#The second parade was definitely longer

[violethursday]

For my first parades, they were pretty fun besides the slight arm pain afterwards from carrying the trombone.

[sleepyhoon]

BAJA BLAST - S.JY

pairing. religious stepbro!jake x fem reader genre. drabble, porn w plot warnings. virgin perv jake, stepcest, religious themes, brief mention of alcoholism & death word count. 3.5k smut tags. degradation, dry humping (i guess…), handjob, jake sucks reader’s tits thru her shirt, p in v for like 30 seconds.

a/n. hmm trying to get into darker themes to expand my genres a bit more … not too sure how i feel abt it yet but it was interesting to explore a new trope! i understand darker tropes aren’t for everyone sooo feel free to skip over if this isn’t for you!! <3

———

“You’re disgusting, and you’re not gonna find a God-fearing husband if you keep parading yourself like a slut.”

Jake pries your legs open a little wider, further situating himself between your thighs as he smears his precum on the core of your panties. He glances up at you when you scoff, knees digging into the mattress as he drags the tip of his cock along your clothed cunt. “What?” he sneers, raising a brow at you.

“You have a girlfriend and you’re getting yourself off between someone else’s legs; you’re the slut,” Jake’s cock twitches in the palm of his hand at your insult, you take a mental note of this, “and, I don’t even want a God-fearing husband, whatever that is.”

“It means a religious husband, genius. None of them probably want you anyway, so the feeling is mutual.”

Degrading as it may be, this is the shit that gets Jake off; certainly not his prude, preacher’s daughter girlfriend who only allows him to kiss her for a few seconds at a time, because anything longer than that could be “too tempting”.

He didn’t hate Chaeyoung in the slightest, but he likely wouldn’t have made all that effort to court her had he known she was saving herself for marriage in every aspect. No lingering touches, no suggestive comments, and certainly no racy photos; the poor boy would’ve been fine with her sitting on his lap every now and then if it meant he’d get to jerk off from the weight of someone on top of him.

Much like Chaeyoung, Jake was on the treacherous path of saving himself for marriage, but even he allowed himself a bit of wiggle room. Saving himself entirely for marriage was beyond unrealistic, but he was willing to at least avoid shoving his dick in someone before there was a ring on his finger if it meant he could get off in other ways.

Jake didn’t have the heart to break up with Chaeyoung just because she wanted to stay pure until marriage, but he wasn’t planning on waiting that long to finally get his dick wet. Besides, breaking up with the preacher’s daughter for seemingly no reason was a bad look, especially considering that Jake was the youth pastor at the same exact church.

Aside from the pastor and his wife, Jake and Chaeyoung were the only couple treated as royalty in their church community. They were seen as devoted followers of Christ whilst showcasing what an appropriate, God-fearing, young, Christian couple should look like. From the outside looking in (or even just looking from his girlfriend’s perspective), they truly did resemble a perfect couple.

How Jake got into jerking off between his step-sister’s thighs was a long story.

His original plan was to keep his distance when he first met you a little over a year ago, a few months before his father was preparing to marry your mother. Jake didn’t take kindly to you at first, bewildered on how such a respectful, faith-driven woman such as your mother could produce a daughter the exact opposite of her. Your outfits were entirely too skimpy, you had a horrible attitude, and you had tattoos. In Jake’s eyes, you were the definition of sin.

And that’s exactly why he felt disgusted with himself when he realized he was desperately attracted to you.

It was horrible, the countless nights he’d spent jerking himself off to the thought of you sinking down on his cock and riding him until he passed out. He’s certain his stamina is low and would probably finish in under five minutes, but it doesn’t hurt to dream; and that he does.

Until you showed up to his apartment one Monday morning with a large Baja Blast from Taco Bell and a proposition.

“Taco Bell at ten in the morning, seriously?”

You hadn’t greeted him with a “Good morning!” or “Hey, how are you?” and instead jumped the gun and went straight into, “Hey, you know how my dad died?”

Jake held his front door open, running a hand through his messy, morning hair in confusion as he responded, “Wasn’t it from, like, alcoholism?”

You rolled your eyes at him, “Yeah, but I meant like… you know that he’s dead, right? Also, Taco Bell serves breakfast, genius.”

“YN, it’s too early for this.” Jake says with a frustrated sigh, prepared to close the door in your face because it’s way too early to deal with your bullshit.

“I’m getting his inheritance from my grandmother, a huge one.”

Jake tried his best at attempting to hide the look of shock on his face. From his knowledge, your grandparents were loaded; practically rolling in money since the moment they were born. Having your father’s inheritance transferred to you was a blessing, Jake didn’t even want to imagine the useless crap you’d waste that money on.

“Congrats, did you come here to rub it in my face?”

You sighed, slightly embarrassed and a little defeated knowing you’d need Jake’s help. You felt entirely guilty for even coming to him in the first place, the two of you weren’t close and hardly spoke outside of gatherings, the only reason you showed up to his apartment was because you didn’t have his phone number; only his address you had to scroll in your GPS to find from the one time you drove him home.

“No, I’m not here to brag. I need your help.”

Jake hesitantly opened his door wider, allowing you into his home that you nervously pace around in. “Help with what?” he asked, locking the door behind him.

“I don’t get the inheritance until after my grandma dies.”

“YN, are you crazy?! I am not helping you kill your grandmother!”

“What?! Jake, no! God, just let me finish.” An awkward beat of silence passed before you continued, “She says I’m not getting the inheritance unless I get into religion and be involved in church.”

“Yeah, can’t help with that.” Jake took a moment to look you up and down, eyes focusing on the fresh tattoo right under your knee, “You’re gonna need a miracle.”

You followed behind Jake like a helpless puppy as he entered his kitchen, nervously toying with your fingers as you set your drink down on the kitchen counter, “I know we aren’t really close, and that’s partially my fault, but I’d really appreciate it if you could help me out with this.”

“With what, YN? You haven’t said what you’d need me to do.”

“Just, every so often, tell my family that I’m involved in church and help out. Shit like that.”

Jake chuckled, powering on his Nespresso, “As if that’s gonna work. You know your family goes to church, right? What are they gonna think if they don’t see you there but I’m telling them you showed up? They’d see right through it.”

“They don’t go every Sunday! I’ll just check ahead of time and go with them whenever they do go, and on the days they don’t go you’d be able to cover for me.”

Jake sighed with a shake of his head, reaching into his cabinet to retrieve a coffee mug, “It’s not just Sunday service, YN. They also go to bible study and help plan church events. Your family is very involved in the community.”

“Again, they don’t attend every event, right? I’ll go when they go and you cover when I can’t! And, besides, it’s not like they’re expecting me to go to every single event; as long as they think I’m putting in effort I’ll be fine.”

You seemed proud of yourself and your plan, which only annoyed your step-brother even further, because you clearly hadn’t thought this through.

“What’s in it for me?”

You paused, quirking a brow at Jake, “What do you mean?”

“We barely even know each other and you expect me to do this big favor for you for free? Be realistic.”

“Well, what do you want?”

“I want…half of the inheritance.”

“Jake, even you know that’s too much.”

Yeah, maybe he was being a little petty, but it was your own fault for asking for a favor like this and not offering him anything in return. He may not know the exact amount of your inheritance, but based on your reaction, it had to be a life changing amount of money; enough to give him a portion of.

“I’d rather not say what the exact amount is,” you start, looking down at your sneakers, “but it’s a lot, and I’m definitely willing to give you a fraction of it if you help me out. Just not half.”

“How much?”

“For you? Fifty-thousand.”

Jake dropped the ceramic mug to the ground, eyes widening as the cup broke and scattered across the kitchen floor. You flinched, jumping back on instinct while he remained frozen in place. “Fifty-thousand dollars?”

You wanted to tell him it’s truly nothing compared to the amount you’d have leftover, and that you’d offer him more if he insisted on it, but fifty-thousand seems to be enough for him. Instead, you nodded, carefully backing into the living room to avoid accidentally stepping on the ceramic shards.

“Does that work?”

It was too late to pretend your offer wasn’t more than he’d been expecting, but still, Jake had no reason to believe you’d hold up to your end of the deal; even if giving him fifty-thousand dollars would hardly make a dent in what you’d be receiving.

Jake shook his head, “I don’t know you, how can I trust you’ll actually give it to me?”

“You can’t just take my word?”

“The only word I take is the word of God.”

You should’ve seen that one coming.

Jake continued, “I want a down payment that I can receive now; something so that if you don’t pay me, I still got something out of our agreement.”

Intrigued, and a little frightened, you tilted your head at him, “Money?”

Jake shrugged in response, carefully stepping over the shards of ceramic, “Doesn’t have to be, your mom says you don’t have much of it.”

“I have money!”

Jake rolled his eyes, retrieving a broom and dustpan from the hallway closet, “Right, because your part-time barista job pays so much.”

You let out an exasperated sigh, “I really don’t know what else to offer you.”

“Better think of something or you’re on your own.”

The sound of ceramic clicking together as Jake cleans filled the silence, leaving you to brainstorm on what he would accept as a down payment offer. Money wasn’t an option, and you didn’t know enough about Jake’s interests to offer him some sort of bribe.

However, Jake is a man. Yes, a religious one, but still a man. If you’re lucky enough, there’s one thing you could offer that no man, not even Jake, would pass up.

“Chaeyoung is saving herself for marriage, right?”

Jake paused, suspiciously glancing at you over his shoulder, “I don’t see how that’s any of your business, but yes.”

You nodded, “Are you?”

“Again, not your business, but yes.”

“What about loopholes?”

Jake fully turned around this time, narrowing his eyes at you, “YN, where are you going with this?”

You shrugged, defensively raising your hands, “What if I was your loophole? Like, I help you get off however you want without actually having sex, so it won’t count as sinning. And, trust me, I won’t tell anyone.”

Jesus Christ, you seriously wanted the inheritance that bad?

Jake immediately wanted to accept the offer and drag you straight into his room, but he couldn’t; he had to be nonchalant about this or risk you revoking your suggestion.

He faked a look of disgust, a confused, twisted snarl on his face as he responded, “But, you’re my step-sister; isn’t that wrong?”

You shrugged, “I don’t care if you don’t. Plus, we’re adults and we barely even know each other, it’s not like our parents married years ago and we grew up as siblings.”

Fair point, not that Jake needed any further convincing.

“I’m not offering you this again, by the way. You either accept it now or you’ll never get the chance again,” you warn Jake, taking a seat down on the edge of his couch.

After a few long moments of pretending to weigh his options, Jake extended the end of the broomstick in your direction, slowly using the handle of it to lift your skirt. You didn’t react, your eyes following the edge of the broomstick as Jake continued his actions. He lowered his head slightly, confused as to why he couldn’t see your panties, until he realized.

You weren’t wearing any.

He cleared his throat, quickly pulling the broom away before leaning it up against the wall. “Sure, whatever, I guess. As long as you don’t tell anyone.”

Easiest deal of his life.

Jake made sure you kept to your end of the deal, and maybe took some advantage of it.

The first incident occurred a few weeks after the agreement, when Jake had to cover for you upon missing Sunday service due to you being hungover.

“She was up all night designing flyers for the coat drive next week,” Jake addressed your mother’s concerns, resting a comforting hand on her shoulder, “she really wanted to come to today’s service, but I told her she should get some rest.”

Your mother clutched her heart, staring up at Jake in complete awe, “YN? My YN?”

Jake nodded, a sheepish grin on his face as he responded, “The one and only.”

Your mother was skeptical, tilting her head at her stepson with her brows furrowed, “Just doesn’t sound like something she would do, unless there was something in it for her, of course. You’re not covering for her, are you?”

Jake faked a laugh, “The only thing YN is covered in is the blood of Jesus Christ.”

…And apparently Jake’s cum only a few hours later.

“…Now, guess who’s stuck designing flyers for the coat drive? Me!”

“I told you I would do it, you little brat,” your fist tightens around Jake’s clothed cock and he groans, squeezing his eyes shut at the new, uncomfortable, yet pleasant sensation.

You were slightly off-put and a little humored when Jake showed up to your apartment requesting, “A handjob but I, like, keep my boxers on. Like, just do it through my clothes.”

“Wouldn’t you rather…have your boxers off?”

“Are you nuts? I’m not letting you touch me,” he’d said, unbuttoning his dress pants as he lowered himself on your mattress.

You obliged his request, awkwardly rubbing him through his boxers, watching as his facial expressions changed so quickly and constantly. His brows would furrow then relax, lips would twitch before sinking his teeth in them, all while he tried his best not to finish embarrassingly quick.

Which didn’t work.

Jake was already on the edge of cumming when you lowered your head down to his groin, placing a small peck against the head of his clothed cock, the material sticky and wet from his precum.

His body jolts at the touch, arching off the mattress with swears spewing from his lips as his orgasm washed over him. He shoves his boxers down in record time, grinning to himself when you groan in agony when his cum lands on your cheek.

Had you been literally anyone else, maybe Jake would’ve felt bad that he came so quickly and didn’t have the energy nor interest to give you anything in return; but he didn’t. This was an agreement, and as long as the two of you held to both your ends of the deal, there was nothing to feel bad about. He didn’t owe you anything else.

Surprisingly enough, the arrangements weren’t happening as frequently as Jake hoped they would.

You immersed yourself into the church community, showing up to Sunday Worship and Bible Study as if it were a second nature. Jake should be proud, really, that you’re serious about being devoted; even if it was under the premise of obtaining your father’s inheritance, but he’s pissed.

He waited weeks for you to slip up, intentionally scheduling a Bible Study session or some church fundraiser at a time where he knows you’ll be busy and have no choice to skip, but you show up.

To every fucking event. Until you don’t.

Your younger cousin was getting baptized and you missed it, and if it weren’t for Jake making up some lame excuse and covering for your ass, your mother would’ve gone ballistic on you.

Jake’s happy to cover for you, though, knowing he’d be getting something in return not too long afterwards.

After weeks of feigning, that simple slip up was how Jake found him back between your thighs, pumping his cock along the outline of your cunt through your thin panties.

“Whatever,” you sneer, propping yourself up on your elbows, “marriage is the last thing on my mind right now.”

Jake rolls his eyes, pausing and grateful at the fact that he has a better of your tits. For some godforsaken reason, the air conditioner in your home is always on full blast, and despite assuring your guests that you don’t feel that cold, your body certainly says otherwise; if the way your hardened nippled poke through your shirt is anything to go by.

He licks his lips, pumping his dick a little faster as he leans down and traces his tongue along your clothed nipple. You’re saying something, maybe asking him what he’s doing or to keep going, but he can’t hear you; having you like this is new territory for him, nothing else in the world mattered at this moment.

His saliva stains your t-shirt as he continues, moaning against your chest as he flicks his tongue against your bud. Jake lightly traps your nipple between his teeth, tugging on it just enough to sting before releasing it once again, lapping his tongue against it as if to apologize.

Your hand moves to his hair, giving it a tight grip as Jake moans before shoving your arm away entirely. “Are you insane?! Don’t touch me!”

“But-”

“Wait.”

Fuck, that felt good. It wasn’t much but it felt so fucking good.

He needed more of you, fuck all this waiting for marriage bullshit. He tried his best for as long as he could, and he doesn’t want to fucking wait anymore.

