#also! thank you for all the boops you guys lmao

[snarkspawn]

smile like no one's watching

[dreamingpartone]

btw I have to share with you guys. yesterday someone I work with told me his daughter was in the supernatural finale and I had to stand there and acknowledge that information like a normal person and not someone who has been on tumblr dot com the supernatural website for fourteen long years

[broke-on-books]

Happy poetry month! In the spirit of the month, what's your favourite poem? I'm not an avid poetry reader but mine is We Only Want the Earth.

Ooooh I'll have to check that one out, I don't think I've read it!

Hmmm as for favorite poem, there's a few I throw out as my top poem with frequency, but here I've got to say The Bridge by C. Dale Young. I just adore its positivity and the way it isn't afraid to be in love with the small details of life. That's just a feeling I relate with so much in my life and the whole poem is SUCH a vibe. Think I called it my idea of the world's greatest love poem in an essay once (which is def A Claim which idk if I'd fully back up now but the vibes are there) because it isn't just a poem about being in love with someone, it's loving everything they do and everything around you and loving just the world as a whole and how you see it everyday. Its such a vibe fr

Just- THIS !!!! ^^^^^^

[stevie-petey]

episode seven: the bite

“Yeah, we ended up trapped in their secret base underneath Hawkins.” Dustin further explains, to which everyone’s eyes widen at.  “It was fun. Spent my birthday in mortal danger.” At the same time the kids all wish you a belated birthday, which you salute them for. “Thanks, guys. I’m just happy I wasn’t gravely injured this time.” “And that Steve finally kissed you.” Dustin unhelpfully adds before Steve is covering his mouth to shut him up. His face reddens, embarrassed and nervous. Jonathan is standing too close to him for comfort right now.

Summary: steve and robin are your nightmare blunt rotation, you manage to escape a russian lair: mario cart style, you learn that therapy sessions are fun in public bathrooms, steve places your brother on the russian fbi most wanted list, el probably just killed a bunch of people (deserved), and reunions with jonathan are always special when one of you is gravely injured

Rating: general, cursing

Warnings: fem!reader, use of y/n, mentions of blood, graphic depictions of blood and gore, cursing

Words: 10.1k

Before you swing in: HI IM ALIVE !!! my laptop isnt ,,,, but im trying to ignore that. sincerely apologize for the wait. my laptop shits down randomly every ten minutes and my new one is backordered so ive been fighting demons to write this. i also had a hard time with the bathroom scene with robin. i wanted to get that scene just right. it took a lot of rewriting, but i think im happy with how it ended up <3 pls enjoy this child of mine. she cost me blood, sweat, and tears lmao

-

“Boop!” Steve’s finger pokes your nose and he lets out a delirious giggle. “I booped you!”

At first it was adorable, endearing even, when he booped your nose. However, he’s done this five times now in the last minute alone. That, and you’ve been trying to give Dustin directions back to the elevator while dodging Steve’s surprisingly aggressive nose boops. All while the threat of armed Russians running after the cart looms over you. “Turn left here–would you stop it?”

“Wanna boop that pretty little nose,” Steve’s glossy eyes struggle to find yours, his motor skills delayed and concerning. His left eye has all but swollen shut and you’re still not sure if his unusual behavior is due to head trauma or something else. “C’mere, angel.”

He tries to boop you again, and before you can dodge the attack, Robin’s hand grabs his finger and she lets out a pathetic scoff. “You’re hogging the boops, dingus!”

“Nuh uh!”

“Yeah huh!”

Steve’s arm reaches over you and he bats at Robin. They start to hit one another, though their movements are slow and weak. They giggle as they fight, and you’re stuck in the middle of it. You try to push them off of you, but the two teens are too busy pinching each other and cackling to pay you any attention. It’s miserable. 

Erica, from the passenger seat of the cart, turns and winces at your predicament. “What is wrong with them?”

“I don’t know!” Dustin keeps his eyes in front of him as he drives, though he’s equally as confused and unnerved. Secretly, he’s glad he’s the one driving. Otherwise he’d be in the middle of a Steve and Robin giggle sandwich like you are.

“Whose hand is that?” You twist around. There’s a foreign body part that’s currently resting on your ass. Steve snickers and Robin puffs out her cheeks and giggles, neither one of them confessing. You’re about to start kicking shins when the cart comes to a screeching halt. The force of it throws you and the two teens back with a painful thud. “Christ!”

“You guys alright back there?” 

Somehow you wind up with Steve’s elbow in your ribcage and Robin’s head smacking into yours. Hissing in pain, you throw the two off of you and glare at your brother. You seriously fear the day he gets his license. “I want to die.”

Dustin turns back around in his seat and gulps. Steve’s and Robin’s own groans of pain can be heard from behind him. “They’re fine.”

Sneakers squeak against the tile floor and the doors to the back of the cart fly open. You’re greeted with Erica and Dustin, eyes wide as they take in the scene before them. You’re squished underneath the teens. You try shoving them off of you again, but they’re dead weight on you. 

“Wanna kiss again, Y/N? I really liked it,” Steve smacks his lips as his head rests against your stomach. “Wanted to do that for so long.”

Your cheeks burn at his words and your stomach flutters. You haven’t forgotten about the kiss earlier. God, you haven’t. It leaves you breathless every time you remember how it felt to have him so close, to smell him and taste him. A part of you wants to ask how long he’s thought about kissing you, but you know that the back of a cart while fleeing from Russians isn’t the most appropriate setting. 

Robin squirms next to you, her head also somehow on your stomach, pinning you down. “Can I get a kiss too?”

“If either one of you kisses me right now, my knives will be the last things you see.” The two teens make despaired noises, which you groan at. Meanwhile, Dustin and Erica continue to stand at the end of the cart, unmoving. You clench your teeth. “A little help here?” 

Dustin mumbles a sheepish apology and yanks Steve’s arm while Erica yanks at Robin, freeing you. As soon as you’re able to, you jump out of the cart and start clapping your hands to speed everyone along. “We gotta go!”

“We’re trying, Y/N!” Erica groans, struggling to get Robin up from the ground. 

You start to help, though you nearly fall when Dustin throws Steve against you. A complaint lingers on your lips, but when you see that your brother is now at the elevator doors with a keycard in his hand, you swallow it down.

Steve, however, is full of complaints. “This sucks.”

You blow hair out of your face and don’t bother responding to him. Instead, you watch anxiously as your brother swipes the key card he must’ve stolen earlier. When the scanner’s light flashes green and opens the elevator door, you exhale with relief. At least something has gone right today. 

After practically throwing Steve and Robin into the elevator with Erica’s help, Dustin hits a button and closes the door. As soon as it shuts, the room starts to move. You brace yourself, now familiar with how fast the damn thing can go.

The elevator ascends at a nauseating speed and there’s a crash behind you. Turning around, you find Robin holding a dolly in place as Steve gets on. He holds his hands out and starts to cheer as his friend snickers. They look like goddamn toddlers at daycare.

“Hey, no!” You feel like a parent, yanking at Steve’s arm to get him down from the dangerous position. The elevator is moving too fast to be messing around on. “This isn’t playtime–”

“He looks like he’s surfing, Y/N!” Robin squeals with excitement, rolling the dolly to the left.

Steve’s body twists and he steadies himself with a laugh. “I’m surfing!”

“Stop fucking surfing!”

You fight with the teens. Steve refuses to get down and Robin keeps rolling the dolly away from you. As you yell at them, Dustin and Erica exchange concerned looks. You overhear the girl mention how they seem drunk, and you’re about to tell her that she might be right, when Robin pulls the dolly from underneath Steve and sends him crashing into the ground. 

“Wipeout!”

You’re checking Steve for injuries as soon as he lands. Dustin kneels next to you and feels his forehead and winces. “He’s burning up.” 

Not liking the sound of that, you check Steve’s pupils. The room’s lighting is dim, but it’s obvious that his brown eyes are almost entirely taken over by the blacks of his pupils. “Holy shit, they’re scarily dilated.” 

“Ow. Thought you liked my eyes,” Steve swats at your hands sadly. He whines, trying to get you to let go of him. “Said you liked brown.”

“I do like brown, but I also like when you don’t act like a three year old.” You soothe him before turning to Dustin. “Any idea what it could mean?”

“Maybe he’s drugged?” Erica suggests.

You frown. “Could explain why he keeps trying to–” Steve reaches up and boops Dustin’s nose. He giggles and your brother looks annoyed. Sighing, you finish what you had been trying to say. “Boop people. Why he keeps trying to boop people.”

“Your turn, angel!”

Dustin intercepts Steve’s finger, which you’re grateful for. He gently smacks the teen’s face to get his attention. “Steve, are you drugged?”

“How many times, dad?” His voice drips with sarcasm and he rolls his eyes. “I don’t do drugs. It’s only marijuana.”

“Since when do you smoke?” 

“Y/N, focus.” Dustin dodges another incoming boop and swats Steve’s hand away. “This isn’t funny, okay? We need to know what they did to you.”

“C’mon, honey.” Your fingers run through Steve’s hair. Parts of it have dried blood. Something more than a beating happened to him and Robin, you just don’t know what. If they’re really drugged, you have no way of knowing if they’ll be okay, and a part of you is terrified. “Work with us, please. What did they give you?”

“Are you gonna die on us?” Dustin asks, concerned as well.

“I’ll tell you!” Robin shouts from the corner she’s slouched in, eager to please you. She twirls her hair around her finger and gives you an unsettling smile. “We all die, my strange little child friend. It’s just a matter of how… and when.”

Neither you nor Dustin say anything for a few moments. Both of you blink, trying to process what exactly the teen has just said. Afraid to look away from her in case she tries to possess you or something, you slowly nod. “Okay, thank you for sharing, Robin.”

She flashes you a thumbs up and proudly smiles. “Happy to help!” 

“They’re gonna be looking for us up there,” your brother redirects the attention back to the fact that you’re all still very much in danger. He starts to interrogate Steve, trying to come up with a plan. “So I need you to tell me where you parked your car.”

“Oh, can we make a pit stop at the food court?” Steve’s eyes glaze over and you know you’ve lost him again. 

Robin leans forward and starts playing with your hair. “I would kill for a hot dog on a stick!”

You snap your fingers at the two of them. They’re impossible to level with, you’re not even sure why you’re still trying. “Guys, we need to focus.”

“No! No hot dog on a stick,” Steve suddenly lifts himself up and glares at Robin. “The guy at the counter said that Y/N she has pretty eyes. He’s an asshole.”

“You mean Dave? When the hell did he say that?”

Steve scoffs at you. “Last week. Ruined my whole day.”

“Fine! We’ll get you and Robin something else to eat.” Dustin says, which Robin cheers at, though he ignores her. “But only if you tell me where your car is parked.”

Suddenly Steve’s hazy eyes fill with remorse. “Uh-oh.”

“Uh-oh? I don’t like uh-oh, can we not uh-oh?” Dustin nudges you with his shoulder to shut you up and let Steve explain. You mumble an apology. “Okay, why the uh-oh?”

“They took the keys.” Steve shoves his hands into his pockets and reveals that there’s nothing in them. “The Russians, they took the keys. Like forever ago.” For some reason this is hilarious to Robin, who starts to laugh hysterically in the corner. He joins her, amused by the whole thing. “That’s a bummer, right?”

You drop your head in your hands as Dustin sighs. With no keys and no way out of the mall, you’re not sure what else you can do. The only other option would be the bus that takes commuters home, but it comes every few hours and you have no idea what time it even is right now. 

Which means you’d be left with having to hide a very drugged up Steve and Robin in a giant mall swarming with Russian undercover guards for an unforeseen amount of time.

Not ideal. 

“We’re doomed.” You sigh into your hands.

Dustin nods beside you. “Yeah. We’re doomed.”

– 

When the five of you finally reach the mall, you guide everyone through the back hallway and fling the doors open. Fresh air hits your face and you take a moment to inhale. It’s only then that you notice that it’s dark outside. The air is warm, crickets chirp faintly from far away. What day is it? How long could you have possibly been down in the lair? 

As you have a minor breakdown trying to get your bearings, Steve and Robin walk behind you. Their mouths are wide open as they greet the fresh air with glee. “Oh my God, that tastes so good! Steve, can you taste the air?”

They stick their tongues out and marvel at the world around them. “I taste it!”

You watch them with your arms crossed. If you had any suspicion before that they were drugged, seeing them try to eat the air only confirms it. 

“Shit!” Dustin screams out of nowhere and grabs your hand. He tugs at you to start running. You look up and see two Russians men now running straight towards you. 

“Come on!” You grab Erica’s hand and shove her in front of you to run alongside your brother. Then you grab Steve and Robin by their shoulders and all but throw them against the mall’s door. “Go!”

“Why are we running?” Steve mopes, tired from all the physical activity he’s been forced to endure these last few minutes. 

You don’t bother answering him and instead shove him inside the second Dustin gets the mall’s doors opened. Everyone runs, though you’re not sure if anyone has an actual plan. The guard’s footsteps can be heard behind you, and all you know is that you guys need to hide until you can figure something else out. 

“Any chance you guys know any hiding spots?” You shout behind you to the kids, nearly tripping over your feet as you do so.

“No, this mall is one giant public swamp.” Dustin responds, huffing. 

Steve stumbles next to you, still obviously drugged up, yet giggling as always. “It feels like we’re running from movie villains!” 

Turning a corner, what Steve has said floats through your mind. Running from movie villains… What are the odds the Russians know about American movie theaters? They’re dark and usually crowded with people for night showings. It could be the only safe place to hide. 

“Dustin, start heading towards the theater!” Erica and your brother start asking you questions, but you don’t have time to explain. “Just trust me.”

Somehow you all make it to the theater’s doors without being detected. Poking your head through, you make sure there isn’t anyone nearby. When you’re sure it’s safe, you open the door wider and motion for everyone to follow. “Let’s go.”

Dustin guides, dragging Robin behind him while Erica follows. You stay with Steve and start walking once the others have gone ahead. 

“Awesome, movie date!” Steve exclaims with a dopey smile. He’s about to say something else when his eyes find something. Completely forgetting that you’re holding his hand, he runs towards a nearby trash can. He pulls out a bag of popcorn that had been on top of the trash pile and quickly starts shoving the food into his mouth. 

“If you ever wanna kiss me again, stop eating trash popcorn.” You snatch the bag out of his hands with a disgusted face. “I cannot believe I have to tell you that.”

“But I’m hungry.” Steve pouts, staring down at his now empty hands with despair. 

