid out on one of the queen-sized beds in cozy pajamas, going at her nails with cotton balls.  “How was dinner?” she said.

“It was great!” Lex said.  “Are you doing your nails?”  She sat on the edge of the bed, and Tessie immediately perked up.

“Do you want to do each other’s nails?  I’ve never gotten to do–er, the girls growing up all had sleepovers and stuff, but I never got to do that.”

“We can do that!” Lex enthused.  “Girls’ night!”

Valen smiled as he watched Lex sit on the bed and start rifling through Tessie’s nail polish.  At least there could still be some small joys here, among the horrors.  “I think I’m going to take that bath, now.”

“Hey,” Ari said, standing in his way.  “You haven’t eaten since we set out.”

Valen averted his eyes.  “My stomach was in knots.”

“You need to feed.”

How could I possibly feed after the scene in the human quarters?  “I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not.”

“Valennnn,” Lex said in a singsong voice.  She tilted her head and tapped her neck.  “Come on, it won’t kill anyone.  You can’t do anything on an empty stomach.”

Valen stood there waffling back and forth before he came over and bit down very gently.  He took a few sips before giving up and licking the wound closed.  “Thank you.”

Lex hadn’t even stopped looking through the nail polish.  He appreciated her nonchalance.  It was the only thing keeping him from spiraling.  “Now go get your bath.”

The tub was wonderfully deep.  He submerged himself up to his neck in warm, fragrant water, fiddling with the foam from the bubble bath.  He soaked for a while with his thoughts.  Everything seemed more manageable with Lex and Ari here to help him, and Tessie was quickly becoming a treasured support as well.

The bath relaxed him considerably, and when he came out he saw that Tessie and Lex had convinced Ari to sit down and allow herself to be subjected to her nails being painted.

They spent the morning listening to the radio and giving each other manicures, in better spirits by far than earlier.  Nobody was even that upset when Ari inevitably messed up her nail polish before it was dry.

***

Valen always tried to sleep by himself, but on his bad nights he often found himself slithering in beside Lex and Ari.  He woke them up, but they always graciously pretended not to notice.

Lex and Ari had taken the king-sized bed, and Valen and Tessie the two queens adjacent to the biggest room in the suite.  He put on his comfiest pair of pajamas and bade goodnight to Lex and Ari, who still refused to stop their amazed commentary on how fancy everything was, from the soaps to the beds to the carpets and vanities.

And then he just lay there, wishing he could fall asleep instead of needing a safety blanket like a child.

He felt Priscus’s arms around him.  His hands around his neck.  His hands around lower, more sensitive places.  Not even the bastard dying could free Valen from that wretched fate.

He tossed and turned.  He felt Nick’s hands on him, his burning metal, his cruel words, the humiliating and painful things Valen had been subjected to.  He only realized he’d managed to fall asleep when he jolted awake from having a dream about Nick wearing Priscus’s face.

He tiptoed through the suite to reach where Lex and Ari lay tangled in each other’s limbs.  Trying to be as light-footed as possible, he climbed into the bed and inserted himself between the two women.

***

Valen snuck out of bed early to crawl back into his own bed, to avoid the complicated feelings he had being in bed beside Lex and Ari as they all woke up.  The two humans politely declined to acknowledge the fact that he'd been there at all, instead pretending they were seeing him for the first time as he walked out in his pajamas.

“Sleep well?” Lex asked.

Valen nodded.  “I'm still torn about the humans here at the manor.”  He couldn't on good conscience condone the staff biting the humans, but… what would forbidding it actually accomplish?  The humans would still be just as stuck here, unable to help themselves.  Just as braindead.  They hardly seemed to care one way or the other.  The manor staff, on the other hand, enjoyed fresh on demand blood as one of their job perks, so suddenly cutting that off would result in some ill will.  Maybe he could offset that with a pay raise?

But then what?  He just had a bunk full of walking, unfeeling husks?  To what end?  Trying to connect them with any sort of help or reunion with their families was going to be a monumental task.  It'd simply never been done before, or at least done with such low frequency there was no infrastructure or guidance available to expedite the process.

In the end, he decided to avoid making a decision for now and just not make any announcements.  He managed to avoid feeling guilty about it by reasoning it wasn't his fault it was set up like this, and there wasn't any point in changing it yet when it wouldn't make any difference.  These humans were a drop in the bucket compared to the work they had ahead of them, so might as well wait till they figure out what to do about the other…. thousands of people.

And besides, he had a much more challenging task ahead of him today.

Valen swallowed as Tessie slid the papers over to him.  “Here's the information for the fertility clinic. There will probably need to be repeat appointments, but the first one is going to be the hardest. We can go any time this week.”

“Let's do it today,” Valen said, even as it made dread swell inside him.  “I can't bear the thought of stewing in anticipation all week.  It's better to just get it over with quickly.”  He was really doing this.  He'd gone out of his way to avoid becoming pregnant when Priscus was alive, and now that the man was dead, Valen was going to purposefully try to have his child, because for some godforsaken reason the universe had set itself up such that Valen getting pregnant would give him the ability to save thousands of people.

Fitting, symbolically a little.  Maybe he was giving birth to a messiah?  It could be, if he raised them to value human life, and then took over when they turned 18.  That seemed the best option.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad with Lex and Ari here.  Maybe they could help him raise it.  He would even say he might like the idea of raising a child with them, if he didn't have to be the one to carry it.

It wouldn't be Priscus’s child, not really.  The man was fucking dead.  Valen was here, and he could do this.

He hoped.

***

Valen wanted to go by himself for some godforsaken reason.  They managed to talk him into letting Lex and Ari take him there, at the very least, and then they waited in the van outside the clinic anxiously.

“Fucking stupid,” Ari muttered.  

Lex opened the passenger door to stretch her legs.  “Yeah.”

“He’s in there alone being violated by his stupid fucking- fucking stupid ass husband postmortem.”

“Babe.”

“And he didn’t even want us to come in.”

“He has his reasons.”

“Well, they’re stupid.”

“Come on, babe.”

Ari gripped the steering wheel and shook herself.  “I wish he was still alive so I could kill him again.  Priscus.  Priscunt.”

“Babe.”

“Pisscus.”

“He doesn’t want us to see him like this, I guess.  He’s been humiliated enough-”

“And we’ve seen it all!  We just want to be there for him!”

“He knows.”

“And he didn’t-”

“He’ll be out soon.  Surely.”

“He better.  Close the damn door, some vampire bystander is going to come take a bite of you.”

“You think I look that delicious?”

