#I'm going to a school I never thought I would

[sularis]

God, what have I gotten myself into.

I have never run this fast. Even back when I was on my school's running team, I've never been able to reach this speed. Maybe then I was too young, or maybe now I have somehow more energy? Doesn't matter. That's not something I should be thinking about in the face of death.

Since leaving my old job, I've been getting stalked. I don't know by who, but I have my suspicion. They have enough power to have me whipped off the face of this earth, but instead they resort to terrorising every facet of my existence. I think I realise now that if they will kill me in that way, it won't be questioned. I gave them my medical report. They know about my heart condition. And now, they know how to use it to their advantage.

I'm a whistleblower for one of the largest food companies in the whole country. Soon, though, I might be found dead in a ditch. Or not found at all.

As I'm running with all I have, I hear the voice of my roommate; it rings clearly in my mind: "A walk won't do you any harm and the fresh air may cool your nerves." Now I wonder if she was in on this whole thing as well. Everything that she has said to me returns in an instant, I think I could easily pinpoint the day she could've received an offer to off me. Should've trusted my gut. Should've known that no one will be on my side when the other is offering them money for my life.

I got out of my apartment complex while it was still quite bright outside. The sun was slowly going down, but I believed that if I returned home before it got dark, nothing too bad would happen. Nobody could attack me, because someone could see me, right?

I don't know how long I ran, but I know I ended up outside my city somehow. That sure is some distance. The place I was in now was full of trees and only a singular road was crossing this forest. It was very dark already and I suspect that the person who was after me now is in the car that sped towards me a moment ago.

It didn't take me long to realise I was being followed; it took me longer to finally think I lost whoever was after me. Until he leaped at me from a side alley and almost stabbed my chest. I'm so grateful that out of all the responses, I got the "flight" instead of "freeze". Never would I suspect that the moment I started running would prolong for this amount of time and distance. He started running after me, but disappeared soon after, only to reappear somewhere else, where I didn't expect it. It could've been more than one person, but in my panic I couldn't see clearly.

They never stopped pursuing me. And I never stopped running.

Even now, as the terrain gets more unpredictable and I can't tell a tree from a person and any sound is ten times louder, I don't stop running. I don't and I can't. Because if I stop, I won't live to see the next day.

I don't know if anyone is behind me, I don't see any lights, nor do I hear any steps. Maybe I could hide somewhere? Only now I start feeling the exhaustion, but I can't stop, no. I can't let me be killed like that. Not tonight. Not ever.

The moon has come up. Lucky me, I can see what's before me. The trees are much clearer and I can avoid them easier. I can search for places to hide. I might survive and not collapse.

Unlucky me. The moon is out. I am seen in it too.

There's a small clearing in front of me, and a watch tower in the middle of it. I could run ad hide there. I shake that thought off immediately. I will be seen, so easy to spot. Need somewhere else. I am so, so tired.

My legs start to shake as I slow down. Please not now. All of the trees are thin, the bushes won't hide me if they have torches. I don't see lights behind me, though. I'm barely walking, everything hurts. Suddenly, a large tree trunk, I can see it close to me. There seems to be an opening there. I need to get inside but I can hardly move. I must've sprained an ankle because it hurts to walk so bad.

I'm about to reach it, and safety, when I hear something. The leaves are rustling. It isn't windy. Whether it was an animal or not, I'm not risking it. I start running again, through the pain, through the tears streaming down my eyes. I'm once again reaching speed I never thought I could reach. Like a deer I traverse the forest that I never was in before. I don't let my imagination let any more creeps scare me, I've enough of them trailing me and then--

I fall. Face first into the forest floor. The ankle, that I thought was sprained, hurts so much more right now. The pain is so horrid that it doesn't register at first fully. I'm disoriented, but the pain is clear and it's sharp and oozing. Warm and cold. Do I even have my foot still?

Finally, I reach down to see what's going on. I feel cold metal on my fingertips and some liquid on it. Oh, it's so clear now. A bear trap. That's how I die.

I try to move my leg, but the trap is chained to a tree nearby. Breaking free would be nearly impossible in this condition. I'm so tired, I lay on the ground battling sleep when I hear rustling again. I can't move, this is my death. With all my might I crawl and cling to the tree that will accompany me in the last moments I'm alive. I will die here, either of blood loss or whatever the man chasing me will do with me.

I'm struggling to do anything. Breathe. Look before me. Not sleep. It all feels like an impossible task. May the death come sooner? I'm starting to get cold.

Hugging the tree, I feel something in my jacket. Right, my phone. And wallet for whatever reason. I wanted to buy myself a drink before I returned from my walk, but currently, it feels silly to have it with me in my last moments.

My phone is useless here too. Nobody, who once cared about me, does any more. Family is long gone, further relatives got paid to forget me. So did my friends. Roommate. Before police would find me here I'd already be decaying. I'm doomed, and nobody sees it as a loss.

Suddenly, a thought flashes through my brain. Many of them, honestly, the life I led is playing for me and somehow it feels like a short film. One of the memories is important. A girl at the bar, piece of paper, numbers...

Wallet. Oh, how I beg it is still there.

I search through every pocket in my wallet as the memory plays on. "Here you go" she said "Use it whenever you like. Whatever you'll need will be answered if you call it." I thought she was flirting. "Don't take it for granted, girl. It might save your life one day."

I found it. The numbers are as clear as day. I check around, looking for movement. Nothing. I check my phone. It's half way charged. I thank God silently as I put the number in and hit the call button. I put it to the ear closer to the tree, I need the other one to hear threats approaching.

Calling....

There's signal!

One....

Two....

Three....

Pick up. Pick up whoever you were, girl. Pick up.

Four....

Suddenly, it connects. There's silence on the other side. Then a hesitant:

-... Hello?

It is not a woman's voice. Doesn't matter. I breathe is shakily, my throat feels on fire. I need to talk.

-I need help. Please.

I don't know how I said it, but it resulted in another while of silence.

-What's going on? How did you get this number?

He sounds serious. Did I annoy him? I need him to help me.

-A girl at a bar. She gave it to me... years. Years ago. I don't know why she gave me yours, but it doesn't matter. I need your help. I might die soon if I don't...

I sound pathetic. Begging for help from a total stranger. What did my life come to? My voice broke and the tears nearly chocked me before I could finish my sentence.

-Die? What? Is this a joke?

-No, I swear. Please don't be mad and don't end it. I'm sorry but this is the only number I could call. There's someone after me. He's been chasing me from the city and into the forest I'm in now. I need help. I can't run any longer. I'm trapped. Please, please, don't hang up. Please help me.

He didn't respond. I heard his breathing, though.

-Please....

I cried. I just needed him to stay with me. Even if he couldn't help, all I needed was for him to stay on the call. To be there with me. So I wouldn't die alone, forgotten.

-Where are you right now?

His voice. It was much gentler. I still sobbed.

-Forest. North of Tulan. The right side of it from the street.

-Tulan....

He repeated quietly.

-Are they still after you?

-I don't know... They tried to run me over with their car... I ran into the forest but I don't know if they went after me. I'm alone now, though...

He sighed heavily. I heard a mechanical keyboard in the background. Was he typing something?

-Are you hurt? Will you be able to hold on for a while longer?

-My leg's in a bear trap... I'm tired and cold, but otherwise fine.

-Bear trap?... Oh, I've got it.

He sounded so sure. Does he know where to find me? Is he sending help?

-Prepare the men and the helicopter.

Was there someone else with him? Helicopter? Who did I contact?

-The help is coming. Hang in there and don't fall asleep before you hear us coming.

Us? Is he coming too? Will they find me before my pursuers?

-Thank you...

I mutter before the call ends. And once again I am alone. Everything is quiet and I wonder if that's how death is. I wait in anticipation but there's no new sounds. I don't hear a helicopter for sure. The minutes drag out and I'm feeling worse than before. Please find me sooner than the Reaper.

Now that I'm alone with my thoughts again... Wasn't his voice familiar? I've had to heard it before, but where?

I hear rustling. Steps. Breaking branches. Chatter. I cling closer to my tree. My only solace right now.

It's getting closer. There's light appearing. There's more of them than necessary to kill me. I close my eyes and make myself smaller. Maybe they won't find me in the shadows. I feel the bright light suddenly falling on me and a loud yell right after.

-She's here! Get the medic!

Medic? Is it...?

I open my eyes slowly, getting them used to the light as I hear more footsteps coming towards me. Some are approaching faster than the other.

-Oh, thank God.

I hear a sigh of relief coming from a person in front of me. It's the same voice I heard through my phone. It's much clearer now and I recognise it much quicker. It's much more... soft, than how I hear it usually.

I can't see the person well. I know who he is. He approaches me with someone else. The other person immediately examinates my leg. All while the man I know, more or less, wraps a warm blanket around me and crouches to my side.

-How's it look like?

He asks the medic. His voice, it's... soothing, yet strikes concern, fear maybe, it's much different than when it's directed towards me. It's one of a ruler. The one in control.

-It's not good. Sprained and now this. We need to take her to our ward.

The response wasn't of a fearful subordinate. It was of a professional working alongside someone trust worthy, reliable. It was of someone who wasn't treated like a pawn, but a friend, colleague, someone who knew whatever he said would be taken seriously.

-That's what I thought.

The man muttered. I could see much clearer now. His hair is shorter than I remember. Sharp pain strikes my ankle again. I curl up and grit my teeth to deal with it. A groan escapes my mouth and tears well up in my eyes again. I breathe in and out, trying to ease it somehow. The trap is off and the wound was treated with a disinfectant.

Then I feel something else. His hand grabs mine. It's grip is strong, but not crushing. It's comforting. I finally start feeling safe. It's the first time in months that I do.

In no time my leg is bandaged and secured. He ordered his men to get something to transport me safely to his helicopter. It's apparently parked in the clearing. Clear in sight. How far must I have ran from it that I couldn't hear the machine approaching?

Everyone else is busy with something else. The medic went back with others to pick up the right gear. I'm exhausted. I feel myself falling, slipping away, before I gently land on something soft, stable, warm. I can finally relax, I feel. I don't think I can think of anything right now. I feel right, though.

I'm safe and I feel that. I close my eyes against my better judgement. I don't notice the man is looking right at me. I don't feel his arm wrapping around me and pulling me closer. I don't feel his hand gently wiping my wet cheek. Neither do I hear him ask me:

-What the fuck have you gotten into, Carrie?

He doesn't expect me to answer. At least for now. But he'll know soon, and that'll make a change in his life. And mine. And it won't ever be changed back.

You met a girl at a bar who gave you a number. Turns out, she has a superpower; Any number she gives out to others turns into the number they needed to call the most. You call it, and it forwards you to the most powerful supervillain in the world.

[buckevantommy]

8x11 Bucktommy fixit coda of sorts: Tommy and Eddie talk. hopeful ending?

It's been almost a week since he walked out of Evan's life, again, when Tommy gets a call from an unfamiliar number. With an El Paso area code.

"Diaz. How's Texas?"

"Texas? Texas is great, Tommy, thanks for asking."

Thanks for telling me, Tommy thinks but doesn't say, because he doesn't want to be snarky and irritated this early into his shift. He takes a breath to try and calm himself and let the negative thoughts release on the slow exhale as Eddie lists off the positive impact his move has made on both Christopher's life and his own.

Everything aside, Tommy's happy for him. For both of them.

"But from what I heard, things in L.A. are kinda fucked."

Then again: Eddie can be a bigger bitch than Tommy when he wants to be so he might as well meet him on the field, knives drawn. "Did Buck tell you that?" It comes out sharp and he lets it hang, wants it to slice.

"Oh, yeah. I had a very interesting and totally insane converstaion with Buck where he said the reason you dumped him was because you thought he'd dump you for me if you didn't."

It's not the whole truth, but it cuts all the same. Good thing Tommy has armor forged in the slow burning coals of a lifetime of being a disappointment. He can take a jab from an old friend he didn't even know that long. In the six months he dated Evan. his time with Eddie dwindled to nothing. They were fast friends who fizzled out, not unlike his relationship with.. Buck. "I wouldn't say it's insane."

He was never going to mention it, is the thing. It wasn't really until they broke up that Tommy began to wonder if the reason Ev- Buck hadn't reached out was because he'd moved on. Eddie certainly didn't look back, ceasing all communication in the fallout. And it hurt, to lose not just Evan - and he was Evan to him then - but someone he thought was becoming a good friend. As much of a friend as Tommy would let into his life, anyway.

"Oh, it's batshit insane, Kinard. Almost as batshit insane as stealing a chopper and flying it headfirst into a hurricane."

That's a blow that lands with a dull ache, a bruise that'll linger. It was the night they met - him and Eddie, him and Evan - and whatever else came after, Tommy holds fast to that memory as one of the highlights of his treacherous and lonely life, despite - or maybe inclusive of - the life-threatening feats of.. insanity.

He's quiet for too long. Doesn't answer because any words that come to mind are scathing in a way he doesn't want to marr that fond memory with.

Eddie sighs heavy through the speaker, the fight seeming to drain out of his voice. "It's not like that, man, you gotta know."

Tommy straightens his posture where he's walked out of the hangar, staring at the chainlink fence separating the tarmac to the weeds and the grass and the distant treeline.

"Me and Buck are close- we're family- but it's not like that. Not like it is between you two."

Was, Tommy doesn't say. He doesn't dare hope but he can't bring himself to say it out loud, nail in the coffin.

"And I resent the fact you think I don't know myself like that, Tommy. I may be figuring some stuff out but I figured that shit out back in high school and every day since. Just 'cause you kissed Buck and it turned his world view on its head doesn't mean every straight guy you meet is just one good smooch away from wanting to put their mouth on your dick."

"Jesus, Eddie." No nonsense. It's one of the things he always liked about the guy. That, and the way he could deliver off-color comments with a straight face, only breaking if and when Tommy couldn't help but crack a smile.

"Look. I'm sorry about not reaching out after everything. I had Buck's back, y'know? Bros before manhoes."

"You calling me a hoe, Diaz?" His face morphs into a smile as they fall back into this old - barely new before it was over - back and forth.

"No. Just an idiot for managing to mess things up twice now."

"Eddie-"

"Don't worry, I know it was Buck's fault, too, okay? I already chewed him out and kicked his ass into gear- he call you yet? He mentioned talking to Maddie, said he wanted to call you."

No call, just a text that read: can we talk? please?? that Tommy hasn't replied to. Doesn't want to invite himself to a third round of heartbreak. "I'm on shift, so. If that's all? I gotta get back."

"No, that is not all- get your head out of your ass, Tommy. Talk to him. And let him spiral a bit until he finds the right words - he'll get there, eventually. It just takes him some time. 'Cause he's not over you and I don't think he ever will be."

He doesn't know me, Tommy thinks. And that's the real crux of the issue, isn't it? It's not about Eddie. And it's not about Evan not knowing what he wants because of his relatively newly discovered queerness.

It's about Tommy knowing he's not good enough to keep Evan in the long run.

