#Valentines Night Flyer

[randomshyperson]

My Sweet Valentine - Wanda Maximoff Oneshots

Summary: Delayed in planning Valentine's Day, you and Wanda try to do something together. The spider routine ends up getting in the way, but that doesn't mean the date was lost.

Warnings: (+18) bottom!wanda, enchanted strap, creampie, fingering, dry humping, very fluff and domestic, established relationship, both r and w are briefly specified to be introverted. | Words: 3.206k

A/N-> I had this idea while I was rewatching Sound!Euphonium, I didn't catch the relation to it but I ended up writing this on my phone again so forgive me if there are spelling mistakes. It's always great writing Spider!Reader, I hope you enjoy it.

General Masterlist | AO3 |

-&-

To plan Valentine's Day with your girlfriend should be an easy thing. 

But for two Avengers who happen to be the most introverted antisocial people on earth - and those were Natasha's Romanoff words, not yours - the task could be really hard.

But it was you and Wanda's first Valentine's Day as a couple and you were really late on schedule.

While Natasha planned to have the most incredible and romantic trip to Greece with Maria and Tony and Pepper made reservations at some exclusive fancy Italian restaurant, you and Wanda were side to side laying on your apartment carpet. Trying to decide what you could do together by reading some flyers that were spread around the floor.

Wanda had one of the fancy restaurants in her hands when she suggested: “How about dinner?”

You gaze at the restaurant propaganda, recognizing the name and the building from your little web-swinging adventures.

“The Geller’s is nice but it will be really crowded during Valentine's. And we both hate when places are too full.” You reason, receiving an agreement sound. “Maybe we can ask for takeout?”

Wanda chuckles. “On Valentine's Day? Every place will mess up our orders, I'm sure of it. Places are normally understaffed, ordering food on holidays is like asking for them to mess up your food.”

You sigh deeply. “Yeah, you're totally right. So, maybe I can cook?”

She smiles. “We are going for food poisoning then, huh?” She teases making you chuckle with an expression of false offense. You playfully bumped your shoulder on hers but you don't move away after. The touch is warm and nice. “You cook then.”

“Yeah, but is not like we would find any free spots anywhere. We delay this way too much.” She mutters without sounding really upset. Her words were true, you both have been dancing around this date for almost three months now ever since Tony showed everyone his and Pepper's reservations. But neither of you was that anxious to be locked with another hundred couples in some loud restaurant with extra expensive and not-that-good food.

The restaurants were not the only thing discarded - Yelena and Kate's idea of a date, and band concerts were also politely declined. Mostly because neither you nor Wanda felt like facing a whole weekend of poor public hygiene and the crazy routine of musical festivals while babysitting Natasha's little sister who would definitely get really drunk with her girlfriend.

Steve was the one who suggested the most quiet and family thing, a road trip to the countryside. But since he was going with Bucky and you and Wanda didn't wish to be traumatized by their physical display of affection, their invitation was also declined.

Back on the floor of your apartment, you helped Wanda with the papers around the floor.

You were worried she would be upset about the lack of plans - even Sam with his eternal bachelor status was having a date night with some old colleague from the army. You worried that Wanda might think you're not excited to spend time with her when it is pretty much the opposite of it.

“You know, we don't really have to do anything just because everyone is doing.” You start, hands ready to catch the papers she's bringing. “We could just watch a movie.”

Wanda smiles, the papers are put in your hands but she doesn't move hers away.

“If you brought wine it would be like any other date night.”

“That's not a bad thing, right?” You retort immediately, eyes anxious towards hers. She frowns, a confused chuckle escaping her.

“No, I mean… you think that too right?”

You shrug; “I just want to spend Valentine's and any other day with you, Wands. What we are doing doesn't matter much.”

She smiles, coming closer to kiss you on the lips. But the kiss is quicker than you wished. One of her hands caresses your cheek as she speaks:

“Good to know, darling, 'cause I'll be watching you do the dishes tonight.”

You chuckle, rolling her eyes at her teasing but pouting when she escapes your attempt at a second kiss.

-&-

Valentine's Day is unfortunately a busy day for the spider.

It was true that you and Wanda didn't plan anything big but you wanted to bring her some flowers and her favorite chocolate but after fighting another dressed-up lunatic at the city hall and avoiding three different catastrophes, anything inside your backpack was definitely destroyed.

You swing back into your apartment with the mess of your gifts dripping to the floor. The wine bottle broke and soaked the chocolate and the poor flowers. Bye-bye to any college homework you forgot there.

Throwing the item at the sink, your body towards the couch was the second thing you threw. 

And against the soft pillows the day tiredness caught up at you. With the thought that you would rest your eyes for five minutes, you woke up hours later with the door locked.

Wanda's angry arrival was also an efficient clock.

“God, what is wrong with you? I've been calling you all day!” She slammed the door behind her, and the next second the day's newspaper was thrown at you. “Do you have any idea how worried I was? We have talked about this! You can't just fight some three-sized villain and vanish without a word! I thought-” But she stops herself, taking a deep breath when her voice cracks. You feel so terrible sorry. You know very well that Wanda has lost enough people for the whole ghosting thing to be too hard on her. Intentional or not. 

You get up. “Hey, I'm so sorry Wands, my phone broke and I came right here and closed my eyes for like two seconds. I'm sorry.” But Wanda shook her head, covering her eyes for a moment. She was not even that mad at you, it was clearly an accident that you forgot to call. But she has been so nervous all day worried about you that she needed a minute. Suddenly, she catches a glimpse of the wine-soaked flowers at the kitchen counter and frowns. “What is that?”

The slight indignation about the mess of an apartment you both worked hard to keep clean vanished the second she realized those were gifts.

You fixed your hair awkwardly. “Hm, I was trying to make a romantic gesture. But I forgot I'm always on some freak radar.”

Wanda's hands reached for the flowers and as gentle as her touch, her magic flowed from her fingers to take all the wine away. In no time, the petals were as beautiful and healthy as when you brought it.

“This is really not fair, darling.” She starts, moving to check the rest of the gifts. “You made it to the front page and I have every right to be mad you didn't call through the suit to let me know you're alive.” You wanted to mutter that you're still getting used to the new suit and its high-tech functions, but Wanda is turning at you again with crossed arms.

“It’s not fair, how hard you're making to stay mad at you.”

You gave her a lopsided smile. “So, you like the chocolate that much, huh?”

She rolled her eyes, trying to contain her smile. “Why don't you go shower while I make dinner? There's grease from Rino's suit all over your face.”

You click with your tongue, swinging a little. “Let me guess, you not joining me at the shower is my punishment for not calling through the suit?”

She finally let that smile escape. “Clever girl.”

You chuckle to yourself before nodding and heading to the bathroom.

-&-

Forgotten dinner plates at the living room table when Wanda reached the chocolate box. She shared them with you during the sitcom marathon you too were doing but after finding yourself hypnotized by her laugh for the fourth time in a row, you gave up eating at all.

The last chocolate was put away when she caught you staring.

“What?” 

“What what?” You retort with a chuckle, having some pride over the soft blush of her cheeks.

“You were staring.” She says then, drifting her gaze from the TV to you with some resistance. You know her enough that it's because Wanda is terrible at hiding her own shyness under your loving glance. She always was. 

“Can you blame me?” Your teasing just makes her blush more. You just decide to make it worse. “You're simply too charming not to be looked at. So gorgeous, so pretty. I feel so lucky.”

“Stop it.” She giggles with rosy cheeks at your praise. But despite her words, she opens her arms as an invitation for you to come closer. You practically jump from your spot - a few centimeters from her since your last trip to the kitchen to grab sodas - and greet the warmth of her embrace.

Wanda hugs your body while you melt into her, the soft caress on your spine being more than enough to bring back your interrupted slumber that evening. But somehow you manage to stay wide awake, perhaps because the way you press your face into her boobs makes her giggle and playfully tug at your hair, which happens to have a completely different effect on you. 

Her body tenses up a little when your lips start sucking at her collarbone, a heavy sigh escaping her lips. You suddenly recall that it has been some time, a week maybe two since you had enough free time to be this close. 

Your lovely girlfriend probably missed you as much as you missed her.

The soft sucking turns into something more determined, then into a bite and a licking that turns Wanda into a panting mess. She grows restless under you, fingers tugging at your hair with some guidance towards your movements in her neck until finally, your mouth meets her again.

Hot open-mouthed kisses before softer ones. You kiss and she kisses you back until all of your clothes are disheveled around your bodies and she looks up at you with pleading eyes and slightly open lips. Begging for more.

“Wanna take this to the bedroom?” You suggest inches from her lips but she shakes her head, fingers dancing under your shirt.

“You can have me right here.” She whispers back, stealing all your coherent thoughts for a second. 

Your hands are shaking a bit with eagerness when you pull at your clothes, with Wanda's help they are off in no time. Her chest heaves when you take her top off and Wanda stares back while you can't seem to be able to look away from her tits.

“You good there?” She teases you breathlessly when your lack of action lingers. You chuckle, hands at her sides. 

“Yeah, just give me a minute.” You retort managing an affectionate roll of eyes from her.

“You're such a dork.” She giggles but purposely lifts her chest in your direction, making you swallow hard. When you don't take the bait immediately, she sighs. “I would love for you to more than stare, detka.”

You groan, hovering over her. “Well, your wish is my command, madam” You reply, leaning down to capture her lips. Teasing Wanda with soft bites on her lower lip every time you break the kiss before starting another turns her into a needy mess under you. She gets impatient very quickly and brings her hands to your cheeks, pulling you down with determination. Her tongue takes the lead in a heated kiss that takes all the air out of your lungs. 

Panting against her mouth while trying to match the intensity of her demand, you let your hands grope around her body towards her chest, effectively taking the lead again when you start playing with her hardened nipples and Wanda loses her ability to kiss you back.

When she whimpers into your mouth, her hips restless while your fingers pinch her cute tits, you chuckle. “Ah, is there something you want, baby?”

She struggles to speak firmly. "I need you to stop teasing and fuck me." You grunt at her answer. You would have obeyed immediately if you hadn't been able to feel Wanda shaking. She gasps as you adjust, your knee finding her middle and giving her something to grind against as you resume your actions on her breasts. She throws her head back, biting her lip hard as her hips move almost of their own accord.

It's a hot mess, her first orgasm of the night. You didn't even have to take off all her clothes. When Wanda shivers terribly, and you feel the wetness against your knee, you bite down at her tit and that makes her let out a muffled scream.

Wanda is panting and her face is very flushed when you look at her again, her expression satisfied after an intense orgasm.

You hum happily, moving your hands down as you tilt your face to kiss her on the lips. She gasps into your mouth when she feels your fingers draw a path through her ruined panties.

"You made such a mess, sweetheart." You whisper between one kiss and another, two digits pushing gently without even removing her underwear. Wanda arches toward you, squeezing your shoulders for something to hold on to. Her green eyes are completely dilated now and you love how they display a vulnerable begging. Pulling your fingers out again, you let your thumb draw circles on her covered clit and enjoy the way her thighs tremble around you. "Tell me what you want, Wanda."

She has a little difficulty responding while feeling you teasing her, but despite noticing her heartbeat against your fingertips, you don't interrupt your movements. If anything, they become even more determined. Wanda pants, hips trying to match the rhythm of your fingers.

"C-can we use the strap tonight?" She manages out of breath. "I like feeling you come inside me."

Your witch girlfriend's favorite toy is somewhere in the room, and given the busy schedule of two superheroes, it wasn't used as often as you would like. Wanda has barely suggested, and you're already nodding, panting aroused just imagining yourself stretching Wanda again.

But suddenly your fingers push the fabric out of the way, and you sink inside her without warning, ripping a moan from her throat.

"Give me one more first." You demand, watching as Wanda nods in near desperation, brow furrowed at her rapidly building orgasm. Your rhythm is brutal, and she squeezes and squeezes until you can barely push your fingers inside her. You bring your free hand to one of her thighs, forcing her open as you adjust to improve your reach. Wanda sees stars. She lets go of your shoulders to grab the cushions and ends up destroying half of them with magical expelling when she finally falls over the edge.

An impressed chuckle escapes you at the scene. You're usually the one responsible for destroying things with your spider strength - It's always nice to see Wanda lose some of the control she's fought so hard to have.

Kissing her softly, you feel her smile in some exhaustion. She needs a few seconds, so you pull out your fingers and suck them clean while green eyes watch you from below. Wanda wants to kiss you again, but you adjust to carry her on your lap, and after two orgasms in a row, she won't contradict you.

She feels the soft blankets against her back a moment later and relaxes fully into the bed as you move around the room working to find and put on the strap. It doesn't take more than two minutes, yet Wanda sighs impatiently before letting her hands roam her own body, pinching her breasts and teasing downwards. She bites her lip at the soaked state she finds herself in, tentatively collecting some of that moisture before hearing a husky laugh that makes her look up.

"You don't have to play alone, I'm right here." You let her know softly, but Wanda swallows at the sight of your naked figure and the enchanted hardness between your legs. Of all the things she learned to do, that honestly has to be her best spell. One of your hands grabs the silicone, instinctively or not, imitating the masturbation gesture that Wanda is making and she shudders to the tips of her toes, her body on fire. Her hand moves out of her panties immediately, raising it into the air in a beckoning gesture. You don't need to be told twice.

It's a breathless kiss when you reach her face again, equally eager to feel each other, there's a little war of pushing and pulling until Wanda feels completely pressed into the bed, the strap rubbing against her entrance.

You pull away when she whimpers - It's just to pull down her panties, and Wanda kicks the item away as you climb back up. Your mouth finds hers again so that when you align the strap and sink into her, you can swallow her moans.

The stretch is slow and careful, very different from the breathless way you were making out a few minutes ago. Wanda lets her nails dig into your lower back as you fight the urge to be rougher.

She gets used to the size very quickly, the creaminess of her previous orgasms making an obscene sound that makes her ears redden. You break the kiss to ask if she's ready and the only response you get is a determined throw of her hips up that registers her impatience.

In all quickies, you're always rough. Desperate to feel her, because you miss Wanda as much as she misses you, and in the rush, there's no time to prolong moments like this. But it's the first time in many months that you're relaxed, and you can thrust slowly and sensually inside Wanda, letting her feel every movement of your cock inside her warm walls as you kiss her and whisper praises in her ear.

Heat is spread under your skin, and sweat accumulates with the slow stimulation. You feel closer each time you sink inside her, and when Wanda starts whimpering in your ear, it feels like an impossible task to hold it.

"You're close?" You pant, hips starting to buckle. "I don't think… I can hold it anymore... Wands-" You choke, letting your face fall against her collarbone. The knot in your abdomen explodes without warning, and you moan deeply as you spill yourself inside Wanda, the enchanted strap vibrating inside her. It turns out that feeling you come was the push she needed, and Wanda sobs as she feels the blinding pleasure hit her, following you into climax a second later.

For a moment, all that can be heard in that room are your breathless sighs until your hoarse and satisfied chuckles emerge.

You remain inside her when you adjust so that you rest your elbows on the mattress and see her face.

"Hey, little witch."

She pushes back her sweaty hair with one hand, the other moving to rest on your neck. "Hey, spider."

Your nose brushes against hers. "I think we nailed Valentine's Day."

She giggles before pulling you for a kiss.

[satgur]

Download PSD:

https://graphicriver.net/item/valentines-day-party-flyer/42883007

[see-arcane]

I wrote a book!

The Vampyres is the happy horrifying accident born of feverish scribbling in the wake of Dracula season* (*inhaling Dracula Daily and Re: Dracula at the same time May thru November). It features a number of familiar villainous faces from classic supernatural lit, though not everyone is wearing their original name anymore. The story takes place in the 21st century and you can only hold onto those sentimental titles so long in the mayfly mortal world before you start drawing attention.

Not that swapping out pseudonyms has done anything to thwart the new shadow looming over the revenant community…

Free Preview Chapters (If You Want a Sneak Peek)

Tumblr version - PDF

More info under the cut!

Description

Something is culling the undead.

Whether they imbibe blood, leech life, or traded mortality away to their devil of choice, the revenants of the world are disappearing. The Vampyre, a possessor of many names and collector of many lives, has been fretting over the phenomenon for some time.

A laughable fear, for he is one of those canny cadaverous few who made a deal for perpetual resurrection. The bitten may crumble, but the bargainer can rise from death after death. So he reminds himself. So he worries is no longer the case.

Not when the boyar in the Carpathians was one of the first to vanish. Still, the monster from the mountains may simply be in hiding, just as the rest of the bargainers must be. The Vampyre convinces himself of this for a single night……before the monster called Quinn Morse makes itself known.

Where to Buy

eBook: https://books2read.com/thevampyres

Paperback (Bookshop being a U.S. store search*): https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-vampyres-c-r-kane/21171669?ean=9798218374587

*Available internationally!

To Search by ISBN

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[buckrecs]

hey! Hope you're having a good day!

i was wondering if you can mack a masterlist for bucky x female neighbor?

Neighbor!Bucky

masterlist | req masterlist

EVERYBODY should have a bucky barnes as their neighbor

ONESHOT

Next door neighbor by @buckylattes

Your next door neighbor, Bucky, has been trying to get your attention for a while now, but he fears that he’s taken the whole situation the wrong way. Will you ever give him a chance?

cookies, kisses and such by @stevebabey

All This Time by @jobean12-blog

When you finally meet your new neighbor you can tell you’re going to have a difficult time staying away from him, even though you should.

Bribe the Super by @real-jane

You have a very hot neighbor. He happens to think the same of you.

What Are Friends For? by @gogolucky13

When you threaten to swear off men for good after your last bad date, your neighbor and friend offers to help change your mind.

Day After Tomorrow by @buckyarchives

enhanced hearing is both a blessing and a curse. eavesdropping, loud music, footsteps and when your sweet neighbor has been coughing her pretty head off all day.

do i even have a chance? by @noceurous

you’ve found him and he was sure he didn’t have a chance

just a dream by @itsmeatballworld

Bucky and reader are neighbors in Brooklyn. When reader has a spicy dream about the broody man, it sets off a series of events that ignites something in both of them.

mutual by @buckycuddlebuddy

the windows you were sharing were belong to your bedrooms, and ─okay, it was wrong, bucky knew this but he was only human ─ you sometimes left your curtains open.

valentine by @softlyspector

You're Bucky's neighbor, Bucky is your secret admirer. Valentine's day and a potential date forces him to act.

Foolish Heart by @jadedvibes

You thought Bucky would never want to settle down, but it turns out you were very wrong.

A Very Special Recipe by @straywords

You’re feeling adventurous in the kitchen and your sinfully attractive neighbor has just the ingredient you need for that unique experiment.

Secret Admirer by @bxcketbarnes

Sneaky by @imagine-docx

Being neighbours with a cute boy has some perks. Also, Sam is being the best wingman (no pun intended) he possibly could.

see through by @buckys-black-dress

where bucky's your inconsiderate neighbor, but he's a frequent flyer at the coffee shop where you work, and you're determined to get on his good side.

Gentle Giant by @touchstarvedirl

You and your neighbor Bucky have will we, won’t we thing going on and you devise a plan to get him to tell you how he feels. It doesn’t go according to plan, or does it?

Neighborly by @bucky-bucky-bucky-bucky

living in the apartment down the hall from Bucky Barnes is definitely not what you expected-and you definitely didn’t expect him to show up bleeding at your door.

blame it in the neighbors by @nev3rfound

having recently moved in next door, you and bucky become fast friends. however, there’s something looming between the two of you and it comes to light when it’s revealed you’re in the hospital.

Can’t Hurt Me by @sweetbbarnes

You're the one that takes care of Bucky after missions, only this time he asks for a different kind of relief.

SERIES

new neighbor by @alisonsfics

being bucky's next door neighbor and slowly getting to know each other and falling in love?

Paper Walls by @writingcroissant

 Your apartment happens to be right next to Bucky's, heads only separated by a paper-thin wall, leading to you witnessing every second of his nightmares. Although, bonding over your late night conversations, you seem to forget that you never even saw him before.

Time after Time by @justsomebucky

When the reader’s parents divorce, her mother moves her to a new town, right next door to Bucky Barnes. This is their love story.

Hey Neighbor by @moonbeambucky

You had a plan and then life came along with one of its own. With your future almost derailed you worked hard to get yourself back on track and finally everything seemed to be going right... that is, until your new neighbor moved in.