“I wanna try something,” he mumbles, wasting no time in pushing your panties to the side. The sight of your glistening cunt is enough to make his mouth water, and Jake swears he can hear a choir of angels singing as he stares down at it in awe.

“Jake, I thought-”

“Fuck that,” Jake is quick to cut you off, already knowing what your next words were, “I don’t wanna wait anymore; show me how.”

“How to what?”

“The one thing you know how to do.”

“Oh, fuck you. You’re such an asshole.” You say, but it doesn’t stop you from maneuvering your right hand between your bodies and gripping the base of Jake’s cock, encouraging him to scoot forward as you guide him directly to your hole.

You don’t move him any further, making the choice of letting Jake decide whether he’s serious about this.

He is.

He presses the head of his cock further into you, squeezing his eyes shut as you wrap around him so snug and perfect. He stills his movements, head dropping to your shoulder with a groan.

It’s already too much and he’s not even halfway in. It feels too good, so wet and warm and tight, better than he could’ve ever imagined.

“Fuck…”, he mumbles into your shoulder, taking note of how none of this barely had an effect on you.

“It’s okay,” you assure him in an oddly sweet tone, “try moving.”

“I can’t, think I’m gonna come if I do.”

“You’ll be fine, just-”

Jake lets out a loud, frustrated groan as he raises his head away from your shoulder, “You wouldn’t fucking get it.”

Jake spent too many countless nights imagining this very scenario, and now that it’s finally happening he can barely even handle it. Everything feels too good and it’s all too much for him to bear.

He pulls his dick out of you entirely, giving himself a few hard pumps as his impending orgasm approaches. It looks almost painful, the way he’s gripping and pumping his cock, how red his tip is, you’re surprised a few tears don’t slip from his eyes when he finally does finish, painting your thighs with his cum as his body trembles.

He rests a shaky hand on your knee, grip on his cock softening as he makes a mess across your panties, thick, white ropes of cum staining your underwear.

“Fuck,” Jake mumbles to himself as he steadies his breathing. He’s never came this hard before, to the point where he feels exhausted and genuinely empty.

“Are you…okay?” You ask, cringing at the sticky feeling between your thighs.

Jake nods slowly, sitting himself up as he tucks his now-softened cock back into his boxers, “Let’s, uh, get cleaned up so we can go.”

His head his spinning as he rises from your bed, a dizzy feeling coming over him as he stands. Fuck, maybe this is why he should’ve waited for marriage.

“Go where?”

“Bible study is starting soon,” he explains, “if we leave now we can stop by Taco Bell beforehand, I need a Baja Blast.”

[iridescentmirrorsgenshin]

alhaitham and kaveh as 'friends' - full circle

kaveh lying and using ‘his friend’ as a scapegoat for supposedly taking his plans is so um INTERESTING!! given his past references to Alhaitham, and that he was just talked with Alhaitham the scene before, this reads as a direct reference to Alhaitham, meaning that their relationship has come full circle from where we were initially introduced to kaveh

in the archon quest, paimon asks if Alhaitham and kaveh are friends, to which Alhaitham deflects, denoting a negative

but they are denied a friendship status definitively in alhaitham’s story quest where paimon directly asks kaveh if Alhaitham and he are friends, to which kaveh says although they used to be, they aren’t any longer

the game has repeatedly shown that Alhaitham and kaveh possess a deep understanding of each other, only it is their miscommunication and inability to compromise that causes the rift between them. Their character design is based around mirrors, and this ultimately poses the question of whether the two can align their beliefs, whether they can achieve a harmony

overcoming this rift between them begins in a parade of providence, where kaveh’s cycle of self-detriment in his excessive altruism due to his past guilt is particularly focussed on, with alhaitham’s reaction being saddened, and concerned, for kaveh’s mindset – not because his beliefs or philosophies are ‘correct’ over kaveh’s, but because of his belief that kaveh’s mindset negatively impacts him

Alhaitham posits that the issues between them are no longer about the ‘correctness’ of their respective philosophies after looking into sachin’s influence over kaveh’s father, in order to potentially provide kaveh closer, insinuating a more personal reason for the rift between them

It’s after this that a notable shift is seen in their dynamic, with cyno’s second story quest going out of its way to show a flashback in the intimacy of their home, and additionally showing the two voluntarily working together for the first time since their past, abandoned thesis

Their working together demonstrates this harmonisation of not only their personal, scholarly beliefs, but also their reconciliation as people, which can be seen in the two’s closeness, where they previously were separated due to strife – a closeness that is commented on by other characters

In nahida’s birthday event this intimacy is furthered even more, with kaveh wanting mehrak, an important helper companion, to be able to recognise alhaitham’s voice – as of now, this appears to be the only other person, besides himself, whom kaveh has programmed this feature for. Kaveh’s regard for mehrak, established in this scene, then carries over to Alhaitham, demonstrating how kaveh perceives the importance of their bond (i yapped about this more here!)

Going back to kaveh indirectly referring to Alhaitham as his ‘friend’, where this was previously denied, shows a fulfilment Alhaitham and kaveh’s narrative arc :’’’) I am so!?!?! Happy for them well done guys, you got there in the end <3

[gremlingottoosilly]

König x Ballet dancer!Reader?

You passed through years of training. Being accepted into one of the famous ballet schools of Vienna was nothing to snooze about - and you were on track to become yet another nameless swan in the second row. With a shelve life of just about 10 years, your life was set to be a parade of mediocrity from the start. Without a rich sponsor to give you connections and without any of your professors looking at you twice, you exited college with a stable job in the background. Sometimes, accepting scraps being thrown at the main dancers, you knew your place - you ached for dance and beauty, and you got it. This is why a bouquet of blood-red roses sitting heavily in your hands still feels like a dream. The man in front of you is not a normal opera guest. His suit is tailored - not for the sake of showing off the price, but because this man is simply too huge for anything made in-store, no matter how expensive the store is. His suit is tailored professionally and yet, he still looks uncomfortable. A mountain of a man confined into the prison of tight fabric - you tilts your head to the side, wondering what is he doing here. He is wearing a black mask, which is normal for many patrons - especially the older ones, still afraid to die after what happened just a few years ago. You can only see his eyes and you're getting lost in the cold. It reminds you of a mountain snow. Of the white fabric of your dress - and suddenly, you almost feel like breaking your perfect posture. You don't look into the viewer's seats while you're dancing, but you can't shake the feeling that you recognize this heavy stare from somewhere. He was following your every movement while you were on the stage, not caring for the beauty of the front dancer and the elegant movements of your peers. You're painfully average in everything - but his attention never fails to get on you. He is giving you gruff, cut-out compliments. Something about your legs, your hips. Something dirty about the way you look in that tight tutu, and you almost gather the strength to slap him, but then he flashes his credit card, and it feels like a ticket out of mediocrity. Always the second last in the deep row, you never had any fans looking at you like this. With this amount of longing, of depravity. You start getting better roles after he started to show up. You're not sure why and how - he has money, that's for certain, but he definitely doesn't seem like the type to have connections in the industry. If you had to guess, you would see him as working in the military - but no one from Austrian army would have as much influence, not in your country. If you had to guess, this guy is dangerous, and you're almost terrified to see the dark red flash of flowers every time you exit backstage and see him. But, oh, he presses you against the walls and kisses you. But, oh, he can lift you up so easily and force you to grind on his knee in search for pleasure - you have stamina, all dancers have it, and he knows he can go for much longer than with a regular girl. Your affection is bought with compliments and euro bills stuck in your leotard like you're a cheap whore, but you almost feel like a French girl while he is holding you like this. He asks you about retirement. Tells you he would build you a dance studio in his house - something big, with space and perfect light. Give you all the attention you need. You almost feel yourself getting lost in his awkwardness. Little did you know he wasn't really asking.

[sp0o0kylights]

Whole thing on A03

It didn't matter how much Steve explained. Not one member of the Party was going to get it. 

Tommy and Carol would, but then, they were no longer on speaking terms. A fact that hurt even if it was for the best--particularly in times like these, because they got it. 

They understood how he had been ensnared with the very same wealth people mocked him for. What it meant when his parents demanded Steve drop everything and go on vacation, his own plans be damned. 

They knew, because their families had done much the same, and so the lives they led also were tethered to leashes made of their parents' design. 

Dustin, whose mother bent over backwards to try and better her kid’s life, didn’t even have a frame of reference for this kind of thing, let alone sympathy. 

"Do they not understand you have a job?" Dustin asked incredulously, and Steve didn't have the emotional bandwidth to explain that his parents didn't consider working at Family Video to be a real job. 

As far as they were concerned, Steve could quit if he had to, and then go find another job when they were done using him to play the nice, All-American family. 

Likely for business purposes.

"They aren't the type to care." Steve said instead. 

It was easier than getting into it.

(Easier than explaining the BMW wasn't in his name, but his parents. 

How his money went into a bank account they had access to. 

That practically everything he owned was actually owned by Richard and Stella Harrington, and both were quick to remind him of that fact the second they felt Steve was acting out of line. 

And boy, had he been acting out of line. 

 Getting into fights. 

Turning their punishment of working a job they picked specifically for the humiliating outfit, into the far worse public embarrassment of being involved in a mall fire--an embarrassment because Steve had "lost" the keys to the BMW, had "put himself in danger" playing hero instead of letting the perfectly capable firefighters do it, then “paraded around” with bruises all over his face, racking up medical bills. 

Truly a sin for someone who hadn’t made it into college.) 

So no, this vacation they demanded Steve drop everything for  was not anything close to a reward, or even something they were doing to spend time together. There was a reason they needed Steve, and as far as they were concerned, Steve was at their beck and call until he shaped up and got his life back on track. 

His own plans be damned. 

"That's not fair though!" Dustin burst out and Steve sighed in relief, because here at least, he knew what to do to distract his younger friend.

 “We planned our trip months ago!” Dustin continued, looking two seconds away from giving in and stomping his foot. 

The kid might have been smarter than Steve--smarter than most people really--by a hell of a lot, but he was still fourteen. 

Smarts, Steve knew, didn't exactly equate to emotional intelligence, and it definitely didn't stop rampaging hormones.

Ice cream on the other hand, was a great aid in both areas. 

"You better be making this up to us." Dustin threatened thirty minutes later, spoon wedged deep into a sundae. “We can’t do, like, half the stuff we were going to do without you!” 

“I'm sure you guys didn’t need me to play ghost runners or whatever.” Steve said, but was quick to back down when Dustin nearly threw his spoon at him. 

Rather than antagonizing him more, Steve dutifully raised his hand to put over his heart. "I swear on your mom that I’ll make it up to you.”  

Dustin rolled his eyes, but otherwise, finally, let the whole thing go. 

Stupidly, Steve thought this meant the worst was over.

He was wrong. 

xXx 

Mike hadn’t cared. 

El and Will hadn’t really either, though both expressed some sadness that Steve wouldn’t be participating in the camping trip that the Party as a whole had been looking forward to for the past few months. 

Erica had simply snapped at him, making him promise much the same as Dustin had that he would be making it up to her sometime in the future. Likewise, she had been bought off by ice cream (even if she insisted it didn’t count because Steve owed her ice cream anyways.) 

Max was the surprising emotional standout. 

"You can't tell them no?" She demanded, arms crossed over her chest. 

Lucas was hovering awkwardly at her shoulder, shooting "what can you do?" vibes as hard as he could at Steve as his (currently on-again) girlfriend outright dressed the elder boy down; her shoulders creeping up higher and higher until she seemed to realize she was visually giving away her upset and forcibly relaxed them. 

Unlike Dustin and Erica, her tirade was very out of character and Steve was growing more concerned by the second that something was wrong the more she spat at him. 

“I mean for fucks sake, didn’t you tell them you had plans!?” She finished, eyes narrowed in rage. 

Which was rich coming from someone whose stepdad had Billy Hargrove running all over town before he’d run off after the guy’s death, but then, Steve knew better than to bring all that up.

(The image of Max, unresponsive in the hospital with casts on almost every limb, was still too fresh. 

Even now he didn’t like to push her, even if the Party as a whole did their best to take notice when one of them was isolating themselves again. 

Max, though she was down to one crutch, was still inclined to use it as a weapon and very much enjoyed practicing her swings on people’s ankles.) 

“I did indeed. They don’t care and they’re not giving me a choice, but for what it’s worth I am sorry.” Steve tried to keep his voice even and out of angry-shrieking range, and vaguely prayed it was working. “I swear, I will make it up to you guys, even if we have to go on a second camping trip.” 

This was clearly not the correct thing to say.

Though judging by the murderous rage being aimed his way, Steve was pretty sure nothing short of “You know what you’re right, let me go tell my parents to fuck off!” would make Max happy. 

“So you’re seriously just going to drop everything, all our plans, your job, us,” She took a very threatening step forward and despite her being a full foot shorter than him, Steve had to fight not to take a responding step back. “So you can go play rich boy in the Bahamas?” 

“We’re not going to the Bahamas--” Steve tried, but was interrupted with a loud “ugh!” of disapproval. 

“Whatever makes you happy, Steven.” Max spat, and then turned on her heel, storming off towards the rest of the Party (who had taken one look at Max’s face and fled into the arcade so she and Steve could “talk.”) “I’m sorry us peasants weren’t good enough to hang around!”  

“Sorry man.” Lucas apologized quietly, on his way to run after Max. 

Steve just scrubbed a hand through his hair and sighed. 

xXx 

“The kids are mad at you.” Nancy announced, appearing across the Family Video counter like a phantom. 

Steve swore, nearly dropping his stack of VHS’s, while Robin (who had clearly seen Nancy approach) cackled at his fumble. 

“Yeah, I did get that memo.” Steve said, after he stabilized his stack, safely moving them from his arms to the counter. 

Nancy peered around them, her face giving away nothing. “It is kind of shitty to cancel at the last minute like that. We were relying on you to drive.”

An old fury shook itself awake in Steve’s chest, taking an interest in the conversation the second Steve realized what Nancy was here to do. 

He took a deep, shuddering breath, and pressed it down, back into the box he’d slammed it in all those years ago. 

“I’d leave the keys to Robin here, but unfortunately, someone failed their drivers test.” Steve said instead, jamming his finger over his shoulder and blatantly attempting to pass the buck. 

Robin, who absolutely knew that was what he was doing, faked a gasp and kicked at his ankles. 

“That crotchety asshole failed me on purpose!” She protested, spinning to face Nancy. “He made like, three misogynistic comments before we even got in the car!” 

“Pointing out that he knew the car wasn’t yours wasn’t misogynistic, he was just surprised to see me letting you use the Beemer.” Steve shot back, rolling his eyes. “I don’t exactly let a lot of people drive it.” 

Unspoken was that Steve’s BMW was one of the town’s more unique cars, and thus easily identifiable by the locals at large. 

“How is that better!?” Robin returned, but Nancy cleared her throat before they could successfully get the Steve-and-Robin show on the road. 

“The point is that we--but really, the kids, were counting on you.” Nancy said, dipping into her patented “I’m upset with you” tone. 

A year ago it would have cut Steve to the bone, even if he didn’t show it. 

Now he just stared tiredly at her back. 

“I’m sorry, Nance, but it is what it is.” He said simply, hoping the apology (even if he knew it wasn’t so much a real apology as it was something he said to keep the rage from breaking out and wrecking havoc via his mouth) would soften his ex. “I don’t know what else to tell you.”

Given the abrupt narrowing of her eyes, it very much did not help his case. 

