#This is why I am a Jeff Main

[caruliaa]

just bc im a lesbian doesnt mean tht i wont at times become deeply entranced with the beauty of male actor or character. it just means i wld rather be locked in a room with a man with a knife than do anything romantic or sexual with one

[nataliescatorccioapologist]

Exploring all of the main Yellowjackets ships (and what makes each of them so compelling)

In honor of everyone fighting about which ship is the best in this fandom, I wanted to do a rundown of each of the main Yellowjackets ships and why they are all so interesting and believable in their own ways. I am only going over the most popular ships in the fandom (romantic pairings with more than 100 written works on ao3), so sorry if some of your favorite rarepairs are missing! And if you’re looking for a post all about how these relationships are so cute and healthy, this isn’t it (except for maybe Taivan). I’m mostly going to talk about how toxic, tragic, and tumultuous they all are, because that’s what we’re actually here for.

Jackieshauna

Jackieshauna is all about possession (in the best, most homoerotically intense way). Their dynamic is fraught with contradictory feelings that somehow exist alongside each other. Shauna idolizes Jackie’s magnetic influence, but she is also deeply resentful of her. Shauna adores Jackie, but she’s also suffocated by her. She feels like can’t live without Jackie, but she also can’t stand living in her shadow anymore. Jackie cares deeply for Shauna, but she also needs to own her; she needs to be validated by her position of power over Shauna.

The queer subtext in their relationship is so strong that it almost doesn’t feel like subtext at all. From the longing stares and the constant, almost hypnotic closeness to the way they interact with each other, the line between platonic love and romantic obsession blurs to the point of becoming indistinguishable. Their entire dynamic reads like a suppressed, unspoken desire, with both women using Jeff (and Travis eventually) as a way of redirecting their intense feelings towards each other. Shauna’s betrayal with Jeff doesn’t just feel like a “best friend stole my boyfriend” situation—it feels like she wanted to be Jackie, to consume her, to get as close to her as possible. And Jackie’s reaction isn’t just about the betrayal; it’s about the fact that Shauna was hers, and suddenly, she’s not. Jackie is so devastated by the knowledge of Shauna sleeping with Jeff that she no longer believes in love and loses her will to live entirely.

Shauna’s grief over Jackie isn’t just guilt; it’s, once again, possession. She talks to Jackie’s frozen corpse, hallucinates their conversations, braids her hair, does her makeup, eats her ear. It’s as if, in death, Jackie becomes more hers than she ever was in life. I just can’t get enough of the line, “I don’t know where you end and I begin.” Shauna eating Jackie is the ultimate culmination of this. It’s an act of worship—taking Jackie into herself, keeping her close in the most visceral way possible. But it’s also an act of domination—Shauna, who spent so long being beneath Jackie, is now consuming her, overpowering her in a way she never could while Jackie was alive.

There are so many layers to Jackieshauna; it’s love, admiration, obsession, ownership, codependency, resentment, and jealousy all wrapped up into one severely intense relationship. Their story is so tragic because it’s full of unspoken things—words that were never said, feelings that were never acknowledged, and a love that was never fully realized until it was too late.

One word to describe them: Possession

Their best scene: Their last fight

"Did I force you to live in my shadow, Shauna? It must be hard being this jealous all the time. You're so fucking jealous of me you can barely breathe."

“Are you quoting Beaches at me right now?”

“No…”

"I'm not jealous of you, Jackie. I feel sorry for you. Because you're weak. And I think that deep down, you know it. I’m sure everyone at home is so fucking sad to be losing their perfect little princess, but they’ll never know how tragic and boring and insecure you really are, or how high school was the best your life was ever gonna get.”

Taivan

Taivan is a peak golden retriever/black cat ship. Van is the golden retriever: loyal, endlessly optimistic (even in the face of getting nearly fatally attacked by wolves), and always trying to bring humor and lightness to situations, even when things are at their worst. She’s playful, affectionate, and follows Taissa around with unwavering devotion, even when Taissa is pushing her away or making choices that Van doesn’t agree with. This loyalty extends to Taissa’s sleepwalking, as Van’s support of her never falters even when faced with a darker, more dangerous side of Tai.

Taissa, on the other hand, is the ultimate black cat: fiercely independent, emotionally guarded, and always trying to maintain control, even when she’s clearly struggling. She’s skeptical, calculated, and reluctant to accept things that don’t fit her worldview. This initially translates into her relationship with Van, as she doesn’t want to be vulnerable, but you can tell she feels such a deep love for Van that keeps drawing her back in; unable to hide this softer side of herself. Van softens Taissa in the best way, cracking open that hard shell and allowing Taissa’s vulnerability and warmth to reveal itself. The most telling moment of this is Taissa’s willingness to enter Lottie’s spiritual circle to support Van. For someone as practical, skeptical, and grounded as Taissa, this is a significant sacrifice of her usual hard-edged pragmatism. But her desire to be there for Van, to show up in a way that is vulnerable and supportive, speaks volumes about the way Van has brought out a warmth in her that no one else ever could. Taissa’s love for Van is not just a passive emotion—it’s an active, deliberate decision to let go of control. The fact that she does this for Van is a testament to just how deeply she cares. And the Doomcoming “I want to see you” scene? That girl loves Van with her entire being.

In the adult timeline, Tai and Van cope with what happened in the wilderness in opposite ways. Taissa obsessively looks to the future and refuses to look back, while Van remains stuck in the past, refusing to move on. When they reunite in Season 2, they’re able to meet somewhere in the middle; a collision of the past and present.

It is clear that these two will do anything for each other, whether it’s fighting off a pack of wolves, tying themselves to each other at night, or going on life-threatening expeditions just to support each other. They are devoted to each other in any form. I can't wait to see them fuck on a table in the adult timeline in S3.

One word to describe them: Devotion

Their best scene: I ❤️ you (in blood)

“This is how you’re choosing to say ‘I love you’ for the first time?”

“You’re kind of leaving me hanging here, lady…”

“I love you, too.”

Lottienat

Lottie and Nat are classic narrative foils. They contrast so sharply with one another, yet in those very contrasts lie hidden similarities that shape their dynamic. Natalie was raised in a trailer park while Lottie was raised in a mansion, but they both grew up lonely and neglected by the people who are supposed to love them. Both of them feel alone and unloved, but where Natalie learns to toughen up and rely solely on herself, Lottie begins to seek connection in something bigger than herself—spirituality and the Wilderness. Natalie is the pragmatist/skeptic while Lottie is the spiritual prophet, but they both want what's best for the group. Lottie and Nat are arguably the two most compassionate, empathetic survivors, but they wield this empathy in different ways (i.e. Lottie offering Travis hope that his brother is alive, Natalie offering support through the grieving process as she guides him towards accepting his brother is dead). Together, they are two halves of a whole, each offering something the other cannot.

Lottie is both Nat's salvation and her undoing. Lottie offers Natalie the hope, purpose, and sense of belonging that she so desperately craves in her lowest moments, but in doing so, she inadvertently sets in motion a chain of events that ultimately leads to Natalie’s emotional and physical destruction. When Natalie is more alone and outcasted than she has ever been in the wilderness after the card draw, Lottie grants her the title of the group’s new leader. With this new title, Nat finally receives the love and appreciation she has always needed, but she also receives the burden of being in charge of (and therefore responsible for the actions of) a group rapidly descending into darkness, only intensifying the guilt and trauma she lives with for the rest of her life. When Natalie is on the verge of suicide, Lottie rescues her and takes her to her wellness community, which leads to Nat discovering self-forgiveness but also places her on the path towards her untimely death.

Their dynamic is defined by Lottie reaching out, trying to hold Natalie, to nurture and protect her, while Natalie fights and resists. The hypnosis/sharing shack scene is so important. It's Nat finally surrendering to Lottie (and all that Lottie represents). It's Nat allowing herself to be held (thinking of the way she lays her head in Lottie's lap, and the way she and Lottie are embracing each other as they dance around the fire), to be vulnerable and receive the love and care she never thought she deserved. It's so tragic that Lottie begins to spiral again just as Nat is beginning to trust her.

There are so many great Lottienat moments: the hint of pre-crash banter in "You don't talk shit unless someone really deserves it", Natalie comforting Lottie in the middle of the night when they sleep in the cabin for the first time, "Did you read that on a fucking fortune cookie?", Lottie always offering Nat her blood, Lottie's "I just want you to be safe", the iconic bathtub truce scene, the coronation scene with Lottie kissing Nat's hand and Nat looking up at her with awe and tears in her eyes, Lottie keeping tabs on Nat over the years to make sure she's okay, kidnapping her before she could kill herself, Natalie regressing to her teen self in the sharing shack as she rests her head on Lottie's lap, Natalie's "I think it's time for you to stop resisting", and Lottie and Nat dancing together around the fire.

One word to describe them: Tension

Their best scene: The bathtub scene

"Good game, you fucking loser."

"You talking shit? You little bitch, you ended up with nil, the same as me. But fine, good game."

Lottielee

So much of Lottie’s life leading up to the plane crash was about shame and self-confinement. Her father made her afraid of her own mind, and she spent much of her youth suppressing herself through medications and a socially acceptable mask. Laura Lee is the first person to accept Lottie as she truly is. She’s the first person to offer Lottie an alternative to her father’s control. Where Lottie has only known repression and self-doubt, Laura Lee provides a safe space where Lottie is believed. Not only does Laura Lee offer Lottie validation—she offers her a sanctuary for expression. She’s not afraid of Lottie’s abilities or her spirituality; she sees it as a part of who Lottie is, something to be embraced rather than suppressed. Lottie’s relationship with Laura Lee is foundational to her entire character; her psyche, her self-identity, her motivations going forward, and her path in life. Laura Lee helps Lottie develop an assertiveness and confidence she had not been able to access before, which in turn allows her to ascend to the extremely influential figure she ends up becoming.

I think so much can be said about the importance of touch in their relationship. Holding each other’s hands to guide each other, embracing each other, placing a hand on the other’s chest and holding it there. Laura Lee provides a gentleness/tenderness in her touch that Lottie has been craving her whole life. The act of placing a hand on the chest is particularly significant. When Laura Lee touches Lottie in this way, it is a moment of emotional anchoring. The chest is where the heart is, where one’s truest self can be felt and expressed. To have someone touch you there with reverence is a profound act of acceptance and recognition. And this is something that stays with Lottie, becoming an integral part of her spiritual practices. When Lottie offers this kind of touch to others, she’s not just comforting them; she’s offering the same acceptance and safety that she first received from Laura Lee. It’s a form of healing, of passing on the love and belief that Laura Lee gave her, a way for Lottie to channel her strength into others and to demonstrate the kind of acceptance she once craved.

Lottielee is about nurturance and sustenance. I love the absolute awe on their faces when they look at each other. In a way, they have faith in and worship each other.

Laura Lee’s death is extremely impactful and devastating to Lottie, so much so that she still sees Laura Lee’s ghost even 25 years later. Echoes of Laura Lee exist in everything Lottie does.

One word to describe them: Acceptance

Their best scene: The lake baptism

"I saw fire— a light."

"That's the holy spirit, you've been touched."

Mistynat

This ship has got to be the most hilarious out of any on the show. On paper, it makes absolutely no sense. Natalie is dark, brooding, cynical, and emotionally guarded to the point of being downright cold in the adult timeline. She has carefully curated an emotional armor; an air of detachment and apathy that she uses to maintain distance from anyone that could possibly become close to her. In contrast, Misty is a perpetual ray of sunshine—a walking bundle of overzealous energy and bubbly optimism wrapped in frilly, vintage-inspired cat sweaters. She's needy, socially unaware, and often acts out of a desperate desire for affection and validation. Their personalities, seemingly at odds, create a rich, almost absurd juxtaposition that makes their interactions fascinating to watch.

At the heart of their relationship is a shared sense of longing. Both Natalie and Misty crave connection and appreciation, but they have no idea how to foster it in healthy, meaningful ways. Both of them have been deeply isolated throughout their lives, though for different reasons. Natalie’s isolation stems from her trauma. She doesn't feel worthy of love and she's afraid of hurting people, so she keeps everyone at arm’s length, often sabotaging any potential for intimacy. Misty, on the other hand, is isolated by her intense neediness and socially awkward tendencies. She becomes overbearing and obsessive, constantly seeking affection in ways that alienate others. This creates such an interesting dynamic when the two are together, as Misty is obsessively pouring all of her loyalty and energy into Nat, while Nat is constantly pushing her away and struggling to maintain a safe distance between them.

While Mistynat is definitely stronger on Misty's end than Nat's, I think you can see the soft spot Nat has for Misty. Nat is begrudgingly charmed by her. Christina Ricci has said that she thinks Natalie was the only one to show any kindness towards Misty growing up, and I couldn't agree more. There are moments when Natalie shows a surprising level of affection and understanding toward Misty, even if it's fleeting or passive. Nat protects Misty from Shauna after Shauna punches her ("It's not her fault! Misty did everything she could!"), she appears genuinely happy to see Misty at the reunion, and the line "We're all like this, aren't we?" is Nat realizing how alike she and Misty are; how they share the same trauma.

It is so heartbreaking that Misty, who saw herself as Nat's greatest protector and most loyal follower, was ultimately the one to kill her. And it will also be so heartbreaking to see Misty's obsession with Nat extend to her wearing Nat's clothing and taking on her persona in Season 3 as a way of remaining close to her. Here's to seeing more of them in the teen timeline this season!

One word to describe them: Unpredictable

Their best scene: Misty snorting Nat’s coke

"Misty! Get off my coke! Oh my god you're possessed!"

Lottieshauna

Lottie is the only one to truly understand and embrace Shauna (even the darkest, most suppressed parts of herself). While she has other close relationships on the show, they all accept only a portion of Shauna (the portion they’re comfortable with, the portion that doesn’t feel dangerous, the portion that Shauna displays to others because she knows it won’t scare them away). Jeff, Jackie, and even Taissa can’t fully comprehend the depth of Shauna’s rage, the thrill she gets from danger, her desperate need to be seen, or the fact that she wants an outlet for the violent impulses she keeps buried. But with Lottie, Shauna can be her full, unfiltered self.

Lottie doesn’t just accept Shauna’s darkness—she encourages it. She doesn’t flinch from the things that would make others recoil. When Shauna is discovered to be talking to Jackie’s corpse in the meat shed, Lottie is the only one to extend empathy and understanding to Shauna. She covers up the piece cut out of Jackie’s arm and gives Shauna Jackie’s necklace because she knows that it’s what Shauna needs. After the death of Shauna’s baby, Lottie risks her life to allow Shauna to take her rage (and her intense grief) out on her. In the adult timeline, Lottie’s goat trust exercise (not sure what else to call it lol) is what makes Shauna realize how she has been keeping the people she loves at arm’s length; and it is what lays the groundwork for true healing. Lottie always understands what Shauna needs.

Shauna initially resists Lottie’s influence, but as the story progresses, you can see her slowly being drawn in to her web. I think there’s something thrilling for Shauna to be seen and accepted for her true self (instead of all of the masks she puts on to be what others want her to be). Their connection is one of shared experience, unspoken understanding, and the potential for something both destructive and healing.

One word to describe them: Cathartic

Their best scene: The beatdown

"Shauna, I know there's a lot of pain right now, but let it out. Shauna, we need you, let it out."

Travnat

There’s only room for one heterosexual ship on this list, and that is undoubtedly going to be Natalie and Travis. Travnat is tragic, toxic, and narratively doomed in all of the best ways. Travis and Natalie are two people who cannot help but destroy themselves and each other. Nat and Travis are birds of a feather, which means they have a deep understanding of each other (an understanding they have never received from anyone else), but it also means they have a mutual capacity for self-destruction.

