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youcouldmakealife · 3 months ago

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Gabe/Stephen (Bryce/Jared); tell me about it, stud

Because I had to do ~something for Valentine's, and while there was plenty of romance in COTT if you looked (Holden Chase shutting up for twenty minutes is true romance), I figured it'd be a good day to feature the stars of the upcoming Kickstarter.

No Expectation of Returns doesn't really roll off the tongue, so I've dubbed them (and the Kickstarter project itself) The April Fools, because they were both born in April (April 25 and 27, 1991, for those curious). Stephen's lived two whole days without Gabe in his life. Gabe's happy with the tally of none.

Everybody knows Gabe's a sucker for Stephen. Very few realise just how mutual that is.

“Okay,” Gabe says, which is all Stephen needs to hear to give him his undivided attention.

Stephen had been rifling through the kitchen cupboards when Gabe called, trying to find himself a low-effort snack, though the food gathering operation gets abandoned as soon as Stephen’s finished asking Gabe how his day’s been.

It’s something about the way he says it, a thread of laughter in his voice, but incredulity too. It’s easy to make Gabe laugh, though Stephen acknowledges he’s saying that as someone with decades of practice, and also as the person who is, he thinks, the best at it. Dmitry probably spends more time with Gabe, with them on the road half the season, so he might win for volume, but frankly, his attempts are all crude, so Stephen thinks he still has the edge.

It’s easy, it turns out, to make someone laugh when you’ve known them their entire life. Extremely difficult to surprise them, however.

Though it’s hardly only Stephen who has a hard time surprising Gabe. He has this — vision, Stephen supposes, seems to see well past the horizon everyone else does, and everything he does see, he tends to take in stride. It is, frankly, one of his most infuriating qualities — possibly even the most infuriating, tied with that particular way he says ‘Steve’ that always makes Stephen want to bite him. But it’s also the reason Gabe’s so steady — not to mention the reason Gabe still puts up with him — so Stephen has grudging respect for it.

But Gabe sounds incredulous, so Stephen knows, without another word, that whatever it is Gabe has to say, it takes priority over balancing effort versus nutrition.

“One sec,” Stephen says, and goes straight to the nearest junk food stash — or, at least, the nearest one he recalls, sometimes Gabe finds hiding places Stephen had entirely forgotten about — and grabs a bag of Smart Food. He suspects it will be an appropriate snack.

“Okay,” Stephen says. “I’ve got the popcorn ready.”

“You mean that literally, don’t you,” Gabe says. It isn't a question.

“Yep,” Stephen says anyway, tucking the phone against his shoulder as he rips it open. "Lay it on me."

“Jared’s married to a Calgary Flame,” Gabe says, then, “Did you just drop the popcorn?”

“It’s literally everywhere now,” Stephen says. “And yes, I meant that literally too. Wait, which Flame?”

“Bryce Marcus,” Gabe says, and all Stephen will say is that it’s a damn good thing he’s holding his phone to his ear again, or he might have dropped it too.

Gabe only continues after Stephen’s substituted the popcorn with chips, opened a bottle of wine, and assured Gabe that he will not leave the popcorn all over the kitchen floor, but Gabe has to know he’s not allowed to just drop that bomb without following up by giving Stephen every single salacious detail he’s gathered.

Infuriating, like Stephen says. Do you know how difficult it is to outwait someone as patient as Gabriel Markson? Stephen doesn’t. He doesn’t think he’s ever succeeded, not once. And believe him, he he has tried.

Not tonight, though. Tonight he doesn’t bother. When Gabe’s asking how Stephen’s day was, sounding genuinely interested, because he’s always genuinely interested — that particular tendency of his is one Stephen likes more than he would ever admit out loud — Stephen says, “Jared. And Bryce Marcus. Are you sure you got the right Flame, Gabe, he’s kind of—“

“I mean, Jared introduced me to him,” Gabe says. “So I’m pretty sure.”

“Wait,” Stephen says. “You met him? When did you meet him?”

“At the dinner Jared had me come along for,” Gabe says, then, “Jared told me I could tell you all this, by the way. About Bryce, I mean. I wasn’t going to say anything if he wasn’t okay with it.”

“Gabe!” Stephen says.

Gabe’s — discretion, Stephen supposes the word would be, means there are likely plenty of things that Gabe doesn’t tell Stephen, simply because he thinks the other party would prefer he keep his mouth shut.

Meanwhile Stephen gives Gabe every single bit of gossip from wine nights — and there is a dizzying amount of gossip, a perpetual motion machine of gossip, most of the ones who aren’t working are bored as fuck —which he can trust never to reach anyone else’s ears because, again, Gabe would keep a secret to the grave. Which is probably the reason that Jared already trusts him enough to introduce him to his husband.

Obviously Stephen’s a little torn about this one.

Gabe doesn’t even say anything, just mutely waits Stephen out, like he always does when he knows he’s in the right, and he knows Stephen knows it too, or he will if he thinks about it for a minute. The worst part is he’s usually right. Like yes, obviously Stephen would prefer Gabe be reliable and trustworthy, but when someone's always that guy, every time you argue with him, it probably means you're being the unreasonable one.

“You don’t have to sound so smug about it,” Stephen says.

“I literally didn’t say a word,” Gabe says, and unfortunately the literality of that ‘literally’ doesn’t have to be confirmed, considering he didn’t.

“Dinner,” Stephen says. “Jared. Bryce Marcus.”

“And one of the other Flames,” Gabe says. “Jared’s buddy from Juniors. Bryce’s buddy too, I assume? I don’t know, we didn’t actually talk much, just kind of grimaced at each other as Jared and Bryce kept alternating between pretending they were just buddies and giving each other longing looks.”

“Wait, did they tell you or not?” Stephen asks. It wouldn’t surprise him at all if they hadn’t intended to let Gabe know, but he figured it out anyway. Even Stephen forgets sometimes just how quickly Gabe can take a few pieces of information and put together an entire essay.

“I think they were kind of testing me out?” Gabe asks. “Like, when I told Jared he should go home to his husband he got really embarrassed but he also seemed almost — relieved, maybe? Like he didn’t want to tell me but he wanted me to know. Or he wanted me to know, but only if I was okay with it, which I obviously was.”

“Wait,” Stephen says. “Was in front of Bryce, or—“

“Oh,” Gabe says. “Sorry, this was later, Bryce and Chaz left first and then I finished my beer while Jared stared at me like he was going to kill me if I took any longer, so I told him he should go home to his husband.”

This is all getting confused in Stephen’s head now, but he focuses on the most important part first. “You say there were longing looks?”

“I’d call them gazes,” Gabe says.

Never mind what Stephen said earlier: his favourite thing about Gabe is the way he plays along.

“There was also a little bit of eye fucking going on,” Gabe says, and Stephen chokes on his wine.

“Sorry,” Gabe says, as Stephen sputters.

“I got it up my nose, Gabriel,” Stephen says.

“Sorry,” Gabe says, but he sounds a little less repentant this time.

“Just tell me about the eye fucking,” Stephen says, then, “Wait, no, you’re skipping around too much, you need to establish the details. Where was dinner? A restaurant? Was this a planned dinner or was it more spontaneous? How exactly was this framed to you, did Jared say you were meeting his husband or that he was meeting some friends, or what? The buddy’s name is Chaz?”

“Do you want to know what I’m wearing too?” Gabe asks. "Help you set the scene better?"

“Right now I’m more curious about what everyone else was," Stephen says. "But we can have phone sex after if you want."

Stephen smiles into the sip of wine he takes then, safe in the knowledge Gabe can’t surprise him into a laugh when he’s the one laughing instead.

#SOTM #gabe markson #stephen petersen #fic snippet

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velariscalling · 11 months ago

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Morally Grey - An Azriel Imagine

Characters: Azriel x Archeron!Reader

Word Count: 3.4k

Summary: Cassian drags the IC to his new obsession: open mic night at Rita's, and much to his delight, Azriel has been paired up to sing with the Reader.

Warnings: Alcohol, suggestive language.

A/N: My first ever imagine is HERE!! Honestly I've been so nervous to put this out as it's all very new to me, but I really hope you guys enjoy it! I'm really looking forward to see how my writing develops as I post more, but for now, I hope you enjoy my first post! It's just a load of silly fun tbh. And finally, thank you so much to @sarawritestories for helping me out with the ending, you're the best! <3

Soundtrack: 'Morally Grey' by April Jai feat. Nation Haven

Disclaimer: GIF isn't mine - credit to whoever it belongs to.

Rita’s was bustling.

As it always was on a Friday night, really. They probably should have known better than to come on a weekend, but the welcoming vibrancy of the bar was a welcome reprieve from a long week’s work. Y/N took a deep breath as the music hit her, exhaling as she let any remaining stress seep from her body and into the night.

Before she could think too much about the busy days she’s had as of recently, a hand grabbed each of hers - one perfectly manicured, one covered in swirls of black ink - and pulled her in the direction of the bar. Mor flagged down a barman who recognised them immediately - it wasn’t a rare occurrence for the Night Court’s Inner Circle to make an appearance here.

After a moment, she handed her a shot glass filled with bright green liquid. “Bottoms up, you’re gonna need it tonight,” she grinned, already having necked her own. Feyre giggled as Y/N raised a questioning eyebrow at the blonde, throwing back her shot anyway and wincing at the tangy liquid.

“And why is that, exactly?” Y/N cocked her head at her friend, who’s brown eyes danced with excitement.

“Oh come on,” she rolled her eyes playfully, already flagging down the barman for yet another shot, just for herself this time. “You really think Cassian’s going to let us miss out on tonight? He’s been preparing his song with Rhys for days.”

It’s true - Cassian’s favourite night of the week was their newest tradition, open mic night at Rita’s. Four songs, four duos, randomly selected. Or so he says, anyway. He probably matched himself with Rhysand so he could convince him to sing Mysterious Girl together.

Feyre gripped Y/N’s hand from her other side, clearly trying her hardest to hold back a squeal of excitement. “How are you feeling?” She knew that there was more to that question than meets the eye. It wasn’t a secret that Cassian’s little game had paired her up with Azriel, much to his delight.

She put on her mask of indifference that she had mastered over the months of knowing the shadowsinger, refusing to give any details away of her incessant feelings for him that prodded at her constantly. “I am feeling absolutely fine, High Lady,” she smiled, eyes shining, but a scoff from her left interrupted her.

“Please,” Mor drawled, looking at her with a face that said, don’t even try. “You literally can’t fool anyone, especially not us, so drop the act.”

Okay, so maybe she hadn’t mastered her mask as well as she had initially thought, her twin’s nod of agreement cementing that conclusion. “Okay fine, but what do I have to be nervous about? You are all the ones who should be nervous when we out-sing you.” She smirked at them, but they shared a knowing look.

“There it is, changing the subject,” Feyre chuckled, nursing her drink in her hand. Y/N scowled at her, but she could never actually be mad at her. Frankly, she was more irritated by the fact that she knew her so well. “What? Y/N, this is what happens every time we bring him up.”

She opened her mouth to argue, when an arm was slung over her shoulder, and Feyre’s. “Ladies,” Rhysand’s melodic voice sounded over the music as he appeared between the sisters. He nodded at Mor with a grin, who was already on her… third, or fourth shot? Who knows. “Cass will have a temper tantrum if I don’t drag you all over to the stage right now.”

Feyre rolled her eyes with a laugh and allowed her mate to spin her into his arms, and they both made their way over to the Inner Circle’s area of the bar. Y/N’s heart warmed at the sight of them, knowing that her twin, her double in every way, had found her happiness. Mor looped her arm through hers as they walked behind them, her eyes following Y/N’s gaze. “You’ll have that soon, you know.”

Y/N looked over at her. She was so breathtaking, her brown eyes contrasting her golden hair, and her signature red dress hugging her flawless body in all the right places. Any male or female in this room would be lucky to get her, and yet, she didn’t care. Next to her, though, Y/N felt like nothing. As if Mor could sense her thoughts, she squeezed her arm affectionately. “Come on. Tonight’s the night you’re going to show that other side of you- oh don’t give me that look, I know it’s there.”

Y/N huffed, a lighthearted sound, and shook her head softly. “I wish I had your confidence,” She murmured, a dry joke.

“Babe, you’re sexy. When are you going to realise that?” The sheer certainty in Mor’s voice had Y/N raising her eyebrows at her friend, who simply nodded, as if agreeing with herself. “Channel it tonight. I’ll be watching.” She winked, and released her arm as they arrived at their own table right in front of the stage.

Rhys and Feyre had already taken their seats at the centre, High Lord and Lady looking elegant as ever. Cassian sat to Rhys’s right, his excitement akin to a golden retriever, as Amren, who was sat next to him, clearly tried her hardest not to throttle him. Next to Feyre sat Azriel, his looming shadows making the already dark bar appear pitch black in his presence. There were two empty chairs to his left, and finally Nesta sat at the end of the table, clearly trying to make the most of as much peace and quiet as she could get before the night’s shenanigans unfolded. Mor was quick to take the seat next to her, leaving Y/N between her and Azriel. He gave her a short smile as she sat down, ever the emotionless. “Are you ready?”

The low, icy voice of the shadowsinger never failed to take her by surprise. If the living embodiment of darkness could talk, it would sound like him. She looked at him, his hazel eyes glowing even in the darkness, and replied, “Are you?”

Before Azriel could respond, a flute of sparkly champagne slid from Y/N’s left into view. She turned to see Nesta, wordlessly handing her the drink, with grey-blue eyes that told her that she, too, thought she needed an extra little liquid confidence tonight. She noticed Mor biting her lip so hard she looked as though she may explode, and she rolled her eyes, a smile playing on her lips as she turned back to Azriel. To her surprise, it appeared as though a similar grin was tugging on those lips as well.

He merely raised his glass to hers, eyes shining with a grin that he wouldn’t let fully show on his face. She picked up her own glass and clinked it against his, matching his honey gold gaze.

Let the night begin.

It’s safe to say that the performances of the night were… well, entertaining. Cassian was a little too excited dragging Rhys up to perform their number first, giving major boyband energy up on that stage. Feyre was in fits of laughter, but Nesta looked like she wanted to claw her eyes out… but perhaps secretly enjoyed it behind that mask of disgust. Y/N’s two sisters were up next with a rendition of Love Story in which Nesta was surprisingly involved, followed by Amren and Mor’s take on Lady Marmalade, which was frankly the worst thing anyone had ever heard. If the monster lurking beneath Amren’s skin was anything like her singing voice, then Mother help us all.

It wasn’t long before her friends were cheering and whooping as Y/N stood from her seat - the final song. “Get him girl,” Mor whispered as she passed her, Azriel on her heels. She felt the shadows licking at her ankles as she ascended the steps to the stage, gripping the microphone that had been handed to her on the way.

As Azriel situated himself to her left, she stole a quick glance at him. He was looking at the floor, uncharacteristically tense under the gazes of all their friends. It was no secret that Azriel had the most beautiful voice you’d ever heard, a gift from the Cauldron itself, but it occurred to her now that maybe no one else had heard it before. Aside from her, at the couple of short practices they had done. Even then, she didn’t think he was giving his all.