“Not now, you horny slut.  I’m not having car sex outside a vampire family planning clinic, of all things.”

“Oh-!  Oh, there he is!”

The two craned their necks to see him coming out the front door.

“Uh-oh,” Ari said.

“Shit,” Lex added.

Valen stumbled out, eyes glazed over, shaking.

“Shit,” Ari said.  She put the car in gear and pulled around to get close to him.  “Shit, shit, shit, shit.”

Lex hopped out and opened the door.  “Come on, get in.”

Valen looked at her foggily.

“How did it go?”

Valen burst into tears, sinking to his knees.  He looked completely shellshocked.

“Shit,” Ari said.  The door ajar alarm sounded as Ari abandoned the car to come scoop him off the sidewalk.  He was crying too hard to speak, quivering in her arms.  “Talk to me, baby.”

He only managed to cough, sounding like he was going to throw up.

“Shit.”  Ari sat him down on the edge of the van.  “You’re okay.  You’re okay.  Uh, three things you can see, five you can touch–what the what it was or whatever.  Breathe.”

Valen had a faraway look in his eyes, completely unresponsive to everything the two of them were saying to him.  Still sobbing, he pulled his shirt up and started to claw at his abdomen–down near his pubic mound.

“Woah, woah, woah,” Lex said, grabbing his wrists.

“Hey, hey, no, no,” Ari said, also grabbing his arms.

“Get it out,” Valen wept.  “Take it out.  I can’t do it.”

The two humans were, of course, not nearly as strong as him, so he simply wrenched his arm out of their grasps and then tore at his own belly until he drew blood.

“Stop!” Lex yelled.  “Valen, stop!”

Ari approached from behind and put her arms around him.  Copying her, Lex sandwiched Valen between them from the front.

The violent motions stopped, dissolving into hopeless weeping.

“You’re okay, baby,” Ari said.  “You’re okay.  We’ve got you.”

“Don’t hurt yourself,” Lex said.  “You’ve been hurt enough.”

Ari clenched her teeth.  “Lex, stay here for a minute.”

Vampires had payphones, luckily.  Ari wasn’t sure why they wouldn’t have them, but she’d still been nervous about not being able to find one.  She did, though, and plunked a few quarters in and punched in the number for the guest quarters at the Kithrara estate.

“How’d it go?” was the first thing Tessie said.

“Bad,” Ari said gruffly.  “Tessie, we have to figure something else out.  This won’t work.  Even if Valen wants to, he can’t.  This is going to make him completely nonfunctional.”

There was the sound of paper rustling on the other end of the line.  “Uhh.  I mean, if he-”

“He’s not going to be okay with just giving up, though.”

“If we-”

“We need a miracle.  Can you give us a miracle, Tessie?  Some stupid loophole or subclause of a subclause that only a lawyer who’s good at mind-numbingly boring legal bullshit would find?”

Silence.

“Please?”

“Give me an hour.”

***

An hour, it turned out, was about how long it took to drive back to the estate.  Valen was almost completely nonverbal, electing to spend the entire ride curled up on the floor with his hands over his ears, rocking himself gently.

“We’re going to figure this out, okay?” Lex kept soothing him.  “You don’t have to deal with this on your own.  We’re here.  We’re going to take care of you.”

Ari pulled the van up onto the Kithrara’s nice, manicured lawn and came around to help Lex, who was half-pulling Valen out of the van.

“I’m sorry,” Valen said hoarsely.  “I’m sorry.  It’s stupid.”

“It’s not stupid.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You’re okay, baby.”

“I can do it, I can still do it, they’re all counting on me.”

“We’re going to help you figure it out.  We’re here.”

Ari went ahead to make sure they had a clear path to the guest suite–the last thing Valen needed was to be approached by any of the staff.  She locked the door behind them as Lex guided Valen onto the bed.

Good call going with the guest suite.  No telling what it would have done to Valen’s psyche to be put into his marriage bed after that experience.

He flopped over, wrung out, face in the pillow.  “Sorry,” his muffled voice said.

“You don’t have anything to apologize for, sweetheart,” Lex said.  “You’re okay.”

Valen turned over, clamping his hand over where he’d wounded himself earlier.  “That was just the… I don’t know if I can-”

“You don’t have to.”

“But they’re-”

“Stop,” Tessie broke in.  “Don’t spiral.”

Valen squeezed his eyes shut.

“This isn’t going to work if you’re too psychologically incapacitated to do us any good even if you fulfill the terms of the will.”

“I’m sorry,” Valen said again, fresh tears rolling down his cheeks.  “I’m sorry.  I can’t do it.  It’s too much.”

“I think I have a way we can do this without you having to be pregnant.”

Valen sat up, hope written all over his face.

Tessie threw down a bottle of pills.

“What’s this?”

“Ovrette, in a dosage that induces miscarriage in vampires.”

Valen dove on the pill bottle and swallowed them all without any water.

“There you go,” Lex said, rubbing his back.

Valen wiped his mouth, embarrassed.  He did feel a lot better, though.  It was instant, the second the pills went down his throat.  “What shall we do, then?” he said miserably, desperate for some solution that didn’t destroy him and didn’t doom thousands of humans.

Tessie laid the will out on the table.  It was an absurd document, the scroll rolling off the edge and dangling towards the floor, so long was its length.

“So, here’s the thing,” Tessie said.  She chewed on her nail–the fact that the fresh polish was already destroyed evidenced that she’d been doing that quite a lot before they’d arrived.  “Fertility rate is so low for vampires that even with fertility treatments, ten years is still a pretty short time to expect conception.  The will lays out you getting pregnant within ten years to be realistic.  That’s pretty much the fastest it could happen, if you keep all your appointments at the clinic.  The success rate of each treatment is so low.”

Valen hugged his arms around himself.  “And…?”

“And since the chance of you getting pregnant is so low, it’s not going to be obvious that you’re violating the terms of the will by not getting pregnant… until the ten years are up.  Hell, we might even have a strong case for arguing that ten years is too short and we could get it extended.”

Valen stared at her misty-eyed.  “Are you suggesting…?”

“We just don’t fucking do it,” Ari said flatly.  “Are you saying we just don’t do it, and they can’t prove we’re not going to do it, because the time limit isn’t up yet?”

Tessie nodded.  “You know what they say about it being easier to ask forgiveness than permission?  And possession being nine-tenths of the law?”

“We’re already here,” Valen said, relief dawning on him.  “We’re here and controlling the estate and ostensibly doing what we’re supposed to be doing, so if someone wants to wrestle it away, they have an uphill battle to prove-”

“To prove there isn’t going to be an heir in ten years.  Which is ten years from now.”  She chewed on her nail.  “That gives us a decade.”