You ignore his pathetic pouting and follow Dustin, who has now flung open the curtains to the theater’s seats. He scopes the area and starts heading right. When he stops at two open seats, he points his finger at Steve and Robin. “You two, sit.”

“But these seats are too close!” Robin complains, and Steve voices his own qualms about the seating arrangements. 

However, you have other things to worry about. Shoving the teens into their seats, you wipe away crumbs on the ground with your shoe. “I’ll sit on the floor next to them. No way I’m leaving them alone when they’re high off their asses.”

Dustin looks at you, skeptical. He doesn’t want to leave you alone with them, afraid they’ll somehow get you into trouble. “You sure?”

“Positive. I’ll take care of them.” you squeeze his arm. While you understand his concern, you can’t bring yourself to abandon Steve and Robin again. Not when Steve’s face still bleeds slightly and Robin’s cheek swells with a bruise. They got hurt because of you; the least you can do is stay with them now. “Find other seats, we’ll be fine here. Just… be careful, alright?”

A man behind you shushes you rudely, reminding you where you are. If the kids don’t leave now, they run the risk of drawing more attention. You push your brother back up the aisle of seats, and he seems to understand what you’re doing. “Fine, but whatever you guys do: Don’t. Go. Anywhere.” 

“Fine, dad.” Steve glares at the kid, which you sigh at. It’s going to be a long night. 

Dustin leaves after you’ve saluted him, and Erica follows. Once they’re gone, you do your best to keep Steve and Robin quiet. As you shush them, you look up and see Dustin standing near the exit. You tilt your head, hoping he sees your questioning, and thankfully he does. He holds his radio up and mimes making a phone call. 

He’s calling for help.

You nod at Dustin, indicating that you understand, and he leaves. After you’ve checked to make sure Erica is still in her own seat at the other end of the row, you turn back towards Steve and Robin; they’re enamored with the movie playing. They whisper to themselves, not understanding what’s happening, but at least they’re quiet and out of danger. Slowly, you start to relax. 

All you have to do is stay in this movie theater until Dustin can contact the party for help. Should be simple enough. Except you make the fatal mistake of absentmindedly mentioning that you’re thirsty. “God, I need water right now.”

“Water.” Robin exhales as if it’s a prayer. Her entire face twists into longing and she hits Steve’s shoulder. “Water. Now.”

“On it!” He nods earnestly and suddenly the two of them are scrambling out of their seats. You snap your fingers at them, hiss whispered threats, but they don’t listen. They climb over you as if you’re an inconvenient bug on the ground. 

Before you can even stand up, they’re already halfway up the aisle of seats. You barely have time to get up before they’ve left the theater itself. “I’m so over them being drugged.” You huff, running after them. There isn’t time to tell Erica where you’re going, too afraid you’ll lose them if you don’t hurry. 

Those fuckers better save you some water.

– 

Steve makes you hold the button on the water fountain because he “can’t do it himself”.

“Is my help really necessary?” You complain, arms crossed as you watch Steve messily gulp water down. His neck is bent at an awkward angle and for a brief moment you truly question whether or not you find him attractive. Water drips down his chin and his gulps are obscenely loud. 

“Yes,” Steve responds in between slurps. The cold water washes over him and he’s never felt closer to God than in this moment. “That’s amazing.”

Robin stands next to you, patiently waiting her turn. “So like, I wasn’t totally focused in there or anything, but I’m pretty sure that mom was trying to bang her son.”

“In the movie?” You hadn’t been paying much attention in the theater. Your view from the ground was shitty and you were too busy making sure the idiots didn’t somehow kill themselves. However, despite your lack of attention, you doubt that’s what the movie’s premise had been about. 

“Wait, the hot chick was Alex P. Keaton’s mom?” Your hip knocks against Steve’s, causing him to choke on the water he’d been drinking. Coughing, he clutches at his chest. “I could’ve died, Y/N!”

“Sorry,” you smile sympathetically at him, feigning pity. He lost the privilege of calling other women hot after getting you locked in a Russian elevator for twelve hours. “My hip slipped.”

“Aren’t you two going to question how the guy was able to go back in time?” Robin is still focused on the whole son being in love with his mom plotline. 

Steve inhales even more water. “Then why is it called Back to the Future?”

Robin begins explaining the complexities of the movie, but you tune her out. While you appreciate that she’s trying to make conversation, you’re uneasy about being out in the open like this. There’s no one around, but you can never be too careful. It’s only when she shoves Steve away from the water fountain that you focus again. 

“Wait, I was supposed to go after him–” Your protesting falls on deaf ears as Robin steals your turn for water. Reluctantly, you step away. She can hold her own damn water fountain button. 

You notice that Steve has wandered off a few feet away. He still stumbles as he walks, though his footsteps aren’t as unsteady as they were earlier. He stops in the middle of the walkway and you join him. 

“Wow,” he breathes out, looking up. He’s mesmerized by what he’s seeing. Curious, you look up as well, though you only see the skylights above. It’s night, no natural light flows through the panels. Yet Steve stands transfixed next to you. “The stars.”

“The stars?” You’re not sure what he means. You can’t see the stars from where you stand. Then again, you suppose he could be seeing things, given that he’s heavily drugged up. 

“The stars are pretty like you, angel.” Steve says, eyes still on the sky, yet his hand somehow finds yours. He intertwines your fingers together and is able to pull you closer, albeit weakly. “You’ve always been so beautiful… scared me when we were younger.”

Your breath catches and you look at him. He’s looking up, seemingly unaware of the effect his words have on you. An overwhelming warmth fills your chest. You want to say something, tell him you love him and that his beauty last July had terrified you. 

But you don’t say anything. Steve is still high, he wouldn’t remember what you’ve said, and you want your confessions to sit within his chest the way his sit in yours. Instead, you find yourself admiring him. You study the length of his neck. The mole that rests just below his jaw and the others that litter his pretty face. His nose, the dip of his chin. The hair tucked behind his ears. His eyes.  

Steve Harrington is beautiful. Scars and all. 

Then he starts to gag and quickly the moment is ruined. 

“Oh, God.” You quickly grab his shoulders and frantically look for the nearest bathroom. In your haste, Robin reacts to Steve’s sudden sickness by gagging as well, and you’re very afraid of what’s about to unfold. “Okay, bathroom time! For the love of God, we need to find a bathroom.”

They’re useless as you twist and turn them around as you search for a bathroom. When you see a nearby sign, you drag them behind you and pray that they make it the next fifteen feet. As soon as you barrel through the bathroom door, Steve and Robin run out from behind you and just barely make it to the toilets before spilling their guts. 

You stand near the doorway, cringing. It’s not a pretty sight. 

They puke, spit out the excess, and flush the toilet to clear it before the next round of vomiting begins. Then they do it all over again. It goes on like this for a while, and all you can do is linger in the doorway and offer halfhearted comfort from across the room. You’ve never really gotten over your slight fear of vomit, if you’re being honest. 

Eventually Steve and Robin seem to throw everything up. When they’ve flushed the last of their sickness down, you hesitantly walk towards them and stand in between the stalls. “We feeling any better?”

“The room stopped spinning for me.” Robin says, her feet propped against the stall’s wall. You have no idea how she’s laying down the bathroom’s ground so casually. “Steve, is it still spinning for you?”

He looks up for a moment, testing what will happen. When he feels perfectly fine, he exhales with relief. “Holy shit. No.”

“You probably flushed the drugs out of your system when you puked.” You observe, leaning against the stall’s divider. “What were you guys on?”

“Allegedly a truth serum.” Robin says from the floor. “Ask me something, test if it’s really all gone.” Then, because she’s trying to get you to laugh, she lowers her voice and impersonates one of the Russians. “Interrogate me.”

Though you smile at her, your stomach twists. Not only were they beaten for information, they were also injected with a goddamn truth serum. Treated like lab rats. And you left them behind, all alone; you’ll never forgive yourself for that. 

But they’re here with you now, you remind yourself. They came out the other side. So you’ll do whatever you can to make it up to them and show them that you’re here for them. Even if that means asking bizarre questions to make sure they’re no longer being controlled by truth serums. “When was the last time you peed your pants?”

“Today.”

Steve looks at you to make sure you’ve also just heard Robin’s response. “What?”

You shrug. “I can’t really judge. I peed my bed a few years ago. Watched a scary movie with Dustin and had a nightmare. Wasn’t my proudest moment.”

“What?” Steve can’t believe what he’s hearing.

“See!” Robin lifts her head up from the ground to look at you. “I was also scared. When the Russian doctor pulled out a bone saw, it was only a little bit, but holy shit.”

She starts to laugh and you join her, despite the image of the bone saw you saw burning your mind. You had seen it in the room when you were saving them. It had terrified you. Yet Robin laughs about it now, so you allow yourself to as well. 

Steve shakes his head at you both. “Yeah, it’s definitely still in her system.”

“And it’s not in yours, Harrington?”

His eyes shine when he looks at you. He’s coming back to himself, you can feel it. The knowing smirk is back. “Clean as a whistle, Henderson.”

Robin clears her throat, now uncomfortable. “Aright, my turn. I want to ask him a question.” When Steve gives her the okay, she takes a deep breath. She looks at you, a resigned look on her face. Something seems to have struck her, something that terrifies her. Her laughter is gone. “Have you… ever been in love?”

Steve doesn’t expect the question. He looks startled by it and tilts his head up at you. Your eyes meet, and you nod, giving him the permission he doesn’t truly need. You talked about it once, last year. The two of you in your room late one night, whispering confessions about love and the pain it brought. It was never a secret. 

“Yep. Nancy Wheeler. First semester, senior year.” Steve mimes a gunshot to his heart, trying to lessen the unease. He will never really feel comfortable talking about that time of his life. 

“Oh, my God.” Robin rolls her eyes. “She’s such a priss.”

You walk over to her stall and nudge her leg with your shoe. “Hey, she’s my friend, ya know.” Ignoring how dirty the bathroom floor inevitably is, you sit next to Robin. “She’s not a priss.”

“At least, not really.” Steve adds, nostalgia in his voice. 

Robin seems to hear it, too. She sits up, eyes not meeting yours. “Are you still in love with Nancy?”

Without meaning to, you hold your breath. You know Steve no longer loves her, but it’s July and somehow he still isn’t yours. There’s still trust between you, but your body tenses and your heart stutters. 

And yet Steve doesn’t hesitate. It’s immediate. He doesn’t even have to think about it. He’s known since April, though his body has known since he offered you his hand the day you almost hit his car with your bike. “No.”

“Why not?” Robin doesn’t know why she’s pushing this. You’re next to her, your thigh presses against hers. She knows that Steve is in love with you. He confessed it to her when she was teasing him about it just a few days ago. She devoted an entire whiteboard to tallying all the times he failed to ask you out. 

Steve is yours, and you’re his, but Robin can’t help but pick at scabs and expose old wounds. 

There’s a few moments of silence. Steve takes his time responding. He can almost feel your hand ghosting over his, even though you’re separated by a stall. “I think it’s because I found someone who’s a little bit better for me.”

You’re quiet. Robin is as well. 

“You know, it’s crazy.” Maybe it’s the truth serum still coursing through Steve’s veins or maybe it’s because he’s almost died a million times tonight. All he knows is that he’s tired of running. You deserve to know how he feels about you. “Ever since Dustin got home, he’s been badgering me about asking this girl out. That I need to ‘find my Suzie’. A girl he met at camp who somehow became his girlfriend, who I’m not even sure is actually real.”

He’s rambling. He knows he is, but you and Robin remain silent and patiently wait for him to keep going. Steve inhales, holds the breath for a few seconds, and exhales. All summer he’s been agonizing over this very moment. He’s spent countless sleepless nights terrified that he’d somehow ruin it. In the end, his own cowardice only hurt you; he still remembers the way your body shook in his arms while he held you as you cried last night. Steve remembers the fear on your face when you realized you couldn’t save him. That the Russians were going to take him away from you. 

It was then, seeing the terror in your eyes and hearing the desperation in your voice, that Steve Harrington finally realized you would give all of yourself to him; that is what love is. 

To love someone is to know that they deserve your love. 

And for some reason you love Steve. You see something in him that deserves your love. He’s no longer terrified that his love isn’t enough for you. He realizes now that it’s enough. His love is enough because it is his. 

You deserve love, and Steve is more than happy to give all of his to you. 

“The point is,” Steve runs a hand through his hair. He can feel you listening, waiting. “This girl, you know, the one that I love, it’s somebody that I didn’t even talk to in school… and I don’t even know why.”

A small laugh cuts through the barrier between you and Steve. The two of you spent years together in school, and not once did he ever talk to you. There was one time, early sophomore year, when he collided with you in the hallway while running to the bathroom to meet Nancy. He had apologized to you, but he continued running and hadn’t looked back.

It was two years ago, but you had only been kids, then.

Hearing your laugh emboldens Steve. He clears his throat, lifts his head. He wishes you were in the stall with him. “I think… I think I was scared. I had always watched her from afar. I mean, here was this girl who would offer help to anyone who needed it. Didn’t matter who they were, she’d help them. I just, I didn’t understand. I couldn’t understand why someone would go out of their way to help others without expecting anything in return.”

“I mean, there I was, worrying about being prom king while this girl was tutoring kids for free in the school library.” Steve scoffs at himself. He will never forgive himself for wasting all those years with you. He could’ve been your friend sooner had he not been such an asshole. “It’s stupid. I mean, Dustin’s right, it’s all just a bunch of bullshit anyways. Because when I think about it, I should’ve been friends with this girl the whole time.”

You rest your head against the wall, buzzed with warmth. “You should’ve,” you find yourself saying softly. Though you know yourself. Steve came into your life when you needed him the most, at the right time, for the right reasons. The timing had never been right before. “But I’m sure the girl is glad you ended up how you did.”

“Me, too.” Warm honey laces Steve’s voice. He can almost feel your body on his. He can see the lines and strings above him, materializing into something more solid with every word he says. “Still should’ve happened sooner, though. I mean, this girl we’re talking about is incredible. She makes me laugh more than anyone I’ve ever met. She’s witty, she always knows what to say and she’s so goddamn smart. I don’t think she knows this, but she has this way with people…”

His voice trails off. It’s what he loves the most about you. The effect you have on everyone you meet. The impact you make within a person’s life simply by smiling at them. “She has a way of making someone into a better person without even realizing it, just by being a part of their life. She… she made me a better person. Taught me to be softer, more vulnerable.”