Evan might think he won't get over Tommy, but he will. There'll be someone else, someone better, there always is. Maybe not Eddie, but some man or woman will get to keep him for a while longer, maybe a lifetime if they're lucky.

And Tommy.. he'll do what he's always done: find ways to survive, alone.

But.. if this is his last chance to talk to Eddie, and by extension Evan.. "Look, thankyou for clearing the air, but. I can't, okay? He is- was, the one I wanted forever with. I told him this. But I'm not that for him. I can't be." Not because he doesn't want to be - god, does he want to be - but because he's not enough. He's never been enough for anyone to want to keep.

Eddie sighs in his ear. "Y'know, if I wasn't 800 miles away right now I don't know if I'd hug you or try to knock some sense into you."

A hint of a smile tracks across Tommy's lips, fading fast. He misses their sparring sessions but doesn't want to let himself be sad over losing another would-be friend - he's got enough to be sad about and no time or want to wallow in any of it.

"Well." Thing is: even if this thing with Evan is dead and buried, if Eddie is open to it.. "If you're ever in town, my garage is always open. And," he steels himself, takes another breath and shakes it out, "I'm sorry. Sorry for thinking.. you know." The idea doesn't dig into his heart anymore, no marks left behind, just the shadow of a phantom chased away out the corner of his eye.

"Don't sweat it man. Seriously. but, hey- the not feeling good enough, thing? You're not alone in that, man. And the thing about Buck? He loves people for who they are, faults and demons and all."

Tommy knows. He knows how big Buck's.. Evan's, heart is, which is why he knows he deserves better.

"And if you ever wanna talk, consider this line of communication open."

Tommy's smile comes back stronger, lingers. There's a wet sheen threatening to blur his vision. His throat catches as he swallows. His voice comes out a little raspy when he says, "Thanks, man. Same to you."

Eddie makes a sound of agreement, then: "Call Buck."

Someone calls Tommy from the hangar. "I gotta go. Take care, Eddie." He hangs up before Eddie can add anything else to torture him with.

Making his way over to the main hangar, he thumbs over to his text chain with Evan. He types out four little letters, then backspaces and types a different four: okay when? then exits out of the screen and locks and pockets his phone.

It's a bad idea, no matter what Eddie says or what Tommy's realised in the last few minutes. It's still a bad idea. Tommy has to protect his heart.

..Doesn't he? Doesn't he deserve at least that?

The klaxon sounding cuts off further tormentive thoughts as he shifts into work mode and focuses his concentration and efforts on doing his job. Even if he can't salvage his love life he can save a life or two elsewhere.

[toasttt11]

there

summary: exams are always hard but having a boyfriend made them a bit easier

request: "You're doing amazing, I'm so proud of you."

luke hughes x reader

She took a shuttering breath as she just submitted another final exam, she’s been sitting at the kitchen table for what felt like days on days, constantly studying and slowly working through her final exams.

The only reason she knew she was eating and drinking water was because of her lovely boyfriend, who she knew would never let her go too far in her focus on school to forget to eat and drink.

She pulled off her reading glasses tossing them harshly on the table and putting her palms up to her eyes rubbing harshly, the constant pounding headache she had through the past days wasn’t getting any better and the glasses weren’t helping with how much she has had them on and looking at her computer.

She took a shuttering breath feeling the pressure on her chest from the stressful week and the stress she has been putting on herself.

She was so focused on trying to not start crying she didn’t hear Luke unlocking the door and calling her softly as he walked into their shared apartment.

Luke immediately frowned seeing her hunched over with her face in her hands and knew she was hitting her breaking point. He hates how much she stresses and how school causes her so much pain during her exam but luckily this is last ever exam week.

Luke kneeled down next to her his hand resting on her back softly rubbing and he frowned more when she didn’t even flinch in surprise, “Hey sweet girl.” Luke softly cooed rubbing her back gently feeling her ever so slightly relaxing.

She took a sharp intake and Luke very slowly grabbed her wrists moving her hands from her face so he can see her beautiful face, beautiful even stained with tears.

Her lips trembled and she slowly looked at Luke with the most saddest and overwhelmed look.

“Come here.” Luke very gently told her as he stood up and pulled her up and she fell into his arms burying herself in his chest trying to hide away from the world as his arms wrapped around her making her feel protected from everything.

“I got you i got you.” Luke mumbled comforting as he felt his shirt getting wet with her tears and he just kept his hold on her firm just letting her cry.

“What if i failed.” She mumbled out through her soft cry’s.

Luke gently lifted her chin up giving her the most reassuring look, “And what if you didn’t?”

She paused softly looking at him, she hasn’t thought about that.

“You’re not giving yourself enough credit my love. You’re incredibly smart and you studied so hard and i know you were well prepared for those exams.” Luke firmly but gently spoke to her.

Her cry’s slowly stopped just a few sniffles as she thought over his words.

"You're doing amazing, I'm so proud of you." Luke lovingly cooed as he cupped her face and kissed her forehead gently.

She managed a small smile not knowing how much she needed to hear those words making Luke let out a sigh of relief seeing his favorite smile again.

“Now what do you have left?” Luke asked her rubbing his thumb softly against her cheekbone.

“One more.” She answered sniffling as Luke gently wiped the tears off her face.

“And when is it due?” Luke looked at her calmly pressing another kiss to her forehead.

“Friday.” She softly mumbled.

“So you have two whole days to do the last one and i know for fact you’re the most prepared for this one?” Luke mused knowingly, she needed a break and he would make sure she got it.

She let out a small sigh of relief hearing it like that from Luke, she had time. She could take a break.

“Exactly.” Luke’s smile widened at her realization, “So you’re done for tonight, you are gonna relax tonight and in morning and then tomorrow afternoon you can take your last exam, okay?”

She let out a breath and took another deep breath and slowly nodded her face still cupped by Luke’s hands, “Okay.”

“Good girl.” Luke smiled proudly and kissed her forehead again before he easily picked her up making her laugh just slightly and cling to him as he carried her into their bathroom.

He set her on their toilet and he turned the bath tub on, plugging the drain and pouring in her favorite bath salts and bubbles and one of her many bath bombs before walking back to her.

Luke gave her mediation for her headache being able to tell she has one before Luke helped her slowly take her clothes off

She glanced at her self in the mirror seeing the messy bun, dark circles on her pale face, “I’m a mess.” She frowned, she knew her hair as dirty and she knew she definitely needed a shaker badly.

Luke frowned at her words not liking them and he cupped her face pressing a gentle but firm kiss to her lips, “My favorite and most perfect mess.” His tone firm with no room for any doubt.

His words made her smile softly at him, she can always count on Luke to get rid of any of her worry’s and insecurity’s by just being himself.

“Let’s get you in the bath.” Luke gently guided her into their bath tub and he smiled pleased seeing her looked more relaxed the second she fully submerged in the bath, he leaned down kissing the top of her head, “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Luke quickly rushed out of the bathroom and within a few minutes came back, “Food will be here in a hour.” Luke told her making her smile to herself not surprised that is what Luke was doing.

“Come in?” She looked at him softly and pleading.

“Of course.” Luke quickly stripped and got into the warm bath behind her making her let out a another sigh of relief as she leaned against Luke’s chest letting his arms wrap around her and his chin resting on her head.

“Thank you.” She softly mumbled to herself boyfriend for everything, she didn’t know what she would do without him.

“Always my sweet girl.” Luke just lovingly mumbled and pressed a few kisses to the top of her head, he loves taking care of her and knows she takes care of him just as much back.

[cryinggirlnamedhelen]

Isagi - childhood best friends, friends to lovers, mutual pining, athlete x mathlete

“You're an idiot,” you mutter, wiping the grime off his knee. “Going out on a rainy day just to play soccer? You're going to get sick along with these scrapes and mud.”

He grinned at you. “I think that's way better than staying inside all day and studying, of all things. There's a reason you're so unathletic.”

“And there's also a reason why you're failing all your classes.”

“Ouch. Thanks, love you too.”

Bachira - childhood best friends, “Am I weird?” “Yeah, but so what, everyone's weird”, mutual pining

“Why are you always helping me?”

You stopped wrapping the bandage around his arm for a moment, looking up at him. Tears filled his large amber eyes. “Because everyone's weird, and yet they're bullying you just because you express it differently. I think they're mean.”

“...you're very nice. I like you a lot.” he muttered, wiping his muddy hands on his pants.

“Uh-huh.”

Chigiri - tomboy x femboy, enemies to lovers, “I hate you (I'm so in love with you)”

“God, you're so damn annoying!”

“Well, same goes to you! Who cares if my hair is long? Your hair is so cropped and short that you look like a boy!”

“Well, your hair is so long that you look like a girl! What, you want a period or something?”

“Fuck no!”

Your classmates peeked from behind. “They're arguing over hair again…”

Kunigami - next door neighbors, “You Belong With Me”, best friends to lovers

“You're the best, you know.”

“Yeah, I know. You tell me that every day.”

“And I mean it every time.”

You burst out laughing. God, he was so serious about this, it was hilarious. “What? What's so funny?”

Reo - arranged marriage, mutual pining, childhood best friends

“And you--you went out in the freezing rain because you saw a rock that you thought was pretty?”

“You're never impressed whenever I buy you jewelry or expensive food, so maybe this would make you happy…?”

“Happy? Reo, this is so sweet! Thanks, I love you so much!” You exclaimed, pinching both of his cheeks. He huffed, narrowing his eyes.

“Girls are so weird.”

Nagi - hardworking smart x lazy smart, deskmates, eventual friends, slowburn

“I feel tired just looking at you. It must be such a hassle to study.” Nagi muttered, the clicking of his console reaching your ears.

“You're so lucky. You get 90's and 100's without even trying.” You muttered. He turned his head from the soft pillow of your bed.

“What? School is so easy.”

“You're so annoying.”

“What?”

Barou - “I hate you (I'm so in love with you)”, opposite of his type, grumpy x sunshine

Barou looked close to fainting as he entered your room. “This…is your room?”

Clothes were everywhere, your bed was unmade, and your curtains were still closed. “Yeah. I'm too lazy to clean it, I hope you don't mind. Anyways, how do you want to do the proj--”

But he seemed more invested in picking up, cleaning, and folding your clothes rather than the project worth literally 50% of your grade.

“Uhhhh, Barou?”

Rin - childhood best friends, sunshine x grumpy, mutual pining (I've written wayyyyy to many Rin fics to write another one rn)

Karasu - ACADEMIC RIVALS. childhood best friends (they don't admit it), slowburn, mutual pining (Same with Rin)

Shidou - serious head of the student council (with childhood trauma) x person who brings the fun out of them (too lazy to write for him rn lmao)

Sae - childhood crush, (not so) secret admirer, next door neighbors, mutual pining (same with Rin)

Aiku - “Casual" (both are mutually in love), misunderstandings, slowburn (I don't respect him enough to write one for him right now)

Kaiser - CHILDHOOD BEST FRIENDS. mutual pining, slowburn (Same as rin)

Ness - childhood best friends, “am I weird?” “yeah, but so what, everyone's weird”, mutual pining (Too lazy to write)

[mywritersmind]

SWINGING AROUND - KA12

kimi antonelli spiderman au

summary : You’ve thought a lot about the local hero. Wondered who was behind the mask… never did you ever think you would find out by him banging on your window, bloody and bruised. Especially when he takes his mask off and you realize he’s been a lot closer than you expected.

listen up : kissing! swearing! kimi antonelli is spiderman ok. bestfriends to lovers. lol i replaced aunt may with uncle toto

word count : 2282

⋆｡‧˚⋆

I jump when something hits my window, the rain is hammering down through the night sky and disturbs the peace of my candle and book.

As I spin around in my chair, expecting a branch or smashed bird… What I do not expect, is fucking spiderman.

My heart is beating a thousand miles per minute just as he reaches up and tugs off his mask. What. The. Fuck.

I’ve wondered a lot about our little neighborhood web shooter… everyone has. Maybe I've gotten a little too interested in the man over the past few months. But in all my thoughts and hopes of him being a certain way, I never once expected my best friend.

Because that’s who is outside my window right now, his gloved hand pushing against the glass as if he’s trying to hold himself up.

I practically shoot out of my chair, throwing my window open as he slumps against the sill. “Kimi.” I let out, the cold air hitting me almost as hard as my current shock.

“I…” He breathes out, his eyes meeting mine, “I didn’t know where else to go.” I now realize the state of him, his face is cut, as well as his suit.

“What the fuck, Antonelli.” I keep my voice down, very aware of my sleeping parents in the next room.

“I’ll explain… just-” he goes to move but winces, “Help.” I shake my head, leaving him in the windowsill now that rain has stopped and hurrying into my bathroom.

I come back quickly with a wet towel. “Kimi you better not be telling me you’ve been risking your life every day after school!”

He smirks a bit as I run the wet towel over the front of his suit where it’s cut and he’s bleeding, “Before school too…”

I push the towel harder against him, “You’re an idiot.”

“Ow!” He groans loudly, my hand slapping over his mouth to quiet him. I can feel his fucking smile against my hand as his eyes bore into me.

“This is why you’ve been ditching me lately!?” I take my hand off him, whispering, “Playing superhero!? I mean- what the fuck.” I repeat for the thousandth time, “How are you even- I mean how did you- You have powers!”

His breath is calmer now as he raises his wrist and, (like it’s absolutely nothing) sprays a clean line of webs from his fucking skin.

I move the towel to his face, “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”

“I thought you’d be happy… you’ve always had a thing for spidey.” He says mischievously as I scoff and start on his face, “Alright alright… I'm sorry. I didn’t want to put you in danger.”

“Danger!? Kimi, how bad could neighborhood crime be?”

He motions down to his hurt body. I shut my mouth, wiping his face gently and pretending like I can’t feel his hot eyes on me. His curls are wet, dripping onto my hand and into my room.

My hand is on his neck as the other tends to his cuts and bruises. I can’t believe this, he’s here, in my room, and while I'm freaking out, he’s cracking jokes.

“Does anyone know?” He shakes his head, finally looking a bit sad for once. “Kimi. Why?”

“I couldn’t put that on anyone.” He mumbles.

“You’re ridiculous in thinking I would care. And you’re ridiculous for thinking it’s not the coolest thing that’s ever happened to you.” He smiles at this.

“I know it is… it’s just- not all great.”

I do not like his tone. “What’d you do, Antonelli?”

He shakes his head, “It’s fine. I’m just- sorry to drop in on you like this. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”

“You better be.” I shove his shoulder instinctively, cursing myself when he winces, “Shit. Sorry.”

The wind has died down, though it hasn’t stopped the goosebumps on my legs. I’m blaming the cold because there’s no way I'm admitting that Kimi might have something to do with it.

“So. Go on then.” I say as I wipe blood from his jaw. He looks at me confused, “Since you're suddenly superhuman, I'd like to know what I'm dealing with so I don’t freak when you morph into an actual spider.”