“A free decade,” Lex said.  “To just haul ass and get as much done as we can before the estate is repossessed.” 

"Yes," Tessie said. "Combing through the technicalities in the document, Valen will legally control the estate until the ten years are up and he hasn't produced an heir. So we just act like the heir is going to come eventually and the fertility treatments just haven't worked yet, and in those ten years we do as much work as we can get away with."

Valen buried his face in his hands.  “That I can do.”

***

Taglist

@tomato-whump @dragonfireridge @taterswhump @whump-cravings

@scoundrelwithboba @pigeonwhumps @whumpsday @whumpy-writings @fuzzydarkpebble

@melodicnommer @thecyrulik @snake462 @gt-daboss @appelsiinilight

@star-rott @mottinthemainpot @corvidat @melancholy-in-the-morning @whumplr-reader

@honeycollectswhump @dragonqueenslayer6 @whumpycries @starfields08000 @scumashling

@demetercabingreen-thumb

[forest-hashira]

Lip Gloss

hello lovelies!!! i am back once again with more transfem gojo bc she's the love of my life. this fic doesn't have anything to do with her birthday, but it is in honor of it!

i sat on this one a little too long (most of it was written weeks ago and then i got distracted,,, and then i finished this at like 3 in the morning whoops) so i'm not as crazy about this one as i was about the ither two. regardless, i hope you all enjoy it!

pairing: gojo satoru/reader

content: transfem gojo, gender neutral reader, fluff, first time buying/using makeup, nothing actually happens but gojo gets a little flustered when you touch her lol

wc: ~2.8k

read on ao3 here!

After painting her nails, Satoru seemed more and more interested in making changes to her appearance, though she was still unsure about where she wanted to start. 

“Why don’t we stick with non-permanent changes for now?” you suggested. 

“Like what?”

“I could help you with makeup, if you wanted to start wearing any.”

She blinked dumbly for a moment, then tilted her head as she gazed up at you from where her head rested in your lap. “Like eyeliner and stuff?”

“Yeah, like eyeliner and stuff,” you agreed, gently stroking her hair from her eyes. “But you don’t have to wear any if you don’t want to. Plenty of women don’t wear makeup.”

She seemed to consider for a few moments, still holding your gaze. “I think makeup is a good next step. Do you have any I could borrow?” 

“Well, it depends on what you want to start with,” you began with a slight shrug. “I’m more than happy to let you try out my lip products and blushes and such, but it’s not a good idea to share things like mascara and eyeliner.”

“Why not?” she pouted. You just smiled at her.

“Because it could give us both pinkeye.”

“...Oh.” Satoru blushed lightly then, clearly not having expected such a serious reason.

“Yeah,” you agreed. “But I’ll help you find some of your own, don’t worry. And yes, I’ll teach you how to use all of it,” you added, practically seeing the question as it formed in her brain.

She smiled a bit bashfully up at you, her eyes twinkling with love. “You know me so well,” she said, catching the hand you’d been using to play with her hair and pressing a kiss to your knuckles.

You felt your face warm slightly, the combination of her soft touch and affectionate demeanor causing you to feel a little fuzzy inside. “I try my best,” you said softly, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

She squeezed your hand back, kissing your knuckles again softly before she sat up. “So. Drugstore?” she asked, her eyes bright and hopeful.

You stifled your smile, pretending to consider her words for a moment. When a pout began to form on her lips, though, you relented. “Yeah, we can go see what kinds of makeup they have.”

Satoru practically bounced off the bed in her excitement, grabbing her sunglasses before rushing out of the room, calling over her shoulder for you to hurry up. 

Her actions pulled a small laugh from you, and you shook your head slightly as you pushed yourself off the bed, grabbing your bag as you followed her to the door. 

“You always take so long to catch up,” she complained, peeking at you through her hair, over the tops of her glasses. 

“Yeah, yeah,” you agreed half heartedly, easily sliding your shoes on. “Do you want me to go with you or not?”

She did want you to go with her, obviously, since she doesn’t know the first thing about doing her own makeup, much less what products she should start with. 

The pair of you wound up back at the same drug store where you had bought the sorceress’s first nail polish. Satoru had thought the nail polish display was overwhelming, but when she realized that not every makeup product fit on the same aisle, she looked like she might pass out. 

“There’s so much…” she said quietly, her expression more than a little lost as she looked around. 

“We’ll start easy,” you promised, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. “Let’s look at lipgloss, yeah?”

Your girlfriend agreed wordlessly, giving a slight nod and letting you pull her over to the lip products. You looked over the options in silence for a moment, then turned to Satoru to explain things to her. 

“I know you still want to keep this between us for now,” you started, and Satoru nodded in agreement, pulling her eyes away from the display to look at you as you spoke. “So I would suggest something really subtle. No bold colors or anything yet.”

“Okay. Is there, uh… what color do you think would look good on me?” A light blush dusted her cheeks as she spoke, and she looked away from you bashfully. 

A soft smile tugged at your lips at her behavior. “Well, I guess that depends. Do you want to have one you could wear out of the house without drawing too much attention? Or do you want one to play around with at home?”

She considered your words for a moment. “One of each, I guess,” she eventually answered. 

“Your best bet for something to wear out of the house would be a clear gloss,” you said right away, looking around the display for a moment before you spotted a clear gloss from your favorite brand. Plucking it from the shelves, you offered it to her. “This brand is my favorite, but you can get a different brand if you want.”

“What does it do? I mean, if there’s no color, why would you wear it?” Satoru accepted the gloss from you, looking over the packaging as she spoke. 

You have a slight shrug. “Not much. It makes your lips look shiny, makes ‘em a little softer, too, sometimes. A lot of people will put a clear gloss over a colored lipstick so it’ll look shiny, but I don’t think you’re quite ready for that yet.”

You half expected the woman to argue with you about it, insist she was ready for anything and to let her at it, but all she did was nod in agreement. “Okay, clear gloss for going out,” she repeated, mostly to herself. “And now a colored one for home?”

The process of selecting a lip gloss color didn’t take as long as picking a nail polish color had, and for that you were privately relieved; the longer the pair of you hung around the beauty section, the more likely it was that you could garner unwanted attention. Even though Satoru wasn’t a man, she still very much presented like one, and men didn’t usually spend this much time looking at makeup, even if they were with a partner. 

The snowy haired wonder eventually settled on a soft peachy color, just a couple shades darker than the natural color of her lips, and she seemed proud of herself for her choice. “Can we look at eyeliner now?” 