Steve hadn’t known gentleness until he met you. 

To your left, Robin starts to close in on herself with every word he Steve says. She slouches down, drops her head into her knees almost as if in despair.

“She saw this good in me that no one else had before. For some reason, instead of using it against me like others have, she believed that I could be someone different. That I could change… It didn’t matter how long it would take me, she would wait. And I’m so goddamn lucky to be in love with someone as selfless as her.”

Guilt eats away at Robin. She’s harbored a resentment towards Steve all summer, even though she tried to swallow the feeling down. The love between you and Steve had always been obvious from the first day she met you. She watched the two of you dance around each other every day, basking in the sickly sweet young love you shared with one another. 

It’s not that Robin resented your relationship with Steve. No, she was happy for you, truly. The bitter taste in her mouth whenever she watched you gently stroke his cheek with your fingertips was remorse intermingling with resentment because she will never be able to do that. She will never be able to love someone so openly. To have someone hold her hand and call her tender names. 

You’re a beautiful girl with a boy who could adore you freely. Robin can only ever watch you from the shadows, scared to be caught.

You notice Robin’s shift in demeanor and press your body closer to hers. You’ve never seen her look so small before, so unsure of herself, and it worries you. “Hey, is everything okay?”

She shakes her head, too afraid that if she talks she’ll start to cry. The kindness that you offer her stings. She doesn’t deserve it. Not when she believes you outshine the sun. Before she can make up some excuse, Steve knocks on the stall. “Robin? Y/N? Did someone just OD over there?”

“No,” Robin’s breath is shaky, which worries you even more. “We’re still alive.”

You try to meet her eye, but she won’t look up at you. You’re not sure what’s happened, but she’s closed herself off from you; you feel like an intruder. Placing an arm on her shoulder, you’re about to offer her some more water when Steve’s body slides into the stall.

He settles himself across from you, shy with his movements. Your heart lurches when you see him, too. He confessed his love for you only moments prior, and you want nothing more than to wrap your arms around him and call him yours, but Robin looks pale. She’s scared. You just don’t know why.

“The floor’s disgusting,” she says to Steve, hoping to get the attention off of her. 

“Yeah, well, I already got a bunch of blood and puke on my shirt, so…” He looks down, cringes slightly. You remain silent, and Robin’s eyes are still downcast. Seeing this, Steve tries to lighten the mood and asks Robin a teasing question. “So, what do you think?”

“About?”

“This girl,” he turns to you, then. He looks at you with such fondness and knows that both you and Robin know he had been talking about you the entire time. He’s trying to get you to laugh, bring a smile back to your faces.

Robin tries to play along, swallowing down the remaining bitterness. You’re sitting next to her, your hand is still on her arm. “She sounds awesome.” 

“She is awesome.” Steve winks at you, hoping it’ll get you to blush the pretty pink he loves so much. When it works, he smiles. “And what about the guy?”

“I think he’s as sweet as honey in July.” You say, giving into Steve’s charm. It’s worked on you ever since the day you crashed into that ditch, even if back then you refused to admit it.

“Yeah? Well, I think he’s on drugs, and that he’s not thinking straight. That he doesn’t realize how lucky he is.” Robin interjects. She doesn’t look at you, her eyes remain on Steve. You raise your eyebrows at what she’s said. You hadn’t expected such a pessimistic response from her.

Off put by her sudden dejection, Steve becomes defensive. He doesn’t understand what Robin is doing. She was the one who kept encouraging Steve to ask you out all summer. “Really? ‘Cause I think he’s thinking a lot more clearly than usual. He knows what luck is.”

“Does he? What if there’s this other girl, one he hasn’t seen yet. I mean, really seen.” Robin swallows. Her fingers twist together nervously. “What if he one day sees her and realizes just how unlucky she is. I don’t think the guy would ever want to be her friend after that.”

“No, that’s not true. No way is that true.” Steve shifts closer to the two of you now, confused as to why Robin is saying all of this. Of course she’s his friend. “I mean, apart from the girl he’s in love with, this other girl is the guy’s only friend.”

“Listen to me, Steve.” Robin still doesn’t look at you, but you listen silently and allow her the space she seems to need. “It’s shocked me to my core, but I like you. I really like you, but I’m not lucky like you are. I think… I think you should use that luck. Go for the girl.”

Steve tilts his head, not quite following. “What does luck have to do with any of it?”

Robin sighs and you sit next to her, quiet. She seems to be trying to figure out what she wants to say, and somehow you think you know what she means by luck. It’s always fascinated you, luck and love. Two sides of the same coin. But it never occurred to you that there could be an undercurrent that cuts through the luck. A double meaning behind it. 

“Do you remember what I said about Click’s class? About me being jealous and, like, obsessed?”

“Yeah,”

Robin closes her eyes and sighs. When she opens them, there’s a resolved look in them.  “It… It isn’t because I had a crush on you. It’s because she wouldn’t stop staring at you.”

At first, you’re confused. You had missed their conversation about Mrs. Click’s class. They must’ve had it when they were being held captive, but the phrasing of what Robin has just said feels heavier than it should. Her words land on you with a force you hadn’t seen coming. 

If Robin had for some reason talked about being obsessed with Steve in a class they once shared, but not because she had a crush on him, but because a girl wouldn’t stop staring at him… 

“Mrs. Click?”

Even though you’ve done well remaining silent this entire time, you can’t help but snort at Steve’s response. He’s trying, you know he is. Robin must know this too, because she laughs softly at him as well. “No, Steve.”  Her smile dims, however. “That would’ve made things easier for me, though.”

Easier. Luckier. 

And then it all clicks. 

Robin’s insistence on always pleasing you. The subtle touches. The way her eyes would darken sometimes when you looked at Steve. How, only an hour ago, she had asked you for a kiss when she was still under the influence of the truth serum. 

You draw your hand towards hers and slowly thread your fingers together. Robin’s head spins, she finally allows herself to look at you. She finds your eyes staring into hers. They’re kind, understanding. You’re looking right through her in this very moment, and Robin Buckley has never been more afraid. 

“How long have you known?” You ask her, voice gentle.

Robin’s voice shakes. “Since Tammy Thompson…” She has to look away from you. She can’t do this with you looking at her. “She was in Mrs. Click’s class with me and Steve. I–I wanted her to look at me, but.. She couldn’t pull her eyes away from him and his stupid hair.”

She pauses, tries to compose herself, and you squeeze her hand three times. Once to tell her that you’re there, another to give her the reassurance to go on, and the final time to communicate that you understand. There isn’t a reason to be scared. Somehow, Robin knows what the gesture means. Breathing in, she looks at Steve and continues. 

“And I didn’t understand, because you would get bagel crumbs all over the floor and you asked dumb questions and you were a douchebag. And–and you didn’t even like her and I–” Her voice breaks. “I would go home… and just scream into my pillow.”

Steve looks between the two of you. It’s obvious he’s the only one not aware of the underlying layers. “But Tammy Thompson’s a girl.”

“Steve,” Robin breathes out, pleading. She doesn’t want to say it out loud. She can’t say it out loud. He needs to understand what she’s trying to say. Why she’s been giving him hell all summer. Why she feels guilty when she looks at you.

“Yeah?” But he doesn’t understand.

Robin can’t say anything. She looks at him, can feel the tears in her eyes; she’s begging now. Steve’s eyes find yours, silently begging you as well to explain this to him. He doesn’t understand what he’s doing wrong. He doesn’t want to be doing something that could hurt Robin like this. 

Your shoes squeak against the tile floors as you draw your knees into your chest. You’re not sure what else you can do. Robin has laid everything out for Steve. Your hand still holds hers and you try to quell the fear within you that maybe he’s being intentionally naive. Maybe he doesn’t want to believe it. 

“Oh.” 

It’s one word, one exhale of breath from a mouth that once used to say cruel things. Steve’s face softens, his jaw unclenches and his shoulders relax. He surprises you, showing nothing but empathy. He’s kind, he’s always been kind.

“Holy shit,” Steve doesn’t want to mess this up, but he’s never been good with words. 

Robin laughs. “Yeah, holy shit.”

He sighs and leans against the stall wall. It’s quiet between the three of you. No one really knows what to say now. Steve is still processing, Robin’s heartbeat still hasn’t quite settled, and you’re trying to figure out how to tell her that you understand more than she may know. She’s braver than you, trusted you with this secret, and it’s only fair that you offer her a part of yourself as well. 

Plus, it’s a wonderful ice breaker. 

“You have terrible taste in women, Robin.” You nudge her with your shoulder, teasing. “I mean, I’ve heard Tammy Thompson during choir rehearsal. You can totally do better.”

“She wants to be a singer, she has dreams!” Robin defends the girl, the change in conversation bizarre but welcomed. 

Steve, sensing that you’re trying to lessen the tension, gratefully plays along. “So what she has dreams? She can’t even carry a tune. But, more importantly, what do you know about taste in women, Y/N?”

“I see things,” you jut your head out, defiant. “Probably would’ve fallen in love with Nancy Wheeler had I known her instead of Jonathan.”

Their reactions are expected.

“You would’ve loved Nancy?” Steve exclaims at the same time as Robin guffaws, “You loved Byers?” 

You laugh. It’s a full, whole body laugh. One you haven’t felt in so long. “Yes,” you wheeze out, the look on their faces killing you. Steve looks unnerved while Robin looks disgusted. “At least Jonathan doesn’t sound like a muppet when he sings.”

“Tammy does not!” Robin is laughing alongside you now. It’s been a long time since she’s laughed this hard, too.

Steve rolls his eyes, his own smile overtaking his face. “She sounds like a muppet giving birth, Robin.”

“That’s what she reminds me of!” You snap your fingers and point at him. “You’re right!”

Robin clutches her stomach as she laughs. She leans into your side as you lean into her. Steve starts doing a terrible impersonation of Tammy’s awful singing, which only gets the two of you to laugh even harder. Steve gets you to sing along. He grabs the hand that isn’t holding Robin’s and swings it around as the two of you sing. Robin joins, laughing more than singing. It’s lovely. Absolutely lovely. 

And this is how Dustin finds the three of you.

He slams the bathroom door open, Erica right behind him, and stands in front of you.

“Okay,” he glares at you specifically. “What the hell, Y/N?”

You giggle at his disappointed dad stance. “I told you I’d take care of them.”

Dustin isn’t amused, which only makes your giggles turn to laughter again. The other two teens aren’t far behind you, descending into yet another fit of laughter. Hunched together, the three of you giggle breathlessly as your brother and Erica watch in disbelief. 

But you ignore their questioning stares.

With both Steve and Robin holding your hands, laughter warming your belly, you feel like a kid again.

– 

 The bus becomes your only option.

“I managed to contact the party.” Dustin had informed you after your laughter died down.

Relief washed over you. “Thank God–”

“But then my walkie died.”

“Yeah,” you had sighed and dropped your head down in defeat. “Yeah, of course it did. Why wouldn’t it die when we need it?”

Which leads you to now: peering out the bathroom door with Steve breathing down your neck and Dustin in front of you, checking to make sure it’s safe. A crowd of people flood the once empty hallway. The movie must’ve just finished. Everyone is talking excitedly, having no idea that five teenagers are currently hiding in the bathroom from Russians. 

You envy them. 

“When I say ‘blend’, we go. Okay?” Dustin asks the group, eyes still on the mass of people exiting the theater. 

“Because Steve dripping blood definitely will blend in.” You retort. It’ll be hard not to draw attention to yourselves with the way his face still oozes. It’s a long walk down to the bus station and you’re getting worried now. The mall closes in ten minutes, soon there won’t be any crowds to hide behind. 

Dustin doesn’t bother justifying your remark. Instead he studies the flow of traffic before giving his signal. “Blend.”

The five of you swiftly exit the bathroom and align your pace with everyone around you. Dustin guides in front with Erica while you stay back with Steve and Robin. Your eyes move constantly, scanning every face you pass. Thankfully, the people close to you seem innocent enough.

Erica looks around, impressed. “Well, shit. That worked.”

“Of course it worked.” Dustin is smug, which makes you wince. He’s always had a bad habit of jinxing things. You really wish he had gotten more of your mom’s humility and less of your dad’s ego. “Now we just have to get on the bus with the rest of these plebes, and home sweet home, here we come.”

You shove your brother. “Can we not taunt our inevitable bad luck?”

“We’re in the clear now, Y/N. Trust me, in just twenty minutes we’ll be back home, where our dear mother awaits with her frantic arms wide open–”

“Uh, Dustin?” Steve eyes him nervously. Already you dread whatever he’s about to say. You guys only lasted thirty seconds without any bad luck. It’s a new record, honestly.

“What?”

“Yeah, we might not wanna go to your house.”

“Why?”

“Well,” Steve winces with regret. He knows he’s about to piss both Hendersons off. “I might’ve told them your full name.”

Dustin turns to look at him, bewildered. “What is wrong with you?”

“Dude, I was drugged.” Steve argues, which. Yeah. That’s fair.

Not liking that he apparently sold your brother out to Russians, yet understanding that Steve hadn’t been the most clear headed when it happened, you grab his hand. There’s more important matters to deal with, like whether or not he sold you out as well. “Did you tell them my full name?”

“No, I kept you safe.” He says, with an air of obviousness that you smirk at. 

“Aw, thanks honey.” You kiss his cheek, not caring that Dustin is fuming in front of you. 

“Oh, so you can resist for your girlfriend but not for her brother?” Dustin struggles to keep his voice low. He has never wanted to shove Steve down a flight of stairs more. “You were supposed to tough it out. Like a man!”

You flick the kid’s hat. “Hey, he was very manly defending my honor.”

“I hate you both–”

Robin suddenly freezes, her eyes catching on something. “Guys…”

Everyone stops, alarmed by the tone in her voice, before you see them. There, standing right in front of the exit of the mall, are the two Russian men from the alley. They’re stopping people, checking their faces, looking for you. 

“Abort.” Dustin says, before one of the men makes direct eye contact with him. His face pales and you already have one hand on his shoulder, pulling at him to run. “Abort!”

Steve grabs Erica’s hand and motions for you and Dustin to run ahead as Robin guides. She pushes through the crowd of people and towards the escalators. However, when you get there, they’re roped off and blocked by plexiglass. 

You kick at the glass, frustrated. The Russians are close now. Robin, quick as ever, steps past you and places herself in the middle of the two escalators. You’re confused at first, but then you realize there’s just enough space for your bodies to fit through. Sitting down, Robin is able to use the gap as a makeshift slide.