Teardrops on Lashes by @delicatelyherdreams

After the Chitauri invaded New York and nearly ended your life, you moved to Bucharest to get away from the superhero stuff. You simply wanted an uneventful, ordinary life. But when a stranger moves into the apartment next to yours, you begin to question those aspirations and choose to risk it all for love.

A Friendly Wager by @justsomebucky

Reader and Bucky Barnes are neighbors and best friends. After yet another bad date, reader comes home to find Bucky with his typical weekend target. They decide to make a wager about dating, but is there more on the line than reader cares to admit?

Come Over by @moonstruckbucky

You’re new to New York City. Fresh out of post-grad and wanting a change of pace, and this change comes in more ways than one. 

Keeping Me Up by @writing-for-marvel

When Bucky moves in next door, you seem to get much less sleep than when your previous neighbour lived in apartment 4a.

[munsonluhvr]

MATCHMAKER, MATCHMAKER (DAY #3: LOVE LETTER EVENT)

contents: steve harrington x reader. nsfw! At a matchmaking event in Hawkins, you and Steve are introduced to each other for the first time and let's just say - the sparks fly. for clarification, steve is about 27, 28. word count - 2.3k

notes: welcome to day 3 of the love letter event; i hope you all have enjoyed it so far! i dont even care if this fic is hasty in the plot, i love a good hook up with stranger!steve. point blank period.

love letter event masterlist

“Could this get any worse?” A blonde girl with a name tag that reads ‘Anna’ says, shaking her head as her eyes scan the room. “I thought we would be meeting real men not these boys.”

You can’t help but laugh, feeling pleased that other’s feel similar to you. You’re at the first matchmaking event in Hawkins, standing in the gymnasium at Hawkins High School as you mingle with the opposite sex in hopes of finding a potential partner. However, the selection was less then subpar, and you were debating going home.

“I couldn’t agree with you more, the concept sounded a lot better when I saw the flyer, now I’m wondering what I’m doing here.” You respond to ‘Anna.’ The girl sighs in response, swirling the wine in her glass, her bracelets clinking together. A beat later, Anna speaks up again. “Happy Valentine’s Day to us, I guess.”

Your eyes look around, seeing the large group of people that mingle about the room. Cutout hearts made from red and pink construction paper are taped to the walls, adding color to the bland gymnasium. Many tall, standalone tables are scattered around the room, covered in tablecloths, host Valentine’s decorations in the middle of the tabletop, chocolate Hershey kisses scattered around. It looks like a high school dance.  

There must be a hundred people that attend the matchmaking event, you had overheard the hosts of the event that it was a bigger turnout then they initially expected; an even fifty men and fifty women. When you saw the flyer for the event when you walked out of Melvald’s General Store, you thought it would be interesting, something to get you out of your comfort zone and meeting people. An event created just for young adults to meet each other, spark conversation, and foster romantic connections; what could be better? Though, now you stand in the gymnasium, watching poorly dressed men, men who couldn’t even make eye contact, exert larger than life egos and flaunting how they’ll ‘get lucky’ tonight. It didn’t help that you got all dressed up, spent close to an hour picking out the right outfit, applying your makeup flawlessly, styling your hair just right. It was a bummer; the night had had so much potential.

 There wasn’t a single cute guy you saw at the event, and you had really tried to be open minded too. You let men sweet talk you, let them think you would give them a chance, but none of them peaked your interest, none made you curious. That is until Steve.

You are about to throw in the towel, standing against the wall with several women who were feeling identical to your feelings, but something tells you to give it one more go. “Wish me luck,” you whisper to Anna, pushing yourself off the wall. Anna offers you a sympathetic smile, lifting her glass towards you. You spy an empty table, deciding to park yourself there and allow anyone to approach you. You wobble in your high heels, the color of them pink to make your outfit cute and colorful, but you confidently stride over to the empty table that is at the other side of them room.

Once you reach the table, you take a sip of your wine, letting the liquid trickle down your throat. You wish you drank more when you walked into the event, it would have made the experience so much more tolerable.

You play nonchalant, casually resting on the tabletop. Instantly, Steve Harrington is captured by your presence as he notices you from the across the room. He notices you’re all alone and he is quick to get to you before anyone else. Steve rounds behind you, stepping off to the side to announce his presence to you. “What is a beauty like you standing all alone over here?”

You smile, a hot flush washing over your body. Not only is this man that stands in front of you the most attractive man at the event, he’s also the most attractive man you’ve seen in your entire life. “Waiting for a guy like you to come talk to me.” You say, a playful smile lingering on your mouth.

Steve laughs, running a hand through his hair. “Well, I’m glad I came over here then. You’re y/n?” Steve says, squinting to look at your small nametag. You nod, mimicking his glance, you squint and get a look at his nametag. “And you’re Steve?” Steve leans towards the tabletop, nodding. “Steve Harrington. Also known as your next boyfriend.”

You raise your eyebrows, amused by his answer. There was something that was different then the other guys you have met so far. He’s seemingly got an edge to him, something that makes you curious and want to get to know him. It also doesn’t hurt that he’s incredibly attractive, a sweet twinkle in his chocolate brown eyes. “Is that so?” you say, tilting your head to the side.

Steve nods, taking a sip of his wine. “If you let me.”

You smile, feeling a blush creep across your cheeks. You laugh softly, shaking your head. You like that he’s confident, playful, but not arrogant. “You’re just cute enough that I might let you.” You say, placing your glass on the table beside you. You decide in this moment that you’d let this ‘Steve Harrington’ ruin your life.

Steve smiles, amusement playing across his face. Steve is slightly mad at himself as he lets his eyes graze over your body. Steve had come to the matchmaking event to find a partner, a girlfriend, it was time for him to settle down. He had left his playboy habits in the past, trying to mature over the several years he has been single, but Steve can’t help but let thoughts of bending you over enter his mind; it’s hasty, Steve knows that. 

“Is that so?” Steve says, mimicking you. You smile, laughing lightly. You nod; giving it up easily was not part of your plan for tonight but as the minutes pass by with Steve in your presence, your plans change quickly. “Met anybody tonight that peaked your interest?” Steve asks, looking past you to the crowd that continues to mingle behind you.

“Just you,” you say, biting your lip.

“Ah,” Steve says, putting his attention back onto you. “So, there’s a chance I could ask you to dinner and you’d say yes?”

You shrug. “There’s a possibility.”

Steve continues to be amused by you, shaking his head. “Is there a chance I could drive you home before anyone else approaches you and takes away the small possibility I have?”

You laugh. You had already been ready to leave and you were grateful that you didn’t have to take the bus back home. “Certainly.”

After retrieving yours and Steve’s coats, you take a walk across the parking lot, instantly greeted by the brisk, February air. You close your coat across your body, attempting to conserve any body heat. Steve walks beside you, ushering your body across the parking lot to his station wagon. Once you approach the car, Steve walks you to the passenger seat but he pauses.   

Steve gives you a look, one that you received many times from men. His eyes exhibit hunger, a deep interest in getting to know you beneath your clothes. You debate it in your mind, though you already know you’re going decide. Should you ignore Steve’s inviting look, only accepting his proposal to drive you home? Where’s the fun in that? Sure, it’s a bit crazy to hook up with someone after you met him only a short while ago. It is Valentine’s day after all, love is indeed in the air.

You let Steve grab ahold of your hips, his mouth finding yours with ease. Upon contact, you taste the light flavor of the wine they severed inside at the event, his tongue swiping across the bottom of your lip. It has been so long since you’ve been touched, your body instantly obliges by making your cunt slick with arousal. Steve leans you up against the side of his car, his body pressing against yours. His strong hands cup your face, your arms wrapped around his middle, as you help bring your two bodies together. There is a sense of urgency in his movements, his fingers tremble with anticipation.

Maneuvering around your body, Steve pulls open the door to the backseat of his station wagon, gently pulling you to the side to encourage you to get in. You break your mouth from his, backing yourself into the backseat of his car. Your heart pounds against your chest, the anticipation beginning to take a toll on you. Steve climbs into the car after you, letting his body hover over yours. Leaning back slightly, Steve pulls the car door shut, and begins to pull his jacket off, tossing it into the front seat. You follow, your fingers fumbling as you unzip the side of your dress, shrugging it off your body. You’re left in your undergarments, watching Steve as he strips his clothes of piece by piece.

Once Steve’s shirt is off, exposing his bare chest, which your hands immediately explore, and he’s shrugged his pants off, leaving him in his boxers, you lean back on the seats, parting your legs. Steve positions himself over you, letting his mouth re-connect with yours. “You’re so beautiful,” Steve mumbles against your lips, his fingers toying with the straps of your bra, gently pulling each strap down. You hook your fingers into your panties, pulling them off swiftly. Your fingers move quickly to the band of Steve’s boxers, working to pull them off too. At the same time, Steve continues to work at pulling your bra down, pulling it further down your torso, exposing your nipples. Steve breaks his mouth from yours once more, planting kisses from your jaw, down your throat, to your chest. Cupping your breast with one hand, maneuvering your breast into his mouth, his tongue brushing across your nipple. Upon contact, your head throws back, your fingers moving from his boxers into his lush hair.

Steve can’t take the anticipation any longer, reaching down his body to shrug his boxers off. Before you have any time to process, Steve pushes himself into you, your legs tightening around his waist. You gasp, your hands gripping Steve’s biceps. Steve moves inside of you at an even pace, beginning to stroke your sensitive spot, encouraging your eyes to roll into the back of your head. You whimper, his large size asking your cunt to accept his size, though you had never delt with anyone quite as large as Steve.

Your grip around Steve’s bicep tightens, his cock stretching you out. With each stroke, you feel Steve immerse himself deeply in you, small grunts escaping his mouth. You moan softly, against Steve’s skin, as he buries his face into the crook of your neck, placing kisses in between grunts. Though it’s freezing outside, cold breezes finding its way into the car, the heat from yours and Steve’s bodies makes the inside of the car hot, fog beginning to form on the windows. The pleasure courses through your body, you reach up in response, your fingers brushing the cold glass of the windows. As Steve moves between your thighs, your legs part, your leg resting against the front seats of the car. “Fuck, Steve.” You whisper, your back arching against his movements. Steve’s name feels foreign rolling off your tongue, though you feel as if you could get used to saying it on a regular basis.  

Steve can barely contain himself as he ruts into you, taking glances at your face which enamors him. Steve has known you for a short while, in reality – less than half an hour, and Steve hopes he gets to know you mor just beyond sex in the back of his car, but at this moment, Steve has never experienced a cunt that wrapped so tightly around him. Steve leans up off your body, lifting your legs so he’s cradling your legs against him, as he strokes into you. He gazes down at you, watching your eyes flutter shut, your lips part, soft moans escaping your lips, your breasts bouncing rhythmically. Underneath the two of you, Steve’s vehicle rocks, reminding Steve that you are in a public place, and that your activities go unnoticed.  

Steve shortens his strokes, his breath becoming ragged as he begins to get closer to finishing. Your body craves him more, your skin tingling under his touch, as your core begins to tighten in your lower abdomen. You whine softly, the pressure building inside of you by the second. Steve’s slow movements aren’t curing your need for him, lifting your hips you grind against him, making up for his slow movements. Steve moves his hands down, his fingers locking around your hip bones, pulling your bottom into him. Steve groans, his eyes fluttering shut, his eyebrows knitting together, as he feels you move against him, at your own temp. And it feels heavenly to him, curing his intense lust for you. Without warning, Steve finishes deep into you, one last moan escaping his throat.

At the same time, your body tenses, an orgasm ricocheting through you. Your legs twinge, shaking around his body. You slump against the seat, your hair sticking to your sweaty forehead. You’re breathless, your chest rising and falling, as Steve removes himself from inside you. Steve inhales several times, attempting to regain his breath. “Wow,” is all Steve says, his limbs loose and weak, as he leans against the car door.

You sit up, noticing the handprint you had made on the window, the bottom of the handprint dripping down, similar to the horror movies. You smile softly; the sex had been that good.

“Can I still take you home and out for dinner later this week?” Steve says, pulling his clothes back onto him. You smile again, looking towards Steve. “Definitely, I’d love that.”

[avatarmerida]

It’s been awhile since I’ve had something to share but this is the piece I wanted to have ready for Valentine’s Day but better late than never, right? No plot really, just cringe fluff 💛💚

———

Hunter had a very specific way of managing stress. If there was something he needed or wanted to do that was important and he found it was overwhelming him, he would simply plan a series of slightly smaller but equally important tasks ahead of it to make the original task seem less intimidating.

It worked wonders in the coven. When he tried to work up the nerve to ask his uncle something important, he prolonged it by setting goals for himself to run a certain distance in a certain amount of time or memorize portions of the handbook or to make a certain amount of arrests first. The lists grew longer and more elaborate and while he did end up doing some things that previously caused him a great deal of anxiety, he still found a way to put off the thing he truly needed to do.

And despite the progress he had made, old habits die hard.

So now, here he was in the middle of Grom supposed to be enjoying the fruits of his labor but all he could do was scream internally. He had done the impossible, he had asked Willow to Grom and yet he couldn’t enjoy it because there was more (or at least there was supposed to be). Normally, this would be the impossible task he aspired to accomplish but he had one more outlandish feat to reach for and he was having trouble finding a solid, logical reason to keep putting it off.

“Gus,” Hunter whispered nervously under the guise of coming up to his table to request a song . “Are we totally sure that Willow knows we’re here together like on a date?”

Gus’ smile faded as he lowered his glasses to give his friend a look. “Seriously dude?” said Gus with a familiar sigh, having been there at every step of Hunter’s doubt and anxiety regarding his feelings for their friend. “I was there: she said yes. She said yes and hugged you and like a billion flowers bloomed in her hair. She was obviously so beyond happy that you asked her, why are you so worried?”

“Because of how I said it,” groaned Hunter. “I said ‘do you want to go to Grom’ I didn’t say ‘with me’ or ‘as a date.’ I mean, of course she wanted to go!”

“Hunter, seriously?”

“Yes, seriously!”

With no impending doom or unrealistic and unhealthy expectations set for him, Hunter’s mind had more time and room to focus on more pleasant things. His feelings for Willow had been progressing slowly in the background but now that he was embracing what it meant to be a normal teenager, his feelings rose to the surface as soon as they could. Now there was no reason to feel guilty about getting distracted by the sound of her laughter or practicing jokes in the mirror before bed each night to try and impress her. No, guilt was not a feeling he associated with Willow but the feelings he did associate with the plant witch were unique and powerful and confusing.

Hunter’s friends had assured him this was a totally normal way to feel about a crush, but Hunter didn’t have much experience with normalcy and he highly doubted that he’d ever get used to the way his lungs stopped working when she stood near him. So when he had decided to do something about these feelings, he approached it with the extreme attention detail he had always approached everything.

The only difference was that unlike a vast majority of his other interests, Willow was real.

“Well usually when you do a gromposal it means you want to go as more than friends ,” said Gus. “Otherwise you say ‘hey since we don’t have dates let’s all go to Grom as friends.’ You usually don’t spend all night arranging her favorite flowers to spell ‘GROM?’ on the flyer derby field for someone you like as just a friend.”

Hunter blushed, rather pleased with how his efforts had turned out. He had aimed for something both grand and personal in hopes it would translate to romantic. It had been a unique challenge to get Willow to look down as she was so focused on winning their usual end of practice match (loser paid for the eyescream) but when she finally did, her expression was priceless.

They had flown back up so she could take a selfie with it in the background and he had made it his scroll’s wallpaper because he simply could not stop looking at it.

“But we had already agreed to go as a group so how can I be sure that she knows I asked her specifically because I like her as more than just a friend if we’re doing group things all night because I don’t know what to do on a date.”

“You can just be direct, dude,” said Gus. “Tell her you like her and you’re having a good time and stuff.”

Hunter had no problem doing that, he had done it plenty of times. Whenever Willow planned something or suggested they do something like that, he always made sure to tell her what a nice time he had. It was just proper manners. But complementing her in a way that voiced his constant thoughts was another thing. He could tell her the cafe she suggested was a great spot any day of the week, or that her plants were looking strong, but he wanted to tell her his admiration for her far surpassed anything she merely did , it encompassed everything she was . It was confusing because it seemed like something beyond mere words, he wanted to express his gratitude every time she messaged him or said his name or walked into a room.

For some reason he thought Grom would give him the courage to do it.

“It’s just that… there’s… more …”

“More?” Gus repeated, intrigued. “More how ?”

“It’s just… well Luz might have mentioned- and I’m not saying this is the only reason I asked Willow to come with me- that sometimes at Grom people who are more than friends have certain ways to… express that.”

Gus narrowed his eyes and offered Hunter a knowing smirk. “You wanna kiss her, don’t you?”

Hunter wrung his hands as his breathing became shallow, his eyes darting over to Willow laughing with Luz and Amity and Hunter felt a familiar lightheadedness that the event’s ambiance had been amplifying all night.

“Yes,” he said breathlessly, knowing he couldn’t and truthfully did not want to deny it. “Yeah. I do. Very much.”

“Dude!” Gus explained, playfully punching him in the arm. “That’s great! You should go for it!”

“I mean, there’s just one problem with that…”

“What? Bad breath?”

“No, I- wait,” Hunter quickly checked his breath to ensure he hadn’t neglected that detail. He had been chewing mints all day. “No, not that. It’s just that, well, uh,” he chuckled nervously as the words quickly spilled out of him. “Willow maaaay be under the impression that I don’twanttokissher.”

“And whyyy exactly would she think that?”

“Well…”

Three weeks earlier:

“Hunter!” Willow greeted him joyfully as she opened the door to find him waiting with an equally wide smile to hers. “Hi! You’re right on time!”

“Oh, that’s a relief, I timed my pace so I would be,” he said

“Did you bring the stuff?” Willow asked with a giggle.

He held up his book bag with pride. “Got it all right here, safe and sound.”

“Perfect!” said Willow, her voice low and mischievous. “Let’s go!”

“Perfect! Yeah, okay let’s go-woah!”

Willow excitedly reached out to take his wrist to pull him inside and Hunter happily trailed after her.

“Dad! Papa! Hunter is here and he says hi and we’re gonna be in my room!” she called as she ran up the stairs.

“Okay petal, sounds good! Hello Hunter!” called Harvey.

“Hello sirs!” Hunter called back as best he could.

“Have fun!” Gilbert added.

“We will!” Willow called back as they finally made it to her room and just as she was about to shut the door behind them, her fathers added in unison:

“And make sure the door stays open!”

Willow groaned in defeat as she obliged, as though she had been hoping to outrun the instruction.

“Why do they always say that?” Hunter asked as he unpacked his bag, a collection of threads and patches as they prepared for a long evening of uniform customization to surprise the Entrails for their upcoming game with personalized jackets. Darius was always asking him to close his door, mostly because of how loud he liked to play his music.

“Oh, you know how they get,” she said simply, rolling her eyes endearingly. “They’re just overprotective.”

“Are they… scared of me?” Hunter asked, his voice low and hurt and Willow jumped to address the misunderstanding.

“Oh, no! No, nothing like that I promise,” Willow assured him with a smile he knew could never be deceptive. “No, they love you, they really do. They wanna give us our space but they also wanna make sure we’re not up here kissing.”

Hunter completely stopped working.

"What?” he basically squeaked after a moment, certain he had misheard her somehow.

“Oh, well ya know if we keep the door open then they think we’ll be less likely to kiss because they can like walk by and see,” Willow explained casually as she went to help him unpack the bag.

“W-why would they think we would be up here k-kissing?” Hunter asked in a panicked chuckle before clearing his throat, he felt like he was on the surface of the sun. “Ya know, cause we’re totally not.”

“Well, yeah I know that but if we leave the door open they’ll know that too,” said Willow with a shrug. “Personally, I think they’re just nosey because of how they used to be when they played flyer derby.”

“How come they never say it when Gus is with us?’

“Uh, it’s just a dad thing I guess,” said Willow, as she sorted the supplies trying not to show the mild blush creeping on her face. She knew why but she didn’t know how to say how she knew why.

“Just a dad thing, sure,” Hunter repeated lightly. So her dads thought there was a possibility they would kiss? Cool, cool, cool, no biggie. He knew he had been the last one to arrive at the Park residence several times and opened the door to find her and Gus laughing on their scrolls, or Luz or Amity would be over when he came to pick her up to go train and often the door was even locked. No he was the common denominator. He suddenly recalled Camila had a similar rule for when Luz and Amity were left alone. His mind raced to connect the dots as he realized that the Parks thought that if the two of them were specially left unsupervised, that they would…

“Ha ha yeah! A dad thing, totally!” Hunter exclaimed with forced laughter. “So totally not based on anything! Haha, because that would never happen!”