“Of course, baby.” You led her to the next aisle over, and as you began to scan the selection, you were disappointed but not surprised to find your only options were brown or black, which you told your partner. 

“We can get you one of those colors if you want, but I think it would stick out more, since you don’t have dark eyelashes,” you advised, turning away from the shelves. 

“They make white eyeliner?” She sounded surprised, but her eyes sparkled at the idea. 

You laughed softly, affectionately. “Yeah, some companies do, but we’d probably have to order it online. Do you want to do that? Or do you want to get a darker color?”

“If we can find white I think I’d prefer that.”

The nod you gave in return was easy, and you ushered her a few steps further down the aisle, where you reached the same dilemma as you had with the eyeliner. 

“Is white mascara even a thing?”

“Yeah, some companies that make white eyeliner will also have white mascara,” you confirmed. “But we could also try and find you a more lightweight product, probably some sort of clear gel, if you’d rather do that.”

This time, Satoru seemed less sure of an answer. “Let’s just see what we can find online when we get home,” she said after a few moments of consideration. 

“We can definitely do that.”

The bright smile she shot you practically melted your heart, and you were relieved to see her shoulders relax a bit. “Anything else you want to look for while we’re here?”

She shook her head almost immediately, and you were once again enamored by the way her soft, frosty hair shifted back and forth across her forehead. “No, I’m happy with this for now,” she assured you, holding the two tubes of lip gloss up slightly. 

If she was happy, you were happy, so you began to lead her towards the checkout again. You spotted something out of the corner of your eye on an aisle endcap as you walked, though, and you paused, turning to look at it. When you realized what it was, though, you inhaled a soft gasp of delight. “Ooh, Toru look!”

“What is it?” she asked, stopping and turning with you. When she did, she noticed the small collection of soft elastic headbands adorned with animal ears. “Those are cute,” she agreed, glancing away from the headbands and over at you. 

“Can we get a couple?” you asked hopefully, looking over at Satoru and sticking out your bottom lip slightly, giving her your best puppy eyes. “Pleeease, Toru? We can use them together!”

“For what?” she asked, tilting her head slightly; to anyone else the question may have sounded condescending, but you could tell she was genuinely curious. 

“When we do skincare and makeup together! It’ll help keep the hair out of our faces and everything.”

“Oh, okay. Sure, we can get a couple.” Her expression softened as you practically squealed with excitement. 

“Thank you! Okay, now, which one do you want?” you asked, expression growing a bit more serious as you examined the options again. “What about this one?” Without giving her a chance to respond, you grabbed a white headband that had cat ears on it, holding it up to her. “It matches you best, I think.” 

Now it was her turn to melt. All Satoru could do was nod in agreement; she didn’t really have a preference to begin with, so she was more than happy to let you pick for her. 

“Which one do you think I should get?” you asked next, seeming much less sure on that front. 

Wanting to give you the same consideration you had given her, she looked over the options, and after a moment, she selected a brown headband with little bear ears on it. “What about this one?”

“I remind you of a bear?” you asked, looking from the headband to your girlfriend’s face, your nose crinkled slightly at the idea. 

Satoru nodded. “Yeah. You’re like a teddy bear, all soft and cuddly with me. It’s cute.”

Her words left you feeling a little flustered, cheeks growing warm. “Okay. I’ll get that one, then.”

She let you take the headband from her then, a slightly lovestruck expression on her face as she followed you to the checkout. 

You paid for everything again, despite her protests, but she quieted down again when you took her hand for the walk back to the apartment. 

“Do you still want to see if we can find you some white eyeliner and mascara online?” you asked her after you’d gotten home again, slipping your shoes off and nudging them back into their proper spot. 

“Is it okay if we wait a little bit on that?” Satoru asked, biting her lip lightly as she glanced over at you. “I think I want to get used to wearing the lip gloss before I buy anything else.”

“Yeah, that’s fine,” you assured her. “We’re doing this at your pace, remember? Just want you to be happy, princess.”

The sorceress went the prettiest shade of pink at your words, and she nodded slightly, offering a quiet and slightly flustered “thanks.”

Deciding against teasing her for blushing, you took her hand, leading her back to the bedroom and sitting her down on the bed. “Let’s see what that tinted gloss looks on you,” you suggested, though you waited until she agreed to dig through the bag to grab the small bottle. 

She stared up at you with wide eyes as you stood between her legs, smiling down at her sweetly. Her eyes fluttered closed for a moment as you reached up and removed the sunglasses from her face, settling them carefully on the bedside table before turning back to her. 

“You ready, princess?” you asked softly, rubbing your knuckles lightly along her cheek; you wanted to make sure Satoru was comfortable with every step of her transition process, even something as small as trying lip gloss for the first time in the privacy of her own home. When she nodded at your words, you relaxed slightly. 

“Part your lips for me,” you instructed softly, subconsciously parting your own. When she seemed a bit unsure about the directions, though, you took her chin in your hand, thumb pressing lightly on her bottom lip and tugging her bottom jaw down the tiniest bit until her lips were parted like you needed. “Like this.”

Though her blush had died down a bit from when you’d arrived home, you could see that it had returned high across her cheeks, and her eyes were slightly dilated. You felt a bit of heat rising in your own cheeks at the way she looked at you, and you bit your lip as you released her chin from your grasp, instead beginning to twist the top off of the tube of lip gloss. “Satoru,” you sighed, hoping you didn’t sound as flustered as you felt. “Be good, okay? None of that right now.” 

When you met her gaze again, you felt a bit more in control of yourself, and you couldn’t help but giggle softly at the obedient nod your girlfriend gave you. Once you were confident she was going to behave and hold still for you, you pulled the cap away from the rest of the tube, making sure the applicator had a good amount of gloss on it before gently swiping it across her bottom lip. You were careful to keep the gloss just on her lips, not wanting to make a mess of it, and after a moment you put the top back on the tube.

You showed Satoru how to rub her lips together in a way that would distribute the product across her lips a little better, then used the applicator to touch up a few spots that needed it. 

“You always look pretty,” you told her quietly. “But right now you look even more like a princess. Do you want to see?”

She nodded eagerly at your words, white strands of hair dancing around her face at the movement. “Yes, please.”

A smile tugged at your lips at her response, and you turned to pull the little mirror out of the drawer in your bedside table, though you were stopped when you felt something press into you a little harder. You glanced down to see what it was, and were a little surprised to see your girlfriend’s hands resting on your hips; you weren’t sure when they’d gotten there, but you’d apparently been so focused on your task that you hadn’t noticed. 