“For someone who was so vocal about trying to change I have to say this is pretty disappointing.” Nancy said simply, but with just enough of a tone that Steve had to close his eyes for a second. 

Feel the way that old anger, the one that had powered King Steve, hit the bars of its cage.

Robin stilled immediately next to him, her head ping-ponging between Steve and Nancy both as she too, clocked that Nancy was pissed, and here to chew Steve out about it. 

“Um.” She said, voice going high in discomfort. 

Steve grit his teeth. “I don’t exactly get a say in these things, Nancy. You know that.” 

He had to work to keep his voice even, fighting against the ice that wanted to sharpen his own tone. 

It was just---Nancy did know. 

Steve had told her all those years ago, in the safety of her arms, about his parents' expectations. Their predetermined path, the way they dictated large swathes of his life. 

How they’d allowed him to pick which sports he played, but required that he play a sport no matter the time of year. 

That the pool they had installed wasn’t for him, he just got to use it as much as he did in part because he’d joined the swim team, and the kind of mental mind games he and his parents played about things like that. 

Apparently either Nancy had forgotten, or simply hadn’t taken it in to begin with because she wasn’t backing down. 

(Not that Steve had ever seen Nancy Wheeler back down.) 

“I know you have trouble juggling your parents' plans with your own.” Nancy said, and her tone was absolutely icy now. “I certainly remember waiting for a date that never happened.” 

Steve sucked in a breath through his teeth, knowing immediately what Nancy was referring to. 

“I told you they came home unexpectedly.” He said, arms now crossed against his chest, nails digging into his arms as a way to help himself stay grounded. “They wouldn’t let me use the phone until the next day and I apologized.”

“And I recall having a lovely conversation with your mother where she said otherwise.” Nancy said, her words punctuated by another high pitched “Uhhhh.” from Robin. 

“Funny how you believe my mom over me.” Steve said and whoops, yup, he definitely sounded mad now. 

So much for all the effort he’d put in to staying calm. 

“Because I look at actions, Steve. Patterns. The same ones you kept repeating.” Nancy was clearly about to escalate, and Robin, bless her, had had enough. 

“He-eeey.” She said, wedging herself in between Steve and the counter Nancy was starting to lean over. “I totally get it, you’re both upset, but this maybe isn’t the venue to fight about it? There are customers in the store and--sorry Nancy--but I do kinda need Steve for work, so…” 

She trailed off, glancing nervously between the two of them. 

Nancy took a breath, blasting it out of her mouth like an academically inclined dragon. “You’re right. I’m sorry Robin.”

She then turned on her heel, making her way to the doors. She paused before them, and Steve prepared himself because he knew whatever she was going to say next, it was going to hurt. 

“I wouldn’t care if it was just me, Steve, but the kids don’t deserve you pulling this shit. Not after all they’ve been through.” With that, Nancy pushed through the door, head held high as she stormed to her car. 

As was typical for Nancy’s aim, she scored a direct hit. 

Steve, somehow, resisted throwing things. 

“Can you believe her!?” He said, the second the doors were closed and Nancy safely out of eyeshot. “Coming in here like that!?” 

He ran his hand through his hair, once, twice. 

A third time for good measure. 

“Yeah, that was seriously public for her.” Robin agreed, sliding up next to him. “Like really public.” 

Steve shrugged, because well. Not really. 

Not anymore. 

But Robin didn’t know that, just like Robin wasn’t entirely familiar with the depths Steve’s parents went to save face. They hadn’t exactly had time to really dig into it all, given how fast the Vecna situation had hit after Starcourt and the sheer PTSD both incidents had caused. 

Most nights they spent together was spent trying to avoid reliving nightmares, not discussing ones they were currently still living in. 

A fact that Steve was more than happy to bring her up to speed on, but to do so involved a lot of backstory, and backstory involved Nancy, and God, he was fucking pissed at Nancy. 

Soon it was an hour into his rant and he hadn’t actually gotten around to the sheer level of shit his parents would pull, too busy with Nancy and old echoes of ‘bullshit.’ 

 He only stopped when Robin put a hand on his shoulder, shaking him ever so slightly. 

“Dingus. You know I love you, and I know you’ve changed, but you do gotta admit, canceling at the last minute is kinda shitty and I get why they’re upset.” 

It was like the carpet had been pulled right out from under Steve, yanked so quickly he’d have to pinwheel to keep his feet. 

“What?” He said, eyes round in sheer surprise. 

“I just mean like, I get your parents are dicks but,” Robin’s face screwed up, looking like she’d sucked a lemon. It was her “I’m going to say something you don’t like face” and it hit Steve like a punch to the gut. 

“Our shift’s almost over and no offense, you’ve started to repeat yourself about Nance, and I get it! I do, memory shit is hard!” Robin’s hands moved as she talked, her bracelets jingling as if punctuating her point. 

“But I also think admitting you double booked yourself on accident and just taking responsibility for it would help smooth things over. Middle ground, you know?” Robin waggled her hands in a gesture that, for the first time in a long time, Steve didn’t understand. 

He found himself suddenly struggling to breathe. 

“Are you--are you saying you think I didn’t tell them I had a trip already planned?” 

Steve wasn’t sure how he managed to get it out. Wasn’t sure how he was doing anything, given the heat that was shooting through him, a hot mix of confusion and betrayal as Robin fidgeted to his left. 

“No! Okay well,” The lemon face got worse for a second. “I’m just saying you did kinda forget to pick me up that one time, and you do kinda blame your parents when stuff like that happens.” She bit a nail, peering at him out of the corner of her eyes.  

“I don’t--” Steve said, completely knocked adrift. “I…”

Robin didn’t believe him.

His Robin. 

Who wasn’t--wasn’t exactly siding with Nancy, but wasn’t saying she was wrong either, or that she understood that this shit was out of his control, and in fact, was kind of implying that Nancy was right more so than Steve was and---and--

There was a ringing in Steve’s ears he wasn’t sure actually existed. 

“I’m sure a lot of it is your brain injury. The doctors said your short term memory can take a while to fully come back and I totally get why you don’t wanna say that, I just, I think it would be better if--Steve?” Robin jumped back as Steve finally found his footing, swiping his jacket and punching out before she could catch how badly his hands were shaking. 

“I’m leaving.” Steve told her, his own words a million miles away, entirely uncaring if Keith fired him. 

Keith was likely going to fire him anyway, given Steve was about to ask for a week-long vacation not even four months after the whole Vecna ordeal. 

“Wait, Steve, hey--Dingus! I wasn’t done, I mean, I had more to say I, dammit Steve--!” Robin called after him frantically as Steve bolted for the door. 

Steve ignored her, aiming for the Beemer and swinging himself numbly into the driver's seat when he got it open. 

Put the car in park and avoided Robin’s face entirely as he backed it out, punching the gas far harder than he needed to. 

The Beemer roared in response, nose rising as it shot forward. 

Robin was his best friend. His fucking--platonic soulmate, as she kept calling him. The very idea that she agreed with Nancy in general was a blow but in this?

Against his parents? 

Nausea rolled angrily in Steve’s stomach, matching the sudden wetness that coated his eyes. 

Angry and needing an outlet, Steve stomped hard on the gas, taking the next corner far too sharp and making the beemer fishtail, tires squealing . 

He didn’t know where he was going.

He figured he’d find out when he got there. 

xXx 

Given what Steve knew about the universe at large, (nevermind Hawkins) it probably wasn’t the smartest thing to hang around the Quarry at night.

But then, summer was in full swing. Kids were home from college and itching to find a place to party without parental overhead. 

Deep to the left side of the water, around a few bends and tucked oh so neatly out of sight, was a place where one could do just that. 

Party.

This stretch had long been claimed by the college kids of Hawkins, and guarded zealously for it. 

With the sheer number of drunk people whooping and hollering around the bonfires below the ridge where everyone parked their cars, Steve figured he was safe enough. 

Even if he was up with said cars, sitting alone. 

Not like it mattered. If a demodog or demogorgan or demo-fucking-dragon decided to come along, Steve had half a mind to just let it have him. 

It felt easier than trying to fix the current mess his life was in. 

So he sat up here, blowing through the alcohol he’d purchased from the one gas station that never carded, drinking his problems away. 

(That also wasn’t the best course of action but with his parents home to spring the whole “vacation” ordeal on him, it wasn’t like Steve had a choice.) 

He hadn’t grabbed a lot--had been so damn upset and struggling to hide it that he’d picked up a four pack of wine coolers instead of the intended beer he’d wanted. It was all he had though, and so he chugged the last bottle with a wince and wished he was a hell of a lot drunker than he felt.

Then promptly caught sight of the person walking towards him, and wondered vaguely if he was drunker than he felt. 

Of all the people to come and offer him a can of beer, Steve would have never expected Tommy Hagan. 

He eyed it and his old friend both, before slowly reaching out and taking the can. 

“Heard you and your parents are doing CoHo this year.” Tommy said casually, leaning up against the front of the Beemer like it was old times. 

“Yup.” Steve replied, drawing the word out. 

“Angie Tideman’s parents are going, they’re bringing her ith .” Tommy said it casually, and had the good graces not to grin when Steve audibly groaned.

“Oh god.”

Tommy sucked on a lip, nodding absently. “Yeah.” 

Then; “It gets worse.” 

Steve, who now knew what this conversation was about, instantly began tearing into the beer can. “How can it get worse? You know what Angie’s like.”

Angie, whose full name was Angelina, lived a few towns over. Born to wealthy parents who doted on their beloved only child, Angie had more in common with your average shark than she did her fellow humans. 

A comparison that, frankly, was unkind to sharks.

She was without a doubt the most selfish person Steve had ever had the misfortune of encountering, and the mere idea of being trapped in a room with her made his skin crawl. 

Their parents were business buddies though, and god forbid he ever insult a business buddies kid, 

“She goes to Purdue, you know, with me and Carol.” Tommy said, instead of answering directly. “We cross paths a lot, party wise.” 

Steve stayed silent. 

Knew how Tommy talked, how his stories meandered. Especially the juicy ones. 

“She’s been talking a lot recently. Given you don’t look all that informed, I’m gonna assume the one person she hasn’t talked to is you.” 

Steve gripped the can of beer, a sudden, sick fear blooming in his gut. 

“Tommy.” He said mildly, not loud enough to really interrupt, but with enough force to let his former friend know to get to the point, now. 

“Got all super fancy right before we left for summer break. Hair done, whole new wardrobe, nails, you know.” Tommy waggled his fingers playfully, but dropped them when Steve just stared. “Went full whore on us. I swear she was making out with any guy who even looked at her--” 

“Tommy.” He repeated, this time a hell of a lot firmer. 

Done pushing, Tommy let go of the proverbial bombshell. “Apparently you’re planning on proposing to her this summer. She’s gonna return next year as an engaged woman, with you in tow, because apparently, you got into Purdue. Congrats by the way.” 

Tommy clapped him on the shoulder, right as Steve’s mouth went dry. 

For the second time that day, he found himself fighting the burning heat of embarrassment and fury as it rolled through him. 

“I’m proposing.” Steve said, as if saying it out loud would scare the very idea away. “To Angie.” 

“Yeah we kinda figured you didn’t know.” Tommy said with a snide little grin. To the average outsider it was mocking, but Steve knew better.

Tommy was uncomfortable, because Tommy had understood what Steve’s parents had done. 

“What I’d like to know is just how much Angie’s parents paid to get you into Purdue. That’s gotta be a minimum fifty thousand dollar donation at least.” Tommy removed his hand, to instead lean his shoulder against Steve’s. Like this was the old times, before they’d fought. “ I didn’t think they had that kind of money to throw around.”  

A past conversation with his father struck Steve, running through the front of his mind like a bad horror movie. 

“They sold the estate.” Steve said vacantly, the implications not quite hitting. “The one they’ve been trying to get rid of forever, over in Cape Cod.” 

“Oh shit.” Tommy said, blinking as he too, recalled what was likely his father telling him the very same news. 

“They sold the place on Cape Cod, and they used part of the funds to fucking buy me like a toy.” And yeah, saying it out loud, it definitely sounded bad. “I didn’t think Angie even liked me.”

“Does Angie like anyone?” Tommy asked, incredulously, but nudged Steve’s shoulder again when his joke didn’t net him the laugh he wanted.. “I mean, you had to know your old man had plans to straighten you out. He keeps getting mad at my dad, because the ass won't stop making jokes that I’m going to take over the company instead of you.” 

“And this is it. Attaching me to Angie.” Steve said vacantly. “Because they know if I get married…” 

He’d put his wife first. His family, first. 

The one he’d wanted, dreamed of, since he first realized he didn’t have one. 

He’d been playing checkers the entire time, too busy fighting fucking monsters and Russians to realize his parents had upgraded to chess. 

In a dizzying array of mental connect-the-dots, Steve replayed the last years worth of conversations. All the odd little things they’d said. All the dumb things Steve had just ignored. 

 They’d warned him. 

Had told him he better shape up, or they’d be forced to do something drastic. 

That his parents hadn’t wasted all this time, effort, money on him, for him to throw away his life like he was. 

“You better start acting right and figuring out how to get your life back on track, because you won’t like what happens if I have to fix it for you. You get a month Steven, and after that? Well. Just remember you forced my hand, Steven.” 

They knew. They knew him, and what made him tick.

“I think the real question is what Angie’s parents see in you.” Tommy teased, but then they both knew the answer to that puzzle. 

For all that Steve’s mom complained about her husband, the guy was a shrewd and calculating businessman. Those weekends, then weekdays, then more and more time away hadn’t just been so he could go screw his secretary. 

Richard Harrington had fast tracked his business to the point where it was now getting attention. The business journal, ‘Top 50 Companies to Watch’ kind. 

Even if Steve fucked up entirely, he was set to inherit a fortune and a business that would continue adding to it, for some time to come. 

Provided he did what his parents wanted.

Such as marrying Angie. 

Thing was, if his parents did what they always did, and held their wealth (his car, his home, his life and all the little things in it) against him like a gun to his head, if Angie got that ring around her finger? 

 Steve would bow to their whims. 

 Because they could fluster him into proposing so he didn’t embarrass Angie, and her parents and anyone else who’d undoubtedly be watching. They’d make a spectacle of it. 

Because once he did propose, they wouldn’t let him back out, burying him under guilt trips and veiled threats until he was marched down the aisle in a groomsman suite and told to stand. 

Because against all common sense, Steve wanted a family who loved him so desperately he’d chase it like a dog if he was presented with the opportunity and told to make it work. 

It didn’t matter that Angie was selfish. 

Steve would try anyway. 

His parents were maneuvering him as easily as they had back when he was a kid, using love as a tool to get him to do what they wanted and even seeing the nose hanging from the rafters, they knew just the right words to get him to place it around his neck. 

“Thought you’d wanna know.” Tommy finished, pushing himself off Steve’s car. “Before your parents sprung it on you.” 

“Sonofabitch.” Steve hissed angrily, a million thoughts racing through his head, the heat of being caught in a trap blasting down his spine. 

“Yeah.” Tommy added, rather unhelpfully. “But hey, given that you’re about to go on vacation to propose, why don’t we consider this,” here Tommy swept his hand, gesturing to the party below, “your proposal party?” 

It was a downright horrible idea.

But then, Steve didn’t exactly have a better one. 