“Um, okay?”

“Yeah because we don’t, I mean we’ve never, we would never… I mean, what?”

“Are you okay, Hunter?” asked Willow, sitting on the edge of her bed beside him. He suddenly was aware of how often they sat on her bed together. Why did that make him feel nervous?

“Yeah, I’m totally fine!” he said, very much aware of how much he was sweating. “I’m great! I’m totally not thinking about kissing you! Ya know, if you want I can run downstairs and let your dads know they don’t have to worry about the door because of how much I don’t think about it!”

“Um…”

“I mean, you and me? Us? Kissing? Pssh!” Hunter continued, unaware of how to stop talking. “Who even thinks about that sometimes? That’s, uh, woah that’s a good one!”

Willow’s fathers must have read his mind or his diary somehow because Hunter had definitely thought about it. Never on purpose, it’s just one of those random scenarios that your mind makes up every few days, right? He couldn’t help that one day he realized that Willow was the perfect height to kiss on the forehead. Like, it would take very little effort just to lean forward and gently press her lips below her hairline. It had been in the human realm, the first time he had helped her in the garden and had ended up being chased by a swarm of bees. When Clover stepped in to explain things, she pulled him into an embrace to ensure he hadn’t been hurt and to let him know how happy she was that he had come out with her. When he looked down to assure her that he was fine, the thought devoured every corner of his mind. The action would certainly convey his feelings, would summarize words he wasn’t sure had been invented yet. It would just be really nice actually.

Over time, that thought evolved. His daydreams wandered to fetch visions of some nicer timeline where they had met under different circumstances and he was the kind of bold who kissed her hand when they met or kissed her cheek when they parted ways. The first time his unconscious mind leapt to insert them in place of O’Bailey and Ivy in the famous scene under the endless moon of Jupiter 7 where they sealed their love for each other with a kiss, Hunter awoke in a cold sweat feeling like he had reached a point of no return. But it must not be okay because Willow’s dads were clearly taking actions to prevent it and Hunter felt he needed to deny these claims, lest the front door to the Park house be closed to him forever.

“I mean, w-why would I try to kiss you? That just seems so-.”

“I got it, Hunter,” said Willow sternly as she rose to move the supplies to her desk. She kept her back to him as she organized the needles and threads. Her voice lacked its usual spunk, it was a tone he was unfamiliar with. “Message received, you don’t wanna kiss me. I’ll let my dads know they have nothing to worry about.”

---

“Dude…” was all Gus could say as Hunter finished his retelling.

“I know, I know!” Hunter groaned as he covered his face with his hands. “It’s bad, right?”

“It’s…not great,” Gus couldn’t lie. “But hey, it didn’t stop her from saying yes! That’s good, right?”

“But her dads think there’s a possibility that I would want to kiss her so much that they keep the door open to prevent it,” Hunter was letting all his pent up worries spiral out of him while Willow was out of earshot, but luckily Gus had become a pro at reeling him back in.

“They probably just remember what it's like to be young and have a crush on someone.”

“How do her dads know I have a crush on her?”

Gus couldn’t help but roll his eyes a little. “I mean, did you ever consider that you weren’t the one they were worried about?”

“What do you mean? I was the only one there.”

“I just mean, they know Willow better than they know you…”

“I’m not following.”

Gus sighed, knowing that the sharing of Willow’s feelings was not his responsibility but he couldn’t help relating to her frustration with Hunter’s inability to pick up hints no matter how obvious.

“Hunter, you got this far, just be honest.” he said sincerely. “We both know you want to tell her you like her.”

“I mean is that too much for one night?” Hunter asked in a panicked whisper. “Should I tell her I like her first and then reschedule the ki- or, hold on it’s probably weird to schedule that, huh? I mean what if she doesn’t feel that way about me and then boom! I’ve ruined her night because she’ll always remember this Grom as the night she couldn’t enjoy herself because I don’t know how to tell her I think about kissing her without being weird. Titan, and she just looks so… gah, is it hot in here?”

“Hunter, I promise nothing could ruin this night for Willow,” Gus chuckled. “Do you remember how excited she was when you asked her? You barely finished the question before she tackled you, you guys nearly fell to your death because she was so happy. It’s all she’s been talking about all week, I promise that you telling her you think she’s awesome will not ruin her night.”

“You sure?”

“Positive,” Gus said confidently. “Just don’t get too in your head, you know? Willow cares about you, she wants you to have a good time too. She’s not gonna care if you’re a bad kisser.”

“Thanks Gus, you know I really-,” Hunter cut himself off and offered his friend a glare as his voice became low and menacing. “I didn’t say I was worried I’d be a bad kisser.”

As Gus continued to attempt giving his friend a pep talk, across the room Willow could not take her eyes off Hunter.

“Doesn’t he look so cute?” sighed Willow dreamily as she stood beside Luz at the punch bowl.

“Darius and I may have to disagree with you on that,” Amity laughed as she poured Luz some punch. “After all the hours we spent suit shopping and at the tailor, he comes down the stairs in another ensemble from 2008.”

“Well you said he couldn’t wear the Cosmic Frontier cosplay,” Luz reminded her girlfriend. “So he had to make an impression somehow , and you know how much he wants to impress Willow.”

“Did he really say that?” Willow took a break from her string to gleefully ask. She felt like she was going to leap out of her skin as she looked back at him knowing he had gone out of his way to put in so much effort for her sake yet again. “Well you can tell him it’s working.”

“Ew, tell him yourself,” Amity groaned playfully.

“Oof, believe me I’m trying,” Willow chuckled softly.

“Are you guys having fun on your daaaaate?” Luz asked with a raised eyebrow.

She waved at him from across the room and he bashfully waved back, straightening his spine when he saw he had her attention. Willow giggled, finding it charming and endearing. She had been looking forward to this moment for weeks, preparing to ask him before he had beaten her to it. She knew he wanted tonight to be special, he was going all out at every turn to make sure she was comfortable and having fun.

She couldn’t help but hope it was all leading to something more.

Two weeks ago:

They were walking down the sidewalk in the human realm, revisiting an ice cream shop they had grown fond of when they had been trapped in the human realm. They had made sure to get a pint of their newest flavor of the month for Gus who had stayed at the Noceda’s to help Camila set up her old projector for a special viewing of the Cosmic Frontier holiday special that had only aired once that she had recently found her old recording of on a device even Luz considered historic.

Willow had recently caught up with the reading required to understand the special, but Camila had informed her that it was not canon and rather controversial in the fandom. This excited Willow and so she was spending their walk back trying to guess the wildest thing that could happen as though composing a bingo list to enhance the experience.

“...I also think they’ll reveal Ivy has a twin and O’Bailey will go to confess his feelings and then you find out it’s her twin and so it won’t count,” Willow continued. “And I know no one knows O’Bailey’s secret and it feels like they definitely don’t find out until closer to the end but I feel like memory loss is gonna be a big part of-.”

“I would wanna kiss you!” he blurted, unable to hold it in anymore. It had been weighing on him all week and hearing her talk about his favorite thing while looking so stunning sent him over the edge.

“What?”

“Er not right now!” He said, realizing the volume of his admission made it seem like he intended to follow though at that very moment. “I mean well yes right now as in I still feel that way but I’m not saying it because that’s what I… I just, I mean last week when I said that I wouldn’t kiss you I wasn’t saying that because I thought it would be unlikeable or unpleasant.”

“Oh,” Willow said, shaking herself out of her daze as she made the connection. “Wait, is that why you’ve been acting so weird?”

“I’ve been acting weird?”

“No, well yes but no I mean,” Willow smiled as she swung the bag of treats, feeling giddy at his timing. “I could tell you’ve been worried about something, but have you been making yourself crazy just to tell me that kissing me wouldn’t be so bad?”

That was definitely part of the reason but a larger percentage was what he had planned for tomorrow after practice: a gromposal that had been in the works since he had learned the term. But he couldn't give that way, not just yet.

“I just wanted to make sure I hadn’t offended you.” Hunter said softly. “I didn't want you to think I didn't want to because it didn't sound appealing, I’m sure it would be… nice.”

“So then what's the real reason you don't wanna kiss me?” Willow asked with a sly smile that faltered when she saw the color leave Hunter’s face. “Oh no Hunter, I was only teasing! It’s fine, really! I know you didn’t mean anything by it! It’s okay, really!”

“I just meant that your dads wouldn’t need to worry because I would never kiss you unless you wanted me to,” Hunter clarified with a deep breath. There, perfect. Now they could continue their way back to the house in peace and there would be nothing more to worry about or-

“Okay what if I said I wanted you to,” she began, her voice dancing and spinning like a vine twisting its way to the top of a fence, eager to see the other side. “What if I said I wanted you to and you had no doubt that I was totally okay with it? Would you… do it then?

“Is that… what's happening right now?”

Willow bit her lip as she took in the sight of the tall, nervous boy in front of her. He cared about her so much, so much it made him nervous. She knew everything he cared about he cared about intensely and with unbreakable loyalty. But she had suspected for awhile that the way he cared about her was different. That was what made it so familiar to her.

“What would you say if it was?” She said, giving a non answer. Because it was one thing to say ‘I want to kiss you’ but somehow even harder to ask ‘Do you want to kiss me?’ because didn’t other conversations have to happen first? Surely he was holding back because of the feeling that needed to be attached. Willow was nearly positive they shared these feelings, she was so so certain that a mind reader would know they were on the same page but neither wanted to risk losing what they had built by adding something heavier on.

But actions were louder than words, and a little harder to misinterpret.

“I uh, well I guess I-I would say…” Hunter stuttered to try and give a response without giving too much away. He had no way to support his theory with experience, but he knew that kissing Willow would be pleasant, it would be warm and soft and safe. But he couldn’t speak to the experience she would have.

But Willow once again shared his thoughts.

When Willow had woken up that morning, she had not intended to kiss Hunter in the middle of the sidewalk forgetting the urgency of getting their icy treats home before they melted, but at this moment she couldn’t imagine continuing the day without doing so. So many times they had been on the brink and being more, of something slipping that platonic friends did not harbor for one another. It was small and dramatic and silly and confusing and always there like a snowball rolling down a hill growing faster and bigger with every inch. She had always been a fan of directness, of being open and honest but she didn’t know how to say she felt this way plainly. It could be done in three words, nothing crazy complicated about that, right?

But something always held her back.

As she tried to summon a response both clever and truthful to try and help him find his own, the sound of church bells reminded them they were on a timed limit. More specifically, they were supposed to be back at the house before four o clock, which the bells indicated it now was.

“Well, anyway, we should probably be getting back,” he said, releasing a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “I know Gus is probably jumping off the walls waiting for us and I really wanna hear more of your theories.”

“Yeah, right of course,” said Willow softly, as she tried to shake away the haze she had wandered into. “Besides, they won’t stay cold forever but also my fingers are starting to freeze.”

“Oh well here let me take it,” said Hunter, his nerves letting up when he saw an opportunity to help her. Before she could say anything, he maneuvered the bag from her grip. “The cold doesn’t bother me anyway, it’s a grimwalker thing.”

She knew even if it did he would endure it for her sake. It was an action so simple and small but it made her heart spin every time he leapt to her aide. It wasn’t because he thought she needed his help but because he enjoyed helping her, because maybe he was looking for any reason to be closer to her, even for a moment.

“Well aren’t you sweet,” she said. As Hunter readjusted his grip on the bags, she went onto her tip toes and placed a quick but purposeful kiss to his cheek and continued to walk as though it was no big deal. “Thanks Hunter.”

Hunter froze, trying to process and replay and stay conscious. It had been so swift and soft but it was as though the brush of her lips inspired the world to stop and adopt new colors. It was like something finally clicked in his mind, that he had thought it so impossible because he did not know how to take that step but he should have known he would once again follow Willow’s lead.

Willow smiled to herself, knowing in an instant that her risk had paid off. He quickly caught up her as she continued with her Cosmic Frontier theories, secretly delighted by the way his face was red the rest of the way home.

The ball was in his court.

-

“Do you guys think he asked me because he likes me or because he knows how much I’ve always wanted a gromposal?” Willow asked.

“Um… both?” said Amity as she and Luz shared a confused and slightly concerned look.

“Willow, are you seriously doubting that Hunter is crazy about you?” Luz asked sternly.

“Well, I mean he could still like me and still have asked me just as a friend,” said Willow. “He’s been doing a lot to try and be a normal teenager, what if he just thought that Gromposals were a part of that because of how much I was talking about them when I thought I was dropping hints?”

“Well in my experience, friends don’t normally practice in their bedroom mirror how they’re going to ask just friends to dance with them,” said Luz.

“Well, I’ll believe it when I see it,” Willow said with a smile, Hunter actually had managed that. He could spin and shuffle with the best of them, but every time the music started to slow down he made an excuse to leave for the duration of the song. He would dance beside her, and she could tell he had practiced a few moves to impress her, but they weren’t dancing together . But she had a feeling with how much he built up the gromposal that he wanted his dance ask to be equally special.

“I’m pretty sure he’s waiting for the right song,” said Amity. “There’s this one he found in the human realm that Darius said he’s been playing nonstop because it reminds him of you.”

“Really?”

Amity’s eyes widened. “And I’m just now realizing that that was supposed to be a secret,” she grimaced. “Please forget I said anything.”

Across the room, Gus and Hunter were also discussing the song.

“Hunter, being the Grom host I have an obligation to keep the evening to a certain flow,” said Gus. “I can’t keep pushing back your song, the music has to flow, bro.”

“I know, I know,” he said nervously swirling his punch. “It’s just… every time I know it’s coming up I get in my head.”

The first few notes would start to play and Hunter would instinctively run past the joining couples with envy in the pit of his stomach to tell Gus to wait a little longer. The crowd would quickly recover, as Gus always knew the perfect transition out, and Hunter would walk back to her no closer to his goal than he was before.

“Well I have it queued up to play after we take our photo, so its time to figure it out,” said Gus sternly. “The worst thing that could happen is she says no.”

But that wasn’t true. Because she could say yes, thinking him asking meant he knew what he was supposed to do, but he knew if he was meant to take Willow by the waist and pull her close to him he would be paralyzed. And even if he wasn’t, what if after all the extreme movement he smelled or was sweaty and Willow would regret being so close to him? What if he tripped and fell? What if he stepped on her toes?

What if he thought about kissing her again?

In his mind he thought about using the idea of asking her to dance to delay the higher issue but Gus was right; it was time to figure it it

He didn’t ask Willow to Grom so he could sit in the corner hyperventilating about how much he liked her, no he wanted her to have a good time, and that was the perfect goal to distract him.

“Gus, do you have the song Willow likes? The one from the shoe commercial?”

“I might have had Luz help me get it, why do you ask?” Gus asked with a smirk that said he already knew.

“Can you play it?”

Hunter knew it would get Willow back on the dance floor in an instant, and he intended to be there when she rushed on in excitement. The iconic notes echoed, and Hunter saw Willow’s ears perk up as she turned her head to see it was true. In the human realm, Willow had been obsessed with the cheesy shoe commercial that played nonstop. And thusly, Hunter had been obsessed with how obsessed with it she was. It was improbable, everyone dancing in the street uninterrupted by traffic just because of how comfortable their shoes were.

Hunter stood in the center of the floor, his eyes locked confidentiality on her as they both knew what they had to do. Hunter got a running start and slid on his knees to her and quickly leapt up and gave her a wink, just as the actors did. Willow nearly squealed in delight, recognizing the reference instantly. She quickly grabbed his hand to lead him onto the floor and he happily followed behind her, feeling as though they traveled in slow motion. They fell into a comfortable rhythm, spinning and singing along just as they often did in the Noceda living room. It was too silly to be scary as Hunter found himself seeing her under the reflection of the mirror ball, her eyes shining as everything else around her melted away.

“You’re a really good dancer,” Willow said, catching her breath as the song started to fade out.

“Thanks,” he said, equally breathless. “Y-you too. Not that I’m surprised! You’re good at everything.”

She bit her lip as she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “Well, it helps to have a great partner,” she said shyly.

Hunter laughed nervously, becoming hyper aware of how close they were, how close they had been during the song. He saw her hand hovered beside his and he gently swung his own to knock into hers as though by accident. She inched closer.

“Well, just to be clear, you’re the great partner here,” Hunter said modestly, and Willow couldn’t help but blush, a string of small yellow flowers blooming in her hair. Something compelled him to take her hand, and he rubbed his fingers over her knuckle. He cleared his throat. “Willow, do you think-.”

“Willow! Hunter! C’mon! We’re next in line for the photo booth!” Gus called.

“We’ll be right there!” Willow called before turning back to him, giving his hand a small squeeze. “I’m sorry, what were you gonna say?”

He gulped, having the perfect chance to chicken out but knowing he didn’t want to. He pressed on right where he left off. “You think you might wanna dance some more after we take a photo? Like, just you and me? To like… a slower song?”

“Like a slower… romantic song?” Willow asked, testing the waters.

“Yeah, yeah t-the song could be romantic,” he gulped. “I-I-I’d prefer it to be romantic. With you.”

“Okay cool,” Willow said with a wide smile, sliding closer to him and lacing their fingers together. “Me too.”

“R-really?”

“Yeah,” she said brightly, absolutely smitten by the utterly adorable and shocked look he wore. “I’m having a really nice time with you, Hunter,”

He hadn’t messed it up. She was having a nice time, she was having a nice time with him. He took a deep breath and the words just started to pour out of him.

“Willow I just wanted to say that I’m having a great time with you too and that I always have a good time with you and when I asked you to Grom I didn’t ask you as a friend even though I really like being your friend but I asked you because I like you romantically and if you would prefer staying just friends I’m okay with that but I just wanted to thank you for agreeing to accompany me and express my admiration for you because I think you’re the coolest person I’ve ever met and also you look so pretty tonight it makes me feel dizzy.”

He leaned down and removed his hand from hers to cup her cheek as he quickly pressed a kiss to the other side before rushing to meet the others. His face was completely red and he fought through the lightheadedness to keep walking, stuffing his hands in his pockets to try and seem casual. He was too overwhelmed to wait to see her reaction.

He didn’t see that she was utterly enchanted as she watched him hurry with wide eyes as she touched the spot where he had kissed. A delighted smile overtook her face as she fluffed her dress and proceeded to float in the booth after him, her eyes fixated and determined. She was deaf to the chaos around her as the boy became surrounded by a vibrant, rosy frame. She had no doubt they were on the same page now, and the ball had returned to her court.

“Took you guys long enough! Tell Luz you vote for my pose first!” said Vee as Hunter was the first of the two to enter the booth, the rest of their friends in the middle of trying to agree on how to take the photo.

“Can we all even fit?” Amity asked as they tried to arrange themselves in frame.

“Yeah we just have to squeeze!” announced Luz. from beside her. “Gus, move over!”

“I will if Hunter does!” He replied as he turned to face his friend. “Hunter, dude, why-.”

Gus was greeted by Hunter wearing a face that he could only describe as seasick. His face was contorted like he wasn’t sure what to feel and as Willow entered his view just behind him wearing a soft, calm expression Gus knew why.

“You did it, didn’t you?” He whispered with a gasp and Hunter merely nodded, still feeling as though he could combust. Gus jumped up and gave his best friend a celebratory noogie.

“Willow, do you wanna stand by us or-.” Amity began to ask before catching sight of the dizzy expression her friend wore, an expression she knew all too well. She instantly knew the cause as she went to stand beside Hunter who was attempting to fix his hair. “No way,” she gasped as Willow wordlessly confirmed her thought by looking her focus on Hunter, shaking away the small flowers that had bloomed atop her head once again.

“Told you Amity!” Gus called victoriously before leaning down to whisper to Vee what had happened.

“Hunter, your bow tie is crooked,” called Luz as she pulled Vee back into the frame, too focused on preserving the memory to realize what was enfolding behind her.

“I’ll fix it,” said Willow with a dreamy smile as she reached out to adjust his tie. “I need to make sure my date looks his best for the photo, right?”

Hunter let out a high-pitched chuckle as Willow pulled him closer, and he didn’t really care that she technically wasn’t fixing his bow tie as her words echoed in his ears.

Date… date… date.

My date. She said he was her date. They were on a date, and they both knew it. She was his date and having a good time and it was all just so much that all he could do was give her a small nod of agreement.