When Travis lashes out after his father’s death, Natalie sees herself. She recognizes that rage, that despair. It’s something that no one else in the group can fully understand or sympathize with, because they haven’t been through the same kind of loss and alienation. But Natalie does understand, and she is the only one who offers him any kind of empathy or care initially. Even when Travis resists, when he pushes her away, she remains steadfast, because, deep down, she knows exactly what it feels like to be abandoned in your pain, to have no one who understands the depth of your grief. It’s this shared history of suffering that makes their connection so strong, yet so toxic. It’s not just about comfort—it’s about two people who have never been allowed to heal properly, and who are only capable of hurting each other as a result. They have the same coping methods: numbing and distraction (whether that be through drugs, sex, or reckless behavior), which causes them to spiral and relapse into their old habits whenever they reconnect.

Natalie describes Travis as "my best friend, the only person I ever loved, the only person who ever really knew me." There is no denying that these two have a deep love for each other. In their light, playful moments in Season 1, you can see what might have been if they had connected before the plane crash. But now they have gone through so much of the same trauma that there is no way for them to be around each other without reminding each other of their shared pain. Nat is a constant reminder to Travis of the loss of his little brother, and Travis is a constant reminder to Nat of the intense guilt of what she did to survive out there. Despite this, they attempt to take care of each other over the course of 25 years. There’s a tragic dance between them: they push each other away, only to pull each other back in, over and over again. The more they try to heal each other, the more they wound one another, and this constant tug-of-war between love and destruction is what makes their relationship so compelling.

One word to describe them: Trauma-bond

Their best scene: Post-Doomcoming hug

"I'm so sorry, I didn't want to. I fucking love you, Natalie."

Jackienat

On an outward, surface level, Natalie and Jackie are polar opposites. Jackie is the classic queen bee—privileged, popular, and used to being admired. Natalie, on the other hand, is the rebellious outcast, rough around the edges and unwilling to conform. The ‘queen bee’ and the ‘burnout’. The ‘prude’ and the ‘slut’. Jackie cares too much, Natalie doesn’t care enough. But, in actuality, these are the cliche labels that have been placed on them/assigned to them by external sources. These are the false fronts they put on to hide the vulnerability underneath. Nat and Jackie are actually much more similar than either of them would probably care to admit.

At the core of their conflicts is jealousy. Jackie envies Natalie's ability to be carefree and unapologetically herself (you can hear genuine admiration in her compliment to Nat, “I love that you don’t care what anyone else thinks. You are so completely yourself). Jackie, for all her outward confidence, is constantly performing the version of herself that others expect, and she longs for the kind of authenticity that Natalie seems to embody. On the other hand, Natalie is jealous of the life Jackie represents—privilege, stability, being adored without having to fight for it. But they’re both deeply insecure in ways that mirror each other. Jackie isn’t as effortlessly perfect as everyone believes, and Natalie isn’t as indifferent as she pretends to be. They are both trapped by expectations, and neither of them truly feels like they belong.

If circumstances had been different, I think they would have actually been very close. Their humor is actually similar—sharp, a little sarcastic, but often disarming. They’re both sarcastic, raspy-voiced little shits and I would have loved to see them play off of each other a little more. My personal headcanon for these two is that they actually used to be very close friends when they were little but grew apart in middle school/high school due to societal expectations. Maybe Jackie used to be more carefree before she learned she had to be perfect, and maybe Natalie used to be softer before she learned no one would protect her. There was no huge falling out, they were just gradually pulled apart over time, placed into their respective roles, and now there’s a part of both of them that quietly misses the other but also feels like the version of themselves that once connected with each other is gone. They just don’t understand each other anymore.

And Nat being the one to lay Jackie’s bones to rest? Rejecting Travis’ offer to come with her so that she could have a moment alone with Jackie to pay her respects, release her jealousy, and apologize? Nat being the one to take Jackie’s position of leadership in the group (the queen bee) after she’s gone? Tragic.

They are the perfect enemies to lovers trope (or, in my opinion, friends to enemies to lovers) that unfortunately will never come to fruition.

One word to describe them: Jealousy

Their best scene: Nat apologizes to Jackie's bones

"You're lucky, you know? I think shit is going to get a lot worse out here. But you're already dead so, way to make everyone jealous of you one last time. I'm sorry, for what we did. Who knows, maybe you could be the reason we survive the winter, so thanks. Rest in peace, Jackie."

—

And if you’re interested, the most-written romantic pairings on ao3 at the time of making this post are as follows: Shauna Shipman/Jackie Taylor (1,564 works), Lottie Matthews/Natalie Scatorccio (1,202 works), Van Palmer/Taissa Turner (1,019 works), Laura Lee/Lottie Matthews (396 works), Misty Quigley/Natalie Scatorccio (258 works), Natalie Scatorccio/Jackie Taylor (185 works), Lottie Matthews/Shauna Shipman (182 works), and Travis Martinez/Natalie Scatorccio (120 works).

[no-more-rqs]

this is absolutely going to cause me to lose every single follower i have but i Do Not Care so anyways, i have something id like to say.

incest is not inherently damaging whatsoever as long as its consensual. there is zero scientific evidence that consensual incest is damaging. NONE. of course, incestuous abuse absolutely exists and is extremely damaging to the victims of it, but what i am talking about is consensual relationships between adults.

before you call me insane, here:

in an article by clare kasemset from stanford university, she states that one of the main (and only) scientific reasons that incest is illegal is that "the offspring of partners with a high level of consanguinity are more likely to have birth defects". however, this is eugenics: disabled people's children are also very likely to have children with birth defects, and anyone really could potentially have children with birth defects. this argument is simply that incestuous relationships should be illegal so that birth defects cease to exist. keep in mind, the definition of eugenics is "to arrange reproduction within a human population to increase the occurrence of heritable characteristics regarded as desirable"; in essence, make sure that the only people born are "desirable", which would include being able-bodied. kasemset goes on to explain that "the act of incestuous sexual intercourse does not cause harm". incest does not inherently cause harm. the only reasons people give for the illegalization of incestuous relationships are eugenics and the potentially offensiveness of it due to the fact that "the vast majority of people in this country have deep-seated beliefs that incest is immoral".

article source: https://ojs.stanford.edu/ojs/index.php/intersect/article/download/137/35/615

in an article by maria campo redondo and gabriel andrade, they state that "incest represents a risk, but this is not reason enough to illegalize incest". this is because "other circumstances of sexual intercourse may lead to similar risks, and yet, such practices are not illegal". think of how AIDs is used to say that homosexuality should be illegal, how the possibility of miscarriage is used to say that people should only be getting pregnant at young ages, how the possibility of disabled children is used to say that disabled people shouldnt be having children: all of these are arguments that rely on nothing but "disability should be eradicated". ableism is so extremely ingrained in our society that people constantly search for the cure to every disability so that they wont have to deal with disabled people existing. i have had friends who have been told "your children will be disabled though!!!!! 😥" for being disabled just like those who are in incestuous relationships have. you should be allowed to have a child as long as you or someone else is capable of taking care of them, no matter if that child is disabled or not - a child potentially being disabled is not a morally wrong thing. as the authors of this article say, the reasons why incest is illegal "do not relate to public health and genetic risks".

article source: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/phil.12332

in a paper by jeff sebo, he states that "incest increases the incidence of inherited genetic diseases by about three percent". three percent. that is only three out of every hundred children born out of incestuous relationships. the argument of incest increasing disabilities is not only founded on eugenics, but founded on a very small statistic - especially compared to the fact that the probability of an autistic person have an autistic child is, on average, 3.45%. it is no different from any genetically disabled person having a child. advocating for incest to be illegal based on the possibility of disabled children is no different from advocating for disabled people to be sterilized.

he also explains that family is not dramatically different from any other relationship, and that there "are numerous important relationships in our lives—some of which are based on blood, others of which are not—and it is ridiculous to assume that our family members, whoever they may be, are necessarily our emotional centers". for many, many people, friends can even more important than family, or family can seem much more similar to friendly dynamics than typical family dynamics. the argument of families is also very often used against queer people by saying that it ruins the inherent family dynamics that are supposedly present, when in reality, families all function very differently and many people see their siblings or cousins as more like friends than how families are typically portrayed. as the author says: "no relevant moral distinction neatly separates our family relations from the other relationships in our lives".

he also explains that many people claim that incest "turn[s] out badly frequently enough to warrant a categorical ban". incestuous relationships are often abusive ones, this is very evident. however, "the outcome of our test will depend largely on how we run it". if we only ask abuse victims what their experience was (as many, many articles do), we will come to the conclusion that it is all abusive. only looking at people who were children abused by adult family members is not looking at the effects of incest, but looking at the effects of child abuse. yes, there may be a lack of scientific evidence for incest being good - but absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, and there are many, many person experiences from people. on top of that, "those who breach the taboo are branded as outsiders, they suffer the effects of social ostracism, and since others misinterpret this suffering as caused by the act and not the label, they are used as evidence in support of the taboo". if someone is in an incestuous relationship, they will be hated by everyone, which will lead to them being depressed and possibly suicidal - not because of the incest itself, but because of how its treated.

source (PLEASE go read this its very well-done): https://jeffsebo.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/the-ethics-of-incest1.pdf

[kjsfandoms]

Too Good

Eddie Munson x reader

Description: When drunk at a party, the only one Y/N wants right now is her ex-boyfriend, Eddie Munson.

Word count: 2.0k

-----------

This is not how you planned for your night to go. Drunk at a party, you stumble your way through the crowd in search of Robin with another drink in your hand. You knew it was a mistake to drink this much, but these past few weeks have been hell and you just needed the distraction. Why have they been hell you may ask? Eddie Munson, your boyfriend of just over 7 months, dumped you. And why? You don’t even know. So when invited by Steve and Robin to go to a party, who would you be to deny?

Stumbling into the kitchen you lean onto a counter and continue to look around for Robin who has yet been nowhere to be seen. Then your drunken mind remembers you saw Robin staring down Vickie earlier, so you doubt you’d see her anytime soon. But at this point you’re so drunk and can’t even stand properly- swinging side to side as your drink splashes around in your red solo cup. You find a bar stool and sit down and start to stare off into the distance. Your mind starts to wander off to Eddie. Why did he break up with you? Did he even love you? But you came here to forget that, so no more wasting time thinking about him and possibly even missing him. You stood back up and walked back out to the main room to dance with some strangers. 

---

God knows how long you’ve been dancing at this point. Your vision is blurry and your hearing is going in and out. ‘Yup, I’ve had way too much to drink.’ you think to yourself. You don’t feel good at all at this point. You attempt to stumble outside in search for some fresh air but there are just too many people here. As your body is being pushed side to side by the fellow people dancing, you feel a hand on a shoulder. You turn to see that that hand belongs to Gareth. “Holy shit, Y/N, are you okay? You look wrecked.” You mumble out some words in response that you yourself can’t even understand as you let him walk you over to a couch and set you down. “How much have you had to drink?” Looking up at him with drunken eyes, you manage to reply with, “Too much.” “No shit, I can tell.” At this point you’re scared, you can’t see or hear anything and it’s making you panic. You’re out of your right mind and you know it, especially when you mutter out the words, “Where’s Eddie?”. This somewhat shocks Gareth as he knows everything that went down between you two. “Eddie isn’t here Y/N. It’s just me and Jeff.” He says as he holds you up steady by your shoulders. “I want Eddie.” Gareth sighs as he says, “Okay stay here. I’ll call him.” 

Under different circumstances Gareth would not be running to the house phone to call Eddie for you. Even though Eddie is his best friend, he is definitely on Y/N’s side of things. But Y/N is clearly out of her senses and surely the friends she came here with are as well, so what choice does he have? He dials Eddie’s number as fast as he can and waits for an answer. On the fourth ring, he hears a “Hello?”. 

“Hey, man, it’s Gareth. I’m at that dumb house party me and Jeff went to and, uh, I need you to drive down here.”

“What for?”

“Y/N.” 

As soon as Eddie hears that name his heart drops. As much as he hates to admit it, you’re still on his mind. The phone call falls silent for a moment as Eddie falls deep into thought. “Eddie? You still there? I’m serious, dude, she needs you here.” That’s all the words Eddie needs as he quickly puts on his leather jacket and says, “I’m on my way.”

The entire ride there Eddie’s heart is pounding. He hasn’t seen you since the breakup and you made sure of it. You avoided him at all cost and he won’t deny that that did hurt, but he knows it’s deserved. Sweaty hands grip his steering wheel as he pulls up to the party. He gets out and spots Jeff standing outside. “Finally, man, you’re here.” “Why exactly am I here?” “Did Gareth not tell you? Y/N is drunk off her mind. So drunk that she’s been asking for you.” This shocked Eddie to the core. You still thought about him? Enough to ask for him while drunk? He then nervously walks in with Jeff as he leads them to where Gareth and you are sitting. 

Jeff and Eddie walk up to the couch where you and Gareth sit. He leans down in front of you and looks you in the eyes for the first time in weeks. “Hey, Y/N. You ready to go home?” Your drunken eyes meet his and you immediately melt. You hate to admit how much you’ve missed him. Seeing those eyes again is enough to make you fall in love all over again. You nod your head in response and let him help you off the couch. He walks you to his van and helps you into the passenger seat. Once he’s in his seat and starts pulling out, you mumble, “Don’t wanna go home.” He looks over at you with confusion and asks, “Well where do you wanna go sweetheart? It’s one in the morning, you’re drunk, and need to lay down.” 

“Your place.”

His breath catches in his throat at your response and awkwardly responds, “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Y/N.”

“Please, Eds. My mom will kill me.” Your drunk self whines, as you lazily look over at him. Though even while drunk, you notice the way his face reacted to the nickname.

With a deep sigh, “Fine, sweetheart.”

For you, the car ride to his place felt like a few minutes as you were dozed off half the time, but as for Eddie, it felt like an eternity. His eyes wouldn’t stop traveling over to you and how beautiful you looked even while this drunk. It reminded him of why he even dumped you in the first place. You’re too perfect for him. He thought you deserved better, not some third senior-trailer junkie who doesn’t have a real job besides selling drugs to high schoolers. You deserved the world and he just couldn’t give that to you. 

Eventually he pulled into the trailer park and parks his car next to his trailer. The slam of his door wakes you up and you notice Eddie walking to the passenger to help you out. He opens the door and helps you stand onto your feet and leads you inside. You immediately plop onto the couch as Eddie takes off his jacket and hangs it onto the arm of the couch. “Let’s get you to bed.” He helps you stand up again and walks you to his bedroom where you go to lay down. He leaves his room to run to his bathroom real quick to grab the makeup remover from his cabinet that you left there months ago. He heads back into his room and sits next to you on the edge of his bed. “Just gonna take your makeup off, love.” Once it’s all off you start to attempt to wiggle yourself out of your black jean shorts. Eddie takes notice and even though you guys are no longer together, he knows how much you hate sleeping in jeans. So with a sigh he helps you undo them and slide them off. “Can I sleep in one of your shirts?” You ask with a pout as you look up at him from your spot on the bed. And how could Eddie ever say no to the girl he loves? “Of course.” He says as he sits up and grabs your favorite Black Sabbath t-shirt of his. You slip out of your shirt but struggle with your bra. Once again, he notices and offers to help. You accept and let him effortlessly unclip it and slide the straps down your arms and then continue to slip the t-shirt over your head. 