He chuckles, “Luckily for both of us, it’s pretty simple. Sticky hands, the webs come from my wrist…” I give a little brow raise, teasing him as he rolls his eyes, “Only my wrists. I have crazy good hearing and this sort of sixth sense…”

“Like an intuition? Or like that thing Ken has when Barbies in trouble?” I say it so casually that it makes him laugh so unexpectedly that he has to hold his stomach from pain.

“Sure. Also my eyes are insanely clear.”

“That’s why you haven’t been wearing your glasses!” I poke his eye, “I’ll miss them.” He looked sickeningly good with them on, like a sort of evil nerd that i’d want to-

“Well Uncle Toto doesn’t know so I have to walk around the house half blind.” I smile at his humor, “That’s all, I think.”

I run my hand down his arm, understanding the sudden shift in his body as I meet his biceps, “And your suit…?”

He bites back a grin at my words, he always does it before he geeks out or talks himself up. “I made it.” He goes on to tell me every little step, compound, and reused material he scrounged up to make this pretty high tech suit.

I’ve heard Kimi talk about his inventions more than a hundred times in my life, but never have I seen him so interested in one subject.

“Seems like it’s gonna need some TLC after tonight.” I move my hand down his chest, pulling at the broken fabric.

He just shrugs, “I’ve remade it a thousand times, it’s easy.” Of course it is. Kimi remembers every detail about everything… ever.

I haven’t even realized until now, but his hand has been on my leg the whole time my hands have been all over him. When he notices that I've noticed, I expect him to pull away like the nerdy embarrassed Kimi I know.

But he doesn’t. He sits up straighter and pushes his hand slowly up my bare leg. “Thank you.”

“A couple rags isn’t much to thank me for.” My breath is quicker now, my voice quieter.

A small smile tugs at his lips, “Well it’s either that or I would be limping into my house all bloody just to give Toto a heart attack.”

I put the towel down beside me, “I’m really scared for you.” He’s looking at me as if I'm the only person in the world, sometimes I feel like that about him.

“Don’t be.” He whispers and suddenly I wonder when we got so close. His nose is an inch from mine, his eyes flickering down to my lips. He tilts his head a bit, “Still got a thing for spiderman?”

I want to laugh but I think I'm frozen in place. It’s the first time he’s audibly said it. “Depends. Does spiderman have a thing for me?”

His eyes are trained on my lips now, “I think he’d be a real idiot not to.”

I lean in, closing the gap as every part of my body catches fire. He’s weak, I know that. But he’s also not the same little Kimi I grew up with.

His hand reaches my waist and tugs me closer, kissing me sweetly. His lips are soft besides the tiny cut which I quickly forget about when he slips his tongue into my mouth.

He smiles against my lips. “I can feel your heartbeat, you know.”

I laugh into him, my tone playful as I move my hand into his curls, “I can’t really control that when I'm around you.”

He mumbles what I think is a curse in italian, kissing me again as I giggle like a fucking schoolgirl.

Then, there’s a knock at the door.

I don’t mean to push him off my windowsill, but I definitely do. He lands on the fire escape with a thud and a groan, “Sh!” I mouth at him before running over to my door, “Yes?” I don’t open it.

It’s my dad. “You okay, hun? I thought I heard something.”

“Yup! A bird hit my window I think.” I look over to Kimi who’s eyeing me annoyingly.

“Want me to check?” His words make my heart rate spike and the next thing I know, my door is open and I'm shoving my hands behind my back. I don’t know if they have blood on them but I really don’t want to find out with my father.

My eyes bolt to the window, my curtains blowing in the wind and (thankfully) no sign of Kimi. “It’s okay dad!” I say quickly, “All good, I think it flew away.”

He nods suspiciously, eyeing my floor and the towels that are definitely bloody but I'm saved by the darkness. “Did you leave your window open when it rained?”

“Oh the rain like- just stopped. I wanted to check on the bird and maybe try to help it and you know you’re supposed to carry them with a towel but then I couldn’t find it and there was already water everywhere so-“

“Yeah alright sweetie.” I think I just yapped my way out of him checking more, “Sweet dreams.”

The second he’s gone, I let out a sigh of relief. Walking over to my open window, I peak out and whisper, “Antonelli?”

I jump again when I find him upside down in front of my face. He’s smirking and holding onto a web that’s strung from above. Shit, even upside down he’s cute as hell.

“He gone?”

I roll my eyes, “Yes. Come inside.” I turn around and shake my head, this night keeps surprising me. I grab the bag of mini kitkats and turn back to him, “Kitkat?”

He walks forward, “I don’t want chocolate right now, Y/n.”

“Too bad.” I throw him the bag and he catches it in an instant. Wow, that's weird. “You’re hurt.”

“You were healing me pretty well before…” He backs me into the desk, placing the bag next to me and bracing himself on either side of me.

“Don’t you need to get home?” I ask, pretending that I'm not thinking about his half naked body that’s severely close to me right now.

“Toto thinks I'm staying at Ned’s.”

“So then go there and stop bothering me.” I cross my arms in front of my chest.

“You’re a horrible liar.”

“It’s that fucking sixth sense isn’t it? Your little spidey tingle.” His smile drops.

“Don’t call it that.”

“You need to change, you're dripping on my floor.” I eye the water around him but he doesn’t move.

“Y/n…” His voice is soft, yet demanding.

“Kimi. You’re hurt. I don’t want to make it worse-” He cuts me off with a kiss, it's light, his hands aren’t on me, and he steps back a second later.

For some reason, I'm more breathless than before. “You left some clothes here, they’re under my sink, I think.” I turn back to my desk, pretending that stupid bag of chocolate is more important than my best friend kissing me.

He comes back showered and in shorts. Only shorts. I blink.

I close my book that I didn’t read a word of, “You’ve seen me without my shirt before.” He points out, sipping the water I got for him.

“Not like… that.” I motion to him, and to his abs. He shakes his head and practically jumps into bed next to me, “Kimi.”

“Y/n!” He matches my tone, putting his arms over my lap and resting his head on them. He looks up at me like a puppy dog, “Would you like me to put a sweatshirt on?”

“If you’re going to be sleeping next to me I'd prefer it.” I say it as if it’s a business deal. He just smiles and rolls over as if he wasn’t beat up, which I still don’t know what he was beat up by.

He riffles through my closet, “Oh my god! I’ve been looking for this!” He turns around with his midtown high sweatshirt.

I cover my face with my book, laughing at the betrayed look on his face as he pulls it on. “It’s so comfortable!” I argue.

He shakes his head and lays next to me again. I sit up and criss cross my legs, “I have like a million questions.”

He nods and yawns, “Hm…”

“Like who fought you, or what fought you?” He shakes his head, already closing his eyes and wrapping his arms around my stomach and pulling me into him so I'm laying practically on him. “You’re gonna have to tell me if you want to kiss me.”

Without missing a beat, he kisses my cheek. “Tomorrow. I promise.” He whispers into my hair and without being asked, slings a web over to my dim lamp and tugs so it turns off.

“Kimi.” I whisper as his hand drifts under my shirt. Not in a provocative way, just like he wants to stay close to me. I like this new us. “I’m serious about you not getting hurt.”

“Part of gig, unfortunately.” He rubs his fingers softly over my stomach, “But I'll try, for you.”

I smile in the darkness, his breathing right in my ear and as calm as ever. I close my eyes, feeling him so close and comfortable. I move my hand to his and without words, we intertwine our hands together.

[fou4summer]

I'm your one true love

yoo jaeyi × fem!reader

Synopsis: You knew that Jaeyi liked you, and you liked her too, but you always tried to deny it by dating other people. Then one day, after your recent breakup, Jaeyi comforts you and brightens your entire next day, eventually it makes you both confess.

Warnings: none

Genre: Fluff, Angst

Word count: 1.7k

You were in multiple relationships and they all ended up the same way. With you being cheated on or just both of you just deciding that it wont work out. After every breakup you would go to your bestfriend, Jaeyi, who always comforted you and made you forget about it easily.

She never had anyone even tho the whole school is head over heels for her. She would always say how she already has someone she likes. At first you would always annoy her to tell you who it is, but over time you kinda got it yourself. It was you.

You thought it would eventually stop and that it was just a stupid crush she had on you. Not until you started to feel the mutual feelings about her too. When things would get too risky like you two sitting alone too close to each other, you would always lie that theres a new guy that you like. Everytime her mood would shift, her smile dropping. One time it was a bit more than that...

You were in your room, watching movies and having fun. There was a romantic scene going on in one and she took glances at you. You turned your head towards her and you were inches away from each other.

Her hand was moving slowly on top of yours as she leaned closer. The worst of all you didn't back away. You even put your hand on her shoulder pulling her closer. Until you realized that this could ruin your friendship forever, and you would lose your best friend.

"I'm sorry I really can't do this..." You remove her hand away and stand up from your bed.

"You know I like that guy and-" You try to make up something, but she cuts you off.

"I'm gonna go..." She picks her bag and leaves before you could stop her. You heard in her shaky voice that she was about to cry. You felt so stupid for doing this to her. She was the best choice for you and you knew it.

Come on she rejected half the school and the most popular boys were being pathetic asking her out, but she refused to even look at them. Her eyes were always on you.

-

Now you were with this one guy. I mean he was popular, handsome and not that nice, but not rude. You got a bit of popularity while being with him so that was a plus too. Even tho you deep down knew you would be much more popular and happy if you were with Jaeyi. You just avoided the thoughts.

You were sure you found the perfect guy, until you caught him cheating right in front of you. You were actually a bit broken cause that was your longest relationship. You broke up with him after he tried to tell you how it 'isn't what it looks like'. You heard that sentence so many times you could literally predict when he would say it.

You were still friends with Jaeyi after that night that happened months ago from now. She apologized and it broke you even more.

You were in your room, crying and you felt horrible about doing that, but you still called Jaeyi. It was actually pretty late, around midnight, but she still picked up in an istant.

"Y/N? Is everything alright? Did something happen?" Her voice was raspy and tired making you smile to yourself that she cares about you that much to answer even this late.

"Hey Jaeyi...I'm sorry that im calling this late...It's just that he cheated on me and I broke up with him and I don't know what to do..." You sobbed between words wiping your tears with the back of your hand.

"Oh its okay sshhh...Do you want me to come over?" She said her voice calm and non-judgemental. You quickly replied with a quiet 'yes', feeling like a jerk for doing this to her.

"I'll be there in five minutes...Okay?" Her voice made you calm down a little, knowing that she'll be there soon. You ended the call and unlocked the front door. She opened the door coming in quietly so your parents don't wake up.

"Hey..." She peeked through the door of your room making you sit up a bit. When you saw her you started crying again.

"Y/N...It's okay now...I'm here..." She pulls you into a hug, wrapping her arms around you, holding you close. You put your head against her sweatshirt, soaking it with tears. She caressed your back while whispering sweet things to you until your crying stopped.

"How about we lie down hm?" She whispered and you just nodded. She lied down with your head resting on her chest.

"I'm sorry Jaeyi...I'm sorry..." You couldn't explain anything, but she knew what you were apologizing for.

"It's okay Y/N...I forgive you..." She ran her hand through your hair, making you feel sleepy.

"I love you..." You mumbled against her, your hand resting on her shoulder.

"I love you too Y/N...I love you so much..." Her words made you tear up again, but you didn't want to worry her again, so you just kept quiet until you both fell asleep.

-

You woke up to your mom calling you to eat. You groaned before looking at the time. It was 1PM already. You never slept that long. You also noticed that Jaeyi was gone. You ran out of your room, finding your parents at the table, both confused by your action.

"Where is Jaeyi?" They both smile at your face expression before your mom answered.

"She left awhile ago. She doesn't sleep till afternoon like someone here. She left you a note on your desk, you should check it out after having lunch." Your mom says placing food on your plate.

After eating, you hurried to your room to see the note she left you. It was on your desk and it said.

Come to todays school festival with me please. 6PM at the school gate. I'm looking forward to it and I have a suprise:)

Jaeyi

You smile at the note before turning around to find your mom standing there.

"You better not say that 'you are going out with some guy already' Y/N." She crossed her arms waiting for your answer.

"Don't worry, I'm going with Jaeyi this time. And stop reading my stuff!" You yell as you run to the bathroom to get ready.

-

You arrive at the school gate, about to text her, but you felt someone already tap your shoulder. When you turn around, you see Jaeyi in a beautiful pink cardigan that matched the pink tulips in her hand.

"This is my suprise!" She gives you the flowers making you smile and jump into her hug as she wraps her arms around you. She smelled just as gorgeous as she looked.

"Come on lets go!" You take her hand in yours before stepping into the festival.

That day was maybe the best one in your life. You ate popcorn, cotton candy and had cold drinks laughing and teasing each other all day. You went to the ballpit spending hours there like little kids.

-

You were now sitting at the bench that had a really nice view. You both looked at the stars as her hand slowly touched yours. It was obvious, she was nervous not wanting to make you uncomfortable. Not this time. You took her hand intertwining your fingers together and placing them in your lap.

She turned around to find you already looking at her. She was so cute and adorable. You were thinking to yourself 'How did I manage to reject this person so many times when she was the only one making me this happy?' She nervously smiled looking at you. You didn't want her to think that you'll do the same again.

You slowly leaned in, closing the distance between you. You felt her stiffen a bit, but she quickly relaxed kissing you back. You placed your arms around her neck, pulling her closer. One of her hands went down on your waist while the other caressed your face. You both broke the kiss to catch your breaths. You realized that no one kissed you like that before. It was so full of pure love.

"D-do you like the flowers...?" She broke the silence, her voice nervous and shy. You smiled nodding, making her smile too. You sat there looking at the stars and you kissed her a few more times making her smile into each one.

-

"Sooo...How did you like today?" You were walking back from the festival, holding hands.

"It was amazing. Thank you Jaeyi...You really made my day..." That made her chuckle squeezing your hand a little.

"Always." She looked at the beautiful sky above you. You wanted to just tell her that directly, your feelings for her. You stopped walking making her turn around confused and a bit worried.

"Is everything okay?" She asked and you give her a small nod before taking a deep breath. She needed to hear this.

"Jaeyi...I've liked you all this time. I just-I just didn't want to ruin our friendship or whatever...I was stupid and-" You were cut off by her lips against yours. The kiss turned into a bit more as her hands sneaked under your shirt resting on your lower back.

"You don't know how long i've waited for you to say that. You made me wait for so long..." She took your hand placing it on her cheek and you blushed at how she nuzzled her head into your hand.

"I'm sorry Jaeyi, but now I'll make it up to you for all those years rejecting you. I promise." You told her as she pulled you closer.

"Y/N...Will you be my girlfriend?" You smile instantly nodding and kissing her again.

"I knew from the start that I was always your true love..." She says against your lips before leaning in for more, but you stop her.

"Oh wow stop that!" You hit her arm playfully and she laughs.

She walks you to your house. You kiss and giggle a bit more in front before you eventually go home. Unfortunately your mom saw that and teased you for the whole month saying how she knew from the start. You never lost your bestfriend, she just became the best girlfriend that you never want to lose.