“Hunter, put your arm around Willow.” Luz instructed as she looked at the positioning to try and get everyone in the shot.

“Yeah, Hunter put your arms around me,” Willow said dreamily as she used her hold on his bow tie to pull him even closer. Hunter felt transported, as though just being in her gaze made everything else around them melt. He had thought after his impulsive action she might look at him differently, but this was beyond his wildest dreams. Could it be that his impulsiveness was contagious? His hand cautiously hovered over her waist as he debated if he was indeed bold enough to put his arm around her. He felt like he was in a sauna as the sounds around them became muffled as he was overly aware of the sound of his heart beating. Or was it the sound of hers? He wasn’t sure if he technically had a heartbeat but whatever the case was as long as his eyes were on her everything was in slow motion again.

His eyes tried to spend equal time between her and the camera but there was a clear victor for his attention. “Have I told you how cute you look tonight?” Willow said with an airy giggle, deaf to the orders to smile and pay attention around her.

“Um hehe I-I don’t think so,” Hunter chuckled, his mouth dry.

“Well you do,” she giggled again, like it was some inside joke as she used her hold on his bowtie to keep him close. “Hunter, I wanted to tell you-.”

As Hunter turned his head to hear her better, he underestimated just how close they were and the movement caused their lips to touch unintentionally. Normally, that would be when Hunter melted into the floor or tried to vanish from existence, but even the small contact was enough to cause fireworks. That was when everything really stopped. It was nothing more than a peck, catching them both off guard, but there had never been a more happy accident.

She went down off her tiptoes slowly, both of them holding back any sign of a reaction until the other did. But there was no apology, nothing to be sorry for, nothing to regret, and once they both realized that they donned matching grins. They reentered reality together as the flash of the camera reminded them why they were here, and as their friends shouted their approval they also shouted out the themes of the poses they were supposed to be doing. Willow and Hunter got their bearings back and offered the camera a smile, which was not hard to do as they both couldn’t help but smile after what had just occurred. Another photo was taken and as the rest of the group moved and adjusted to do another pose, Hunter noticed his hand was still on Willow’s waist. Willow seemed to notice at the same time, and as her eyes found him again she was surprised to see he was already focused on her, or maybe he had never stopped.

Wordlessly they moved closer to each other until they realized they each possessed half of a magnet that was desperate to be kept together and found themselves in another kiss. This one was undoubtedly purposeful and not as sudden or quick as the first one. Willow’s arms went from holding his bow tie to drape around his shoulders taking a moment to plant lipstick marks all along his face. He saw the opportunity to use his hold on her waist to eagerly loft her off the ground, making a point to kiss her back. He wasn’t sure how he knew how, but he did and he felt like he could fly away as he felt her lips form a smile against his.

“Okay love birds, other people are waiting for the Photo Booth!”

It was like a record scratch as they stopped to remember where they were, eyes opening to come off whatever cloud they had been on as they faded back into reality once more. Willow leaned back to break the kiss, and Hunter couldn’t help but follow as though to savor the moment just a few moments more. She adjusted her glasses to better see the lipstick smudges she had left on his mouth and the side of his face paired with the goofy, awestruck look of disbelief.

“Sorry!” Willow giggled, as she looked around and realized the rest of their friends had left. “I guess we got carried away, huh?”

“Mhmhmhahaha,” Hunter squeaked in response, still trying to process that he was real and this was something that really happened to him in real life.

“Hunter, unless you wanna carry me out you’re gonna have to put me down,” Willow whispered.

“Oh yeah sorry yeah I can do that heh,” he said gently, setting her down. "We should uh, we should probably go.” He turned to leave but Willow caught his arm and pulled him out, so he left the correct way and didn’t re-enter the long line of other students waiting to take a photo.

“Well that’ll certainly be a photo for the scrapbook,” Willow laughed as she rested her head against his arm. They both felt that if they did not hold onto each other, they would float away. They knew the rest of the group was waiting for them by the bleachers ready to tease them, knowing from a distance they were at the ready with smirks of ‘About time’s and ‘I-told-you-so’s.

But Hunter was still lost in this impossible daydream beyond anything he thought possible. He couldn’t help but feel it had ended too soon, and now he truly had nothing standing in his way.

“Willow,” he began delicately as he cleared his throat, trying to seem calm and casual. “Would you want to uh, I-I mean if you could come with me, if you wanted to of course, outside where we could be alone, if you were okay with that, and I thought we could-.”

“Hunter and I are gonna go kiss in the hallway!” Willow announced giddily to the group as she redirected him to the door. His gaze darted between his friends and the wonderful girl who somehow read his mind, knowing thoughts he struggled to vocalize.

“Haha, whaaat? No, I mean that’s not.. I mean it’s not…” he realized it was pointless to try and hide his glee and as he allowed the dopey grin to overtake him as he embraced the moment and picked up the pace to follow her yet again and forever to no one’s surprise. “Heh, I’m Hunter.”

As they ran out the gym together, Hunter made sure to keep the door open behind them.

[natsukishinomiyaswife]

⋆ 𝓙𝓪𝓭𝓮 𝓛𝓮𝓮𝓬𝓱: 𝓐 𝓓𝓪𝓽𝓮 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓜𝓲𝓼𝓼𝓮𝓭 ⋆

Please note: This is a repost from my old blog, @sugarcookiesheep!

There’s a promotion going on at the Mostro Lounge

“This Valentine’s Day: buy one meal, get one free! A special deal just for couples!”

⋆ You’ve seen flyers, overheard coworkers, and even got a sale’s pitch from an employee on the street! Of course, Azul wasn’t going to stop at having the Mostro Lounge in Night Raven College. As a businessman, he knew he would have to expand and grow to get the name Mostro Lounge out there. Once graduating from Night Raven, he chose to create a main location for the lounge. A location that would be considered the “home” of the Mostro Lounge, a place to help his business grow into the franchise he desires. The first Mostro Lounge will always have a special place in his heart, but having the lounge near the beach where the Coral Sea lay below the waves is what he’s always truly envisioned. Jade and Floyd followed him, continuing to work for him, and now here you are! Married and living a wonderful life with Jade!

⋆ Being the businessman he is, you’re not surprised Azul wants to take advantage of such a popular and profitable holiday. Though you can’t help your slight disappointment at being left without plans, your husband having to work the whole day. It makes you reminisce about your past Valentine’s days spent together, the hiking expeditions Jade had planned or the camping trips you surprised him with. The times where you spent it at home, making eachother dinner. This was going to be your first Valentine’s day together as a married couple, and now you’re unable to spend it with Jade. The thought of it hurt more than you expected.

⋆ He informed you that morning, giving you an apologetic look as he explained how the lounge is short staffed. He assures you he’ll make it up to you, bending down to give you a kiss, though making sure he’s a little out of reach. He watches you struggle for a moment before surging forward, giving you a deep kiss. You can tell Jade must be disappointed about today as well, his kiss seeming almost desperate, as if to convey how he longs to stay here with you in this moment. He then gives you a few light kisses to your cheek and neck, leaving you lovestruck as he heads to work.

⋆ At first you thought to surprise him by visiting the lounge, but knowing how busy they were likely to be and their lack of staff, you knew Jade wouldn’t have time to chat. As you thought about it more you realized there was a way for you and Jade to spend Valentine’s day together, as long as Azul allowed it of course.

⋆ The moment you stepped inside the lounge you headed straight for Azul’s office to grab the spare uniform he said you could wear, silently hoping that it fits. The few staff working weaved their way through tables, rushing to serve the various couples packing the place. The Sea themed decor of the lounge being replaced with hearts, covering the walls and hanging from above. 

⋆ Once in uniform, Azul quickly gathered everyone to inform them of your temporary help. The smile that lit up Jade’s face once his surprise wore off left your heart racing, both of you unable to resist looking at each other throughout the night. Jade would give you a quick kiss or squeeze your hand each time you would pass him, and he made sure Azul let you both take your breaks at the same time. He’d hold your hand from across the table as you talked and ate, sharing a drink together. You couldn’t have asked for a better Valentine’s day ♡

Originally posted: November 26th, 2023

𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓴 𝔂𝓸𝓾! ♡

[thelightsandtheroses]

there's art to life's distraction | marcus pike x female reader

Summary: A meet cute on Valentine’s Day? That only happens in the movies, doesn’t it? Word count: 1564 Warnings: mentions of wine and canapes. Otherwise this is just slightly anxious meet cute fluff! Pairing: Marcus Pike x female reader Notes: Hi @burntheedges, here is your gift for the Space Sisters valentine's gift exchange.I hope you don’t mind me trying Marcus P for the first time. I saw him on your prompt list and meet cutes and couldn’t resist. I so hope you love this meet cute which had to be set on Valentine's for the extra vibes 💕 The title is from Hozier's Someone New because I saw some hozier lyrics on your blog bio and wanted to make a little link to that.

You meet him at an art opening. It was a personal goal to attend the gallery, expanding your cultural knowledge; self-development or something like that. It might have been because more that you hadn’t left the house except for work or groceries in weeks and you were easily seduced by warm white wine and free canapés.

The canapés were actually pretty good.

It feels less cliched than sitting alone in your apartment on Valentine’s once again, or better than some terribly organised ‘singles’ night’. Why shouldn’t you go out and spend some time appreciating art just because it’s Valentine’s Day?  You weren’t meant to be on your own for this, but your friend now is working late, your other friends are all with their partners and so here you are.

You’re okay with this though. You can be cultured and sip your … well, you’re not quite sure it’s legally classifiable as wine.

It’s a mistake, this evening is a mistake.

This isn’t a nice simple introductory art gallery. This is beyond Avant Garde or a modern exhibition. This is highly experimental and bold. Apparently, it has a reputation for this, one you didn’t know about before seeing the flyer. It’s a baptism of fire and you suddenly feel so unprepared.

You’re surrounded by couples, or by art students analysing each work carefully, and your loneliness feels starker than ever. You’re not sure if you’re analysing the works correctly, but it’s all about feeling anyway, right?

You’re here though and this is meant to about broadening your horizons, appreciating art.  Maybe you should have eased into this though - gone to the National Gallery of Art or Portrait Gallery, rather than straight into this.

You can do this. You’ve got this.

 You move to a quieter corner of the gallery and carefully try to analyse what a particularly obtuse modern installation could mean.

Five minutes and you can go home. You’ll even treat yourself to a coffee, you think.

“Interesting,” you mumble to yourself.

“How so?” a low voice asks behind you.

You turn around. The man is good looking, there’s no denying that. He’s all deep, dark eyes and stubble, wearing a smart coat over what looks like his work suit.

There’s a warmth that radiates around him, something that makes you want to answer him, rather than ignore him and move on.

“Uh, well -” Shit, what if he’s the artist? “It’s very blue.”

“Blue?”

“Yuh huh.” You have a fucking postgraduate degree and all you can think is it’s very blue? You curse yourself inwardly. Maybe, just maybe you should have taken that art theory class in college instead of introduction to media.

Or perhaps you shouldn’t be so distracted by the good-looking man beside you.

“I see.” There’s a devilish twinkle in his eye, one that draws you in immediately.

“What’s your take then?” you ask, arching an eyebrow.

“It’s really, really blue,” he replies, deadpan and without meaning to, you feel your mouth twitch, the hint of a laugh or a smile teeters.

He looks cute when he smiles.

“Well, I was onto something there clearly.”

“It’s uh, got some feeling though. Sad but hopeful. That’s my take.”

You look at the painting again. “It’s raw. Very blue, but raw.”

“Exactly.”

“Actually, I think it’s kind of pretentious.”

“Hmm, that too,” he says with a smile.

“Oh no, you’re not the artist, are you?” you ask, horror dawning on you. Why did you have to add that? Of course it’s pretentious, it’s an art gallery in DC.

“No, no, not at all I just - I like art. All art really. I think there’s something special in capturing a moment, or a feeling, or - it’s real.”

“I can understand that. I’m not really I’m much of an art expert but that’s how I feel about music.”

“Exactly.”

You don’t want to let this fleeting moment go. You want to hold on to it just a little longer, a little tight.

It’s Valentines and you’re surrounded by couples and here’s this very attractive, well put together man talking art with you and he’s not being sleazy or weird, but he seems genuinely interested in talking to you. 

“So, what do you think of this one then?” you ask, moving to the next painting.

“Ooof, where do we start?” the stranger jokes.

“You’re not the artist on any of these, are you?”

“Nope, and I don’t know any of the artists, so don’t worry about my feelings. You can tell me just how blue something is. Or pretentious.”

“I think the second thing is almost taken for granted at a gallery like this.”

“How did you hear about this place then?”

“I pass it on my way home and I uh, work -  I like art.”

You haven’t missed his correction and immediately ask, “Collector or historian?”

“Neither.” There’s a twinkle in his eye that implies he’s certain you won’t guess his profession.

“Appraiser?”

“Nope.”

“Critic?” you ask sceptically.

He laughs at that one. “No.”

“Aha? I know, art fraudster.”

“So close, but so far.”

“Oof, mystery man then. So mystery art lover, do you have a name?”

Who are you right now? You never act this bold, never initiate flirting like this, there’s something about him though. He makes you feel at ease, calm and reassured. It’s novel, especially considering he’s a stranger.

“Marcus,” he says softly.

“Hi,” you say before you share your name in response almost automatically, noticing the way it sounds on his lips as he repeats it back.

His smooth voice fills your stomach with butterflies, a tingling hint of desire surfaces on hearing him say your name. You think about what it would sound like outside of the art gallery, outside of this context, with him closer so you can smell that heady cologne more or have him whisper.

“So what bought you here?” he asks.

“I saw the flyer earlier in the week and it seemed like fun, or at least a better way to spend an evening.” You take a sip of the wine and wince slightly.

“That was until you tried the wine, huh?”

“The canapés really implied it would be better wine.”

“That’s how they suck you in.”

You both laugh and are immediately glared at by another patron. Marcus’ smile is magnetic though and you find yourself not feeling embarrassed.

“Would you - would you like to get a cup of coffee? If you’re finished here, of course,” he asks. “There’s a decent coffee shop around the corner and we could uh, finish our conversation? Only if you want.”

“Sure.” You get to hold on to this moment for just a little longer.

The air outside is cool but not overtly . The night has reached that moment where it’s dark but not menacing while the streetlights gleam around you. You walk side by side, your fingers very occasionally brushing as you feel the featherlight hint of his fingers against your own as you turn a corner. You brush against his coat, catch a lingering hint of a woody cologne that immediately entices you closer.

“I want to get more into art,” you admit. “It’s not something I’ve necessarily prioritised before. I mean, we’re in DC and there are amazing galleries and museums.”

“But you dived right into one of the most experimental galleries in DC?” he asks with a smile.

“I believe it’s important to immerse yourself fully,” you lie smoothly.

He coughs, suppressing a chortle. “I can respect that. There are some amazing galleries in this city to explore though. It’s one of the reasons that I like that I moved here.”

“Where were you before?”

“New York.” You don’t need an art or a psychology degree to notice the way his face shifts; how his lips tilt slightly downward, eyes avoid you. There’s a story there.

“I’ve never been,” you admit and then change the subject, sensing his unease. “What are the other reasons?”

“Coffee and we’re here,” he says lightly, indicating a small hole-in-the-wall cafe just ahead of you both. There are no fussy or brash valentine’s decorations and while you notice a couple of couples inside, it doesn’t feel as high pressure as another cafe or restaurant would.

Five minutes later, you’re both perched at a small table with steaming, hot cups in front of you.

“At least we can talk here without any glares,” you say.

“Ooh, yeah, you don’t want to mess with artists or art students. Trust me.”

The conversation flows naturally; music you like, books you’ve read and it feels like you’ve known Marcus so much longer.

There’s no pressure, no impending sense of alarm or panic. It feels right. Sitting here with Marcus feels like where you need to be now and like you’ve known him for years.

It’s shaping up for more than friendship. There’s a fission, a flare of desire and sweet anticipation.

It’s you who suggests a real date, to your own surprise. You love the way he responds, the way his eyes light up and brighten, the crinkle of his brow, the smile that feels so sincere.

“You beat me to it,” he says softly, “Yeah, I’d really like that.”

Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea to go to the art opening alone on Valentine’s Day, you think. Maybe, just maybe, it was kismet.

[darth-mortem]

Here is Valentine's Day GhostSoap fanfic 😌

Someone sends Soap anonymous valentines, and it would've been fine if not the text inside which disturbs him greatly. 1999 words.

Yeah, it's my knives on the photo :)

Johnny brought the mail into the house and began to lazily sorting the envelopes, newspapers, and flyers. Today, February 14, was the last day of his leave, and he had to go back to the base in a few hours, but for now he was at home and enjoying it.

“Maw!” Johnny shouted towards the kitchen. “Ye hae a letter from Aunt Agnes!”

He put the envelope aside, took the next one, and was surprised to see his name on it. Soap had no idea who could have sent him a paper letter, even to his parent’s house address, not to the base’s.

You can keep reading here or on Ao3

“Maw!” Johnny shouted again. “Did ye tell anyone I was ‘ere?”

“No, dear,” Mrs. MacTavish said, looking out of the kitchen, “as ye asked. And what’s th’ matter?”

“Someone sent me a letter wi’ no name ‘n’ no return address." Soap rubbed the back of his head in confusion.

“Well, mibbie someone wanted tae confess his feelin’s tae ye on Valentine’s Day.” The woman gently stroked her son’s head. “Let’s go tae eat, dear.”

Johnny opened the enigmatic envelope in his room after breakfast. There was a postcard in the shape of a heart with standard greetings on one side. MacTavish grunted, turned it over, and everything inside him went cold. There were inscriptions made from letters cut out of magazines or newspapers, stickers with skulls, and an uneven heart made from photos of various knives. Feeling an unpleasant pressure in his chest, Johnny started to read crooked lines of words.

The first were lines from a song he knew very well:

‘Valentine is done

Here, but now they're gone

Romeo and Juliet

Are together in eternity

We can be like they are’

After them, there were a few more words. ‘See you later,’ Soap read, ‘bye.’

It looked like a treat. It was a treat, and Johnny involuntarily looked around and then peeked out of the window, as if he expected to see the person who had sent this eerie postcard there. Of course, there was nothing suspicious on the street. Soap stood there for a few minutes, collecting his thoughts, then stuffed the postcard into his already packed bag and went downstairs. Whoever this madman is, he won’t spoil MacTavish’s last hours of his leave at his parent’s house.

Anxiety began to grip Soap again, as he was already flying back to the base. He wasn’t alone in the helicopter; there were other soldiers whose leave was over. Johnny stared at them involuntarily, wondering if the sender of the menacing valentine was among them.

“Hey, MacTavish!” One of them called, and Soap shuddered. “How did you spend your leave?”

“Ah was at home,” he answered. “Ate maw’s food, slept a lot, went fishing wi’ my da. And what about ye?”

The rest of the flight was spent in cheerful conversation, and Johnny relaxed a little. Gaz met him at the airstrip, eager to tell him all the latest news from the base as they made their way to the residential block.

“Well, I have to train rookies.” Kyle said when they got to the building. “See you later, mate!”

He left with a waving farewell, and Johnny’s insides went cold again because he immediately remembered the text of the creepy postcard. He walked down the corridor nervously, looking around, and almost ran into his room, slamming and locking the door behind him. Turning around, he breathed a sigh of relief, closed his eyes for a second, and then...

There was a postcard in the shape of a heart on the floor. It wasn’t far from the entrance, so it could be assumed that someone had pushed it under the door. Johnny carefully picked it up, turned it over, and read the text made from letters cut out of a magazine. ‘Be wary, my dear, as you walk alone,’ it said, ‘for on this night, you're never truly on your own.’

Johnny panicked again. Everything indicated that someone was watching him; someone knew where he was and what he was doing. Perhaps it was someone from the base, or he had connections here, a friend who, at his command, slipped the postcard into MacTavish’s room.

Soap was not given much time to think about all this. Price knocked on his door and ordered him to go help Gaz. Johnny wanted to say hello to Ghost first, but the captain told him that the man was busy with paperwork and, given the amount of it, wouldn’t be free until the evening.

Johnny walked to the training ground, looking around and tensing if anyone got too close. Gas noticed his strange behavior and, finding a free moment, took him aside.

“What’s wrong with you, mate?” Kyle asked. “You’re twitchy since returning from leave.”

“I’m fine,” Soap tried to smile. “I just need tae get used to it all again.”