Not  when the world itself seemed against him, grinding its heel into his back and laughing about it. 

He knew the drill. If he went down there, arm in arm with Tommy, then it wouldn’t matter that half those kids were from a few towns over, driven in by new college buddies.  

They’d see him as a reason to get wild, absolutely uncaring that they didn’t know who the hell he was. 

Steve needed that.

People who weren’t mad at him, buying into the easy lies his parents wove, or who didn't understand the games played against him. 

“Fuck it.” He announced, standing up from the hood of his car as Tommy’s grin morphed into something he used to see in the days of old, back when they were sneaking drinks from their parents' alcohol cabinets. “This way at least I get a party.”

Not like his parents were going to let him have an engagement party. Or a bachelor party, or likely let his ass back into Hawkins. 

No matter how long the engagement. 

Tommy cheered, raising his arms to the sky and Steve grinned wildly with him. 

He’d figure out how to get out of all this later--but for now, he wanted just a few damn hours where he didn’t have to think. 

Not about his parents, or Angie, or possible attempts to force him into marriage, like this was the yee olden days and Steve was a Victorian maiden who needed to be brought to heel. 

Likewise he didn’t want to think about the Party, or Russian torture, or how Nancy could be so damn smart in some things and downright stupid in others. 

He absolutely didn't want to think about Robin. 

“Hey boys and girls, look who I drug up!” Tommy yelled as they approached and soon, word had spread.

This was Steve’s proposal party, and he was here to get absolutely smashed (while encouraging everyone else to do the exact same, in his honor.) 

Which would be how Eddie found him a few hours later.

Still at the quarry, crossfaded off his ass, a forty in one hand and a lawn dart in the other. 

“Are you kidding me, Steve?” Eddie grit out, desperately trying to wrestle the lawn dart out of his hand. “You’re fucking partying with Tommy Hagan!?” 

Steve blinked at him a few times, finally catching on that Eddie was in fact, actually there. 

“When did you show up?” He asked, though given the wince on Eddie’s face and just how hard it had been to move his lips, Steve correctly assumed he’d slurred the shit out of the question. 

Somehow, Eddie understood him anyway. 

“Robin called me a while ago, gave me a list of places you might be. Almost skipped this one until I stepped out of my van to take a piss and heard the party.” Eddie explained, and somehow while doing so, he’d successfully gotten a hold of the dart. 

He was now working on removing the 40 ounce. 

Steve frowned, using his newly freed hand to grip it closer to his chest. 

“Harrington.” Eddie warned, and oh, wow, they were back to last names huh?

Well why not, it wasn't like his night could get worse. 

“This is mine, Munson.” Steve fired back, putting as much vitriol into Eddie’s last name as he could.

This did not detour the metalhead. 

“Come on man, give me the bottle.” Eddie said firmly. 

Steve shook his head stubbornly, enjoying the way his hair whipped at his face. “No.”

Another man stumbled over, a guy Steve absolutely did not know. He frowned, looking between Eddie and Steve. 

For two seconds, Steve thought they might have trouble, and given the way Eddie was tensing, he clearly thought so too. 

Instead, New Guy just kind of rocked on his heels. “Hey, shove off it, buddy. It’s this guy's bachelor party, let the man drink!” 

Eddie’s face did something complicated then, pulling the sort of expressive looks only he could manage.

It was both adorable and hilarious, and if Steve hadn’t just been reminded of the very reason he was drinking, he’d have told Eddie so. 

“Yeah!” He said instead, raising his hand in the air, toasting his bottle of forty against the other guy’s red solo cup. “It’s my proposalengagmentbachelor party!” 

Given the second, adorable-slash-hilarious look on Eddie’s face, Steve assumed those words hadn’t come out right either. 

“Okay.” Eddie said hands on his hips in a stance Steve was pretty sure Eddie had gotten from him. “Here’s what's going to happen. You’re going to put the bottle away. Then you’re going to give me your car keys, and then the two of us are going to my house to sleep whatever is happening here, off.” 

At least, that's what Steve thought he heard. It was a pretty un-Eddie like speech, and Steve maybe, might have been the one to say it, because he maybe, might have been mocking what Eddie had actually said.

Maybe.

It was hard to know, given that Steve’s thoughts were a thick soup on a bit of a time delay, and he was having a hard time figuring up from down, let alone what Eddie had been actually saying. 

Speaking of; 

 “When did I get into your car?” Steve asked, blinking as the van’s passenger seat appeared before him.

“Just now.” Eddie said, helping him in.

“Huh.” Said Steve, and then he maybe passed out a bit, because once again, he found himself awake and alert at a place that wasn’t where he’d just been. 

“Come on.” Eddie said gently, one of Steve’s arms over his shoulder as Steve leaned heavily into him, guiding the jock up the stairs and into the small house he and Wayne now called a home. 

The guy might have muttered a few things about bachelor parties along the way, but Steve was too focused on walking straight to really take notice. 

Part Two

[crescenthistory]

do you write headcanons?? if so, i would love to see your take on how the skittles would react to their s/o walking into a slytherin party looking SMASHING

i do! especially for the skittles, the lomls<3 i have never written for pandora before, but her part came so naturally to me and now i might be in love. so um, thank you for that revelation anon!

characters: barty, evan, regulus, dorcas, pandora

warnings: this will contain implied smut and suggestive material, so mdni please. drinking, hogwarts uni au, slight d/s dynamics if you squint. reader wears skirts/dresses, but no pronouns are used.

how would the skittles react to you entering a party looking your absolute best?

barty

would be by your side in a heart-beat -> no matter where he was in the room when you walked in, the second he spots you, his arm is slung over your shoulders

angles his upper body slightly away from you, though, just enough to look down and truly take in your form

"treasure, you shouldn't have"

"thank you"

"no i mean, you shouldn't have, now we have to leave the party before it's even started"

despite wishing to have you all to himself, if you wanted to stay he would be more than happy to of course. he considers it part of the foreplay.

and he would want to show you off 100%

not out of jealousy, but rather pure pride -> i mean look at you

barty doesn't strike me as the type of person who would be jealous over you looking good, it only makes him that much more smug. in fact, i think he would LOVE being able to parade you around, showing the world that this fine specimen is his

if you let him, he would drag you into some corner to properly greet you, making sure to leave marks on your necks where others could see -> again, showing off

will not hold back his flirtatious and even salacious comments throughout the night, especially if there is drinking involved

"you look good enough to eat" with a wolfish grin

"baby you have no idea what you're doing to me"

this man is not opposed to pda, so if you are, you will have to drag him somewhere private regularly, because any visible piece of skin will have his hand and preferably mouth on it the longer you stay, even if you are in the middle of a conversation with someone else

when the night is over, your outfit discarded on the floor and you're both satisfied with celebrating the night, barty would 100% try and put it on himself

especially if it was some miniskirt/minidress number

if he's lucky, you'll grow half as hungry seeing him in the little outfit as he was and pull him back into your grasp

evan

his eyes would find you from the moment you enter the room and would not leave you for even a second

evan is quiet and stoic in his lusting yearning, but that does not mean he is subtle. he's not wolfish with howling like barty would be, but there is something definitively animalistic in how he looks at you

it is a dark kind of look that both consumes and excites you, one where you – knowing him better than almost anyone – can tell exactly what he's feeling

anyone who was trying to converse with him before you entered are now essentially talking to a brick wall. his attention is elsewhere.

he drags his eyes up and down your form, committing the outfit to memory, how it looks against your skin, how it holds your form.

every single detail will be hoarsely whispered in your ear in reverence the second he gets you alone -> you will know exactly what did him in, exactly what you do to him

he's already planning out that interaction breath by breath to keep calm when you waltz up to him

if you take your place in his lap, his arms will be around you in a heartbeat, holding you as close as possible

if you try an tease him by standing above him, he will not hesitate to drag you down to him

feeling his hot skin on yours and seeing his hooded eyes up close would kill any part of you determined on teasing him

you're both in it for the night

regulus

would be absolutely dumbstruck from the moment you enter the room and his eyes lands on you

he had been watching the door anxiously waiting for your arrival, not finding the party nearly as enjoyable as he knew he would once it was filled with your laughter

reg was already imagining a night with you and your beaming smile and perhaps crude jokes, even if they were at his expense, excitement building while waiting for you

exactly what you wanted

when i tell you this man's jaw is on the floor when he catches your figure, all that composition and self-control thrown out the window as his eyes all but ravages you

if he was holding something before he saw you, he is definitively not anymore

after a moment of astounded silence as you just smirk and take in the look on his face, i think his legs would carry him towards you without thinking

his mind only catches up with him when he is close enough to smell your perfume, almost closing his eyes at the comforting scent

"you-" he tries, but sputters over his words, mentally kicking himself – how does the poet not know how to put his feelings into words?

then again, how he feels right now is beyond even the greatest philosopher, that he is certain

"i know baby," you whisper to him before dragging him into a deep kiss

right where you are stood, in the middle of a party with both of your close friends in attendance. a situation that might have otherwise mortified him, but now he can't do anything but groan in gratitude and pull you flush against him by the small of your back

one of his hands gravitates to the nape of your neck, fingers tangling loosely in the strands of hair he finds there

you smile against his mouth at the feeling of him reverent and pliant beneath your touch

this is exactly what you envisioned when you got ready tonight

dorcas

would look you up and down from where she's sitting by the entrance and say coyly "isn't that my skirt, l/n?"

to which you'd of course reply "absolutely. i wanted to return the feeling of seeing me in it. isn't it consuming?"

dorcas is the type to lick her lips and press them together to avoid a smile, but her hungry eyes can't be suppressed

the chase is what dorcas loves the most. there will be no dragging you off to deal with you in private. she will dance around you the whole night, riling you up with her words and actions as much as you're riling her up with your outfit

"all this for me, gorgeous?"

"i will show you exactly how much i love this little outfit of yours"

a hand on your hip with her thumb hooked underneath the hem of your skirt -> not noticeable to anyone as you stand side by side, but it burns embers on your skin

leaning in close to your face with a grin to listen to you talk, eyes anywhere but on yours

leaning in close to your ear, as if she's going to whisper something to you, but instead lightly grazing it with her lips -> or even teeth, if your jewelry allows for it

nails. they're always lightly scratching you wherever she's touching you, not enough to hurt, just the perfect pressure to make you shiver. a promise

you two are never without each other the whole night, doing rounds around the party

except for when a song you two have listened to when in private comes on, and you let your hands trail out of dorcas to walk backwards onto the dance floor and sway your hips to it

you twirl around, looking at her over your shoulder through your hair

dorcas would sweat

it wouldn't take her long to join you out there though, holding your body close to hers as her hands travels all around to truly appreciate your outfit

the world melts away and all you know is just the warmth dorcas provides, the tingling through your veins from alcohol and her attention and her soft lips on yours

luckily, dorcas was ambitious and cunning as per usual, and bribed her dorm mates to sleep elsewhere tonight because that dance floor would be moved upstairs not soon thereafter

pandora

would end up flustering you more in return with how she reacted to your getup than you were able to fluster her with it

i personally often headcanon pandora as ace in some regard, but i also view her as a very observant person who loves to play around with her friends and partners in different capacities

she is amazing with patterns, and when she sees your stunning outfit that reveals more than you normally would dare at a party paired with your sly grin, she understands what game you want to play

and pandora never loses

she would come up to you and greet you sweetly, a hug and a kiss on the cheek -> just barely avoiding your lips, missing them by a mere millimeter and pulling back before you can chase for more

absolute tease

she would drown you in compliment after compliment

specific ones too, she is never one to miss a detail, especially not with you

"those earrings are new, aren't they? you've never worn them around me before, they are absolutely gorgeous. they match your eyes and brings out that lovely smile of yours."

"you noticed?" you would gulp, her own grin just too large and encompassing for your heart to handle

"i notice everything about you, bunny"

oh yes, i think she would layer it on thick with nicknames you might have otherwise grown embarrassed from, but now, paired with the look in her eyes and the tone of her voice, only flusters you more

we're talking bunny, cookie, honey, beautiful, poppet, crystal, angel, etc.

it is when she adds the my before it that you're truly done for

"you are so gorgeous in this light, my crystal. green really is your colour, i've always known"

you would be the one to grow needy throughout the night, trying to get closer and closer to her, get her hands on you in any way

pandora would just smile wider, knowing she's got you in the palm of her hand - and that means she is the luckiest girl in the room

[thisapplepielife]

Written for the @steddieholidaydrabbles pop-up Anniversary challenge.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Prompt: Anniversary | Word Count: 1000 | Rating: T | CW: Language | Tags: Future Fic, Eddie Munson Lives, Or Did He?, He Definitely Did Right?, A Glitch in the Matrix, Shifted Timelines, Parallel Universes, Sliding Doors

"What are you doing?" Eddie asks sleepily. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the familiar shape of Steve crossing along the foot of bed, heading towards the window. 

That isn't unusual. If Steve hears a siren, or a dog barking, anything, he crawls out of bed and heads to the window to look. But tonight, Eddie hadn't heard anything. 

"Huh?" Steve responds, from bed, next to Eddie.

Eddie looks again, expecting to see Steve bent over at the waist, looking out the window, but there's nothing there. Instead, Steve's in bed, and has clearly been asleep.

Eddie swallows. Maybe he was dreaming, "Sorry. I think I was dreaming," he says, hoping he can convince himself of that. He looks at the alarm clock on the nightstand, and it's just after three.

Steve chuckles, voice rough with sleep, and pulls the comforter up over his shoulder.

Eddie thinks, weird. 

But then it continues happening. 

All day, he's felt like there's someone just out of his line of sight, and that person seems a whole lot like Steve. Eddie isn't scared, per se. He's unnerved, for sure, but it feels like Steve. Not a ghost or a demon, or anything sinister. 

It's just like a second version of Steve is moving around the house, dancing along his peripheral vision, and Eddie is forced to only observe. 

It's not until later that he realizes the date: March 27th, 2006. 

It's the anniversary of his near death in the Upside Down. That can't be a coincidence. That's the day he was sure he was dying, if not already dead, and then he suddenly wasn't. The bites weren't that bad. All superficial. He barely even needed any medical attention at all.

Dustin had overreacted.

And, yeah, it felt hazy at first, but they all just blamed it on the stress and adrenaline he'd been pumped full of. Blamed it on the near death experience that wasn't actually that near death at all.

And now, he's seeing an echo, a ghost, of someone very much alive. 

There's a glitch in the matrix. 

Like when you see two people, strangers, on public transportation wearing the exact same shirt, sitting one row in front of the other. Only, Eddie's seeing Steve. A different version of Steve.

Eddie does a deep dive on the internet. Decides it's not a glitch in the matrix at all. Instead, he's pretty damn sure he's shifted timelines from the one where he died, to this new one where he didn't, and now they're bleeding together. All these years later.

Steve listens, patiently, and then kisses him on the top of the head, "Honey, I was there. You lived. I promise. 'Twas barely a scratch."

Eddie nods. 

Of course. Of course that's true. 

But he thinks maybe the other outcome was true, too.

Shadow Steve is getting more vibrant, and now Eddie can follow him around the house. Not really able to look at him straight on, but if he keeps the corner of his eye trained in his direction, he can see him for longer stretches.

He's the same, but different. 

Quieter, sadder. More alone. 

And there's no Eddie there. Eddie is 100% sure of that. 

He's gotta do something about this.