“Let’s go,” Steve places Erica to slide down next, then Dustin. When it’s your turn, he nods at you. “Ready?”

“I’m so tired of running from these shitheads.” You say before launching yourself down the escalators. 

Robin waits for everyone at the bottom. When you’re all there, she waves for you to follow as you run again. None of you have any idea where to even hide now that the mall has emptied. There’s no one to hide behind, no corner to run into. And the goddamn Russians are fast, never trailing more than fifty feet behind you. 

Somehow you end up in the food court. It isn’t much, but there’s at least vendor’s stalls and restaurant counters nearby. Panting, you point towards the nearest counter. “There! Everyone jump over!”

No one argues, doing as they’re told. You make it there first and help Erica over while Steve and Robin help Dustin. Kneeling down, you motion for everyone to sit with a finger to your lips. The men have to be nearby, you can practically feel their presence close. Facing your friends, you grip your knives and strain your ears for any sounds. 

It’s tense. Dustin pants, he’s scared and overwhelmed and you wish you could offer him better protection. Steve glances at you, silently asking you what the next move is, and you shake your head helplessly. You’re cornered, there’s no way out of this one. 

The sound of boots falling against the mall’s ground approaches. It grows louder and louder at a maddeningly slow pace. Your knuckles are white from how tightly they grip around the hilt of your switchblade. With one flick of your wrist, you know you could at least disarm one of the men long enough to cause a distraction. You’d never kill anyone, but you know from experience that a cut to the shoulder is sufficient enough. 

You’re pulled away from your thoughts when a car alarm suddenly goes off. Its loud noise echoes within the empty mall. Everyone jumps at the unexpected sound, shuffling closer together. Deciding it’s worth the risk, you poke your head up to see what the hell is going on. 

The guards are standing around a red convertible. It shakes, vibrates almost, and they look at one another in confusion. The car continues to shriek its alarm, and while the men stand in fear, you smile. There’s static in the air.

Looking up you see El, with an arm outstretched, on the second floor. Her face is strained, her fingers clench in mid air. The look on her face is terrifying, and you’ve never been happier to see blood drip down from her nose. She twists her arm and sends the car flying into the men. You duck as it crushes them, rolls over the tables and chairs in the center, before spiraling into the counter next to you. “Shit!”

The alarm stops ringing. Everything falls silent. Slowly, you and everyone else stand up to inspect the damage. A tire rim rolls past, the Russians guards are sprawled on the ground, unmoving. There’s smoke from where the car has landed, and you let out a low whistle. “Nice one, El.”

“El?” Dustin turns around, wondering if he’s heard you right.

“She’s up there,” you point to where she had been standing, but when you see Jonathan now standing next to her with Nancy, your heart stops. “Jonathan.”

You’re the first to start running, and when he sees that it’s you, Jonathan wastes no time running either. He’s down the escalator in seconds. Your whole body buzzes as you run, adrenaline and longing coursing through you. The moment he’s close enough, you practically leap into his arms.

“Bug,” he holds onto you tightly. He buries his face in your hair and you breathe him in. It’s a familiar scent, a familiar warmth. You had been so focused on escaping the Russian base that you hadn’t even considered that he and everyone else in the party could’ve been involved. “Are you okay?”

“I’m okay,” you tighten your arms around him, but when he makes a pained noise, you immediately pull away. It’s then that you notice the swelling in his head. The dried blood. Pressing your fingers softly to his face, you fill with concern. “What happened, are you hurt?”

Jonathan tries to shrug it off. He doesn’t care about what he’s been through. All he wants to focus on is that you’re okay, for once not covered in blood and bruises like he is. Wherever you’ve been these last few days, at least he knows you weren’t in any pain. “I’m fine, I’ll tell you everything later–”

“You flung that thing like a Hot Wheel!” Dustin exclaims to El, now joining you and Jonathan as the others gather around. 

You don’t leave Jonathan’s side as everyone starts talking at once. Lucas asks why Erica is involved, to which you wince at. “I tried stopping them.”

“It’s their fault.” Erica points at Steve and Robin, clearing your name in the process, which you appreciate her for. 

Steve stands next to you now and puts his hands on his hips. He doesn’t even try to deny that he’s the reason a ten year old girl ended up locked inside an underground Russian facility. “Yeah, true. Totally true. It’s absolutely our fault.” 

Robin asks what happened to the car and Dustin and Steve explain El to her. They quickly catch her up to speed about the girl’s power, and you feel bad for the teen. It’s a lot of information to take in at once. Erica joins, having remembered her conversation with Dustin from earlier in the vents when he had explained the Upside Down to her. 

Meanwhile, Nancy is focused on Robin. “I’m sorry, who are you?”

“That’s Robin. She’s a friend.” You step between them. When Nancy sees that it’s you, she quickly looks away. She fidgets with her fingers, overwhelmed with shame and regret. She hasn’t forgotten the cruelty she showed you a few days ago. You haven’t forgotten either, but you’ve never been one to hold anger towards others. Extending a kind smile, you nod at her. “Hey, Nance.”

Nancy looks up, surprised, but smiles at you as well and it’s enough. Maybe one day you’ll sort through the tension that never seems to leave you and the girl alone. Untangle the lines and threads that haunt both of you. For now, there are other things to worry about. 

Steve has started explaining the Russians now, and quickly it becomes clear that you’ve all been dealing with vastly different situations. 

“Russians, what Russians?” Jonathan asks you with alarm. 

“See those guys laying over there?” Everyone looks at where you’re pointing, the men still knocked out on the ground. “Russians. We enjoyed twenty-four wonderful hours with them.”

“Yeah, we ended up trapped in their secret base underneath Hawkins.” Dustin further explains, to which everyone’s eyes widen at. 

“It was fun. Spent my birthday in mortal danger.” At the same time the kids all wish you a belated birthday, which you salute them for. “Thanks, guys. I’m just happy I wasn’t gravely injured this time.”

“And that Steve finally kissed you.” Dustin unhelpfully adds before Steve is covering his mouth to shut him up. His face reddens, embarrassed and nervous. Jonathan is standing too close to him for comfort right now.

Nancy looks uncomfortable with this new information, Mike makes a disgusted sound, Max high fives you, Lucas cheers, Will gasps and looks nervously towards his brother, and Jonathan chokes on his own spit. It’s truly a very wide array of reactions, all of which are expected to certain extents. 

That doesn’t stop you from hitting the back of Dustin’s head, though. “Can we focus on the Russians infiltrating Hawkins?” Dustin hits your shoulder in retaliation, but he knows you’re right. He turns to Mike, upset that he hadn’t come sooner. “Didn’t you get our code red?”

“Yeah, but I couldn’t understand half of what you were saying.”

The kids all start to argue and Steve joins in, making a remark about how he’s always bugging Dustin to watch for a low battery. More arguing follows. Lucas and the others demand to hear more about the Russians. As you try your best to explain everything, you notice from the corner of your eye El walking away from the group.

Her shoulders are drawn into her body, her breathing seems to be labored. You nudge Jonathan, pulling his attention away from the kids arguing, and point towards El. “What happened to her tonight?”

Jonathan is about to explain what they’ve been dealing with, but when El collapses onto the ground, you leave his side in a heartbeat to join her. Kneeling beside her, you’re cold with panic. She’s covered in sweat, her face is flushed. “El? Sweetheart, what’s happening?”

Mike and Jonathan are beside you now. Mike is in his own fit of panic, nearly ramming into you in his hurry to get to the girl. He turns her over onto her back, his face twisted with worry and fear. “El! What’s wrong?”

The rest of the group stands around El now, staring down at her. She manages to open her eyes, but you can tell that it pains her to do so. “My leg.” She rasps out, voice thick with tears. 

“Her leg, okay.” Jonathan takes action, swiftly unraveling a bandage on her leg. You hadn’t noticed it before. There’s a deep wound underneath the gauze, its blood has soaked through it. Nancy helps Jonathan with the bandage, and when they finally get it off, you almost throw up at the sight. 

The flesh is raised, angry and swollen. There’s a giant gash in El’s leg, deep and to the bone. The veins in her legs are dark and begin to constrict when something starts to move inside the wound; something is crawling inside her leg. It’s a nauseating sight.

Mike starts to freak out even more. He doesn’t understand what’s happening. He’s scared for the girl, his eyes fill with panic. Instinctively you pull him into your arms, tightening your hold as he fights against it. 

That’s when El begins to scream.

-

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[bootyful-seventeen]

Hello. Saw your post and wanted to make a svt request. How would they react to their s/o asking them to go raw for the first time? Thanks.

I think Seungcheol would be the type who would freeze and blush up to his ears cuz omg you want him to go raw?? He’s rolling up his shirt sleeves at the thought of filling you up but at the same time will also ask you if you’re sure, and would have a small convo about it and staying safe (birth control for the ones that weren’t planning on kids anytime soon but also sti testings cuz you could still get those even in closed relationships) But when you give that man the greenest of lights, he’s gonna pounce on you so fast it’ll leave your head spinning.

Jeonghan on the other hand that would probably either start giggling from getting a bit shy or being a bit cocky like “awwwe I knew you couldn’t get enough of me” and would 100% boop your nose and call you a cutie when you get shy and try to hide your face from him. Following up with crawling over to you and running his hands up your hips and waist asking if you wanted to start right now. If you start getting flustered, he’ll fall back on his advances, but if you’re welcoming them then he will give you what you wanted.

Joshua tho, I can see him lagging a bit when you ask before snapping out of it all “wait right now?” You’d shove him a bit like no not now cuz my guy we are in the middle of a lord of the rings marathon like who has time to focus on a raw dogging at a time like this lmao. He’d pick up the conversation again at another time to go through all the works and be sure that you’re both on the same page about it. And I think that Joshua would let the image of you leaking his cum overtake his brain until he’s got you pinned under him and isn’t too far away from making his little daydream come to life. 

Now Jun is someone I can see not fully registering your question especially if he’s hungry and has food on the mind. Would be thinking of hitting up a sashimi place with you for dinner when he’s realizing that what you asked for wasn't quite fitting in with his dinner plans lmao. But Jun would ask you just to be sure and then ask if you wanted to go out for sashimi or stay in for a raw doggin lol. 

I can see Soonyoung start laughing cuz he thought it was a joke at first but when you tell him you’re serious he’d get so red that you could probably see steam coming from his ears lmao. Poor guy would immediately get launched into his little breeding kink so hard that he’d black out a little bit. But once he comes back to earth, he is on you in the blink of an eye and is begging you to let him fuck you right there. On the floor, against the wall, bent over furniture, it didn’t matter he just wanted to sink right into you and blow his load. 

Wonwoo would be quite nonchalant about it tho if you did catch him off guard, he’d raise his brows and ask you to repeat yourself. Just in case he thought he misheard you the first time. Would sit down with you and talk about it like if you wanted him to pull out, cum inside and whatever else came to mind to get everything out of the way so things are smooth. He’d even go ahead and get one of those waterproof bed sheets/blankets to throw on top of things so when things get messy you’d just have to pull it off and voila! A clean, cum free bed to sleep in.

Jihoon’s another member I think would be more nonchalant about it. He seems like he’d be straightforward about it and would voice his feelings about it. Like how he had thought about it a few times before but was possibly still a bit nervous and would ask if you’d want him to finish in or on you and ask if pulling out was what you wanted instead. He’d be extra gentle handling you during clean up and would ask if you liked it. 

Mingyu’s the man that’ll get shy and flustered. He’d fumble on his words and he’d start stuttering when you move to sit on his lap and trace your finger along his chest. Man would be a stuttering mess but would welcome your advances when your hands are slipping under his shirt to take the fabric off so you could touch him. But with Mingyu, maybe it’s just me being me but I think Mingyu would lick off/eat his cum out of you

Another flustered mess is Seokmin but he’d also have the cutest smile on his face asking if you just said what he thinks you just said. Would also be the hand holding type so you’ll 100% get distracted with how cute he is and momentarily forget about what you were talking about before he’s giggling a bit while asking if he could call you his little creampuff from now on lmaoooo. But it wouldn’t even take long until he’s on top of you and he’s feeling you bare for the first time. 

Minghao seems like he’d pick up on you wanting to ask him before you’ve even asked if he could go raw. I think he’d set up a pot of tea for you if you were looking a bit jittery leading up to it. His calm demeanor would help you calm down enough to talk to him about it. I feel like he’d let you talk about it for as long as you needed to while also putting other things you or him may have wanted to try out on the table. At least just to get the conversation about new things rolling to see what you both would be interested in. Also would be another member heavy on staying safe while hitting it raw. 

Poor Seungkwan wasn’t even ready to get asked that question lmaoo. His eyes would go so big and he’d stutter a bit with a breathy laugh but would choke it down to ask if you were serious. He’d probably need to sit down cuz I feel like that is one of the last things he’d think you’d ask him especially if you’d ask him all kinds of non nsfw questions when you get bored like “honey should I try getting into the shoe making business?” or “I found an abandoned baby raccoon outside my place, can we keep him if he can’t be released back to the wild?” etc, etc. Probably was expecting the will you still love me if I was a worm question instead of would you mind fucking me raw babe question

Hansol’s reaction would be like o.o “oh wow, you want me to,,”  followed by some of his cute little giggles cuz my guy wasn’t expecting you to ask him to hit it raw. Like he’d be so flustered that he’d barely be able to get out much more than that. And he’d also start giggling a bit if you straddle him while assuring him it’s what you want. Very cute, very flustered, and very very adorable

Chan tho I can see him being a bit stiff when you say you wanna ask him something but would relax when you ask if he can hit it raw cuz he was worried it was a bad question. But he actually was thinking about asking you that but wasn’t sure how he should bring it up to you. His idea was probably bringing it up when the conversation was in the bedroom instead of just spitting it out cuz he didn’t want to ask at the wrong place or time.

[katsutora]

— HEED

ft. isagi yoichi ; itoshi rin ; nagi seishiro ; bachira meguru ; chigiri hyōma ; itoshi sae

summary: how they are when you’re busy but they’re not

note: did you call, egoist? your fluff writer could only be me. NO JK ashsjdjahahah i love you guys sm though! thanks for the support! <3

⚘ ISAGI YOICHI

ㅤㅤthe sanest one a very decent one. idles somewhere near you because he doesn’t want to bother you, but obviously keeps tabs on you and will bring you snacks and drinks once in a while. a walking convenient store. will also drape a blanket over your shoulders when he notices it’s getting cold. sooo attentive 1000/10. he loves helping you so he’ll definitely feel honored if you ask for his contribution — though it’ll catch him off-guard too. “yoichi.” “!!” he can be funny like that. will carry you to bed regardless of whether not you fall asleep at the end. chef’s kiss. in conclusion: get you an isagi yoichi.