Gaz didn’t believe him but didn’t ask any more questions, and they went back to training. The rookies needed a lot of attention, especially after one of them fell on the obstacle course and injured his arm. Kyle took him to the medical center, leaving Johnny to continue the training. He didn’t return until dinner because he had to write a report on the incident.

Objectively, nothing at the base had changed, but now MacTavish felt that someone was constantly watching him. He caught glances at himself and wondered if this person was the mysterious sender of the creepy valentines. That’s how the whole day passed, and, realizing that it couldn’t go on like this, Soap took the postcards and went to Price’s office.

“I need tae tell ye something, sir,” he said, approaching the captain’s desk.

Price looked at him intently and pointed on a visitor’s chair. He also noticed that something was wrong with the usually cheerful and friendly sergeant and worried about him.

“What happened, son?” He asked gently, looking at nervous Johnny.

“I think someone is stalking me,” MacTavish answered, sighing heavily. “I received a postcard tae my parents’ home address. And then I found another one in my room ‘ere at th’ base.”

With that, Soap placed both valentines in front of the captain. He took them, examined the inscriptions attentively, and looked up at the nervous sergeant.

“Son,” Price spoke cautiously, “what made you think they were sent by a stalker?”

“And how else?!” MacTavish exclaimed with resentment. “He knows where a'm, knows mah home address! And thae inscriptions? Thae ur true threats!”

“Well, the inscriptions are really weird,” the captain admitted. “And about the other... Tell me, son, who knows where you were on leave, who loves skulls and knives, and who gets a themed magazine every month?”

“Ghost,” Soap answered without thinking and froze with his mouth open. “Fucking hell… I’m an idiot, yeah?”

“That’s your words, not mine." Price got up and went to the exit. “Close the door when you leave.”

The captain left his office, and the sergeant grabbed a document from his desk, turned it over to a blank side, and started to write something concentrated.

The door of Ghost’s room was locked as usual, and Soap knocked until it was opened to him. He burst in, turned to the lieutenant, and saw that he looked very sad. It was visible despite the balaclava on his head.

“What do you want, Johnny?” Ghost asked, crossing his arms on his chest.

“Simon,” the sergeant exhaled, catching his breath, “it’s for ye!”

Ghost silently took from his hands a crookedly cut paper heart, on which was written: ‘I like ye too.’ Johnny watched his gaze change, and then the lieutenant looked up at him in confusion.

“Sorry for bein’ sae late,” Soap sighed and made puppy eyes. “I’m just an idiot, ‘n’ only now guessed that those postcards were from you.”

Johnny didn’t say that they scared him to not sound even more like a fool. Instead, he took the first valentine out of his pocket, turned it over, and, smiling, pointed to one of the knives that formed the heart.

“I like this one,” he said.

“You have a good taste." Ghost finally calmed down and smiled under his balaclava. “It’s the best one, and I hoped that you’ll choose it.”

He went to the closet and came back holding the knife from the picture.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Johnny.” The lieutenant said.

“Och, Simon…” Soap blushed like a boy, accepting the gift. “Thank ye! It’s sae cool! Och, hauld yer horses a second…”

The sergeant started rummaging through his pockets until he found a quid coin in one of them. He handed it to Ghost, and he took a symbolic payment so that the gift of the knife wouldn’t cut the relationship between him and Johnny.

“I have something for ye too,” Soap said. “I’ll bring it now!”

He ran to his room and soon returned with a neat box of chocolate chip cookies that his mother had baked for him. Handling the gift to Simon, Johnny rushed into the break room of TF 141 to make them tea. When he finally got back and sat down, the lieutenant looked at him and asked:

“Johnny, why did you make your valentine on the page from the annual budget of our unit?”

“What?..” Soap froze, blinking his eyes. “I… dinnae know, I just..."

The sergeant remembered that he took the first paper he saw and didn’t look at what exactly it was.

“Price will kill me,” he said finally. "So, mibbie, I deserve one kiss before death?”

“Maybe you want more than one kiss?” Ghost answered the question with a question and rose up the edge of his balaclava to the bridge of his nose. “Do you want to stay with me tonight?”

“Och, I want to!” Johnny smiled cheerfully and a little stupidly. “Will ye take off yer mask ‘n’ show yer face?”

“Negative,” the lieutenant answered composed, and took the cookie from the box.

On the morning of February 15, Johnny woke up in Simon’s arms. He really didn’t take off his balaclava; actually, it was the only thing he didn’t take off. His clothes were mixed with Soap’s on the floor by the bed. It was still dark outside, but the wake-up call had already ringed, so the lieutenant and the sergeant stirred and reluctantly started to get up and get dressed. They went to breakfast together and sat down at the table opposite Gaz, who came to the mess hall first.

“You’re kind of weird today, mates,” Kyle said, looking at the sergeant and the lieutenant.

“We just didn’t get enough sleep,” Johnny answered lazily, and then understood what he said. “I mean, separately, each in their room, you know.”

Soap coughed, and Gaz slowly looked from him to Ghost and back.

“And where is Price?” The lieutenant asked, changing the topic of their conversation.

“He took sandwiches and went to his office,” Kyle answered. “He said that he had to check and hand over some papers to the general.”

Johnny paled, but he didn’t have time to do anything. Price was already entering the dining room, and, seeing MacTavish at the table, he shouted angrily:

“Soap, you, son of a bitch!!”

“Better run,” Kyle advised, sipping his coffee.

“Yeah,” Johnny nodded and then looked at Ghost. “See ye later, Simon.”

Johnny jumped over the table, rushed to the window, and threw it open. Blowing Ghost an air kiss, he jumped out and sped away, followed by surprised looks from the soldiers and rookies.

“Do you know what’s going on?” Gaz asked Ghost.

“Negative,” the lieutenant lied.

“Oh, really?” Kyle absolutely didn’t trust him. “And since when does MacTavish call you by your name?”

“I don’t remember,” Ghost said, annoyed. “It doesn’t mean anything.”

“So I can call you ‘Simon’ too?" Gas didn’t stop asking questions.

“Try it, and I’ll shoot you.” Ghost barked, took his tray, and went away quickly.

“Yeah, each in their room,” Gaz grunted, then smiled and finished his coffee.

[ghostfacesvalentine]

HALLOWEEN DAY 4: Haunted house - Multi!Muse x Fem!Reader

Pairing: Multi!muse x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Some mentions of gore, possession, all kinds of spooky stuff.

Type: Blurbs

Request: N/A

Word Count: N/A

Prompt: How it’d be like to go to the haunted house with the reader

Notes: Really late upload, but oh well. I may remove some characters if I have no inspiration for them but if you don't see your favorite send me an ask!

Jason Voorhees: Kind of loves it. He loves the thrill of it, even though he screams every time there’s a jump scare. He always grabs you by your shoulders and holds you tight while closing his eyes when something gets in both of your faces. At first you think you should stop but after a few seconds, you see Jason’s laugh. “Again.” Would be all he would tell you when you meet him outside the haunted house, hand in hand. This would quickly become one of Jason’s favorite traditions come Halloween time.

Michael Myers: Not phased by anything at all. If anything jumps at him he just stands right in front of it, punches or shoves it when it gets in his face or yours. Honestly he kind of just wants to get this over-with. The more you two go to haunted house, the more people know Michael’s notorious reactions, the more they seem to dread scaring you both. He kind of ruins the experience, but what did you expect. Michael doesn’t make half of the choices anyway, just kind of follows you around.

Tiffany Valentine: Actually would really enjoy it. She’d dress up with as well with you, doing your make up and hair beforehand. It’s the most fun part to her. She’d love to go to every part in the haunted house, the clown exhibit, the ghost exhibit, all of it. She loves the scares and the thrills of the screams both coming from you both. Sometimes Tiffany would scream at the screamer back then laugh about it with you. So yes, haunted houses with Tiffany is the best.

Billy Loomis: Not too interested, but would go to some kind of horror fair or festival with you, mostly wanting to go to the horror/gore part of it. Anything having to do with a slaughterhouse theme or something violent would get Billy into it. He also laughs when a jumpscare comes up, squeezing your hand and looking to you with a twisted smile. The more you both have fun at haunted houses, the more he’s encouraged to go. Kind of thinks it’s cute that you get scared and is more than willing to go first and have you hide behind him.

Stu Macher: THE best most excited baby. He’s so thrilled, haunted houses are his favorite parts of Halloween. Stu would hands down have a collection of flyers to show you different places you two just HAVE to visit. Super impatient with the line though, he’s such a baby. If the line won’t move, he sits down on the sidewalk looking up to you as he complains about the line. Also laughs when you or him scream, he even grabs some of the scarers, which of course is forbidden but Stu does it anyway. You’d have to run out sometimes because of it.

Patrick Bateman: Not very fond of haunted houses, he doesn’t see the point in them at all. You’d have to beg and beg and beg for Patrick to take you. Of course he probably wouldn’t change his mind until the night of. Finally though, after many tantrums and tears, he decides to take you, not really knowing what to expect. Of course it’s the slaughterhouse that catches his attention, so much so that he even wants to go to it a second time. Before you know it, you’re the one following him around to the exhibits.

Leatherface: This is so funny to me. Bubba is one of the biggest, strongest on this list, but he can also be the biggest scardy-cat of it too. He doesn’t really understand what’s going on or what the actual concept of the haunted houses are. You’d have to explain to him that they’re not real ghosts and there’s nothing really to be afraid of. He’s confident at first, but after the second scare, he’s a little bit more on edge. You’d have to lead, he’d cling onto you for dear life, screaming when something would grab him from behind. It’s kind of cute though.

Harley Quinn: ALSO the best at the haunted house game. She’s is all into it. Instead of bar hopping, you’d go haunted house hopping. Harley loves everything, from the mad science exhibit to the zombie exhibit, she would give every single one of them a try. Of course nothing scares Harley, she’d laugh at the screams and run towards the scarers. She’d have you accompany her all night until you’re no longer able to stand up. This would quickly become one of her favorite parts of Halloween and would perk up at any sign of a haunted house, whether it’s a little tacky one or something a little bit more realistic.

Poison Ivy: Not too interested in the concept of haunted houses, but if it’s date night and there’s nothing else to do, she’d consider it. You’d have to choose wisely though, you knew if Ivy didn’t like something within the first twenty minutes, she wouldn’t waste her time on it again. You knew she was more into psychological torture, so perhaps something to do with possession or a little bit less gruesome and more mind melting. If she’d really like it, she would tell you haunted houses would now be added to your list of activities to do on date night in the future, if not, she’d take control of the planning and make the decisions again.

Bruce Wayne: Honestly would love to take you to a haunted house. Never had been in one personally or really cared to, usually he’d go to Halloween parties if he was in the mood but he wants to see you enjoying the holidays. Of course nothing would really phase him, but his heart would skip a beat feeling you clutch onto him. Whether it’s criminals or scare actors, you still hide behind him for safety. Seeing you have fun is the most important thing to him, so when he's not home by the time he promises, he ends up making it up to you by taking you to a haunted house tour, renting it off for just you two.

Jason Todd: He doesn’t like to see you scared, even if it’s for Halloween. Of course he loves the thrill or used to, but not where you have to pay the price. Seeing you in distressed or frightened in any way would tug at his heart strings. However, if you insist on going, Jason would be more than happy to take you. You’d plan out a whole day to visit haunted houses, then go out to eat and rank the places over burgers and iced drinks.

Billy Hargrove: All up for it. This was one of his favorite things to do as a child, one of the more wholesome memories. Being scared with tacky haunted houses was a constant memory that came up when Halloween would come around so of course he was up for it when you mentioned it. Billy would go to any you wanted to, but the one that would freak him out the most would be an alien one. It’d stay engrained in his brain for the rest of the night. He’d hold your hand and take the lead every time, making sure you were close to him at all times, laughing it off when he himself would get scared with a jumpscare.

Steve Harrington: Would LOVE it. This is also one of his favorite Halloween traditions, but when you brought up haunted houses, he had in mind something a little bit less scary and perhaps a little more cheesy. Still, he’d go with you and his overprotective boyfriend instincts would kick in. Holding you close and tightly, scoping out the place as he would take his next step. Kind of the best at keeping you safe no matter how much he’s screaming. After the exhibit there would be a lot of talk about what you saw and tons of laughter at how silly you both probably looked.

Steve Rogers: Never really gave it a thought, but he knows Halloween is one of your favorite holidays, so if taking you to a haunted house to scare you shitless is what’s going to make you happy then so be it. Kind of uneasy though, of course, also has overprotective boyfriend instincts. Steve has to fight the urge to not react every time someone jumps out in front of you. Even if you’re not scared, he’s still holding you a little too tight and close to him, not that you mind it though. “Man, that was creepy, let’s go again.” He’d complain after leaving the clown exhibit.

Bucky Barnes: Kind of dreads it at first, he doesn’t really like to participate in haunted houses. Usually not a fan of the wait, the people and it’s just overall not a great situation to put yourself in, but if you really wanted to then going once wasn’t going to kill him. He’d hold your hand throughout the whole time, unsure if it was for your comfort or his own. Bucky would flinch only at a couple of scares, taking a step back, but still taking to lead with you, trying just to find the end to this place. Overall, not the most enthusiastic on this list, but still fun to go with if you’re a big baby.

Wanda Maximoff: Very fun to go with. She’s excited for haunted houses when you explain to her the concept of them. Wanda admits she’s never been to one, so you’d have to take the lead and explain to her the processes. You’d choose the creepy doll exhibit, the clown one and the vampire exhibit to start, all exhibits she would enjoy and she does! Wanda would definitely become an adrenaline junkie when it comes to haunted houses, loving the scares and screams and aesthetics of it all. Overall, super fun to go with!

Loki Laufeyson: Doesn’t understand them one bit, but it makes little y/n excited so he guesses it wouldn’t be too horrible to go to. He doesn’t mind the wait, listening to you talk endlessly about what you wanted to see and what exhibits you were excited for as well as what you think he’d like and what you think he wouldn’t like. Either way, he just wants to spend time with you and this would be a perfect date for a little excitement in the night. Takes on the overprotective boyfriend roll as well, holding you tightly beside him, making sure you don’t stay too far behind and aren’t in the frontline of the scarer. “Why do you like to do this to yourself? Don’t the avengers provide you with enough fear?” He’d tease you while he wipes your harmless tears after the visit.

Cloud Strife: Also doesn’t understand them, but still willing to with you. Kind of takes it too seriously when you get scared or when something is trying to attack you, but not really when it stops right in front of your nose. Either way doesn’t really like the fear it puts on your face. You assure him it’s only for show and you were actually really having fun, but either way, the whole thing just isn’t super fun for Cloud seeing you worked up like this, after the second exhibit you would agree to just go see the costumes and floats, anything that wasn’t involving someone else in a costume trying to strike fear into your heart.

Aerith Gainsborough: Kind of excited for it, likes the concept and wants to see it before her. Does little dances and hand gestures while waiting in line as you get closer to entrance. Wants to see the ghost exhibit first then the vampire one. Would even wear her fake fangs to the exhibit. Overall the only character to turn this date into a wholesome one despite what you were doing. Gasps and laughs would be her reaction to the sudden jumpscares and it’s actually very cute.

Sebastian Michaelis: Wouldn’t be an idea for him to go, but if you insisted this would be a fun date, then he would have no other choice than to comply. Sebastian follows after you, keeping his usual unimpressed face as different scarers would jump before you two. The only time he would step forwards is if the person was getting too close to you, he’d look at them with a smile and have you continue your path. Overall the experience would be mostly for your fun rather than his. Sebastian is only there to keep you safe.

Spencer Reid: All for it! Loves haunted houses, it’s one of his favorite traditions. Compiles a list of haunted house events coming up and has you help him choose where to go. You both would wear cute little costumes or pumpkin themed clothing on the way there. Lots of singing and laughing on the drive, it’d be a pretty fun experience. Spencer would lead to you to different exhibits, laughing and screaming along with you at the sudden appearances of those in terrifying costumes. You’d end the night talking about your favorite exhibits and costumes, what you wanted to do next time and what you planned for your next visit.

[harringtons-cupid]

Valentines day - Steve Harrington x Fem!reader

Wc: 2k

Warnings 18:

Fluff: Established relationship, kissing, gift exchange, dancing. Smut: Public sex, party sex, daddy kink, creampies, clit spanking, squirting, fingering. Cock warming, ear nibbling.

Tagged: @sweet-villain @harrys-four-nipples @eddiemunsons-missingnipple @eddiemunsonwillbethedeathofme @josephquinnsbitchywitch @bisexual-byers @urlbitchin

I want to thank @thelastofharrington for their NSFW Steve Harrington Alphabet that inspired this piece of work. I hope it's just as good as the original.

Buy me a Valentines drink | Masterlist |

Valentine’s Day, there was always a party at Steve Harringtons for Valentine’s Day.

You hated it, the intimate time you wanted to spend with him was gone. But as you saw how excited he was, you bit your tongue. Even if you weren’t able to be completely alone with Steve, you knew he would make it up to you.

You hated it, the intimate time you wanted to spend with him was gone. But as you saw how excited he was, you bit your tongue. Even if you weren’t able to be completely alone with Steve, you knew he would make it up to you.

After all his infamous parties always gave him time to sneak off and be with you, each year the party would be themed with different Valentine’s Day items.

This year, Steve wanted to go for a sexual Valentine’s Day theme with everyone growing a little bit older, this excited you more. Giving you the opportunity to dress sexily for Steve knowing that he would rip it off you in a heartbeat.

He loved public sex, especially at his parties. His bedroom would usually be locked at a certain time with both of you inside, you enjoyed the thrill of hearing people nosily downstairs and fall onto the bedroom door thinking it was the bathroom.

As you helped him hang up love hearted banner with the words “naked people only” as a joke across his doorway, you gazed at him fondly.

You and Steve had been together for a few years but this was the first year out of school and you were excited for the night ahead.

He helped you bake the cupcakes and Valentine’s Day themed food, standing behind you as you guided him with the piping bag in the shape of a penis. His laugh echoed into your ear as he peppered you with kisses.

Disappearing back to your own house, you began to plan out your outfit in your head. Your friends were waiting on your doorstep as you pulled up to your house, all squealing in excitement as they waved the party flyers in their hands.

Their full bags around their shoulders pushing past each other in a flurry of excitement and nervousness, the babble of voices filled your room as you swapped ideas for outfit choices.

Hours later, you all stood in front of the floor length mirror of your bedroom. You were wearing a red lingerie set, over a little black dress that clung to your curves. Your red stockings were covered by knee length boots that just touched below your dress.

Your friends were in similar dresses, their hair in different styles all smiley and giggly as they admired themselves.

The party began at 6PM, bottles clinked on the bed as you poured drinks into cups that you provided. You slowed your drinking as they danced in your bedroom, your mind flashed to Steve and you felt excited to see him.

Disappearing into your bathroom, you snuck your Polaroid camera in with you. Angling it perfectly, you held it with the flash facing your body and smiled. Capturing your outfit in the light, waiting for it to develop before entering your bedroom.

The white bag sat on the table, it was filled with a few Valentine’s Day themed nicknacks as you nearly placed the photo into a suitable envelope and kissed it. Imprinting your red lipstick stain onto the seal.

Your friends were too distracted to notice you, gradually getting tipsier and tipsier by the second. You drank your weak Vodka and cranberry until it was time to stumble over to the party. They all clambered into the back of your car, all giggly and full of alcohol.

When you arrived the party was already in full swing, people were noisily shouting over each other. You were all handed a valentine's themed cocktail on the door, smiling to yourself at the thought that Steve used your idea. The beer pong table had crowds of people surrounding it, the kitchen was full of rambling people eating the food you and Steve had made earlier on in the day.

Your friends vanished into various rooms, all in pursuit of their crushes. You gazed around until your eyes landed on your tipsy boyfriend, smiling as he began to jeer at the sight of you.

Cupping your face with his free hand and kissing you, tipsily looking down at your outfit and whistling. You giggled against his face as you kissed him again.

“I have a present for you” you whispered to him, watching his eyes light up.

Placing his drink down on the nearest surface, he mumbled some words before disappearing off and returning with his own gift bag for you. Pulling you away from the crowds and into his bedroom, you smiled at him. Finally able to hear yourself think, you traded bags both gasping at the contents.

Inside, Steve had written little notes carefully shaped into hearts. Each note was written for a different reason to why he loved it. Surrounded by red and pink tissue paper there was a red velvet box. Opening it, to expose a gold locket necklace with a tiny photo of you both inside. 