Eddie's sitting outside of Nancy's office when she comes out of the door.

"Eddie!" she says, surprised, but happy to see him. He's about to rain all over her parade.

"I'm dead. I'm in the wrong timeline," he says, and her face falls. She reaches out, and puts her hand on his forearm.

"C'mon," she says, and he gets in her car, and looks down at his hands.

"What's going on?" she finally asks.

"I'm seeing Steve, in the house," he explains, and she raises an eyebrow, and he laughs, "Not that Steve. Not my Steve. But he's there, too. He's good," he promises. Because he knows she'll worry.

"Start from the beginning," she urges, and he does. Telling her everything.

"It's just a glitch in the matrix," she assesses, and he shakes his head.

"It's not. It's too frequent. It wasn't a one and done deal. It wasn't a trick of the light, or a shadow. He's there. Just outta my sight. Like he's in a parallel universe."

"And you're sure it's Steve? Not something Upside Down-related?"

"It's Steve. I'm not scared of him. Because it's Steve."

Nancy follows him all the way back to Hawkins, then sits on the bed beside him. 

"Eddie," she says, and he shushes her. Taking her cheeks, forcing her to look in the direction he wants. It doesn't take long.

"There!" Eddie says, and Nancy gasps. 

Fuck. He was kinda hoping he was just losing his mind.

"You can see him?" he asks.

"I can see him. Barely. Out of the corner of my eye. It's definitely Steve."

Eddie sighs, "Told you. What the fuck do I do now?"

Steve can't see him. Eddie can. Nancy can. Robin can. Dustin can.

But, Steve? He just can't.

Nancy thinks it's because it is Steve. The same Steve. Just minding his own business in another timeline, that's now somehow bleeding into theirs. 

"Do you think this is lingering weirdness from the Upside Down?" Eddie asks.

"If it is, we should get El," Dustin suggests, and they all agree.

El takes one look at him, "That is Steve."

"Yes, we're aware," Eddie says, "how do we merge the two?"

"You cannot."

"Can we at least close the damn curtains?" Eddie doesn't want to keep seeing this Steve.

El thinks about that, "Maybe."

She forces Steve to hold her hands, and while reluctant, he's willing. For Eddie.

It's quiet, then Steve says, "Oh, whoa. That's me." Then, "Tingly."

And Shadow Steve fades away. Disappearing, like he'd never been there.

"Is he okay?" Eddie asks. He doesn't want any version of Steve to disappear. 

"Yes. Now you cannot see him. Not gone, just invisible again."

"Out of sight, out of mind?" Eddie asks. 

She nods, "Exactly."

If you want to write your own, or see more entries for this challenge, pop on over to @steddieholidaydrabbles and follow along with the fun!

[dyeher]

You should have known this would be boring.

The dress is affectionately (according to your husband) named after you. Elegant but simple and something you’d definitely consider an ‘easy access’ dress with a slit that runs the entire length of your left leg and up to your hip.

You couldn’t wear panties with this dress, and the longer Mitsuya parades you through the dimly lit ballroom and introduces you to his designer friends the more aware you become of the fact that you’re not wearing them. You’re his model tonight. Wearing one of his originals and charming the professionally styled toupees off rich, old bastards.

“I’ll give you anything you want if you do this for me.”

Famous last words.

As it stands the dress does provide easy access. And when you tug Mitsuya into one of the private bathrooms and tell him exactly what you want you don't know which one of you is more thankful for his design.

“Shit,” Mitsuya hisses. He’s trying to go slow, trying to be gentle so the sound of your fucking doesn’t echo in the spacious room. But you’re determined to unravel his control. The heel of your shoe digs into the exposed skin of his ass as you try to draw him closer with your legs.

“Fuck me properly,” you whine. “Need it—please I—”

He cuts you off with a large palm to your mouth. “You’ll take what I give you,” he pants. His suit jacket is sprayed across the marble countertops and Mitsuya has caught the bottom of his dress shirt in between his teeth. The unobstructed view of his cock as it disappears into your tight little pussy leaves him a little delirious.

You try to say something against his hand and Mitsuya gives you a short glare. He thought you’d at least wait until you were home before throwing yourself at him but he can’t exactly blame you when he hadn’t stopped you.

And the way you’d whispered what you wanted in his ear. ‘A baby’ as though it were an expensive handbag that he could simply buy. As though it were something so easily attainable there needn’t be any preamble about it. Flattered by your confidence in his ability to pull through he’d let you drag him—stunned as he was and almost gaping at your satisfied grin—through the crowd and to the second floor where no one would disturb you and proceeded to beg him.

And Mitsuya is a weak man in general. But made even weaker by your nervous fidgeting and doe eyes he’d simply hoisted you onto the counter and proceeded to fuck you. Proceeded to give you exactly what you want. Egged on by your throaty ‘thank yous’ and breathless ‘wanna make you a daddys’ he’d barely restrained himself from hauling you out of the building and taking you home.

And now as he cums for the second time, he takes a shaky steadying breath, preparing himself to pull out and convince you to get back to the party. But the obscene squelch as his cock pulls free and some of his cum dribbles out of your pussy has you both groaning. The sight is enough to have his spent cock twitching.

One more, Mitsuya tells himself. Just one more time and then you’ll return.

@audrinui mwah!

[statementlou]

https://www.tumblr.com/louisupdates/754934426217152513/goodbye-faith-in-the-future-world-tour-272024?source=share

did he or did he not lose fans then?

I will answer this because this anon actually brings a concrete question to the table rather than just "hurhur but you're a larrie??" (tell me you can't actually refute any of our points…). Anyway this post shows the decrease in Louis instagram followers between the screenshots taken directly after the release of Faith in the Future in Nov '22, when he changed his bio to promote that album and the tour tickets, and now, when he changed it again to mention the current release. But I'm putting that response under a cut because I'm tired of the actual POINT of all this nonsense getting lost in a sea of made up things people insist are important:

There is no rational argument you can make to say that Louis has less fans now than he did 2, 4, or 6 years ago. You don't need a spreadsheet of details you need to USE YOUR EYES! He has gone from filling theaters to filling arenas and stadiums. His second album made a higher chart position than his first album. His festival has doubled in size EVERY year of its existence. And for that matter: his insta post engagement numbers remain about the same (despite the fact that older posts should have way MORE likes due to having been there longer, even aside from follower counts.) SO WHO FUCKING CARES ABOUT HIS INSTA FOLLOWER NUMBER???? Serious question: what does the word "fans" mean if these things aren't what matters? ALL of this quibbling about what he should do to make things better and people can't even see that THINGS AREN'T BAD.

Anyway to address the specific question- (con't......)

NO- HE DID NOT LOSE FANS. HE LOST SOME INSTA FOLLOWERS. THESE ARE NOT THE SAME THING. As I said above, literally what does it mean to lose fans if that number change coincides with him having higher sales, more audience members, and higher engagement than ever before? Whatever he lost ISN'T FANS. I wouldn't be surprised if a significant factor was something like a bot purge, but also yes: I'm sure a lot of casuals followed him around the time of his big album release and later unfollowed him. That's extremely normal because that's how casual engagement works, and why the definition of fan really matters. Louis and his team understand this and have referenced it repeatedly, talking about how lucky he is to have *us* specifically, to have the kind of dedicated fanbase he has, to have the KIND of fans he does who will allow him to do what HE wants. @dogsliampaynedoesntinstagram named the issue of depth vs breadth with regard to fans a long time ago, and pointed out why having DEPTH is so much more important. It's like this- artists who are on top 40 radio have more numbers on things like insta follows, and for a time on sales and tickets. But those aren't FANS- they're people with a casual interest. And as soon as that person isn't being forced in their ears 10x a day, those people lose interest and stop supporting them, stop buying stuff and unfollow, and those artists end up doing the 'opener on the jingle ball' circuit rather than their own tours. One Direction as a whole, and Louis maybe most of all or near to at this point, have something MUCH MORE VALUABLE than that- DEPTH FANS. Louis has fans who will support him even if he takes years to release music, or stops parading around with a pretend girlfriend to stay in the headlines at least once a month, or completely changes his image and genre, and that is UNHEARD OF. It's ASTONISHING and worth SO MUCH MORE. And they get that! THAT is why he always bragging about us, why industry people he works with are always so agog about us, why he will do anything for US- not for randos. He is also growing his breadth- and it's OBVIOUSLY WORKING whatever his follower counts are, but that is always going to be secondary to doing things for THE FANDOM because that is his sustainable business model. That is what keeps him onstage and reaching number one. And not coincidentally, the things they do are also working to grow that- much more valuable- commodity. So the fact that that's exactly what these chuckleheads complain about- that he does things that are just fandom facing or serving rather than everything being aimed at recruiting casual fans- does nothing but betray how completely they, unlike Louis and his team, misunderstand the actual drivers of his (actual, existing, happening) success. Luckily for Louis, he and his team rely on their own data harvesting (they do a LOT of it) and growth metrics (they're off the charts) rather than the smug assumptions of random (mostly quite new to this) fans and the few bitter people leading the complaining about everything Louis does.

[wonwhilebeingyoung]

Kyoto Jujutsu High School Headcanons based on the interview with Gege Akutami:

Potential traitors and their reasons to side with Kenjaku (Putting aside Mechamaru, obviously… and thee Aoi Todo, gege said himself he will never do it, respect my man Todo!)

TW: MAJOR SPOILERS FOR ANIME ONLYs, don’t read this if you don’t wanna get spoiled ‼️

LIKELY TO BECOME THE SPY/TRAITOR

NORITOSHI KAMO

Reason: Wants to be the head of the clan and get his mother to live with him so he can protect her and give her an easy life.

- I feel like he’s easy to manipulate if he hadn’t had that talk with Itadori during the baseball game. Kenjaku might make a deal about killing Noritoshi’s biological father and make him the head of the clan in a faster way. I think, he will have some second thoughts about it because his classmates/friends will be involved in the scheme but he will push those feelings for them aside and prioritize his mother. But soon, he’ll probably regret it (not his father getting killed, cause he does not gaf, but betraying his friends) when he found out his mom has another family and home where she’s happy at and doesn’t need his protection after all.

KASUMI MIWA

Reason: Lives a poor life and has two younger brothers to sustain.

- It’s gonna be hard cause Miwa my girl is too sweet and kind but… like Noritoshi, Miwa is also easy to manipulate, but will have some second thoughts… although she will hold it for longer time but i feel like she’ll finally do it out of desperation to sustain her family when she can’t rise up the ranks as a jujutsu sorcerer. I feel like her breaking point would involve about her younger brothers getting mistreated for being poor (based in the jujutsu phantom parade). The deal with kenny would come off as… get her into a high ranking position as a jujutsu sorcerer or just give her loads of cash, but yes maybe she’ll regret later on for betraying her friends.

MAI ZENIN

Reason(s): Forced to become a Jujutsu Sorcerer by her own sister & probably(?) will try to persuade her sister into quitting in jujutsu sorcery.

- I have a vision Mai has the strong potential to be a traitor because well, she was literally forced into a life she didn’t want. She was abandoned by her sister, broke the promise and not only that, she was pressured by her family that she needs to be better than Maki. I feel like she’ll side with him out of anger and pettiness towards Maki and it’ll happen if Kenny ever met Mai before she enrolled to Kyoto Jujutsu High. I know for a fact Mai didn’t deeply hate Maki, but she just felt betrayed by her cause of the broken promise. Mai still loves her sister obviously, she’s just too prideful to show it, so she acts strong into letting Maki think that she’s fine without her. Also, don’t forget, not only Maki wanted to become a sorcerer to prove her family wrong and spite them, she did it to give Mai a home where she can feel safe. What if Mai does this in reverse where she will be the one whose gonna protect Maki and make her quit into becoming a Jujutsu sorcerer, but then again, knowing half of Maki’s goal which is to become strong and spite her fam, it will likely cause conflict cause not only Mai is a spy for a curse user, Maki is gonna feel like she’s being brought down by Mai and she’s going to hate herself for making her sister go to the wrong path.

MOMO NISHIMIYA

Reason: Will do it for Mai.

- I haven’t thought about it throughly what will be Momo’s reason… but i think she will do it for Mai cause she definitely cares for her, she literally knows how Mai was mistreated by her own family and how much it affected Mai for being abandoned by her own sister. Based on the second light novel, Momo really dedicated her role as a senior and friend to her juniors. So, i think she will do it for the sake of Mai’s happiness and comfort.

YOSHINOBU GAKUGANJI

Reason(s): Eliminate Yuuji Itadori and Satoru Gojo.

- This man’s face and motives says it all. Stuck up traditionalist (yep) but had some redemption later on during Gojo vs Sukuna sure. But if it was before that, his reasons with siding with kenny is to kill Sukuna’s Vessel and Gojo Satoru. For Gojo, the old fart probably thought that Kenny in Geto’s body is still the real Geto out for revenge against Gojo (that old btch doesn’t know Geto and Gojo’s relationship i fear). He might think they’re on the same side to bring Gojo down but Kenny’s too smart not to fuck up against thee GOJO SATORU, cause that’s gonna be sukuna’s job. Of course, it’ll also be hard for Kenny cause that wasn’t part of HIS plan… he’ll probably find some way to debunk killing his son and Sukuna :3 this sounds messy but it the only reasons i could think of for this old fart.

MEI MEI

Reason: … Money, Duh.

- I put Mei Mei here cause i think she sometimes teaches in Kyoto hence her close ally with Todo or just promotes the sorcerers in general. Mei Mei is a freelance sorcerer, so no zero doubts she will do it for the cash *kaching* 💰 kenny will just pay a higher amount than Gojo and that’s it. Besides, i think she has the greatest asset to be spy, her Cursed technique duh, so yeah most likely she will do it.

UNLIKELY TO BECOME THE SPY/TRAITOR

UTAHIME IORI

Reason: I have no idea.

- YALL!! I’m sorry, I literally cannot see this woman becoming a traitor tbh, she respects herself too much and has high morals. What y’all think Gojo trusted her more than Mei Mei in finding the traitor when he could just bribe Mei Mei into doing it (i don’t ship gojohime im sorry, Utahime’s too good for him… she deserves someone better *shoko).

ARATA NITTA

Reason: I also have no idea.

- If y’all don’t remember him, he’s the blonde first year who thought Todo and Yuuji are actually related, the one who accompanied Todo to save Yuuji from Mahito, the one who got Nobara’s corpse and said to Yuuji it cannot be guaranteed that he’ll effectively heal Nobara (… ha ha, Gege when i catch you Gege). I’m sorry but this dude was introduced so late and we don’t have enough info of him? He’s just a healer who’s willing to help and has the personality and design of a butler. So yeah, idk.

Note: This sounds so messy and might be ooc to other’s point if view, but i got so shocked when Gege addded that information— so, it’s just my insights and headcanons.. i’m sorry ‼️ also, yes kenny is kenjaku’s nickname tee-hee :3

[okikeu]

BIJOUX

SIX. betrayal of the banana

written — 960 words

warning: mentions of drowning

There were two things that Heeseung's friends made fun of him for more than anything else:

1. He was a band kid in high school.

2. He couldn't swim.

The latter was one he had been able to hide for nearly 17 years—if not for Jake and his stupid Sweet Sixteen at the beach, he'd probably still be parading around as a fraud. Sure, he'd always tried to learn, but his legs never moved in tandem with his arms, and within 45 seconds, water would be filling up his lungs.