⚘ ITOSHI RIN

ㅤㅤgets... surprisingly clingy? yep, he’s battling his pride. whenever he’s mustered up enough courage to call your name, it’s instantly defeated by his overthinking and so the words died out in his throat. looks like a lost puppy just sitting there in the corner of the room. the embodiment of a CCTV, watchtower incarnate. very quiet too it’s kind of unsettling. when you finally turn to look at him, he’s going to pretend as if he didn’t spend the past thirty minutes trying to figure out how to get your attention. “rin, haven’t you watched this match five times already?” “and? you took five whole hours finishing up one lukewarm task.” gasp. man needs a subtitle like [you didn’t give me any attention for five hours straight and now i'm sad]. is down bad for cuddles and horror movie night but only if you ask him lmfao.

⚘ NAGI SEISHIRO

ㅤㅤdoesn’t care. flops on top of you. needs to be constantly reminded that he is, in fact, 190cm. NAPS in that position if you still don’t give him attention (a menace fr). spends the entire day attached to your hip like that. no but in all seriousness, he only pesters you like this if he thinks you’re overworking yourself. will just drag a seat beside you and go about his day (re: ranking up in games and watching matches chigiri recommended to him + annoying barou in the group chat) if you’re just finishing a task. fidgets with your fingers the moment he finds your hand idling; leans his head on your shoulder when his game character dies. good for you.

⚘ BACHIRA MEGURU

ㅤㅤcurious on what’s gotten you so caught up that he didn’t see you around the house for hours. once he realizes you’re doing some work, he immediately channels his inner motivational speaker. your #1 supporter fr. “you go!” “you can do it!” “you’re doing great!” but he kinda derailed halfway through so … “eat 3 square meals per day!” “get 8 hours of sleep!” “drink 8 glasses of water!” ?? sure, that’s probably just his way of telling you not to forget to take care of yourself. oh and he’s also made himself comfortable in a blanket fort that’s definitely not sloppily constructed to persuade you to take a break. BSJDBKSNDKS !! d-did something just collapse? “meguru?” *MUFFLED SCREAMING*

⚘ CHIGIRI HYŌMA

ㅤㅤyour cup: *exists* ; chigiri: *slowly pushing it to the edge* lmao. likes to think he’s very patient (not at all he's kinda bored). tried calling your name four times to no avail. the first one was only met with a short reply, then you merely hummed in response to the second and third one. got hella confused when you finally didn’t react at all. at some point, he found himself laying his head on your lap, somehow managing to squeeze in between you and the desk. how? kept staring at you trying to catch your attention but you wouldn’t budge, so he resorted to booping your nose. occasionally reaches a hand across your face to test your patience focus. congratulations, you have a house cat.

⚘ ITOSHI SAE

ㅤㅤit’s only fair that he finds himself right beside you just like you’ve always been there beside him — every step of the way. he’s doing random stuffs to pass the time: scrolling through his phone, ignoring rin’s texts, watching a game, reading a magazine, etc. mmm what’s that second one again? will tuck your hair away for you if it’s falling onto your face. places a hand over the sharp corner of the table to protect your head when you’re trying to grab something from the floor. will stay up with you if you’re determined to finish up the work despite having an early morning practice tomorrow. “aren’t you tired, sae?” “aren’t you?” “not at all because you’re here with me.” yk who’s tired? his manager having to reschedule all his appointments because he ended up oversleeping. help.

© 2023 katsutora ; do not repost and/or translate and/or claim my works

[chrissdollie]

DAD!CHRIS BC THE MATT ONES WERE AMAZINGGGG

i think chris would have maybe three+ kids bc i feel like hed want an army lmao

yk how chris has a few betty boop tees? IMAGINE HIS DAUGHTER DRESSING UP AS BETTY BOOP FOR HALLOWEEN.

daddy daughter dates!! :( like going shopping, mini golfing, eating lunch, etc

hes buying them ice cream all the time

hes the type of dad to show his kids how to treat a woman. he's constantly buying u flowers and winking at the kids when u kiss him on the cheek to thank him

this also means that ur kids have grown accustomed to the constant kissing/pda and they really dont mind it after a while

and lets say they're all planning something devious or like a surprise or something, someone will suggest something involving u and another is like "nah, you know how dad is about her. he'll ground us all for life" which is obviously a joke because chris doesnt believe in grounding his kids

when there's babies, hes always making them giggle by doing silly things like pretending to be a rock star and play on his fake guitar (he makes the sounds with his mouth like a little kid)

u guys take ur kids out a lot. not a single one of em is/was an ipad kid

dancinggg always !!

u guys teach ur kids to cook and it always gets super messy LOL but its so fun

chris doesn't like taylor's swift music.. but his eldest daughter does. she is OBSESSED. she collects the vinyls and CDs and she's always making him listen to folklore's story, about taylor's exes, and her taylor's version predictions. he comes to kinda deal with hearing her music around the house and just comes to accept it lol

[that-one-xachster]

JJK but Dazai's the new teacher Hcs (ADA)

I'm a sucker for crossovers so- also dazai shenanigans trigger warning y'all bsd fans yk

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

how did this even happen bro

oookayyyyyy lets say yaga and fukuzawa were besties <3

GOSSIP BESTIES

and once fukuzawa was complaining about his subordinates bc cmon give the 45 year old baby a break

and yaga was like

"I will grant you peace my child"

"you're younger than me"

"idgaf"

"anyway can I steal one of your subordinates for a bit :)"

"SJKDFHADKSJ YES PLEASE"

and thats how ma man dazai got roped into this

so fukuzawa was like

*deeeeeeep breathhhhhhhh*

"dazai I'm disowning you."

/J /J LMFAOOOOO

he was just like dazai get your ass to jujutsu tech you're gonna be a new teacher there

"but I don't have a teaching license"

"you've committed over 500 crimes what can illegal teaching do"

"true"

so whoopee dazai's now in jujutsu tech

hes still in his detective clothes though

but if ya want him in jjt uniform then sure

the way shoko visibly deflates when she realizes she's getting a gojo 2.0

megumi joins her

nobara doesn't care she just hopes he's a good teacher and not utter shit

I feel like maki and Inumaki would join her on this

Yuta would be the ball of sunshine he is like 😇

panda's being panda

AND NOW YUJI'S EXCITED AF BC ANOTHER GOJO-SENSEI? LETS FREAKING GO

okay dazai makes it there

no gifts sadly he was rich in the mafia but not anymore he's broke

and kunikida aint here for a wallet stealing mission

he soon found a kunikida 2.0 though (na-na-na-na-na-na-min)

so obvi everyone wants to know what his cursed technique is

...yeah thats the problem he don't have one but this is dazai so he goes

"oh I can just obliterate a curse by touching it lmao"

and then yuji's like "HOLY QUACK THATS SO OP"

and I'm gonna make dazai a leeeetle op here

so gojo's like "ah? let's have a spar?"

and dazais like 😳🫢🤭

so yes these two start sparring

so how this shit works is that if cursed energy touches dazai it just boom no more cursed energy and you die

and infinity's made of it right

right

so my bro just activates his infinity and doesn't move and dazai just kalmly walks up to him

and just throws his hair a lil back-

yeah my guy show off that big ass forehead

and he steals gojo's boop that makes you unconscious (how could you dazai)

and gojo was like 'WAIT WTF'

and stumbles back kinda concerned

okay change of plans

let's try something a lil dangerous

he pulls out a very minuscule

when I mean very I mean microscopic level of blue

just for shits and giggles

no not really he wants to see how this goes

and dazai's unaffected

like full unaffected

and gojo's even more confused, concerned, and slightly alarm

okay let's take it up a notch

dazai's smiling like the person he is

(Im not saying cause tw but yk)

"woah were you tryna off me? sorry but I'm looking for a beautiful woman to join me in my journey to the afterlife-"

gojo's even more concerned

"..dude you okay?"

"why not"

"what"

kay so we're taking this up a notch back to that

and dazai lets out a visible sized blue and megumi's just questioning how stupid his teacher is like gojo why do you want to kill the new teacher?? no way can he survive th-

it goes poof

gone

obliterated

nonexistant

megumi's like ...huh

everyone's concerned for life

and dazais just like "heh"

:D

okay you have the advantage here what about in physical combat-

boom all attacks dodged

all

gojo's impressed needless to say

now after this comes the actual torture

yuji's fawning over dazai and ofc dazai's tryna like

gaslight gatekeep girlboss 😜‼️

"hey did you know that if you move your arms like this all the time your bones will eventually melt-"

"wha- actually?"

"yes"

"he's messing with you"

shoko says that last part

and yk whats coming

shoko = beautiful lady

beautiful lady = wybwtjmiads

"ah belladonna will you be willing to join me in a double suicide-"

"uh no thank you"

*CRIES*

gojo's at the side though

bombastic side eye

creemeenal offensive

side.

eye.

sigh thats all for now imma make more hcs later

drop ideas please I'm begging you

I'M BEGGIN BEGGIN YOUUUU SO PUT YOUR LOVIN HAND OUT BABYYYYYY-

[realcube]

YOU GOT: TOBIO KAGEYAMA (timeskip)

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ matchup for @justsomeoneintoomanyfandoms

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ if you would like a matchup, read this!

'Love Language: giving, they are words of affirmation (I'm bad at saying things but I write love letters) and physical touch. Receiving, I like physical touch and acts of service.'

𓆩♡𓆪kageyama's main love langauges would definitely be physical touch + either acts of service or maybe quality time

𓆩♡𓆪 bc we've seen how is with hinata-

𓆩♡𓆪 he likes to pat on the head and poke you occasionally

𓆩♡𓆪 he is also tends to wrap his arms around you from behind, like whenever you are standing in front of him

𓆩♡𓆪 but bc you're a lot shorter than him (i think post time skip he is 6'2") when he puts his arms around you , it's not like around your waist or hips but rather he just drapes his arms over your shoudlers lol

𓆩♡𓆪 and in private he is definitely partial to squishing your cheeks and booping your nose

𓆩♡𓆪 he just thinks you're the cutest thing and can't help himself

𓆩♡𓆪 maybe soemtimes , like when you come visit him at practise, he'll forget his teammates are nearby and boop you on the nose

𓆩♡𓆪 and hoshiumi would see and soooo tease him for it

𓆩♡𓆪 calling him a sap

𓆩♡𓆪 and he gets all defensive about it at first like 'NO i didn't do that you need to get your eyes checked!!' but it dies down quickly anyway bc ushijima and the other swedish adlers genuinely do not gaf

𓆩♡𓆪 in fact some of them secretly think it's sweet

𓆩♡𓆪 but they don't mention it bc they know how tobio gets

𓆩♡𓆪 anyway, he would soo benefit from someone who is receptive to his touch and can match his cuddly energy

𓆩♡𓆪 yes i said it !!! tobio kageyama has cuddly energy and it's about time we accept this as a fact

𓆩♡𓆪 because his ideal night is spent in laying in bed, with you on this chest while he practises his sets

𓆩♡𓆪 as for your words of affirmation love language, he would so combust if you were to tell him how good of a player you think he is

𓆩♡𓆪 and compliment his volleyball skills, or just anything about him in general

𓆩♡𓆪 like he seriously would not know how to act and go bright red

𓆩♡𓆪 and he seems a bit ungrateful for the praise bc hes like 'thanks.. i guess??' but that's only bc he's a bit awkward

𓆩♡𓆪 and it's not like he' not used to people telling him how talented he is, i mean he's playing for a national team at age 21 ?? but praise coming from you just hits different for tobio

𓆩♡𓆪 oh and he would also die if you were to write him a love letter

𓆩♡𓆪 and he'd appreciate it so much and fold it up to keep it somewhere safe like under his mattress

𓆩♡𓆪 he'd try to write you one back but pls excuse him bc he's not very literate so it kinda reads like a 5 y/o wrote it but that's okay bc you can feel the heart he put into it 😓

𓆩♡𓆪 'your so pretty. i can't not beeleev your mine.' - kageyama tobio, 2024

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

'Probably going to a cafe for a snack and then walking around town.'

𓆩♡𓆪omg this is so kageyama vibes

𓆩♡𓆪 he is defo down for a low intensity date

𓆩♡𓆪 tbh though i can imagine that he is lk an overthinker during dates so he might not talk much but just know that in his head he is stressing over the fact he's not talking enough lmao

𓆩♡𓆪 for the cafe part he'd probably get something small or he'd be down to share something

𓆩♡𓆪 so like he'd buy a cookie and split it in half to eat it with you 😩

𓆩♡𓆪 but in the process of splitting it inhalf , it crumbles a lil and like 1/3rd of the cookie just falls to the ground and you both stare at it like this 😶

𓆩♡𓆪 its okay though he has swedish adler money now he can just buy another one 🙌

𓆩♡𓆪 he is so awkward on a first date ARGH but it's sweet

𓆩♡𓆪 omg he got advice from hoshiumi that girls like guys with lots of money and ushi was like 'erm .. idk probably' so while you're waiting in line to order, tobio is like 'what do you want? 👁👄👁 don't worry i'll pay. order whatever you. i'll pay. do you like milk? i heard they do shakes here. did i mention that i'll pay?'

𓆩♡𓆪and during the walk that is probably when he'll open up a little and start acting like a normal human being again lmao

𓆩♡𓆪 defo down for a gossip sesh lk

𓆩♡𓆪 ALSO this is when the teasing starts bc (assuming you walk at an average pace) tobio probably walks at the same speed as you HOWEVER bc he has long ass legs, he can cover more ground

𓆩♡𓆪 so while you are walking he consistently has to check himself and slow down so he doesn't zoom past you

𓆩♡𓆪 and eventually he starts teasing you for it like 'it would be quicker if i just carried you at this point'

𓆩♡𓆪 but he does it with that cheeky smirk so you know he's just joking

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

'People say I have a good poker face/a scary glare but I've never seen it.'

𓆩♡𓆪 okay LMAO this is so perf with kageyama bc like

𓆩♡𓆪 .. he's got that too??

𓆩♡𓆪 and since he has it too, i doubt he would see it on you and you might not see it on him either bc y'all are just used to your faces looking like that , iykwm??