You let your head hit his pillow and let him pull the blanket over your body. He starts to leave for the couch but you grab his wrist before he even gets the chance. “Stay.” Eddie looks down at you and just stands there for a good few seconds. “Please. I want you here with me.” And those six words were enough to convince him. He slides out of his own jeans and lays in bed beside you. You almost immediately cling to his side to cuddle him. He prays that you can’t hear how hard his heart is beating at the moment. Having you in his bed again felt so surreal. But he tries not to overthink it as he knows once you wake up and become sober you’re gonna realize the drunk mistake you made and immediately leave. 

He’s close to falling asleep until he hears you mumble, “I missed you.” into his chest. He didn’t think his heart could beat any faster but here we are. “You’re drunk, Y/N. You don’t mean that. I hurt you.”

“Why did you hurt me? I didn’t do anything.” He can hear that Y/N is close to tears and lets out yet another sigh.

“We’re too different.”

At that, you start to sober up and sit up onto your elbow and look over at him. “What makes you think that?”

He as well sits up and replies, “You’re you, Y/N, and I’m me. You’re so smart and beautiful and I’m just some loser who got lucky and met you. Dumb luck. You’re too good for me. You deserve someone better. Someone who can give you the world.”

“But, Eddie, you are my world. I don’t want or need someone better when I have you in front of me. If I thought you were no good for me I wouldn’t have even started dating you in the first place. I love you for who you are. Sure you have your struggles, but I know one day you’re gonna make it through them. One day you’re gonna make it out of this trailer park. One day you’re gonna be one of the biggest rockstars the world has ever known. And one day you’ll finally have the life you deserve.” 

Eddie falls quiet as he looks over at you with watery eyes. He never would’ve believed that someone would ever think that highly of him. His whole life he has been seen as less and even though he has grown to be used to it, there was still always a pit of insecurity hiding there. So hearing the words come from the person he is still in love with, even while they’re drunk, truly opens his mind. Maybe he is worth more than what he thinks he is.

You notice his watery eyes and immediately pull him into your chest to hug him. With his head buried into your chest you hear him whisper, “I missed you too.” At his words, you melt. You start to slowly stroke his hair as small tears roll down his face and onto you. “Wayne misses you too. He was pissed when I told him I dumped you.” You let out a small laugh at his words and kiss the top of his head. “I missed Wayne too, and his dumb movie choices.” Eddie let out a laugh as well as he snuggled deeper into you. “I truly am sorry, Y/N. I thought about you everyday and never once did I stop loving you.” 

“Me too, Eddie. Me too.”

Eventually he falls asleep, with you still holding his larger frame. It doesn’t take long for you to fall asleep as well.

—- As Wayne walks into the trailer after working his night shift, he slips off his shoes and places down his bag beside the couch. There he spots Eddie’s leather jacket hanging loosely on the arm of the couch. “Thought I told this boy to stop leaving his stuff around.”, he grumbles. He picks up the jacket and walks down to his nephew's room to hang it up. As he opens the door he stops in his tracks. He looks down at the bed to see Eddie and you. He hangs the jacket up and walks back out with a smile.

[newtkive]

shift shenanigans - social media au (pt. 2)

note: yes there’s the main work chat w carmy, the secret coworker chat w/o carmy, and the secret secret bestie chat w syd, marcus, and yourself. it would be canon.

warnings: crude humor, slightly offensive jokes

part one

liked by carmyberzatto, marcus.brooks11 and 40 others

chefboyardee: life lately

see all 9 comments

syd_adamu: that pho was life changing

↳ chefboyardee: i think it was the best i’ve ever had

marcus.brooks11: feet off the table @syd_adamu

↳ chefboyardee: leave my girl alone

↳ richietheking: I knew you guys were lez

↳ syd_adamu: we aren’t and you can’t say that

↳ chefboyardee: oh.. we aren’t? ☹️😔

↳ syd_adamu: 😑

carmyberzatto: 🍲🔥

THE GOLDEN TRIO

[ 7:45 AM ]

y/n: did you see

did you see

did

you

see

ogmgokggkowkfofsk

syd: pardon??

what did richie do oh my god

did he post another picture of him with the gun from that one day

fuckkkk carmys gonna be so mad

marcus: nope i wish

y/n: he commented on my post 😭😭😭😭

syd: who

marcus: think about it

who else would cause this reaction

y/n: carmy!!!!!!!

i woke up to him commenting 🍲🔥 😍😍😍😍

syd: woah and the heart eyes?

y/n: no that’s my addition

syd: the bar is in hell

HES YOUR BOSS

y/n: AND I WANT HIS BABIES??

marcus: y’all so hype to be pregnant THEN BOOOMMM ‼️ THE BABY’S UGLY AND BALD WITH ECZEMA 😩🤨

syd: LMFAOOOOO WHOS YALL THO????

y/n: bye im done

im leaving for work.

don’t talk to me ever again

done.

marcus: bye 👋

why do you leave so early fool

syd: so she can be teachers pet

marcus: smh always there before everyone

y/n: not true.

syd: i thought you weren’t talking to us

y/n: 😒

marcus: want me to bring y’all an iced latte again

y/n: …. 😁

WORK

[ 8:15 AM ]

y/n: AYOOOO

great job cleaning up after work yesterday 😊👍

richie: Is this a joke?

y/n: why would i joke about such a thing

carmy: Y/n what are you doing

y/n: u said to tell everyone their housekeeping is shitty

carmy: No I said I was going to tell them that, and you said no I’ll do it

This is not what I meant

y/n: well you yell too much

marcus: ouch

that’s my station 😔

carmy: Well clean it better

y/n: im using reverse psychology and positive reinforcement

carmy: Not what that means

y/n: well notice how no one’s mad at me

im making alliances day by day

richie: You’ve worked here for two years and we are already friends

y/n: so you’re saying you aren’t my ally

richie: No

We are definitley in an alliance

y/n: love u richie

richie: Don’t go that far

chefboyardee’s instagram stories

WE HAVE THE BEEF 🥩

[ 3:25 PM ]

y/n:

he so fine im bouta cermmmmm

syd: …..

marcus: :O

y/n: why are you acting shocked

like i haven’t said this daily

tina: Woah girl who?

y/n: HUH

richie: I’m not in the picture I don’t get it

syd: let’s just keep working before carmy notices

tina: I don’t care I’m on smoke break. Who are you talking about girl? Spill the tea..

marcus: she was talking about me you guys

y/n: the guy in the back

oh i mean yeah marcus

tina: The meat delivery guy? He has a wife..

y/n: we are having an affair

marcus: no it’s about me

richie: I didn’t know Marcus and Y/n were a thing..

tina: Something ain’t right. No way they are.

marcus: we aren’t it’s just our sense of humor

y/n: i was just being funny!

tina: What did Jeff just yell inside?

syd: came out of the office and said “just cuz we’re slow doesn’t mean you can play on your phones” 👍💯

tina: Whatever. No chance Y/n meant Marcus. You got the hots for Jeffrey?

y/n: what no

tina: Well I wouldn’t blame you. He’s cute

y/n: OMG RIGHTTTTTTT

its the tattoos isn’t it

richie: You have to be fucking joking

tina: I was playing..

y/n: im confused

syd: that was cruel

marcus: who cares it’s not a big deal

y/n: so you don’t think he’s cute tina?? ☹️☹️

tina: No he is cute… for you 😝

y/n: this is humiliating

richie: I’ll tell him

y/n: NO

stop

sSTOP THATS NOT FUNNY

richie im not joking i’ll put a bomb in your floorboards

richie: I’m just fucking with you kid

tina: This isn’t over.

THE GOLDEN TRIO:

[ 3:40 PM ]

syd: y/n….

marcus: you look like a ghost y/n

y/n: i cannot believe i sent that to the wrong gc

i’m done im so done

marcus: stop looking so sad it’s making me feel bad

syd: it’s okay! just be thankful it wasn’t to the work groupchat with him in it..

marcus: true it could be worse

y/n: i guess so

thank you for trying to cover for me marcus

marcus: anytime you know i got you

syd: let’s get back to work before we start looking obvious

[harrywavycurly]

Glitch: Does She Know?

Masterlist: Here

CW: mentions of drinking, manipulation in the form of Jeff pre programming you and minor language.

A/N: I am excited to get this series going and see how y’all like it! It’s going to be a good mix of drama/angst and fluff so enjoy! Oh and you might not like Jeff in this series and that’s okay💓

Tag List: @alicivava @cosmicneptune @daphnesutton @valeriiyuhh @drewrry @obsessiveenthusiast @me-undiscovered @psicostyles @umadirectioner @styleswithaseaview @sunflower-tia @tulips4harry @gmikaelson @fangirl509east @howling-wolf97 @outofthisworl-d @namoreno @harryscherries28 @blckburd @harry2121 @cevans-winchester @prettygurl-2009

Summary: Jeff thinks it’s time to try to get Harry back in the studio💓

Six years, that’s how long it’s been since Jeff has seen Harry do anything remotely close to stepping foot in a studio and in his opinion that’s about five years too long for the world to go without new music from one of it’s bestselling artists. Now it’s not that Harry hasn’t been busy because he has, he’s been dipping his toes in the fashion pond and enjoying doing collaborations with his favorite fashion houses, he’s been working behind the scenes for his own personal brands and honestly he’s just been relishing in his time away from the chaos that often times comes hand in hand with releasing new music into the world. He’s still an artist and finds himself scribbling little lines here and there that he thinks could fit into a melody he has playing in his head but nothing seems to be making him have to rush to the studio to get the words out of his brain before they threaten to take over his life like he’s done for previous albums, and that’s what is starting to concern Jeff.

Jeff is worried that Harry has started to lose his spark, or to put it more plainly he just simply doesn’t have the desire he once had to put songs out into the universe that make people feel things and Jeff thinks he knows exactly what’s causing this decline in inspiration, Harry isn’t in love with anyone. He doesn’t know why Harry works so well while in love or at least while infatuated with someone but it’s what works for him and over the last few years that’s the one thing Harry hasn’t bothered with. He doesn’t seem interested at all in finding love or even pursing anyone for more than a two week long fling that ends with nothing more than maybe a poem or two Harry jots down in his private journal that Jeff can’t do anything with because Harry would murder him if he even insinuated turning his private journal into something for profit. It’s not that Jeff is only wanting to see Harry in the studio again because he knows with it comes a good bit of money, no Jeff wants Harry in the studio again because he knows deep down his friend feels like a part of him is missing when he’s not being creative in that way and all Jeff wants to do is help one of his bestfriends feel whole again.

Or at least that’s what Jeff tells himself.

So that’s how Jeff finds himself standing in front of you, a companion bot that is designed for one thing only and that’s to help people feel understood on all levels needed to form a lasting connection that could potentially turn into deeper feelings such as love. He knows that the odds of you making a connection with Harry are high considering he went ahead and had them download a file into your main server that was nothing more than an info dump on the superstar himself. Including his likes and dislikes, his star sign, his normal day to day schedule and a variety of photos of him throughout his career dating all the way back to his X Factor audition. He will admit he might’ve went a little overboard on the Harry informational file but for what he spent on you he can’t risk you not at least making Harry want to go write a few heartbreakingly sad songs or love ballads after his encounter with you, however long of brief it may be since he’s not really sure how the two of you are going to get along seeing as he hasn’t even turned you on yet.

“So how do I turn her on?” Jeff asks the technician who is responsible for informing him of all your abilities and requirements as well as making sure Jeff signs all the dotted lines that will officially make you his bot.

“Oh one moment let me power her up.” Lance says with a smile as he taps away on his tablet and a few seconds later Jeff watches your eyes open and he takes a step back from where you’re sat in a loveseat in what you’ll soon realize is your living room.

“Good morning.” Your voice is softer than he imagined as you introduce yourself to him, your name being one he picked because he figured it would be one Harry would enjoy saying over and over again to himself like he’s done with past love interests.

“Uh good morning I’m Jeff.” You give him a smile as you reach your hand out for him to shake and it takes him a moment to finally find the courage to slide his hand into yours and when he does he’s shocked at how human like it feels. “She’s warm and-sweaty?” His words come out like a question as he turns his head towards Lance who is standing nearby tapping a few things on his tablet.

“Sorry I get a little nervous meeting new people.” You explain as you quickly take your hand out of Jeff’s grasp so you can place it in your lap.

“Don’t be shocked by the things she’s able to do. She’s just like a regular human. She sweats and-”

“Can she get wet?”

“Depends on if she’s attracted to you or not.”

“Not like that I mean can she shower and like go in the ocean?” Lance laughs and nods his head as he goes back to looking down at his tablet.

“Yeah man she can be fully submerged in water even salt water. She charges at night while she sleeps so she doesn’t need to be plugged in and her maintenance is only once every two years unless she feels sluggish then we can do a virtual assessment but other than that she’s good to go and yes she can even eat regular food and if she drinks too much she will get drunk.” You look from Lance over to Jeff who is staring at you with a bewildered expression on his face as if he can’t really believe what he’s hearing but you don’t let yourself dwell on why hearing you’re just like any other person would be so odd for him. Instead you choose to focus on if you’ll have time to paint your nails today as they look a little boring at the moment without any color on them.

“Does she know?” He asks as he tears his eyes away from you and turns to face the technician. Lance raises an eyebrow as he drops his hand that’s holding the tablet to his side with a sigh that has your head lifting up and your eyes glancing over to the two men.

“Does she know what?” He questions making Jeff roll his eyes as he leans in making it difficult for you to hear what he says next.

“Does she know she’s a robot and that I paid for her to-”

“Oh uhm no.” Lance answers in a whispered tone as his eyes glance over Jeff’s shoulder, he gives you a warm smile making you blush as you look back down at your lap. “She has no clue.” He explains making Jeff just nod and run a hand through his hair.

“Okay and what would happen if she found out? That she’s-”

“She won’t like explode or go evil or anything but uhm yeah she’d probably be a little upset so we always advise that if you do plan on telling them to do it up front or just don’t tell them at all and let them go about their lives thinking they are one of us.”

“Okay great.” You smile at Jeff as he turns around and looks over at you, this time you watch his eyes slowly roam over your form. It’s not completely uncomfortable, the way his eyes travel over your face and then down your neck to your shoulders, if anything you just hope he goes easy on your appearance seeing as it’s not even nine in the morning and you haven’t had your coffee yet.

“Do you mind standing up for me?” You nod and quickly do as he asks making him give you a soft smile. You swallow down the nerves that begin to creep up as he motions for you to turn around for him with his index finger, but when he doesn’t say anything and just nods in what you assume is approval you feel a small sense of relief wash over you.

“Her clothes are all unpacked as well as any other belongings she might need for the first week or so until she starts to have preferences about what she likes.” Lance explains to Jeff who is still subtly looking you over, you look down at your jean shorts and t shirt that lets a sliver of your torso be seen and you feel a weird sensation take over as if you for some reason no longer like the outfit you’re wearing even though you’re positive you’re the one who picked it out this morning.

“She doesn’t need me to tell her what to do all the time right?”

“Dude she’s not a Sim okay? She can take care of herself perfectly fine you set her intelligence level to,” Lance looks down at the tablet before looking back at Jeff. “slightly above average so don’t worry she won’t like burn the house down or anything. She’s fine.” Lance reassures him as he hands over the tablet so Jeff can begin signing the documents that will allow you to be left with him for good. “Just follow the prompts and sign on the dotted lines. Oh and be sure to read the important information PDF that we sent to your email earlier it will answer most of your questions.” Jeff just nods as he signs things while listening to Lance talk.

“Are you used to people buying these things for other purposes?” Jeff asks making Lance shrug as he looks over at where you’re standing in the living room with your hands in front of you as you look around the space.