Yet, Heeseung still found himself at the lake ten minutes down the road from his, Jungwon, and Riki's shared apartment nearly every day. Especially on days like this one, where his heart was weighed down with longing for the one thing he couldn't have:

Bananas.

His local gas station never ran out—never! It was like they always restocked right when Heeseung locked his door on his way out, as if the anticipation in his chest could be heard beating a mile away.

So, without his primary source of happiness, Heeseung returned to his hideaway.

Jake was blowing up his phone that sat abandoned on the rock next to him. The vibrations shook his leg every minute or so, but the orphic view made up for it.

The faint buzz of odd insects littered the grass beneath him, accompanied by birds of all kinds conversing above. Heeseung's attention settled on the soft swoosh of the water, where frogs hopped across lily pads and leaves fell from branches to be whisked away by the relaxed current.

It was beautiful. It was his very own sanctuary, away from all worldly disturbances—

"Stupid fucking brand deal!"

Or not.

Heeseung whipped his head around at the noise, his focus quickly settling on a woman stumbling into the clearing.

She adorned a fancy, businesslike suit that Heeseung had only ever seen on social media, and was very clearly not made for trips to a lake.

Though he felt bad for staring, he couldn't tear his eyes away from the woman as she ripped off her blazer and threw it somewhere off to the side to be swallowed by the tall grass. As soon as her arms were free, she bent down and grabbed the largest rock in her vicinity, chucking it into the water a second later.

"I hate you Shin Yuna!" She screamed into the vast nothingness behind the glorified pond, her hands cupped around her mouth. "Well, maybe not you but definitely your company!"

The woman picked up another rock to abuse the water surface as another message from Jake came through, this one tipping Heeseung off of the edge and involuntarily forcing him to reply (i.e., shut Jake up).

Easy-to-ignore splashes rippled through the air as Heeseung typed away. As his friend grew more and more desperate for his return, Heeseung decided to leave his haven to this mystery woman and head over to Jake and Sunghoon's place.

Sliding his phone into his pocket, Heeseung jumped off the boulder he was resting on. He wanted to sneak past the woman to allow her the same peace he had, but fell short when the woman was no longer there at all.

Heeseung shrugged, continuing on his way. The path of rocks clicked together beneath his soles, and as loud as they were, they still couldn't mask the cacophony emerging from the water behind him.

He hooked his chin over his shoulder just in time to see the sun catch on the woman's bracelet before her arm fell below the water.

Before her arm fell below the water...

Oh, shit, she was drowning.

There were many things Heeseung was prepared for in life; Witnessing someone drown and the gas station running out of bananas were not on that list.

But he couldn't exactly...leave.

Placing his phone on the ground, Heeseung ran into the lake, silently praying that this woman was comically short and was drowning in water that barely reached his waist.

She was not.

Soon enough, Heeseung's feet no longer touched the dirt ground below. He kicked and kicked, his hands doing nothing but trying to reach out to her, until his breath was locked behind a paywall and his calves burned against the freezing lake.

A piece of sunlight cut through the surface of the water, illuminating each individual jewel on her bracelet, one that looked strangely similar to the one Jungwon had claimed from his gym floor.

What mattered more than the diamonds and distant familiarity, however, was the fact that it was clasped so tightly between her fingers. With what Heeseung assumed was the last push he had in him, he clawed his hand through both of their struggling splashes and hooked his knuckles around the jewellery.

He tugged it closer and closer until the woman was under his arm, and before he could drown too, Heeseung found his footing beneath them and pulled them back to the rough shore.

He dropped her immediately, landing on his hands and knees as he coughed out all of the intrusive water taking up space in his throat.

The woman did the same beside him, rolling over as oxygen reclaimed its rightful place in her lungs.

When she fell onto her back once again, Heeseung sat up, ready to put on his best saviour face—

"Fuck you."

"Excuse me?"

But before he could condemn her audacity, her eyes snapped shut and her head lulled to the side.

A name tag was somehow still fully clipped to her belt, so Heeseung flipped it over to at least know the name of the woman he'd—regretfully—saved.

At the bottom of the pink-bordered, laminated employee ID was the printed name: L/N Y/N.

masterlist | prev | next

SYNOPSIS. The fashion industry is difficult, so when the CEO of Korea's finest, luxury fashion brand, Le Désir, loses the most important ambassador of her career, her life is pretty much over. That is, until she finds a face that makes her previous fumble look like a simple marketing scheme.

taglist! @heeheesang

[mirrorsmoonlight]

☆ ~ meet me on the beach

pairing: coral x district 12!reader summary: daydreaming always brought the possibilities of what you could’ve been. warnings: fem!reader, second person, reader kinda takes lucy gray’s place, jessup and reader friendship, mix of things from the movies and books, not much romance but a little bit a/n: yes guys i’m a coralbaird shipper

when she’d first confronted you in the cattle truck after her and the others had an unwelcoming encounter with your mentor you’d felt an overwhelming desire for her.

it might’ve been your desire for something that’ll keep you from spiraling into the deep dark hole you were in or it could’ve been that you felt it was unfair that such a beautiful tribute would be one you would have to be against soon.

even when she was threatening to kill your mentor you didn’t once interrupt her, obsessed with the bloodthirsty smirk held on her face and the crackling of her knuckles. the only thing that ended up interrupting your adoring gaze was the back of the truck shaking, a chute unceremoniously dumping all of you onto the ground of the monkey enclosure.

-

you had stayed closer to jessup through the hot days and the cold nights, cuddling up together for some sort comfort. even when the brandy girl died and you and the others were heavily chained it didn’t stop you. it also didn’t stop you from taking glances at the captivating redhead that strayed even closer to her district partner.

but the days were growing longer and your bodies weaker; despite your mentor - coriolanus - bringing you food whenever he could. yet whenever you slipped away and deeply thought about it, even though on the surface his intentions seemed genuine, deep down you felt that he was doing this to gain an advantage - for what, you didn’t know.

however, the only capitol citizen that had caught your attention was the muscular but otherwise kind looking boy that had brung a huge bag of sandwiches (meatloaf if you remembered correctly) and plums. you could sense that he was seemingly different than coriolanus, never outwardly bringing the attention of the crowd and broadcasters to show that he was being a good person. only doing it because he wanted to.

you honestly wouldn’t have minded being his tribute rather than coriolanus’.

-

the only way you were coping was by daydreaming. your imagination ran wild with the thought of escaping with the other tributes, with coral. maybe up north, you could find a place and learn to live with what you had together - connecting in a way that you’d wouldn’t have been able to because of the separation of the district borders and the threat looming over all of your heads.

but you knew that wasn’t plausible after seeing the district 10 girl hanging from the crane while you were paraded in a cage during the capitol girl’s funeral. it wasn’t plausible when you heard the bullet shells clang against the arena floor as districts 1 and district 2’s tributes got gunned down after running. it wasn’t plausible because no matter how hard you hoped, you couldn’t develop any more of a platonic or romantic interest in the others because in a few days your hands could be tainted with their blood.

but that logic definitely didn’t stop your heart from beating a little faster when you felt her eyes on you, even when her gaze was predatory. or the blush that would take over your cheeks when she came a bit closer to you than she should’ve - even if she was just passing to grasp one of the offers from the crowd. and it definitely didn’t stop jessup from noticing, your shy smile more than enough of a hint of what you could possibly feel towards her.

“did you really have to lay your feelings for the district 4 girl,” he whispered softly towards you, ignoring your objecting nod, “don’t give me that bullshit, this bite may be deluding my senses but i’m not stupid.”

you fidgeted with your fingers, “i know, with the situation we’re in it’s probably not the best idea to get all love sick. and i know that i just..i don’t know? i can’t stop myself from wanting her, jess.”

he nodded in understanding, “i’m not saying you can’t go for it but..sooner or later one - or both - of you would end up dead.” there was a pause as he considered how to lay down the next words, “plus, she seems very determined to win so i don’t even think she would be open to your feelings..”

your face fell but you knew jessup was right, “yeah, i know. but thank you, for worrying about me. i’m happy that i was stuck with someone as kind as you in this horrible circumstance.”

he laughed with whatever energy his body had left, “yeah but it would be funny if you two did get together. you’d be some sort of star crossed lovers.” a smile appeared on your face as you leaned your head on his shoulder.

although, never knowing that despite your careful whispering, hidden in the dark was the short haired redhead who was shocked at your revelation. if not also a bit smug.

-

the day had finally come, a multitude of dread, fear, and nervousness radiated off of all of you as you were placed on the red markers; just minutes away from the gong ringing. weapons lined up on the cornucopia waiting to be stained with blood.

you knew your plan, despite your mentor’s advice you’d planned to grab one of the weapons before leading jessup to the tunnels. anticipation weighing heavy on your chest as you waited for the gong. and as soon as it sounded you ran as fast as you could into the bloodbath.

initially you dodged most of the others that came for you, only getting a bit knicked before quickly swiping a fair sized combat knife quickly tucking it away before searching for jessup.

once you found him you quickly escaped into the tunnels, running from whoever decided to target you two. the doors were locked but you were able to escape through the small opening at the bottom, just seconds before an axe came down on where your foot rested just moments before. gasping in relief as you heard the displeased banging on the other side.

“hey lumberjack, get in there and get her out,” her voice echoed through the tunnels. “i’m not sticking my head in there, she could be waiting with a brick.”

she scoffed, you could tell she was already impatient with them, “you’re useless.” the tunnel went quiet, and as time stretched on you assumed they were either leaving to hunt some other unfortunate soul or camping outside the door to ambush you once you got out.

averting your attention you gently patted your shoulder, allowing jessup to lean on you after noticing the prominent dark eye bags resting on his face. trying to ignore the adrenaline that felt too good, spiraling through your chest.

-

you didn’t remember falling asleep, and you almost cursed yourself for doing something so stupid until you realized you were temporarily protected by the door closing you in. there was a stir against your shoulder, alerting you that jessup must’ve woken up too.

he definitely looked dehydrated; fatigue shown on his face pairing with what you could remember the occasional twitching coming from him. so hoping to relinquish that, you gently cupped some water from the nearby source, holding it up to his face. barely making it to his chapped lips since he hurriedly slapped your hand down, leaving you a bit confused and scared.

“jessup?” you looked towards him, only to see his dark eyes staring at you. “what’d you do to it?”

you backed away from his intimidating stature, fear coursing to your veins - knowing if he did turn on you, you could either run or use the sharpened knife you held in your boot. “i didn’t do anything!”

sensing how this was going to escalate you dived down to the opening you had gotten through the day prior. not wasting any time in escaping the tunnels as - what you now realized - a rabid jessup hastily chased after you.

you had climbed up one of the elevated pieces of debris, knowing - hopefully - in his haste he’d probably loose his balance. but eventually there wasn’t anywhere else you could escape to.

yet it seemed like you had some outside help, the objects flying overheard now proving of that. another obstacle that jessup would have to face to get to you.

as it booked straight towards him the unreliable drones had broken the bottles open, the water splashing from the impact, making jessup react horribly. not even realizing the tilting of his feet until he’d fell smack down onto a piece of rubble.

you quickly looked down in both shock and horror. and for a moment as you watched you could see jessup’s body release all the energy he had before, it slipping away like the white foam trailing down his chin.

you carefully got down to where he was resting, scared but you knew he couldn’t hurt you anymore. his slow blinking and shallow breaths were the only sign of him being alive, although you knew he was slipping away fast.

“it’s okay jess, you can rest,” your shaky hand gripping onto his, wanting him to at least know he wasn’t going to be alone in his last moments, “how can you dream if you don’t sleep?”

his hand gave a brief squeeze in recognition since his mouth couldn’t do the job for him, him tilting his head to get a better view of you even if it was just for a second.

silence rang as you watched him take his last breaths, shakily sighing before closing his eyes. you pulled out a piece of ripped clothing you stored in your pocket, taking it to the puddle of water to soak it before cleaning his face; wanting him to atleast have one last piece of kindness.

only seconds after would your world spin, a certain redhead ready for your blood.

-

she’d decided that using your momentary vulnerability would be the best to get rid of you, not to mention after hearing your little confession to your district partner she knew you’d (most likely) wouldn’t be willing to hurt her. but underestimating always brought a person down.

you heard them before you saw them. you tucked the makeshift cloth under jessup’s hand before pulling out your combat knife. yet no matter how fast you ran there was always one to stop you in your place; the little one mizzen, the cowboy from 10 and the lumberjack from 7. not to mention the dangerous woman wielding a trident being the most eager.

luckily your speed and the aftermath of the drones crashing against their bodies buyed you enough time to escape. hoping that this would be the last time you’d encounter them like this.

-

you could sense her following you as climbed up the rubble, wanting to get as far away from the winding bodies of the holographic snakes that were out for blood. you only had gotten a safe distance away before she collapsed at your feet, the snakes wrapping around her arms and neck as they sunk their venomous teeth into her skin. a betrayed look on her face. “it’s not fair, it’s not…i couldn’t have killed them all for nothing.”

the feelings you felt so strongly when you first saw her returned. the ultimate defeat you and her both felt in the moment left you with clarity. so you tried your best to grip onto her hands, pulling her up so she rested on you.

even as more snakes came for her you tried to fight them off, pulling at them but stopping when you heard the pathetic whimpers leave her lips; the strong front she held till now disappeared.

“i’m sorry for what i did,” her voice was weak but she fought her hardest to get it out, “for hunting you.”

your eyes crinkled as you listened to her. “i’m sorry that we had such little time with one another and that we never got to experience more together.”

she fought against the venom as she pulled up her head from your chest, “i’m sorry that we couldn’t have gotten together like we both wanted.”

you gently pulled her head so it rested back on your chest, lips skimming across her forehead since it’s the last opportunity to do so. “we can still be together if you just promise to wait for me.” her eyes slipped closed as you whispered the last words, “just wait for me on the beach.”

and as coriolanus watched the other side of the screen, an astounding buzz rang through the room, your profile being the only one that was standing.

-

a/n: the snakes didn’t attack reader cause y’know snow cheated and made sure she’d win :3 (sorry this was so late. i appreciate everyone’s patience!)

[mdhwrites]

Considering you've criticized Owl House for trying to give Amity and Hunter abusive homelives for explaining their antagonistic behaviors initially and praise Amphibia for not trying to give Sasha having bad parents for her behavior, what do you think of how Zuko's redemption on Avatar the Last Airbender? Considering they also do the redeemed person had a terrible homelife with him having an abusive father in Ozai, what did you think of how they did Zuko?

Zuko is AMAZING. The big difference between TOH and Avatar with this arc is easy too: Avatar doesn't use it as an excuse and they don't brush it off. It's merely where everything began for Zuko and changing from that point is HARD.

Zuko always had a choice. He could always give up the quest for the Avatar and live a peaceful life. Even Iroh is pushing this from literally episode 1. It is Zuko's choice to chase the concept of honor that his father and his culture pushed on him. We feel that scar on his face by his determination. We feel the priorities of the fire nation by him constantly trying to prove himself. By trying to go alone to prove he's strong or do what he thinks will bring him honor.