[himbosandhardwear]

Steddie I pre-S4 I secret relationship AU I rated M I 3.9 k I angst I S4 fix-it I time skips

This was going to be a fully fleshed out story but I lost the umpf to finish, it just felt unnecessary to commit to an entire fic, so here's the rough draft for anyone interested.

July 10th, 1985

Eddie answered the door to find Steve Harrington standing off the porch, one foot on the bottom step, looking a bit like mangled raccoon roadkill, with somehow still an immaculate head of hair.

“Whoa, man, who'd you piss off this time?”

Steve slow blinked up at him. “I don't wanna talk about it. You open for business?”

He didn't normally take house calls but they weren't in school right now - Steve never would be again, the lucky bastard - and Eddie was saving up for a new amp, so yeah, he was open for business today.

“For you, Moneybags, always.” He held the door open wide.

Steve walked in, mumbling, “Not sure Moneybags is accurate now that I'm unemployed.”

“Well, then your money is even more precious. You could've spent it all on Budweiser but you chose me.” He fluttered his eyelashes at Steve.

“Don't know any other drug dealers,” he pointed out.

Eddie scowled. “C'mon, man, give me the illusion of being special.”

Steve's lips quirked, playful, even though it must've been stretching that cut painfully. “Oh, Munson, only your steller ditch weed can save me!”

Eddie would never admit it but the fact that he played along, albeit sarcastically, made him give Steve an extra pre-roll for free.

***

Aug 16th 1985

“And I said to her, ‘You can't expect me to tell you that. It's against the bro code or something,’ not that we were ever actually bros, it's the principle, right? But then she gives me the fuckin’ wet eyes, like I'm killing her-”

Eddie wasn't really listening, he was more focused on the task at hand, but Steve was a talker and Eddie had made peace with that weeks ago, so he politely hummed and nodded as needed to keep him going.

“Shit.”

“What?” Steve stopped monologuing to ask.

“Nothin’, just didn't have as much in this bag as I thought.” He put the tray aside and got up to grab another sack. There should be enough to round out Steve's usual six joints in his dresser stash.

“Anyway,” Steve continued on, unperturbed by the interruption, “I said to her-” He continued to wax about Nancy fucking Wheeler while Eddie dug through his top drawer. Ridiculous man couldn't wait thirty seconds, no, had to follow Eddie into his room. “Like Byers has the balls to cheat on her, ya know? And what the fuck am I supposed to do about it if he did? Fly to California and… Huh.”

“What?”

He was so wrapped up in looking for the right strain, he didn't turn to look until Steve's continued silence became weird.

He should've just given Steve five joints and charged him less.

“Uhhh. I can explain?”

Steve looked up from the skinmag on Eddie's side table and laughed. Actually laughed. “Oh yeah? I'd love to hear it.”

Why did he look so happy about it? Christ, he was literally bouncing on his toes.

“You're being weirdly chill about this,” he pointed out when Steve continued to grin.

“It's just funny, I guess. I have that same one.”

Time stopped. It started back up of course but not in any way that made sense. Because Steve was giving him that look, that open faced ‘See anything you like?’ look, with the steely eyed determination of a man who knew what he was doing. He'd seen that look before, in clubs, on the street. The problem Eddie was trying to work out wasn't so much ‘Could Steve Harrington really be queer?’, it was ‘Could Steve Harrington really want to fuck around with me?’

“What the fuck does that mean?” He asked, sure he was reading this wrong.

Steve cocked his head. “It means exactly what it sounds like.”

He turned to give Steve his full attention. “You, Steve Harrington, own the August edition of Drummer magazine.”

“Yes.”

“The gay porn mag.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

He watched as Steve's face turned a lovely shade of pink. “To look at pictures of naked men and jerk off,” he said calmly, despite the blush. “Also the articles are well written and informative.”

That shocked a laugh out of Eddie. He crossed his arms and leaned up against the dresser. “Uh huh. What was your favorite one?”

“That story about the military rites of passage. Something about being told what to do gets me going.”

It could've just been a good guess, Eddie supposed, but he didn't think so.

“Oh yeah, private?” He said, all bravado. “Drop and give me twenty.”

The bravado died a soldier's death as he watched Steve hit the floor, on his knees, and then begin doing actual pushups. He watched up until twelve or so - the play of muscle under that blue and white polo was really something - before stopping him with a laugh.

“Get up, you fuckin' jock. We get it, you're in great shape.”

Steve did stop but only so he could sit back on his heels, hands placed firmly on his thighs, to look up at Eddie as though awaiting further instructions.

He gulped.

***

Sept 28th 1985

Eddie had his hand down Steve's pants, sucking a sizable hickey on his neck, when Steve blurted out, “Teen Wolf is playing at the Drive-In in Shelbyville.”

He backed away slowly, swimming through a haze of horny confusion to mumble, “The fuck?”

“Um. Just sayin'.”

“‘Just sayin'?’ Why are you ‘just sayin'’ right now?” He articulated this with a heavy squeeze to Steve's dick.

“Ha!” Steve arched toward him while also wincing in embarrassment. “I just wanted to ask before I forgot.”

A drop of cold lead sank Eddie's stomach. “Ask…what?”

He blinked at Eddie in the dark. “Do you wanna go? To the movies? With me?”

Heat washed out the cold feeling and replaced it with mounting anger; Eddie slowly pulled his hand from Steve's pants. He watched Eddie back away with wide-eyed confusion, going to ask what was wrong probably, but Eddie beat him to it, unwilling to hear the concern in his voice.

“I thought you understood what this was, Harrington. We don't do dates,” he spit the word like a curse. “That's something you do with the nice girls from your daddy's country club. We get each other off in the back of my van, where no one can see it rocking. Right? That's what this is.”

Steve's whole face shut down, giving nothing away. He gave Eddie a small nod, doing his pants back up. That was probably for the best, he was too rattled to get off now anyway.

“Yeah, I think we're done for today. Come see me when you remember what it is I'm good for.”

Steve didn't respond, just kicked open Eddie's back doors and hopped out. The beemer started a second later, not peeling out angrily, not kicking up gravel and dust in its wake, just drifted off into the night.

Eddie's hand shook as he tried to light a cigarette, flame winking in and out as his fingers slipped, another thing Steve had ruined. What an asshole, he thought, still furious. What the fuck was he thinking, asking Eddie out? That they'd just go to the movies together? Like a couple of regular people? Didn't he know that's not how things worked? If you're lucky, which Eddie was, you find a mentor to teach you the rules of staying safe. If you're not lucky, you learn the hard way.

Going steady with rich, popular boys was not on the list of approved activities.

Eddie snapped his cigarette in half and chucked it out the back door. The black of the lake beyond the trees, near invisible under a waxing moon, left him feeling sick to his stomach and lonely. The nights were getting too chilly to sit with the doors open anyway. He swung them shut and shrugged his flannel back on. The memory of Steve running his warm hands over Eddie's shoulders, slipping it off as he ran them down his back, struck Eddie like a slap to the face.

He shouldn't have freaked out. He could've handled it better. It wasn't Steve's fault he didn't know the rules. He didn't have someone like Gil to warn him about how dangerous it was out there. Oh well, it was too late to take it back now. He'd apologize when Steve came around again.

***

Oct 10th 1985

“I just don't get why he won't talk to me. I tried to see him at Family Video and he ran into the back office and locked the door. Buckley just stared at me until I was sure my hair would catch fire. Like I ever did anything to her,” he grumbled.

“Ed,” Gil sighed over the phone like Eddie was being particularly stupid, “he wanted to take you out and you yelled at him.”

When he said it like that it sounded reasonable. “Yeah, except we don't do that! You taught me that! That's not safe!”

“Oh, no. Oh, Eddie,” he sighed again. It was really starting to piss him off. “I didn't mean for you to take that to heart. You can't shut out everyone who might love you-”

“Love me?!” He screeched. “Are you insane? He didn't love me!”

“I'm not saying he did, I just mean you can't expect everyone you sleep with is going to agree no strings attached forever. Eventually you're going to fall for someone, and then all the bullshit running around in secret, that shit becomes worth it. I wasn't trying to stop you from falling in love, I was just trying to teach you how to get around safely.”

Eddie sputtered. He was so confused. Where was the burly, son of a bitch, leather vest wearing, biker bear who once told Eddie where to find the best glory holes in a new town? What the fuck was the shit about falling in love? That wasn't supposed to be in the cards for him. And certainly not with Steve Harrington. That was never going to be a thing. Not in the cards, not in the casino, not in Las Vegas itself! But all of a sudden he was allowed to date if he was sure the other person was worthy? Since when?!

Gil, instead of taking pity on him, doubled down. “I think it's probably too late with this Steve fella, but Eddie, don't push away the next one who takes an interest in you. Okay? It's still rough out there, it's still dangerous, but, god, what is any of this for if we aren't allowed to be in love?”

“You asshole,” he sniffed, “where was all this lovely advice two years ago?”

“You were a kid, dumb ass. If I'd told you to run off with the first guy who gave you butterflies, you'd be dead already. I was trying to keep you safe first, cut me some slack!”

“Fine! But I still blame you for fucking me on the Harrington thing. You have no idea what you cost me. Literally and figuratively. The wallet and the ass on that man.” He wasn't going to admit to missing the man attached to the wallet and the ass. It was too fresh of a realization.

“I'm sorry, kid. Seems like you really liked him.”

“What? No I didn't.”

“That why you called me and ranted about him for a half hour straight? Because you don't like him?”

Eddie scowled at the sink. “Shut up.”

Gil sighed at him again.

***

March 29th, 1986

A car had pulled up.

His blood was rushing in his ears, nothing but the sound of the ocean in a giant seashell, like the one his mom had kept on her dresser, so he didn't hear the voice at first. It wormed its way into his understanding slowly, a male voice, low, calling his name.

He grasped the bottle tighter, waited until the voice got closer, and then sprang out from under the tarp. His senses grew sharp, focusing on the dark shape in front of him. They came together hard, fell into the wall with a jarring crash. All thoughts went into stopping the body against him from hurting him first.

Hands grasped his wrist to keep the bottle from finding its mark. Strong hands, with wide knuckles, ones that Eddie hadn't seen in six months but still, unbidden, saw in his dreams.

He finally looked up and found Steve Harrington at the end of his makeshift knife.

“It's me, Eds, it's me” he was panting. “You're safe. I promise. It's okay.” He kept repeating it until Eddie finally let go of the bottle. Let go and then buried his face into Steve's neck and wept. He couldn't stop it, it just came out of him, everything, all the terror and confusion and guilt.

“I didn't do it, I didn't hurt her, it wasn't me,” he kept repeating.

“I know. I know, Eds, I know you didn't,” Steve answered, hand still running over the back of his head. Like the last six months were just a terrible dream.

He didn't even notice Steve wasn't alone, not until Henderson clasped him around the shoulder and told him there were things living under Hawkins, things that would make a horde of Beholders turn tail and run.

And they'd been dealing with it all since ‘83?

Which meant Steve was already a hardened veteran when he was goofing off in Eddie's trailer, making tusks out of pretzel rods and calling Ewoks by the wrong name.

“Jesus Christ.” He put his head between his knees and did his best to ignore Steve's hand rubbing up and down his back. He didn't want the comfort but he took it anyway.

***

March 31st 1986

“Hey, Eddie,” Steve pulled up next to him, skipping over the slimy Devil Roots with ease, “I just wanted to say thanks for savin’ my ass back there.”

Eddie chuckled lowly, not ready to say, ‘You know what you did, you macho asshole.’ “Pretty sure Wheeler saved your ass but you're welcome.”

“You definitely helped. I mean, you didn't have to swim through a portal to hell after me but you did.”

The shame of Steve giving him even an ounce of credit crept up his throat and started to choke him. Steve had been getting drug to hell by some unknown force and still Eddie had hesitated. He was a coward.

“Man, I just didn't want to be the asshole who stayed behind.”

The silence felt damning, like he should've just kept his mouth shut.

Steve jammed his hands into his ratty sweatpants. “Right.”

Now he thought Eddie didn't care at all.

Before he could talk himself out of it, he whispered, “You know that's not the whole truth, right? I know things are weird between us but I don't want you dead.”

He had to keep his eyes on the ground as they walked but out of his periphery he could see Steve nod.

“Yeah. I get it.”

He didn't but Eddie didn't know what else to say. He hadn't let himself think about what they were to each other now. Not friends, not ex’s, not strangers. He’d tried not to think about Steve at all - except what he couldn't avoid, like Henderson’s obsession with him and things his brain forced him to remember at night - since whatever they were doing ended. Since Steve left and never came back.

He opened his mouth to soften the moment, tell Steve how Henderson would've killed him in a more creative way than Vecna if he'd let Steve die, but Steve cut him off.

“I should thank you for that too.”

Eddie chanced looking over.

“For what?”

“For ending things when you did.”

The squirm in his gut worsened. They hadn't talked about it. He didn't want to talk about it. “Oh?” He choked out.

“Yeah, I was, uh, making a bigger thing out of what we, what we were doing, than I should've. I blame Robin for enabling me, she's the one who said to just ask you out like a normal person. Sorry for making it weird and ruining it. Always trying to give my heart to people who don't want it.” He chuckled morosely. “Anyway, thanks, I guess. You probably saved me from a lot more heartache later down the line.” He slapped Eddie on the back, like they were old chums, and then he skipped up to the girls without a backwards glance.

Eddie stood there, alone, gaping at his retreating back.

***

April 1st, 1986

Eddie had always been good at compartmentalizing. When his mom got sick, he got really into Tolkien, let that be his focal point in a storm of hospital visits and missed days at school. When his dad got picked up and sent to prison, he let Wayne teach him how to play guitar, which he spent most of his waking hours on. When Steve made it clear he was done with Eddie, he packed up the little pocket of time they had, the enjoyment he'd found in Steve's company, and folded it under the recesses of his mind, told himself it was all for the best, to not think of it again, and then he threw himself into Hellfire.

So, now that he’d found himself in another untenable situation, clarity struck Eddie like lightning as he thrashed on the ground - Hey, dumbass, Steve Harrington actually liked you, wanted to date you, would've fallen for you, and you fucking blew it. Not only did you blow it, you broke his fucking heart.

It was an asinine thought to have while he was actively dying but considering the alternative was acknowledging that he was being eaten alive by demon bats, he welcomed thoughts of Steve.

Steve, who Eddie had convinced himself was just scratching an itch with someone who wouldn't tell, but who had actually been telling his best friend the whole time.

Steve, who came over for weed but stayed to hang out, sometimes for hours, well before they were fooling around.

Steve, who wasn't anything like Eddie had assumed he would be, was exactly the kinda guy Eddie would've fallen for. If he was allowed.

But he had been allowed, the whole time apparently, and was too stupid to notice.

Henderson showed up a minute later, just as the bats collapsed around him, thank god. If he'd gotten the asshole killed he was fairly certain Steve would've brought him back somehow just to kill him again.

He wasted a lot of breath apologizing to Dustin, agreeing that he was totally gonna make it. Wasted some more trying to bequeath Hellfire to him. Wasted his last breath to say, “Tell Steve I'm sorry.”