Y/N faced the front and prepared for the music to play - she was more of a seasoned performer than Azriel. She had played her fair share of gigs around Velaris, a good handful of which on this very stage. If she was showing some confidence, she hoped that it would spark some inside of him. She steeled herself, breathing in deeply as she raised the microphone to her lips, and the music began.

“He’s got gold eyes, crooked smile, knows that he drives me wild,”

She felt the heat of the spotlight on her as she let her voice ring through the bar. It was soft, to begin with, giving the song room to breathe, to build. She looked over at the man she was sharing the stage with, noticing tension already lost from his shoulders at the sound of her voice. His eyebrows were raised ever so slightly, and she knew then that he’d realised how she’d changed the lyrics to fit him, those perfect golden eyes.

“Can’t help myself, no I’m not in denial,”

The smile she sent his way was telling, it spoke a hundred words. But it wasn’t just her grin that conveyed the message she sent: you’re okay, you’re with me, move with me. There was something between them, an invisible thread connecting the two of them, body and soul and mind. Certain thoughts, certain feelings - she could feel his, and he could feel hers. A bond like this had meaning, they both knew this, but neither of them were bold enough to explore it, acknowledge it. Across that bond, she beckoned him: Azriel, you’re with me, and I’m with you… play with me.

“I know he’s no good for me,”

There was a flicker of something in the shadowsinger’s eyes, as if his mind had decided to pull him down an alternative route to the one he was prepared to go down, the one where he’d back out and run. A shadow of a smirk lingered on his lips, as his own shadows danced around him excitedly, egging him on. The weaving tendrils were clearly more than satisfied with the idea that flashed through their master’s mind, whatever images Y/N’s words had conjured up. Azriel, play with me.

“But when he gets down on his knees,”

The spark in his eyes only seemed to brighten as he brought the lyrics to life, sinking slowly down onto his knees before her. The shit-eating smirk he wore on his face in response to her evident surprise could have sent her to her own knees as she beheld him, kneeling, for her. Mother spare her. A quick glance to her right at the others confirmed that they had all had the same reaction she had, and she feared that the bar staff may have to assist in picking their jaws up from the floor. Azriel’s face was challenging, knowing, yet almost the picture of innocence as she felt his response in her mind: You told me to play with you. She sent one word back at him: Bastard.

If he was going to play dirty, so was she.

“He’s so eager to please, knows the right frequencies,”

He reached a hand out as if to touch her - where, she wasn’t sure - but she grabbed it before he could make any contact. Scars felt rough against her soft skin as she walked slowly, teasingly around him and she sang the chorus, her heeled boots tugging her posture upright so her body curved in all the right places. She caught Feyre’s eye as she circled Azriel, still knelt on the floor and looking as though he was more than content to stay there forever. Y/N’s sister looked like her eyes were about to bulge out of her head, her smile growing so big that Y/N thought it would be too big for her face. Next to her, Rhysand simply winked, an encouraging smirk boosting her confidence.

“They say he’s morally grey, what can I say? Grey’s my favourite colour,”

As she made her way back to the front of Azriel’s view, still gripping his hand as he held it upright for her to use, she slowly lowered herself down to a squat in front of him as she sang the line. From this angle, she was now much closer to his face than before, and she noticed the subtle sheen of lust glazing over his eyes. It almost made her lose balance - almost. She brought his hand gently to her lips, placing a chaste kiss onto his marred knuckles, and he took in a sharp breath. Most people flinch when they see his hands, or grimace, or turn away. Not Y/N. No, she thinks Azriel’s scars are part of his story. The backstory to a warrior, a survivor. Scars are not the memory of what happened, but a testament to who you have become.

“Morally grey, what can I say? Grey’s my favourite…”

She rose to her feet, prepared to give Azriel some space to begin his verse, remembering the nerves that clung to him barely a minute ago. As she began to turn, taking the first step away from him, something cold slithered around her ankle, and one around her waist. The shadows pulled her straight back to where she was as the music lowered, and held her in place, as if they knew that hearing his voice would send her to the floor. And Mother above, they knew her well.

“What can I say? No I don’t pray, but for your body, I’ll worship,”

She could have sworn her knees buckled, but she couldn’t tell from the shadows holding her still. Azriel’s voice was like silk, so soft and pure, yet it lit her insides on fire in a way that she’d never felt, burning her up like a beautiful, dying star. If his voice was to be the thing to send her to her death, then so be it. She would die very, very happy. He reached out once again, and this time she did not stop him as he ran his hand up her thigh all the way to her waist from his position on the floor. Even kneeling, his Illyrian frame was intimidatingly large, her body standing not too much taller than his. His eyes watched his hand intently as it traced the curve of her side, as if they didn’t have an audience, one that was most definitely gaping at Azriel’s sudden brazenness.

“Girl don’t be afraid, my love’s a grenade, just be a good girl, you can take it,”

Like an angel rising from the ashes of war, Azriel stood slowly, wings flaring as he rose to his full height. His gaze was already intense when she was the one looking down at him, but now that he was the one towering over her, the darkness in his eyes shot electricity straight through her body and into her core, her head reeling with thoughts so sinful that nothing could save her. His hand on her waist squeezed on the words good girl, and she was forced to bite her lip hard to stop herself from reacting in a way that would later be incredibly embarrassing. His eyes tracked the movement, lingering on her bottom lip as she released it from her teeth with a pop.

“Call me insane but for you, I was made, I’d burn the world down if it’d make you feel safe,”

The fire in Azriel’s eyes blazed as he took one step toward her, and another, and another, closer and closer. The upper hand that Y/N had held up until now had slipped, yielding step after step backward, her control completely faltering. She had always known that doing this with Azriel would likely create some… tension between the two of them, and he must have known, but Cauldron, this was unlike anything she had ever expected. Azriel was so close that she felt his body heat, felt her face warming, likely for everyone to see under the harsh glare of the spotlights.

“It’s you that I crave, and nothing compares to your taste,”

Y/N couldn’t help but feel like Azriel meant every single word he was singing. No, he didn’t write the lyrics himself of course, but the way his eyes burned with such feeling, and… what looked to be desperation, told her there was much more to this than meets the eye. And Gods… the way his voice cracked ever so slightly with a primal need as those final words left his mouth had her praying to whatever higher powers she could to forgive her for the damning shivers he was sending straight to the very heart of that taste he craved so badly.

As the chorus rolled around once more, their voices finally blended as one, and nothing had ever sounded so right. Azriel’s shadows danced freely around the two of them, creating a tornado of darkness, of intimacy, where they were right in the eye of the storm. The song continued, and the pull between the two of them was magnetic, almost hypnotic as they completely forgot about the audience they had; their family who were most definitely gaping like fish out of water. Y/N could feel Azriel’s warm breath on her face as he sang, his angelic voice whispering less-than-angelic promises that only she could hear in the way it trembled.

Y/N honestly didn’t think that Azriel could get any closer - what she failed to consider was that the shadowsinger was in so deep that he wasn’t planning on stopping until there was absolutely no space left between them. As the song once again softened, Azriel took his chance and leaned impossibly closer, abandoning his vocals in favour of a different use of that mouth. Y/N inhaled sharply as Azriel’s lips brushed against hers, gently, experimentally. Some instinctive part of her that knew this was right pushed her forward to press her lips a little harsher against his, earning a shiver from the shadowsinger. She heard a soft rustle coming from behind him as his wings twitched from the anticipation.

As he pulled away, Azriel heard a shaky exhale escape her lips, caused only by the feeling of him, the heat of two bodies pressed close together, the rush of meeting the lips of the person who, deep down, you know is made for you. Your partner. Your mate. That shiver he elicited from Y/N was the final straw - the last thing he needed to cement his plans for the night. His face still inches from hers, he whispered with a voice so low he wasn’t sure it had even come from him, “You’re mine tonight.”

One moment, the IC were watching dumbfounded at the scene playing out in front of them, some wondering if they really should be averting their eyes (apart from Cassian, who sat with a shit-eating grin on his face). The next moment, the stage was empty, a whisper of shadows the only thing left standing in their wake. Azriel had disappeared in a flash, winnowed to who knows where, taking Y/N with him.

“Goddamn, Az,” Rhys chuckled into his drink after a beat of shocked silence. “Nicely done.”

“No! But they didn’t even finish their song!” Cassian pouted, gesturing wildly at the empty stage as the music still played from the speakers.

“Somehow I don’t think that’s their priority right now, Cass,” Mor giggled, practically vibrating from excitement and pride, exploding with glee at what had taken place since her little pep talk earlier.

Rhys set his glass down on the table in favour of throwing an arm over the top of Feyre’s chair. “It’s about time those two did something about the obvious, right?”

As Feyre’s eyes sparkled with delight for her twin, she giggled at his words, overjoyed at the knowledge that Y/N may at last feel the happiness of having a mate. A partner for all eternity. “Yeah… finally.”

#acotar #a court of thorns and roses #acotar fanfiction #acotar imagine #azriel #acotar x reader #azriel x reader #azriel shadowsinger #azriel imagine #azriel fluff #azriel x you #acotar x you #acotar imagines #azriel imagines

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exhuastedpigeon · 4 months ago

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I was tagged by @butchdiaz to do a 2024 fic roundup! In 2024 I posted 29 fics for a total of 201,143 words, which is the most I've ever posted to Ao3 in a single year (that that doesn't count the 75k wip I have in the works right now or the other 40k of wips I have, don't look at me). In 2024 I also posted my favourite fic I've ever written and posted a fic every month.

January

one is one too many, one more is never enough (2.2k | teen) Hangovers, drunken love confessions, getting together

They say hangovers get worse as you get older. Buck never believed that until his first hangover in his thirties hit him like a fucking freight train. He’d spent the entire day moving between the couch and the bathroom throwing up and had vowed to never get that drunk again.

every road and every highway led me right back to your door (Teen) Accidental baby acquisition, magic!Stiles

Derek would like it noted that he had been in way worse situations before. He would like that on the official record. His current predicament honestly doesn’t even make the top five worst situations he’s ever been in. It might not even make the top ten.

if you keep reachin' out (then I'll keep comin' back) (2k | teen) Rescue, minor injury, hurt!Eddie

“Don’t make me jealous,” Buck said, leaning in close and tugging at Eddie’s clips like he hadn’t already tested them three times.

“I would never,” Eddie winked, relishing the way Buck blushed. It probably wasn’t the best idea to flirt with Buck before a rescue but Eddie couldn’t help himself. He’d been struggling with keeping his feelings for Buck locked down for months now, maybe even longer if he was honest with himself.

We don't even have to try, it's always a good time (2.2k | Explicit) Established relationship, closet sex

“Can I help you?” Eddie asked, fighting back a smile because Buck looked a little bit like he’d just swallowed a lemon. He was pretty sure Buck wasn’t in here to touch his dick, not with that look on his face.

February

there ain't no turning back (28.3k | Explicit) Road trips, mutual pining, sharing a bed, future fic

Eddie let out a yelp when he finally took in the room. It was a two queen room, white blankets, a TV, a desk and chair near the window, nothing about the furniture was strange, except for the fact that Buck was lounging on the bed closest to the windows, his legs crossed at the ankles, feet clad in MIT socks that he’d gotten for himself the day Chris sent his application in because Buck was that confident he’d get in.

March

lay your cards down, down, down (6.3k | Mature) Bachelor party, woke up married, friends to husbands

At that moment a few things happened at once that all felt equality important. Buck noticed a black ring on Eddie’s ring finger. Buck felt Eddie’s hard cock pressed against his hip. And Buck saw a matching black ring on his own ring finger. Maybe it was silly to put Eddie’s hard cock at the same level as what looked a lot like wedding rings, but it felt just as important as the other two observations.

Baby, take me (4.4k | Explicit) Fluff and smut, bachelor party, love confessions

“Pretty sure I turned it off just fine last night,” Eddie said with a smirk that went straight to Buck’s cock, already half hard just from the way Eddie’s stubble is dragging across his skin. “Is that how I get you to stop thinking?”

I want to be your fantasy (maybe you could be mine) (7.2k | Explicit) Bachelor party, pole dancing, former stripper Eddie

“I’m going to be really good at this class,” Eddie said, his voice low. “Because one of my jobs before moving to L.A. was stripping. You’re the first person who didn’t work at the club or go to the club to know that and I’d prefer if it stayed that way.”

April

ain't no lie (bi bi bi) (8.6k | explicit) Eddie/Tommy, friends with benefits, jealous!Buck, pre-relationship Buddie

Eddie fools around with Tommy, Buck is jealous, Tommy's just trying to have a good time

kiss him once for me (935 words | gen) Feelings realization, pining, pre-relationship Buddie

Nothing changed between them. Or at least, nothing changed until he sees Buck and Tommy kiss.

give your heart and soul to charity (12.5k | teen) Character study, Catholic guilt, coming out, getting together

Eddie dumps God, gets some more therapy, accepts parts of himself he was taught to hate, loves his best friend, and loves himself.

wipe your mouth when you done (4.1k | Mature) Hockey AU, hockey fights, injury recovery

Buck would like it on record that he didn’t go looking for the video of Eddie’s fight with Jonah Greenway because he didn’t even know Eddie had gotten in a fight with Jonah Greenway. Ravi sent the video into the group chat with the comment that “Fans are weirdly horny over fights” and no other context.

May

keep on whispering in my ear (2.1k | explicit) Drunk hookups, infidelity, pre-relationship buddie

Eddie and Buck get extremely drunk at Chim's bachelor party and hook up

June

I'll Show You Magic (7k | explicit) Alternate universe - magic, witch!Eddie, Witch!Buck, different first meeting

"Who the hell are you?" Buck asks before his brain to mouth filter is fully online.

"Eddie," The guy - Eddie - says with an amused little smile pulling at his mouth. "I'm guessing you're Buck. Lucy said you’d be coming in and that you don't have much of a filter."

July

so far away but still so near (6.2k | Teen) Eddie & Lucy & Ravi friendship, personal growth, coming out

In which Eddie Diaz learns who he is outside of being a father, builds some new friendships, and loves his best friend

loves a game, wanna play? (57.5k | Mature) Love Island AU, Post S7, the silliest thing I've ever written

In the aftermath of Chris leaving for the summer, Buck convinces Eddie they should apply for Love Island together.

August

baby, get me off again (2.4k | Explicit) Lutalia, casual sex, praise kink, semi-public sex

“Natalia Dollenmeyer.”

“I remember,” Lucy turned in her seat so she was facing Natalia. “At the risk of sounding like a bad pickup artist, what’s a beautiful woman like you doing alone in a bar like this.”

from the ashes (5.6k | teen) Art as therapy, Eddie fic, getting together, self discovery

A call at an art studio inspires Eddie to take an art class, it turns out he kind of loves it.