“I mean rich people are usually the most freaky but who am I to judge? But be aware she can feel pain so yeah-she can also bruise.” Jeff’s eyes go wide as he hands the tablet back to Lance who takes it with a smile.

“I’m not-I don’t think you understand what-” Jeff stutters making Lance just hold his free hand up and shake his head.

“I don’t need to understand anything man I’m just here to drop her off.” With that Lance takes a few steps backwards and then turns on his heels so he’s facing the front door. “Nice meeting you!” You look up when Lance shouts your name over his shoulder, you give him a wave when he smiles at you before he opens the front door leaving you alone with Jeff.

“So I’m having a party tomorrow and I was wondering if you’d like to come? I could introduce you to some friends of mine if you’d like?” Jeff asks as he sits down on the small couch across from the loveseat making you follow his actions and sit back down in the loveseat you’ve been sitting in for most of the morning. He watches in amusement as your face lights up at the mention of a party and he smiles when you clap your hands in front of your chest with a grin.

“I’d love to come.” You say with a squeal of excitement that has Jeff noting that he might have to tweak a few things in your emotion settings because he doesn’t think this level of excitement over things like parties is going to rub Harry the right way. “Is there a theme or anything?” You ask making Jeff laugh and shake his head no.

“No theme just some friends getting together that’s all.” He answers making you nod as you start to mentally put together an outfit for it. “Uhm so do-do you like living here?” His question has your eyes narrowing for the briefest moment before you’re looking around and smiling as you realize you’re sitting in your living room, safe inside your house and not in some random stranger’s home.

“Oh yeah I love living here.” You tell him as you lift your hand and point towards your bedroom door that’s right off the living room. Jeff struggles to understand just how you know so much about your environment when you’ve only been awake in it for maybe an hour but he doesn’t question it he just smiles and lets you go on about how much you love your house.

“My bedroom gets really nice natural lighting I love it.” Jeff just nods as you tuck a strand of your hair behind your ear and the small action makes him momentarily forget that underneath your pretty exterior is nothing more than a bunch of wires holding together a metal skeleton that’s controlled by a series of codes that he can semi control on an app on his phone.

“I’m glad you like it here.” You raise an eyebrow at him when he stands up and looks down at the watch on his wrist. “I have a lunch meeting with a friend and need to run a few errands first but I’ll send you the details about tomorrow okay?” You just nod as you stand up so you can walk him to the front door.

“Okay.”

“See you tomorrow.” Jeff feels his body go a bit stiff when you wrap your arms around him in a hug that you’re pulling away from before his brain can even try to register what was happening leaving him standing there awkwardly in your doorway.

“Have a good day Jeff.” You say with a smile and a wave as he blinks a few times before turning and walking down the short set of stairs to the sidewalk.

“You-you too.” Is all he manages to say before you close the door and head back into the living room leaving him standing on the sidewalk a little out of it. He lets out a puff of air from his lips as he runs a hand through his hair before sliding his sunglasses on and pulling his phone out of his pocket.

“Poor Harry he doesn’t stand a fucking chance against that.” Jeff mumbles to himself as he walks down the street towards his parked car.

“Since when did you start throwing parties on Wednesdays?” Harry asks as he looks at Jeff from across the table that’s tucked in the back of a cafe Harry has been frequenting lately. “Actually when did you start throwing parties at all? You hate people in your house.” Jeff rolls his eyes as he reaches for his glass of water while Harry sends him a questioning look as he rests his forearms on the table.

“I’m just in a party mood I guess?” He answers with a shrug making Harry narrow his eyes at him. “What? It’s just a party H you can come or you can stay home and be boring.”

“So there’s no special occasion or anything? You’re just-just throwing a party because you feel like it?”

“Exactly.”

“You’re up to something.” Jeff feels his hands get sweaty as Harry leans in across the table. “I can tell you’re keeping something from me so just-”

“I redid my backyard and want to show it off okay? Happy now? I sound like a seven year old little boy who’s inviting his friends over to see his new Lego set but that’s why I’m having the party.” Harry leans back in his chair as the little white lie comes out of Jeff’s mouth, because while he did actually redo his backyard, it was a year ago but Harry doesn’t know that.

“You want to show off your new backyard? Really?”

“Really.”

“Well okay then.” Harry lets out a chuckle as he reaches for his cup of tea. “I’ll be there. But I still think you’re up to something.” Harry shoots him a playful wink making Jeff just roll his eyes and brush his comment off as he takes a sip of his water.

“It’ll be fun trust me.”

“I mean it’s a party of course it’ll be fun.” Harry says with an almost smirk like smile that has Jeff wondering if maybe just maybe he knows what the real reason behind this party is but he shakes that idea out of his head because there’s no way Harry knows what his plan is because if he did he wouldn’t have agreed so easily.

You enjoy social settings, or at least you normally do but something about the way the people inside Jeff’s kitchen are staring at you as if you have a second head and four arms has you feeling like some sort of attraction meant to be looked and gawked at instead of just a party goer looking for another flute of champagne. It’s like they can see something about you that you can’t see yourself and it makes an uneasy feeling begin to stir in your stomach as you walk around the spacious kitchen and out the open sliding door towards the back yard. You smooth out the front of your dress as you take a few deep calming breaths while walking deeper into the dimly lit garden, when you come up to a fountain in the middle of a few poorly looked after rose bushes you take a seat on the stone bench in front of it.

“You know for a party all about his backyard it kinda looks like shit.” You jump as the hand that’s not clutching your champagne flute flies up to your chest as a deep voice comes from behind you. You hear the sound of gravel crunching beneath his shoes before you feel it, a soft hand on the top of your shoulder that has your head turning and looking up at the stranger that seemed to also seek refuge in the garden from the party happening inside. “Sorry I didn’t mean to scare you.” Even in the dim lighting you can see the deep emerald color of his eyes as they stare right into yours.

“It’s okay.” You say with a warm smile as a nagging feeling that you know the man that’s still staring at you starts to fester in the back of your mind.

“Uhm I’m,” You watch him blink once and then twice before he shakes his head and seems to be broken of whatever spell he was under causing a nervous sounding laugh to escape his lips. “I’m Harry.” He says as he extends the hand that was on your shoulder out for you to take, giving you a smile that makes you let your guard down just a little with how comforting it is.

“It’s nice to meet you Harry.” His smile only seems to grow into a full on grin as you introduce yourself and place your hand in his giving it a little shake. “Did you say this party is for his backyard?” You ask with a quirked brow as you look around at all the half dead bushes and fountain that doesn’t even have any water coming out of it.

“That’s what he told me at least.”

“Oh well then why are we the only ones out here?” Harry looks at you and then over his shoulder towards the house, and the people he can see through the floor to ceiling windows that take up most of the back of the house and it’s not until he shrugs his shoulders that he realizes he still has a hold of your hand.

“Because the people Jeff invited to this party aren’t exactly the stroll around the garden type of people.” He answers as his eyes land on your joined hands and it’s as if on queue you begin to run your thumb over his knuckles and when his eyes glance up to your face he can tell it’s something you’re not even aware that you’re doing because you’re not even looking at him you’re staring at the house with a far off look in your eyes.

“They remind me of how it feels when walking around a wall of old paintings.” Your voice is soft and flows at such an even pace it has Harry almost feeling like he’s in a trance of some sort. “That feeling of eyes on you and that sense of judgement that makes a shiver go down your spine because you know even if you meet their pointed looks they won’t ever tell you how they really feel about you but it’s not that you need them to tell you because it’s written all over their face.” Harry swallows thickly as you perfectly articulate the way he’s always felt during these stuffy industry parties and when you finally look back over at him you give him a comforting smile to go along with the gentle squeeze to his hand. “Forgive me the bubbles seem to have turned me into some sort of tortured poet.” You say with a laugh as you lift your half empty flute of champagne for him to see.

“No no it’s fine you’re-”

“There you two are.” Jeff’s voice has Harry dropping your hand as if he just got caught doing something horrible making your brows furrow as you watch his arm fall back to his side and the corners of your mouth tick downwards a bit as he tucks his hand into the pocket of his black slacks as if to hide the evidence of a crime.

“Yeah here we are.” You say as you put on a smile while standing up so you can face Jeff who is looking at Harry with a raised brow and a knowing look on his face and once again as you look over at Harry and allow yourself to take in his appearance, his cream and light blue short sleeve dress shirt letting you get an eye full of the ink scattered on his arms and his perfectly tousled hair that gives the allusion of it being how he looks when he rolls out of bed has you feeling that nagging sensation in the back of your mind as you try to pinpoint exactly where you know him from.

“The party is inside you know.” Jeff teases as Harry rolls his eyes and takes a step away from you and turns to face the house.

“That’s a bit odd though isn’t it? I mean considering this party is supposed to be about you showing off your backyard.” Harry states with a hint of annoyance in his tone that you immediately pick up on but Jeff either doesn’t notice or decides to ignore as he just laughs and gives Harry a shrug.

“What have you two been doing out here?” Jeff asks ignoring Harry’s statement entirely as he looks over at you with playful gleam in his eyes.

“Your roses are dead.” Harry bites his bottom lip to keep himself from laughing as you point towards the very dried up bush by your feet. “And your fountain is broken and your hydrangeas are beyond saving so whoever your gardener is I’d uhm well-I’d fire them.” You state bluntly before bringing your champagne up to your lips to take a sip while Jeff stands there with a half shocked and half amused expression on his face.

“Okay then.” Jeff says with a laugh as he looks around his garden that he knows could use some help. “Why don’t you take over then?” Harry looks at you as Jeff proposes his offer to you and when you roll your eyes he can tell it’s something you don’t do often as it only comes across as teasing and the tiniest bit adorable which is odd because he doesn’t know why he finds the simple action of you rolling your eyes at one of his closest friends adorable but he does.

“Me? Take over your garden?”

“It’s what you do for a living isn’t it? Landscape design and all that?” Jeff watches closely as your head tilts to the side ever so slightly and he knows now that’s your tell for when you’re mind is catching up to the world around you and letting you in on parts of yourself you haven’t learned yet like your job, the one Jeff hand picked for you out of a list of a thousand possible choices. He was sure to pick something that would make you seem nurturing and down to earth in Harry’s eyes without being too over the top and he also knows Harry’s soft spot for all things flowers.

“Well yes-yes it is but don’t you have someone already?” You question and Jeff just shrugs as he looks around his sad excuse of a garden.

“Yes but you said so yourself I should fire them.”

“Jeff are you seriously offering her a job in the middle of a party?”

“Yeah? Why not? My garden looks like-”

“Shit.” You blurt out remembering Harry’s earlier comment on how the backyard looked. This earns a laugh from both men making you smile as you take one last sip of your champagne and place the empty flute down on the bench in front of you.

“I’ll do it.” You state as you walk around the stone bench so you can reach your hand out for Jeff to take. “Now if you don’t mind I think I’m going to head home.” Harry feels a sense of sadness as he hears you say your goodbyes to Jeff as he gives your hand a shake sealing your deal of becoming his new landscape designer. “It was a lovely party thank you for inviting me.” You add with a smile making Jeff just nod and smile back as he lets go of your hand allowing you to begin heading off towards the back gate, wanting to avoid having to go inside the house at all costs.

“Let me walk you out.” Harry says as he rushes to catch up with you, not ready to be away from you just yet. “So how exactly do you know Jeff?” He asks once he’s next to you and your slow careful steps make him get the feeling that you also aren’t quite ready for your time together to come to an end.

“A friend of a friend sort of thing.” You explain with a shrug not really sure how else to explain your relationship with Jeff because you feel as if you’ve always known him. “What about you?” This has Harry chuckling as he gives you a questioning glance as if he doesn’t really believe the words that just came out of your mouth. “Sorry is that too personal? You don’t have to-”

“He’s my manager.”

“Manager of what?”

“Uh well you know that’s a great question.” You stop at the gate and turn to look at Harry who is already staring at you with a look that makes you think he doesn’t fully know if you’re real or not. “How have we never met before?” His voice is quieter as he takes a small step towards you making you feel your cheeks get warm when you feel his eyes roam over your face like he’s trying to memorize it so he can think back and picture it perfectly when you’re not around.

“I’m not sure.” You answer in a hushed tone that matches his and when you see his hand reach out to gently brush some hair out of your face you feel your heart do a weird double beat thing in your chest that has you taking a small step away from him and turning towards the gate. “Nice to meet you Harry.” Your words are jumbled together as you unlatch the gate and walk through it in a rush to get some distance between the two of you so you can try to get your breathing and heartbeat under control.

Harry stands there with his hand still in the air and he swears he can still feel the warmth of your skin on his fingertips. He lets out a sigh as it falls to his side as he watches you walk down the driveway and then turn down the sidewalk, the lilac coloring of your dress getting caught in the streetlights. Harry isn’t sure how long he stands there staring at the now empty street, but clearly it’s long enough for Jeff to walk up to him and place a hand on his shoulder.

“You okay H?” There’s a minor hint of concern in his voice as he gives Harry’s shoulder a squeeze.

“Oh uhm Yeah yeah I’m-I’m fine.” Jeff smiles to himself as he notes the very obvious flustered state his best friend is in and he knows this can only mean one thing, you’ve caught his attention.

“She’s-”

“Different.” Harry says as he turns to face Jeff. “In the best way.” He adds with a smile making Jeff raise an eyebrow at him. “Fuck I didn’t even get her number.” The look of pure defeat has Jeff slightly feeling bad for Harry but then he remembers the whole reason for this meeting in the first place, to make him want you until it drives him to a point of madness and then when you finally give in to him it will hopefully make him take those feelings and put them into songs.

“I’m sure you’ll get it eventually.”

“You think so?”

“Oh yeah. Trust me you’ll see her again.”

[lordprettyflackotara]

till dawn || eyeless jack || bonus part

SMUT. MINORS DNI. 18+. tw: this is unfortunately very fluffy as well as smutty. if you came here for raw intense fucking wait until i release my new one shot with ej called huntin’ wabbitz. this is for the till dawn girlies ONLY. enjoy <3

“Why are we doing this again?”

Jeff’s voice was harsh, raising the question Ben had as well. The blonde stood in front of Jack, attempting to gracefully finish tying the demons bow tie. “Well Jeff in human culture weddings are a symbolic ceremony of love and unconditional commitment,” Ben explained, not glancing up at the pale killer. Somehow your request of a wedding had managed to get every creep dressed up, including Jacks friends.

Jeff went to run his fingers through his ash black hair, frowning once he realized it was in a man bun. “Yeah no I obviously have that part down pat. But I meant why are we doing this? We aren’t exactly humans anymore you know,” Jeff pointed out. Ben smiled as he finished adjusting Jacks bow tie. The sapphire blue suited him the best, according to Clockwork anyways.

“You are aware she’s a human right?” Ben asked. Jeff sighed, refraining himself from face palming. “As everyone has been talking about for the past twenty four hours, yes I am aware she’s a human,” Jeff answered. Ben went to defend you further, Jacks voice interrupting the blonde.

“We’re doing this because it’s what she wants.”

Believe it or not, Jack was apprehensive about the whole thing. It wasn’t the ceremony he feared or the social pressure to lift his mask to kiss your sweet lips. It was having you around so many creeps at once. The residents at Slender’s mansion had grown accustomed to your presence. You became just another resident, killer or not. Even the proxies had grown fond of you, initially pushing back on your stay due to your mortality. It may not have been a life they would’ve chosen for themselves, but you had proved time and time again your love for Jack prevailed all doubts.

It was also highly convenient to have someone able to grocery shop without a swat team being called.