Dustin wouldn't understand what for but maybe Steve would.

Just before he lost consciousness he caught Dustin saying, “Tell him yourself,” and then something that sounded suspiciously like, “Eddie! No.”

But by then he was gone.

***

Date unknown, 1986

He was never sure if what he was experiencing was real or not. Since the pain had stopped everything had a surreal quality, mostly flashes of light, some sound trickled in, shouting and crying and tires squealing; all of it was fleeting and seemed unimportant.

The first thing that felt real was Wayne's voice. Gruff and short and so, so familiar. It brought tears to his eyes. He was pretty sure anyway, hard to tell when he couldn't open them yet.

“Get your boy, Fletch, or I'm gonna break his arm.”

“Now, Wayne, we're just doin’ our job,” Chief Powell said in a softer tone than Wayne's snarl or Callahan's offense.

“Either one of you touch a hair on his head, I'll-”

“Have Steve call his famous lawyer dad,” Robin piped up from somewhere in the room, thankfully stopping Wayne from further incriminating himself.

“He's a divorce attorney,” Steve mumbled. “But he knows people!” He rallied after what Eddie imagined was a look from Robin.

A beat went by, Eddie almost slipped away in the quiet, before Chief Powell spoke up again. “You're all gonna go to bat for this kid?”

Steve responded first. “He's a hero.”

Eddie didn't get to enjoy that for long, a nurse came in to shuffle them all out of the room so they could re-up his pain meds and then it was nighty-night again.

***

Date Unknown, 1986

The next time Eddie woke, it was dark in the room, only a bit of light coming in from under the door and from the parking lot lights outside. His eyes felt gritty, heavy with sleep, but he could make out the shape of Steve in the chair beside his bed.

He was awake, staring down at the side of Eddie's mattress.

No.

Eddie followed his gaze and found Steve staring at his hand where it laid across his own forearm, careful of the tubes they were both hooked to. As soon as he saw it, he became aware of the warmth of it, Steve's huge hand draped over his cold skin.

“Feels nice,” he tried to say but it came out more garbled mess than actual words.

It was enough to get Steve's attention though.

“Eddie!” He said with excitement, relief. “What do you need? I should get the nurse.”

Eddie forced his arm to respond, to turn over and clasp Steve where he was about to remove himself. His grasp wasn't near enough to keep Steve in place but the fact that he tried kept Steve where he was.

His voice refused to cooperate, felt like coughing up glass, but he tried to communicate that Steve should stay.

“Okay, okay, I'm here. Not going anywhere. Do you need anything? Water? Pain meds?”

Eddie could definitely use both of those things but the most pressing thing, the only thing he could really think of was…

Lifting his hand to point as steadily as he could at Steve's chest.

He chuckled. “Why do you keep trying to take my shirt?”

The question made little sense. For one thing, this was the first he remembered being coherent enough to demand anything, and second, Steve wasn't wearing a shirt, he was in a hospital gown, same as Eddie.

He shook his head as best he could, a frustrated frown and a grunt to indicate that wasn't what he meant at all.

Steve leaned closer. “What is it? I don't know what you need, Eddie.”

Now that he was closer, Eddie reached out as best he could and pressed his palm to the left side of Steve's chest.

They stared at each other. Eddie could feel the tears slipping down his face but he didn't dare move his hand to wipe them away.

Slowly, like he was scared, Steve's hand came up to press Eddie's hand closer. Big and warm and missed to the point of aching, though Eddie had been loath to admit it to himself.

“You’re serious?” Steve whispered. “You want...this?”

Eddie nodded frantically.

“If you mean my tit I'm going to be so pissed at you.”

Eddie choked on a laugh. He did his very best to mouth, “That too.”

That got him a laugh, a soft one. "Some things don't change." He looked away, shy. Or not shy exactly, cautious. "I hope you remember you said all this when you wake up again. You're pretty doped up."

That was an easy fix. The drugs probably made it easier to admit but he was tired of pretending it wasn't true.

He pulled Steve's hand until it settled over his own chest, stitches and all, and forced himself to croak, "I already tried to forget, sweetheart. It didn't work."

Steve's answering smile rivaled the dawn.

[glossypolaroidkisses]

Blue body paint Luigi…

word count: 1.6k

"Now, what the— How the fuck—"

Luigi twists and turns, his back facing the mirror as he tries to coat the last unpainted stretch of his skin in blue. He groans loudly in the living room, contorting his body in an attempt to get the brush to the middle of his back.

"Fuck," he mutters, struggling.

You roll backward in your desk chair, out of your room and into the common area.

"You good?" you ask, startling him.

"Shit—"

"Oh— Sorry, I thought you knew I was here."

Luigi exhales, catching his breath. "I thought you were already at the rally with Cassy. You're good."

"No, I stayed back to study. Sorry, Lu."

"You're good, you're good." He cracks a light smile.

Luigi is your roommate, along with two others. Your best friend, Cassy, is Luigi's best friend's sister. Before Penn, you and Cassy were dead set on rooming together. Her brother, Sam, mentioned he was looking into an apartment-style dorm with his best friend, Luigi, and now the four of you rent it together. Cassy and Sam are siblings, you and Luigi are their best friends. You and Luigi are friends and roommates to each other, but nothing more.

"You need help, though? I just heard you huffing and puffing."

Luigi chuckles, rolling his eyes. "Huffing and puffing, damn." He hesitates. "To be honest, yeah. This paint..." His words trail off into a sigh, admitting defeat.

"School spirit, am I right?" you say sarcastically, getting up and walking over.

Luigi laughs. "Yeah, yeah."

"Everything good?" you ask, noticing his short, semi-awkward answers.

"..Yeah, it's just all this twisting and turning..." He gestures to his lower back. "Y'know, spondy."

"Right, right." You sigh before holding out a hand. "Brush?"

He hands it over, and you step onto the towel he laid out. "You're such a nerd."

"For cleaning precautions? Do you want to scrape blue paint out of tile grout?"

You laugh. "Absolutely not."

"Exactly."

You shake your head, about to start painting, but then you pause. Up close, his back is broader than you realized, his physique stronger.

"Everything alright?" Luigi asks, noticing.

"Yeah... yeah," you chuckle awkwardly, brushing it off. Of course you've always known Luigi was attractive—anyone with eyes does—but you've always shrugged it off. No point in stirring up drama between roommates or complicating things with your best friends. Besides, you're all swamped with school 90% of the time anyway.

"Wait, wait. Before I get my hands dirty, do you want Advil for your spondy?" you ask.

Luigi chuckles.

"What?" you ask. "Did I say it wrong? Not cool enough for the medical slang?"

"No, no. It was just cute, the way you said it. I've never heard you say it before." He moves on quickly. "Uhh, yeah, actually. Thanks. I would get it, but—" He gestures to his feet.

"You fucking painted the bottom of your feet?" you ask.

"Well, no... but close enough. I'm scared to leave my towel island."

You giggle, shaking your head as you search through the medicine cabinet. "Holy shit, didn't know you're a druggie, Luigi."

He laughs. "Yeah, my back is a real addict."

"If any of these go missing, I definitely didn't sell them for noodle money."

"Honestly, a couple of those pills could probably get you about forty packs of instant noodles."

"I want the good stuff, y'know, Huang's Noodle House?" You close your eyes dramatically at the thought of your favourite spot.

"I didn't know you like Huang's." Luigi sounds genuinely interested. "We should go."

"Yeah, and Cassy and Sam—"

"Ehh, Sam doesn't really like noodles."

"Oh. Then Cassy... I'm not sure if she does, actually."

Luigi hums in thought. "We could just go, then." His voice is casual, but something about it lingers.

You pause, fingers wrapped around the Advil bottle. Then, shaking it lightly, you ask, "Is that an invitation?"

Luigi glances over his shoulder, smirking. "Only if you wanna go. Otherwise, you heard nothing."

You let out a small laugh, trying to ignore the way your stomach flips at the idea of going to Huang's alone with him. This is just food. Just noodles. Just roommates grabbing a bite.

"Why not?.." you say, tossing the bottle toward him. He catches it in one hand, shakes two pills out, and dry swallows them. "...If you're paying." you add. Luigi huffs a laugh. "Wow. First, you steal my drugs, now my money?"

"Roommate tax." You tap the paintbrush against your palm. "Alright, turn."

He shifts carefully, and you notice how aware he is of his movements. Cassy told you about his back, and while he never complains much, you've caught him stretching, adjusting his posture, rolling his shoulders when he thinks no one's looking.

Your eyes flicker down his back as you dip the brush into the blue paint. His broad shoulders. The way his muscles shift under his skin. The sharp, clean lines of his shoulder blades.

This is fine. Totally normal. Just painting your roommate blue.

You start with broad strokes, trying to be quick but even.

"How the hell did you do this last year?"

"Badly."

You laugh. "Why do you even do this?"

"Sam and I started first year, a few frat guys joined in, and now it's tradition. Plus, we always get free drinks."

"Ah, so it's a scam."

He grins. "A hundred percent."

You keep painting, working your way down his spine. His skin is warm under the paintbrush, and you have to focus hard to keep your strokes even.

"You're really dedicated to school spirit for someone who called our mascot 'a corporate sellout' last week."

Luigi laughs. "I stand by that. He's got three sponsorships, that's insane."

You shake your head. "Alright, turn a little, I gotta get this side." You tap his ribs lightly, and he follows your instruction. The movement draws your eyes to his jaw—strong, slightly stubbled.

You swallow.

What the fuck have I gotten myself into?

"So," he says lightly, "what were you studying?"

"Just some readings. Hard to focus."

"Yeah?" He smirks. "Because I'm here, or because you're thinking about noodles?"

You press the brush into his shoulder a little harder.

"Ow." He winces dramatically. "Abuse."

You snort. "You're literally covered in paint and complaining about a brushstroke?"

"Look, I'm delicate."

"You're insufferable."

He laughs, and you try to ignore the way your stomach flips again. You sigh, pulling back. "This brush is too small."

Luigi smirks. "You calling me fat?"

Your eyes widen. "What? No, you're just—" You pause. "Big."

Luigi blinks. "What?"

"Like... broad."

His smirk deepens. "You think I'm broad?"

You roll your eyes. "Objectively."

He chuckles, stretching slightly. "Use your hands. Might be easier."

Your hands?

You stare at his back for a second like it's suddenly an entirely different thing.

This is fine. Totally normal. Just painting your friend blue. With your hands.

Right.

"Okay," you say, a little too quickly, setting the brush down. You press your palms into the cool paint, spreading it across his back in slow, deliberate strokes. The texture is strange—thick, slightly tacky as it glides over his skin—but what gets you more is the warmth beneath it. His muscles shift slightly under your touch, solid and strong, and you have to focus hard to keep your movements steady. You let your hands glide from his upper back to his lower, fingers spreading the paint in slow strokes.

Luigi exhales, deep and slow. "You're being so gentle." His voice is teasing, but there's something else underneath it—something softer.

"I don't want to hurt you," you murmur. "Your back—"

"You're not hurting me." A pause. Then, with a slight turn of his head, he grins. "It's actually really nice."

You swallow, pressing your fingers into the dips of his shoulder blades, blending the paint with smooth, even pressure. The moment stretches, quieter now, filled only by the soft sound of your hands working over his skin. His breathing is steady, slow, like he's letting himself relax into it.

You clear your throat, "Well, I'm almost done. Just gotta make sure it's even."

Luigi hums in response, tilting his head slightly like he's considering something. "You're really good at this."

You scoff. "What, painting?"

He smirks. "Ever considered a career in body painting?"

You roll your eyes. "Didn't you know? That's why I'm at Penn."

His chuckle is low and warm, and you can't help but smile as you take a step back, running your eyes over your work. The blue paint covers his back smoothly, deep and even, accentuating the defined lines of his shoulders and spine.

"What do you think?" you ask.

Luigi twists slightly to check his reflection in the nearby mirror. "Damn," he smirks, flexing his arms just a little. "I look clean."

You roll your eyes but laugh. "Alright, you need help with anything else?"

He catches your gaze in the mirror, his smirk softening just slightly. "Nah, you've done enough. Seriously—thanks."

You wave a hand dismissively, suddenly feeling warm. "Yeah, yeah. Go win the school spirit award and drink cheap beer, or whatever."

Luigi snorts, then—before you can react—reaches over and swipes a blue-painted finger across your cheek.

"Hey—!" You gasp, stepping back as he grins mischievously.

"Oops," he says, absolutely not sounding sorry.

You narrow your eyes, pointing a warning finger at him. "You're dead."

Luigi just winks, stepping carefully off his towel island. "Catch me after the rally, then."

And with that, he grabs his shoes, flashes you one last playful grin, and heads out the door—leaving you standing there, heart pounding, with a blue streak on your face and a whole lot of thoughts you probably shouldn't be having.

part 2?😇😇

tag list 🏷️ my loves ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ @cherrysolo @slavicdolls4mangione @iinfinitelimits @poohkie90 @luweegeeswifey @number1yearner @noname123sposts @straw8berry @lavenderbabyyy @littlestl4mb @amoungusbartholo (lmk if u wanna be added or removed xx)

[etherealrin]

꩜ .ᐟ blue.

summer 2006.

you know, you and satoru both do, that you're not supposed to be enjoying it this much. this whole beach trip in okinawa, all of this sightseeing—none of it was really for your pleasure nor enjoyment.

riko amanai looks at you thoughtfully. "something up?"

"nope! let's keep going!" you fake a smile, dragging her back towards the shoreline where the ocean was ravaging the sand.

"eek! it's cold!" the black haired girl cries, cringing at the sensation. you'd have to agree, squeezing her hand in reassurance.

out of the blue, you're both rudely splashed by a truckload of the frigid water.

"SATORU!" you exclaim, turning to stare at the white haired male, currently sniggering with glee. suguru stands next to him, an obvious accomplice by the sight of the huge dragon which had caused the wave.

"you'll never get us, losers!" the two boys had run too far along the seashore for you and riko to have any hope of catching—and even if you did, satoru would surely turn on his infinity.

not that he'd turned it off since leaving riko's school. you can sense it in his eyes, how they're just a little bit duller. he must be dead exhausted underneath that facade, you know it.

his gaze catches yours, and as if by fate's intention, suguru and riko are called away by kuroi, leaving the two of you alone. you walk to him, sand shuffling under bare toes. satoru is oddly quiet, eyes never leaving you for even a second.

"you gonna stop staring? it's a bit awkward for me, y'know?" you lightly punch his arm when you finally reach him, sighing.

"it's weird, isn't it? to feel this normal. gives me a bad premonition, actually." his fingers are fidgeting at nothing in the air, now looking up at the blueness of the sky.

you're standing shoulder to shoulder but it feels like there's an impossible distance between you two. he seems distant, lost in the world of his own thoughts somewhere far away.

"what are you thinking about?" you question softly. "i know you might believe you have to handle everything by yourself, because you're the strongest or whatever, but that's just your superiority complex talking." that gets a chuckle out of him. but he still doesn't feel like the satoru you know.