September

I can fix that (4.2k | Mature) Flirting, teasing, pining, Eddie's moustache, home improvement

“What’s what?” Eddie asked, but the smile tugging at his mouth, the smile that was just slightly obscured by the hottest mustache Buck had ever fucking seen, told Buck Eddie knew exactly what he was talking about.

how to slay a dragon (2k | gen) Uncle Eddie, babysitting, Jee-Yun, playing make believe

Buck didn't know what to expect when he walked into the Han house. He definitely hadn’t expected to see Eddie sitting on the floor with Jee in front of him carefully french braiding her hair. He also hadn’t expected Eddie to be wearing a pink sparkly tiara. He definitely hadn’t expected Eddie to smile up at Buck when he saw him with soft eyes, eyes that didn’t feel like looking into an ocean of sadness, and carefully tie the end of one of the braids he was working on with a little bow.

The Pink Fairy (2.6k | teen) Magic!Stiles, mystery, banter

“Derek Hale, as I live and breathe,” Stiles grinned at him, leaning his elbows on the bar so he could get closer to Derek. It wasn’t loud, not yet. Not at 4pm, but Stiles had never really figured out how to stay out of Derek’s personal space. Apparently, years of distance between them hadn’t magically solved that for him.

the cat's meow (4.2k | explicit) Cats, love confessions, hand jobs

Eddie adopts a cat and let's himself have good things.

October

Gimme S'more (1.8k | Teen) Fluff, s'mores, flirting

“Damn, you’re right,” Buck’s laugh was bright. He’s been brighter in the last month, since Bobby finally got the captain's seat back and since Chris came home. Since basically everything that was royally fucking their lives up and the team’s lives finally ended.

Sweet as Pumpkin Pie (2.3k | Gen) Uncle Eddie, Uncle Buck, pumpkin patches, Jee-Yun, fluff

“That’s pretty cool,” Eddie said and Jee nodded at both of them, her hair already coming out of the little pigtails that Maddie had put it in when they picked her up. “How many pumpkins do you think it took to build it?”

“A billion!” Jee yelled, running through the pumpkin house with a giggle.

A-maze-ing (2.7k | Teen) Corn maze, fluff, autumn

“Would you want t-to go with me? To the haunted pumpkin patch?” Buck asked, sounding way too nervous for asking Eddie to go to a pumpkin patch. Unless - Unless.

Unless Buck wasn’t just asking him to go to a pumpkin patch. Unless Buck was asking Eddie on a date to the pumpkin patch. Eddie felt something warm and fizzy bubbling in his chest. He kind of felt like he might bubble up and float away, so filled with joy at the prospect of Buck asking him out. Of Buck wanting him that way.

all dressed up (with somewhere to go) (3.4k | Teen) Mistaken Identity, getting together, making out, fluff and humor

“Hey,” Buck grinned when he reached Spider-man, grabbing him by the wrist to turn him around. He peeled the mask up just enough to kiss him. That was weird too, he’d never had to lean down to kiss Tommy before, even if it was only by an inch. Maybe the boots Buck was wearing had a bigger sole than he’d realized.

The kiss didn’t feel like Tommy either, his lips were softer and fuller than usual, but Buck chalked that up to the tequila. It was a good kiss though, that was the thing. It was a great kiss. He didn’t want to stop kissing him and actually, he didn’t have to. Buck wrapped his arms around him and deepened the kiss, groaning just a little when he felt Tommy wrap his arms around Buck too.

“Evan?”

November

please don't go (646 words | Gen) 8x08 Coda, inspired by fanart, pining

"Don't go."

The words are trapped in a cage at the back of Buck's throat. Every time he's opened his mouth in the last week he's had to speak around them. He feels like a tiger pacing his enclosure, like he's going to snap at the bars if anyone gets too close.

December

I should be pushing daisies (5.5k | Teen) Character study, light angst, love confessions, happy ending, extend metaphors

“I miss you so much, man,” Eddie says as easy as anything. Like those words don’t have the power to breathe life back into Buck’s body and steal that breath back at the same time. “It’s dumb but - I guess I didn’t realize how ingrained you are in my life until suddenly you weren’t there.”

“I-I miss you too,” Buck manages to say, though he has no idea if he sounds normal or if he sounds like there’s an anvil on his chest.

I took a little journey to the unknown (4.1k | Teen) Hurt Eddie, dreams, medical inaccuracies, holding hands, love confessions

Eddie groans, his tongue feels too big for his mouth and his thoughts are moving slowly, like they’re trying to wade through pudding and getting stuck on the way to his mouth.

“I-it’s okay, you don’t have to talk,” Buck says and the comforting warmth is back on Eddie’s hand. The only thought that rings clearly through his head is that Buck’s hand is safe. Buck is going to keep him safe. “Just - can you squeeze my hand if you’re awake?”

That feels nearly impossible, his body feels like lead, heavy and useless, but for Buck he can try. He focuses and squeezes as tightly as he can - it’s not very tight, but that doesn’t seem to matter when Buck lets out a long breath and then a choked sob.

no pressure tagging @inell @rosieposiepuddingnpie @queerdiazs @thekristen999 @glorious-spoon

@jeeyuns @vanmarkus @actualalligator @elvensorceress @sibylsleaves

@rainbow-nerdss @organizedstardust @spotsandsocks @shitouttabuck @generatorkitty

@hawkbutt @jesuisici33 @cal-daisies-and-briars @bekkachaos @cranberrymoons @diazsdimples

@devirnis @daffi-990 @alliaskisthepossibilityoflove @honestlydarkprincess

@lonelychicago @monsterrae1 @dangerpronebuddie

#i wrote so much this year holy shit #2024 fic roundup #long post #buddie #my fic #my writing

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allmyocsarebritish · 1 year ago

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Happy birthday Angel Dust!!

Pairing: Angel Dust X Reader

Warnings(?): fluff, brief mentions of drinks and drugs, we love Angel <33

A comfortable silence engulfed Angel Dust's room as you lay on his bed, lovingly stroking Fat Nuggets. Angel sat backwards on the chair by his dresser, facing you as he rested his chin in his palm, another of his hands twirling a cigarette absentmindedly.

"You know," he began in a serious tone, a sudden break in the banter you had been sharing prior to this moment. This caused you to pause and devote your attention entirely to the star. "This is probably best day I've had in a long time, despite the, uh, moments."

You both laughed softly at the memory of Charlie's attempt to make Angel's birthday special, resulting in utter chaos filling the hotel. It had begun with decorations, which had been torn to shreds by cat alastor, a strange new arrival at the hotel. This was followed by the princess herself dropping the cake, having been tripped by one of Sir Pentious's eggs. The mess was extremely distressing to Niffty, as she had just finished waxing the floors.

Later events also did not go quite to plan, with Angel's party being crashed by Cherri bombing down a wall. This turned out to be a positive turn, though, as she was his best friend and made the day vastly more entertaining. The final disaster was when Niffty, ever the lightweight, became rather tipsy quickly, and proceeded to tidy away everyone's drugs and drinks.

Despite all this, you knew that the day had been more than ideal for Angel, and just what he needed, following the long week he had in the studio. As evening drew out, you and Angel joined Husk at the bar for some celebratory drinks, laughing and joking together long into the night.

"If your birthday is today, does that make you an April fool?" Husk asked intently, a slight smirk playing on his lips, as you stifled a laugh when Angel's response was to flip him off.

Eventually Husk decided to retire to his room, and, as he didn't trust either of you unsupervised around his alcohol (even more so when together) you were forced to head off to Angel's room. So there you were, surrounded by comfort brought only by your favourite person in your favourite place, talking and cuddling the night away.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm grateful. For everyone at the hotel, but, especially you, toots." His voice was slightly wobbly, not noticeably so, but you still picked up on it.

"I'm grateful for you too, Angie. I don't know what the fuck I'd do without you." You hopped off his bed, making your way over to the chair he was sat on and wrapping your arms around him. Angel hugged you back immediately, burying his face in the crook of your neck as you joined him on the chair, practically sitting on top of him.

"Thank you, for being here." He whispered against your skin.

"Of course." You gave him one last tight squeeze before pulling back and pressing a chaste kiss to his lips. "You know we love you, Angel."

His smile grew at your words, followed by your own. "And I love you the most."

"I love you too." He responded, hand rising to cup your cheek.

"Happy birthday, Anthony."

"Thanks, sweetheart."

Of course, following the theme of the day, your sweet moment was interrupted. Biting back a laugh at the irony of this continuously happening, you looked down at what (or who) interrupted this time. Met with a cold, wet snout pressing against the back of your hand, you leant down and scooped up Fat Nuggets, sandwiching him between you and Angel. Leaning your head against his fluffy chest, you let out a sigh of contentment. All four of Angel's arms were put to use, the lower set hugging you and the little demon pig close, one gently running through your hair and another petting Nuggets.

"Y'know, I really can't consider this eternal torment." You whispered. "Not when I'm with you, baby."

"Me neither, toots. Me neither."

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arcane-vagabond · 1 year ago

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Hey, so...

This is going to be a LONG post, so please bare with me.

I've been doing a LOT of thinking the past week about what fics I'm doing and when. I've made some decisions that some people are probably not going to like, and I completely understand that, but at the end of the day, it's my blog and my time. I know there have been some fics that people have been very excited for, but unfortunately, things change.

As of right now, Til the Summer Comes Again is getting shelved until sometime in November. I love the fic, and I want to finish it, but I do think it'll be a lot more fun to do in the winter considering it's a Jack Frost fic. This past winter was really hectic for me considering I started a new job after being unemployed for a couple of months, and with the stress of all that and the pressure for other fics, it definitely fell by the wayside. The fic idea is something so special to me, which is why I'm shelving it instead of scrapping it altogether. We will see Jack Frost!Bob again in November!

I am also scrapping my Hadestown fic (In Spite of the Way). I'm doing this because it's such a specific story, and unfortunately, I just don't see myself being able to add anything new or interesting to the story at hand. It would just be a complete retelling of the story that's already there, and that's not something that I want to do.

I am also tabling my Studio Ghibli fics. I'm not sure if I'll ever come back to them, but they've been pushed to the side for so long that it just doesn't make sense to have them on my masterlist when it's becoming clear that other things are drawing my interests away. I'd love to re-explore them farther down the line, but for now, Our Hill of Stars and The Word of the Crooked are being taken off my masterlist. Whisper in the Wind I believe will be started come early September or so and be a part of the Autumn lineup.

Now that Meet Me at the Sea is done, my focus is going to be on finishing Fool's Fare and updating the Dagger Posse Universe here and there. Fool's Fare is most likely to be done sometime in April if I had to guess, which means...

It's time to talk the Sailor-Aviator Summer Cinematic Release schedule!

As we all know, I've just announced the MMATS stand-alone sequel: Down By the Bay featuring one Bradley Bradshaw. But what else is coming this summer? Let's talk about it!

There have been a few of you waiting for my Indiana Jones!Jake fic aka Fortune & Glory, and I'm so excited to announce that it is on the roster for this summer! Tune in to follow Jake and Bucket as they try to secure the legendary staff of Moses before the Nazis do!

Next up on the roster is the long-awaited Mafia fic! Titled after the age-old idiom, Two Birds follows the reader as they unwittingly catch the eye of not one, but two mafia bosses, both standing as the dual heads of the Dagger Syndicate. Two Birds is a M x F x M featuring Jake "Hangman" Seresin and Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw (No Hangster).

I'm hoping to start these fics anywhere from Mid-May to early June, so stay tuned!!

Meanwhile, I will be dedicating some time to the DPU as well, trying to wrap up some fics within that to hopefully have it finished (or down to the last one) by the summer's end.

If you've stuck around this long, I just want to say thank you. Not only for reading this monster of a post, but for continuing to read my work and for following and supporting me through everything! You guys are the best! Until next time~

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adobe-outdesign · 10 months ago

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Not aure if u have, but have you reviewed the Gnorbu pet yet?

Gnorbus (or Norbs, as I've gotten into the habit of naming them) are super cute, and I'm surprised they're not more popular than they are. They're basically like llamas or alpacas, to the point where their pet day is known as Gnorbu Shearing Day (TNT even swapped out the standard pet image for a shaved version the first time it was celebrated). However, they're incredibly chunky and short compared to either of those animals, so they don't come across as a 1:1 copy or anything. They have some nice use of color to, with a (typically) darker mane and spots and lighter muzzle, toes, and tail.

One thing most people probably already know is that Gnorbus started out as a fake pet called a Lamameeah, which was introduced on April Fool's Day Y7 (2005) along with many other fake pets. However, enough of these fake pets were popular than TNT eventually held a poll to make one of them into a real pet, which the Lamameeah won.

Al of people back used to whine about how they "ruined the Lamameeah" when its design was finalized, which I never understood. All they did was make it look more like a Neopet. For example, in addition to short and chunky proportions, Neopets usually have very large eyes and well-defined faces, and you can see they tweaked that up to be more in-line with other pets for the Gnorbu.

Another thing is color blocking; most Neopets use color to define areas of the design. You can see on the Lamameeah that areas like the white around the eyes and chest or that stripe down the back doesn't help emphasize any part of the design, and were fairly arbitrary additions (though they did keep it from being too solid-colored). With the final design, they gave it a mane and then added some spots on the side to break up the body, along with white on the muzzle. This helps emphasize the design quite a bit and looks a lot better than the original ever did. They also improved a few elements like the shading and the lineart.

Gnorbus basically didn't change with customization at all, though they did screw up the mouth shape slightly (as the lip no longer seems to connect). Also, for some reason some post-conversion Gnorbus have a weird error where they occasionally have an extra piece of hair, but only occasionally—compare the blue Gnorbu above with the green and you'll see the issue.

Favorite Colours:

Toy: Most of the Gnorbu's best colours I've discussed already elsewhere, but as I mentioned in my toy colour review, the toy Gnorbu is delightful. The overall piñata concept is perfect and it's nice and colorful without being too chaotic. My only nitpick is the eye should've had colored lineart so it would match the body better.

Cloud: One of the only good cloud pets, the cloud Gnorbu is super cute, with a lovely pastel blue and a fluffy white cloud and tail. The cloud patterning over the body breaks things up nicely and the darker eyes and ears stand out. No complaints here.

Robot: Even cuter than the base Gnorbu, which is not an easy feat, the robot Gnorbu has lovely bright green accents that are contrasted with its light and dark gray body. Red helps draw emphasis to the face and it has a sawblade tail, and looks good both both pre- and post-customization. What more could you want?

BONUS: The Christmas Gnorbu really isn't anything special all things considered, but I really find myself liking it. The dark greens are a lovely contrast against the white base, and the dropping of a few extra markings lets the mane stick out all the more, which is done up like a Christmas wreath complete with lights and a bow. My only issue with it is that the lights and bow are unfortunately not wearable; if they were, you could remove them and get a killer base out of it.

#neopets #neotag #gnorbu #neopet reviews

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walkingstackofbooks · 4 months ago

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Fanfic Writer Interview

Tagged by: @a-most-beloved-fool - thank you!! <3 <3 <3

What fandoms do you write in? At the moment, pretty much just DS9, though I've written one TOS ficlet this year.