You hadn’t outright come out and said you wanted marriage to Jack, but he was no fool. The magazines left out with pages of rings and dresses. Weddings were apart of your kinds culture and more importantly, they meant something to you. It wasn’t long after that Jack bribed Hoodie into helping him rob a jewelry store to get as many rings as they could carry. What else was he supposed to do? He didn’t know your ring size and he couldn’t possibly acquire the knowledge and be inconspicuous at the same time.

Word of your engagement spread like wildfire, the concept alone unheard of. Creeps from all over, including the Trenderman mansion, had been invited per your request. You had never met Laughing Jack, Jason the toy maker, Candypop, etc. Yet, you wanted all of them there for your special day. Jack thought it was touching once he put aside all of his fears about having that many immortal psychopaths around you. The main reason every creep turned up to your wedding was simple: you were human.

Outside of proxies, the supernatural haze that imbedded itself into creeps. It slowed down their aging, kept their bloodlust prevalent. Many of them didn’t even recall their human life. If they even had one to begin with. The idea alone that someone like you, could love someone endlessly like them was incomprehensible. This resulted in every creep on the planet to attend, that fact alone making Jack more nervous.

Slenderman had high expectations of his residents, ensuring that although unhinged they would maintain a stable and respectable behavior. Many of the creeps attending, including X-Virus and Nina the killer, were highly unpredictable. In the back of his mind he doubted that he would be able to protect you from all of them.

“Dude you should sit down, you don’t look so good,” Ben said, guiding him to sit down on the end of the bed. It was rare Jack had his mask off and it was most certainly non negotiable during the ceremony. But here in his bedroom with his (whether he’d admit it or not) best friends, he felt comfortable enough to take it off. Just for a moment. “You look kinda pale,” Jeff said, helping Ben guide Jack to sit down. The demon stifled a laugh. “Yeah you’re one to talk casper,” He chuckled.

Jeff rolled his eyes, a knock on the door interrupting a comeback that threatened to roll off of his tongue. The pale killer answered the door, revealing you. You were mesmerizing, the white dress Jane and Clockwork helped you acquire fitting you perfect. “I’d like a moment alone with Jack, if y’all don’t mind,” You say. Ben and Jeff exchanged glances. “Isn’t there some tradition about not seeing the bride until-” Jeff began, Ben’s hand planting a sharp slap on his shoulder.

“Hey dude what the fuck-”

Ben grabbed Jeff’s suit sleeve, dragging him towards the door. “Message received, see you guys at the ceremony,” He chimed cheerfully, a confused and mumbling Jeff trailing behind him. You could hear grumbling about Ben tearing the suit, the complaining making you giggle. You stepped inside, shutting the door behind you. Jack was eager to be beside you, approaching you quickly.

“Hi there,” You greeted, giving him a genuine smile. Upon seeing your face he began to relax, the dark gray color returning to his face. “You look absolutely stunning my mate,” Jack purred, pressing a kiss to your forehead. The sound of chatter from the hallway made Jack jump, pulling you behind him. He recognized the voices to belong to Laughing Jill and Kate the chaser, two creeps he did not trust. His gaze was centered on the door, your soft hand grabbing his arm.

“Jack, I need you to relax,” You say softly. Your voice was like warm honey, temptation threatening him to look away from the door. How could he protect you if he wasn’t ready? You walked around him, looking up at him as he towered over you. “EJ seriously, it’s okay. I’m okay,” You told him. Jacks gaze finally broke from the door, the sound of the girls straying off in the distance. “It’s hard to focus when there’s so many of my kind around. You’re not a proxy you know, you don’t have Slender’s unlimited protection,” Jack explained. His eyebrows furrowed as you admired his suit, rubbing his fingers over the suit jackets fabric.

“Maybe not. But I have yours, Jeffs, Ben’s, the proxies, Jane’s grown to like me I think, oh and Smiley,” You replied, giving him a small smile. Jacks eyebrows furrowed, tilting his head to the side. “You really think we could take on all of them and win?” He questioned. You giggled. You took his large hand, guiding him over to the window. You gestured for him to look outside, the creeps all taking their seats and talking. “This isn’t a war EJ. They’re not here to kill me. They’re here to celebrate,” You say. Jack watched as Smiley chased Sally around the yard, Slender and Trender caught up in a telepathic conversation at the podium.

Where the fuck did they get a podium?

“I guess what i’m trying to say is that you worry too much. Your friends like me right? So will they,” You told him, tucking your hair behind your ears. Jack contemplated your reasoning, glancing down and spotting the bloody painter. “You invited the bloody painter?” Jack questioned. You followed his gaze, spotting him talking to X-Virus. “I guess? Does it matter?” You asked, raising your eyebrows. Jack inhaled sharply. The last time he saw the Bloody Painter it ended in a bloody brawl. No pun intended.

“He’s just uh, not my favorite person on the planet,” Jack answered dryly. His gaze was locked onto him, refusing to shift away. You grabbed Jacks chin, guiding him to look at you. “I don’t like the idea of him seeing you. Being near you,” Jack admitted. It was something primal, something he couldn’t shake off. You were his mate and an enemy was prancing around his territory. “Guess you should show him who I belong to then,” You suggested, biting your bottom lip.

Jack could hear your heart skip a beat, a smile creeping across his face. “Oh you naughty little thing,” He whispered, bringing his lips to yours. Jack was never soft or gentle, but he tried his hardest to be so he didn’t ruin the dress. His kisses were hungry and desperate, his primal instincts ensuing. “How long do we have until the ceremony starts?” Jack asked, his lips refusing to stray from yours. You giggled, lying down on his bed. “Oh I don’t know, maybe till dawn?” You teased. Jack pounced on top of you, giving you a small smile.

“Need to know how much time I have with you love,” He purred, his breath hot against your ear. The sensation made you shudder in pleasure, your body igniting itself on fire. “Maybe twenty minutes?” You guessed. Jacks hands slowly pulled up your tight dress before cupping your drenched heat. “Okay maybe thirty,” You groaned. He could feel your dampness through your lacey white panties, the feeling alone euphoric. “Tsk tsk. Dressed so pure when you know I stole that purity long ago,” Jack hummed, teasingly dragging two fingers up and down your slit.

You whined, your hips bucking upwards. “Jack we don’t have time for teasing,” You say, eager to feel him. The demon above you quietly snickered, pushing your panties to the side. “It’s our wedding, they can wait,” He said, dropping to his knees. He dragged you by your thighs to the end of the bed, playfully licking up your thigh. “Jack please,” You whined, running your fingers through his hair. You tugged harshly at the roots, trying to drag him to your cunt. “So desperate,” Jack murmured before diving into your folds.

You could never explain or process the euphoria his three tongues provided. Two would shove themselves inside of you, scissoring your walls to stretch you out as much as they could. The third would attach itself to your clit, stimulating the bud as much as possible. It was an indescribable feeling, one that always made you moan and pant like a wild animal. Jack had purposefully gave you head everyday for a month, just to train the muscles in his tongues to be able to fuck you better.

As much as you were hesitant, it paid off.

“Fucking shit, Jack!” You moaned, throwing your head back as his large hands pried your thighs open. A primal growl rumbled in the bottom of his throat, his gaze centered on watching you fall apart. His tongues curled to begin abusing your g spot, your back arching off of the bed. You yanked at his locs, trying to pry him away from your aching cunt. You bit your bottom lip. “Jack if you keep that up you’re going to get very wet,” You threatened, your face turning red. You always got embarrassed of your bodies natural functions, Jack noticed. He didn’t see the point. He had seen every part of you and adored every nanometer.

You also had squirted on his fingers, tongues, and cock more times than he could count. How you orgasmed didn’t matter to him. He smirked as he continued his motions, your thighs trembling in his grasp. You whimpered as you came, your juices squirting across his face. You could feel your face growing hot, some of Jacks suit jacket soaked. He leaned back, your juices coating some of his clothing. He could hear your heart practically pounding against your rib cage.

“Goddammit-” Inhale. “Jack-” Exhale. “Your suits now all wet,” You sighed, trying to swallow as much air as possible Jack on the other hand was gleaming with pride, helping you rise to your feet. “It’ll dry. Besides, I think it’s pretty fucking hot,” He purred. He brought you over in front of his full length mirror, bringing your hands to either side of it to hold yourself up for support. “You look so beautiful, just watch yourself crumble for me,” Jack ordered. You could hear the clinking of his belt, the demon then wrapping his arms around your waist.

The height difference was one that couldn’t be ignored. Originally you didn’t think it would be possible for Jack to fuck you standing. That was of course until one eventful morning in the shower made it possible. All he had to do was pick you up and guide you down onto his cock. He did just that, watching you awkwardly balance on your tip toes to stay standing. As many times as you took him it always felt the same, your walls spasming around him as you struggled to take his girth.

“You’re doing so well for me beautiful, now open your eyes and watch,” Jack purred, placing a kiss on the side of your head. You felt him bottom out inside of you, the bulge of his cock visible through your dress. You whimpered as he let you adjust to him, his ears twitching at the sound of your heart beat. It always sped up when he first entered you, creating an addicting sympathy he wanted to hear forever. He swallowed as his gaze fell down to your neck, the urge to cover you in marks ensuing.

Jacks large hands grabbed your hips, slowly guiding you up and down his cock. “Fucking- fuck,” You moaned, struggling to keep your eyes open. Jack couldn’t control himself as he thrusted into you, his mind emptying entirely. “Such a good mate for me, taking me like this,” He panted. He licked the tender side of your neck, a chill running down your spine as he continued to fuck you. “You like this huh? Being used like my own personal fleshlight?” Jack chuckled darkly. Your head fell forward, your eyes screwing shut.

“Oh don’t get all shy on me now. Look at yourself,” Jack ordered. He slithered one hand up to your face, forcing you to look up. “Watch as I breed you mate. Fucking watch,” Jack rambled, grinning as your lips puckered out like a fish. Your noises were sinful, Jack couldn’t help but have an egotistical sense of pride. You could feel your second orgasm coming, your hands grabbing onto Jacks arm.

“J-Jack i’m gonna cum,” You panted. Jack’s hand slithered to your throat, squeezing the airway. “Not yet mate, wait for me,” He ordered. He continued to snap his hips into yours, your body beginning to shake as you tried to listen. “F-f-fuck I can’t-” You rambled. You moaned as you felt him choke you harder. “Awe you wanna cum so badly? Go on, cum. Cum on my fucking cock,” Jack huffed. The cord inside of you snapped, your body trembling as Jack came undone inside of you. Cumming anywhere besides deep in your cunt was out of the question, your pussy often dripping with his seed.

For a brief moment Jack held you in place, enjoying the feeling of your abused walls settling down around his shaft. “EJ?” You panted, still dazed. Your fingertips traced over the bulge that showed through your stomach. “Yeah?” Jack hummed. He wiped your smudged eye makeup, trying to clean you up without taking you off of his cock. “We’re still supposed to be getting married you know,” You chuckled. Jack playfully sighed, rolling his non existent eyes. He lifted you off of him, your bare feet hitting the wooden floor.

You turned around, pressing your lips to his. You smiled into the kiss, Jacks hands going to help you fix your dress. “How kind of you good sir,” You say teasingly, both of you letting out a genuine chuckle. A loud knock made both of you jump, Jacks eyebrows furrowing.

“Guys i’m not going to come in I know what you guys are up to but everyone’s hungry can you come get married already?” Ben asked. Jack quickly redressed himself, the two of you making sure the other was presentable. Once you both were properly dressed Jack opened the door. Ben’s eyes were buried in his hands. “Ben you can look at us you know,” Jack said, reaching over to his nightstand and grabbing his mask. The blonde shook his head. You stuck your head out from behind Jack.

“You really don’t wanna see me naked?” You asked curiously. You couldn’t help but burst into a fit of giggles as Ben quickly looked at you. Jack went to hit him, the blonde dodging his hit. “You gotta be faster than that Jacky boy,” He said teasingly, running down the hallway. Jack looked at you, his blue mask secured to his face. You stood on your tippy toes, pressing a kiss to his mask before encouraging him, “Go get em tiger, i’ll make sure the bridal party is ready.”

The bridal party in question was standing in beside the alter. Toby was your maid of honor, the ticking time bomb the most excited out of the three of them. Masky and Hoodie on the other hand, could not believe you roped them into this. “They’re fucking right now aren’t they?” Masky asked. Their gazes fell on Jack chasing Ben across the yard. “Maybe Ben got a peak, lucky man,” Hoodie snickered. Masky elbowed his partner, rolling his eyes. “They’re going on a honeymoon right? We’re never gonna get any sleep if they stay here after this is over,” Masky grumbled. They watched as Jack tackled Ben, the two tumbling to the ground.

“Where could they even go for a honeymoon?” Hoodie questioned. Toby waved cheerfully as you walked out of the back door. “They’re going to a remote cabin Slender got for them, isn’t that sweet?” He asked, smiling as you wobbled across the yard. Masky and Hoodie exchanged glances before resuming a calm facade. “Ten dollars says she’s pregnant by the time she gets back,” Hoodie said immediately. Masky grabbed a twenty dollar bill out of his pocket and showed it to his friends. “Make it twenty, not physically possible,” Masky replied. He raised his eyebrows as he watched Ben climb Jack like a jungle gym, the two in a petty brawl.

“They are aware they’re supposed to be getting married right now right?” Hoodie asked, watching as you smiled and greeted Laughing Jill and Jack. Masky sighed, reaching in his pocket and grabbing a box of cigarettes. “You can’t do that! This is a sacred ceremony!” Toby gasped, his head twitching to the side. Masky dug around in his suit pockets for a lighter. “Yeah yeah it’ll be fine kid. How long are we required to be here anyways? Boss was pretty vague with us,” Masky asked. Toby’s smile was cheerful as Hoodie handed Masky a lighter.

“He said till dawn.”

[vimesbootstheory]

on this subject more broadly: I'm sorry but the cinematography on this show is so bad lol

travelers is a fun show but why is the camera all the way up everybody's nose all the time

[sunderedstar]

good books of 2024

according to meeee.

there is no order here, at least one of these was published ages ago, I'm just working my way through my 2024 timeline, godspeed spiderman. 🫡

Metal from Heaven

surprise hit of 2024. top of the charts. stunning, spectacular. gorgeous. Metal from Heaven FUCKS. almost every single main character is an explicit spicy toxic hot mess of a lesbian committing literal highway/train robbery, the bad guy is literally named Industry, leading to such peak sentences as "I am going to kill Industry." the prose is synesthetic in a way that most writers cannot sustain for a full novel but which here culminates in a moment of pure blissful Neon Genesis Evangelion that I will not elaborate on due to spoilers. the author pulls out the FUNNIEST lines, and also the most abrupt and heartbreaking tragedies. we're not here to be subtle, we're here to put the pedal to the metal until the engine explodes. such a damning, whip smart condemnation of industry, capitalism, power. all in the form of Lesbians. also the phrase 'clown orgy' is mentioned. this shit is like gideon the ninth with CRUNCH. NSFW.

but don't take my word for it. take amal el-mohtar's.

Absolution

Absolution is a hard book. requires thought and rigor at all times to absorb what's going on - and also a reread of the entire trilogy beforehand, because there's time travel nuance involved, which makes it next to impossible to sum up the plot coherently on its own without spoiling things. jeff vandermeer described it partially as 'fuck that alligator from the movie' and - valid. the first 60% had me; the later section...swapped gears drastically, which meant it took a while to hit its stride (aka until it reached Area X again). in hindsight I was just not prepared for one of the POVs to be the Freudian, violently stoned, unreliable narrator love-child of Karkat and Dave Strider whose perception/conception of the heart of the Southern Reach is extremely phallic. and then suddenly cannibalism happens. I liked Annihilation and Acceptance better, but damn. it almost feels like this should be the set up to another trilogy. much 2 think about.