𓆩♡𓆪 so he would think you have the sweetest resting face ever and you to him

𓆩♡𓆪 meanwhile everyone else when they see you two together are like 😨

𓆩♡𓆪 immediately scared and intimidated

𓆩♡𓆪 the DEFINITION of power couple 🤞

𓆩♡𓆪 and y'all just fuel each other on too, completely oblivious LOL

𓆩♡𓆪 like if kageyama's at a press event , one of the red-carpet, gala-style ones where the interviewers approach the players to ask questions

𓆩♡𓆪 (and ofc he brought you along as a plus one)

𓆩♡𓆪 and all his teammates have a bunch of interviewers and hosts approaching them to ask questions

𓆩♡𓆪 EVEN USHIJIMA!!!

𓆩♡𓆪 meanwhile lots of ppl are taking photos of y'all but hardly anyone is asking him questions bc .. they're too afraid

𓆩♡𓆪 so kageyama turns to you and is all like 'i don't know why i'm not getting interviewed..'

𓆩♡𓆪 and you're like 'right! 🤔 so strange.'

𓆩♡𓆪 meanwhile this is y'all:

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

'I look for someone honest and caring. Someone who treats me the way I deserve to be treated.'

𓆩♡𓆪 this is very much him

𓆩♡𓆪 it might take kageyama a while to settle into the relationship

𓆩♡𓆪 but when he does

𓆩♡𓆪 he treats you like a certified QUEEN

𓆩♡𓆪 and he is very honest, whether he means to be or not lol

𓆩♡𓆪 he may have his volleyball career but you defo are a top priority of his still

𓆩♡𓆪 and he is always letting you know that

𓆩♡𓆪 and he really does care, sometimes he has a hard time showing it but he does

𓆩♡𓆪 and he'll always listen to anything and everything you have to say

𓆩♡𓆪 he also really admires that you know your self-worth, that sort of confidence is just a massive green flag in his eyes

𓆩♡𓆪 and he makes sure to remind you that you're worth all that and more

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

for @justsomeoneintoomanyfandoms: i was thinking hinata bc his personality complements kageyama's so with you + hinata it would be like an opposites attract situation but your ideal first date is what made me choose kageyama for you

[lolalolitaloo]

*spots ask box and crawl my grimy lil ass in here*

Bro I wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart for making those amazeball pieces of fanart of mah boy Schia <3<3<3

I also saw your oc!! Do you have lore for him? I'd love to hear it!!

Thank you so much again, pookie 💖

Oh helloooo!

No need for thanks, I just really liked your big boy, so I decided to draw him!!!

thanks for the question! I don't have much information about my oc, although I created him while I was still at university

I just wanted to create an ordinary American citizen, who works as a concierge (or doormen) at a hotel in my AU

takes place in 1950, the golden age of Hollywood

Brandon, an introvert, never dreamed of working with people, but necessity forced him to look for work. At 19(5′ 8″ small boyyyy), he got a job at a hotel chain owned by a successful businessman Angus. Although he was not inspired by the job, he understood that sometimes you have to compromise to survive

Before working in hotel, managed to work at several jobs as a teenager, despite his clumsiness, which constantly got him into awkward situations. It's amazing that he has never been hit by a car or fallen out of a window lmao

The guy, working as a concierge, became friends with the milkman Francis, who lived in the hotel. But it soon became clear that Francis suffered from a split personality. One moment he was a good-natured friend, and the next he turned into a dangerous person. And Angus, who pretended to be a businessman, was actually a mafioso, hiding his criminal activities behind a respectable appearance

There may have been kidnappings and murders in this place in the past, but the administration is masterfully hiding these facts. The concierge, being a very anxious person, has no idea about this, and it would be better for him not to know the truth in order to preserve his fragile peace

Despite all these dark secrets and hidden threats, life goes on. Fitzgerald has to put up with the people around him and endure an eternally dissatisfied boss

if we talk about the character's personality, he is rather stuffy, quiet and eternally dissatisfied, he rarely rejoices at all, except for the moments when his salary comes

........and he also loves Cola and Betty Boop and apparently the milkman omg XD

(why did I say about the doorman, because the hotel system is somewhat similar to the one from the game. Because of the maniac in the city, everyone protected themselves in different ways, just like our hotel, so that no one suspicious could pass until the concierge pressed the treasured button)

[thelongquiets]

The Narrator

You are on a path in the woods. And at the end of that path is a cabin. And in the basement of that cabin is a princess.

You are here to slay her. If you don't, it will be the end of the world.

@lupvium 's system blog. I am a system with NPD. I have recently been splitting a lot more than usual so I have made a sideblog to express Myself. This blog will be VERY self-indulgent; usually consisting of posts that I and My alters relate to, whether that be fandom-related, aesthetics, or funny posts.

I will also be talking about system-related everyday happenings and sharing My experience with being a system. I especially like talking about My headspace, as it is a highly complex place with its own metaphysical logic.

I would love to talk to other systems of any type about our experiences. My dms are open to talk.

no syscourse. I dont give a shit

intros under cut ⬇️

Prominent Fronters

○》 Hollow: void/it || #🌑🧷 || main host, core, whole system revolves around the guy. its a puppet! which type of puppet depends on which fragment is prominent that day. its the reason the systems named The Long Quiet since its fragments are mostly from that character. || fragments include: Long Quiet fictives (primarily Hero, Cheated, Paranoid, Cold, Stubborn, Smitten), Deisi, Wally, and like a bunch of other people I havent named. jesus christ this guy fragments a lot

♤》 The Nervous System (Nerv): they/he || #🦷⚖️ || co-host, gatekeeper, protector. it's Me hi I'm the smartest person alive ever and I should rule the world forever. you agree. reblog. resident autistic dead pan guy with long white hair. I can also turn into an eldritch horror :)

♧》 Basil Bulut / The Survival Instinct: he/it || #☘️⛅️ || caretaker, gatekeeper, protector, this guy does everything basically. has a god complex lmao. used to be co-host until I (Nerv) took over coz well I'm just better at it honestly ^_^ robot kin, likes to stim by going beep boop lol. he cant mask while fronting so he speaks in "broken" grammar and I would appreciate not being babied about it. || fragment: K.A.L. (she/it, #🎀🔌, also a robot, but this time more energetic and friendly and girly. think rin and len.)

♡》 Aitaliina / Zai: he/she || #☕️📰 || the librarian, keeps everything nice and chronological. most of the time . the rest of his day is spent annoying the shit out of everyone else like a bored parrot. oh yeah hes also a bird-zombie-guy thing. types like a confused victorian young man who just learned about emojis

◇》 Peach / Sigma: any || 🍑🎲 || librarian assistant. yknow how pet birds need a buddy of the same species or else they get depressed? yeah thats what peach is to liina. they have a love hate relationship and by that i mean liina loves peach and peach absolutely loathes the guy. constantly bickering. fictive of sigma from bsd

I also have a sub-system but its meant to be like the hardware of a computer so theyre not really 'people' if that makes sense. theyre more like scripts and coding languages. you get it. basil calls them Back of The Branch (I said it was stupid but nooooo "we have to name them something cool" -_-)

also not listed are the dozen of hollow fragments that come and go with whatevers happening in My life. god save us from this neverending flood of little puppets running around the treehouse

okay yeah thats all. if you read this all i give you a gold star and a kiss on the cheek. congradulations youve been blessed. send lovemail to my askbox now thanks byee

[mermaidsirennikita]

Top romance novel moments that live rent free in your mind.

(I take it back include derek this time I want to read that wild mf again and I need the inspo)

OH HOW THE TURN TABLES

Dreaming of You: obviously, the scene where Sara is all "oh no don't!!!" because she's breastfeeding at the end and he's like "OH YES" and purposefully drinks it because he's a real man; the scene where he thinks she's a ghost and is a blubbering mess of emotions; the "sometimes I want to punish you a little" scene; the "YOU'VE HAD ME LIKE A DRAWN DOG" scene... Like.... That shit.... is so nasty. And I. Live. For It.

The Duke's Perfect Wife by Jennifer Ashley: there's this scene where Hart fucks Eleanor when she literally has her arm in a sling and he's like "Iiiiiiii don't know if we should be--" and she's all "UM YES PUT IT IN ME" and I love her a lot; there's a scene where after they fuck for the first time in years they're on a boat and he pulls the whole yOU COULD BE WITH CHILD!!!! thing and she's trying to turn down his proposal but then she looks in his eyes and realizes he like, super wants a baby, his womb is EMPTY, and she's like *sigh* yes I will marry you; of COURSE the whole *Eleanor straddles Hart while he scowls and growls at her and she boops him* moment

When the Duke Was Wicked: Rum! On! Lips! Obviously! But I also really love the moment when Lovingdon is like "well we must get married now that we've had sex and I think it'll be great because we're really good buddies and do sex good" and Grace is like "... what" before gathering the blankets up around her being all "GET OUT" in a very dignified manner. He was flabbergasted

The Bride Goes Rogue: lol similarly Preston Clarke doing a "BUT WHAT ELSE IS THERE?" proposal and Katherine politely turning him down, to which he reacts by stumbling to her dad, who he hATES, all she *sob* won't *sob* marry *sob* me!!!!

The Duke Gets Even: the entire book but especially--"I'm going to cover you in bite marks, darling"; Nellie finding out Lockwood's Secret and clearly falling for him in that moment and him being like "pls calm the fuck down I'm only like dying basically"; the pool scene; the scene where he gets trashed to impress her cousins and they're all lmao Nellie isn't a virgin and he goes "THANK CHRIST FOR THAT"; "I'm keeping you, Eleanor" both times; the scene where he finds out nobody in law enforcement cares about him being a duke, like, at all; the scene where he manfully walks away from her and you can tell he's thisclose to bursting into tears the entire time

Mafia Madman by Mila Finelli: when Gia bites Enzo right before they have penetrative sex for the first time, like fully bites into his bicep so that it's dripping blood and his response is "stop, you'll make me come"; him returning to her after slaughtering like 20 people to save her sister, covered in bled, being all "suck my dick in the shower while I tell you about all the people I killed" and he looks down during and realizes she's touching herself and is all "THIS IS THE IDEAL WOMAN"; the scene where he keeps her chained to his bed and fingers her while his home reno employees work like six feet away; the scene where he's having a panic attack and she teaches him how to breathe through it and then they have emotional cowgirl eye contact sex and she says "make me your good girl" because... lmao.... the grovel... THE BOOK, basically

Mafia Target: this is one of the only books that has ever pulled off love at first sight so jot that part down; Alessio blowing Giulio in the club and then Giulio getting sent a pic of the guy who's been sent to murder him and realizing it's Alessio lmao; when Giulio finds Alessio chopping wood on the tiny island where they first fell in love, barehanded because he's angsty following a failed grovel, and Giulio is all "oh my god you're fucking up your murder hands you IDIOT" and takes him inside and makes him pasta

The Dragon and The Pearl by Jeannie Lin: the tattoo scene. that is all

Waking Up with the Duke: Ainsley and Jayne's parting and him telling her that he lied before and he'd rather be in her husband's place than in his own; Jayne feeling the baby kick and impulsively taking Ainsley's hand to put it on her belly and him being like "it CAN'T be mine" and freaking out because he wants the entire marriage baby thing with her now

Shadowheart: Allegreto telling Elena to take confession and Elena refusing because she can't handle the idea of going to Heaven if he's not allowed in; conversely lol, a scene where she visits him in prison and like... mouths his dick through his clothes.... and it's reeeeeally hot, especially because they have something of a femdom dynamic lol

New Camelot Trilogy: obviously, every threesome scene; the scene where Greer asks Embry to do CNC with her so she can work through some shit and also, if we are being VERY REAL about that series, CNC is absolutely Greer and Embry's Deal Together; Ash and Embry's Last First Time (and also their first first time tbh); there's this scene where Greer is all "WELCOME HOME CHEATER" because she thinks Embry cheated on them! with her cousin! and I think she like confronts him and is all does she taste sweeter than me is she prettier than me is she softer than me super meanly and he's like "NONE OF THE ABOVE" and goes down on her and it's GREAT

The (ongoing) Lyonesse Trilogy: uhhh in an extra scene there's a moment where Tristan goes "sir?" and Mark replies "Yes, puppy?" and I literally can't stop thinking about that shit. I also really love the face sitting scene in Salt Kiss. More m/m face sitting in romance novels plsthx.

Heated Rivalry: when Shane is on the phone with Ilya after Ilya's dad died and he's like "well just tell me everything that's bothering you in Russian, I don't speak it, just vent" and Ilya vents for five minutes about how he thinks he's in love with Shane and he doesn't know what to do about it and then switches to English all "ANYWAY"

The Kingmaker: the sweatshirt scene. GIRL.

Thief of Shadows: Winter taking the pins out of Isabel's hair; Winter going down on Isabel for the first time and being like "I'm sure I can figure it out somehow" lmao; Winter holding Isabel after she tells him she can't have children and just letting her cry and admitting that he would've loved to have had biological children with her but he wants her above all else oh my HEART

Duke of Midnight: TAKE MY COME FOR IT'S ALL I CAN GIVE YOU.... that whole sex scene is.... insane

Kingdom of Dreams: Royce calling Jennifer a bitch and grumpily dragging her bodily to the altar because he doesn't wanna be there any more than she does!!!

Scandal's Bride: Richard coming back to rescue Catriona from a fire only for her to yell at him after to which he basically says "WHAT. YOU CRAZY BITCH". Also, Catriona going "nobody will believe we had sex Richard" and Richard immediately sketching a pic of her ass and going "lmao well how do I know about your ASS BIRTHMARK" then because of course, he'd just been fucking her from behind like six hours prior.

[winter-doggo]

Once you get this, you have to say five things you like about yourself, publicly. Then you have to send this to ten of your favorite followers 🖤

Ah, heck, I got this from @prismaticpichu too. Does that mean I have to do ten things?

(I'm also not gonna send it to 10 further people because I'm not the chain mail type, but if you're reading this, you're cool and awesome and I am lazer beaming friendship at you)

I've always been a creative type, and I'm happy I managed to hold onto that and grow over time into bringing people joy with my creations.