Throwing your arms around him with joy, kissing his cheeks and lips aggressively before nodding towards his bag. Watching him peer inside, your face began hurting from how much you were smiling. His eyes filled with happiness as he bought out the items, amongst the polaroid photograph of yourself there was a small gold chain, a long love letter and for a joke some condoms. 

He laughed and pulled you in for a kiss, knocking both bags onto the floor as you fell on top of him. His hands trailing down your body, underneath your dress and playing with your lingerie. Grinding you against him with his hands, groaning softly into your mouth as your red lipstick stained his lips. 

Staying there until a loud knock echoed through the white wooden door, startling you both as Steve’s name was called out. Rolling his eyes in annoyance, he adjusted his boxers and opened the door. Not given a second to answer before he was pulled out the room, you laughed at his reaction before placing both bags neatly on his desk and following the commotion. 

Steve was being forced to stand upside down on a keg stand whilst the rest of his friends cheered him on, you watched from the balcony in disbelief. Deciding to ignore the boistiorus behaviour, you headed into the kitchen where your friends were lurking around the counter gossiping. They squealed at the sight of you, pulling you into the circle as you poured yourself a drink. 

The night got busier and noisier, you were on your 4th drink of the night when Steve found you. He had calmed down since the keg, all smiley and flirty as he flung his arm around you. Pulling you away from your friends, the living area was packed with people kissing and dancing together. Grabbing you by the waist, he slammed his body into the wall as he lifted up your dress and began to kiss your neck. 

Moaning into your skin as you cautiously looked around as his hands circled your clit, your cheeks flushing red as you felt yourself moan softly. Closing your eyes tightly as you relaxed into the motions of his fingers, feeling between your wet folds until he managed to slide a finger inside you. 

His coat dangled off you as you hid behind the sofa, the other couples were too preoccupied to notice. More people flooded in, hiding you both even more as Steve’s fingers curled inside you with his thumb playing with your clit. His boner digging into your ass as you grinded yourself against him with the friction, groaning into his mouth as you bent your head backwards. 

The music grewer louder as so did your moans, gasping as you felt your legs shake. The high of your orgasm crept up on you, shaking against his as you came hard all over your shoes and his floor. He continued until you whimpered for him to stop. 

Grinning at you, he unbuckled his jeans slightly letting his hard cock slid down your ass cheek and into your cunt. You both moaned loudly as your dripping cunt took him whole, a few people turned to look at you but Steve stayed still. His cock throbbing inside you until they turned their backs, he began to slowly thrust inside you. 

Bending you forward slightly to allow you to use the sofa for support, his cock slid in and out of you as your moans unheard under the gaggle of voices. Biting your lip as his cock hit your soft spot, his hands grasping onto your waist as he thrusted hard inside you. 

Your eyes fell onto your group friends as his hand spanked your clit underneath your dress, watching as they began to get closer to you both. Falling onto the nearest chair, you both gasped as his cock was shoved deeper inside you. 

Rocking yourself back and forth on his lap until your friends stood in front of you, your dress hid his naked flesh as it throbbed inside you. Mumbling your words to them until they saw someone they liked, rushing away from you. 

The second their bodies were away from the sofa, his cock was hitting your walls hard. Your cunt clenching around him as your moans got louder, almost matching the music. Pulling you back to hit his chest, his moans were clearer as his hands moved you on his cock. 

“You’re so naughty, riding my cock in public. I bet you’d love to be fucked full of me cum in front of all these people wouldn’t you?” he growled, nibbling down on your ear. 

You whined at his words, grinding quicker against his cock. Gripping onto the chair for support as you heard him whisper ‘fuck’ into your ear, his cock twitched inside you. The chair creaked from the movements of your bodies together, your friends were nowhere to be seen as his tip slammed into your soft spot. 

His body shook underneath you, his hands played with your clit hard as you felt yourself move closer to your orgasm. Leaning further against his chest, your moans were directly into his ear as the sounds of you both were drowned out even further by the speakers blaring loudly. 

“I’m going to cum Steve” you moaned loudly, he moved his hands from your clit and wrapped them tightly around your waist. Holding you down onto his cock as he thrusted hard inside you, your legs shook as you felt yourself cum. 

"Cum for me baby, cum for Daddy" he grunted, his hands digging into your skin.

Squirting all over both of your bodies, coating the chair in your cum. He groaned loudly, as his cock twitched inside you. Using your cum as lube, he thrusted closer to his own orgasm. 

Within seconds, you heard him whine into your ear as you felt his warm sticky cum empty inside you. Gasping as you continued to grind yourself against his cock, not moving out of you until his cum was deep inside you. 

Catching your breath, you stayed on his lap until you both felt ready to walk through the crowd. Grinning at each other, you turned around and cupped his face with your hands kissing him roughly. 

“I love you” smiling against his face, your body dripping with both sweat and cum. 

“You know I love you too” he grinned, sliding his tongue into your mouth. 

This was a Valentine's Day that would not be able to be topped. 

Tidying yourselves up, you pulled Steve into the middle of the dancefloor. Holding him close as you danced to the music, grinning up at him.  Your arms dangled off his neck as your eyes stayed on him, you didn’t think it was possible to love someone as much as you loved Steve. Your cunt still throbbing from missing his cock inside you, your legs weak as you slowly danced with him. The love drunk look on his face, showed you that he was feeling the same. 

“We may have to do that again, later tonight. My cock is already missing you” he leaned into your ear and whispered. Smirking at you.

[etoileholland]

With love, from me to you

Synopsis: when the student government decides to sell Valentine’s Day balloons and cards, both you and Peter have a similar idea.

Warnings: none

Word count: 2k

a/n; happy Valentine’s Day! Here’s a quick thing I wrote last night at midnight (whoops) but I hope you enjoy!

Valentine’s Day: a wonderful day for many, a dreaded day for some. It all depended on whether you had someone to spend the day with, to gift flowers and chocolates too, to write love letters to, and most importantly, to see who can outdo the other. For some, they were able to partake in the festivities, and for others, such as Peter Parker and his friends, they dreaded the holiday altogether.

“It’s honestly just a capitalist racket.” MJ remarked, taking a bite of her sandwich. It was lunchtime, and everyone congregated in the cafeteria. Even though Valentine’s Day wasn’t until the next week, people were already gearing up for the holiday. Roses and balloons with a card attached were available for purchase through student government, and the committee was pushing the event during lunchtime. The trio watched as the valedictorian hung up the poster advertising the event.

“Tell me about it.” Ned replied before stealing a fry off of Peter’s tray. He ignored Peter’s confused face and popped it into his mouth. “It’s a pointless holiday, really. People should be telling they love each other throughout the year, and not just on one day.” MJ shook her head in agreement.

“Exactly.” She answered, “it’s a dumb holiday.”

The trio nodded their heads as they continued eating and watching their classmates hand out flyers for the valentines balloons with cards attached, or “valentines grams” as they were called. The friend group all had the “sour grapes” mentality—they were bitter about the fact that no one gave them valentines.

“It would be nice to receive one, though.” Peter remarked, taking a fry off of Ned’s plate as revenge. “In all our years in high school, we’ve never received one.”

“We could always buy one for each other.” Ned spoke up, but the disapproving looks on MJ’s and Peter’s face shot that idea down quickly. “It was just a suggestion.”

As lunch continued, the three ate and spoke about various topics. At the next table over, you couldn’t help but overhear what the friend group conversed about. In a way, it was surprising to hear that they hadn’t received one. It seemed as though everyone had received at least one during their high school years—even you had received one.

Even if they didn’t think so, the trio were more popular than they realised. They had a solid group of friends, people knew them by name, they all had a lot of talent and were kind. So it was incredibly shocking that no one had gifted them one.

—

“Did you do last night’s homework?” Peter questioned you right as he sat down at the shared table in your chemistry class. “I only did half of it as I was babysitting my little cousin Morgan.” He laughed, setting down his backpack. “She wouldn’t let me do my work because it interrupted her tea party.” His face had a large smile on his face as he recounted his day yesterday. Seeing him happy brought a smile to your own face.

To be honest, when he told you about his days, it made it feel as though he was your friend. Although you secretly wished for more, you were happy with what you got.

“I also didn’t finish my homework, but only because I barely understood it.” You slowly pulled your half completed homework out of your chem folder.

“Oh.” He answered, “I’m sorry.”

You shook your head. “Don’t be sorry about it, it’s not your fault.”

It is my fault, because I’m too nervous to suggest having a study date, he thought to himself.

“Ha, right.” He awkwardly chucked.

Your chemistry teacher walked in from his office with a stack of flyers in his hand. “I was told by the student body to hand out these flyers for the valentine’s grams that are on sale starting today.” He began to walk around the classroom, handing out the flyers to the students. “They’ll be on sale until the 13th at the main office, so make sure you buy one soon.” When he got to your table, he placed a few down and continued walking.

Both you and Peter reached for the stack at the same time, your fingers brushing against his. Electricity coursed through your veins, and you could feel yourself become flustered. You looked up at Peter whose face was the same shade as the pink flyers. He brought one to his face in an attempt to cover his blush.

“So,” his voice came out higher than anticipated, “the valentines grams seem nice this year.”

“Yeah.” You breathed out, “it comes with a balloon and a handwritten card for $5.” What are you, a spokesperson for the grams? You thought to yourself.

“I see.” Peter replied, “it’s a good deal.”

“It is.”

“Alright class, turn to page…”

Your awkward conversation was cut short by the teacher who rambled on about skeleton structures, a subject that began to bore you to death. When you glanced up at Peter, you noticed that he was looking at you instead of the teacher.

“Sorry about that.” Peter whispered to you, his face turning pink again.

“Don’t worry.” You replied as you focused your attention on what your teacher was rambling on about.

—

After school that day, you ran into the main office where the grams were for sale. You hoped that you wouldn’t run into Peter, but when you serendipitously saw him walk into the auditorium, you sped walked to the office.

“I would like to purchase a valentine's gram please.” The secretary handed you a card to fill out, and you handed her the bill.

What should I say?

Maybe, “happy Valentine’s Day?” That’s a bit too average.

Or maybe “be my valentine.” You shook your head. That’s way too forward.

As you racked your brain for what to say, you failed to notice the secretary growing impatient. “Please write something honey. There are people behind you who’d also like to purchase one.”

“Sorry.” You uttered as you moved out of the way. The pressure made it harder to figure out something to say, so you sat down on a chair outside of the principal’s office.

After a few minutes, the perfect response came to you. You handed in the gram and left the office, now feeling excited for Valentine’s Day to come around.

—

“May, can I have $5?” Peter asked when he returned home later that day. He saw his aunt preparing dinner, knowing that she would be more willing to accept his offer while she was preoccupied.

“What for?” She questioned, turning off the stove. The pan almost bubbled over, but this was a normal occurrence when she cooked.

“Um, I owe the lunch lady that money.” Peter lied, hoping that May would believe him.

“Nice try, but I added money to your account today. You have a positive balance, so what’s it really for?” She placed the pan back on the stove. It was spaghetti night, so once she finished draining the pasta, she added in the marinara sauce.

“Is it for the valentine grams that are on sale?” She smirked, “I saw the flyer earlier today, and I happen to know that they’re also $5.”

Shit.

Her response need no reply as Peter’s face turned bright red. “Is it for a girl?” May asked in an enthusiastic tone.

“Yes.” Peter choked out. “There’s someone in my chemistry class that I think is really pretty.”

“Well why didn’t you say so in the first place?” May asked before walking over to her purse. She rifled through her wallet and exclaimed “aha!” when she found a $5 bill. “Now,” she paused, walking over to her nephew, “write something thoughtful on it, yeah? Don’t just say happy Valentine’s Day—give it some thought.”

“I will.” Peter answered confidently, “I promise.”

—

Valentine’s Day came quickly, and the student government announced that they would be delivering the grams during 6th period, which was when you had chem with Peter.

You held your breath when you heard the announcement. Peter would receive the gram, and you would have to sit there watching awkwardly. The gram was addressed to him from you, so he would know you got it for him.

You couldn’t be more mortified.

Peter was feeling just as mortified when he heard the announcement. He too addressed it to you from him, so he would have to watch as you read the gram.

—

When sixth period rolled around, you slinked into class. Your heart rate was through the roof, and you knew this would be the most awkward experience in a long time. What if Peter is repulsed by your valentine? Would he cease to interact with you?

You watched as Peter was the last person to arrive to class before the bell rang. He slumped in his chair and turned away from you, his face beet red.

The teacher began his lecture, and neither one of you could look at each other. The tension was thick enough to cut through, but you tried your hardest to pay attention.

Halfway through class, a few students from the student body burst through the doors, balloons in hand.

“Sorry teach, but we have a special delivery for a select few.” A guy whom you think is named Harry began to search through the balloons that he and his classmate Emily had in their hands. After a minute, they pulled out two balloons with their cards attached on the balloon weights.

“We have two grams here, one of which will go to Peter Parker.” He scanned the room for Peter, and he held his hand up a bit. When Harry saw him, he rushed over to Peter as he placed the balloon in his hand. “And the other goes to…” He glanced down at the card. When he saw it was for you, he passed the balloon to you. “That’s everyone, thanks for allowing us to crash the party.” Harry awkwardly laughed, frowning as no one laughed with him. The two left as quickly as they initially entered.

“I wasn’t expecting a card.” Peter whispered to himself. The teacher continued with his lecture, but both you and Peter were preoccupied.

“Neither was I.” You remarked. The card was attached to the balloon, and with shaky hands, you read the card.

Will you be my valentine? ~Peter

Peter? Peter gave you a card?

Peter reached for his card, and gasped when he read it.

Happy Valentine’s Day Peter. Hope the day is as wonderful as you.

The message was addressed from you, to him. At first, he couldn’t believe you actually gifted him one, but he recognised your handwriting.

He was grinning like an idiot with a bright red face.

You looked over at a blushy Peter, and your heart melted. You would do anything to see him this happy.

When class ended, both you and Peter took your time putting away your school supplies. After a minute of silence, Peter spoke up.

“Thank you for the valentine gram. I loved it.”

“You’re welcome.” You answered, “I loved mine too.”

The two of you were smiling, and you wished you could stay in that moment forever. But when students came in and began to sit in their spots, you moved towards the door. Following you, Peter walked out of the classroom after you. When you stopped near the door, he stopped too.

“Oh, I would love to be your valentine.” You replied softly. Even though the hallway was bustling, he heard you perfectly.

“Yeah?” He asked with a shy smile.

“Yeah.”

“Well that’s good.” Peter reached up to rub the nape of his neck. “Are you busy tonight?”

When you shook your head no, Peter’s face lit up.

“Would you like to go to dinner tonight?” He asked in a hopeful voice.

You smiled back at him, “I would love to.”

He walked you to class, even holding your books on the way to your class. As you both walked through the hallway, you couldn’t have been more grateful for the student government and their valentine gram campaign.

——

a/n; a short one, but I hope you liked it! Requests are open and if you’d like to be added to my taglist, let me know!

[callsignspark]

Mar[r]y Me - part six

pairing: Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x Mariella “M&M” Vertucci (fem!OC)

summary: A love story told through friendship, laughter, and food.

series warnings: 18+ minors DNI, discussion of insecurities, difficult family relationships, discussions of food and alcohol use, discussions of body image, one (1) drunk asshole, conversations on what it’s like to be a fat woman trying to date in today’s society, warnings to be added as needed

word count: 5.9k

previous part | series masterlist | main masterlist

note: happy Friday!! it's August here in the real world but it's Valentine's Day in the Mar[r]y Me universe, so what will these two do surrounded by love and pink hearts? can't wait to hear everyone's thoughts!

part six - pancakes

God, I made a mistake.

Bradley has suffered through five days of the same thought on a constant loop. His brain started up the second he walked out of the bedroom and down the stairs. Only getting short reprieves when he had to fly. Even being asleep wasn’t safe; Mary had been consuming his nights, wonderful dreams of being with her intermixed with bad dreams of having to watch her with another man.

He felt like he was living one of those nightmares for the last three songs, watching Mary dance and giggle with some guy in his twenties.

I should be the one making her laugh. My hands should be on her hips, not his.

He cursed Natasha for dragging them to this stupid Valentine’s Day speed-dating event. Except, the speed dating isn’t actually speed dating; it’s some sort of convoluted speed dancing.

As announced by the host, there are only two rules:

Every person must wear the wristband they received upon entry; the wristbands correspond to your relationship status, so respect the color code system.

If you’re dancing, you have to dance with a new person for each song.

“Unless you’re really hitting it off with your dance partner.” DJ Socket had added with a wink before starting the night off with a horrible remixed version of My Funny Valentine.

Natasha, Callie, and Mary had laughed at the bad song choice before throwing back a shot of tequila and shimmying their way to the dance floor, pink wristbands glowing under the disco ball.

According to the event flyer that had been spammed in the group chat for the last two weeks, a pink wristband meant single and ready to mingle.

Bradley watches as the infant with a bad haircut tries to hit on Mary to what he thinks is a Justin Bieber song, absentmindedly playing with his own wristband. White. Here for fun, not to flirt.

He’s having a terrible time.

“Rooster. Rooster? Bradley!”

The use of his real name snaps him out of his thoughts. “Sorry, Bob, what was that?”

“I asked if you were okay. You don’t look great.”

He feels his heart clench a little bit. He’s always had a soft spot for the bespectacled man, Bob paying attention to small things that others rarely caught. Though even a blind person could see the way Bradley is staring at Mary, the pining radiating beyond the two high-top tables the Daggers had claimed as theirs.

“Yeah, just tired. It’s been a long week.”

Bob raises an eyebrow and opens his mouth, but Harvard interrupts him before he can investigate further.

“It’s weird seeing the girls in dresses instead of their coveralls.”

“I’m just wondering how they convinced Callie to wear heels. Omaha practically had to bribe her to wear something other than her Vans to our wedding.” Fritz says, his red wristband - taken and in love - flashing when he takes a sip of his bright pink drink. “God, these drink specials are awful! This is the last time Phoenix gets to choose where we go.”

The boys laugh as his face twists in disgust. Natasha is great at many things, choosing a good bar is not one of them.

“We should have let Jake plan; he found that complex with the mini golf and everything. That was so much fun!” Aaron adds before turning to Javy. “Where is Jake? I thought he was coming.”

Javy shrugs. “He was supposed to be here, but he texted me and said he wasn’t going to make it. Something came up, apparently. He said everything was fine, so I’ll check on him tomorrow. Make sure he’s all good.”

“Mary looks really good.”

Bradley stiffens, his mood dropping from happy back down to pissed off as steam pours out of his ears. She doesn’t just look good. She looks amazing. The light green, satiny material of her dress is hugging her figure just right, showing off her curves in the most delicious way. The slit up her leg showing off the thighs he dreams about getting his hands on again.

She looks gorgeous.

But Harvard doesn’t get to say that about his girl.

She’s not your girl. You fucked up.

“There she is! Can I get you a drink, ma’am?” Harvard stands up, holding his bar stool steady while Mary climbs on, scooting it in when she’s settled.

“If you’re going up, I’ll take a water, please.” She smiles at him, cheeks flushed from dancing.

“You want anything stronger to go with that water?”

“Vodka sprite, if it’s not too much of a bother.”

“You got it, sweetheart; anything for my new backseater!” Harvard flashes his toothpaste commercial-ready smile at her before making his way through the crowd to the bar. Him and his pink wristband quickly getting lost in the masses.

“I missed something. Backseater?” Javy asks.

Bradley watches her laugh and lean on the table, grabbing a chip after Aaron pushes the basket toward her. “He’s just trying to be funny. We’re both headed up to Lemoore next week - I’m helping out on some repairs, and he’s doing some sort of mentor program? I don’t know exactly. Anyway, Cyclone suggested we drive together since we’re staying at the same hotel. I told Brigham he’s driving since he insisted on getting this godawful 30-foot pickup truck, which makes me his temporary backseater.”

“Make sure you don’t eat anything before riding with him, or you’ll paint the windshield.” Omaha jokes.

She scoffs and rolls her eyes. “Please. If I didn’t hurl after a greenhorn took me up and executed one very poor barrel roll before getting himself grounded, I think I can handle Harvard’s driving.”

“You’ve flown?”

“Was it an FA-18?”

“How do you fuck up a barrel roll?”

“Did you like it?”

Questions are hurled at her from every direction, all the boys interested in the fact that their favorite mechanic had been airborne in the backseat of a fighter jet before they knew her.

“I did like it!”