Yield Under Great Persuasion

I don't know why I didn't hear anything about this one before it came out! (instead, I only saw posts about rowland's other book released this year, running close to the wind - which sadly did not hit for me at all). Yield Under Great Persuasion is just ridiculous enough to be fantastic. stubborn little gremlin man, big mad about Pumpkingate years after the original inciting incident that set him at odds with his love interest, attempts to pack his little rucksack and run away from all his self-inflicted gay problems, fails, is forced to deal with said personal problems by direct goddess-intervention. you know it's gonna be good when the guys are hate-banging by page 2. a short, delightful mix of (extremely silly and low-stakes) enemies to lovers and hurt/comfort and working out your emotional and communication issues on page style comfort food. self-indulgent in a fanfic way that is rowland's trademark in a taste of gold and iron (which was also fantastic and probably deserves a reread now.) NSFW.

The Spellshop

between this and yield under great persuasion there's an odd cozy fantasy pairing here. a self-isolated shut-in spellbook librarian who lives for her work escapes the fall of her city and sets up shop back in her old hometown on a severely magic-deprived island. there's some internalized trauma being worked through, against a simply charming backdrop of community and solidarity and magic spells. really. I was. charmed. which is a rare reaction on my part.

The Hunter's Gonna Lay Low

the curveball of the list, The Hunter's Gonna Lay Low is a translated (gay) Korean web novel, and it's the perfect intersection of a decent translator meeting an author who knows what they're doing. notorious tumblr user @spockandawe has a write up of the plot and its major themes here, but in essence it hooked me with its hunter/super-hero meets Pacific Rim setting, its themes of gifted kid burnout and unacknowledged trauma with the weight of the world on his shoulders, and the fact that the author clearly plotted out all of this in advance, with minor details from the opening chapter being extremely plot relevant a hundred chapters later. also, the characters are FUN! the relationship compels me. clownery abounds in all the best ways, while the world-ending stakes are also scarily sky high. its translation is currently incomplete as far as I'm aware, which is literally this story's only downside right now, since you can read it online for free - but so much of the main story is up and translated already that it's hard to imagine how much higher the stakes can go, and I'm dying to know if these two make it through and get the happy ending they deserve. a delicious repast.

Apostles of Mercy

I'm gonna rant here. this is the story of a series that got the redemption arc it deserved.

if you don't know, axiom's end is lindsay ellis's blatant Bayverse Transformers female lead alternate history fic. period. she has openly admitted this. you can easily and clearly pick out the Optimus/Megatron/Starscream expies. and that first book was GOOD. it understood the assignment. loved it.

then...truth of the divine happened. book two of the series. was frankly. god awful. it was like twilight's new moon, where the main character's depression saturates and therefore stagnates the entire narrative, in this case to its detriment. it dragged. the entire appeal of first book of the series is the bond between the main character and her new definitely-not-a-Transformer life partner, and book two managed to both sideline that - the entire point!!! the main thing you're reading it for! the alien time! - and introduce the most skeevy and (for me) unpleasant to read human hetero romance of all time. it was so unpleasant I actually forgot how bad it was.

somehow. somehow. palpatine returned. after I spent three years mourning what could have been. book three saved it. Apostles of Mercy addresses the whole damn skeevy toxic mess that was book two and refocuses on what matters - the alien love interest and a LESBIAN love interest. yes. it's true. once again the sapphics won. we now have a book where the main character is reliving lesbian sex memories as an alien-robot-insect-definitely-not-a-Transformer mindmelds with her so I mean. good job team? her love interest also acquires an alien life partner of her own to expand this into potential alien foursome range? the assignment is once again UNDERSTOOD. in terms of the action scenes, to quote myself while reading it, "I can't believe I'm saying this but you needed to channel far more Bayverse" [for book 2], and doing so for book 3 has produced a work of art. I would say skip book 2 entirely and thank me later, but experiencing how bad the series got at its darkest point is part of what made book 3 such an exhilarating high in comparison. possibly that was the goal all along, impossible to appreciate until now. I just need lindsay ellis to get the contract to write the currently-in-publication-limbo books 4 and 5. because the series deserves it. it only just got good again! NSFWish because I can't remember currently how explicit they got all these months later, forgive me.

The Deep Sky

yume kitasei is new to me, but this book hit some interesting notes as a sci fi debut. it too is about gifted kid burnout and imposter syndrome, funnily enough, in a thoughtful take on the standard sci fi concept of 'a bunch of rigorously trained young adults are sent out into deep space as an ark to save a dying humanity' that actually does discuss how fucked up that is as a concept, both for the kids as they grow up under enormous pressure to win a spot on the mission and for all those people being left behind, in what might just end up being an overhyped waste of resources, since civilization sure is still kicking when they leave. the summary on the book is somewhat misleading - asuka, the main character, doesn't fall under suspicion until wayyyy late in the book, and spends the majority of it in a pseudo-detective role that is absolutely sanctioned by those in charge. she's not 'an immediate suspect' like the book blurb insists. go figure. it didn't knock me out of the park like most of the books above, but it was an engaging little read.

The Bees

a weird one from 2014, picked up on a whim - it's literally about bees! fictionalized bees! with personalities and priesthoods and caste politics and everything! I cried about it to be honest. very plotty, somehow all of it neatly taking place within the Lifecycle of A Bee™️, which takes some real craftsmanship to pull off and make compelling as a narrative. since I'm an unrepentant Raksura fan, I was like 'wow...how Raksura coded...' knowing full well that Raksura are dragon bee people, not the other way around. also the Raksura could never be as toxic (complimentary) as these bees are. 😂 it's just good literature your honor.

honorable mentions:

Heavenly Tyrant

has not come out yet. but let's be real. it's on the list in anticipation. it's what she deserves.

The City in Glass

I love nghi vo's work, have read and adored all of the singing hills cycle novellas. it took a month for my library hold on this book to be available. and then I promptly got distracted by metal from heaven and the hunter's gonna lay low 😂 I will read it!!! the first eight pages were good! vitrine's voice is very good! I've just had a very busy end of the year interrupting my everything. (update: I read two more pages and it immediately and promptly popped off. whoops. guess I'm reading that next. whenever I have free time again...)

[just-my-latest-hyperfixation]

Perfectly Purple

Written for the @steddiebingo

Prompts: Hawkins Library on the main card and Pastel on the Hop into Spring bonus card

Rated: T

Words: 1,301 [also on AO3]

Tags: Pre-S1; Pre-Steddie; Eddie Munson has a crush on Steve Harrington; Jealous Eddie; Eddie Munson is a little shit

There's a cardigan draped over the backrest of Eddie’s favorite chair. It's pastel purple, with a shiny row of mother-of-pearl buttons and a delicate satin bow on the collar. 

“Huh,” says Frank, putting his books down on the table and looking around the empty library. “Looks like someone forgot their jacket.” 

“Not someone,” Eddie mutters, lifting a soft, knitted sleeve between two fingers, as if the frills on the hems might turn into fangs any second. “Nancy Wheeler.” 

Jeff, who just slid into the remaining chair, stops rifling through his backpack and frowns up at him. 

“Nancy who now?”

Eddie rolls his eyes. “Wheeler. From freshman year? Little Miss Goodie Two Shoes with the perfect brunette locks and large baby blues. Aspiring new member of the newspaper club. Best friends with Holland from band. Looks a little like a sad baby deer most of the time, if baby deer wore stockings and hair barrettes. C’mon Jeff, show a bit of an interest in our fellow students.” 

Jeff gives him a look.

“Maybe if you showed a little less interest in our fellow students and a little more interest in your books, we wouldn’t be stuck here, having to redo this report. What’s the matter with you? Where does this sudden obsession with random freshmen come from?”

“It's not an obsession,” Eddie claims. This is ridiculous. Why would he be obsessed with little Nancy Wheeler and her perfect hair and her perfect smile and her perfect pastel atrocity of a purple cardigan? “I am merely trying to stay up to date on the social ecosystem of-”

“She’s dating Harrington,” Frank says from behind his book. Jeff’s eyebrows shoot up. 

“What, really? Since when?” 

They both turn to face Eddie. 

“How am I supposed to know?” he snaps, as if he has no idea. As if he doesn't know that it's been two weeks and three-and-a-half days since Harrington and Wheeler arrived at Karen Friedman's birthday party together. As if he isn't aware that Wheeler was wearing this exact cardigan when they snuck out to kiss between the rose bushes in the backyard. As if he wasn't there, lurking in the shadow of the garden wall like some hideous, voyeuristic goblin with a lunchbox full of weed. 

Jeff's eyes go soft. 

“Shit, man. That blows, I'm sorry.” 

“Sorry?” Eddie paces in a circle in front of the stupid chair with Nancy Wheeler’s stupid cardigan, gesturing wildly at nothing in particular. “What are you sorry for? The way our peers keep mindlessly reenacting the same hollow clichés of mediocre small town life over and over again, not knowing that this is the very thing that's trapping them in this capitalist hellscape of a society? Because you're right, that totally blows.” 

“Okay,” Frank says. “No more Mountain Dew for you. Now how about we all calm down and start working on this-” 

But Eddie isn't done. 

“Oh, look at me, I'm Nancy Wheeler,” he says, yanking the cardigan from the chair and draping it over his shoulders, letting the empty sleeves dangle by his sides. “I'm pretty and polite and smart. I study for fun. I've never had to redo a report in my life. I'm gonna pass high school with flying colors and maybe even go to college, and then I'll throw it all away to become a perfect little housewife and raise some airheaded jock’s brats.” 

Jeff snorts a laugh. “Oh my God, you do look a bit like her. You should keep that thing, maybe you'll get Harrington fooled.” 

Frank raises his book again, doing his best impression of a guy who just wandered in by accident and has never seen these lunatics in his life. 

“Maybe on a moonless, cloudy night,” he says. “If we get him drugged and concussed first.” 

Eddie snatches the book from his hand. Frank curses and tries to grab him, but he lets out a high-pitched giggle and dances out of reach. 

“What was that, Steve?” he chirps, leaning his back against the nearest shelf and clutching the book to his chest, fluttering his lashes up at an invisible conversation partner. “You want to go to prom with me? Little old me? Oh, I'd love to!” 

“Quit that, you moron,” Frank hisses. Jeff, meanwhile, has collapsed on the table and is desperately trying to stifle his laughter. “If one of Harrington’s entourage catches you, they'll kick your ass.” 

Eddie gasps. 

“What did you say, Steve? You think I'm the prettiest girl in school? Oh, gee, you're awfully handsome, too.” 

“I give up,” Frank groans. “I don't know why I put up with you.” 

Eddie twirls a lock of hair between his fingers. 

“No, really, Steve,” he sing-songs. “I think you're, like, sooo dreamy with your broad shoulders and your muscles and that smile, and all of daddy’s money. Did you do something to your hair, Steve? It's so floofy. I wanna run my fingers through it while you shove your tongue down my-” 

“I've been trying out a new hairspray,” says a voice. “Thanks for noticing.” 

The world stops. Eddie stares at Jeff and Frank, hoping against hope that one of them has secretly been working on one killer of an impersonation number, but they've both gone still as statues, gawking at something to his left with wide, horrified eyes. 

Eddie turns. 

Steve Harrington is looking back at him from where he materialized between the shelves, like a malicious demonic entity summoned by calling its name thrice. If malicious demonic entities wore varsity jackets and polo shirts, that is.

“Hi,” he says. “Munson, right?” 

Eddie chokes on his own spit. A sound leaves his mouth. It sounds like “hurghlflugh.” 

Harrington wrinkles his brow and comes closer. Eddie tries to back away, but the shelves behind him refuse to open and swallow him whole, and where the hell is that goddamn portal to Narnia when you need it? He opts for screwing his eyes shut and raising the book that’s still clutched to his chest like a shield, waiting for the punch. 

Except the punch doesn’t come. 

“I’ll need that back.” 

Eddie opens one eye. Harrington has extended one hand and is watching him with his head tilted to the side, mouth twitching and eyes sparkling with what looks an awful lot like reluctant amusement. 

“I know you guys are into roleplaying or something,” he says, “and I’m not judging. Whatever floats your boat, right? But Nancy is waiting in the car, and we have movie tickets, so I just wanted to hop in and get her jacket.” 

He wiggles his fingers and gives an impatient little nod at the cardigan. The very cardigan that is still draped loosely over Eddie’s shoulders. 

Eddie has never stripped out of a garment as quickly in his life. He wishes the circumstances were sexier, but here they are. Harrington’s fingers brush his as he takes the jacket. 

“Thank you,” he says politely. “Purple looks good on you, by the way. If you ever feel like adding a bit more color to your wardrobe.” 

Eddie watches how he turns, tossing a wave and nod at Jeff and Frank before he disappears between the shelves again. Somewhere at the other end of the library, the door clicks shut. 

Eddie’s legs give out. 

“Holy shit,” he breathes, landing ass-first on the library floor. “What the fuck just happened?” 

Frank sighs and rises from his chair.

“I’m not sure. But I know two things. One: I’m not doing any study groups with you ever again.” He bends and extends a hand, but instead of pulling Eddie to his feet, he just picks up the fallen book. As he turns to walk back to his seat, he gently pats Eddie on the head. “And two: You might wanna invest in a nice cardigan or three.” 

More Steddie Bingo

[ratridingaskateboard]

Tear You Apart

Eddie Munson x Fem! Reader!

TW: 18+, wet dream, p in v, cursing, bdsm, sexual acts, sexual fantasies, etc.

A/N: The trigger warnings would be too long if I mentioned every sexual act ever done in this story. We would be here all day!!

Synopsis: Eddie has had a crush on Y/n since the day she stepped foot into Hawkins High School. After constantly fantasizing about her, will fantasy finally become a reality?

-

The second Y/n waltzed her way into the main hall of Hawkins High, Eddie was awe-struck. She was clad in a bleached jean jacket capped in patches and pins of metal and rock bands. Many of them Eddie hadn’t even heard of. The Black Sabbath t-shirt she wore had been ripped to shreds, showing only a tanktop underneath. Her plaid red skirt swayed as she walked and had boys and girls anticipating for a gush of wind to reveal what was hidden under that scanty piece of clothing. To no one’s surprise, within minutes of walking in she was quickly pulled into the principal’s office for dress code violations.

The hall had erupted into gossip over who this mystery girl was. No one at Hawkins had a single clue who she was or why she chose their school to be graced with her presence. Eddie had never seen anyone like her in Hawkins, if he had he would’ve known. Just seeing what she was wearing made the blood rush to his cheeks but the second he saw her patched covered jacket he was practically on his knees.

This was his chance to finally get with a girl who he shared similar interests with. Don’t get him wrong, Eddie loved getting laid no matter what type of girl it was. But most girls had little to no interest in Eddie, they just wanted to see what it was like to fuck the school freak. They didn’t complain but they didn’t speak about it either. He was, to put it simply, a conquest. Now he had the ability to be around someone who, he hoped, wouldn’t shun him away like the others.

Eddie’s friends gathered around him at his locker, passing comments about the new girl and her clothing.

“God- I hope they don’t give her a pair of pants to wear.” Gareth hissed under his breath.

“I think I saw her bra underneath her shirt” Jeff added.

“The second you guys see a girl you are like dogs! I am surrounded by barbarians!” Dustin was quick to be the voice of reason. It was hard for teenage boys to view any girl as a person much less a girl who showed a little skin.