"what i'm thinking about, huh?" he falters, pale hair ruffled by the salty breeze of air. you swear you can hear both his and your heartbeats, drumming in sync. "i'm thinking—well, imagining, that we fell in love on a day just like this, by the ocean."

when the words leave his lips, you suddenly see it. everything he imagines, you want to believe so badly.

"is that what you wish for? that we were regular humans?"

"sometimes." it's a confession from the strongest. "but mostly no. i'd hate to be weak," he feigns disgust in an attempt to joke.

you can't stop the smile from spreading across your face, reaching both hands out to capture one of his. satoru stiffens immediately, impossibly blue eyes widening.

so he did turn off his infinity for you.

"it's alright. like you said, you're the strongest, right?"

the glimmer of the ocean's waves reflect across his face, painting him aquamarine. the moment is so blue, in both emotion and color.

if you could have said it then, you would have told him instead that he could leave his heart with you. you'd keep it safe for him, and your love wouldn't ever falter. that the universe would always bring you two back together.

but you don't. you can't, knowing that if something ever happened to the either of you it would only hurt even more.

instead, you allow him to rest his head against you, quietly praying to a higher that everything would be okay, listening to the soft splashes of the water.

a/n: this is the beach scene in hidden inventory yes! gojo art is by @ shachi0515 on yt!

ılılılılılılı now playing: blue by yung kai, blue by keshi (do we sense a theme here?)

masterlist. can be read as a continuation of this fic!

[kingkat12]

pretty (roman godfrey x reader)

WARNINGS: mentions of sex, angst, hurt/hurt, dark!Roman

summary: don't you just hate it when people turn out to be different than what you thought they were? Roman was certainly not who you thought he was when you started sleeping with him, either.

word count: 2,041

a/n: author is in a situationship, so you best believe I'm dragging y'all down with me<333 MWAH, enjoy;)

All I had ever wanted in life, was for Roman to be pretty.

Quiet, compliant, and pretty.

But keeping a dog chained to a flagpole was a bad idea-- it would always strive to claw its way out of its prison, tugging at its restraints till the pole came crashing down to the ground with unimaginable weight. 

Not that one could ever restrain Roman Godfrey, though. I figured that'd be impossible. How could anyone tie down someone so restless? 

Which is why I wished he would simply be pretty.

Pretty, and only pretty.

Pretty, and not a person.

The more I got to know Roman, the more I suffered with the weight of his sudden personification. But the more he came over, the longer he stayed through the night, the more I'd notice the small things-- he loved asking about the pictures of my friends on my nightstand. I had no idea why. He loved picking up the shirt he had earlier wried over my head, pressing it to his body to laugh about how small it was compared to him. He loved digging through my jewelry box, too, to try to fit the rings over his fingers-- every time, with the same notion that it could maybe, maybe work. 

Spoilers; it never did.

The more he laughed, the more I got used to the sound of it.

The more he smiled, the more I missed the sight of it.

And the more he looked at me, the more I missed him.

Roman had a scar on his right cheek. Right beneath his cheekbone, grazing his skin. At first, I could only dare to trace it when he slept soundly next to me, but now, it had become a habit. He allowed me to reach over and touch it any time now, gently stroking my thumb over it whenever I wanted-- his eyes would flutter shut, and his chest would slowly raise with his next inhale every single time without fail. It calmed him. 

I wish I didn't know it. I wish I had never found out. I wish he hadn't let me. 

I wish I still thought about Roman as just a pretty face.

I hated that he was suddenly a person.

It would've been easier to bear, had he not been-- that his focus wandered, that is. It would've been easier to stomach the fact that I knew he was still sleeping with Ashley Valentine, that he usually took a smoke break behind the school with Veronica Walters when I had physics class, and it would've been much easier to stomach that I walked in on him going down on Jennie Martin-Poulter in the girls' bathroom the other day. I had only seen the bottom of his shoes, and his other hand which shot down to steady his body as Jennie's leg quivered just within sight, but I knew. I knew immediately. 

I also knew that Roman was no longer just some pretty guy I occasionally hooked up with when I needed release. Roman had become someone to me.

It made me nauseous to think that Jennie could've reached down and stroked her thumb over the scar on his right cheek while he was busy between her legs-- did she know that he never failed to make the same sound if you touched it when he was aroused? It was like a soft purr, a mix between a sigh and a groan. I wondered whether any of the other girls knew about similar buttons to push on his body, whether they knew secrets about him that I didn't.

It wasn't surprising that everything would simmer and come to a boil for me; this wasn't my first time falling for a recreational hookup. So, when I laid on his chest that same night and burst into tears, I knew I should've expected it.

Roman didn't say anything. I had allowed him to smoke in my room, so he was busy savoring the nicotine seeping into his lungs. He simply put his hand on my hair, lazily stroking through it as I spilled my silent tears down onto his skin. Was it that he didn't need to ask to know what I was feeling? Or was it that he had perhaps been through this before? Eventually, he leaned down to press a kiss to the top of my head; the simplest of gestures, yet the sweetest of many previous ones. "What's going on?" he asked, voice soft. "Did I go too hard on you tonight?"

I shook my head, sniffling as I shifted. 

Roman sighed, pulling the covers over us a little higher. "Do you need to just let it out, or do you wanna talk about it?--"

"Stop being sweet," My words were quick, biting.

"... Oh," he breathed, nodding to himself. It didn't take long before he put out his cigarette. "Look, I know that this is mostly sex and whatnot, but if you need to talk about something, this is usually the moment where--"

"No," 

"No?"

"No, I don't want to talk about it," If I did, he'd never come over ever again. But maybe that was what I needed? I blinked away my tears, hoping to clear my vision; "Or... I don't know."

Roman remained quiet for about a minute. The beating of his heart was steady against my ear as he resumed playing with my hair, twirling it around his middle finger in the silence. "This is a very typical girl thing, believe it or not," he mumbled. "I don't get why you girls don't just say what you want straight away. I know you'll tell me eventually."

"Maybe I enjoy dragging it out?" 

"Why?"

"Because I get more time, that way,"

Roman hummed, glancing up at my ceiling. "Time with me?"

Fucking hell. Did he read thoughts now, too? "Yeah," I breathed, feeling my heart hammering in my chest. I knew he could feel it too.

"I'm not going anywhere, though," Roman pulled his fingers away from my hair, laying his hand flat against my head, stroking me with his thumb in a gentle motion. "I can stay the night if you want? I don't have anywhere I need to be in the morning."

It was too inviting, too tempting. If I could fall asleep like this, I wouldn't deny myself the pleasure. "Okay," I mumbled, nuzzling up against his warmth. "Just be gone in the morning, please."

Thankfully, Roman didn't seem to mind my bluntness. I felt his quiet laugh against my cheek, luring itself into the depths of my mind. "No problem,"

My heart ached; I knew what my next words were, I knew I wanted to say them, yet I struggled to let them out from the pit in my chest. This was for the best. I needed to say it. This was for the best, this was for the best, it was, it really, really was-- "And... don't answer my calls anymore,"

I could feel Roman's confusion. The way his breath remained steady, yet how his shoulders tensed. His hand laid calmly against my hair, yet I could feel the unease in his fingers. "Can I, uh..." He cleared his throat. "Can I ask why?"

How was I supposed to explain this in a way that made sense? I had no idea. I just wanted to ball myself up into the fetal position and sob. Would he hold me if I did? Knowing Roman, I knew he would, but mostly cause he'd feel bad-- I hated that I knew he had a conscience. "You've become too real to me," I breathed. "My heart can't take it."

"... Oh," 

My tears welled in my eyes again, and they rolled down the side of my face and joined the dried ones on Roman's bare chest. "You're so warm," I whispered, letting my voice break as I nuzzled into him. "I hate that you harbor warmth."

Silence laid itself over us like a blanket. Roman glanced around my room-- was he maybe memorizing it, just in case this was the last time he'd be here? I wondered whether he cared, or whether he was bored. But then, he spoke; "So... okay, I won't answer your calls anymore, but will you answer mine?"

I squeezed my eyes shut. Why was he making this harder? "I don't think so,"

Roman's hand stilled, no longer drawing circles into my hair. I could hear him swallow. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No," Why did he care? I needed him to stop if he did.

"I wasn't even clingy this time," he mumbled, heartbreakingly fragile. "I didn't do anything."

"I know--"

"Am I really that unbearable?"

... What?

I raised myself off of Roman's chest to get a proper look at him-- my brows were drawn together in confusion as I watched the insecurity coating his every breath. My mind felt like it was caving in on itself; this made him so much more real. When would it end? Who could've guessed Roman Godfrey had abandonment issues? It was clear as day, now. "You're not," I tried. "And that's the problem."

"That I'm... bearable?"

"Yes,"

"That you like me?"

My words were bitten down like I was fighting them back-- "Yes," 

Roman's green eyes hit me like a punch to my gut. They were so unbelievably pretty, just like the rest of him, where he looked up at me with his hair messed up by post-coital rapture. His next words were painfully soft andvulnerable; "Thank you for liking me, then. Not many people do,"

My vision became blurry with the incoming rush of tears. Everything about that was heartbreaking. "Everyone adores you, Roman,"

"No," he breathed. "But that's fine. At least I'm pretty, right?" 

What followed, was the most thought-wracking moment of the evening; the corners of Roman's mouth pulled into a small smile, yet it hit me how rehearsed it was. How quick he was with it, how easy it was for him to mask everything in an instant. The realization crashed down on me like a blow to the back of my head, like a flagpole crushing me with its whole weight.

Keeping a dog chained to a flagpole was a bad idea-- it would always strive to claw its way out of its prison, tugging at its restraints till the pole came crashing down to the ground with unimaginable weight. 

I was the dog. 

I was the dog.

I was the one chained up, not Roman.

Chained to my fear, chained to the restrictions I had set up for myself to protect my heart. Because here he was, laying out his.

"Fuck," I breathed, shifting-- I sat up, watching his green eyes round out. Roman's fingers came to rest on my hips, softly laying against my skin while I propped my hands on his chest for support. "You're going to be the death of me."

Roman let out a soft laugh; "I am?"

"Oh, certainly," I muttered. "Because I'm about to say something very, very stupid."

Beyond amused, Roman bit down on his growing smirk. "Shoot,"

I had to claw myself out of my prison-- I tugged at my restraints, letting it all fall down on me as the words escaped past my lips; "I'll take it back if you dump the other girls,"

Silence.

I held my breath.

Roman's brows drew together, confused, and he stared up at me like I had said something unbelievably outrageous, like he could've never imagined I had thought something so shocking in the first place. "You'll... keep me around if I dump the rest?"

"Yes," I breathed. My heart thumped painfully in my chest as I laid it out for him to take.

... And Roman took it, alright.

It was this moment he had waited for all along, since the moment we started sleeping together. He knew he could get me here, break me down, and get these words out of me. He knew I would be perfect for his usual schemes. He knew, he knew, that it would all be worth it in exchange for the look of heartbreak flashing before my eyes and my admission of feelings.

That was the thrill, after all. The validation.

Every girl he had ever been, had ended up right here-- ready to be eaten alive.

Roman took my heart into the palm of his hand, and with his next condescending laugh, he crushed it to pieces with the most beautiful, cruel smile; "Oh, sweet, sweet girl," he purred, letting the blood run down between his fingers with complete and utter glee--

"You're delusional."

[t1ts-4-donaldson]

a continuation of dilf! patrick! you mentioned how it was a one night stand but like what if they r really good coparents and real feelings come to fruition 🤭

ooo I'm feeling you

Dad Patrick would be distant at first. He never thought he’d see you again, he was petrified of being a father never thought he’d be one in the first place. His parents forced him to step up to not be an ass and at least support you financially if he didn’t want anything to do with your child. Art ripped him a new one, no way was he going to cum and dump you.

His heart melted the first time he saw you exhausted on the hospital bed nursing your little baby his beautiful daughter, she was tiny had his dark hair and eyes a carbon copy of him there’s no way he can leave now.

You’d expected him to flake too, he emphasized that this was just sex nothing more ever. The 2 lines on the tests you took a month later brought you excitement and pain, you called him crying telling him he was going to be a dad he immediately went silent “no, hell no” he hung up on you. It cemented your hatred towards him, yes his rejection towards you stung but what hurt worse was him rejecting his baby.

To stay you were stunned when he opened the hospital room door was an understatement. “Patrick”

“Hey..” he meekly crosses the room fidgeting anxiously "what's her name?" He lifts a finger caressing her cheek smiling as she twitched in your arms tiny dimples giving way identical to his, you wanted to swat his hand away, of course he had the audacity to visit.

“Why are you here?” You hold her close “I wanted to see her.. I didn’t know it was going to be a girl-“ he replies wincing, you were right to be pissed at him.

“I didn’t tell you.. you didn’t want anything to do with me, with us” you scowl bringing her closer to your chest “I-“ he blinks keeping tears at bay “I’m sorry.. I was scared this wasn’t the plan” he explained “Can I hold her please?”

You reluctantly hand her over “cradle her head she’s fragile” you mutter anxiously, he was careless only a select few could be scathed by his callousness but you saw something that wasn't there before, completeness, a longing filled with joy you saw it in his eyes he was glowing.

So you accepted his presence with hesitation, he stayed by your side every day. Changing her diapers, bottle feeding her and listened to nurses instructions without complaining

You restricted visitations strictly on weekends which turned into every other day to keeping her at school with him. She adapted surprisingly well, she knew Patrick's schedule by the time she was 3, happily spending time with uncle Art and aunt Tashi, her little on campus family.

"you're a good dad you know that?"

"it's nothing" he bounces her on his lap "it's not nothing Patrick only a few guys would step up and parent their kid, especially a fling"

"don't call yourself a fling.. I mean you were, we were just-" he pauses.

This wasn't his normal it felt odd being in love, or what he thought was love the lack of familiarity threw him off. His dad loathed him thought he was a nuisance shut him up with money, his mom was absent physically there but mentally dejected, drinking her way through her marriage and her son.

"I was scared.. fucking terrified, I'm not used to.. being cared for Art's there he's great it's different with you." He says "you're good for me the both of you are, I think I finally got my shit together." he grins blowing raspberries against her cheek

"Patrick.." tears cloud your vision "thank you.. I couldn't do this without you. I'm grateful you came around" you reply heart thudding quickly, he really meant what he said 'maybe he was in love with you'

[starconstruction]

Skipping Class (Male Reader Version)

smut tags: pussy eating, blowjob, soft dom Jinsoul, riding, face painting.

female reader here

Word Count:2037

if you for some reason decide to read both the introductions are the only part they really share.

The five girls walked down the corridor, students parted like the red sea as they let the clique past. They went by the name of ARTMS, everyone knew them, everyone wanted to be them or be with them.

Jinsoul stood in the middle, chewing bubblegum obnoxiously loud as she blew a large bubble, it popped as her tongue left her mouth to lap it up. She was a proper bad bitch, the way she carried herself. Cropped blazer slung around her shoulders, wearing a leather crop top that only covered her boobs, exposing her delicate stomach. Short shorts held up by a belt, popping out her bubbly butt and showcasing her milky thighs. Capping it out with her black boots.