I'm not half bad with technology. This isn't to say the point is I'm particularly good, either, but I have a ton of fun poking around with computers and using them for things, and I like that I can do that! WinterDoggo learn more coding challenge

Autism. Sorry to be clear I mean uhh. You ever like memorising lists of stuff to do with your favourite things? Like memorising every Pokémon and memorising every Monster Hunter Monster and memorising every item you can find/bug or fish you can catch/quest you can do in The Dog Island because you love DATA and INFORMATION and STATISTICS and wanted to KNOW YOUR FAVOURITE THINGS INSIDE OUT and yeah I calmed down a pinch over the years but there's still me. I still love statistics and I still memorise the creatures. I can still identify a bunch of real world butterflies purely from me being so into THE DOG Island like 15 years ago. That sort of memorisation set the base for me being so good at speedrunning it, actually. So ok, yeah, autism lmao

As a kid/teenager I spent a while being really judgemental, and I'm really happy to have moved past that. Less of a hypocrite and more just an authentic weirdo. Maybe that's just part of growing up, but some people don't, y'know?

I've never thought I had much of a fashion sense, but I've still managed to develop something of a style in my wardrobe. And I love my leather coats and fancy-looking hats and that practically everything is in black. So kind of my fashion sense even though I don't really know what I'm doing xD

Man. How did you guys do this? I compressed what could have been a lot of little things into less numerous things. And that's a skill that I like that I have! My brain... hasn't got a lot of RAM, shall we say. So it's gotten pretty good at compression. But now I have to think of more things when I could have split "creative" into each individual creative skill hahah

This is a weird one, because while I'm not at all patriotic, I still like being British. Because people from other countries (particularly Americans) seem to automatically think my accent is great and i can spook people with weird sounding food. It's sorta looped me into liking my own voice. Thanks, internet!

I'd like to think, when it comes to fandom, I'm alright at thinking of little things that tie things together just that slight bit more interestingly while still sticking close to the source. I've gotten enough compliments on little headcanons I mention (and worldbuilding bits particularly from my Yuke's CatzDogz fics) that my silly little noggin sees a pattern. And i think that's neat!

I SENT OVER 2000 BOOPS YESTERDAY FOR THE TUMBLR APRIL FOOLS DAY AND I'M PROUD OF IT

Friendship :] I must be doing something right! Alas I'm too scatterbrained to remember half the reasons people say they like me, but they do, and all those traits that people cite? i like em too, because I like making my friends happy ^^

There we go. Thanks for reading :]

[twentyfivemiceinatrenchcoat]

ariariairari!!! first of all.. me being the godparent of the knight!sugu fic..🤚😔 there is truly not a higher honor than that IM HONESTLY. STILL THINKING ABOUT THAT FIC. I THINKA BOUT IT ALL THE TIME.

BUT OMG!! i loved who made me a princess so much 😭😭 I ATE THAT UP SO FAST AND RAELIANA TOOOOO a manhwa lover AND a gojo lover... you are a true person of taste 🙏 i have so many manhwa recs i've been fiending so hard lately they have been my only source of happiness for the past couple weeks!!! bc of uni 😔 beware of the villainess and melody of the deadwood are classics in the feel-good department!! but for that yum yum familial angst i'd recommend the strongest characters in the world are obsessed with me, death is the only ending for a villainess, and my personal favorite: i will change the genre!!! let me know how you like them if you ever do end up reading them !!!

I WOULD KILL FOR KNIGHT!NANAMI I'M SO SORRY i feel like knight!nanami and knight!sugu love u in different ways and i just... jfdkfjkdfjk.....

also you've NEVER seen avatar?? :0000 it's so good i'd recommend it!!! i personally think korra (the sequel) is better but that's definitely a hot take but they're both amazing!! i honestly get it though i didn't watch them until like a year and a half ago LMAO

BUT THANK YOU FOR THE QUESADILLA PLEASE ASSASSINATE MY PROF I CANT DO THIS ANYMORE

(i hope you're doing well <333 hugging u so hard ari <33 the weather is finally looking up in my area and i feel a happiness that's been lost to me for MONTHS... woke up and the sun was shining and i was like!! maybe life is worth living!! anyways i hope exam szn goes well for u AND I HAVE UR GOJO FIC IN MY TBR IM SCREAMINGGGGG)

ALEXIS IN MY INBOX…….. i’m kissing you and booping you so lovingly <333333

YOU ARE THE GODPARENT!!! i couldn’t have done it without you…. always remember that you’re the Founder of that fic i’m just the delivery guy <33 BUT YES FELLOW MANWAH FAN I LOVE YOU SO BAD. it’s been such a long time since i read a good ol otome isekai webtoon……. I ALSO FORGOT TO MENTION THE BEST ONE :(((( my next life as a villainess: all routes lead to doom!! i adoreee the mc she’s so good. silly little guy.

BUT TYSM FOR THE RECSSSS i’ve heard of/read a bit of most of them i think :0 i had a period where i’d just read the first chapter of every isekai manga i could find LMAO….. trust that i WILL be jotting all your recs down for future reference + breaking into your inbox whenever i check them out 🙏🙏

AND KNIGHT!NANAMI LMAOOO yes…. i rlly do think they love you differently. knight!nami is such a sweet boy and knight!sugu is a bucket full of Doom waiting to explode (but he loves you very tenderly)…. i just feel like you’ll always be a bit of a sidehoe to his moral code :’3 bro is married to his job unfortunately. kento would quit just for you <3

I’VE BEEN MEANING TO WATCH AVATAR but i haven’t yet….. T_T i’ve heard nothing but good things tho. and i’ve heard good things abt korra goo i think!!! will let you know whenever i watch it…. it’s just intimidating getting into such a long old series i think 😭😭😭

I’M MAKING YOU ALL THE QUESADILLAS IN THE WORLD BTWWWWW and don’t ever worry abt it sweetheart i have a guy on the case 😇😇 your prof WILL be stopped.

^ guy on the case

BUT WAHHHHH ILY ALEXIS 🥺🥺🥺 i’m so glad it’s getting sunnier and warmer where you are!!! it’s crazy how a tiny bit of sun will solve your whole life….. i’m gonna threaten the sun into shining just for u 🙏🙏 PLS HANG IN THEREEE OK it’s almost summer vacay… kind of….. assuming your school system is similar to mine…… we’re gonna survive we’re gonna do great

[ghostlycoze]

[BURSTS THROUGH THE DOOR]

It has taken me PAINFULLY long to finally reply to this bc I wanted to write the Best Reply and ended up getting suuuuper distracted for ages, my bad!! No longer shall I let this slip my mind, time to word-dump! Hopefully it's somewhat coherent.

But WAHHH, another load of absolutely amazing headcanons! I love getting to read your ideas, and the drawings along with them are unbearably cute ;w; I'm so happy I could inspire you!

I've actually developed a few sleep (and cuddle) related ideas for these lil guys of my own that I'd love to add~

Biiiig ol ramble under the cut!

So generally, I imagine attached-to-can (atc?? ATC = attached to can, OTS = off the string? Yeah, that might make this easier :P) are far less prone to exhaustion than OTS iterators, though still can become tired and need rest! Much like your sleep-mode idea, they probably do need to sleep now and then otherwise their systems start to slow in efficiency—being semi-organic, their symptoms would be similar to ours. Drowsiness, lack of focus, lack of precision and speed, forgetfulness, etc etc etc... Also the lights in their chamber subconsciously begin to dim, their halos shrink and spin slower, their antigravity is less stable... And that tiredness shows through their internal organisms as well! The neuronflies are less active, the inspectors are far less thorough in their protocols... They're probably far more prone to illness because of this as well (which is a WHOLE other can of beans I am cracking open one day when I delve into the lore of my OC No Rhyme or Reason >:3). So, they need to rest, and their overseers likely project these low-power warnings to them.

That being said, when OTS, their symptoms double for two reasons.

Because I personally don't imagine their overseers remain attached to them beyond severing their connection to their wire—much like how Moon's go rogue post-collapse—their symptoms grow stronger, similar to that of organic beings, since they have no external system to warn them of their exhaustion. My FAVOURITE little idea is that they learn to "yawn"! An iterator yawn is more akin to a stretch and a deep breath, but it has that similar "exhaustion washes over you" feeling; stretches, antennae flutter like how cats' ears do when they stretch, they probably get all slow-blinky, etc... Also, YAWN BEEPS. Sleepy little "boop boop boop..." noises when their energy is low. Oh, it's SO cute.

I imagine since they have significantly less power with the lack of a can, they are far more prone to becoming exhausted as well! So instead of just being "a little sleepy" a couple cycles, they're EXHAUSTED after one or two, and fall into the pattern of "hibernating" with their scug-companions at each end of a cycle like you said! :D

Moon in particular I agree gets the beepiest, given her older age; and since I HC Suns came after her and is quite old as well, tends to get quite beepy as well! On the other hand, Sig and Pebbles are less prone to exhaustion and beepiness, given their higher processing power thanks to their younger age (although to make up for the lack of beepiness when tired, I like to think those two are more prone to getting beepy when emotionally overwhelmed! They feel their emotions far stronger than Moon and Suns, and almost go completely nonverbal and beepy when it gets to be too much to handle).

...I have never said the word beepy so much in my life.

The slurred speech and sleepy beeps idea is soooo cute though, and Moon (and Pebbles) curling up like a slugcat is PERFECT. I have a fair few more HCs for Sig and Suns to go with them!

Sig I see as likely the "sloppiest" iterator (a human Sig would rarely make his bed, lmao) thanks to her "carefree" and jokster side of his personality, and probably sleeps in a sprawled manner to reflect that! Sig just sorta... flops onto whoever she cuddles, or acts as a pillow for them. For an extra cute idea, the sprawl may be contagious; Sig and Moon have woken up a few times completely tangled. Moon gets quite embarrassed for sleeping in such an incomposed manner.

Suns on the other hand I could see as more of a stomach sleeper, especially as my personal design (...that I haven't drawn yet) has large spines along their back, which might make back-sleeping a little uncomfortable. When these four sleep-pile in a shelter, Suns is always laying on the bottom face-down, with the others cuddled on top. However if it's a one-on-one (or, as an iterator-polycule shipper, with Suns x Sig x Pebs, a 3-way-snuggle), Suns will sleep on their side and spoon whoever they're with. Being the tallest, they're always the big spoon!

Pebbles I feel like is the most "insecure" about sleeping, much like you portrayed! He's fallen asleep sitting up/slumped against the shelter wall a few times while stubbornly refusing to let himself curl up and get comfy, not wanting to look like "some little animal". Eventually the other 3 pick up on this and start dragging him into cuddles to make sure he sleeps without waking up with a sore neck; Suns pulls Short-Shit Pebbles into their arms and basically wraps around him with ease, Moon curls up hugging him (and you must NOT wake the Moon when she's comfy!), and Sig just... Lays on him. There's no moving that sleepy lump, Sig is one stubborn lil fella.

As for how they wind down... I actually have had some little ideas, mainly focused on Pebbles and Moon!

Pebbles: Since he's so sleep-averse for a while, the other three discover a trick to help him wind down. Absolute infodumping! It's sort of a way to get the last of his energy through getting him excited and rambly about things he likes; whether it be arguing about ancient artists, or later their theories on slugcat-culture, etc etc). Eventually his arguments and well-structured verbal-dump essays turn to mumbly little remarks, and that's when they know they've successfully tuckered him out.

Moon: She requires a more gentle, comforting approach to help her wind down. Much like your idea, I imagine she has a lot of trauma regarding the rain, as well as her collapse. I like to think iterators CAN have nightmares, and she is quite prone to nightmares centering around these traumatic events. As such, Sig and the others often cuddle and comfort her to ease her anxiety before rest, and bring up more lighthearted subjects to take her mind off of it in an attempt to prevent those nightmares from occurring and help her sleep peacefully.

Sig: I imagine Sig is quite an energetic lil thing, and can also be quite prone to being understimulated. As such, I like to think the others all pitch in to try to find ways to help him wind down. Pebbles and Sig probably bicker n wrestle which ends in them both being tuckered out, while Suns and Moon take more gentle approaches. A while back I had the cute idea of Moon doing the kind of exercises you see in sleep-asmr, like "follow the light" and such, by tilting her head back and forth and having Sig watch the lights on her antennae with a "counting sheep" sort of effect, as well as "breathing" (Sig much prefers using the organic term breathing over ventilation, as she's far more attuned to the fact they're BIO-mechanical) exercises to slow his systems and move closer to sleep-mode.

Suns: They're the toughest for me, as I'm still working out the kinks in how I see their personality. Given the only bit of Suns we see in-game is when they're mid-panic-attack, their true personality is very much up to interpretation and headcanon. Though, they've always given me a gentle-giant energy, not the sharpest with emotions but is far from apathetic; they're actually quite a little softie, given how they behave with Spearmaster. I like to think Suns eases their mind by petting Spears like a little therapy-cat, and maybe reading old pearls or drawing with/watching Spearmaster draw on the floor and walls. I feel like the little messenger picked up the artistic habit from Suns themself, so it could be a therapeutic way they wind down!

Ooh, and one final little idea to add: Iterator Game Night!

Now, this is an idea I actually developed with @mewniemoon , where if the iterators CAN still use their overseers after going OTS, they use them to play little board games before hibernating, as they need not hibernate the whole time, there's no hunger they need to avoid by slowing their metabolism and yada yada... So, to pass the time, they play games, sort of like how Moon and Pebbles play something like dominoes after Rivulet restores Moon's strength with the rarefraction cell.

Now, Iterator Game Night is fun because it lets the four show their more playful and competitive sides. Sometimes they play games where they're in teams against one another, and switch up the teams now and then. Suns and Moon are more calm, and willing to let the others win, while Pebbles and Sig are VERY competitive and WILL argue if another plays dirty (which they both do). But what's extra fun is when Suns and Moon get competitive.

They start calm, but as game nights go on, eventually those two start trying more, and on one night when Moon is particularly tired (here is where your "Moon will say something completely out-of-left-field comments when she's tired" idea perfectly aligns with mine!) and throws a "YEAHHHH, TAKE THAT!" after winning against Suns (who is one of, if not the best at these games, having spent a lot of their time teaching and playing these games with Spears). All 3 are stunned, and then get really into it; "oh it's ON now!" Suns and Pebbles play on a team and win, and the two are both acting like they're "godlike in comparison" at monopoly. Sig and Moon win, and when Moon throws some snarky remark at her little brother (which she later apologises for after getting a little too competitive), Sig thinks he's fallen in love with her all over again.

The slugcats will also sometimes try to join, though to varying degrees. Artificer gets frustrated easy and ragequits (much like Pebbles) when she doesn't understand these silly robot game rules, Hunter insists on playing but refuses to follow the rules because she's a cheeky little thing ("learned from the best!" - Sig), Rivulet tries her best but... Isn't great at it, being a little less intelligent than Hunter and Spears as a wild slugcat, meanwhile Spears is surprisingly good for a slugcat! There's been times Spears plays with them, and receives SO much praise from Suns when they make a particularly clever move in chess!