How many words have you published in 2024? 139, 411 😅😅 Absolutely bananas, I cannot even comprehend how I did that!

It's been an absolaute delight to properly fall in love with writing this year though ❤️Before 2024, I'd written very little fanfic ever, and this has been JUST so much fun! (ftr, 3.5k in 2021, ~3k in 2015, and - huh! Almost 30k in 2011/12 🧐 Well, that's a surprise - apparently my "baby's first fanfic" back in 2012 was a whole 20k, which is far longer than I remember!)

What is your greatest achievement this year? I mean, Vision Awry for sure! Seeing it grow and grow and slowly realising just how long it was becoming (although even right up to the end, I was never able to guess accurately!) My crazy summer marathon to get it all written before I resumed posting (which I did mostly manage!) and then the last few weeks in December pouring my heart and soul into actually finishing it before the end of the year. It's completely mad that I did that!

(Although weirdly, now it's finished it's just kind of like 'yeah I suppose I did that, feels ages ago now though' and I feel like I have to really push myself to feel the pride and excitement I think I should be feeling? Idk, it's weird 😅)

What are your top three fics you've written this year? Oh gosh, I have to choose? Okay...

Vision Awry - obviously :P

Sleep Paralysis - that mad, 3-day blitz of inspiration was so worth hiding away in my room for 😅

Um, unpublished, but the Miles&Julian-talk-about-suicide ficlet I posted on Tumblr? It was far better than I expected when I read it back, and was a higlight amongst the rest of the December writing-is-hard feels.

What was your biggest pit of despair moment? There were definitely many times during Vision Awry... the biggest were probably either:

Re-starting Day 5 in August, after writing nothing during June and July, and reailsing I had no idea what was going to happen in Day 5 apart from the deaths at the end;

Writing Epilogue 3 in the last few weeks, only eking out 1-300 words at a time unless I overdosed on meds (😅 it worked tho...), getting increasingly convinced that I was not going to be finishing by the end of the year, which sucked; or

Any time I realised the scene wasn't working because of X thing which meant I would need to totally rewrite it. I don't do drafts, really, so that was always devastating 😭 (but DID work out for the best, at least)

What have you learned? SO, so much. I'll limit myself to three things. (I'm sorry, I'm no good at choices or being concise!)

That if I have an idea, ideally I need to write all of it, straight away, and finish it while it’s fresh. I honestly don’t know how many WIPs I’m actually going to finish, because even while I love many of the ideas, I’m not in love with them the same way I was when I started.

That I love writing Garak and Julian interactions, even though I keep forgetting that I do, because Garak is an absolute pain to write sometimes (affectionate), and I've never been the biggest fan of stories that are solely Garashir.

That I need to be super careful about opening up prompts, because while they’re great for short-term motivation, if I don't complete them in a timely manner they end up hanging over me in a less-than-fun way.

What three fics have you read this year that you love? I do not know where to start with this one, omg, there are too many <3 <3 <3 Trying to think of ones I haven't mentioned before... (and while I'm trying to be better, I'm so bad at bookmarks 😅)

After The Siege by @youngpettyqueen - I didn't know I needed Worf&Julian but this has stayed in my mind since April and I love it to pieces. This dynamic is soooo gooddd 💕💕

The Recitation of Names by @jennelikejennay - Incredible, haunting, pre-TOS Spirk fic about the events mentioned in Obsession.

By Design by @akingnotaprincess - I haven't finished it yet (I am SO hype though, I just haven't had time over Christmas!) but it's SUCH a lovely Data/Julian fic, it's so sweet and sincere and wonderful.

What ideas are percolating for next year? Ughhhh, oh man. Idek. I've got about a dozen WIPs but the way my brian is rn, I'm just hoping that I'll be able to edit and publish some of the things I've written on Tumblr to finally put on AO3.

Hopefully I'll get going a bit more at some point - and whatever it is, you can bet on a traumatised Juian, I'm pretty sure ;)

Who do you want to thank? Again, where do I even start, there are so many people who have made this year wonderful 💕 I've never really felt like I've been *in* a Tumblr community before, and this year has really changed that, so a huge thank you to everyone who's made me feel so welcome! 🥰

@ectogeo-rebubbles, @the-last-dillpickle, @hellostuffedtiger for welcoming me into the Sloanshir side of DS9 with aplomb. Waking up to your reviews and recs of Imprisoned was actually unforgettable, it made my day many, many times over, and definitely gave me confidence to continue putting Julian into fucked-up situations!

@jackleg-penwright for messaging me and becoming my first Tumblr friend ❤️❤️❤️

@flippetyfloppity, @dreamerdrop, @phoenixfeathersinfall - your comments are life and love itself, your support for my writing this year has been incredible and made me feel so warm, thank you just so much! 🫂🫂🫂

I'm kind of High Key Anxious about missing anyone out if I tried to tag everyone else who has been supportive and wonderful and lovely, which sucks because I really want to, but if you've ever left a comment on anything I've done, PLEASE know that you are held in my heart most fondly with great love and affection 💖💖💖

tagging: @jackleg-penwright, @dreamerdrop, @ectogeo-rebubbles and anyone else who would like to!

#personal #writing feels #i already feel like i'm missing people out form my thank yous who really should be there 😭😭#i'm really so sorry if i have <3 <3 #this was such a lovely thing to work through though #even though it's incredibly hard to ever list my top 3 of anything 😅#this took me so long XD #wsb

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illleavemymessageinmysong · 1 year ago

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MTV Unplugged: Singing The Blues

“We’d rehearsed a bunch of songs and tried to keep it a kind of unusual selection so that there was a slightly historical interesting angle to the stuff we were playing”

Mean Woman Blues

Matchbox

Midnight Special

I Lost My Little Girl

Here, There and Everywhere

San Francisco Bay Blues

We Can Work It Out

Blue Moon Of Kentucky

I’ve Just Seen A Face

Every Night

Be Bop A Lula

She’s A Woman

And I Love Her

The Fool

Things We Said Today

That Would Be Something

Blackbird

Hi-Heel Sneakers

Good Rockin’ Tonight

Junk

Ain’t No Sunshine

We Can Work it Out

Singing The Blues

For a while, Paul’s full MTV Unplugged performance was up on YouTube (including songs that weren’t broadcast on the tv show or included on the album) but it’s since been taken down. A couple of things stuck out for me when I watched it: firstly, how naturally funny he is, his between song patter is such a laugh; secondly, how the setlist, with a few exceptions, felt kind of thematic.

Largely, the set felt like a bit of a story and that story, as his fellow Liverpudlian Pete Wylie might have put it, is The Story Of The Blues - and I don’t mean Everton FC.

No, it felt like the story of love found and love lost.

Far fetched? Well, I was listening to the When They Was Fab podcast episode from April 2023 on the mtv unplugged show and it included a clip from an interview with Paul (sorry, don’t have the original source) and he says the following:

“We’d rehearsed a bunch of songs and tried to keep it a kind of unusual selection so that there was a slightly historical interesting angle to the stuff we were playing”.

So, he’s saying there’s something thematic about the setlist. It’s not just a bunch of songs that would sound good done acoustically or, as I’ve heard suggested, that he interpreted the brief as meaning skiffle. I mean, sure, there are a couple of skiffle type songs in there in Midnight Special and San Francisco Bay Blues but even the rest of the 50s covers are more rock & roll, r&b or 50s pop.

If Paul talks about a “slightly historical interesting angle” the first thing we’d probably want to look at is The Beatles or maybe, more particularly, John. Well, the set includes ‘Be Bop A Lula’, a song John and the Quarrymen played the day Paul met him, so there’s that. Is there anything else particularly John or Beatles related in the set? Other than their shared love of 50s r&r and r&b? Don’t really see it.

There are some feel-good uptempo songs in the set to keep the mood up but most of the songs chosen, I think, come into these categories:

* Beatle Paul songs widely accepted to have been written about his then girlfriend

* Beatle Paul songs that may or may not be specifically about her but perhaps reflect the position he was in relationship wise at the time

* Songs about the despair felt when a relationship has ended - singing the blues

The last category covers a couple of his own songs and many of the covers. From the latter:

“I've got news for you, baby, leave me here in misery, all right”

“I got the blues from my baby left me…. didn’t mean to treat her so bad, she was the best girl I ever have had, she said goodbye, I can take a cry, I want to lay down and die”

“It was on a moonlight night, the stars shining bright, they whispered from high, your love has said good-bye”

“gather round me buddy, raise your glasses high and drink to a fool, a crazy fool, who told his baby goodbye. Too late he found he loved her so much he wants to die, so drink to a fool, a crazy fool who told his baby goodbye..he needs her, he needs her so, he wonders why he let her go”

“ain’t no sunshine when she's gone, only darkness every day, ain’t no sunshine when she's gone and this house just ain't no home anytime she goes away”

Finally, as a summation of the performance, we get:

“well I never felt more like singin' the blues, ‘cause I never thought that I'd ever lose your love dear, why'd you do me this way?..well I never felt more like cryin' all night, ‘cause everythin's wrong, and nothin' ain't right without you, you got me singin' the blues”

#paul mccartney #paulmccartneylyrics #mccartney mtv unplugged

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seitmai · 5 months ago

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Once again many thoughts

You looked sleepy, like you could close your eyes and drift right off. "You're a DILF, Bradley. It's so annoying that you don't listen when I tell you that."

For real! He has to finally accept his DILF status and just run with it, especially because I think he secretly loves is

He was just alternating kissing Rose's head and yours, making you laugh, when a nurse opened the door and called your name. Bradley wasn't as nervous as he had been when you and he were here a year ago, antsy to find out more about Rose. He had the hang of this parenting thing by now, and he was just excited to hear a heartbeat today. The rest would sort itself out. You and he would figure out which room would become the second nursery. He would open a second college savings account even though both kids would get a full ride. He wasn't worried.

I wish I was chill like that in a situation like that, my anxiety could never lmao

But you still were. He did his best to keep his enthusiasm at a normal volume when you started to stress about money or how exhausted you already were, but inside he was elated. Two kids! Two! If you would have asked him five years ago if he thought he'd ever buy a house, he would have told you no. Now he had a whole fucking family and a dog in the Craftsman. Two kids under two would be a breeze. He just knew it.

He calls himself out to be more chill about it hahaha I really envy him for being so positive , but honestly it probably helps that he is not the one that has to grow a human and therefore share his body 🫣

Bradley let you get changed and settle onto the exam table while he bounced Rose in the chair. She was fresh from her nap, and she'd start bugging to eat soon enough. "I must admit, Nugget, I'm a bit surprised you're meeting your little sibling while you're still so tiny." "He's lying, Rose. He planned it out this time," you replied, laying back with your eyes closed while he reached for your hand. "Your dad is a con artist."

He is really leaning into his act of being surprised and innocent 🤭😅

The door opened, and Dr. Morris strode in, looking from you to Bradley and back to you. "I thought you were using the pill? What happened?" You glared at Bradley. "Yeah, Roo. I thought we were using the pill."

I know Dr. Morris on the inside is shaking her head and thinking: "of course those two"

He didn't want to point out that you were the one who left the birth control at home over the July Fourth weekend. "Well, you see, we were using the pill, but then plans changed." He cleared his throat and tried not to grin. "Dr. Morris, are you aware that the pullout method is not foolproof?" She cradled her head in her hands before looking at him. "You know, I've heard that. Which is why I prescribed the pill."

Hahaha I just know this is not the first time she had this exact conversation and always is questioning her entire career, poor Dr. Morris😅

Bradley cleared his throat again as the ultrasound wand disappeared beneath your hospital gown, making you wince as it was inserted. "Uh, actually, I can probably tell you the exact date and time of the... impregnation."

"I missed one when we were away for a weekend," you whispered, drawing her attention your way. "And I'm really nervous that I didn't give my body enough time to heal after the last pregnancy," you added, gesturing to Rose. "And I'm still a little... heavy... from having her. What if I end up with high blood pressure again because of my weight?" Bradley's eyes went wide. "You're worried about that? You're not even heavy, Sweetheart."

I am ELATED that she addresses he worries and with that the issues she has with her body and confidence at once and Bradley not only heats it but is instantly there to squash all those worries 🥹👏🏻

Lmao I can't with him hahahah

But Bradley already knew. He'd already done the math in his head. He was not at all surprised when she said the due date was April Fool's Day.

Of course that's the due date 😂

"Thanks," you whispered, holding tight to the ultrasound images that had been printed out for you. Dr. Morris gave Bradley a stern look as she walked past, and he had to fight the urge to salute in response. He was probably on thin ice with several people right now.

Oh I'm sure he is haha, the salute would have been so freaking funny though 😂

He examined the little nugget shape before showing it to his daughter. "Do you think it's a brother or a sister? Daddy doesn't care either way. I just love Nuggets."

The Rooster and his Nuggets 🤭

She held the photo in her tiny hand as Bradley helped you get dressed again. He thought maybe it looked like you already had a bump growing, but he wasn't about to comment on your size, even if it did look cute.

Good thinking ☝🏻also Rose holding the first picture of her sibling 🥹😍

Jake was perceptive, but Cat made you feel like you were transparent. Entering code while sitting next to her in the lab was tedious. Every time you breathed, it felt like she was going to figure out you were pregnant again. You swore she already knew.

She probably does, or at least has a feeling about it, I'm sure of it

You threw your arms around his neck and kissed him while he chuckled, but his hand slid lower on your back to your butt, giving you a little squeeze. "Not gonna lie, the first thing I thought of this morning when Mav told me was how cool my dad would have found this." "Oh, Roo," you whispered, heart clenching. "The second thing I thought of was fucking you senseless on my desk."

Bradley's fingers fumbled with your zipper as he said, "You know, this would be a lot easier if you were wearing your maternity tent." "I was just thinking about that thing earlier!" you replied, laughing as you kissed him. "Ugly but functional," he whispered, mustache rough against your skin when he mashed his mouth to yours.

Not the tent 🥲😂

When his tongue dragged the length of your slit, his fingers tightened on your hips, digging in until you gasped. "You know when to take me seriously and when I'm full of shit. And right now, I'm so serious about making you scream."

😮‍💨🤤🤭

Your body jerked forward, making you hang onto the desk for dear life as he fucked you hard and deep with one stroke. "If you weren't already pregnant again, you would be after this," he swore, withdrawing before plowing into you again. "Let's have ten kids."

That man is not beating the breeding kink allegations lol

"No," you gasped. "From the Academy? Your ex?" "Yep," Cam replied with a grin. "And he looks terrible."

Isn't that the best feeling 🤭

She was beautiful. Young and slim with dark hair and the brightest blue eyes you'd ever seen. And she was walking next to your husband and laughing like he'd just told her the most hilarious thing she'd ever heard in her life. Bradley nodded and smiled down at her, his expression merely polite. At least that's what you thought. Now you weren't so sure. He knew you came to the cafeteria, so why wasn't he looking around for you? Why wasn't he checking to see if you were still here?