She knew she was hot.

You were also in awe of her, jaw dropped as you quickly turned away. You didn't realise what they were doing at the time, but you quickly found out.

They were girls who liked to have fun, making a fellow student their entertainment for the day. Dragging them out of their lesson for the time of their life. They had no interest in the dominant type, taking the lead as they whored out whoever ended up in their web.

Then they would never talk about you again. You've heard all the tales, being a loser meant most of your friends had plenty to tell.

Jinsoul needed to unwind, a stressful day bringing her to the last straw. "Gosh, I'll see you guys later." She said to her group, departing from the pack as she walked towards you.

You were surprised when Jinsoul's hand appeared on your locker, shoving you into the locker as she towered over your frame. Blowing a bubble into your face, her presence made you warm. Breath hitching under her.

"Hey hottie." She said casually, "What you doing?" Her hand pressed into your head, her sweet breath filling your nostrils.

"Uh, I-I'm. Going to class" You gulped, Jinsoul smiled at your nervousness, getting even closer to you. Closing the non existent gap.

"You sure? I think a hottie like you should be around my place. You know, getting fucked." Her bluntness turned you red as a tomato, Jinsoul took her chance, pecking you on your lips. Her soft, plump lips making contact, all thoughts of your class being replaced by Jinsoul. Her hotness throwing all logic out the window.

" I, uhhhhhhh." You short circuited, brain going empty.

"No need for words, let's have some fun." She grabbed your hand as she dragged you out of the school, she was indestructible in the eyes of the faculty.

--

Jinsoul's lips were smashed against yours, tongue firmly in your mouth as she won the battle for dominance. Her hands laid firmly around your neck as she guided you into her living-room, pushing you against the couch as her body straddled your lap.

Her mouth tasted strongly of her gum, a pleasant taste as you two made out. Your hands wrapped around the back of her neck, draped over her shoulders as you pushed her deeper inwards.

Your body was desperate for oxygen and your mind was desperate to make out with Jinsoul, fighting against each other as her hands caressed your exposed skin.

Eventually your need for oxygen won, Jinsoul's lips pulled away from yours. A thin wisp of saliva connecting you together, breathing heavily as you admired her beauty in front of you.

"You gonna be good for me?" She asked innocently, her soft hand gripping chin, pushed slightly upwards.

Of course you would.

You nodded and she smiled, releasing your chin from her grasp. "Good boy." She praised.

Her body moved elegantly, with a practiced flair. Sitting back against the arm of her couch, legs spreading open just enough to invite you in. Forcing you to do the rest, she shifted upwards for easier access. Licking her lips as she beckoned you inwards.

She spoke after a short moment, "Go on then, get what you want baby."

You moved instantly, lunging between her legs as she giggled at your eagerness. Hands grabbing at her shorts, coming down her milky long thighs alongside her underwear. Damp folds exposed to the elements and your beady eyes as your heart rate increased, pounding against your chest, blood rushing to your cock.

"Go on boy, I see your hunger." She gave you the permission you begged for, diving in tongue first. Starting with long strokes up and down and down her flesh, her unique taste flooded your mouth. She gasped, but that was about it.

You didn't want to disappoint the girl who chose you of everyone in the school, the thought sending a cold shiver down to the base of your spine.

Your fingers found her labia, spreading it open as your tongue pushed inwards, moving around as she released affirmative whines of pleasure. Her legs found your shoulders, boots comfortably pointed to the air as you ate her out.

"Ugh, that's nice... Fuck" She whimpered, growing a touch impatient as her hands found your hair, roughly grabbing strands of it. Grinding her wet pussy into your awaiting face, going up and down as she defiled your face with her arousal. Forcing you to breathe her scent in, which you did happily.

"Fuck, that's.. Err, fuck that's good!" She started to break under your actions, head thrown back in pleasure. Lapping her juices up with a vitalised vigor, a sole finger taking responsibility of rubbing her clit, moans piling up as they raised in volume.

You lick circles, lines, anything you can muster inside her hole. Slurping up her intoxicating, divine, delicious essence as you let out obscene sounds. Jinsoul was equally as loud, moaning and whimpering.

"Oh god, oh fuck! Fuck Y/N, keep going I'm so fucking close!" A string of swears pouring much similar to her arousal, your eyes watched her clothed body. Slick with the sweat of the warm room, there was something so arousing about seeing her in her clothes, leaving just enough to the imagination.

" I'm cumming! God, fuck that's a good boy." Your face was even more wet now, releasing a torrent of squirt all over you. Wiping it off your face as you licked it clean off.

She laid there, struggling to catch her breath. Chest lifting up and down as you lifted your head out of her legs.

"Good boy, you did well..." She praised.

"What do you want next, use your words for me." She gave you infinite possibilities, but there was only one thing on your mind.

"Need, need you to suck my dick.. Please Jinsoul" The words slipped off your tongue, getting a beaming smile from her.

"Okay, prepare yourself... I get very very good reviews." You believed it with the way her lips were plump and swollen from your earlier making out. Perfect to wrap around your length.

"Lay back for me, get nice and comfy." She emphasized every word, watching your body push itself into a familiar position as her a few minutes prior.

You were also about to get a very similar experience, the way she got closer. Hands crawling towards you as she made short work out of your bottom clothes, cock exposed to the air.

"Not a bad cock, I really struck gold this time." She spoke.

Her dainty hand gripped your cock's base, pointy nails save for her two middle ones enshrouding it. Swirling her tongue below your cockhead with a hunger that matched you earlier.

"Hm, smells good... Tastes good, maybe I should keep you..." She didn't expect an answer, kissing your tip a few times before she grew tired of teasing.

Her mouth wrapped around your tip, bobbing up and down as her plush lips wrapped around, eyes focused intently on your shaft with very little regard for you.

Her mouth felt divine, a heavenly sensation trapping you inwards. Making you crave more and more. Unfortunately she pulled away, dropping a thick glob of saliva onto your cock that trailed down, her hand jerking you off as she rubbed it in.

"God, Jinsoul that's so good... Fuck." You had few words for how nice it felt, keeping a fast pace with no time to tease.

"I know, I'm in love with this fucking dick. Gonna show my affection." She took you right back into her sloppy mouth. Taking as many inches as she could, which was only about half. But she was determined to pleasure you, pushing past her gag relax as her throat constricted, desperate to fight against Jinsoul's will.

Jinsoul succeeded, taking your entire thickness into her mouth. Nose pressing firmly against your crotch, scrunching against your skin as she breathed in your musk.

"Hmm, Jinsoul.." You whimpered, this was unfathomable. No wonder so many of your students skipped class to sleep with ARTMS.

Jinsoul's hand found your balls, giving them gentle rubs as she bobbed up and down. A blob of black hair flying everywhere in an unstable mess.

A loud gasp ripped from her mouth as she came up for air, hand resuming her strokes as she spat more onto it.

"God, so fucking good." Her face was utterly defiled, spit pooled in the corners of her lips. Mascara running very slightly from her deep throating, lips red and even more swollen.

She looked so good, suddenly taking your cock back in. Swallowing you whole in her hole, slurping on the meat. Her "please cum" eyes locked in on you, after a particularly powerful suck brought you closer.

"Fuck, fuck Jinsoul! I'm, er. Cumming!" You struggled to get out, her mouth lifting up as she pressed into your length. Jerking you off at max speed.

"Cum! Cum for me, paint my face!" She demanded, you complied. Dissolving into pleasure as you exploded on her face, white puddles of cum pooling onto her cheeks in thick dollops. She jerked it onto her forehead as well. Completely soaked in your seed as she smiled.

"Not gonna clean it off, not yet... Take a second. You'll need it." She said, giving you a show.

Her trimmed fingers pressed into her cunt, going in and out of her leaking hole. The noises revitalizing your cock, slowly hardening inch by inch.

"Gonna ride you, ride your cock. Fuck!" She said, face dripping still with your semen. Pooling downwards onto her chin.

Jinsoul straddled you, forcing you back against the couch arm. Cock rigid against her awaiting cunt, rubbing against as your tip got smeared in her juices.

The first inch went in, gripping onto what entered with a greedy grasp. Her body slowly accommodating you as it made way for your hardness. Fuck.

Your tongue licked her top, kissing the clothed breast like there was no barrier. Tasting the fabric imagining that you had Jinsoul's nipple in your lips.

Her walls eventually pushed all the way down. Soft, wet and greedy. They committed your cock to memory, molding itself around you. "Oh fuck Jinsoul, your pussy is perfect!" You moaned against her top.

"And you are so big! Splitting me open, god damn!"

She got herself into a delightful rhythm, bouncing up and down on you as she siphoned pleasure. Using your cock as a dildo, recklessly going to town as she penetrated herself.

Her eyes were completely closed, screwed shut as to avoid any potential load dripping into them. She looked so pretty like this, being nearly fully dressed and still looking so vulnerable, despite being in control.

"I don't think I'm going to last much longer!" You called, her body having such an effect on you, driving you nuts as she kept bouncing.

Jinsoul pulled herself off your cock, getting into a familiar position as she stroked a fresh load of paint to add to her previous cum, covering everything crevice that wasn't covered already. Watching it drip down her neck.

"Wow, fuck... That was intense" You sighed.

"I still haven't came a second time, don't be greedy..." She replied.

"I don't know if I have another round in me."

"Thats okay, I got an idea baby."

She pulled back, legs flying into the air as she pushed you between her meaty asscheeks.

"Go on, embrace your punishment."

Or maybe this was a reward.

[nyxanarchy]

SOTR SPOILERS

anyway. Back to my obsession.

-Thinking about Tam Amber and Carmine Clerk "not again". All the covey singers are dead (THEIR SONGBIRDS). Maude Ivory, Lucy Gray, Lenore Dove. All of them are dead, and the coveys don't sing anymore. That is why Katniss knows only two of their song. The only survivors are musicians. (I feel like this has to mean something, but maybe I'm just crazy.)

-Thinking about Clerk Carmine, that we know is the fiddler in the Odair's wedding, playing alone. (thinking also about Haymitch seeing him play. Did he talk to him? Did they ever talk about Lenore Dove? Did Carmine Clerk forgive him? Maybe he never blamed him at all.)

-I wonder if at the end of the war Carmine Clerk was able to talk with others coveys, maybe from other districts (because they were travelers, maybe they were separated before the war)

-Barb Azure. We don't know anything about her. She vanished from the narrative. Is she Burdock's mother? That would explain his connection to Lenore Dove and why Burdock knows the covey's song (ofc he could also have learned it from Lenore Dove, even tho I would argue it's weird that Katniss seems to have Maude Ivory's exact skill for remembering music). But what happened to her? She is not dead, because if she was, she would have been probably buried next to the other girls. (MY SHAYLAS) [Also I feel like it's significant that the singers are the first to die.] If she is Burdock's mother I wonder what happened to the girl she was seeing. Was she forced to marry, to keep her secret? Or maybe she was bi and she fell in love with a man? But then why doesn't Burdock have a covey name? (even tho it's not lost on me the fact that Everdeen is really similar to Evergreen) Maybe because she thought it was starting to be dangerous? I also read a theory that Burdock is the niece of her girlfriend. That would make her his aunt, and would explain why he hasn't a covey name. I need more lore, I'm going insane.

-Snow is definitely the culprit of their music getting banned. He really wanted to destroy them, all because of Lucy Gray. She really did a number on him, he is still obsessed after all this time. Pathetic little man.

-Also can we talk about the fact that in 40 years he was able to make Panem homophobic again?

-Beete wife and second son?? They are dead right? I don't remember them, I will reread the series soon, but I feel like I would remember if they were alive. So Snow kept his wife and his second son alive, to keep him doing what he wanted, just to kill them after some time?

-Wyatt makes my heart bleed. I love him so much, every time he talks I feel like I'm gonna cry. Imagine knowing your father will accept bets on you. Also during the reaping some of his family said something along the lines of "you brought him bad luck" (I read it in Italian so I don't know the exact sentence) Does that mean someone already bet he was going to be reaped? That honestly kills me.

-I also kinda like WyattxMaysilee. I feel like I'm alone in this. But also I think she could also be a lipstick lesbian. I'm conflicted. This is not really important, just some thoughts.

-Thinking about all the tries it must have taken the rebels to finally win. How many mockinjays died in their arenas, because it was just not the right time? They tried, but they couldn't. And no one knows what happened. I hope that in the future schools of Panem they will talk about all of them.

-The boy who created sparks waiting for the girl on fire. Inconsolable.

-Please Suzanne give us Annie's game because after this book I believe wholeheartedly that she tried to destroy her arena and went mad because they tortured her.

-Haymitch having to hit Asterid with a stone. UGH. This book makes me sick to my stomach to a concerning degree.

-Also haymitch being closed in a bird cage?????? This will haunt me.

-Merrilee. In the original series she is always in bed. She has the drugs to sleep. I feel like her illness is just depression. I always thought about it but I think this is confirmation.

[zoloft3]

the man i assume to be god

☆彡hitoshi shinso x gn! reader

tags—> weed use, nickname use (sweetheart), no use of y/n, first person pov (i'm sorry this is unlike me), childhood friends to weird ass situationship to lovers, it's sappy :| don't be mad,

a/n : this is technically a cross post, since i originally posted this on ao3 years ago, but i wanted to rewrite it for a character i like better and relate to more now. i also changed a bunch of the writing to what's more my style nowadays. so if you've seen this before... no you haven't. This is also the start of me officially beginning my tumblr writing career :] so if you like this lmk and i might do more

-------༚☆༚-------

We made a bad habit of falling asleep in the car.

Hitoshi was always calling me late at night to go for a drive. He'd pick me up in the car he spent too much money on and make some mean comment about my sweatpants and 1 AM eye bags, all before smiling like it hadn't been weeks since he texted. I would get in the car, let the scent of him envelope me, and immediately forgive him. He’d been dealing with the weight of a quarter life crisis, and apparently needed me and some weed to take a load off. Being best friends and head over heels in love since high school made it difficult to say no to him.

We’d fallen into a bit of a routine, unfortunately. Driving out till we found a good place to stop, and then rolling down the windows to watch the few stars that were out. By the time I had shot-gunned him a few times, per his request, my eyelids would droop and there'd be that stomach settling feeling. The kind that makes it so easy to sit perfectly still and never move a muscle. Being so close to him was dreamy, and the buzzing smoke inhalation never failed to take it out of me.

The weed didn't do much to curb my mind though. Whatever we were, whatever racing thoughts I would think all day about him, didn't stop at the car door. The whole thing was messy and so fucking complicated. I tried not to think too hard about it. Most of the time I’d just focus on how pretty he was and how lucky I am to be able to love him.

When he says my name, I swear-

I don’t even know what it does, it kills me so badly.

This one saturday night in particular, Hitoshi didn’t seem as interested in lazy, open mouthed kisses. He seemed fixated on looking at me.

“Hey, you okay?” I nudged his shoulder, attempting to stir awake the Hitoshi I knew. The man only I got to see.