You said nothing about the placement of her hands, just smiled to yourself a bit more as you opened the drawer, shuffling around for a moment before pulling out the little hand mirror and offering it to Satoru. “What do you think?”

Satoru accepted the mirror as you offered it to her, somewhat reluctantly removing her hands from your hips in the process. She tore her gaze away from your face to examine her own in her reflection, and what she saw made her freeze for a moment. All in all, she didn’t really look that different from how she looked at work every day, but something about the enhanced peachiness of her lips had her transfixed, and her eyes widened slightly as she stared at herself silently in the mirror. 

Her silence began to make you feel a bit anxious the longer it stretched on, and eventually you couldn’t take it anymore. “Baby?” you called gently. “Do you like it? If you don’t, that’s okay. You can take it off and you don’t have to wear it again.”

The words seemed to snap her back to reality, and she looked up at you again, eyes still wide and slightly awestruck. “I really do look pretty, don’t I?” she asked quietly, unable to help the slow smile that spread across her lips at the thought. 

Relief crashed over you as she finally gave you an answer, and returning her bright smile was easy. “You always do,” you assured her, gently taking her chin between your fingers again and angling her face enough for you to kiss her soft, plush lips. “My pretty pretty princess.”

anyways happy birthday to my babygirl!!! ilysm toru

also the headbands will come into play in a later installment i promise

[brandogenius]

neeed more phoebe and ya similar to spiraling fic i love their relationship so bad

(this has been in my drafts for a while + not proofred. was contemplating on posting it or not but have y’all phoebe & younger artist crumbs)

‼️RPF‼️

ONE SHOT - phoebe & younger artist - frustration

word count: 673

“i can sense tension” you stopped strumming your guitar, hands sweaty, fingers callused, frustration and anxiety settled deep in your chest. phoebe was stood at the opened door to the backstage room, staff and crew were flying past phoebe at a million miles per second, busy and in a hurry to get ready for the show tonight.

“the vision.. isn’t visioning- this stupid guitar” you grumbled, roughly setting the guitar down onto the ground by your feet. your notes app was opened on your phone, disregarded to the side of the couch. phoebe walked over, sitting down beside you. “im sure it is-“

“it’s really not.” you cut phoebe off with a heavy sigh as uou ran a hand through your hair in frustration. it wasn’t working and it had you stressed- nothing was working. everything was wrong. lyrics written in the notes app but no cords or pattern seemed to fit the vibe. you gave up

“the struggles of being a musician. we’ve all been there.” phoebe chuckled to herself. picking up the acoustic guitar and propping it into her lap. she busied herself by messing around with chords she heard you play.

“how can you just..pick up from me and create a good melody? why doesn’t it work for me?” you huffed in defeat, slouching back on the couch, eyes scanning phoebe, analysing what she’s doing.

“practice makes perfect. it’s a cheesy saying but it’s true. every musician gets frustrated or burnt out like you are right now. but, that’s what makes a good musician. progression” she stopped strumming, turning to face you with a serious look on her face.

“you can’t force things to happen. it’ll happen naturally. i usually look at stuff for inspiration. go on writing trips, listen to other music. if i find a song that has a good melody, i’ll write down the chord progressions and take inspiration from them” she turned back to the guitar and started to tune it.

“yeah- i get that. sometimes i just feel like.. i’m not a good musician. nothing works right, lyrics are shitty. i look at other songs by i don’t know- muna and i think woah- how can they do that but i’m here like-“

“i’m stopping you right there, kid” phoebe talked over you, sensing where this is going. “i’m not having a repeat of last month. we do not compare ourselves to other musicians and singers. each to their own uniqueness and individuality” she placed the guitar down, turning to face you directly, sitting criss crossed on the couch.

“yeah but-“

“respectfully dude, shut up. you’re an amazing and super talented singer and musician. you put yourself down too much and i don’t like that. that’s not a healthy mindset to have. comparing yourself to other people isn’t good either.”

you looked down at your hands, picking at the nail polish.

“everyone has their own flaws, i do, you do- julien and lucy do too. you let yourself spiral from overthinking about something small to getting yourself worked up and then put yourself in a bad mood which is not good. you can’t be doing this kid, it’s not good for your mental health”

“i don’t really need a lecture from you” you sighed, looking up and staring at the ceiling.

“i’m not gonna lecture you. im only stating the obvious. you’re young, you have so much ahead of you, so much to live for and see. you don’t need to put yourself down. you don’t understand how cool and talented you are. when i first met you i was like ‘damn, that kid’s cool as heck’ and im right!”

you couldn’t help but chuckle, shaking your head a bit. phoebe grinned.

“see? i made you laugh” she patted your thigh and stood up. “don’t spiral into negative thoughts alright? if you find yourself doing it, just come talk to me. don’t bottle shit up until you get frustrated and take your anger out on the poor guitar, alright kid?”

“yeah- i guess so”

“good”

[sinkingteethinwhitenoise]

Limoncello - Chapter 6

Pairings: Nick Folio x OFC, Bad Omens x OFC

Word Count: 1.5k

Warnings: Fluff, cursing, one mini flashback, I didn't proof read half of this bc I hate myself, a stupid joke? or exchange??, like it's really fucking dumb i'm warning you.

Series Masterlist

“To get the full value of joy, you must have someone to divide it with.” ~ Mark Twain

Mountains of different shirts, shorts, pants, skirts, and dresses littered the floor in Maeve’s bedroom. She couldn’t even see the floor anymore. When Nick had told her that he found it hard to believe that she owned anything black, she hadn’t expected that the nail polish would actually be the only black thing she owned. She also hadn’t realized that she had this many clothes. She growled in frustration as she grabbed yet another colorful article of clothing. She looked over to her vanity where her phone was propped up against the mirror, her best friend’s bored face covering the screen as she watched Maeve through the ongoing facetime call. 

“Presley,” Maeve whined to her friend, striding towards the phone and picking it up as she anxiously ran her fingers through hair. “What do I do? I have nothing to wear to this gig.” 

Presley sighed and rubbed her eyes. “Your floor looks like the opening scene of Clueless. You have plenty to wear,” she started. “What exactly are you going for?”

“Like…A rockstar girlfriend type of look,” Maeve sounded unsure. “At least something that won’t make me stick out like a sore thumb.” 

Presley visibly held back laughter. “Babe, that’s so not you. You’re not going to find anything that fits the bill in your closet.” 

“Well what do I do? I can’t go buy anything,” Maeve whined. “I have to be ready in an hour.” 

Presley thought for a moment, “Do you still have those dark green corduroy shorts?” 