Oh no this is not good😬😌

You stumbled along, thinking about the way Bradley fucked you against his desk barely thirty minutes ago. He'd made you feel so good, but now you were outrageously jealous over some unknown woman, and you had to get back to work. You couldn't control it. Why were you reacting this way? This wasn't even like you. But somehow you could just tell that something wasn't right.

💔💔💔

Bradley get your fucking act together and take care of your pregnant wife and the mother of your child, pronto! 😤

Aim for the Sky Part 30 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: Even though Bradley isn't as nervous this time around, his excitement for the baby overflows at your first appointment with your doctor. After he surprises you with something at work, you get hit by a wave of jealousy.

Warnings: Angst, adult language, body image, DILF Roo, smut, pregnancy topics, lactation kink, jealousy

Length: 3500 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female Reader

Aim for the Sky masterlist. This was written to accompany my series Is It Working For You? along with a bunch of my one-shots and other series, but it can be read on its own! Check my masterlist for the reading order.

Bradley sat in the familiar waiting room at Dr. Morris's office. Just like before, your hand was held tight in his with your cheek resting on his shoulder, but now he also had Rose curled up against his chest. She was sound asleep, her tiny body rising and falling in a hypnotic rhythm that he was obsessed with. Even her fuzzy hair was starting to get a little longer now that she was over five months old. He couldn't be near her and not kiss the top of her head. It was actually impossible.

"I hope both babies look like you," he whispered.

When you tilted your head back to look at him, you rolled your eyes. "Rose looks like you."

"Nah. She's too cute."

You looked sleepy, like you could close your eyes and drift right off. "You're a DILF, Bradley. It's so annoying that you don't listen when I tell you that."

Two kids under two would be a breeze. He just knew it.

"Right this way," the nurse said pleasantly. "You can wait in here. Dr. Morris will just be another minute or two."

"He's lying, Rose. He planned it out this time," you replied, laying back with your eyes closed while he reached for your hand. "Your dad is a con artist."

The door opened, and Dr. Morris strode in, looking from you to Bradley and back to you. "I thought you were using the pill? What happened?"

You glared at Bradley. "Yeah, Roo. I thought we were using the pill."

She cradled her head in her hands before looking at him. "You know, I've heard that. Which is why I prescribed the pill."

Bradley's eyes went wide. "You're worried about that? You're not even heavy, Sweetheart."

You shrugged, barely able to meet his eyes as Dr. Morris placed a soft hand on your arm. "Let's just give you a full exam, okay? There's no reason to assume the worst right now."

"Okay," you whispered, letting Bradley wrap your fingers up with his. He didn't understand how you could think you were anything other than perfect as you answered the doctor's questions while she turned on the ultrasound machine. Your blood pressure and heart rate sounded like they were perfect, and now it was time to find out more about the baby.

"Since you didn't menstruate after your daughter was born, it might be hard to pinpoint the exact due date."

"You're not helping, Roo," you said, but a smile broke out on your lips. "God, I can't believe we fucked this up."

Then the baby was suddenly visible on the screen, and Bradley rocketed to his feet with Rose. "Look, Baby Girl. Another Nugget! There's the heartbeat!"

"Oh," you whispered, tugging him closer by your connected hands as you stared at the monitor. Tears shimmered in your eyes. "Okay, so maybe we didn't fuck up too badly."

"Everything looks great," Dr. Morris said, taking a few measurements. "You're about eleven to twelve weeks along. Let me narrow it down for you."

But Bradley already knew. He'd already done the math in his head. He was not at all surprised when she said the due date was April Fool's Day.

"That's not funny," you told Dr. Morris, gasping before bursting out laughing.

"I'm not joking," she replied. "Next year, April first. That's your due date. I'll see you back here in a few more weeks."

"I have to call my parents later. I wonder if we should tell them now?" you mused.

Oh, shit. He hadn't even thought about how your mom and dad might feel. They would love another grandchild, of course, but two so close together?

"Whenever you want to tell them is fine with me," he replied, taking the ultrasounds in his hand. The fridge at home was still covered in Rose's, so now there would be more to add to it. He examined the little nugget shape before showing it to his daughter. "Do you think it's a brother or a sister? Daddy doesn't care either way. I just love Nuggets."

"We have so much to do," you sighed. "You've got your new recruits turning up at work soon, and I'm about to start a fourth quarter project next month." A yawn overtook your sentence. "I don't know how we're going to handle things."

He didn't know what else to say, so he said what was becoming his new motto. "We'll figure it out, Sweetheart."

--------------------------------

You were past twelve weeks along. It wasn't like you couldn't start telling people, but you were still apprehensive to do so. But why? It wasn't like you were going to get smaller instead of bigger. Your pants were already fitting a little tighter, and you were absolutely dreading wearing that sad excuse for a maternity uniform again.

"Not the tent," you groaned softly, picturing the hideous, khaki monstrosity in the back of your closet.

"What did you say?" Cat asked, and your fingers froze on the keyboard.

"I said, I am intent on finishing this up today."

"Same," she agreed, her engagement ring sparkling in the fluorescent lighting. "I'm sick of looking at this project. We've been working on the same thing for months. You ready to get lunch?"

You were about to agree when you glanced at your phone and saw a text from your husband. "Um, actually, Bradley asked me to stop by and check something out."

"No worries," she replied, closing her laptop. "I'll see you in an hour."

"Right," you agreed, reading the text again as she walked away.

Bradley Rooster Bradshaw <3 <3 <3: can you meet me in the outbuilding next to the tower? wanna show you something

"This better be good."

It was hot outside, and the asphalt smelled like it was burning before you got to the tarmac. The sun beat down on your back as you power walked your way to the building in question. It was just a bunch of offices, nothing else, so you weren't sure why he wanted you to come all the way over here. When you ducked inside the air conditioning again, you were sweaty and even more tired than before.

But then you saw it. A staff member was changing the names on the directory in the front foyer. One of them jumped out at you immediately, and your belly swooped with excitement.

LCDR Bradley Bradshaw (Room 117)

You rushed along the hallway, going nearly to the end before turning a corner. Room 117 was on the left, but the door was closed. When you knocked, it opened a few inches, and you saw his smiling face.

"You got an office!" you shouted, and the door swung all the way open to reveal a nice, quiet space a little bigger than your own. "Oh, Roo! It's swanky!"

"Swanky?" he asked with a laugh as your boots squeaked across the tile floor. "I wouldn't go right to swanky."

"You have a window! And a little couch!" you exclaimed, peeking out through the blinds to the tarmac. You spun around and looked at everything stacked up on his desk. There were aircraft manuals and clipboards, but there was also a framed wedding photo which was taken in the beach parking lot. And there was a photo of Rose trying to crawl next to Tramp which must have come from his locker. "I'm so proud of you."

"Oh, Roo," you whispered, heart clenching.

"The second thing I thought of was fucking you senseless on my desk."

"Bradley!" Your voice was a needy whine, surprising even you. It had been at least a week since you had enough energy for sex, simply passing out in bed as soon as Rose fell asleep each night. But right now, your head tipped back, teeth sinking into your lip as you thought about how good he could make you feel if you let him.

One eyebrow was raised as he asked, "Do you want to? I have thirty minutes until I need to show my new pilots around."

Your hands were already on the fly of his khaki pants. "Yes." You didn't know what came over you, but you were horny as hell and absolutely needed this.

"Yeah?" he grunted, sucking in a deep breath as your hand delved into his underwear to wrap around his heavy cock. "Shit, Sweetheart."

You staggered backwards when he pushed you toward his desk, but he was gentle as your rear end met the edge. He'd be careful with you, that much was certain, but you were so horny, you wanted him immediately.

Bradley's fingers fumbled with your zipper as he said, "You know, this would be a lot easier if you were wearing your maternity tent."

"I was just thinking about that thing earlier!" you replied, laughing as you kissed him.

"Ugly but functional," he whispered, mustache rough against your skin when he mashed his mouth to yours.

You were left a moaning mess as his fingers stroked your tattoo before yanking your pants down to your knees. Then he was on his knees in front of you, looking up as he kissed your chubby belly, pushing your shirt out of his way. His lips were so soft, but his voice was raspy.

"The first quickie in my new office. Hopefully the first of many."

"Once upon a time, you promised you'd keep your hands off me at work," you whispered, his lips kissing along until his nose was rubbing your clit. "Pretty sure you lied about that one, Roo."

He was. You could tell he was. Your husband was ready to go at a moment's notice all the time, and even a few days without fucking made you feel like he had some pent up energy that was going to make this explosive. Your nipples were tender and leaking into your nursing bra, but he didn't let you have a second to yourself before he turned you around and shimmied his pants lower.

"You ready for me?" he grunted, cock tapping your butt with excitement as he stroked your clit. Your hands were braced on his desk, and he nudged your boots further apart before guiding himself to your opening.

"So ready," you whispered. "Fuck me, Daddy."

"Bradley!" But he wasn't listening. He was fucking you rough, desk rattling against your knees and hands as he jerked the furniture across the floor a little more with each thrust.

"You look so good when you're pregnant. I wish you could see your ass. My god." He moaned your name. "Go ahead and scream for me."

That's when you realized your gasping breaths had gotten loud enough that they were echoing around the room over the sound of the desk moving. Bradley was relentless, his movements almost too much, but the steady stroke of his fingers on your clit kept you on your feet. A loud, long keen escaped your lips when you tried to breathe.

"That's it," he coaxed, rolling your clit between his thumb and index finger. "Just... a little louder."

His voice was breathless in your ear as his palm landed on your ass, the loud, stinging slap making you scream his name.

"Perfect," he whispered, cupping you with his palm, grinding the heel of his hand against your clit while you came. "Let me cum in your pretty pussy, and you can wear it to lunch with your friends."

That thought alone had your eyes rolling back in your head. You'd smell like him for the rest of the day, his sticky mess teasing at your thighs whenever you walked around. He did as he promised, fucking you until you were filled up, and then he dragged your underwear up your legs, keeping you full of him.

Bradley was kissing along your sweat-slick neck as he zipped and buttoned his uniform pants. But now you were standing there, so exhausted, you just wanted to curl up on his couch and take a nap.

"You're not eating lunch?" you asked, stifling a yawn as he helped you squeeze into your pants. "I'm starving."

"I don't have time," he replied, kissing you as he tucked your shirt in. "I've got ten new pilots to attend to, and I want them up in the air by the end of the week."

You held back another yawn. "Okay. Do you want to get Rose from daycare later or should I?"

This wasn't the kind of sexy post-fuck discussion the two of you usually had, which made you feel very conscious of the fact that you couldn't stop yawning. Bradley was adding pages to his clipboard as he said, "Can you get her? I'm not sure when I'll be done today. There's so much damn paperwork. I swear to god, the US Navy hates trees."

"Yeah, I can get her."

You started to head for the door when he looked up and asked, "Want me to walk you out?"

Yeah, you kind of did, but he already looked like his focus had moved on. "No, I'm fine on my own. See you at home tonight."

"I love you." He kissed your cheek and patted your butt with one big hand, and you were off in search of lunch. When you walked back along the sidewalk in the bright sunlight you considered just going home and sleeping for the afternoon. Would anyone even miss you? Perhaps you should just turn toward the parking lot.

"Hey!"

When you looked up and actually focused, you realized you were about to run into Cam. "Oh, hey."

"Want to split one of those super cheesy pasta bowls that we always say are bad for us but get anyway?" he asked, guiding you inside to the cafeteria as you laughed.

"Yeah, why not?" You wanted to tell him you were about to gain a ton more weight anyway, so it wouldn't make much difference. But you didn't.

"Perfect," he replied, loading one tray with enough food for both of you. "Then you can tell me how Rosie is, but first I need to tell you who showed up on one of my dating apps."

"Who?" you asked, covering your mouth as you yawned again.

"Guess!"

You started eating food off the tray before you even got to the table. "I don't want to guess. I'm too tired to guess."

"Fine," he sighed. "Ryan."

"No," you gasped. "From the Academy? Your ex?"

"Yep," Cam replied with a grin. "And he looks terrible."

You got to spend the next fifteen minutes indulging your friend in his gossip session. It helped that Ryan from the Academy did in fact look awful now, and you helped Cam swipe through his app options as you ate more than half of the pasta yourself. You were just finishing things off with a breadstick and telling him about Rose when you saw Bradley walk in.

Your hand was in the air, ready to wave him over and laugh at him for his inability to skip a meal when you realized he wasn't alone. There were several officers with him, none of which you could remember seeing on base before. You assumed they must be his new pilots from Texas. But one of them pushed her way to the front of the group, and your hand slowly lowered back down to your side.

"So is Rose crawling yet?"

You turned to look at Cam in confusion, heart pounding at a sickening rate that made you want to throw up. "Huh?"

"Rose," he repeated, chewing up his breadstick. "Is she crawling?"

"Oh. Um, no. Not yet."

You couldn't look away as the other woman's smile seemed to light up the area around her, and you wanted to cry when Bradley handed her a tray before the whole group got in line for lunch. Maybe you really were going to throw up.

"Hey, Cam, I have to run," you whispered, voice harsh as you stood.

"Brunch on Sunday with Maria?" he asked hopefully, but you could only nod as you headed for the far exit as quickly as you could move.

But somehow you could just tell that something wasn't right.

----------------------------

Why do I have the urge to send Bradley to jail? Someone needs to be locked up for poor behavior, and it's not Rose. Thanks @beyondthesefourwalls

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evanpeters75389 · 1 month ago

Note

I'd hate to be the person to bring this up again, but I really need to get this off of my chest since Coachella is coming up, and I'm a bit triggered. This blog seems to be a safe place to express this.

What happened last year was honestly the worst thing I've ever seen Evan do. And the fact that Natalie made him touch her like that was honestly disgusting. What made her think that doing all of that was a good idea??? They could have just hung out and maybe shared a few kisses and held hands, but no. When I first saw the video, I thought it was someone else and not Evan. Like one of those moments where someone claims it's him, but it isn't. And why did so many people think that that moment was beautiful or good? It was probably a bunch of teenagers who do nothing but read and write fanfiction about doing stuff like that with Evan, who thought that whole thing was amazing. And it's surprising that so many 'fans' blindly support her despite the shit that she's doing. But attack anyone who point it out by calling them jealous or harassing them.

I'm hoping that this whole bullshit show ends in April. Seeing her try to get so much attention and doing that cringey scrunched face is annoying and exhausting. And seeing Evan look so uncomfortable and bored with her is tiring. I'd rather see him single and HAPPY than with a random chic who makes him look like he wants to hide away. I'm seriously hoping that you're right about this ending in April.

I love this blog, by the way! And sorry for the long message 😅 Lots of hugs! ❤️

He behaved like a teenager and definitely disappointed the real fans and his family as well. It was supposed to be just a kissing scene, but that woman turned everything into something vulgar and provocative. She guided his hand to grope her buttocks, asked him to check out her "melons," and jumped on him, making sure her butt was in full display. It was very embarrassing—imagine his family watching that. They certainly didn’t take it well.