Bradley’s heart warms a bit when she answers his question first.

“It was an FA-18, and I think we technically hit Mach-1, but my brain has burned the trauma of that hop from my memory. It was fun until that bad maneuver because when I say greenhorn, I mean green. Like as fresh as you can possibly be.” She shutters, only partially joking. “But I didn’t throw up, and that’s a major point of pride for me.”

“It’s only because you hadn’t eaten yet that day.”

The warmth disappears, again, when she smacks Brigham’s arm after he puts her drinks down. “I told you that in confidence! And I think it still counts because I’m a civilian and have done none of the training you guys do.”

“How did you even get permission to fly?” Javy questions, stealing a sip of her water, grinning at her when she glares.

“When I was in Florida, I got close with some of the higher-ups, and one of them arranged for me to go on a simple flight so I could see what it’s like. It was really sweet of him!”

“Who did you sweet talk into getting in a jet?”

“He sweet-talked me! Actually, it was more like he manipulated me. It came up that I’d never been on a flight - which is totally normal for an engineer, by the way - and he egged me on until I agreed to go up.”

“Oh my god, you got suckered into a ride with a flight school newbie? Who managed that?”

“I don’t know if you guys know him. I don’t think he was in Pensacola when you were going through flight school, but it was Admiral-”

“Hey, baby, wanna dance?”

Her face changes immediately, annoyance spreading quickly. “No. I’ve already told you I don’t. Leave me alone.”

“Oh, c’mon, you know you want this-”

“The lady told you no. I suggest you listen to her before we make you listen.” Omaha threatens from his position across the table. Bradley is happy that Neil spoke up before him because he wouldn’t have been so nice about it.

The pushy asshole looks around the table and decides not to press his luck after seeing eight men puffed up, ready to defend their friend.

“What a dick! He had a red wristband on, and he still tried to hit on you!”

“Welcome to being a woman, Mickey. Doesn’t matter if you’ve told them no or if they have a partner. Men will be gross and overbearing if they think it’ll benefit them.”

She sinks back in her chair, sipping her drink and sending a small smile to the boys in thanks. The group disburses a bit, most joining Nat and Callie on the dance floor, leaving Mary sitting with Fritz, Bradley, and Bob.

“Hey, speaking of gross and overbearing, did you hear the rumor that Admiral Cain is coming to the program review next week?”

It perks her back up; she excitedly leans forward, happy to talk about something else.

“Oh! That’s not a rumor, Fritz. That’s 100% true. He’ll be presenting his case for increasing unmanned drone research. But he’s going first on Tuesday, and then he’s back in Washington that same afternoon, so thankfully, we’ll only have to deal with him for a few hours.”

“Thank god, I had to deal with him for a little bit when I was at Norfolk, and he was worst. I know drones are getting more popular for high-risk missions, but they’ll never be able to fully replace pilots.” Billy clinks his bottle against Mary’s glass when she holds it up, swallowing the last of his beer. “You’ll have to excuse me; it looks like my husband wants me to dance with him.”

Bradley watches Mary stare longingly at the dance floor, her eyes following the happy couple dance in perfect sync with each other.

If you hadn’t messed up, that could be the two of you out there.

“So, what parts of program review do you have to sit in on?”

Mary turns, a soft smile on her face - Bradley knows her soft spot for Bob matches his own. Both of them protective over the younger man who cares so much, yet so quietly.

“I have to be there for almost all of it. I’m presenting a few sections, plus I have to do a shop tour and demo, which will be uber fun.” She rolls her eyes, knowing how some admirals like to knit-pick at how a shop is run and organized. “All my free time this week will be finishing my slides and polishing my presentation.”

“Wow, on top of helping with Lemoore’s repairs? You’re gonna be busy these next two weeks.”

“Very busy, but we’ve already done the repairs I’m helping with down here, so theirs should go much smoother! But I'm genuinely excited for program review because I’ll get to see some people I worked with in Florida! I think I’m going to try and poach a few of them that I really miss.”

“You’re gonna steal your friends to work for you?” Bradley regrets the question when he sees her face falter for a split second, realizing his tone wasn’t as joking as intended.

“Yeah, I’m thinking about it. They’re really smart and talented, plus it’d be nice to work with them again.”

The relief that breezes through his chest at her grin and kind tone quickly disappears when Harvard pops up and pulls her toward the dance floor.

“Hang- hang on!” She giggles, turning to Bob. “Would you mind keeping an eye on my purse while Brigham steps on my toes to bad 90s love songs?”

Bob’s, “No problem.” overpowers Harvard’s protests of, “I’m not gonna step on your foot again!”

She pecks his cheek, leaving a faint pink stain behind as she follows the Ohio man onto the dance floor. And for several songs, Bradley's stomach twists as he watches his two friends dance pressed close together.

“Why don’t you go dance with her?”

“She doesn’t want to dance with me.”

Bob scoffs. “You don’t know that.”

“Yes, I do.”

“Bradley, what happened with you two?”

He doesn’t answer; just keeps fiddling with the label on his beer and watching the dance floor. The two sit in uncomfortable silence for the first time in their friendship.

“I fucked up.” He confesses everything to Bob. The night on her couch, their interruption, the tiff just a few days ago. He doesn’t spare any detail, no feelings. “I still don’t know why I didn’t just let her explain! Even if I was mad that she was ignoring me, she had her reasons - she wouldn’t do something like that for no reason!”

Bob is stunned. He doesn’t know what to say to comfort his friend. None of the group’s theories had even been close to the reality of what happened.

“You can’t tell anyone what I just told you, not even Natasha!” Bradley is borderline frantic. “You’re the second person I’ve told, and I don’t know if Mary has told anyone, but I don’t want everyone knowing. I don’t want what happened to be the talk of the group.”

“I won’t tell anyone, Bradley. Not even Nat. But I do get bragging rights when the two of you finally get together.”

“That’s not gonna happen. I messed up too much, man.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t be too sure about that.”

He looks where Bob is pointing, watching as Harvard twirls away with a pretty redhead, leaving Mary dancing by herself. They make eye contact, and he can see the gears in her brain working. She turns around, hips swinging hypnotically, and he loses his breath when she peeks over her shoulder at him. Bradley’s heart soars when she wiggles a finger at him.

She’s calling me over. Maybe I didn’t totally fuck this up.

His joy is short-lived. The same red wristband asshole as before getting in her space, trying to grab her ass as she pushes him away. Bradley practically falls out of his chair to get to her.

“Get away from me!” Mary pushes the stranger’s hands off and stumbles back from the force, colliding with Bradley’s chest as he comes to help.

He steps forward, angling his body to shield her as she tucks herself into his side. “She’s told you to leave her alone at least twice now. Walk away before we have a problem.”

The sleazy man rolls his eyes, “Whatever, man.”

“No, not “whatever,” man.” Bradley steps forward, disregarding Mary tugging on his arm. Her pleas for him to stop falling on deaf ears. “You’re going to apologize to her.”

“For what? The fat bitch probably liked it. She’s practically begging for it in that dress.”

Bradley doesn’t even think. He lunges, ignoring Mary’s yell for him to stop and taking the asshole down with one punch. He doesn’t get a second one, security interfering and escorting all three out.

The rest of the Daggers make their way outside, everyone awkwardly huddled together as Mary assures the bouncers that she is safe to leave with Bradley, that he’s her friend who was just protecting her from the other man’s unwanted advances.

She’s mad when she joins them. A quiet anger that's palpable, making them all stay quiet instead of joking around like usual.

“Thanks for planning this, Nat. It was really fun until about five minutes ago. I’ll text you about dinner.” She says to the girls, giving Bob a small smile when he hands over her clutch. “Bradley is going to drive me home, but you guys should keep having fun. Brigham, let me know when you want to leave tomorrow, and I’ll see the rest of you when I get back from Lemoore.”

Her clipped tone and her heels furiously clicking on the sidewalk are the only physical indicators of her anger. The group watches her go, stunned. In the year since they were introduced to Mary, it’s the only time they’ve seen her get close to losing her cool.

They had seen her defend herself against misogynistic pilots, making them feel foolish without even raising her voice. They watched her bite her tongue when admirals talked down to her because of her age, letting Mav or Cyclone handle it. In the past eleven months, they had witnessed her ability to handle difficult situations with poise and grace.

But tonight was too much.

After having to deal with yet another demeaning asshole and Bradley’s rash, unwanted heroics, the rage simmering below the surface of her skin was threatening to finally break through.

Bradley follows at a slower pace, keeping an eye on her but giving her space to breathe. He startles at someone grabbing his shoulder, turning with wide eyes to find Bob with a determined look on his face.

“Take her home and apologize; let her explain before you explain your side, okay?” Bradley nods, giving a small smile to his friend. “It’s all gonna be fine; you are made for each other. You can tell me all about how right I am tomorrow morning.”

He makes his way to the car, unlocking and opening the door for Mary, the tiny bit of hope from Bob’s pep talk disappearing when he realizes that she’s giving him the silent treatment. Climbing into the front seat and ignoring the hand he offers, closing the door herself and choosing to stare out the passenger window when Bradley sides into the Bronco.

The drive to her house is quiet; the only sound is the oldies station Bradley turns on in hopes of getting Mary to talk to him. The closer they get to their destination, the more he goes from sad to annoyed.

I was just trying to help. She doesn’t need to ignore me.

They’re both fuming by the time he pulls into the driveway. She slips out of the car, hoping he’ll just go home, but he’s following behind her to the house. One step over the threshold, and he can’t take it anymore.

“Are you gonna stop ignoring me, or should I just go home?”

He watches her shoulders stiffen and feels his stomach drop her eerily calm expression. “I don’t know. Are you actually going to listen to me? Or are you just going to tell me that we should just forget this happened, too?”

“Don’t put that on all on me! This isn’t all my fault! You ignored me for an entire month!”

“Yes! Yes, I did!” She slams her hand on her kitchen island. “And then, when I tried to explain, you didn’t let me say anything! You just said we should forget everything that happened and move on! So I tried to forget! I tried to respect your wishes! But tonight, all you could do was watch me dance with other men!”

His mouth drops open; he didn’t realize she had noticed.

“Yeah! I noticed - you pilots have all the subtly of an elephant in a firework shop with its tail on fire! It’s one or the other, Bradley! We either forget what happened and we see other people, or we talk about what happened and go from there! There’s no in-between option where you get to be upset whenever I flirt with a man that’s not you! So what’s it gonna be? Are we moving on, or are we having a conversation?”

He can’t get words to come out. He knows what he wants, but he can’t speak.

“Well, Bradley?”

Say something, dumbass! She’s not going to wait forever.

She scoffs, rubbing her hands over her face. “I’m going to shower. If you’re still here when I’m done, we’ll talk. If you’re gone, well, then I have my answer.”

He’s frozen in her dining room, wincing back to reality at her bedroom door slamming shut. His phone is ringing before he realizes what he’s doing.

“Rooster? Everything okay?”

“I think I fucked up.” He runs a hand through his hair, messing it up even further. “We fought, man. She noticed I was watching her tonight and yelled at me for not letting her talk last week.”

“Where are you? I’ll come get you.”

“I’m in her living room.”

“You’re still there? She didn’t kick you out?”

“She said if I’m still here when she’s done showering, we’ll talk about everything.”

“You’re a fucking idiot, Bradley.” Bob’s eye-roll is audible on the other end. “Sit down and wait for her to finish showering so you can talk. If she wanted you to leave, she would have no problem sending you packing.”

“You think?”

“She was two seconds from throwing a wrench at my head last week, and I’m her favorite.”

“Well, I don’t know about favor-”

“I am. Now, sit down, shut up, and wait for her.”

The line clicks, and he decides to listen to the advice, depositing his wallet and keys on her entryway table before sitting on her couch. Sinking into the middle cushion, he thinks about the last time he’d been on this piece of furniture.

“You’re so hard.” He’s not sure why she’s surprised. She has to know she’s had him on the verge of an erection since she opened her door this morning.

“You’ve been pressed against me for two hours in these tiny little shorts with no bra on, and you smell good.” He shrugs, feeling sheepish as he explains what got him going.

“Bradley..” The way she says his name borders on a moan, and he can’t help the noise he makes when she pulls his hair.

If she does that again, I’m going to cum.

He grabs her ass and pulls her as close as he can, brushing his other hand up her thigh and boldly dipping into the leg of her pajama shorts, enjoying the scalloped edge of her panties. Their lips brush, and he’s about to move his hand to the gusset of her underwear - he needs to know how wet she is for him - when they’re interrupted.

Between reliving that moment and crafting his apology, he doesn’t hear the shower turn off or her footsteps coming down the hall, only noticing her when she sits in the chair furthest from him.

“I’m sorry-” They start to apologize at the same time.

“I’d like to go first if you don’t mind?” She requests, taking a deep breath when he nods in agreement. “I want to start by apologizing for the last month. It was wrong of me to kick you out that night and then ignore you for a month, and I wish I hadn’t done it.”

“Why did you?”

“Because I got scared. That night… I never do things like that. I never make the first move or act that bold. So the fact that I just climbed on your lap like that - without thinking about it or second-guessing myself - freaked me out. By the time I got Annie back to sleep, I had completely psyched myself out, and I was convinced you didn’t actually want me.”

“That’s- I- did I give any indication that I didn’t want you?” He sputters the question, unsure how she could think that.

“It’s nothing you did, Bradley. It’s all on me, my insecurities. Men rarely - if ever - have had the same… enthusiasm that you did. You were great; this is a me problem.”

“I don’t understand.” He leans forward, wanting to get closer without crossing the boundary she set with her seat choice. “If everything was so great, what went wrong?”

“I’m fat, Bradley.”

He sits up straight, shocked at her words. What does that have to do with anything?

“I’m sorry, I still don’t get what the problem is.”

“I know you don’t understand what it’s like to be a woman, but please believe me when I tell you it’s hard. People are constantly policing and judging your body. Men will just tell you what they think of your body, what they think is wrong with it - unprovoked. And it’s even worse when you’re fat.” She leans back, hugging a pillow to her chest. “I know you didn’t do any of that. But I’ve been fat since I was a kid, so I’ve heard it all for years. And not just men, but from family too. It’s hard to shake those experiences, to ignore the insecurities and just enjoy the moment.”

They sit in silence for a minute, Mary refusing to make eye contact while Bradley tries to figure out his next move.

“Can I come over there?”

The question surprises her, but she nods. His choice to kneel in front of her is another surprise; he can tell from her eyebrows reaching her hairline.

“I’m gonna take this, okay?” He gently tugs the pillow from her hands, tossing it on the couch so there’s nothing between them. When Bradley sees her shirt, his breath hitches in his throat.

She’s wearing his sweatshirt.

“Sorry,” she says shyly, noticing his stare. “I’ve been wearing it to bed; I promise I’ll wash it.”

And as much as he wants to linger in the revelation that she’s been sleeping in his clothes, he pushes through.

“Mary, I’m going to be very honest with you because I need you to understand how much I wanted you that night. Sitting there with you in my lap? That’s the hardest I’ve ever been; I think about it all the time. How warm and soft you were.” He slips his hands into hers. “And I know what you look like. I like the way you look. I like everything about you. Everything. Even the things you don’t like about yourself. You’re so gorgeous.”

He wipes her cheek, brushing a tear away.

“This past month hasn’t changed how I feel about you. I still want you. I’ve never not wanted you. I’ve had a crush on you since the moment Danielle dragged you through the front door of the Hard Deck.”

“Bradley…”

“Not done, still my turn.” He leans up, getting closer to her to get his point across. “I’m sorry I didn’t try harder to fix this sooner. I was trying to give you the space you wanted, but that was a mistake. After the first week, I should have told you how I was feeling, what I wanted.”

“What do you want now?” Her voice is tiny, and his heart breaks at how uncertain she sounds.

“Still you, honey. I know I said we should forget what happened, but I don’t want to forget. I want to do that again without getting interrupted this time. I want to take you out on a date. I want you. If you’ll have me.”

He watches Mary wrestle with her thoughts, her mouth opening and closing, not sure how to say what she’s thinking. “Just tell me, Mary, whatever it is. I want you to be honest with me.”

“I want that too. I want you. But I’m not sure if I’m ready for it right now.”

“What do you mean?”

“How long have you been flirting with me?” She nudges him back, scooting forward in her chair so her knees brush his chest.

He doesn’t understand the question but answers anyway, wrapping his hands around her legs, stroking his thumbs over her soft skin. “Since that night we met, I didn’t do too good of a job since you spent the evening playing darts with Jake, but that’s how long.”

“That was last January. You’ve been flirting with me for an entire calendar year. And I’m so oblivious that I didn’t even realize you were interested until you were grabbing my ass and moaning against my mouth.” She rubs her face. “So I just need some time to process this because I never thought this - us -could be an option.”

“Okay, how much time are you thinking? How do you want to do this?”

“I don’t know… there’s no free time. I’m gone this week, and next week is program review and prepping you guys for deployment. Then you’re in the middle of the ocean for two months.”

“Doesn’t really leave a lot of time for us, does it?” He jokes, squeezing her calves. “We’ll be back the first week of May. There’ll be a few days of debriefing, but then I’m on leave. Why don’t we grab dinner that Sunday? It can be as friends or as something more, whatever you want - whatever you’re ready for at that point. How does that sound?”

“You’re okay with waiting that long?”

“Mariella, it’s been a year, and nothing has changed since I saw you in that red dress. A few extra weeks where we’re just friends? That’s nothing if it means you’re comfortable.”

“I’m sorry I’m so bad at this.”

“Stop it. This isn’t all on you; I haven’t been the best either.” Bradley’s voice is firm, making sure she’s not placing the entire blame on herself. “We’ll work on it. We’re smart people; we can figure it out.”

“Thank you for being so understanding. I really am sorry about how I acted.”

“I’m sorry, too.”

Feeling lighter than they have in weeks, they look at each other and laugh when Mary yawns, her face scrunching up.

“Okay, honey, I think it’s time to get you to bed.” He stands, pulling her into a hug. “I’ll call you when you’re at Lemoore, okay? We’ll talk about our days, and you can complain about Harvard.”

“Why would I complain about Brigham?” She blinks up at him, her eyebrows creasing after a second. “Wait! Are you saying goodbye? You can’t drive home right now; it’s too late!”

He tries to argue but is cut off by her finger pointing at the clock, the two hands telling him it’s almost three in the morning. “Shit, I didn’t realize it was so late.”

“C’mon.” She pulls on his hand, leading him down the hall.

“What are we doing?”

“Going to bed?” She squeaks when he abruptly stops, tugging her off balance.

“Mary, I’m sleeping on the couch.”

Her face is baffled. “Bradley, you’re too tall; it won’t be comfortable. We can share my bed; we’re adults. We can handle it.”

His heart thumps. He wants nothing more than to crawl into bed with her, but he’s afraid of how his body might react to being next to her all night.

“Mary, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“You won’t. I also want you to be comfortable, so if you don’t want to share, I’ll take the couch, and you take my bed.”

“But-”

“This is the whole communication thing we just talked about. Believe me when I say that sharing my king-sized bed with you for one night won’t make me uncomfortable.”

Bradley stares into her eyes, searching for any hint of hesitation. “Okay, lead the way then, Vertucci.”

It’s awkward for a moment in her bedroom, the two of them trying to navigate this new situation together. But after some blushing and a few stuttered words, they figure it out. He’s just finished brushing his teeth when they discover that Bradley’s preferred side of the bed matches hers.

“Two peas in a pod.” He jokes as he starts to climb into bed, heart fluttering at the bashful smile on her face.

“What are you doing?”

He freezes, covers pulled back with his knee raised. “Uhhh… getting into bed?”

“Not like that, you’re not.” His wide eyes must give away his confusion and panic because she continues. “Bradley, you are not climbing into my bed, which has nice fresh sheets, with those clothes you wore to the club. God knows what’s on those chairs we sat on.”

“So what am I supposed to do?”

“You are wearing underwear, right?” He nods, feeling baffled by how this night has progressed. “Then strip, you’re sleeping in your undies.”

Bradley stands there, looking at her snuggled under her quilt, bathed in the soft light of her nightstand lamp, and still wearing his name on her arm. Based on how serious she looks, he’s pretty sure she’s unaware of how flirty her words sound. If she was any other woman, he would make an effort to flirt back, try his best to be sexy as he undresses. Turn it into a striptease.

But it’s Mary, and they just got back to a good place.