Maeve nodded and set the phone down to dig through the closet once more. She found them relatively quick and put them on to ensure that they still fit. They did. 

“Great,” Presley approved. “Now just style those how you’d usually style them. You’ll look gorgeous. If that boy likes you for you, he’ll think so too. Plus, it’s a dive bar. Don’t overthink it.”

Maeve felt her face heat up at the mention of Nick possibly liking her. She hoped he did, but she continuously convinced herself that he was just friendly. Presley had been rooting for them the moment Maeve told her about him on the day the band moved in across the street.

“Presley!” Maeve beamed once she answered the facetime call. “I have new neighbors! Across the street!”

“I’m assuming you already went over there?” Presley questioned, knowing her friend’s tendency to be hospitable. 

“I just got back from bringing them cookies,” Maeve confirmed. “It’s four guys. And! They’re a band. From what I can tell, they play pretty heavy stuff. Well, heavy for me at least.” Maeve rambled on with the biggest smile that Presley had seen from her in a long time. Maeve usually was one to get excited about meeting new people. But Presley could tell this was different. 

“How did it go?” Presley asked gently, trying to get more information about these neighbors and why they had her so excited. 

“It went really well! They’re all so kind! They loved the cookies,” Maeve giggled before she continued. “Oh! Their drummer is really cute.” 

Presley watched as Maeve’s face turned bright red. “Tell me more about this drummer.” 

“Well, his name is Nick. He seemed a little bit shy. But when we shook hands, neither of us let go when we definitely should’ve. I feel really stupid for that. It’s probably my fault,” Maeve’s smile faded a bit. “Oh my God, he probably thinks I’m so weird.”

Presley laughed and shook her head, “If he didn’t let go either, it’s probably fine.” Presley didn’t say anything then, but she knew that Maeve had a crush and that Nick probably had one too. 

Maeve dug through the clothes on the floor and in the closet looking for some very specific pieces. She grabbed a fitted, cropped white tank top, a thin brown belt, and some brown boots. After dressing herself completely she threw on a dainty, gold necklace and matching stud earrings. She backed up so she was in frame to show Presley. “This is cute right? I don’t think I’ll stick out like a sore thumb.” 

“Super cute. Super you.” Presley gave her a thumbs up. “I love it.”

“Cool,” Maeve nodded. “One more question. Bubble braids?”

“Oh, absolutely!”

After throwing her hair into bubble braids, doing some light, glowy makeup, and saying goodbye to Presley, Maeve grabbed her purse and made her way across the street. She smiled as she saw the garage door open the second she stepped into their driveway. ‘Perfect timing,’ she thought. 

Nicholas stepped outside first, his hair sitting messily in a bun on top of his head. He offered a tight lipped smile. “Hey Maeve. You’re still riding with us, right?”

“If that’s still okay with you guys, then yes,” she grinned as she approached him. 

“Well, you’ll be riding with Folio in the truck,” he explained. “And trust me, he’s more than okay with it.”

“Oh you guys take separate vehicles?” Maeve tilted her head to the side. 

Nicholas nodded, “Yeah. The drum kit takes up a lot of space, so we have to.”

The door leading into the garage opened and Nick emerged. He seemed to be on autopilot as he went straight over to the drum kit without even glancing in their direction. As he began to prepare it for loading, Nicholas leaned over to Maeve. “Watch this,” he whispered. He cleared his throat. “Hey, Folio.”

Without turning to look, Folio responded with a hum. 

Nicholas tried to hold back a smirk, “Maeve’s here. You’re not gonna say hi?”

Folio froze in his spot for a moment. His eyes widened as he finally turned around. His face had turned beet red in a matter of seconds. 

Maeve tried to hold back a laugh, “Yeah what’s up with that?” She played along. “You invited me and you’re not even gonna say hi?” He looked nervous, embarrassed and clearly didn’t know what to say. Maeve couldn’t hold in her laughter anymore as she walked over to him, “I’m just messing.” She placed her hand on his bicep and gave it a comforting squeeze. 

His face settled into a goofy grin as he looked down at her, “Very funny.” 

“Nicholas started it,” Maeve jutted her thumb to point behind her at Nicholas, who had a hand over his mouth still trying so hard not to burst out laughing. 

Folio rolled his eyes as he turned his focus to Nicholas. “Since this is so funny, why don’t you help me load this up?”

Maeve stepped to the side as Nicholas began to help Folio. Once they were far away enough from Maeve, Nicholas decided to tease him a little more. “You are so fucking down bad,” he mumbled to him with a shit eating grin on his face. 

“Shut the fuck up.”

With all the instruments and equipment loaded up, they all left for the bar. Maeve sat in the passenger’s seat of Nick’s old truck and tried not to stare too hard at his profile while he drove. Nick was trying to keep his eyes on the road. It was proving difficult with how pretty she looked and how nice she smelled, so he kept stealing little glances. 

He then realized how quiet it was. Even with the music playing from the radio, he still felt like there was an intense, awkward silence. He needed to say something. He didn’t want it to seem like he didn’t want her there. So, he began to talk about the first thing that came to mind. It just so happened to be a shower thought that he’d had earlier. “You know dog whistles?” he asked her.

Maeve furrowed her eyebrows as she looked at him. “Yeah…” she trailed off, confused. “What about them?”

“So, only dogs hear them, right?”

“I guess…yeah.” She had no idea where he was going with this, but she was curious enough to play into it. 

“Alright. Have you ever heard of a death whistle?” he questioned, seemingly changing the subject. 

“Like the Aztec ones?” Maeve asked. A smile began to form on her face at the strangeness of this conversation. 

“Exactly,” said Nick. “Do you think it’s the same? Like only dogs can hear dog whistles. Can only dead people hear death whistles?”

She bursted into a fit of laughter. “Definitely not,” she responded. “How would that even work? How do they hear it if they're dead?” 

Nick started to laugh along with her, “I don’t know! Maybe their souls have ears or something.” 

“That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard,” Maeve laughed, clearly amused. She lifted her hand to cover her mouth as she continued to laugh harder and harder the more she thought about the absurdity of the question. 

Nick looked over at her fully as he laughed at his own stupid question and her reaction to it. Then he noticed her nails. “Hey, did you paint your nails? They’re black.”

Through heaving breaths in an attempt to control her laughter, Maeve nodded. “Yeah, I painted them last night. Thought it could be fun for us to match.” 

Nick swore he felt his heart swell at the admission and he was rendered speechless for a moment. “Yeah,” he said softly, his own laughter long faded but a fond smile still present. “That’s sick.” 