After everything, it was a year in which we didn’t see him smile spontaneously—his joy disappeared. Now, thankfully, we’re seeing him happy again, filming the series. And, inevitably, it seems like anyone can make him happy—except for that woman.

But remember, they are friends and may still be seen together—just as friends—to try to deceive us. On Valentine's Day, Natalie spent the whole day with her friends. That video, posted 20 days after the TikTok girl incident, was made just to make us think they were together on the "best day of the year," as she had said. It’s all deception.

Natalie and her friends on Valentine's Day are in the fourth photo of this link.

They are in the fourth photo of this link 👇

https://www.instagram.com/p/DHKDzpFpryV/?img_index=3&igsh=c3M0cTJkdGZ2NXUx

All it takes is for fans to mock her entire scheme, and she immediately calls him to try and fool us. Let’s see what happens until the end of April, but the fact is they went months without seeing each other, and suddenly, the nonsense starts again. Ugh. 🥴

Anyway, let’s stay calm, OK? Hugs!

0 notes

dwobbitfromtheshire · 2 years ago

Text

A/N: I wrote this loosely based on my own experience where my feelings for someone was used a prank for April Fools. Except it was the guy I liked who pranked me, and there was no happy ending. Also, my best friend at the time was part of it. Still hurts to think about.

Kevin hated Steve Harrington and hated him with a passion. He never did anything to him personally, but he didn't do anything to stop his friend Tommy from shoving him into lockers. He swore that if he had ever been given the opportunity that he would get revenge. Tommy had gone off to God knows where Steve would have to do, especially since he's been hogging all of Eddie's time since Spring Break.

Kevin had heard all sorts of stories about how Steve saved his life and how he had been taking care of him. He knows what kind of guy Steve is, knows that he's probably yanking Eddie's chain. Guys, like Steve, they never really change. He was going to hurt him before he could hurt Eddie. He knows that even douchebags can have feelings, and they were clear as day when he looked at Eddie. No, Kevin couldn't allow that. Saturday was April 1st. What a perfect opportunity. It was also perfect that he could copy Eddie's handwriting almost exactly. He wrote the note and slipped it on Steve’s car at Family Video. He ran back to his car, where it was parked down the road.

"I'm telling you, Robin," Steve said as he walked out of work with his best friend. "Even if he does like guys, it doesn't necessarily mean he likes me."

"I've seen the way he looks at you!" Robin practically growled at him.

"I don't want to get my hopes up here," he replied.

"It's worth the risk to have a little hope," she said softly. "Hey, what's that on your car?"

Steve shrugged and picked up the white piece of paper. It was a note from Eddie. He smiled, the smile growing as he read the note.

"Holy shit, you were right, Robin!" Steve exclaimed. "He likes me. He really likes me!"

Robin squealed and made a grab for the note. She jumped and hugged Steve. The next thing Robin knew, Steve was spinning her around and dancing with her in the empty parking lot.

"It's all coming together, Robin," Steve said softly.

When Saturday rolled around, Steve waited around impatiently for the evening to come. Robin had come over to help him get ready, and she began to get nervous with him. It wasn't even her date. When it came time to meet Eddie at the restaurant, Steve dropped Robin and her bike off at her house with promises to call if the date went well. He walked into Enzo's, flowers gripped tightly in his hand, and sat at the table reserved for him. It was quite a fancy restaurant for Eddie, but then he remembered how he had mentioned before about really working really hard to save up for something special. Had he been talking about Steve? He wondered what he would be wearing. He hoped it would be his regular clothes. That would be a sight.

As he thought about Eddie, an hour went by, and then another. It was pretty close to closing time, and Eddie was still a no-show. Steve frowned into his glass of water. He knew that if he hadn't shown up by now, then he was never going to show. It felt like someone had punched him the gut. The waiter came over to him with a note, and he perked up. Maybe it was from Eddie explaining himself. He opened it, and he sucked air through his teeth. It no longer felt like a punch. It felt like someone had rammed a sword through his stomach. On the note, in Eddie's handwriting, were the words: April Fools. Fuck.

Steve stormed into his home, slamming the door so hard it rattled. He was finding it hard to breathe. He could feel his face flush with shame and humiliation. Of course, it wasn't real. Of course, it had been a joke. Of course, no one could ever really love him. His parents certainly didn't. Nancy didn't, and now. . .now, it was Eddie who didn't love him, who thought he was a joke. That one hurt most of all. Fool. Bullshit. Fool. Not good enough. Not smart enough. Not worth it. Steve screamed and began breaking the things in the foyer. The end table came crashing to the floor, and he pulled the mirror that hung with it, the vase on top breaking on the floor as the rest followed suite. The notes were still crumpled in his hands, and he let them fall to the floor as he walked over the broken glass.

"Hello?" Robin called out as she entered Steve’s house the next morning.

She tried calling first, knowing he liked that, but he didn't answer, and so she got worried. He had promised to call if the date had gone well. Robin frowned as she moved all the way in and felt the crunch underneath her feat before she saw it. She glanced down and saw the wreckage on the floor along with the note. April Fools. She gasped, running over the glass and up the stairs to Steve’s room. She burst through the door, and her heart broke at the sight. Her best friend was lying in bed, still in the clothes from last night. His eyes were glassy and swollen. He looked so tired, so sad. . .

"Robin," Steve croaked.

Robin spent the next week when she wasn't working or going to school, taking care of Steve. She called off sick for him and worked hard to be there for him. She prevented the kids from stopping by, claiming that she didn't want them to get sick, but she knew that wouldn't hold for long. Friday had been enough for her after seeing him in school all happy and smiling while her best friend laid up in bed. He went to the bathroom and he still ate food but he stopped bathing. He stopped caring about his hair! Enough was enough!

"MUNSON!" Robin yelled, seething, as she stormed into the drama room.

He was holding Hellfire, had just begun when Robin ran in, and he nearly toppled out of his chair. He had never seen her so angry before, and honestly, it was terrifying.

"Robin, what -," Eddie started.

"He can't get out of bed because of you because of this!" Robin exclaimed, slamming pieces of paper to his chest. "After everything he did for you! What the fuck?!"

"A-are we talking about Steve?" Eddie asked. "I thought he was sick."

"No, he's fucking not. He's fucking devastated because of what you did," she said in disgust.

Eddie frowned, and his eyes widened when he read the notes. Oh God, he felt like he was going to be sick.

"How long did he wait?" Eddie asked.

"Hours," she replied.

Shit.

"Robin, I didn't write this," Eddie said.

"Oh, likely story," she scoffed.

"I swear, but I know who did," he said darkly and looked Kevin's way when he heard him laugh.

Eddie stood up, letting the notes fall, and walked towards a laughing Kevin. He grabbed Kevin by the collar, pulled him up out of his chair, and slammed him roughly against the wall. Kevin stopped laughing.

"Seriously?" Kevin asked.

"What you did was beyond fucked and you did it in my name," Eddie said furiously.

"King Steve deserved what he got. He is and always will be a bully," Kevin sneered.

"Jesus Christ, Kevin!" Grant spoke up.

"Steve Harrington is a better man than you will be. He grew up. How about you do the fucking same? In the meantime, you're out of the club," Eddie said.

He grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and ripped it down the middle before slamming him back against the wall. Kevin glared at him, grabbed his things, and walked out. Eddie turned around, full of rage.

"Anyone else have a problem with Steve Harrington?! If you do, speak now!" He snapped, pausing. "Alright then, Hellfire is canceled for tonight. There's someone I need to tend to. I swear, Robin, I - "

"I believe you," she said quickly. "Let's go."

Eddie nearly broke down crying at sight of Steve laying in bed, looking so utterly defeated. Steve flinched away from when he tried to touch him. Eddie was going to curse Kevin's name until the day that he died.

"Steve, listen to me. I swear on Hellfire, Dustin's mother, and James Hetfield that I didn't write that note. That was all Kevin, and it was for something that Tommy did. I was going to ask you out to a Tears for Fears concert. I even bought the tickets, I've been waiting to ask you. I still want to ask you, but I understand if you don't believe me," Eddie said.

"I never stopped him," Steve said, looking at him.

"Stopped who?" Eddie asked.

"Tommy."

"Oh, baby, you weren't the only one who could have done something. Besides, it wasn't your job to stop him. The only one who well and truly could have stopped Tommy Hagen was Tommy Hagen. He made his choice, and he got to lay in whatever bed he made. You didn't deserve what happened to you, my love, nobody does," Eddie said.

"Am I?"

"What?"

"Your love?"

"Abso - fucking - lutely you are!"

Steve met him halfway to the sweetest kiss that either one of them had ever gotten. Eddie pulled back with a grin.

"There's no doubt about it," Eddie said. "I love you, baby, I do, but your breath stinks, and you need a shower."

Steve laughed, and it was the most beautiful song that Eddie had ever heard. His favorite song.

#stranger things #eddie munson #joseph quinn #stranger things s4 #eddie stranger things #eddie munson lives #steve harrington #steddie #steve x eddie #steve harrington x eddie munson #steddie fanfiction #stranger things fanfiction

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bottombisexual · 2 years ago

Note

36, 62, 65, 75

And I'm flipping 30 on its head. Forget something you could change, what's one thing you really like/would never change about your body?

36. Have you ever liked one of your best friends?

Unfortunately, yes. Twice, because apparently I don't learn. In high school, my best friend was a guy in the grade ahead of me and he was single for a while, but I was scared to say anything. When he got a gf, I literally cried in bed for hours to my mom. After they broke up, I eventually told him I had feelings for him -- it happened to be on April Fool's Day, but I was barely even aware of that and he knew I was serious. He told me he was gay as a prank. Total asshole move. Anyway, it took me a long time to get over him, even after he admitted it wasn't true and that he didn't like me back. He moved away for college and the last couple times I saw him when he came back to visit, he's turned into a pretentious asshole, so I say good riddance 😅

The second one is one of my best friends, though we haven't met in person. We met on tumblr through a mutual fandom. She didn't return feelings for me, but was very kind about it, and even though it really hurt at the time, I'm glad I was able to move on bc she's still an amazing friend.

62. What is the sexiest thing someone could ever do for/to you?

Oh god, I feel like this question has so many potential answers, but I'm going to think of it in terms of what would turn me on the most to have someone do or say to me. They'd sit me down between their legs, my back to their chest, and run their hands all over me, all while kissing and biting at my neck and whispering very sweet, very filthy things before finally making me cum once or twice with just their fingers. And then maybe using a toy on me? Fucking me with a dildo while I arch back against them. Yeah, that'd do it 🫠

65. What is your favourite foreplay routine?

So like. I've never had sex, which is probably surprising given the shit I say, post, and reblog on here, but for questions like this, I don't really know what would be my favorite! I certainly have an active imagination though lol

75. What’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for you?

My date for my senior prom asked me to go with him with a big bouquet of flowers 🥺 He was two years behind me, but I went to a very small school and we all were fairly close regardless of grade. My senior year was a very bad, dark time for me, but he was always so nice to me, no matter what. Even still, he's just a genuinely kind person and idk if it meant as much to him as it did to me, but it was incredibly sweet.

Something about my body that I'd never change... my eyes bc they're a very pretty blue and my boobs 😂

#tysm!!#allnaturalgirldick #answered

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eddisfargo · 2 years ago

Text

I posted 3,305 times in 2022

That's 1,882 more posts than 2021!

7 posts created (0%)

3,298 posts reblogged (100%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@exponentiate

@bbauthor2

@luminarily

@testingcheats0n

@copyrightedpodcasts

I tagged 916 of my posts in 2022

#dracula daily - 233 posts

#ouat - 33 posts

#goncharov - 24 posts

#once upon a time - 22 posts

#psa - 17 posts

#queen's thief - 11 posts

#elon musk - 9 posts

#backreading dracula daily - 9 posts

#skipping the queue - 9 posts

#incredible - 8 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#i sometimes have like a dozen that are still sitting on my default new tab page just because i opened one and then remembered there's a tab

My Top Posts in 2022:

Not a day will go by (9/?)

Hello my patient friends! Sorry for the wait! It won't be this long again (for real this time)! This is a Christmas fic for last year's Secret Santa, and I've given myself a deadline to finish it before this year's secret Santa. Specifically, I'm trying to finish before December 18, which is mine and @cosette141's birthday! Thanks so much to everyone who's still reading and leaving comments--they keep me going when my brain refuses to write! Thanks especially to @MotherKat for being the best beta EVER! I'm going all out in November, and I've actually already got Chapter 10 written!! So it won't be too long!

Tagging: @resident-of-storybrooke, @everything-person, @teamhook

AO3 Ch 1 Ch 2 Ch 3 Ch 4 Ch 5 Ch 6 Ch 7 Ch 8 Ch 9

Summary: He may not remember his present, but she doesn't know his past. If she did, she wouldn't have married him… right?

See the full post

19 notes - Posted November 5, 2022

Not a day will go by (10/?)

OK, confession: I've had this one mostly-finished for a couple weeks. Nervous about it! Finally earning the M-rating, although it definitely goes nowhere near E. Not a thing I've done before, so your patience is appreciated! I'm really hoping I can finish the fic this month! Wish me luck! Thanks as always to @motherkatereloyshipper for her EXCEPTIONAL beta-ing, and for this BEAUTIFUL cover I just edited in! If you find any errors, they were probably my last-minute pre-post edits!

Tagging: @resident-of-storybrooke @everything-person, @teamhook

AO3 Ch 1 Ch 2 Ch 3 Ch 4 Ch 5 Ch 6 Ch 7 Ch 8 Ch 9 Ch 10

Summary: Hook gets a chance to get to know his wife.

See the full post

20 notes - Posted December 3, 2022

Not a day will go by (7/?)

APRIL FOOL'S.

Get it? The joke is, you thought you were definitely not getting an update of this fic today, but actually YOU DID. The first of 2022 (yikes)!

But seriously, so sorry it took me this long! ADHD is apparently the boss of me much more than I would like. But I'm hoping to get back on--not nearly an every-day posting schedule, but definitely better than every-four-months.

Thanks a bazillion to @motherkatereloyshipper for coincidentally being awake at a million o'clock her time and willing to beta so I could post this on April Fool's!

Tagging: @resident-of-storybrooke @everything-person @teamhook

AO3 Ch 1 Ch 2 Ch 3 Ch 4 Ch 5 Ch 6 Ch 7

Summary: Captain Hook wakes up in a strange bed, next to a woman he does not remember. He finds nothing particularly unusual about this situation. But the woman seems to know him very well.

In Storybrooke, there’s only one surefire way to get back a lost memory. And it’s not going to work until he loves her.

See the full post

20 notes - Posted April 1, 2022

My beautiful complete set, + a bonus first edition I got from a Secret Santa and the Spanish edition I’m working through! Somewhere I have the Vince Natale edition of The Thief, but I lent it to a student. I’d... better get that back before graduation, huh?