“You’re right Dustin. Did you see her jacket? It was covered in Metal patches. She seems cool.” Eddie finally added.

“Sorry Eddie- I was a little busy looking at other pieces of clothing she was wearing.” Gareth said.

Eddie rolled his eyes. One of the things Wayne had taught Eddie once he had reached puberty was to be a gentleman. Apparently, Gareth was not given this pep talk. Obviously, Eddie was attracted to her but he had to push down the want to tear her clothes off in order to form a relationship with her.

Hours had passed and she was still no where to be seen. Eddie assumed the principal must have sent her home with the list of violations she had achieved on the first 15 minutes she was inside the school.

Lunch was no different than usual except for the extra chatter of the mysterious new girl and her fondness for revealing clothing. Eddie pushed the food around on his lunch tray, disgusted by the unknown meat with the rancid smell.

“Hey-“ A gentle hand pressed against Eddie’s shoulder. The smell of cigarettes and vanilla filled his nostrils. Eddie looked up to see his friends wide eyed, staring at this unknown figure behind him.

“I like your Dio patch. That’s my favorite album by them.”

Eddie moved his neck to look at her but he found himself too embarrassed to look her in the eyes. Instead, his eyes focused on the jacket she wore, naming each band in his head- trying to get his mind off the absolute fool he was making of himself.

Shit, her hand was still on his shoulder. His face turned to a shade of red he didn’t believe was possible to achieve unless in scorching hot weather.

“Don’t mean to be an asshole but your sewing isn’t the best.” She traced a line with her finger against the trim of the patch. Eddie could still feel the softness of her fingertips even through the denim of jacket and cotton of his shift. Suddenly, Eddie felt the warmth of her breath against his ear.

“If you ever need someone to teach you, I would love to.”

Her hand moved back to his shoulder and lightly squeezed it, sending spikes of electricity through his spine. Then, she was gone.

Eddie’s face remained just as red as before. His fellow Hellfire members tried to help him regain consciousness but Eddie remained silent. He was stunned. He had never felt so weak. She toyed with him and he didn’t even fight back. He had never felt so powerless. In most situations he had had with girls, he was the one who approached and the one who lead. But, she… she was different.

“Eddie, dude, you should probably go to the bathroom.” Jeff patted Eddie’s shoulder, finally getting his attention.

Eddie looked down to find his dick as stiff as a board in his pants. Jesus Christ, he needed to get his shit together. This girl was messing with his fucking head.

After a moment in the bathroom, Eddie was able to go about his day as normally as he could. He still stumbled whenever he thought of the softness of her hand or the smell of her perfume. But as long as he didn’t see her he was fine. Right?

After Hellfire, Eddie returned to the trailer he shared with his Uncle and plopped himself on his bed. God- was he exhausted. Didn’t know being teased by a girl would make him so tired. His eyes fluttered closed and he gave in.

“E-Eddie please,” Y/n wimpered, looking up at him with big doe eyes, her hands restrained behind her back.

“Please what?” Eddie persisted, his leg pushing in between her thighs, feeling the warmth of her.

“P-Please fuck me!” She huffed, grinding her hips against his thigh. She seemed so helpless now. Her dominance was subdued by him and she had become a mess of herself.

“How much do you want it?” Eddie whispered in her ear, her perfume smelled even stronger when he was this close to her neck.

“I-I want it so bad, Eddie! Please I’m begging you!” She wailed.

He loved seeing her like this. Fuck, it made him feel like he was gonna cum in his pants. He couldn’t make her wait any longer and neither could he.

He started to reach his hand under her shirt when-

He woke up. It was a dream. It was a fucking dream. And one thing he knew about dreams like these, they always end the same.

Eddie lifted his comforter to find his boxers covered with jizz as well as the sheets underneath him. Eddie’s face crumpled into a frown. He had to get her back for this.

-

A/N: Dont worry there will be a part two coming soon!!! Hope u enjoyed

[scribbles97]

Something Special

A day late but here's a little peice for the 10th Anniversary and Scott's birthday. If you squint hard enough you can probably see why it set off the incoherent thoughts from this post here Ft. My favourite parents Jeff and Lucy just being totally in love, and Young!Scott just being Scott

“Good morning my love.”

“Why hello there,” Jeff chuckled as he lifted the arm his wife had clung to, draping it across her shoulders, “happy anniversary.”

She frowned at him, half smiling, half perplexed as he continued to mix the pancake batter. 

“It’s not—“

“Not our anniversary,” he smiled, leaning across to kiss her forehead, “the anniversary of the day you brought our boy into the world.”

Yes, their son’s fifth birthday was the main event of the day, but his conversation with a new NASA colleague had made Jeff appreciate just how important his wife was on that day too. Lucy had been the one to care for, and carry him for those long nine months. It had been her who had gone through the long painful hours of labour to bring their blue-eyed boy into the world. She had been the one to put her own career on pause to stay home with him and nurture him whilst Jeff had changed gears with his career. 

“You are the best mother I could ever ask of for our boys,” he continued as he turned to wrap his hands around her waist, “and I am grateful every day that we have you.”

Her cheeks reddened at his words, her smile softening as her arms returned to wrap around him. 

The song on the radio shifted to an older slow pop ballad, one that they had first danced to at their high school prom. It was almost automatic for their feet to shuffle and their bodies to sway around the room in time to the tune. Their smiles were matching as Jeff bumped his head to hers, his hands squeezing her waist lightly. 

“Momma, Daddy!” 

The small body of their eldest collided with them, breaking the gentle sway of the dance as Scott forced himself between them. 

“Hey kiddo,” Each of them reached down to include him in their huddle, “Happy birthday.”

“Happy Birthday, sprout.” Jeff smiled, ruffling the kid’s hair.

Scott looked between them both, his grin splitting his cheeks as he grasped at both their tops, “What ‘re you doin’?”

“Dancing,” Jeff looked to Lucy as he slipped one hand back to her waist, “you’ve seen us dance before.”

Pulling away from them, Scott shook his head, “Nuh-uh… you dance like this.”

Lucy’s laugh filled the room at Scott’s demonstration of some very old-school moves they all knew Jeff had been guilty of pulling at different parties across the years. He was confident his son’s moves weren’t quite as coordinated as he was, even when drunk, but somehow they still seemed to have the same effect on his mother as she watched him with adoration in her eyes and the lightest of laughs on her lips. 

“This is different dancing,” He told him as he pulled away from Lucy to hoist the wriggly bean sprout up onto his hip, “this is better.”

Scott’s frown was uncertain as he looked between his parents, his grip tight on the collar of Jeff’s t-shirt as he watched him pull Lucy back in close.

“Better, how?”

Lucy’s fingers brushed against the skin of Jeff’s hip as she slipped them under his t-shirt, her smile soft as she reached out to hold Scott’s back.

“Shh,” She murmured, “listen, Scotty.”

Jeff smiled as Scott’s frown deepened, pulling his wife impossibly closer, loving how she fit snug against him, even with the interruption of their eldest between them on one side. He kissed her head as she rested against his shoulder, her sigh of contentment soft and warm against his neck as they resumed their slow steps. 

For once, Scott remained quiet, even if not completely still as he tilted his head to rest against Jeff’s. His hand loosened in his collar as the music around them crescendoed, and Jeff could feel how he had relaxed in his hold. 

He would forever adore those moments with his wife, when they could ignore everything else around them and simply exist together in a space that was just for them where dirty dishes and laundry didn’t matter. It was a time for him to show her just how much he adored her in ways that didn’t involve money or words, when they could let the music say everything that both of them felt in far better ways than either of them could ever parse. She had told him to listen years before in a kitchen that hadn’t been theirs, and a song he had heard a hundred times over had suddenly changed into something he never would have understood before that moment. 

It was something special to see how Scott shifted on his hip as they showed him the wonder that could be shared beneath the blanket of a song. Their eldest kept a sure hold of Jeff’s shirt as his hand reached out to his mother’s arm, his frown shifting into a smile as he did so. Perhaps he wouldn’t understand fully until he was much older, until he’d felt the sting and burn of romantic love, but Jeff knew it was something special to be able to share that moment on the anniversary of he and Lucy becoming parents. 

It was something special to be able to show their boy, just how much they loved him so. 

***

Ten years later, and it wasn’t unusual for Scott to be up with the dawn to take a run around the top field before breakfast. It didn’t matter that it was his birthday, not when he knew his brothers would still be asleep, and his parents would be putting a special breakfast together for them all to enjoy. He enjoyed the fresh air and the rush that came with the exercise, his very own moments of peace before his family took over the day in the best ways possible. It cleared his head and his heart of the sting that had sat there all week, since he had dumped his girlfriend. 

It wasn’t unusual for him to let himself in through the mud-room to the radio playing in the kitchen, the same station as always playing the ballads his parents loved from their school years. Privately, he enjoyed the songs and what they meant, it was the music he’d grown up on and that reminded him of his parents' love for him and the adoration they felt for each other. 

It wasn’t unusual for him to find them slow dancing in the kitchen to such songs, but it was rare for them to not hear him when he called out that he was back. The coffee was brewing in the pot, and the pancake batter was set out on the counter ready to be spooned onto the pan on the hob. A pile of cards and presents that hadn’t been there when he had left told him that his parents were certainly up, even if they were missing from where he had expected them to be.

Mom’s laughter was loud, the sound coming from the lounge rather than the kitchen, drawing Scott through to find where they had both got to. 

Pausing in the doorway, he ducked back slightly not wanting to disturb the moment as he realised just what song was playing.

Their wedding song. 

Dad had Mom by the waist, her back to his chest, both of them grinning with laughter as he kissed her neck before spinning her in his arms to face him. 

He knew they hadn’t noticed him, otherwise they would have drawn him in to join them. The pair were so wrapped up in each other, sickly in love Virgil or Gordon would say, the house could have been on fire and he doubted either of them would notice. Scott loved them for it. He loved their demonstration of love, of how easy it should be to simply exist in each other's space and understand the music that wrapped around them. He saw each little glance between them, each soft smile when the other wasn’t looking, the tender touches that to an outsider would mean nothing at all. 

The creak on the stairs made him look around, instantly pressing a finger to his lips warning Virgil to be quiet. They didn’t deserve to be disturbed, not for a moment. 

“Why are you watching them?” His younger brother whispered to him, a gift wrapped in blue clutched close to his chest as he joined him in the kitchen doorway.

Scott shrugged, not entirely sure his reasoning would make sense to him, as Mom rested her head against Dad’s chest, “I want what they have, Vee.”

His brother frowned, glancing sideways at him, “A farmhouse and five kids?”

Rolling his eyes, Scott shook his head, “No… well, not exactly.”

He wanted something special like they had, their kind of romance that was quiet and soft but loud and bold all at the same time. He wanted to be gross and cringey with someone that would laugh with him over silly little things. He wanted to look into someone else’s eyes and see his whole world right there in their depths. 

It was similar to the love his parents had shown him and his brothers their whole lives, but so very different at the same time. 

As Dad lifted Mom’s chin with a finger to kiss her, Virgil let out a soft huff of disgust and turned into the kitchen. His movement distracting their parents from their moment.

“Scotty,” Mom smiled to him, holding an arm out to him as she pulled away from Dad, “sorry kiddo, we didn’t hear you come in.”

“It’s okay,” He waved them off, “I only just got back.”

“Happy birthday, Son.” Dad grinned, one arm still wrapped around Mom’s waist.

Crossing the room to meet them both in a hug, Scott nodded, “Happy anniversary, guys.”

[angelofverdum]

Yellowjackets 3x08

Jesus sighting again. Jackie Taylor, you can't help it; you are just that girl.

Did they honestly expect me to focus after opening the episode with a Jackieshauna scene? I had to stop and replay that scene again. My babies.

Shauna dreams about Jackie with her teen version because of course she can't fucking move on. She dreams of a Jackie so full of life and so true to herself. Shauna wants to make Jackie this evil bitch but then "Why didn't you say something?" Shauna, after 25 years still confused about what she wants from Jackie. She is not a fucking mind reader my love.

And btw fuck you writers "Shipman" stays on.

Obviously, Shauna doesn't want to leave. To go back to what? In the wilderness, she is free and has some kind of power. Even tho she is a terrible leader.

Also, She starts disassociating after Melissa mentions college because holy fuck there's no Jackie to share a pink and green room in college or fight about her getting into Brown, and she just gave birth and her baby's bones are in there.

Or maybe she doesn't want a job

There's something so sad about Lottie not wanting to go back because we know she's right but also it's absurd that she stays in the wilderness by herself. And it's way sadder that she is dead now.

Same thing with Natalie. She wants to go back but in the end she lived a very shitty life and was killed by Misty fucking Quigley.

Every week I say this, but please bring Teen Tai to the main storyline, my god. She is also unmedicated; there's something deeply wrong with her. I want to know more.

The adult timeline just showed cannibalism for the first time, and I think it is so delicious that it was Shauna because she was the one who gave them permission to eat Jackie.

I'm so anxious to see how the writers are going to pull the Van's storyline. Are they really going to kill her? Like seriously? There's no way they can pull something magical that heals her.

Melissa yapping to Shauna like she gives a fuck.

I don't mind teen Melissa because she is cute and dorky, but she is an extension of Shauna. We don't know anything about her besides that she has a stupid hat. And now, am I supposed to be thrilled that she is alive and back in Shauna's life? And I'm team let Melanie Lynskey kiss women on screen, but c'mon.

My other big problem with adult Melissa is that they killed Lottie. I'm not saying it like "They could only pay one actress" or whatever. What hurt me is that they really couldn't fit Adult Lottie in the story. Someone so important in the Teen timeline with such a delicious dynamic with the rest of the team.

And yes, that hat in adult Mel was incredibly ridiculous. They were having a serious conversation, and she was wearing that stupid hat. I'd have been ok if she had taken it off the moment she started talking to Shauna, like we get Melissa It was not a phase you love hats.

Some people are complaining that it was a boring episode if you don't like Shauna, and guess what? She is the main character, baby.

For me, this episode was really good and very funny.

Nat trying to get them together so they can leave. I know she misses Jackie the most (Not including Shauna, obviously).

It was an emotional scene but this bitch didn't pack shit look at that tiny backpack. Two leaves, a stick, and a dream.

Shauna getting defensive over Nat saying she is not the captain only to be gagged when she said "She died". Teen Shauna trying to push Jackie to the back or her mind, and NAt still respecting her as their Captain.

Shauna is a terrible girlfriend, my god. Tell me how I can interpret her relationship with Jackie other than romantic when Shauna hasn't been submissive to anyone but her. She didn't care about Mel, She talked some bullshit and got her gf happy again.

They gave Melissa a future, a kid, a wife, and a hat but not a last name.

Shauna got Misty STRESSED. Her wig was about to fly.

Too much Jeff. I usually don't mind him because he's with Shauna, but in this episode, the plot was focused on him, and who cares about him, honestly?

Adult Mel is full of shit. She wants to move on and she decided to contact Shauna the bisexual demon Shipman of all people.

She looks so much like teen Shauna s01 here

It's crazy how the teens and the adults are starting to look and sound alike. Moreover, because Samantha said they don't talk to each other about that.

The fandom assumed there were only 8 survivors because of the antler queen scene, but I'm getting the feeling there are more. Honestly, I'm just holding on to the last hope that my girl Mari made it.

Shauna had so many good lines in the conversation with Melissa. I stan with my cancelled wife idgaf.

Can we teen Shauna allucinate Jackie, pls? or saying Jackie's name.

Sophie Nelisse's reaction when she said "Or it" deserves an Emmy btw.