So he undresses how he does when he’s alone. Unbuttoning his black shirt methodically, taking note of how her breath hitches when he pulls the tight material off, but not doing anything about it. If he has any control over their situation, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future to make her lose her breath.

He does allow himself to make eye contact while he undoes his jeans, unable to pass up the chance to watch her watch him. He sees her scan his body, can see the hunger in her eyes, can hear the small gulp when she sees the waistband of his underwear appear. He stays steady, folding the pants and draping them over his shirt before slipping under the covers, keeping a respectful distance between them.

“Gonna turn the light out?”

She blinks at him as she processes the question, her eyes hazy from the late hour, and he thinks about how he would love to have this view every night for the rest of his life. He watches as she rolls over, eyes slipping down to the skin that’s exposed when she leans to turn the lamp off. She ends up closer when she rolls back towards him; he can feel the heat of her body radiating towards him.

“What do you want for breakfast?” Mary’s voice is soft, like being too loud will ruin the small bubble they’ve created for themselves. “Do you like pancakes?”

The question makes him think of his mom, how she used to make pancakes on special occasions and sometimes just because it was Tuesday. He never makes them for himself.

“They’re my favorite. Do you make good pancakes?”

“I make the best pancakes.” He can’t see her face, but he can hear her smile. “Night, Bradley.”

He mummers good night back, enjoying the way the mattress moves as she gets comfortable. The scent of her shampoo drifts over him, resurrecting the question that he’d been asking himself for a month.

“Mary? Can I ask you a question?” His voice is quiet, scared to ruin things but needing to know the answer.

She hums, “What’s up?”

“That night. If we hadn’t gotten interrupted, what do you think would have happened?” It’s quiet. He can hear her hands playing with the edge of the sheet, fingers nervously folding and unfolding the cotton. “I’m sorry, you don’t have-”

“No, it’s okay, Bradley.” A hand brushes his chest, warm fingers ghosting over his skin in search of his hand. She continues once their fingers are intertwined. “If we hadn’t been interrupted, we would have had sex. We would’ve made out for a while, and then I would have ridden you right there on the chaise.”

“Fuck…”

She makes a small noise of agreement. “I don’t know about after, though, if we would have had a better go of things that we have. It might have been worse, I’m not sure.”

“Can’t change the past. I’m just glad we’re fixing things now.”

“Me too.” Mary presses a small kiss to the tip of his fingers, squeezing his hand before rolling over. “Good night, Bradley; sleep well.”

“Night, Mary.”

I think I’m falling in love with you.

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fic tag | credit for dividers here

[v3nusxsky]

The perfect day

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*Authors note| happy valentines to you all and please be kind, although it's the day for love not everyone has the pleasure to experience this.  Have a lovely day my darlings*

Trigger warning~ past abusive relationships

Prompt ~ prompt 1 (please talk to me) and prompt 99 (I don't want to be me anymore) really need some protective/worried Larissa content requested by my darling idkaname666666 on wattpad

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This time of year always seems to haunt you. And although you understand it's a day based of saint valentine, really what you were taught to expect from this day was not what you received. Honestly, growing up you'd be exposed to others receiving gestures of love, or quality time together with their significant other. Hell you even got to feel all their emotions, yet never being allowed the same feelings to be truly yours. No all you got was trauma. Now you wish you could say you were rather exaggerating this but no. Not one Valentine's Day had not resulted in something horrid taking place. In fact your first partner constantly reminded you it was to celebrate love. Something she believed you to be unworthy of. So that definitely puts a downer on it.

You found the strength to leave that toxic human and that's how you ended up in Nevermore. It must have been fated that Nevermore needed a teacher to teach creative arts. And you just so happened to have your degree in that specific field. Admittedly, your unique talent of empathy made it the obvious choice. Art is your distraction, your saving grace when emotions become too overwhelming. The interview process went amazingly well, you were interviewed by the headmistress herself. She was a goddess that was for sure, absolutely stunning and had you stuttering over you words with just a glance. Besides her striking nature kindness radiates from her aura. Hell the women saw how nervous you were in her presence and waited to start the interview until you had calmed yourself. And it was her, who called to tell you that it was yours should you still want it. This all happened 8 months ago. How time flys when your having fun.

After spending a wonderful Christmas together and bringing in the new year together with a class of wine, you knew what the next holiday was. During the last few weeks your mood had soured significantly. It was a deep dark juxtaposition to your normal care free and loving personality. A lot harder for you to hide, and even if you did manage to hide it from others, your girlfriend knew. Although she didn't quite understand what had caused such a reaction from you, she knew you were hurting. It's not something that had come up in your relationship yet, and talking about it was way too painful for you. When the valentines dance flyers began to surface so did your night terrors. You stopped joining Larissa in her room and isolated yourself to your own. Not wanting to upset or hinder her in any way. Which is how you came to be in the present moment. The night before the dreaded v day. Emotions running rampant within. And you couldn't even be mad if Larissa did nothing for you, after all you didn't deserve anything and you'd been pushing her away for weeks now.  All you planned to do was sleep the dreaded day away and come back the next day.

Music has always been a coping strategy for you, your nature to feel emotions allowed the words to resonate with you, even going as far to comfort you with the songs soothing lyrics. Which is why you now laid in your bed, sweats and hoodie drowning your delicate form listening to the words pouring from the speaker in the bedside table.

"I don't know I don't know why somethings have to be this way." Caught your attention if your honest, why did it have to be like this. Was this a punishment from those above?

"All is fair in love and war. I can't do this anymore, fooled me from the start" well that was most definitely true. She had wooed you with the sweetest melody's of her words, only to rip them away so cruelly. Tainting the day for you forever. You knew that as soon as the clock struck midnight you'd be swarmed with the puppy love from the students in the close raids of you. You can't do this again this year.  It was the knock at your door that caught your attention. You weren't expecting anyone. Hell, it was after hours students should be in their down periods before lights out. That only left one person who'd be visiting you. The one person you'd been actively avoiding.

You didn't even need to open the door, you could feel her. Concern and confusion radiating from her, she entered the room cautiously unsure of what would greet her. And you could feel the heartbreak as she laid eyes on you. Curled up in bed, baggy clothes and tears streaming down your cheeks silently. When did you start to cry? "Oh darling, what's wrong my love?" She murmured making her way to you, wanting to gather you in her arms and protect you from whatever was bothering you. You seemed so small in the bed being swallowed by the covers and your clothing. It was truly a heartbreaking sight.  You allowed the taller women to shift into the bed and gather you in her arms. Your head now resting over her beating heart, you felt the sobs leave your body. Harsh sobs but no sound followed them. You hardly noticed the music being shut off. "Oh darling, please talk to me" she murmured into the room. You tried to stutter out you were fine but the sobs betraying you, you laid in her embrace gasping for air in an attempt to respond. Immediately you felt soothing fingers scratching at your scalp. She always did this, it soothed you in such a unique way, something you haven't experienced until her. The silence was soothing. You could feel your girlfriend trying to radiate calm and love into her aura causing a little smile to grace your lips. She was always so thoughtful about your ability.

"I don't want to be me anymore" you whimpered out almost so inaudibly you were unsure if she caught it. You nuzzled further into her, effectively hiding in her neck not wanting to seem anymore weak than you did already. "Darling? What's causing such a distress for you? I don't quite understand my love. Why don't you want to be you no more? I adore you darling" she reassured you never stopping her comforting actions. And that's when you broke down in her arms and explained everything. She was amazingly patient with you, when you'd trail off into thought or when you'd pause overcome with the emotions that came with the story. Your guard wasn't as strong as normal and some of the emotions ended up being projected around the room. Yet your tall goddess handled it with grace and reassured you that it was okay. You were safe. And she was here. She held you till you cried yourself into an exhausted slumber.

When consciousness returned to you, you felt well rested for the first time in weeks. Immediately you noticed the lack of your girlfriend, sadness hitting you quicker than a lightening strike. Had you dreamed last night? Before you allowed your self to wallow in what you thought would be another hellish Valentine's Day, a knock to your door flooded the room. Curiosity got the better of you and you trudged your way to the door yanking it open, only to be met with nothing. Well not nothing. Glancing down at your feet you noticed something. A weathervane coffee cup and a white bag sat there neatly waiting to be picked up. A small note attached to the cup.  Quickly re entering the safety of your room you allowed yourself a peak into the bag. It was only your all time favourite pastry. And the note causing a smile to grace your lips.

My darling Y/n...

Someone as special as you deserves to be treated as though they are royalty. I hope you enjoy your breakfast my darling girl~ L.W finished the press of her lipstick covered lips.

Tears sprang into your eyes, this was a feeling like no other. She'd taken the time in her busy morning routine to do something so sweet for you. Your brain struggling to process the fact that it was just for you. You decided to get yourself ready. Not for you but for her. Hoping to be able to repay her for such a lovely gesture. Little did you know that was just the beginning. All throughout the day, little notes were delivered to you in various ways. Some even coming with little gifts attached. You loved them all, but one of your favourites was the ones that Enid and Wednesday delivered to you. Wednesday held a single red rose keeping her usual demeanour while Enid was practically vibrating with excitement holding a simple note. Taking both and thank the girls you glanced over the note and smelt your rose before continuing with your class.

It was the end of the school day, you had yet to see your lover. The desire and need to thank her for such wonderful, thoughtful gestures was overwhelming by this point. Of course you'd attempted to find her however, you were suspiciously unsuccessful. You settled down to finish your grading and filing and got lost in it. Only when a knock to your door came did you realise how late it had become. Once again there was no one there but a note. This note shorter than the rest but sighed in the same way. This note held one simple instruction. Which you immediately scrambled to follow hoping it would lead you to your lover.

The door to her room left open as a silent invitation, you slipped in and shut the door behind yourself gasping in shock when you turned around. The usually simplistic room was now sporting a deep red theme. String lights and candles providing a comfortable lighting and setting the atmosphere perfectly. Red heart shaped balloons floated along the ceiling, rose petals creating a path from the door to the bed and the bed to the bathroom and covering the bed spread in an intricate yet beautiful pattern of your initials. Tears sprang to your eyes and began crusading down your cheeks.

You made your way to the balloons dangling above the bed, taking time to carefully examine every one. This was like nothing you'd ever experienced before. There was a reason why Larissa loves you accompanied with a picture of either of you or ones together. Even a few canid ones that you had no idea she'd caught. It was only then that slender yet comforting arms wrapped around your waste, her voice wrapping around you. "Y/n, my darling please don't cry my love"

"Larissa, this is just" you trailed off not being able to find the words, but pushing your emotions into the room. Allowing her to feel everything you felt which resulted in a shiver from the older women. She then took your arm and guided you to the bathroom to see a bath drawn with rose petals and candles. Two big white fluffy towels resting on the sink waiting to be used. Larissa decided to help free you from your clothing, taking her time to bestow sweet kisses to every inch of your exposed skin. Ensuring she whispered a string of compliments with every kiss. That was how you found yourself settling in the bath, your back against your lovers front while her arms wrapped around you just soaking in the moment. "Happy Valentine's Day my darling. I hope you truly know how much you mean to me. You deserve to be treated like this and so much more my love" she whispered pressing her lips into the crown of your head. You were highly emotional. This was everything and more to you. Something you'd never imagined you'd receive in your wildest dreams. Overcome with emotion you opted to turn and bring your lips to hers in a loving kiss. "Thank you my darling Rissa, I love you more than words can explain, thank you for showing me what a beautiful day this can be. I regret I haven't be able to shower you with the same love my darling" you whimpered  hoping to show how much you truly adored this goddess. "My darling your happiness and love is all i need" she reassured and held you more securely, "now my beautiful one please rest" and that you did. The most perfect night, more than you could ever dream for resulting in you falling into a peaceful slumber in Larissa's arms.

Word count ~2168

*Authors note~ I hope you all had an amazing day today. It's such a hard day for myself so writing this is purely self indulgent of me. Everyone deserves a Larissa to spoil them*

[eddiesgorlie]

I love the idea of being in high school with Sebastian Kydd, having the biggest crush on him ever before being ropped in by the cool kids at a party to play spin the bottle- of course Sebastian is sitting there smiling at you.

I’m not okay. I’m literally obsessed with this!! Thank you so much for submitting and I hope you enjoy:)

Locker Neighbor

Summary: Y/n and Sebastian have been locker neighbors for the past couple years. She develops a crush on him and it seems as though fate wants them together.

Warnings: Donna (Eye-roll), mentions of vomit, alcohol and pot.

Word count: 1,045

Sebastian Kydd. My locker neighbor and my crush since freshman year. I knew I’d never be lucky enough to date him, he was always super nice to me but it’s Sebastian, he always had girls hanging off of him, just begging for a moment of attention. He did pay attention to one girl though, Donna. Donna and I were best friends all through elementary and middle school but when I refused to become one of her minions, she threw me away. She did always did invite me to parties though, she always made sure to tell me why though- I made her and her hot friends look good, after they look at me, the girls are irresistible.

I was digging my chemistry book out of my locker, failing miserably. It was time to clean out my locker. “Need some help there?” Sebastian asked. “If you wouldn’t mind.” I said with a laugh as I stepped away from my locker. He reached in and almost instantly pulled the book out. “I hate you.” I said with a laugh. “You’re welcome.” He said smiling as he opened his own locker. I looked at him for a moment, appreciating his beautiful plump lips, his blue eyes, everything about him until Donna came up behind us and basically pushed a flyer in my face. “Be there.” She said to me. I looked at the paper, a Valentine’s Day party invitation. “I hope to see you there too.” She said, dragging her hand over Sebastians arm, winking as she walked away.

I looked over the flyer and then handed it to Sebastian. “Eh, I’ve got nothing better to do. Are you going?” He asked. “Uh yeah, probably. I might have some gals to hang out with but if I have some free time I might stop by.” I said quickly. Good lord, I get nervous and this is what I do. He gave me a confused look and walked away with an “Ok.” I just blew it.

February 14th

It was the night of the party and I was nervous to say the least. I hadn’t seen Sebastian since the word vomit day. I’ve said the wrong things out of nervousness before but never that bad and it was the look he gave me when I walked away. “Carrie, what do I wear?!” I cried, my entire closet was on my bedroom floor at this point. “How about the white one with the little hearts on it?” She asked over the phone. “It’s basically lingerie!” I said, looking at the short, fitted, V-neck dress with lace trim. “You’re trying to catch his eye, right?” She asked. “I guess you’re right.” I sighed. “Thanks care.” I said. “Of course.” She said and hung up. I put the skimpy dress on, it fit really nicely. I put on a little pair of red heels and a white cardigan. I checked my hair and makeup one more time in the mirror before walking two houses down to the Ladonna household.

If you wanted me to be honest, the party was raging, music playing loud, red solo cups at every turn. I avoided some drunk puking high schoolers and made my way into the house. It was crazier inside. There were kids on tables, even more red solo cups, joints being passes around. It was insane. Not my kind of party. I decided against getting punch since I didn’t feel like being trashed, so I went for a brownie before I saw one of the stoners grab one. Pot brownies, great.

I walked through the party until I spotted Sebastian, he was sitting on the couch, a girl on each side of him, both doing everything they could for his attention but he wouldn’t give it to them. He sat looking at the fireplace in front of them until he turned to look at me. “Y/n!” He said, waving me over. “Hey locker neighbor.” I said, walking over to him. “Hey neighbor.” He mumbled, looking over my body. “You look nice.” He said. “Thank you.” I said smiling. I rocked back on my heels as we sat in an awkward silence, those girls finally figuring out he’s not interested. “This party is crazy, I um wa-” I was cut off as Donna grabbed my arm and pulled me away. “We’re playing spin the bottle. You land on Walt, he’s lonely since the break-up. I’m getting Sebastian.” She said and she was right, she was great at landing on someone specific. I nodded and we all went down to the basement and sat in a circle in a rather large group of probably 20. Donna made sure to squeeze next to Sebastian and I sat across from Walt, waving at the nice friend.

Someone set the bottle down and the game began. After what felt like hours it was Donna’s turn. I watched the bottle spin, and spin, and spin… until it landed on a random guy. She missed, never have I seen her not get who she wanted. We all watched the awkward kiss and the bottle was passed around again until it was my turn. I was supposed to be aiming for Walt but no, I’m going to Seb. I watched as the bottle spun 4 times until it slowed, pointing to Sebastian. I looked up, an excited look on my face, meeting his knowing smirk. I slid on my knees over to him, stopping a good distance from him. He tilted his head, the smirk still pulling at his lips.

He reached out and pulled me closer to him before crashing his lips onto mine. I closed my eyes and leaned into him, inhaling his musky scent. His tongue ran across my bottom lip, I granted him permission and our tongues massaged against each other. I had tunnel vision at this point and forgot anyone else was in the room as I sighed against his lips, him obviously having the same idea as he hands grabbed my ass. “Oh my God, get a room!” Donna yelled, storming out. we quickly pulled back from each other, our eyes staring into each other’s. “Donna’s right, we might need a room.” Sebastian said. “Yep, agreed.” I said with a nod as he helped me up after him.

Do we need a part 2?👀

[tex-now]

thank you to THESE people who have supplied me with ideas (@wodimewoahtime and @the-one-that-weeps you guys are great)

SO. SOME BIG CHANGES.

will be having a "theme" for each group to make things easier on myself because coming up with an individual theme for everyone is a nightmare. These are just some ideas, and I have more ideas than others for certain groups

WxS: Myths and mystical creatures, card deck, or a marching band.

I'm iffy on the card deck idea because well. World Link. All aces. I don't wanna just steal everything from canon. But if I go through with it... Tsukasa is the joker, Rui is the king, Nene is the queen, and Emu is the Jack (I think that's what it is).

For myths and legends tsukasa would be either a pegasus or a phoenix or even a dragon, Nene would be a mermaid, Emu would be a fairy, and rui would be a wizard/alchemist.

For marching band, Emu would play the tube or trumpet, Nene would play the flute, and rui and tsukasa are the conductor and the drum player I'm not sure which one goes where. This idea is the most cohesive but idk what powers I would give them other than. Music. This idea would actually be based off of the Let Your Song Resonate Throughout the SEKAI event rather than their own event cards.

N:25: Tarot cards. Tarot cards. Tarot cards. Lower save me.

Mizuki is obviously The Reverse Hermit and Kanade is The Reversed Hanged Man, but Mafuyu and Ena are the ones i have to do on my own.

For Mafuyu I'm thinking either Reversed Empress or Reversed Hierophant. Honestly both of them could be incorporated because they represent her during different stages of her development. Maybe if there ends up being like. An evolution of ones costumes. She could look more like the Reversed Empress at the beginning and then end up looking more like Reversed Hierophant at the end. just an idea

I'm looking at Reversed Chariot or Reversed Strength Ena. BUT I'm not 100% sure these represent her character well, so if anyone has anything to say about my choice here then go for it.

MMJ: Tokyo Mew M- I mean animal magical girls. Haruka could be a penguin, shizuku a dove, airi a cat, and maybe squirrel Minori? I need help with Minori. Maybe lamb Minori. Idc that lambs are associated with kohane she's a hamster that's the end of it. Also this is def gonna take from both their DREAM PLACE and Ai No Material outfits.

ANOTHER IDEA!!! their theme could be "gemstones" and they could take from their jewelery box set. Minori is sunstone, Haruka is aquamarine, Shizuku is jade, and Airi is spinel. These gems are all just from the project sekai Jewelery Box card game I think it is?

VBS: Okay so this one is most likely gonna be the most diverse out of all of them. Their theme is seasons. Kohane is spring (because spring baby), An is summer (she just gives off those vibes + her fiery spirit, Akito is fall because of the fact that his name normally gets mistaken for "fall" (look it up its on the wiki) and toya is winter (because mirai).

Akito is going to be based on his Kashika card (I think I can do something with the red strings) An is going to be based on her Machi card, Kohane is going to be based off of her Flyer Card (ty hoc) and her Beat Eater card (big ol hammer), and toya will be based off of his mirai and maybe Valentine's Day cards. Maybe. All of them are most likely going to take elements from blender.

L/N: Times of day. Was originally going to do this with VBS, but I moved it to Leoni.

I'm not too sure about the order but for now I will say that honami is morning, saki is midday, shiho is evening, and ichika is night.

All of them are going to be taking elements from the From Tokyo set, saki especially. Honami is going also use elements from her fea card (if I find a way to incorporate it), Shiho will take from her Draw Your Bow card (idk I like the outfit) and ichika I'm undecided on but she'll either take from her Stage of SEKAI card or her Made To Order card..

That's it