I think I might already have a somewhat more matched set in my classroom, at least part of it. I don’t mind whether I win or not, I just really wanted to share my beauties!

25 notes - Posted April 1, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

My fellow Friends of Jonathan on the Discord were talking about who they picture when imagine Quincey P. Morris. There were many excellent answers, like Owen Wilson, Woody Harrelson, and Daniel Craig doing his Benoit Blanc accent.

I apologize profusely but my answer is Doug Dimmadome, owner of the Dimmsdale Dimmadome. .

42 notes - Posted May 26, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#this is so funny though #my Original Content rounds to 0%#and my number one post is about Doug Dimmadome #like yup that tracks #tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

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stargazer-sims · 4 years ago

Text

Journal Entry #32

Victor

I spent the day with my lifelong best friends, Leo and Ellie, and it was amazing, but also kind of bittersweet.

I love Ellie and Leo so much, and I've missed being with them ever since I moved to Mt. Komorebi. Growing up, we were always together. In fact, the first time we were ever apart was when Ellie went to university, and even then, she was home on weekends, at Winterfest and in the summer, and Leo and I could always make the trip to Britechester to visit her if we wanted to.

When I took off to Mt. Komorebi, it was different. We really were separated then, and if I'd known how painful it was going to be, maybe I wouldn't have done it. And the worst part is, I didn't even understand just how much it would hurt until we were reunited. I know, that probably sounds stupid, but it's how I feel. I was super happy to have the team back together, but at the same time, I was sad because I didn't want to think about being away from them again.

Oh, In case I never mentioned it before, Leo is my cousin, and he’s only about three and a half months older than me. Ellie isn’t related to me, but we call each other cousins, too. She’s Julian’s daughter, and we basically grew up together. She’s exactly four months younger than me; my birthday is December second and hers is April second. We always joke that she barely missed being born on April Fool’s Day. Just like Ellie, to be slightly late for everything.

Ellie's tendency to habitually run five minutes behind schedule was the reason we all decided to meet at her house. Leo texted me after breakfast and said he'd pick me and Yuri up in his car, but it was a nice day, and I opted to ride my bike instead.

As it turned out, Yuri didn't want to join us. When I asked him why, he said he wasn't feeling well. I don't know if that was true or not, but if I were to guess, I'd say it's more likely he was anxious about hanging out with my friends for an extended period of time. Yuri's not antisocial or anything. The problem is, he knows my friends are loud, spontaneous and high energy, and he finds it stressful and exhausting to be around people like that for too long, especially if he's not well-acquainted with them. He'd do better with them one-on-one, I think.

Anyway, to my surprise, Ellie was ready when I got there, and it was Leo we had to wait for. According to him, he was trying to figure out how to fit his bike in the trunk of his car.

"You should've just rode it over here, dude," I told him.

"Couldn't," he said. "I'm going to need the car later."

I didn't ask him what for, but I was sure I'd find out sooner or later.

We agreed that Ellie and I would ride to Magnolia Blossom Park on our bikes, and Leo would meet us at the municipal parking lot across from the park. We'd do a little bike racing once we got there.

Before we left, we set up all our phones on the fence in front of Ellie's neighbour's house and put them on self-timer so we could take a bunch of silly photos of ourselves. Far be it from us to make serious memories. That's not our style.

I’m pleased to say, I haven’t lost any of my bike racing prowess, despite not having done it for a while. It’s not my best sport, but I guess you all know that. Still, I’m not bad at it, even if I say so myself.

Speaking of my best sport, Leo told me there’s already been snow on the mountains. I’m hoping we’ll see a decent snowfall while I’m here, so Yuri, Leo and I can go up there and get a few good runs in. I’m dying to show Yuri where I learned to snowboard. It may not seem like much compared to Yukimatsu, but I love it anyway. It was my first love, you could say, and it's where I'd trained for the Canada Winter Games.

It's hard to believe it's already been seven years since I won my Canada Games silver medal. That was my first really big win as an adult competitor, and it was the moment when I realized people other than my family, coach and friends would take me seriously as a professional athlete. It feels like it was only a short time ago that Mom, Julian, Ellie and Leo travelled out west with me and my coach to watch me compete and cheer me on. That's another one of my most wonderful memories with my friends.

Unfortunately, our bike racing only lasted as long as it took for us to annoy some old people who were playing chess and drinking lemonade at a table with a yellow and white striped umbrella. One old guy picked up his cane and waved it at us, and literally yelled at the top of his lungs, "Stop making so much noise!"

We cracked up laughing at the sheer irony of it. To be fair, we were making quite a lot of noise, but it's a public park and there's no law against having a good time. In the interests of not aggravating the elders to the point where they decided to call the park patrol on us, however, we wheeled our bikes over to the fence. Then, we retrieved a ball from Leo's car and started up a random game of soccer.

We played ball until we were starving and ready for a rest. Ellie spotted a hotdog vendor, so we all searched our pockets for money, and ran over to the food truck.

The food truck guy looked at us funny when we ordered nine hotdogs, but a paying customer is a paying customer, and he didn't complain. He just loaded all the hotdogs onto a Styrofoam plate, gave us some napkins, mustard packets and some extra plates to eat off of, and took our money without comment.

We found a picnic table in the shade and settled down to enjoy our lunch. Behind me, I could hear kids on the playground equipment, laughing and talking. Someone was cooking something in one of the public fire pits, and the smell of wood smoke and roasting food drifted in the air. I closed my eyes for a minute, wanting nothing more than to soak in every non-visual detail; longing to commit every sound, scent and sensation to my mind and aching a little because I knew there would be elements I could never recreate in my imagination no matter how hard I tried.

Ellie nudged my leg with hers, under the table. "Victor? You okay?"

"I'm good," I said, opening my eyes again. "Just thinking."

"You gotta be careful doing that," Leo said. "You could start a fire."

"Shut up, dumbass," Ellie said. "I think he's having a nostalgia moment or something."

"I kind of am having a nostalgia moment," I affirmed. "We used to come here all the time, and I don't know what it is about the hotdogs from food trucks, but they always taste the best. You can't get good hotdogs in Mt. Komorebi, and it's been like a million years since I've had any kind of hotdog at all, because Yuri can't eat them."

"The only hotdogs that are better than food truck ones are the ones cooked on campfires," Leo said.

"Exactly," I agreed. "Now that I think about it, I did have hotdogs during my trip to Sulani, back in late spring, so I guess it hasn't been that long. Maybe it's the company that makes them taste so great."

"How was that, anyway?" Ellie asked. "Sulani is on my list of places to go before I'm too old to enjoy it."

"It was fantastic," I said. "If you get a chance to travel, you should definitely do it. You'd love it."

"I don't know about her, but I'd love it," Leo said. "Kilometers of golden beaches and lots of cute girls in bathing suits? Yes, please."

"Ignore him," Ellie said. "Tell me about the cute boys in bathing suits."

I grinned at her. "Well, I was there."

"Shut up!" she kicked my foot. "I can't have you, can I? I meant the other cute boys."

"I have an idea, Ellie," Leo said. "We can go together, then there'll be at least one cute boy and one cute girl in bathing suits on the beach."

Ellie kicked him as well. "Can I get new friends, please?"

"Come on," I said. "You love us."

"Yeah, I do," she acquiesced. "Probably way more than I should."

"Victor, are you still planning to go to Selvadorada after Winterfest?" Leo wanted to know.

"That's the plan," I said. "Why?"

"Well, I had some thoughts about that."

"Oh?" I raised an eyebrow. "What thoughts would you have about me and my husband going to Selvadorada?"

"You can say no to this if you want," Leo said. "But, I was thinking we could turn it into a group adventure. When you first told us you were going, Ellie and I talked about it, and we thought it'd be fun if we all went."

"Really? You guys want to come to Selvadorada?"

"We wouldn't exactly come with you," Ellie said. "Not unless we both came to Mt. Komorebi first, or you and Yuri came back here. We were thinking that the four of us could arrange our travel plans together and meet up when we arrive."

"That..." I began, but had to stop and take a breath. "You guys... I would love that. You're serious, right? Please say you are, because I totally want to do this with you now."

"Of course we're serious," Ellie said.

"I'll talk to Yuri about it," I promised. "I think he'll agree, but let me ask him and get back to you. Then we can start organizing it."

"Sweet!" Leo exclaimed. "If you can't convince him, let me try to talk him into it. I'm very persuasive."

"I don't think that'll be necessary," I said.

"You'd probably scare him, Leo," said Ellie.

"Me?" Leo retorted "Like he wouldn't be scared of you?"

"He'd be nervous of both of you, acting like this," I said. "He needs to get to know you a little more. Let me see what he thinks of the group adventure, and if he's okay with it, maybe we can all do something he enjoys while we're here, so he can have a chance to get used to you."

"What's he into besides snowboarding?" Ellie asked.

"Music and art and history. He likes video games and movies, and one of our friends recently started teaching him how to knit, so he's been into that lately. And he can swim now, so there's that."

"If he likes art and history, maybe we can go to the museum," Ellie suggested. "It'd be boring as hell for us, but it'd be a low stress environment, and maybe we could go to the municipal pool afterwards."

"Great," I said. 'I'll ask him when I get back to Mom's house tonight."

"Sounds like we have a plan." Ellie gave us a thumbs-up.

We finished our hotdogs and then — I kid you not — we took a nap. The three of us laid on the cool grass under a tree, all heaped together in a pile of cuddles, and dozed off to the soft whispering rustle of leaves overhead.

These are my people, I thought, as I drifted off. The only other person in the world I could lie down with and sleep this close to is Yuri, but I still feel like I have to be careful with him. With Ellie and Leo, I'm not the protector. I'm the one being protected. Or perhaps more accurately, all three of us are protectors and protected in equal measure. With them, I've always felt absolutely safe, and I was infinitely grateful to discover that fact hadn't changed one bit in my absence.

I'm not sure how long we slept, but It must've been at least an hour and a half, judging by how far the sun had crossed the sky by the time we woke up. We disentangled ourselves and sat up, favouring each other with stupid, sleepy grins. Ellie picked leaves out of Leo's hair, and I picked one out of hers. I shook my head vigorously to dislodge any leaves that may have been stuck to me, and my friends laughed when all I accomplished was to make myself dizzy.

I flopped backwards into Ellie's lap, and she plucked a leaf from my hair with the teasing comment, "Look, Victor. You're turning into a tree."

"Are you saying I'm tree-mendous?"

"Yes," she said. "That's exactly what I'm saying."

We climbed to our feet and brushed ourselves off. Not quite ready to call it a day, we wandered around the park, chatting about everything and nothing. When we passed by the grandstand, we saw there was a band just setting up for an outdoor concert, so we bought some snacks and bottled water and returned to get a good spot on the grass by the stage before the area started to fill up.

The band was a local one, and although they probably weren't going to make the Top 100 any time soon, they weren't too bad. We had fun and danced a bit and tried to sing along to some covers. Sadly, Ellie is as bad at singing as I am. Leo is the only one of us with any musical talent whatsoever. It didn't matter, though. Musical ability isn't a requirement to be a member of the team.

The sun was beginning to set by the time the band wrapped things up, and we made our way back to the spot where we'd left our bikes chained to the fence.

"What should we do now?" Ellie inquired. "Do you guys want to go to the Blue Velvet for some burgers and drinks or something?"

"I'd love to, but I gotta get going," Leo said. "I promised Uncle JP and Aunt Lin that I'd babysit the girls tonight while they're out."

"Seriously?" I said. "Aren't they too old to need a babysitter? They're like, fourteen and sixteen."

"How old were you when your mom let you stay home alone overnight?"

"Um... never?" I said. "If Mom had to be away overnight for some reason, I was always at your house, or Ellie's. The first time I stayed overnight anywhere by myself was when I had my own apartment."

"Right," Leo said. "Anyway, would you leave Isabella and Maddie home alone? They'd probably fatally wound each other if they were left unsupervised."

"Not much like your sisters," Ellie commented. "Alessandra and Kiki are practically joined at the hip."

Leo grinned. "Kind of like us."

"Yeah, except we're capable of wounding each other if we're left unsupervised," I said.

"Mostly because we're doing some crazy plan you guys came up with," Ellie pointed out.

"Us?" Leo said. "You come up with the craziest plans. Remember that time we decided to build our own hang glider? That was totally your idea."

"True, but you two are just reckless enough not to have said no."

We all laughed at that, and it felt so good. I remembered the adventures we used to have, and I recalled the hang glider incident all too well. It was lucky we'd only decided to jump off the roof of Uncle Stephen's garden shed, because, although the contraption we'd built kind of worked, it wasn't capable of sustained flight and we probably would've killed ourselves if we'd tried to jump off anything higher. As it was, Ellie had ended up spraining her ankle, and Leo had accidentally hit me on the head while we were trying to position the ladder to climb up to the shed roof. Somehow, Leo had been the only one unscathed, and we'd called him Super Leo for weeks afterward.

"A fine example of why we shouldn't be left unsupervised," I commented. "There was also the time we built the raft and became Willow Creek's first pirates, remember?"

Leo laughed. "It was all good until the cops found out."

"How were we supposed to know you're not allowed to sail homemade rafts in the canal?" said Ellie.

"Hey," I said. 'I was the one who said we should've stuck to sailing in the creek, in case you forgot."

"I thought your mom was going to lose it when the police car pulled up to the clinic with all three of us in the back," Ellie said. "It's one of those times when I wish I'd had a camera, just to capture the expression on her face."

"Your dad's reaction wasn't much better," I reminded her. "Not to mention how Aunt Millie screamed at me about accidentally almost drowning Leo."

"Mom overreacted," Leo said. "The way I remember it, I nearly drowned myself, and you were trying to rescue me. And like, I'm still here to talk about it, so obviously you succeeded. Mom should've been thanking you."

"I don't think she saw it that way at the time," I said.

"No, probably not," he conceded. He sighed. "I'd love to continue this, but I really have to get going. Catch you tomorrow?"

"Absolutely," I said.

"Ellie?"

"I'm off tomorrow," she said. "I'm definitely up for whatever you've got in mind."

"I have to work till three o'clock," he said. "After that, though?"

"Awesome," said Ellie.

"I'll text you in the morning, Leo," I told him. "We can do something when you get off work. I'll try to talk Yuri into joining us, too."

"Cool," Leo said. "The more the merrier. See you tomorrow."

"See you later, Leo," Ellie said.

We all gave each other a playful, exaggerated wave goodbye.

Leo unchained his bike, and walked it up to the road. Ellie and I followed him for a short distance, but then we stopped and watched him trot off in the direction of the municipal lot where he'd parked his car.

Ellie reached for my hand. "Just us, now."

I smiled, loving the familiarity of her hand in mine. "Want me to walk you home?"

"What about our bikes?"

"They're chained on," I said. "They'll be fine till morning. I want to take the slow route back to the house."

"Maybe I should walk you home," she said. "You can invite me in for homemade ice cream and a movie. You know, if your husband isn't the jealous type and doesn't mind me cuddling you on the couch, that is."