It takes an ENTIRE BOOK for Zuko to start even questioning this stuff. We understand the weight of his decision to cut his hair and try to just live peacefully with Iroh because we saw the struggle he had to even consider giving up the warpath. It's not even easy for him then as he still wants to resort to the old ways and constantly has it reinforced what those old ways cost. The fear it put in people. The pain his culture has brought. It constantly reinforces the question that Zuko eventually has to answer: Is the Fire Nation's definition, and by extension his father's, of honor actually honorable? Is it the definition he wants to live by.

And then arguably we get the most important part of his arc... His 'victory'. He gets that parade back home. He gets everything he has wanted for so long. The only price he has to pay is that he will never have any other definition of honor than the Fire Nation's. And that is no longer a definition he desires and so despite having love, family, stability, etc. like that, he leaves to do good, even if he himself knows that it will be hard because he is so trained and used to being bad.

The length, dedication, questioning and cost of his arc are all deeply compelling. The show doesn't hold back on the fact that he was genuinely a member of the fire nation and what that meant.

Besides their first appearances... When do Amity or Hunter feel like a product of the Isles or their parents? Amity admittedly gets ONE more with Covention but that's it. Both of them very, VERY quickly give up on even the concept of being villains (Hunter at the START of his second major appearance, before anything has coerced him to think otherwise, is already rebelling against Belos teaching by looking into wild magic) and what is the price and actual arc of turning good for them? How difficult is it for them to actually get away from the lessons instilled upon them?

I already mentioned Hunter but Amity first brings up her parents in Understanding Willow where she talks about them controlling her friends and the like... And then immediately embraces Willow back into her fold as if her parents won't care. Two episodes later, she will destroy her ENTIRE friend group that her parents put onto her. Then, her NEXT APPEARANCE after that has her parents make their first proper appearance and... Then Amity, in an episode she's barely in, rejects them outright because Luz is pretty. It's not that she condemns their morals, how they look upon life, etc. like that. It's just "Hey, I'm being selfish too because I want my own friends." Which with how she entirely ignores actually trying to reconnect with Willow for half a season comes across much more like it's purely because Luz was going to die. Either Gus or Willow and she wouldn't give a damn. She'd get to console Luz then! Because Luz is all it took for Amity to change, it came easily, and it's all she cares about afterwards.

She NEVER loses it like Zuko does during the first part of Avatar's finale because Zuko actually cares about something. He is going to push back on them because he didn't change for Aang or Katara, he changed for himself. He is still the same person with that diehard fire in him that isn't gone just because he's a good guy now.

Hunter has a lot similar complaints but with much more of the severe need to address his moral issues. After all... How many witches did Hunter murder as the Golden Guard? Or led to their execution? It makes Amity's active choice to bully Willow for YEARS when she didn't need to seem almost quaint but both facts are swept under the rug just as easily. It's why one could claim the Golden Guard is not the same character as Hunter because they both require severely contexts to FUNCTION.

But we cannot do that. Hunter did take away people's rights. He did hunt them down. He was a member of the Emperor's Coven. He held its beliefs as fact... And we never see them question those beliefs. The closest is Hollow Mind where he spends the entire time telling Luz she's wrong, even as facts are presented in his face until proof that Belos will kill him is presented to him. At which point, the decision isn't "I don't believe in your ideals and regime, I'm going to rebel" like Zuko's but instead "Oh fuck, I'm going to DIE if I don't turn good." In fact, it's the opposite case for Zuko because the boy was effectively guaranteed to live a cushy life if he DIDN'T turn good.

And so once again, we have another turn to good that happens too easily, too quickly and mostly selfishly AT BEST. Even when Hunter fights of Belos' possession, it's all about how it's nice to have friends and have fun rather than, you know, it being wrong to persecute an entire class of people just because you don't like them. In neither case do the characters act like they've actually changed or learned anything. They were just flipped to good and that's that.

I also might not be so butthurt about it if not for the amount of TIME this stuff takes and how TOH itself takes itself so seriously so often. It obviously wants to have these arcs be a good deal and is willing to spend an exorbitant amount of time on them, to the point where they start causing Luz to not have time to spend with characters like King or Eda, and yet they're also not exploring anything. They're not saying anything. It's just... There. On the most shallow level.

So yeah, if I haven't made it clear: I don't dislike the trope of bad parents leading to bad children who are eventually redeemed (in general, I think there are VERY few tropes that are inherently bad). There's a lot that can be done with it and it is a good explanation for how a young person can be so angry. You just, you know, actually have to do something with it instead of using only the surface level elements and expecting to be rewarded for it. Worse yet if you try to pretend that it took literally agency from the character when they clearly weren't actually that indoctrinated to have a lack of free will or so much fear as to not consider any other option.

And no, I don't blame the shortening. By Eclipse Lake for Hunter, and WELL before S1 even finished for Amity, both characters were obviously already 80% of the way to good people, if not already there for Amity. The show just had no patience and no willingness to explore its own concept and that ALWAYS sucks. It's the worst part of the writing for My Adventures With Superman too. *sigh*

So yeah, don't scapegoat, actually explore your concepts and don't erase your characters during their redemptions. Then maybe you can try to claim to have a character as good as Zuko.

======+++++======

Grain of salt here: Some of this is second hand because honestly, a rewatch of Avatar doesn't sound like a bad idea. It's been a while to put it mildly BUT just the structure of Zuko's arc is infinitely better than how most people do redemption arcs honestly so I think the thoughts still stand despite that.

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

And finally a Twitter you can follow too!

[odessa-castle]

For the 500 words thing, apologies if it's longer than 500, feel free to cut off wherever

At last, Ravengard raises his arm. Astarion turns to the side out of reflex, shielding his face with his hand. All these years, Cazador sneers in his head, and still you cannot muzzle that mouth of yours. Must I do it for you?

Ravengard doesn’t strike him. He brings his hand nearer to Astarion’s face, the tips of his fingers an inch away from one of Astarion’s stray curls. “Perhaps I have been foolish,” he says. The heat is back in his voice, but it’s contained, simmering below the surface. “I was too quick to assign fault to Wyll himself for his conduct. But the source of this sickness – this madness – comes not from within him, but within you.”

Dread curls in Astarion’s gut.

“I should have known from the moment you were paraded in front of me,” Ravengard continues. His hateful eyes rake up and down Astarion’s body. “Yours is a dangerous beauty.”

A familiar, flat buzz builds in Astarion’s ears. He remembers that Ravengard had – not seemed immune to Astarion’s particular appeal, that night. The thought produced no sickening lurch in him then. Well, nothing beyond the usual, at least. It does now. Each passing second crawls across his skin. He feels himself begin to step halfway out of his body.

Ravengard’s fingers brush that loose curl of hair now, toying with it. “I can see how Wyll might have been…so taken in.”

Astarion slaps Ravengard’s hand away before his mind catches up with him. He – gods. He’s not permitted to refuse this. Not under any circumstances. Cazador would flay him open for it. For all he knows, Ravengard might do the same. He searches, desperately, for some trace of Wyll in his father, the smallest scrap of that man he’s come to – to admire. To –

“Whatever you’re thinking, whatever you’re imagining right now –” he begins. He stops. Swallows. “It would be rape. No amount of coin could change that.”

And at that, Ravengard retreats. He inhales sharply, shaking his head as though to clear it. “No, I – no.” He props his clenched fist on the table, refuses to meet Astarion’s gaze. “I would not do such a thing.”

Astarion doesn’t know which of them he’s trying to convince. He’s not inclined to salve Ravengard’s conscience, either way. He affects an air of aloof dignity, studying his nails, but can’t fully ignore the tremors in his hand.

Oh boy. This is arguably Ulder’s lowest moment in NLTS thus far — “arguably” because, well, that whole thing where he banishes Wyll, but there were principles behind his decision there. Not the right ones, and despite what he might have been telling himself, not the only and/or most merciful choice he could make under the circumstances! But Ulder’s treatment of Astarion here is pretty skin-crawling! Yes, Ulder backs off once Astarion makes it clear that he doesn't consent, but it says a lot about how Ulder views Astarion that Ulder...assumes Astarion's body is for sale under these circumstances. This isn't the most violent objectification Astarion experiences over the course of NLTS (that would be Chapter 14), but it's still violating.

I spent a while thinking about whether I wanted the scene between Ulder and Astarion to take this particular turn, because while NLTS doesn't paint the most flattering picture of Ulder, I've never wanted him to come across as beyond any hope of redemption in the way that, say, Cazador is. Ulder is abusing his power here in a way he doesn't recognize until it's pointed out to him, because well, a lot of men in power (and I will say men here specifically because irl this behavior is very much a Patriarchy Thing, and the dynamics of masculinity are a significant part of NLTS) don’t question the social rules that prop them up in the first place.

And Ulder is definitely trying to put Astarion in his place here. A prostitute doesn’t get to weigh in on how a duke treats his heir, or how a father treats his son. Astarion is, at the end of the day, a thing to be bought and sold, and Ulder is concerned that Wyll doesn’t recognize this obvious truth.

To Ulder’s (perhaps limited) credit, he’s genuinely ashamed of his behavior here, and ultimately takes Astarion’s point to heart that he’s grown distant from his son — the same way his own father grew distant from him. But as a lot of people pointed out, “I would not do such a thing” is a lot more about Ulder's self-image than it is about Astarion's personhood. This commenter summed up the scene so well:

It’s giving Promising Young Woman. It’s giving a man whose image of himself is more important than whether he does fucking anything to be like that image. It’s giving “if you needed someone to fucking spell it out for you, you absolutely fucking WOULD have done such a thing.”

And yeah -- if Astarion hadn't spoken up (and he was taking a huge gamble by even doing so in the first place), Ulder likely wouldn't have stopped. And it's real fucked up that preventing his own rape ends up falling on Astarion's shoulders here. I think this is also the first time in NLTS that Astarion directly acknowledges, either to himself or others, that what happens to him on a regular basis is, in fact, rape. He's just that used to not even thinking about his own capacity to consent, or that his consent is a thing that matters and needs to be asked for. In a way, the fact that Astarion says no to Ulder here makes it all the more meaningful that he says yes to Wyll later in the chapter; he is, in that moment, genuinely declaring what he wants.

A fair number of folks said that this scene had them worried, and well, that's what I was going for. The threat to Astarion is real here, and it's not quite the same experience of threat that he constantly lives under with Cazador. Cazador is a flagrantly immoral sadist. Ulder thinks that everything he's doing here is morally justifiable, until Astarion tells him as bluntly as possible that it isn't. There's a certain kind of danger that comes about when people in power assume that they are just people, and that their actions must therefore also be just. A lot of evil comes from people who think they're doing good.

[pauking5]

Seeking comfort from an idiot

Part 2

enishi yukishiro x reader

A/N: This is part two to the other drabble. It’s shorter and a little messy but I felt like putting it out there for some comedic relief. Do enjoy!

Part 1

You were laying on your bed waiting for the hands of time to swallow you whole. Enishi put you on bed rest for the rest of the week to help with your situation. Arguing with him that you weren’t really dying for the rest of your period was useless considering how freaked out he was about you possibly bleeding out the previous day. You could only comply to ease his worries.

Despite not feeling any pain you did feel something else growing inside your core. The dull feeling was making itself known no matter how much you tried to push it down every time you saw him. Oh, the horrors of being a woman.

Enishi was doing hourly check ups to see if you needed anything and make sure you were doing alright. You didn’t mind the special treatment especially when it was coming from the coldest guy on earth. If you needed food he would become your chef. If you needed warmth he would become your personal heater. If only you could get him like this all the time.

What you couldn’t comprehend is why your heartbeat accelerated a hundred miles per second every time he just as much looked in your direction. Every action of his had a multiplied effect on you right now and it was making you want to climb the fucking walls.

Speaking of the devil, he opened the door with a small creak, warily stepping inside in case you were sleeping. Delighted to see you awake he came closer to your nest of pillows and blankets. You looked up at him and your breath got caught in your throat. Closing the book you were trying to read for the past two hours, you took him in.

Sweat glistened on his body, beads running down his neck to his collar bones. His chest was puffed up and his arms sat idly by his side. He was in training clothes, tank top clinging to his muscular bumps in a rather appetising manner. A stubble was subtly growing and his hair sat messy in all sides. He looked like a walking sculpture and you were absolutely entranced by his presence. He waved a hand in front of your face to get you back to planet earth.

“Hum.. what?” you said still in a daze.

“I was asking if you needed me to get you anything,” he said, deep raspy voice making your body tense up as goosebumps paraded across your skin.

“I’m good. All is good,” you said, eyes focusing on the way his breaths made the tank top expand and constrict around his torso.

He looked at you for a moment. Your cheeks were flushed a little pink and your lips sat slightly open. You didn’t look to be in any physical pain., but something more intriguing was happening behind your eyes. He seemed to be getting an idea of where your mind was running off to. So this was the other side of being on your period.

Putting on his signature smirk he thought of playing the field a little. It could do no harm could it? The most you could do is confirm his suspicions of what he thought you were thinking. Or break his legs.

“You know, I love this tank top,” he said coming closer to your spot on the bed.

“Mhm, I do too.”

“The material is so comfortable.”

“Definitely,” you nodded, absentmindedly licking your lips.

“It’s kinda hot in here. Mind if I take it off?”

“Absolutely not—“ you stopped mid-sentence as a reality check hit you. He was playing with you and he was enjoying every bit of it.

“Enishi?”

“Yes, darling.”

“Do me a favour and get the fuck out,” you said balling your fists.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay a little longer,” he chirped.

“I SAID GET OUT,” you yelled as you threw pillows at his head.

Laughing like a maniac he ran out of the room before you could get up and smack him to the edge of the planet. Turning around you shoved your head in the pillow muffling a scream. He was so going to get it when you were back to normal.

A few hours later

You were currently craving all kinds of snacks. The issue was that you weren’t really allowed to leave your bed. What if you sneaked out? If you were careful enough you would get to the kitchen before Enishi got wind of it. Fuck it. If I want to go get snacks I’m going to go and get myself snacks.

Getting out of bed and stretching your limbs you tiptoed your way to the kitchen. The wooden floors gave out little creaks as you balanced your weight on them. It was the middle of the day so everyone was outside or off the mansion grounds. Enishi was probably back to training, which made this the perfect moment to sneak into the kitchen.

Carefully opening the glass doors, you peeked your head in to check for possible intruders. Seeing the cooking area empty you slid in and slowly closed the door behind you, letting a breath of relief out. All you had to do was get in, get the snacks and get out. Easy plan, happy stomach.

You searched the shelves and came up with a few chocolate bars, some candy and beef jerky. Some dumplings with sweet and savory fillings would’ve been perfect right now but you were out of them. These would have to do for now.

Turning around to sneak back to your room you were stopped by a pair of hands settling on your hips to keep you in place. Your heart almost fell out of your ass at the sudden contact. I’m in deep shit.

“I thought I told you to stay in bed.”

A nervous chuckle escaped you as you spun around to see a very serious Enishi pinning you down with his eyes. The snacks you were holding tightly to your chest were slowly slipping out of your grip the longer you held his gaze.

“I was just… craving some snacks.”

“I did ask if you needed anything last time I came to check on you,” he said, slowly moving towards you.

“Yeah, well I didn’t need any snacks,” you gulped, “back then.”

Your brain was struggling to form a coherent sentence as he got you pinned to the kitchen island. His eyes peered down into yours searching for the previous desperation they showed a few hours ago. He felt like he hit the jackpot when he found it still there, burning deep within you. He caught you weak for him twice in the same day and he couldn’t get enough of it.