Thank you Ella Purnell, for always coming back to haunt the narrative. As long as Shauna Shipman is alive, you'll be employed trust.

[pigeonmidgeon]

Can i ask why you think the hate for cc is based in misogynoir when the book and music was written by a bunch of white guys /gen /nm (i rly wanna hear ur piece on this) i havent rly seen anyone take an issue with bryce's acting/singing in the negative reviews, moreso the langs and blims work

yes OF COURSE you can ask omg!!

i think a lot of it comes down to people’s internal misogyny and racism (like the casual stuff that’s just ingrained into society) that leads to biases that favour white men.

cc is the first/only starkid show to not have white leads, and it’s also one of very few where the true lead is female (firebringer and black friday being the only ones that really primarily focus on female characters) (since even npmd has grace share the leading title with pete and max).

and— from what i’ve seen, i actually wasn’t super into starkid until this past summer, i’d only seen avpm before that—this is the most negative response/opinion that a show has gotten. (which is crazy to me because i flipping loved cc and also holy musical b@man is RIGHT THERE).

furthermore the story format and music in cc really isn’t all that different from any other starkid/contemporary musical. to me— my theatre knowledge is more in the direction of acting and dance rather than music/singing— the music is very reminiscent of npmd and tgwdlm, and writing-wise, cc has a storyline very similar to twisted just with a different fairytale. it’s like a perfect combination nick, matt, and jeff’s styles.

i think, while unintentional, people ripping into a story that focuses on a black female character, with the main cast being primarily women or poc, is due to internal biases rather than the actual writing. cinderella’s castle is exactly starkid’s style, just instead of focusing on a white man, it focuses on a woman of colour, and her storyline centres around her rather than a man/love.

and by no means am i saying that people can’t dislike cc, everyone has different tastes (i.e i really didn’t enjoy holy musical b@man to the point i dnf’d it, and there’s others who love it… im assuming). but i definitely think that a lot of the “this is so not starkid” or “it’s bad writing” isn’t actually about the musical itself. but rather it’s because the biases towards the white man that society has built, has unintentionally made those who aren’t aware of it/haven’t removed themselves from that as a concept, create their own idea that “starkid style” means a musical lead by a man or a white woman , and seeing something that challenges that makes them think that it’s “not starkid,” when it certainly is.

idk if that made sense at all, but i hope it at least kinda explained my thinking?

[bluecollarmcandtf]

Happy Birthday, Babe

Getting attention on your birthday has never been your thing. You prefer to celebrate with a quiet day to yourself. After a productive morning at the gym, you throw in the towel, and lock eyes with Jeff. He's on his hands and knees, crawling directly towards you...

"What the hell!" you gasp, "Dude get up!"

Jeff is your straight friend from college. The two of you go way back. In fact, he's the one who got you into working out in the first place. You'd even admit that you had a crush on him once. It's hard not to when he keeps himself in such good shape, but he's a classic lady's man. He knows about your sexuality, but he hates talking about it with you.

And now he's doing the most sensual crawl on all fours towards you, the muscles of his back rippling as he stares daggers into your soul. What the hell is he thinking? The entire gym can see him!

"Hey, sir," he pants as he catches his breath below you.

"Jeff, get off the floor. This isn't funny."

"But why, sir? This is how men are supposed to talk to you," he explains, looking genuinely confused.

"Why the hell are you calling me 'sir' Jeff?"

You snort in disbelief. What the hell is any of this supposed to mean? Your old friend has to be pulling a joke on you, but he's not the kind of guy to tease you like this. Something about this feels wrong, but you can't deny that seeing Jeff like this is getting you a hard.

Your phone starts ringing. Reluctantly you turn from Jeff, leaving the man to wait on his knees patiently as you answer the phone. It's your boyfriend Andrew, an ex-superhero. He got kicked out of the League of Heroes for misusing his abilities. You immediately suspect he's the one behind this weird conversation with Jeff.

"Happy birthday, babe!" your boyfriend screams over the line.

"Andrew, what did you do?"

"Why are you acting so mad?" Andrew whines back, "This is my gift for your birthday. Your going to love it! For the next twenty-four hours every man in town will think it's normal to get down and kneel when they talk to you. Hot, right?"

"So everyone's like this? Really?"

You storm past Jeff, abandoning your buddy on his knees in the middle of the gym, and rush outside.

"Yup! What's the point of having reality-altering powers if I can't use them as your birthday gift. And feel free to cause whatever mischief you want! These guys are going to be completely submissive and respectful to you once they drop to their knees."

"Andrew, what am I supposed to do with this?" you shake your head.

"Just remember that everything you command is permanent! Have fun!"

With that, your boyfriend hangs up. You stand in the street for a moment, gathering your thoughts and wondering how you're supposed to "have fun." Then you notice the construction site next door. Those assholes have been blocking the main entrance to the gym with their trucks for weeks, but they haven't made any progress. Every time you've seen them, they've just been lounging around and cracking jokes instead of working.

"Hey you!" you call, stepping up to a worker as he smokes a cigarette by a pile of rubble.

When he turns his attention to you, a haze seemed to fall over his eyes. The burly laborer lowers himself to his knees and gazes up to you.

"Yeah, sir?"

"Right, um... you're not going to smoke anymore. It's unhealthy."

"I'll quit smoking, sir," he replies, throwing the thing in the dirt, and mashing it out with a gloved fist.

"And you need to work faster," you demand awkwardly, "I'm tired of looking at this eye-sore every morning!"

"Yes, sir. We really haven't been taking this job very seriously," he admits, "Let me find the contractor. I'll try and convince him to get everyone to get back to work."

"Just bring them all to me," you command.

"You all will work tirelessly to get this job done as soon as you can. Got it?" you yell to the group of construction workers kneeling in front of you, "Overtime, weekends, anything, I don't care. Get it done!"

"Yes, sir!" the men answer in unison.

You gaze at the small crowd of obedient laborers kneeling at your feet. Andrew's gift has sure made them docile. These guys seemed so rude and harsh before. The women in the gym were definitely scared to cross by alone. It'd be nice if they stayed as nice and complacent as they are now.

"You all are going to be respectful and kind to anyone that passes. Instead of the catcalls and nasty comments, you'll only shout out compliments and words of encouragement. Now, get back to work."

"Yes, sir!" the men once again bark in unison, before jumping up from their knees and scrambling to their posts.

For the first time in weeks, the machinery is actually on and being used. They seem focused on the tasks at hand, which is very different from the lazy and rude men you avoided this morning. It looks like you actually did some good with your boyfriend's gift.

Hopping in your car, you speed downtown until sirens signal for you to pull over.

"Great!" you groan sarcastically.

You watch from your sideview mirror as a handsome man in uniform steps out of the police cruiser. He already has a pen and paper in hand to write you a ticket. He seems awfully excited to reprimand you. Cops like this have always infuriated you.

You don't wait for him to approach. Instead, you jump out of your vehicle and call out to him.

"Hey cop! Hurry up and just get over here!"

The same fog creeps over this man's expression as he hears your call. The officer drops to his knees and crawls across the sidewalk, dragging his neatly ironed pants over the pavement.

"Good morning, sir," he meekly states at your feet, "Um, do you know how fast you were going?"

"No," you scoff, "And I don't frankly care."

The cop clears his throat before saying, "Sir, I'm going to have to give you this ticket."

"No you don't. I don't deserve that."

"Your right, sir," he mumbles in response, " I don't know why I thought you did. Can I be of service in any other way, sir?"

You look at the handsome policeman on his knees. For a second, you consider telling him to strip and bend over. Nothing sounds better than using this arrogant cop to get off, but you hesitate. Andrew may have given you this gift today, but you're not sure you want to abuse it just yet.

"No, just give me an escort to my office. Turn your sirens on."

"Yes, sir. Right away, sir," he nods jumping back into his cruiser.

With the blaring sirens and cop car leading your way, you make it to work in record time. Before you dismiss the cop, you step up to his car window and duck your head in.

"If you ever see me out in public again, I want you to approach me and ask if you can give me another police escort. It's the least you can do," you explain.

"I can do that, sir," the officer nods emphatically.

"Oh and, from now on, officer, everyone you pull over is going to irresistibly attractive. It could be an old, fat man, but if he's behind the wheel, you'll fall head over heels. They might just convince you to forget the ticket, but maybe they'll want more. Who knows?"

With a wave of the hand, you send the cop on his way. He won't be able to write tickets for a very long time.

You smile giddily as you turn back to your office building. You may have taken the day off, but your boss is still there. Marching in and up to your company's floor, you find the man yelling at one of your coworkers in the middle of the office.

This is typical behavior for him. He's notorious for being short-tempered, foul-mouthed, and demanding on all his subordinates.

"Boss!"

"Sir," his voice is suddenly quiet as he trembles to his knees.

"Give me a raise. At least triple my salary," you demand.

Your coworkers watch quietly in fascination, but none of them seem all that surprised by your outburst. Andrew really must have made it completely normal for you to speak this way to other men. They all seem to think this is the natural order of things.

"I'd love to, sir, but our budget is maxed out as it is. We just don't have the money," he explains from the floor.

You frown, but then a brilliant idea comes to your head.

"Then trade. I want your salary and benefits, and you can take mine," you explain.

"I can do that, sir," he agrees, "Does that mean you want to take on a more managerial role?"

"Definitely not, old man," you chuckle, "I'll leave that to you. Just give me all the benefits and none of the responsibility. In fact, why don't you pick up the slack in my position. I shouldn't have to come in more than two days a week."

"That makes complete sense, sir," he responds.

"Go ahead and finalize the details," you command, "And give me my first paycheck early. It is my birthday after all."

"Yes, sir. Happy birthday," he smiles before crawling back into his office.

Falling into your chair triumphantly, you think about how your boyfriend has given you quite the best birthday. It's far from over. You have twenty-four hours and you've only spent three. How are you going to spend the rest of the day?

Maybe you should take a few more liberties with the men you are controlling. Andrew did tell you to have fun after all...

[bellobambino]

The Safe House - Part 1

fluff to smut in a future fic

Summary: Unnamed female reader's brother seems to be involved with Luigi's disappearance. Her first person POV.

1,045w

NEXT FIC: PART 2

PART 3

AN: So far this is 3 parts. 4th part will be smut. Part 1 here is set up. please leave a reply, just tell me what you think. i'm looking for some constructive crit if u have time. ill post part 2 in a few days.

The Safe House - Part 1

Gravel crunches outside, the unmistakable pop and shift of tires rolling up the driveway. My stomach twists. No one should be here. There are only a handful of people who even know about this place, and none of them are supposed to be showing up right now.

I glance through the studio window, heart hammering, and my breath catches in my throat.

Ben’s car.

My brother’s car.

Holy fuck.

Ben has been missing for three weeks. No texts, no calls. Not even one of those passive-aggressive thumbs-up emojis he overuses. Nothing. Radio silence.

I abandon my paintbrushes, running to the front door, opening it before he even cuts the engine. The cold air bites, but I don’t care.

The property is big, tucked away in Vermont, the trees stretching high and leafless against the late winter sky. It’s a quiet retreat. Remote and away from everything. That’s why I came here in the first place. To be alone for a few weeks and paint.

He slams the car door, looks up, and we just stare at each other for a second, both of us blinking like we’ve seen a ghost.

“What the fuck?” I say first, because that’s all I’ve got. My voice comes out strangled.

Ben runs a hand through his messy hair and exhales sharply. He looks exhausted, thinner, his jaw sharper than I remember. His hoodie is all lopsided. He should not be here.

“Ben, where the hell have you–?”

“What are you doing here?” he asks, cutting me off like he’s just as surprised to see me.

I throw my hands up. “What do you mean, what am I doing here? This is Uncle Jeff’s place, I’ve been up here for weeks… where have you been? Why haven’t you answered our calls? We’re all worried sick about you!”

He exhales through his nose, glancing past me into the cabin. He looks wired. Restless. He mutters a low, “Fuck,” under his breath.

Then, before I can react, he reaches out, plucks my phone right out of my hand, and turns it off.

“I didn’t know you were gonna be here.”

“What the fuck are you doing?” I lunge for my phone, but he steps back, slipping it into his pocket.

“We can’t have any electronics on.”

“Ben.” My voice is sharp now. “Give me my phone.”

“Not right now.” His tone leaves no room for argument. “Just listen to me.”

I fold my arms tight against my chest. “I’m listening.”

“You need to get cool with some things really fast.”

I go still. A prickle of ice works its way up my spine. Oh fuck.

He’s serious. Like, deeply, fundamentally serious in that way Ben only gets when he knows he’s about to say something I’m really not going to like.

I swallow hard. “What things?”

He looks around, then gestures toward the main cabin. “Inside.”

He moves first, which is smart, because my legs feel weirdly detached from the rest of me, like I’m floating rather than actually walking. Inside the loft, I perch on the arm of the couch. He stays standing. Neither of us speaks.

Finally, I break the silence. “Ben. Talk.”

He scrubs a hand over his face. “Do you know who Brian Thompson is?”

My stomach drops. “Yeah.”

Ben nods slowly. “So you heard what happened to him.”

The room goes very, very still.

I try to swallow, but my throat feels thick. “Jesus, Ben,” I whisper. “Are you telling me you know something about that?”

He lifts his chin slightly. It’s not an answer, but it is.

I stare at him. “Shut the fuck up.”

“it was me,” he says. “And Luigi.”

I feel like I’m gonna be sick.

Luigi.

Lu, who’s been missing for months. I thought he was dead or had dropped everything and moved overseas. I wasn’t the only one who thought this. We all did. Nobody knew where he was. But now Ben is here telling me they knew where he was this entire time, while we all thought the worst.

Nobody has been able to reach Ben since… well, since the Brian Thompson shooting. Now I know why. 

I’m furious but relieved. “He’s alive.”

Ben exhales. “Yeah. He’s alive.”

I almost laugh. Only because my brain can’t process all this information in real-time. He’s standing there, patiently waiting for me to stop freaking out before he drops the next bomb.

“And he’ll be here tomorrow.”

My stomach lurches. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Lu.” He rubs a hand over his jaw, glancing toward the window like he’s checking for ghosts. “He’ll be here tomorrow. This place is good to lay low for a while.”

Fantastic.

I press my hands against my temples, squeezing my eyes shut. This is happening so fast. One second I’m up here in Vermont, soaking in the beauty of solitude, then my brother shows up out of nowhere, tells me he’s an accomplice to murder, and that tomorrow, Luigi is going to walk through that door like a ghost returning from the grave.

I push off the couch and follow Ben to the door, catching sight of him popping the trunk. He hauls out a silver suitcase, then another. They’re heavy. My stomach twists.

“What is that?” I demand.

Ben doesn’t look at me. “Stuff.”

Stuff. Awesome.

I should say something. I should demand answers. But my brain keeps skipping ahead to the part where tomorrow, Luigi will be here.

Ben and Luigi were practically inseparable in college, both in the same frat, Phi Kappa Psi. They rushed together, partied together, graduated together. And now they’ve done… this together.

The last time I saw Luigi, it was summer. Some birthday party. We had circled each other all night, and when he finally got me alone, he whispered, “Ben is gonna kill me,” and kissed me. Soft, his hands in my hair, tasting of tequila and maybe the start of something new.

Then he fell off the face of the earth. 

Ben slams the trunk shut, looks at me over the roof of the car. “You good?”

I force myself to nod. “Yeah.”

He doesn’t press, just hoists another bag over his shoulder and heads inside.

Luigi will be here tomorrow, and I don’t have a clue what to expect.

—

The Safe House - Part 2