"Uh... about that," I said. "Yuri probably wouldn't like us cuddling, even if it is totally innocent, but you can still come over. Ice cream and a movie sounds awesome, and you can even stay the night if you want."

"I'd like that," she said. "If I'm staying over, we'll have to stop at my place for a minute so I can grab some stuff. So, you can walk me home, and then I'll walk you home. Everybody wins."

"Everybody wins," I echoed happily. "I feel like I always win when I get to be with you, though. I've missed you a lot."

"Me too," Ellie said. "You don't even know how excited I was when you told me you were coming home. I almost offered to meet you at the airport myself."

"Why didn't you?"

"Mostly because I thought I'd start crying all over you and make a fool of myself in front of your husband," she admitted. "That, and I didn't want to deny your mother the opportunity to be the first to see you."

"You think Mom didn't cry all over me?"

"I'll bet you cried all over her, too."

"Yeah," I confessed. "You shouldn't have worried about crying in front of Yuri. He's used to people crying in front of him by now."

"And by 'people' you mean yourself," Ellie teased.

"You know I cry over everything."

She squeezed my fingers gently. "I know. You're sensitive. Most guys would try to be all tough and macho, and keep that stuff in, but I like that you don't."

"Yuri says the same thing. He doesn't judge me for it."

"You wouldn't be with him if he did," Ellie said. "He sounds like a sweet guy. I'm looking forward to getting to know him better."

"I think you'll get along," I said. "Remember not to be too loud, and not to touch him, and it'll be fine."

"So, that's really a thing? He actually doesn't like to be touched? Like, at all? Because you guys look like you're all over each other in the pictures you send."

"He lets me touch him now, but generally, yeah. He has a lot of anxiety about being touched. Like, it took a while before he was comfortable with me doing it, so..." I shrugged one shoulder. "If you want to upset him, that's the way."

"Good to know," Ellie said. "I'll keep that in mind."

We walked along in silence for a while after that. The sun was sinking lower and the air was starting to cool off dramatically, the way it always does on autumn evenings here. After having acclimated to the consistent cold temperatures in Kiyomatsu, I barely felt the damp chill. It entertained me to think that two years ago, I would’ve been reaching for a sweater right about now.

Ellie pointed in the direction of the creek. "Look how gorgeous the trees are. Does it look like this in Mt. Komorebi?"

"Sort of," I said. "Down in the valley, the leaves change colour like this. I took Yuri to Hanamigawa for his birthday back in September, and this is kind of what it looked like, but without the willows and the creek."

"That's why they call this place Willow Creek," she said, sounding amused.

"Logical."

"Want to go down by the water before it gets too dark?"

"Okay," I said. "Take me to our spot."

'Our spot' is about half a kilometer downstream from the park. The creek runs slowly there, and there's a huge old tree that reminds me of Grandmother Willow from that one Disney movie. It's a little challenging to get to, because you have to scale the fence along the side of the road and climb down over an embankment, but once you're down next to the water, the ground is level again.

This was the place we sought out when there was something serious going on in our lives and we needed to talk it over. Sometimes all three of us would gather here, and sometimes only two. In any case, it was always a safe space for us. No one bothered us there. It was perfect for discussing things that we didn't want anyone else to hear.

Ellie and I sat facing each other, and I tried to think of how many times over the course of our lifetime that we'd positioned ourselves like this.

We were about eight years old when we found our spot for the first time, and it was due to Ellie wandering away from her father and getting lost. Me and Leo and Uncle Stephen had found her here, leaning on the fence and staring at the creek. She hadn't been scared. Once she realized she didn't know how to get back to the park, she'd stayed where she was and waited for help.

Clearly, she'd paid attention on the way back, because the next time we visited the spot, it was on purpose, and Ellie had told us that her mother was getting remarried and that she didn't want to be in the wedding. Leo and I had attempted to help her hatch a plan to avoid wearing a princess dress and trying to mind her manners around a bunch of people she didn't know, but all our scheming had been to no avail. She was forced into the frilly daffodil coloured monstrosity, and had an utterly horrible day. Leo and I saw some pictures after the fact. Ellie looked murderous in every single one.

"What's so funny?" Ellie demanded.

"Nothing's funny," I said.

"You're smirking."

"Oh." I shook my head. "Thinking about those pictures of you at your mom and Patrick's wedding in that gross yellow dress."

"Ugh." Ellie scrunched up her face. "Can you not remind me?"

"Sorry," I said. "I've been thinking about a lot of stuff today. Not all the memories are good ones for everybody, apparently."

"It's okay. I shouldn't be surprised that you're remembering a lot of stuff. I have as well. I guess it's the team being back together."

"Yeah," I said. "That's mostly what I've been thinking about. I want to spend as much time with you guys as I can. I don't want to waste a moment, and maybe I have more thoughts than moments."

"I hear you," Ellie said. She picked some long blades of grass and began idly weaving them together. "Know what I've been thinking about?"

"What?"

"All the fun we used to have on camping trips. Leo and I haven't done that since you left."

"Why not?"

"It's not the same without you," she said. "Know what we should do before you go? We should drive up to Granite Falls and camp for a couple of nights.”

"I don't know," I said. "I don't think Yuri would like that. He's not much for roughing it."

"He doesn't have to come if he doesn't want to," Ellie said. "Anyway, I was thinking you, me and Leo, just like old times."

"All right. I'll see if it's okay with Yuri."

"It's so weird that you're married," Ellie said. "I mean, it's great. I knew you'd find somebody at some point, and I'm happy for you. It's just strange, you know? You go away for two years, and you come back with a husband."

"You knew me and Yuri were together before I even left."

"Yeah, of course, but if I'm being honest, I never expected you to leave in the first place. I guess I didn't realize how serious your online relationship was."

"Maybe I didn't either, until I got there. It was only supposed to have been a visit, but once I was physically with him, I knew I never wanted to be apart from him."

"I get that," Ellie said. "There are some people you need to have in your life, right?"

"Yeah."

"And some people you have to leave behind to make that happen."

"I guess."

"There was a time when I thought you, me and Leo would be together forever, just like your mom and my dad, but I guess life doesn't always go how we imagine, does it?"

"No, it doesn't," I agreed. "I'm sorry I broke up the team, but no matter what, I'll always be your friend. I'm never going to be out of your life, even if we're not in the same place."

"I know," she said, "But, it's not the same."

"You're right," I said. "It's not."

"Sorry if this sounds selfish, but sometimes I wish you'd never gone there. To Mt. Komorebi."

"It's not selfish. It's honest." I said. "You want to know something?"

"What?"

"There's a part of me that wishes I'd never left Willow Creek."

"Really?" She said.

"Yeah."

“What about Yuri?”

"I love Yuri more than anything, and I don't regret being with him, but being so far away from everything and everyone else I love is super difficult. Sometimes, I feel like crying because nothing's familiar. And trying to be an adult when I don't think I'm ready and there's nobody to help me is just... terrifying as hell." I sighed and looked away from her. "All those feelings hit me really hard when I walked into Mom's house the other day, and I... I don't think I want to go back to Mt. Komorebi now."

“Does Yuri know that?”

“No,” I said. “He’s never going to know.”

“Don’t you think you should tell him?”

“What would be the point? It’d only upset him, and it’s not like I have a choice anyway. We both have jobs and responsibilities there, and Yuri’s family is there. Plus, my immigration process was finalized a couple months ago, remember? Don’t you think it’d be kind of stupid to leave a country I just got permanent resident status in?”

“It’s more stupid to make yourself miserable just because you think it’ll help somebody else stay happy,” Ellie said.

“I don’t hate living in Mt. Komorebi, and I’m not miserable all the time,” I said. “I didn’t think I’d miss boring old Willow Creek that much, that’s all, and the dumbest thing is, I didn’t even know how much I missed it until I was back. I don't know. I'll probably get over it once I'm in Mt. Komorebi again, though."

"You don't always have to get over stuff, you know."

"What am I supposed to do, then? I can't drown in self-pity continuously. It's easier to figure out some kind of way to let it go."

"Easier for who?" Ellie asked. "You have to live with it, so it can't be easy for you, and I can tell you it's not easy for your friends to watch. Obviously I don’t know Yuri that well, but I doubt it's easy for him, either. If he loves you, don’t you think he’d want you to be happy instead of torturing yourself trying to please everybody else?”

“He always says that. That he wants me to be happy.”

“So, what is it? You don’t believe him?”

“No, I do believe him, but…”

“But what?”

“This is going to sound dumb,” I said.

“Go on,” she said. “I’m used to you sounding dumb.”

“You ever love somebody so much that you want to keep them safe from everything that could possibly hurt them? Like, even bad feelings and stuff? That’s how I feel about Yuri,” I said.

“It’s impossible to protect someone from everything.”

“Yeah, I know it’s impossible,” I said. “But, that doesn’t stop me from wanting to do it anyway.”

“I’ve never loved anyone like that,” Ellie said. “I don’t think anyone’s ever loved me like that either, but then again, I’m not sure I’d want them to.”

“Why not?” I asked.

“Because, as much as I’d want my partner to be my hero, I’d prefer him to be honest and open with me if there was something he thought might hurt me. I wouldn’t want him hurting himself and suffering in silence because he thought it’d make my life easier.”

“But, what if he knew you couldn’t handle it?”

“If I really couldn’t handle it, I’d expect him to support me through it.” Ellie levelled her gaze at me. “If he didn’t ask me and was just assuming I couldn’t, I’d be mightily pissed off at him for lacking faith in me and underestimating my ability to cope.”

“Yuri isn’t like that. I don’t think he’s angry at me for wanting to protect him. He likes it when I protect him.”

“But, would he want you to protect him if you had to put yourself in harm’s way to do it? Unnecessarily in harm's way, I mean. Think about that before you answer.”

I did. I tried to imagine what Yuri would say if he knew how badly I was hurting, how he might respond. I pictured him putting his arms around me and letting me cry, like he did the night I’d told him what happened with Ren at the fitness center. He’d be patient while I stumbled my way through a clumsy explanation of my feelings, and he’d surprise me with his insight and his resilience. I know I shouldn’t be surprised by that any more, but sometimes I think I can’t see past his physical frailty and tiny stature, and how he always says he needs me and wants me to keep him safe. My desire to shelter him overshadows my own need for him to take care of me, and maybe sometimes I deny him the opportunity to show he’s capable of that, because I’m too determined to not be a burden to him.

I didn’t even bother to hold back my tears or try to conceal them from Ellie. She’d seen me cry enough that it didn’t matter any more. I had nothing to prove to her.

I sniffled. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Trust him," Ellie said. "Trust him the way you trust me and Leo." She reached across the space between us and placed her hand on my knee. "Make him part of the team."

Hearing her say that, I felt like she'd knocked all the air out of my body. The team was me, Ellie and Leo, and it was... everything. I often tell Yuri he's everything, but in that moment I started to feel scared that it wasn't really true. How could I love someone so intensely, and yet not trust him as completely as I trust my friends?

But, I do trust him, I insisted to myself. I trust him in so many ways that matter.

But not in the way that allows him to protect you.

That night at the hotel, Yuri promised that from now on, he'd protect me the way I protect him, and it'd sounded good in my ears, but I wondered if it had ever penetrated my heart or my mind enough for me to believe it.

I wiped at my eyes with the back of my hand, but it was no use. "I love him so much," I managed to say. "How could I fail this hard at being a good partner for him?"

Ellie stroked my knee. "I don't think you failed. You know what Dad says. You've only failed if you stop trying. You're not giving up on him, are you?"

"N-no," I said. "I'd never do that."

"I didn't think so," she said. "You've just got some stuff to work on."

"It's all so hard," I said "Growing up and having relationships and dealing with real life in general. You know what I mean?"

"Nobody said it'd be easy. You didn't think it would be, did you?"

"No, but I wish it was easier."

"Me too," she said.

"How am I supposed to tell Yuri that I don't want to leave?"

"Just tell him. You know you have to leave in a couple weeks in any case, but if you don't tell him, how will he know you want to come back?"

"Do you think he'd want to live here? Like, permanently?"

Ellie smiled. "I think you'd know that better than I would. Honestly, Victor, talk to him. Let him help you work through whatever's going on inside your head. You told me before, he's good at that, so you should let him do it more often."

I nodded. "You're right."

"Naturally," she said. "Why else would I be the team leader?"

I laughed, even though I was still crying. "I love you, Ellie."

She got up, and held out a hand to me. I took her hand, and she pulled me up to my feet and straight into the tightest embrace.

"I love you, Victor," she said. "I will always love you and I'll never stop. You can go to the ends of the earth, and I'll still love you."

"The ends of the earth and back," I whispered, and suddenly, I remembered where that phrase had originated. Ellie had said it into my ear as she hugged me goodbye at the airport on the day I left for Mt. Komorebi. Unwittingly, I'd started saying it to Yuri, and he'd started saying it to me.

We stood together for a long time, and I found it easy to calm down and stop crying in the security of Ellie's arms.

Eventually, we both stepped back.

"You look awful," Ellie said. "Let's go to my house and get you some cold water and something to get that redness out of your face." She gave me a mischievous little smile. "Yuri won't want to be my friend if he thinks I did something to make you cry."

"It wasn't you," I said.

"A likely story. 'I was alone with your husband and he was crying, but it totally wasn't my fault, I swear'."

"Okay, maybe he'd be suspicious if you said it like that. But yeah, let's go to your house. You were going to get some stuff and come over, right? You still want to?"

"Only if you're not planning to have that conversation with Yuri tonight."

"I don't think I'm ready to have a deep discussion tonight," I admitted. "Come over and spend some time with us. Maybe we can figure out a way to make homemade ice cream with almond milk so Yuri can have some too, and if you're nice, we might even let you pick the movie."

"Maybe we should let Yuri pick the movie," Ellie said. "You and I would probably choose the same sort of thing, but I'm curious to find out what he's into."

"I hope you have a secret passion for historical romances," I said.

Ellie groaned. "Ugh.. big no to that. Now, I'm one hundred percent convinced of how much you love him. The Victor I know wouldn't sit through five minutes of a historical romance, so you've got to be doing it for him."

"You have no idea how many historical romances I've sat through for him," I said. "Mostly, I'm in it for the cuddling, though. He watches the movie, and I'm the warm and comfortable human cushion he sprawls on."

"Okay, then. Historical romance it is," Ellie said cheerfully. "I've got to see that. Like, I'm already dying of how cute it sounds like you guys are."

"I can't speak for me, but Yuri is pretty cute."

"Don't worry. You're cute too." She slipped her arm through mine. "Come on. You're going to walk me home, aren't you? We'd better get going if we want to have movie night and not stay up past bedtime."

"Right," I said. "Ice cream, movie and a sleepover. Everything might not be exactly like it used to be, but I'm glad some things haven't changed."

#ts4 #sims 4 #eagames #Willow Creek #Leo DeLuca #Eleanor Britt #Victor Nelson #victorandyuri #the three ring circus #stargazersims #victorsworldadventures

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