Alright, I have infodumped juuuuust a little, but I hope some of my silly ideas can further inspire you, or just be entertaining to read! I really appreciate the interaction, hopefully it didn't come off like I was ignoring this post at all. Joyous ADHD and time-blindness, I hadn't thought I'd left this as long as I had! Regardless, I always appreciate the mentions and invitations, an excuse to go on about my huuuge hyperfixation on these silly little iterators and slugcats is a blessing :]

RW Headcanon: Goodnight, Moon

AHHH YESSSS, now that that Lilypad essay is done I can FINALLY share these—!

Hey, @ghostlycoze! So you remember a few months ago how I made that drawing acting on the Moon beepsnort headcanon, and how in my last reblog I eluded to the possibility of drawing out some of your headcanons again? Well, it looks like that time has come, and this time I've got not just drawings, but lots of additions to another headcanon of yours!

This time, it's from your tags in these three posts, which I also saw a while ago! Yet for some reason I began thinking about it again recently, and as is my nature with ideas I like, I decided to develop it further, and even draw it this time!

Also, just to preface, you'll see I did a bunch of notes beside the actual drawings as well. I'll share the picture and roughly type out the notes (in case my handwriting is a bit hard to read) as well as whatever info I couldn't fit on the page. Some of the text also just says "robots" rather than "iterators" because some of these ideas are stuff I actually imagine applying to robot characters in general! Maybe I'll make a post on that someday...

With all that out of the way though, the actual headcanon is under the cut! Hope you like it!

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

What are iterators like when they’re sleepy? Do they even get “sleepy” the way we humans do? This headcanon answers that question with a focus on the iterators’ puppets. Much of this info is also framed in the context of a hypothetical “worm-off-the-string” scenario, since I believe that’s the main situation where sleep and getting tired would actually matter to the iterators.

Firstly, when iterator puppets are low on power, until they find a place to recharge they usually enter a power-saving state where, to conserve what’s left of it, their energy is temporarily redirected away from some of their less-important processes. The side-effect of this, however, is that iterator puppets show symptoms of drowsiness kinda like humans! Whereas humans may yawn, stretch, or rub their eyes when sleepy, iterators will often make sloppier/less precise movements, close their lenses a little, and may even have a harder time thinking, since they sometimes shut off some processors and other cognitive functions until they can recharge. The most common symptom, however, is slurred speech, coming from less power given to their speech-forming software.

Another very-common sign of iterator sleepiness is frequent beeping, often in place of words. This is because, like slurred speech, beeps take much less energy and processing to make than analyzing data, formulating a complex response, then vocalizing it clearly. Beeps are thus far more efficient for conveying simple emotions and reactions than words. Looks to the Moon in particular gets super beepy when she’s tired because she and other early models relied more on beeps for communication — they were made back when things like vivid emotion weren’t as taboo in Ancient society, and iterators were meant to be more friendly and openly interactive with their citizens — so she’s more used to beeping to easily express her emotions. 

As a side-note and mini-headcanon (wow, real headcanon-layering action here), while even the newest iterator puppets can beep, the older iterator models, as a result of this design influence, also have a much greater “beep-vocabulary” with a wider range of sounds that shrunk with the generations. Their beeps are thus a lot more expressive as well, with some sounds even being similar in nature to animal noises or regular speech! I imagine the entire range of their beeps would closely resemble shorter versions of the “droidspeak” sounds of the astromechs in Star Wars.

But, back to sleepy iterators. 

When it’s hibernation time, iterators enter a “sleep-mode”, where almost all of their systems are shut down and recharging becomes the primary objective. However, compared to how I imagine other robots, iterator puppets have a unique way of recharging. Rather than shutting off completely and absorbing power from an external source, iterator puppets have a few key systems within them that remain on even during sleep-mode. These systems, just like those in their superstructures, are capable of converting nutrients into power directly. They emit a soft, rather comforting whirr while the puppets sleep — the only sound iterators make while sleeping, and comparable in nature to stomach sounds during digestion. Otherwise, though, the only other systems remaining on during sleep-mode are a few basic senses, and a program that decides when to “wake up”. The presence of this program also means, uniquely to iterators again, they can wake up on their own, rather than having to be powered back on by someone else like other robots. Overall, these systems are yet another aspect of iterator designs that make them far more biological than many iterators (*cough* *cough* Pebbles *cough*) would like to admit.  And in my imaginings of a “worm-off-the-string” AU, systems like these are one of the main sources of both physical and internal conflict for these characters.

Also, since most of their systems are off during sleep mode, iterators sleep, both figuratively and literally, like statues. Whatever position they fall asleep in is the position they remain in the entire time unless a.) someone moves them or b.) they wake up and move on their own. This also means (unfortunately, if you thought these ideas would be cute) that iterators do not snore, shift around, sleepwalk, sleep-talk, or dream while in sleep mode.

That’s about it for this headcanon as it applies to iterator puppets overall. Now, I’m gonna get into how I imagine Looks to the Moon specifically likes to sleep.

In addition to getting very beepy, Moon also gets very cuddly when sleepy, though some of this comes from her affectionate personality. However, it's also due to a lasting trauma from her collapse. Of course she's learned to tolerate the rain over time, yet after spending so many cycles being rapidly drowned over and over in her can — with endless disorientation and senses so out-of-control from being disconnected from most of her superstructure, no one around to comfort her save for the occasional wandering creature, and the knowledge that her own beloved brother was responsible for this — it’s still left a fair amount of bad memories with her, especially from those cycles most recently after her collapse/revival, and this general unease often resurfaces with the sound of the rain. Therefore, whenever the rain comes, this trauma serves as another, more internal reason Looks to the Moon always wants to fall asleep holding onto/being held by someone, or at the very least while sharing the shelter with someone she loves. 

On a more positive note, since I’m now officially a Lilypad shipper, I imagine that No Significant Harassment is Moon’s default choice of cuddling partner! It can be a little hard to get in position — I imagine Moon always likes to be the little spoon despite her being slightly taller than him — but they manage! Moon pretty much always falls asleep first, because, as the oldest model of the group, and having sustained the most damage post-collapse on top of that, she simply doesn’t use power as efficiently as the others do and therefore gets tired much more easily. In some ways, the poor thing even feels a little guilty about it; she’s supposed to be the leader of this group, and yet here she is, tiring out after less travel and growing drowsy before the rain even starts! Luckily, Sig makes an effort to ensure her she’s more-than worth keeping around, because after every awful thing the world has thrown at her kindness, the least she deserves is some quality guilt-free nap time! And sometimes, if they want a little alone-time (or if Pebbles gets too fed-up with their lovey-dovey gestures), it’ll be just the two of them, and perhaps their slugcats, cuddling together in the shelter. 

And speaking of slugcats, Moon’s second choice of cuddles is Rivulet! Being very soft, warm, and equally cuddly, she makes another good source of cuddles for Moon. And sometimes, if Hunter’s also around and willing, the two join forces with Sig and Hunter for a big, soft, cuddle-filled slumber party!

Still, though, Sig is definitely no. 1 provider of snuggles for Moon. But he loves her dearly, so for the most part he doesn’t mind! Since she falls asleep first, some of his favorite moments each cycle are from just watching her and holding her close as the rainfall echoes from outside; she always looks so beautiful when she’s relaxed, and having her in his arms makes him feel like he can protect her no matter what. So he never really minds when Moon, slurring her words, tiredly asks for him to hold her while she enters sleep mode. 

That is, except when this happens and he’s stuck in that spot for the next several hours…

A few more ideas to this headcanon:

Moon’s third choice of cuddles is Five Pebbles. It’s a bit interesting, because in basically all other scenarios Pebbles insists on sleeping alone in a separate shelter, even though he’s actually rather touch-starved (though it'll be a while before he admits it). Moon is one of the only people he’s actually willing to sleep with, besides occasionally Artificer (in which the feeling is mutual and no one else must be in the room). If I someday decide to ship Pebbles with someone, I imagine he’d also be willing to sleep with them, again, only if no one else is around to see it.

To elaborate on the last point and shift to Five Pebbles’ perspective, the reason why Pebbles always wants to sleep alone is because, as I imagine the worm-off-the-string story so far, Pebbles’ biggest internal conflicts are learning to accept all those “worldly attachments” the Ancients so strongly rejected, and overcoming his god-complex and fear of relying on others. And one of the main ways this manifests is him being so deeply embarrassed to be dealing with these basic survival needs — like yet another one of the savage beasts roaming the world, after having been a vast mechanical god so far above those primitive creatures — that he refuses to let others, even his friends and family, observe him in such a “pitiful” state whenever possible, and resolves to try and overcome it alone. 

To further continue this idea, this is why Moon sometimes insists on sleeping with him. Even though he’ll have to overcome these conflicts on his own, it doesn’t mean he has to be alone while he does it. She makes an effort during these and other moments in this scenario to assure him that it’s okay, no one’s gonna judge or punish him for living this way, and she’ll always be there if he ever decides to accept some help. Pebbles always falls asleep with his head buried in her chest and holding onto her very tightly.

The iterators often like to sleep with their slugcats, who in the AU also stick around a lot to help guide them as they figure out the ins-and-outs of organic survival. 

Both Moon and Pebbles tend to sleep in a curled position. It's actually very similar to how slugcats generally sleep!

Pebbles is quite the workaholic in general, but it also means he has a hard time falling asleep — not because he doesn’t get sleepy, but rather that he often denies it or its significance in an attempt to get more done that cycle (and because, again, he’s “too advanced” for animalistic things like sleeping). The group often has to literally drag him to bed to get him to sleep, and Sig often teases him when his lenses start drooping and his syllables begin to stretch.

In extreme cases, where almost all of their power has been exhausted, iterators won't just slur their words anymore, but their speech will often lose coherency overall, like a spoken case of very drunk typing .

When sleepy, Moon not only slurs her words, but has a tendency to say rather strange and very silly things. It’s another side-effect of less power being used to actually think through her words. There have been many instances where the whole group erupted in laughter after Moon made a really out-of-left-field comment!

Oh, and here's one last quick doodle based off one of the ones above:

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Aaaand that's all for another headcanon! Even though it took me a whole week to do the drawings, it was SO fun getting to develop this idea, especially since sleepy Moonie is such a cute concept! I am so glad that you shared that little idea, Ghost!!

And speaking of which, if you've made it all the way down here, Ghost, may I invite you to add any more ideas to all this, if you want? I'd especially love hearing ideas for the other iterators' sleeping habits (how fast they get tired, what position they like to sleep in, who they usually sleep with, how they wind down before bed, etc.)! I mainly focused on Moon and a bit of Pebbles at the end, since I'm still trying to get a read on Sig and Suns's personalities (especially Suns), so it'd be fun to even further expand on this idea in that regard! Of course, you don't have to, but it's a proposition!

But regardless, I hope you and anyone else who made it to the bottom enjoyed my contributions to the idea! And be sure to keep the adorable headcanon ideas coming!!

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Bonus: Here are the full sketchbook pages, in case anyone was interested in seeing the completed layout! I think I'm gonna be making more of these kinds of drawing/explanation combo artworks!3

[bluebellthesponge]

apropos of nothing my brain just remembered you talking about NSYNC being your parents' ages and suddenly putting together that you are actually a few years younger than Joey's oldest kid. This isn't that special, but I still remember when her existence was confirmed after months of being an Internet rumor and the fact that she's basically grown fucks me up.

lol obvs i'm sure in couple of years it will be a mindfuck for me as well to see kids born in the 2020s like artists from today in 2040 and refer to them in such a way as a distant memory...i am already flabbergasted seeing kids born in 2013 being 10 years old and not babies...also tiktokkers already making aesthetics and romanticizing things from 2014 is also sort of weird to see, but i am sure as time goes on i will probably start seeing more posts about past years that i fully more lived in/remember talked about in a way like it is something "distant" and that will be interesting to experience

for me i can look back at old nsync performances and see them basically around my age/only a couple years older do these performances it's still a different experience than watching people actually around my age today be performers you know? i know nsync aren't around my age anymore, i know what i am watching was filmed at a time i did not exist in, they're now all dads...(besides jc technically speaking which good for him), but like dad age basically. like i can so see joey be a friend of my mom's, my mom loves joey, but not in a cougar way, because i know joey back then was also popular with the moms but now being the 2020s, it's not like my mom is thinking this 20 something year old guy is cute, because i mean joey is from my mom's generation so she just likes a guy around her age lmao

it's interesting to hear how joey's first kid was just an internet rumor back then, while it is not impossible today to basically be hush hush about your pregnancy/kid today, it is definitely more interesting/rare to see somebody of influence not be quick to post a pregnancy announcement/birth post right away or never even post at all about their kids these days. i just feel like back then almost every celebrity was so detached from being so interactive??? with their audience, there wasn't individual users of them online, just some guys you would listen through a radio or see on tv lol. that's how i prefer it tbh. i actively do not follow any celebrities on social media. i prefer being detached to them on a personal level and only really enjoying their art and some lore that surrounds them. i just like them beep booping around on screen singing a song, not whatever they have to post on tiktok these days

maybe reversed to you it's a weird experience whenever i come across these old forgotten fansites that haven't been updated since 2001 still exist or come across fics that were written at a time i wasn't even conceived of is just so fascinating to me...fandom has really always been happening before i existed and will continue even after i die lol. obvs i wasn't there for nsync in its heyday in the early '00s, it's still a very interesting subject...once again i hope to one day make some video essays about nsync topics since there is a lot of things that could be talked about the band, the period, and the fandom itself and i just don't see much talk about it haha

one of my older sisters was born around the 2002 winter olympics, and nsync performed a concert for it and i am so mad she didn't drive her 10 day old ass to catch nsync all the way to utah!!! fakeeee (joking)

also i just listened to songbird and thank you! honestly chris get on it...NOW... now i am mad because it reminds me how much potential nsync could have had on covering songs, but they are cowards and don't really do that >:((( i watched nsync's rio show last night and when they did that very interesting medley cover of bee gees song,,,it just reminds me how much potential nsync just generally could have had with showcasing all their abilities back then but at last,,,hopefully with this reunion(???) we get more fun stuff out of them, but if not it's fine ig lol they don't owe a random 18 year old on the internet anything