[im-out-of-it]

season 1, episode 7, I present part 3

23. FUCK I KEEP FORGETTING WHERE I LEAVE OFF but anyways, alec has made a fool out of himself and I’m here for it. the funniest scene in the whole episode

24. Luke took the “you’re pack leader, you don’t need to ask for help” when it comes to clary because it doesn’t mean putting clary above your wolves each and every time especially when it means downworlder lives are at stake smh

25. Jace saying this will take all day when clary is looking at pictures of her mom. bro her mom is gone????? usually I’m not on clary’s side but that was just a rude ass remark

26. “It’s not like this is the first time alec has saved your life. I doubt it’d be the last.”-Izzy. that’s the whole premise of the books and the show

27. well, simon is on his way to becoming a vampire

28. side note- I like how Camille and Magnus have similar styles. black nail polish, eye shadow, lace clothing, moods can be similar

29. “I’ve been so focused on my mom, i haven’t realized all you’ve done for me.”- clary 🙄 all jace has done? HE HAS RISKED NOTHING. Jace could go on and kill as many people and the clave still wouldn’t care. but if Alec did the same? then it’s a problem. Alec risked everything and now it’s come to bite him in the ass. Clary is one of the most selfish characters in this show. I didn’t realize all you’ve done? oh because we break clave rules for everyone? she doesn’t understand or care about rules or any of the ramifications. she only cares if she gets what she wants

30. I still don’t see why clary has the gifts “angels” gave her. the most undeserving, selfish character who uses the angel gifts to get what she wants at any cost (I see using them for actual purposes and when it’s needed but she abused the purpose for them)

31. ew the worst kiss ever 🤢 I won’t torture y’all and attach a gif. I actually care about y’all 🥹

32. side note- the straight characters can kiss for hours on end or pages worth but when it’s a gay couple, it’s like a second or half a page. not saying I need them to make out for 20 minutes or so, but it’s something I constantly see in media 🙄 straight characters always gets more screen time but at least here, Malec gets a better developed story

33. “I want this institute on high alert, clary only matters” -jace. bro you can’t just force the institute to look for her. you aren’t in charge of it and thank the devil for that

34.I just want to talk about Alec for a second. everything he’s been dealing with I’m assuming in the last few days- feelings about jace, jace not choosing him, family duty, family honor, meeting Magnus, trying to decide if he can be happy, gay, and a shadowhunter all in one, being a shadowhunter, covering up for a girl he doesn’t like, taking all the heat, watching the guy he supposedly loves (I’m not here for Alec and jace stuff) catch feelings for the girl who keeps ducking up his life, and now has to watch that guy make out with that girl who is making shit worse for his family HAS TO FUCKING HURT

35. and Izzy knowing how Alec feels 😭

36. I’m just so sad for Alec. I don’t want him with Jace but it hurts my heart to see Alec sad over this worthless dick. he deserved so many apologies and amends from season one. ALEC WENT THROUGH IT

37. Izzy stealing the spotlight one pair of heels at a time (this happens in the next episode but whatever, Izzy slays)

38. now let me go cry for Alec 🥹 ITS OK HE WILL BE HAPPY SOON

39. well Simon is dead now so clary is going to care until he’s dead. vampire Simon coming soon 🫶🏼 I mean, raphael did warn him but this can 100% be blamed on clary. and I can’t wait for Simon to go off on her about this lmao CLARY CHOSE FOR SIMON

thank y’all for attending our Alec deserved better meeting and whatever name we used before. 39 (I think) was the number today 🥲 let’s see what we get for our next one, and thank you to anyone who is here and reading the dumb shit I post, love y’all

[thissortofsorcery]

I’m toying with this idea where Steve falls in love with Billy from afar, through things he overhears or things people tell him.

I’m a sucker for fics where people fall in love with someone after they die (there are Harringrove ones, I think, but my favorite is a Superbat fic), but this would be a softer version because I live and breathe post-season 2.

It starts when Steve’s driving the brats around, and hanging out with them on weekends. Max goes from scowling when she gets out of Billy’s car to looking a little lighter, a little softer, then to laughing. Showing Billy the middle finger looks like a joke.

Sometimes Max still goes quiet, staring at nothing like she’s mulling over secrets she doesn’t share with the Party.

Once Eleven starts to hang out more with the kids, she and Max become fast friends, and Hopper asks Steve to drive El around when he can’t. It feels good to know the Chief trusts him like that.

When the kids are hanging out, Max and El sit close and talk with their heads together, laughing until their faces are red. The boys look terrified. Steve thinks it’s hilarious.

Turns out El’s curious about siblings after watching something on tv, and Mike doesn’t want to talk about Nancy too much. And Max doesn’t really have anyone to talk to about Billy. The boys don’t get it, they don’t like him, and that’s fair. He scared them. But he’s still her brother.

Steve just happens to be around when they talk about him, is all. People underestimate him a lot, especially the kids. But he’s always got an ear out for trouble.

Except what he hears isn’t trouble at all.

“… they didn’t come back until Sunday anyway. Billy rented movies and made grilled cheese and stuff. We stayed on the couch all night,” Max is saying, leaning against the kitchen counter in the Wheeler’s kitchen. They came up for a food break, but the girls are refilling their sodas off to one side. Steve is quietly washing dishes at the sink.

Last weekend, Max missed a Party gathering because she had a cold. Dustin had complained the whole time that she must be miserable stuck at home with Billy. He would have rallied the kids to storm the house if Steve hadn’t put a stop to it.

“Feel better?” El asks, speaking softly and standing close to Max. They’re talking like they don’t want the boys to hear. The way Mike and Dustin are arguing over what pizza to order, they’re not gonna hear them anyway.

“Yeah,” Max says, smiling a little. “It was just a cold. Billy painted all my toe nails neon green while I was sleeping, and then he hid the nail polish remover so I couldn’t take them off yet. Asshole.”

“Can I see?” El asks, face brightening and smiling wide. Max is already lifting a foot to take a sneaker off.

Steve smiles softly at the sink. That was unexpectedly sweet of Hargrove, not just look out for Max while she was sick, but make her laugh about it a week later. Steve knows there was a party last Saturday, though he ditched it to hang out with the kids. Guess Hargrove didn’t go either.

[calumthoodshands]

LUKE HEMMINGS for TUSH magazine

- Tailor made -

On stage, Luke Hemmings is living his bloom, For Givenchy Beauty, the butterfly follows a different trail of scent.

Von Domen & Van De Velde - Into the flowerbed -

Interview by Afra Ugurlu.