He placed his hands on your hips once more, feeling you tense in his hold. In a swift move he lifted you up on the counter top. Your breath got stuck somewhere in your lungs as you felt his thumbs rub circles into your waist. Dear lord give me strength.

Taking the snacks out of your hold he placed them next to you on the counter. He took your hands in his and moved them to sit around his neck, causing you to involuntarily pull him a little closer. Your faces were so close yet so far away, breaths mingling together the more you gazed into each other’s eyes.

You tried your hardest to keep it together but the way he positioned himself between your legs made your head sway with lust. His familiar scent mix of bamboo and jasmine overloaded your senses. One taste, just one bite of him and you wouldn’t be able to resist it anymore.

The impact he had on you was sending him over the edge. He made you curl around his fingers with just a few chaste touches. Your hands were fidgeting around his neck and he chuckled, bringing you out of your daze.

“W-why are you laughing?”

“I wish you were on your period more than once a month,” he said, making you push him away so you could get some air inside your lungs.

“Why on earth would you say that?”

He cautiously stepped away from you, taking a few backward steps towards the kitchen doors. Whatever he was about to say was going to make you want to rip his head off most likely so he prepared to run away.

“Getting to see you thirst over me and not being able to do anything about it is priceless.”

“I’m gonna fucking end you,” you screamed as you hopped off the counter and chased after him around the mansion.

Thank you for reading! As always comments, notes and reblogs are welcome :)

[fatteningmenstories]

At your service part 5

 6 months 

 Every day the smell of sizzling bacon would find its ways through the suite and cluster around Alex’s bed, it become second nature for him to wake up, stomach rumbling eager to be fed. The smell of the pancakes filled the air as the robots brushed his teeth and washed him, Alex couldn’t even remember the last time he had to do all those tedious chores for himself. And finally the smell of freshly squeezed OJ called him to the dining table as he quickly pulled up his custom underwear and put on his fluffy robe and slippers, eager to eat his breakfast

Alex couldn’t place it but it was as if it had happened over night, but the food Unit cheffed up must have  almost doubled in size and quadrupled in taste, breakfast was constant feasts of platters filled high with greasy strips of bacon and towering stacks of plump pancakes. But despite this monstrous portions, by the time he was done with it there wasn’t a crumb left on the table, he was eating more than he had ever had and yet still he hungered for more. It might  have been when the gym was closed for temporary repairs which soon turned into an almost permanent closure that he saw his diet skyrocket in food ,  and at  first Alex was a little perplexed by this as the days turned into weeks of closure the idea of a gym even existing slowly faded out of his mind, instead it was replaced with hours spent lounging on the couch binge watching all the tv he could ever wanted, and  gaming  in the suite trying out the latest Vr experiences that required very little movement - hours  could be spent plugged in steering at the screen with one hand on the console and the other  constantly grazing on whatever snacks Unit left beside him. 

Lunch had now seemingly evolved into 2 meals  to make up the numerous amount of spare time in the day, Alex had the pleasure of being served lunch every where he was, the suite with its high tech technology bended and folded around him to make  suitable eating spaces that could accommodate for the copious amount of food that would be served up. Alex would stuff his face with Bbq coated ribs and handfuls of crispy chips  washing it all down with copious amounts of creamy milkshakes and refreshing coke without ever moving an inch .  After Lunch he would spend his hours in the newly built spa section - built just for him ( Mr Gordo’s fix due to current state of the gym he was told) , and just like ever other  part of the factory it was riddled with robots ready to serve Alex’s every whim and need. He was given  rigorous massages ( which he was told were the same exercise requirements as hitting the gym or something like that, when Unit brought up the numbers his mind quickly wondered). All he knew was that it worked for him, the machine had to all the work and all he had to do was lie there - all in all it sounded like the ideal workout, he was paraded around on a moveable island that was carried to various stations where the robots oiled him up and massaged his growing body,  finishing it off in a  long sauna session.  After being all pampered  up the rest of the day was spent lazing about and waiting for this  his next favourite part - Dinner. The simple knock of the door got his stomach rumbling,  and with the walk to dinner seemingly getting  longer and longer Alex was ravenous when he sat done at the table not nothing  the pungent  sweat forming in the rolls his ballooning body. 

Dinner was in a league of its own, like everything else it had been  ballooned to behind recognition, they must have spent hours in silence feasting on whatever Unit wheeled out, the pair of them ate like pigs and definitely started to resemble them - each other rubbing on the other, and after the seconds and the thirds the pair of them both forgot about the silly competition they had between them, as their laid back in the comfortable chairs, guts exposed to the world breathing their deep breathes too stuffed to move. However this moment of pause was shortly lived as with a the sound of a bell being rung, the door to the chocolate room was opened and  a tall  familiar muscular figure stood in the pathway. 

Over the duration of the stay Mr Gordo had gone on and on about Unit.2 how it would be lifelike, smarter more mobile - in simple mirroring the human body and mind - Alex had paid this little attention until the first prototypes started to move out , where he was met by more and more models - they started out ever so simple,  the first one was basically the base Unit model, but then as the weeks rolled past the model got more and more impressive. They got larger and larger, their limbs more smooth and their design more futuristic, it wasn’t long till their long  metals limbs were replaced with sleek metal human shaped arms, and long strong fitting legs replaced Unit’s giant wheels. The body of the machine evolved to mirror that of a firm metal torso, and finally the head was moulded into shape. When Mr Gordo finally reached the final model, Alex was at first a little drawn back up its startling familiar appearance

“Perplexed my dear boy’’

Alex was more the startled it looked almost like him

“Well my boy, I have a secret to profess, when I first laid eyes on you , I knew right then and there that you handsome form and shape would be the perfect base for Unit.2”

Alex didn’t know what to say as he approached the 7ft tall imposing metal robot that had a remarkable similarity to himself

‘Why don’t be alarmed - take it as a compliment of course - and Come meet Adam”

And with that the towering grey robot came to live, with red beaming eyes and a deep murmur, it came to live like a creature re-awakening of a long sleep, its limbs started to move and twist its parts shifted under their own weight and finally its head tilted just like a humans - until as if becoming aware of its environment it turned to face Alex 

And in a deep robotic voice it proclaimed 

“Hello Alexandra, how can I be of service today”

And since then Alex was hooked, he wished to spend ever second in this factory with this amazing experiment but under Mr Gordo’s order Adam’s appearances were heavily restricted. Alex could go weeks without seeing them, but that didn’t matter when Adam appeared in to the door way- just like they did tonight, they pair of them would spend hours communicating and conversing. Leaps and bounds were made in-between this appearance as Mr Gordo tinkered away and it wasn’t long that  Adam seemed to be a  fully sentient functioning robot who had their own their own thoughts and feelings.

And so when Unit rang the desert bell Alex did look forward to the food but the idea seeing Adam was more the greater reward. When Adam appeared it was like no time had even passed and the two would pick up on their long conversations, Adam couldn’t help but question the outside world and Alex was happy to abide. Adam just like Unit did learned all about Alex and most importantly he learned what a sweet tooth the boy and with its  more powerful body that had control over all the machines in the chocolate room it seemed to take joy in making  marvellous chocolate dishes for Alex to sink his teeth into. And the two’s relationship  only grew as Alex was stuffed his face with dessert after dessert explains his life outside as Adam happily watched and observed 

As the months  passed, Alex could barely keep track of what he ate for dinner the previous day let alone what day it was , he was happily living in this chocolatey blissful bubble  - and although the outside world wasn’t far away- he gave it no thought at all but all this came crashing down the moment Mr Gordo opened his lips to say 

“Well Alex, I hope you’ve  enjoyed you stay here - what is it one one week left till I have to bid you goodbye’

It was like an endless cold rain cloud over his head , Alex felt as if he had been rudely awoken from a perfect dream to his harsh new reality that he would have to return to the outside world , the food over the week seemed colder and his bed was less comfy now that he knew this was all not permeant, and as much as he wished it wouldn’t the week flew by until it was his final night

And with Unit packing his bags, he was soon met with an even harshly reality, he’d gone a bit too crazy with his bulk and was had long passed  chubby territory and his once trim muscular body was unmistakable fat

 The rude awakening occurred to him as he pulled out his pre factory life clothes, and even with Unit’s help he couldn’t squeeze himself back into them his nikey joggers wouldn’t budge over his pudgy thighs, his tight muscle frame shirts strained to get over his ample pecs not to mention his mountainous abdomen with his larger shirts failing at the next hurdle - his ample love handles leaving his girth sides and front bulge out. 

And as the sound of tearing filled the room as he tried to put on his Nikey jacket over him it  stood no chance against his hefty back Alex  knew it was futile. How had he let this happen, he thought as he stared at himself in the suite’s 360 mirrors he knew he had put on some weight, maybe some muscle as well but as he tried to flex his arms all he saw was fat. Admittedly he knew  had gone overboard with the food, but how couldn’t he wasn’t that what he was there for. His damn sweet tooth had cursed him as piled dish after dish down into his greedy mouth and now his big mouth had caught up to him.

 Alex knew he had put on some fat in his stay but seeing his torn trousers on the floor and tank tops that he couldn’t squee his arms into it - he didn’t realise it was this bad. For fucks sake he had a proper fat boy gut, deep under there once stone-cut abs but now as he slapped his gut it jiggled,  and it wasn’t hard to see how his trousers split he was massive he even had  proper fat boy love handles not to mention jiggly man tits.  Turning around in the mirror he couldn’t help but shed a tear at his rotund arse - his muscular bubble but was long as he took tow hands to grip one doughy but cheek

Alex couldn’t even recognise himself as he saw the fat potbellied body  in the mirror mimic his every action . Fuckk, he thought as he rubbed his hands over his plumped up body, he was soft all over, how had he let his body get so bad - the factory life had been a very sweet tasty bubble and now all he had left to show for it was a pair of plump titis and a massive waistline. There was no doubt about it he looked like the picture boy of a chocolate factory FUCK,  he imagined it now - the  reporters face outside when they saw his fattie  frame step out 

The tabloids would be crazy, flashing his before and after picks on ever surface, his fat face and much fatter butt would be everywhere, he was too distracted pinch and poking his blubber to feel his dick grow hard under his wide stomach - it didn’t help that he couldn’t even see it 

“Master Alex, I am hearing lots of swearing coming from the suite - is everything all right”

“Look at me - Unit I’m a laughing stock”

Unit sensing distain in Alex’s voice - quickly activated it’s reassurance protocols

“What ever is the matter, all I see is a Strapping young man - who I can sense has a very muscle percentage under all that ”

‘And you  from what you’ve been telling me you will drop all this weight in no time’ Unit continued as it feeled up Alex’s overweight  body

Maybe it was Unit’s exploring arms rubbing his flesh frame to their sweet lies but as Alex’s head was slowly feeling with endorphins as Unit started to massage his portly frame  he did wonder how glorious his cut would be after this ‘bulk’

Unit went on - detecting it was working with Alex’s raised endorphins and growing member 

“With your previous calculations I am certain you will get straight back in shape in no time at all anyway as I calculate most of weight is simply water weight ’

It was like a light was switched on in Alex’s head, of course that makes more sense - this was all just water weight wasn’t it , and of course  Unit  was not going to lie  to him about it . Alex’s worries seen faded away  and were replaced with spastic waves oh his dick cumiming  as  imagined how shredded  he would be after his cut while Unit continued to massage his fatty rolls harder and harder 

 And as Unit wiped away his cum  Alex had no time to think about his cut as his thoughts were quickly distracted by the knocking on the door - it was dinner and he had  definitely worked himself up an appetite

The walk seemed to take forever  ,as  Mr Gordo went on and one with how  much Unit was cooking up a to honour Alex’s departure, as as Alex’s mouth watered his chubby legs tried to get him there as fast as they could 

Unit had of course outdone themselves once again, when the plates were delivered it was like a chip was activated  in Alex’s brain hie eyes took in the towering plates of food and his arms reached out to grab them  all he wanted to do was eat and eat. Even as he felt the mound of his body  hit the table as reached over to pick up the medium done  steaks and piles of creamy mash potatoes, he couldn’t help himself - and besides this was his last night a little indulge wouldn’t hurt

Ring Ring Ring, the sound of  Unit ringing the bell for desert only ruled Alex more to finish his food to get ready for dessert, he felt the warmth he felt every night for the last 6 months of stuffing himself to the brim and it only made me more hungry 

“My boy, I will miss you very much”

Mr Gordo went on as the pair of them scarfed down  their third desert delivered by hand by  Adam

“This whole factory has learnt so much form you - not to mention Adam’

Alex turned to see Adam performing their task’s  fast and swiftly in the background - Alex didn’t let on that he would probably miss Adam more than Mr Gordo

Mr Gordo went on 

“And I see that you have certainly changed since staying in my factory - haven’t you my boy’ Mr Gordo chuckled as he reached over to  prod Alex in his fatty rolls 

“You see that its not so hard to put on the pounds when staying in a Chocolate factory, not long till you’re my size - hey boy”

He chuckled 

‘What… oh this its nothing’ Alex retorted slapping his padded midsection - he didn’t notice Adam’s attention turning  towards him in the background

“Couple shifts in the gym - and it will be right off - old man’ Alex laughed as he grabbed for another scoop of ice-cream 

“All I need is a good week of gym sessions - and I will back in action, and more stole than ever’

Alex went on, not noticing the scheming eye of Mr Gordo

“I’ve got a long way till I’m anyway near your ballpark… ’’

And as Alex tugged into his fourth helping delivered straight by Adam - he certainly didn’t notice the enlarged vein on Mr Gordo’s head 

“ But I …I … mean sure I’m not in the best shape right now, and the  media will go crazy when I step outside tomorrow’ Alex stuttered as he remembered how much water weight he was carrying right now licking his bowl clean in between words.

“But I sure, yh, that all I need is a few gym sessions and I can drop this water weight’ He said halve convincingly  

‘ All water weight you say, huh boy Why if that so .. and all you need is few shifts in the gym and you will back in fighting shape’

Alex nodded, his double chins bulging  out as as his  lowered his head 

The boy had failed to learn his lesson, even when he was carrying all these extra pounds he still saw himself as a titan of of fitness - Mr Gordo thought, he  had to fix this fast and he knew just the way to do it.

“Hey my  boy, If that’s so, why don’t you extend your stay here, save the initial embarrassment tomorrow you know and drop the weight in here’

Alex sighed a bigger internal relief than he realised   - this was easily an lifesaver, he could drop all his extra padding here while living the good this was an easy answer

‘Oh yh of course - best of both worlds huh, I’m sure the girls can wait a through more weeks till they me ha’ He chuckled trying to play it cool - flexing his porky arms

“Excellant, my dear  boy only issue is  you’ve will just have to sign another waive of course, nothing serious just protocol and stuff’

“Yh cool - whatever’ Alex was over the moon, but made sure to play it cool 

He quickly signed the contact to distract to properly  read it as  Adam brought him his fifth  helping of chocolate  ice cream to celebrate the good news

Mr Gordo chuckled to himself, as he picked up the signed contact, wiping off the chocolate from Alex’s mess. The boy  had fallen into the trap just like a fat boy in a candy shop -  he had been to eager and had happily skipped over the clauses of definite containment in the factory, giving Mr Gordo all the time he needed to finish playing with his plump guinea pig