He was a famous work of art, but only I got to hang the framed canvas on my wall. Only I could stand close enough to see each and every brush stroke. No post card or photo could ever compare to the real thing. He was mine, even if he wasn't my boyfriend, he was mine.

“Sorry,” He seemed to snap out of whatever trance he was under, “Just doing too much thinking lately.”

“Yeah, I’ve noticed that,” I smirked, tilting my head to get a better angle of his moonlit face.

“You think we could, just, I dunno,” He looked out the open window, lost in the open air and pine trees, “Maybe talk? About this? Us?”

My heart did a 180 in my chest, so, as per usual, I relied on attempted comedy and a smile to take the anxiety away, “Talk about us? I was beginning to think you’d never ask.”

“I’m serious, you know." The look on he gave me dropped the smile off my face. He was serious. This was officially bad. My brain wracked itself for every possible negative outcome.

Until he spoke again.

"I’ve been thinking we should try something.” He shifted his hands off the steering wheel to take another hit, then tap the ash out the window. The whole scene was far more attractive than I’d ever admit. The way he put his lips together as he exhaled the smoke in my direction. It was fantastical. Sweet, sappy memories I’d lick off the floor of this car to remember.

I’d do anything to keep him on my mind.

“Try… what?” I asked, genuinely curious and anxious for his answer.

This seemed to bring him all the way back to himself, there was a sly smirk on his lips, “I dunno, sweetheart, what do you think?”

There was that sinking feeling again and my back was glued to the seat, eyes stuck on his face. My mind knew what was coming, but my heart couldn't accept that the thing I'd been dreaming about since I was fourteen, was really coming true. In this very moment. Oh, lord.

He turned to face me fully, and the spell broke. This definitely wasn't a dream. Both our arms resting on the center console brought our faces incredibly close.

We’ve always been this way, together and apart, near, yet so far.

Noses almost grazing each other, I pushed myself to speak in the presence of the man I assume to be god.

“You want me to guess?” I raised an eyebrow despite my aching, heavy heart, “Or will you just kiss me already.”

One thing I loved about Hitoshi, is one way or another, he always did what I told him to do.

He kissed differently than I expected, not so commanding or competitive but slow and compassionate. I knew only then, that everything would be fine. We were together, finally, as one.

We didn’t fall asleep in the car that night.

-------☆-------

a/n : if it was terrible, don't tell me.

i will walk into the ocean and never come back.

thanks to @saemeret for being such a good little beta (annoying baby talk voice) smooch <3

[punkbirdie]

Matsu pokémon team headcanons!

spent way too much time on this. whatever, we ball even though it's like 3 am!! i tried to limit myself to the older generations (the 2D ones, gen 1-5) for them since they're not exactly modern characters. i also included chibita, totoko and nyaa because yes

general hcs:

the Matsu bros are still NEETs and never took part in gym challenges, so they're not really 'trainers' but if i had to assign them a trainer class and make one up i'd say Sextuplet, as an extention of the already existing Twins trainer class (as far as i know there isn't really a 'just some adult guy without a job' trainer class, if there is please enlighten me)

because they didn't go on that journey to collect gym badges or what have you when they were kids, they never received a 'traditional' starter pokémon

so all 6 of them got an Eevee as kids instead (as present from their parents to teach them responsibility; didn't really work). none of them really thought of evolving until Choromatsu’s Eevee did accidentally

none of the bros have a fully evolved team

but i did give them all a full team of six because why not

Totoko and Nyaa have a fish and cat based team respectively, to go with their idol careers

for Chibita i thought it'd be fun to give him a mostly food/cooking based team and help him man his food stand since oden is life

SO! on to the actual teams! i put them under the cut since it's so damn long, i'm not kidding:

Osomatsu

Flareon: was the last of the Eevees to evolve, only did so when Osomatsu got lucky and won a Fire Stone at the pachinko parlor game corner. likes playing with Nyaa's Torracat and tries to pursuade Oso to see them more often

Meowth: has the move Pay Day to potentially win more money when Oso wins a battle, which he almost never does since he almost never battles

Ambipom: annoying and mischievous. used to be a tag team with Choromatsu's Croagunk, him being the distraction and Croagunk 'going in for the kill', but drifted apart in high school and never really reconnected

Growlithe: a 'guard dog' but is just as lazy as Oso himself

Slakoth: just a chill little guy. Osomatsu is a little jealous of him, having no expecations and all

Munchlax: menace with a huge appetite, but very cute. nobody can stay mad at him for long. joins Ichi in the alleys to look for free food in the trashcans.

i also think Oso would want to catch a Chansey, to increase his luck at the races and game corner

Karamatsu

Glaceon: Karamatsu initially wanted to save up for a Water Stone to evolve his Eevee into Vaporeon but that idea went down the drain when in the winter time Eevee evolved into Glaceon instead [also insert obligatory cool dude joke here]. he and Roselia work together very well

Krokorok: knows he looks cool and flaunts it. he stole Kara's sunglasses often (never mind the fact he basically already looks like he has sunglasses on) until Kara just bought some black glasses for him so now they match :)

Roselia: tries to keep both Kara and Krokorok somewhat humble, with Glaceon's help, but gets roped into Kara’s attempts at wooing girls every time (aka standing there and looking pretty). since his Water Stone plan failed, Kara now instead saves up for a Shiny Stone to evolve Roselia into Roserade

Duskull: Karamatsu is just such a chill, awesome and cool guy that he attracted such a pokémon with his chill, awesome and cool vibes. ...yeah, that's what Karamatsu tells everyone and wants you to think. in reality Duskull startled him so Kara threw a pokéball at Duskull to chase him away which didn't work and was caught instead while Kara ran away. he only noticed when Krokorok caught up with him, holding the pokéball he threw

Lumineon: glows in the dark. got laughed at by his brothers by catching a weak fish pokémon, but Karamatsu thinks she's pretty. he goes outside during the evenings more often to show off her bioluminescence

Pancham: used to be Jyushi's in high school but he gifted him to Kara shortly after they graduated

i think Kara would want a Sirfetch'd SO BAD it's not even funny

Choromatsu

Leafeon: the first of the brothers' Eevees to evolve. when they were still kids Choromatsu and Osomatsu discovered a mossy rock while playing outside and after being there for a bit, Chibita showed up wanting to join them. the brothers said no which escalated into a battle. during that fight, Choro's Eevee evolved to protect them. that happened to also immediately stop the fight for both parties to process what happened. Leafeon is a very patient pokémon, unlike his trainer

Kirlia: keeps Primeape from going bananas 50% of the time. tries to keep Choromatsu from rising too much. very sensitive to negativity, so when he senses it he immediately wants to fix whatever is wrong which is why Ichimatsu prefers to not hang around Kirlia too long

Primeape: anger issues. a good fighter but too much to handle due to his temper sometimes

Buizel: holds swimming races with Jyushi every once in a while. butts heads with Ichimatsu's Morgrem quite frequently

Tangela: this one reminded me of Choro's self awareness ball thing so i thought that was funny. he's scared to death of Jyushi's Vespiquen so he stays as far away from her as possible

Croagunk: i couldn't not give Choromatsu a frog. anyway, he used to be a tag team with Oso's Ambipom. Choro used to be very proud of him when they were kids but is a little embarrassed about him nowadays

when he was in high school, he got the idea to train up a Poliwag so he could evolve it into Poliwhirl and later into Politoed. but after he saw how much work and time he had to put into that, as well as somehow get a hold of a rare King's Rock, he let go of that idea

Ichimatsu

Espeon: Ichimatsu leaned heavily on Espeon in high school for support, which Espeon provided without hesitation. Ichi's very grateful for that, but also feels like he didn't deserve it. Espeon is always at Umbreon's side and they are almost never seen seperately

Umbreon: yes Ichi gets both friendship Eeveelutions. he caught Umbreon after he encountered her almost every time he went out to feed the strays and wanted to stay with him eventually, allowing Ichi to catch her

Espurr: close with Jyushi's Natu. i had to include ESP Kitty and this pokémon is the literal ESP Kitty, so :3

Glameow: a former stray Ichi caught after she refused to leave their house after a storm

Purrloin: another former stray which pickpocketed Ichi's pachinko winnings once. he sent Espeon after her and he came back carrying her by the scruff. Ichimatsu got his winnings back and also gained another friend

Morgrem: in this pokémon's dex entry it says that it feeds off of negative emotions and is popular with people who tend to have gloomy thoughts, so i thought that fit. finds it funny to rile up Choromatsu's Buizel

Ichi used to be so pissed and sad over the fact that Meowth (that he brought home!) bonded with his eldest brother and not him. he kept that to himself and he's over it now but it took some time

a Trubbish sometimes follows Ichimatsu when he's out and about in the alleys

Jyushimatsu

Jolteon: Jyushimatsu didn't really care what his Eevee evolved into, but eventually settled for Jolteon, since they're quick. they play ball together pretty often

Vespiquen: Jyushi just showed up at home with her. no explanation from him, she's on his team now deal with it. she's very protective of her 'hive' aka Jyushi's team and himself (and by extention his brothers but only sometimes)

Natu: i just had '👁👁' in my notes for this one. likes to perch on pokémon or people's heads due to the higher vantage point

Pinsir: he also plays ball with Jyushi and Jolteon but sticks to pitching since he's not so fast and lets the other two run after the ball

Loudred: very enthusiastic and is therefore not allowed to go outside his pokéball inside the house anymore

Joltik: usually somewhere on Jyushi himself, but likes to play hide and seek as well. scares one of the brothers at night on accident every once in a while

on occasion a Boltund joins their ball game. it's not Jyushi's pokémon, nor a stray (he looks too well groomed for that), he just tags along sometimes

Todomatsu

Sylveon: evolved when Todomatsu was at his lowest point in high school and thought he had no one left except his beloved pokémon. Sylveon is very attached to Totty and is almost always outside his pokéball

Buneary: i noticed that Todomatsu usually has bunny characters/themes assigned to him in some crossovers and stuff, so Buneary fits that as well. i do think Totty would give him an Everstone though

Mimikyu: kept showing up at the sutabaa so a rumor quickly spread that the place was haunted, which was bad for business so Todomatsu was tasked to catch her when his coworkers were too scared to

Azumarill: helped Todomatsu at his job when he still worked. joins the swimming race with Choro's Buizel and Jyushi on occasion

Zorua: Todomatsu thought he was lucky as hell when he caught a Porygon but it actually was a Zorua in disguise. he was disappointed at first but after learning she could disguise herself as both pokémon AND people, he started thinking about how he could use that to his advantage

Minccino: caught her because Totty read these pokémon were popular with girls. he didn't expect her clean freak nature but he doesn't mind usually. their mother appreciates it though. Minccino is pals with Choro's Tangela and Kara's Duskull

Chef Chibita

Farfetch'd: helps Chibita prepare his oden, cutting the vegetables, meat and the like

Breloom: best buddies with Scovillain and likes to develop new food combinations and recipes

Comfey: Chibita has a Hawaiian theme going on in both his oden cart and his house so i thought this one was very cute and fitting. hangs around Chibita's cart and makes customers feel comfortable and relaxed

Scovillain: also helps preparing food, mostly keeps the temperature of the broth in check and chases away rude/too rowdy customers (the sextuplets 99/100 times)

Herdier: grew up with him and stayed by his side. knows his trainer inside and out. the same goes for Chibita. he knows his partner's limits and has to tell him to relax every once in a while

Blissey: maybe an odd choice but let me explain. she produces the eggs Chibita uses in his dishes, which make them truly delicious. helps out as a waitress when it's busy and likes to chat with customers' pokémon. she's very caring :)

Chef is a trainer class that already exists, so i went with that. Chibita is not a Clerk and Owner sounds too snobby imo

Rising Star Totoko

Sharpedo: Totoko thinks she's super cute and finds it weird when people don't agree. performs with her during her shows and is her main mascot on stage

Gyarados: does mostly the special effects and always uses Rain Dance during the show (this is not indicated in the promotion anywhere), so the audience gets soaked every time. the Matsu bros have started to bring umbrellas to avoid this

Bewear: received him as a Stufful from her parents since they thought she seemed lonely. likes Osomatsu's Slakoth's company for some inexplicable reason

Clamperl: is the main mascot on all the promotional material but doesn't actively participate in Totoko's shows. she does the effects, together with Gyarados so the audience usually feels cheated on when they came for Clamperl and not Sharpedo to perform. does not want to evolve

Bruxish: performs with Totoko and Sharpedo. most audiences aren't a fan of Bruxish, even though she does impressive stuff on stage

Morpeko: knows he's cute and uses that whenever possible. you don't want to be around when Totoko forgets to feed him. which is more often than not, unfortunately, because she has blatant favouritism towards her water types

whenever Totoko has a concert, a Plusle and Minun from both her parents are always there to cheer her on and try to get on stage to attract more people. Totoko always shoos them off, afraid that it would put a dent in her fish idol image

Idol Nyaa

Sprigatito: the main mascot (pink and green cat you know) and performs with Nyaa, is not allowed to evolve to keep it cute and small and the fanbase happy (her manager's words not her's), so she has an Everstone

Persian: performs with Nyaa, basically the secondary mascot because he's in every show

Shinx: same deal as Sprigatito, has an Everstone. she's more a background performer than front and centre

Meowstic: helps with the preparation for shows and babysits Nyaa's kid with Dobusu

Skitty: very cute and playful. Nyaa's kid (does she have a name btw or did i miss that somewhere?) loves playing with her

Torracat: is usually part of the pyrotechnics team but occasionally performs as well. stays home during less 'spectacular' performances to help babysit, especially during the colder months. considers Osomatsu's Flareon a good friend

the former three aren't technically Nyaa's pokémon but owned by staff, so she actually only has three. she wouldn't be able to look after six with her career being as busy and taxing as it is though anyway. having a kid didn't really make it easier either

behind the scenes there are a lot more pokémon to e.g. influence the mood of the audience to keep it relaxed and positive (Spritzee), perform the special effects (Liepard and Luvdisc) and uphold the safety of the performers (Machamp and Hariyama)

that's all, thanks for reading! :]

[deadeyesopened]

when i was in the 9th grade i showed my friend a picture of bondage pants and she thought they were ugly. in the 12th grade she started coming to school in tripp nyc pants. when i was 14-15 i was obsessed with hole and babes in toyland and i wore this one peter pan collar dress with bunnies on the collar to every school function (i didn't really go anywhere otherwise). a few months later people started getting into grunge and riot grrl which caused kinderwhore to experience a brief spike in popularity. in 2020 i correctly predicted that there would be a resurgence of the y2k juicy couture scemo hybrid aesthetic à la millionaires (there were already separate emo and y2k revivals but we hadn't yet seen the convergence of the two). in 2022 i wore a leopard print dress to prom and i had my hair teased up really big (with a bump it) with bone shaped hair clips to pin my bangs back. recently i have seen people dressing in this exact same outfit and calling it gothabilly (it's psychobilly. gothabilly is different). never let them tell you i'm not a visionary.