It's pouring rain in L.A. when Luke Hemmings joins our zoom call. Just in time, the frontman of 5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS) finds refuge in his car on the side of a quiet road, not far from the big Hollywood sign. A look in the rear-view mirror: At the age of barely 16, Luke and his bandmates from 5SOS found themselves in the middle of an international fanbase. Their songs enthralled especially because of the band's juvenile euphoria, and the Australians quickly soared to new heights in the middle of the YouTube madness of the 2010s. But what happens when boybands grow up? After a decade of pop punk influences and with a little more chest hair, Luke took upon a solo career path for the first time and in 2021 released his debut album “When facing the things we turn away from”; a whole new insight into the obstacles and the success of the last years, he later reveals.

Almost 10 years have passed since “She looks so perfect” and “Don’t stop”. What has the last decade been like for you?

I'm living my dream, what else can I say? It was all very intense. You just accepted whatever came at you. For eleven years, for as long as I grew up, that’s been my whole life. Quite crazy, all the stuff that just came flying at us. I don't know whether we would have allowed ourselves this, even if rather short, break if not for the pandemic. Usually it all feels so fast-paced, I often have to pause to mentally take it all in—if you asked me to describe the last decade, then it’d consist of so many moments like that.

Did you ever feel like you were missing out on certain things and experiences during all that hustle and bustle?

I think they were very formative years, so there are probably some life skills I missed out on. In retrospect, you wonder: when was I supposed to learn that? And then you try to somehow fill those gaps. I had to emotionally catch up, but also with things like doing laundry, running errands and so on. There are some more significant matters, like not being close to my family, not to mention that I was missing my home in general. But then you start to put all those thoughts into another perspective: we did what we always wanted to do: write music and perform.

I remember 2014 and 2015, black, ripped skinny jeans and vans. How do you see yourself now, regarding your style?

Pop punk has always been a huge inspiration, and it was simply the style of all these bands like Green Day, Blink 182 and Silverchair. Back then, I was an absolute late bloomer and had to first of all grow into my own identity. I think it was similar with the other guys. We had found a thing that worked, and just stuck with it. It also just felt like a risk to me, doing something other than that, especially in front of an audience. Around the time of our third album, I started to open up a bit more. Our music was changing, and with it our style. At that point I understood myself a little bit better. From then on it just kind of evolved, and I think it still does.

By now you are someone who likes to step out and look beyond the binary. Was that always something that you were interested in or did you rather find yourself getting into it step by step over time?

Where I grew up, people weren’t open at all, everyone wore the same thing. For a long time, it simply wasn’t even on my radar. And of course, I’m not doing anything that someone else hasn't already done before me. I think it was in 2017 when I just started experimenting with glitter and nail polish. From that moment on it all evolved a bit, but it's actually always been something that fascinated me. It just took a while for me to find that part of myself. I feel pretty doing it, and who doesn't want to feel that way? If you only go on stage with a tracksuit, that might be cool. But I'm not an extrovert, quite the opposite, and when I perform and feel so much bigger, it's almost like playing a character. The makeup only emphasises that and turns me into someone who is not introverted and lost in thought. That's the origin of it all, so to speak.

How can we overcome these toxic gender perceptions and behavioural patterns, and heal?

I think a lot of the stigma we experience comes from people projecting their own insecurities onto us. I understand it better now because I grew up in a place that was very toxic in that regard. I'm from West Sydney, which was very conservative. If you’re a man, you have to be really ‘masculine’ and I think that's just complete nonsense. And I think that just sticks with you, growing up like that. There was a time when I came home and didn't want to wear makeup on stage. There was no way I would have done that, whereas now I just do what I'm most comfortable with. Personal growth means putting yourself first and accepting that people will think what they want either way. So really, you should just do whatever you want. That’s the way I'm trying to see it now. It sounds very simple and banal, but I wouldn’t know how else to put it.

Congratulations, by the way, on the release of your first solo album, “When facing the things we turn away from”. Which things do you want to turn away from this year and what else is there to come for you?

I’m facing myself and trying to be more open with the way I deal with stuff. My wish is to just enjoy everything a little bit more. I constantly worry about what might happen tomorrow. I’m not really present or enjoying the moment to the fullest. Everyone probably says that, but I believe it's more important than ever to live in the here and now. We're always looking for the next thing. You want to be at home when you're out and about, on the road when you’re at home. Only when it's over do you see what you actually had going for yourself, and are frustrated; so no ‘Live Fast, Die Young’. But I also think that this year will be a creative one for me. I want to try out new things. We’ll see which doors are going to open for me.

What kind of creative directions are you thinking about?

I can't really say yet. But also in general I don't want to limit myself by excluding new paths. Doing something by myself musically like the album was very intimidating at first. In the end, though, it was very encouraging as well because it was the first time in a long time that I tried something new again. Obviously I love being in the band, it’s my home base. But the solo album is something I never thought I’d be capable of, and now that I know that I am it’s definitely something I want to pursue further.

How do you manage working both on your solo career and with the band at the same time, and are there any points of overlap?

I have a feeling that with the first album it was a bit easier. We were in lockdown and everything on the band's schedule had to be cancelled. Suddenly, I had more free time than in the last 10 years together. I don’t think I would have made a solo album if it didn't come about this way. With four people in the band, all great songwriters and each having their own projects in the pipeline, I feel like it's actually for everyone’s benefit to give other things a try as well. I wondered what it could be like to produce a song from start to finish, and learned so much in the process. Afterwards, when I return to the band, it makes me feel like I know so much more about the recording process and can thus also be a better band member.

How did writing and composing for only yourself change your overall sound?

I don't know whether it significantly changed my sound, but I feel more confident than ever. When you're in a band, you have the luxury to lean on other people and ask: What do you think of this? Do you think it's good, or should we change this? Or someone will encourage you when you're on the right track, telling you to keep going. With this, the only input came from myself. I had to trust my instincts and first of all understand what my own sound really did sound like.

You have no features on your album. Was it important to you to create your first solo album by yourself?

After 10 years on tour, it was quite good to be alone for once and deal with my subconscious. The album is so personal and emotional to me, it didn't really lend itself to include any features. Maybe someday, but I think it has to fit perfectly then. And who knows what’s coming soon. But I think the point and purpose of doing something by yourself is to get accustomed to working without your usual tools.

What did you learn about yourself while working on “When facing the things we turn away from”?

Newfound empathy and love towards myself. The stories of these songs and the lyrics are mostly things I’m dealing with for the very first time. It's almost like writing a diary, you don't have any idea how to start. You sit down and something comes out of it, and that’s what you then try to decipher.