#also had a rare moment 2 days where i decided to just clean out the bathroom's sink cupboard/drawers at 2am

[yenpondering]

On a brighter note I've taken to cleaning and reorganising the kitchen since I'm the one that mainly uses it now and it gives me serotonin to see my baking supply all neat and tidy.

Last week I tried my hand at making a no bake matcha cheesecake and a matcha bread with red bean paste yeee

[getmeoutofhell]

HEYY!! i have a req! could you do where like reader dresses up as art for halloween? but like not during the day but when he gets home? like reader is dressed in black and white lingerie? like the top is a white lacy corset and the underwear is black and lacy too?? and when he comes home he just sees the reader and shit goes DOWN! if not its totally okay! make it as long as you want make it as short it doesn’t matter! whatever your heart desires! im sorry if this is also to much to ask for! but ily and take your time or dont do it! whatever youd prefer! 🫶🏻🫶🏻

Art the Clown x F! reader smut

summary: reader decides to dress up as art for a surprise, but he had other plans.

warnings: smut!, cussing.

it was 9pm, art should be home soon. you look at yourself in the mirror one last time before walking out yalls shared bedroom. you decided today you wanted to dress like him as a surprise. if we’re being technical, your outfit wasn’t exactly like his. it was a lingerie version. before he got home you had also cleaned up the house (basically cleaning up after him as usual). you and art have been together for some time now, meaning yalls anniversary is coming up soon, so you thought now would be the perfect time.

you hear the door downstairs creak open, indicating art’s finally home. you miss him every second he’s away from you. you bought him a phone, to text him while he’s away, and not even a week later he broke it. you told him not to put his phone in the bad of sharp objects, but of course he has to be stubborn and do everything his way all the time. you watch art as he shuts the door and places his bag on the side before stripping out of his clown shoes. he must be really tired to take off his shoes right as he enters the house, it’s rare for him to do that. he then grabs his air horn and starts to abuse it, it’s his way of letting you know he’s home. “hi baby! i have a surprise for you but you have to close your eyesss.” he immediately complies and covers his eyes with hands as you walk down the stairs. you tell him no peaking before guiding him to the living room couch, having him take a seat on the sofa. you can see him smiling due to how high his cheeks are raised, making you smile at him. he’s so cute when he’s not out killing, but his evil side also attracts you in a way.

“okay are you ready?” you ask, placing your hands over arts. he nods like a small school boy, eager to see what his surprise is. you start to count down from 3. “3…2…1…open!” he opens his eyes before looking you up and down with the biggest grin known to man. he starts to clap his hands and toot his horn and the sight of you. “i’m you, kinda.” he loves it!! that’s good, maybe it’ll make him not so sleepy. when all of sudden, he stops clapping and his face goes blank. you step back slowly, confused on his sudden change of emotions. you know art is a ticking time bomb, one minute he’s happy the next he’s pissed off and you don’t know why. as you were about to ask him what’s wrong, he gets up from the couch standing directly in front of your face. you feel his hot breath against your nose as he looks down at you. in moments like these, you feel your heart sink to the bottom of your stomach. what if he decides to just bash your fucking brains in, not caring about you or anything anymore. not that he cares about anything right now anyway, but still. he places his left hand on your cheek. your eyes never left his face. you take notice in his facial features, noticing his wrinkles around his eyes and his blonde eyelashes, his little black hat that he always wears on his head. he was handsome when he was serious, but also he was deadly.

he out of nowhere suddenly grabs you and throws you over his shoulder, making you let out a scream. “art!! what the fuck!” you’re then taken upstairs to y’all’s shared room, as he throws you on the bed. he takes this chance to guide his hands down to your legs, before spreading them open for him. art has this problem where he randomly gets horny, but i guess you did wear the costume on purpose or whatever…but that’s not important right now. you take a look at arts pants, seeing a boner forming. i guess dressing up as him did work. you can’t help but crack a smirk at that. you’ve been waiting all damn day for this moment, so why not enjoy every bit of it. art then starts kissing you up your neck, you feel him leaving hickeys or at least trying too anyway. you slightly moan feeling his tongue slide over your delicate skin. art takes advantage of this, sliding his hand inside of your panties, immediately attaching his ring and minder finger to your swollen clit. “oh!”

you then put your hands on his back, grabbing the zipper to his costume and unzipping it. “baby, let me take this off of you.” he ignores your request by pressing his fingers against your clit harder. a couple minutes later and you’re on the edge of your first orgasm of the day. “baby, i’m gonna cum please don’t stop.” he looks at you and cracks that certain smile that lets you know he might stop at any given moment. you beg him not to, wanting to let your orgasm ride out. he finally rolls his eyes and let’s you cum all over his fingers. it feels so good, you can’t describe how much pleasure he makes you have. someone so cruel and sick like him has your toes curling and back arching. it’s a blessing and a curse. he slowly removes his hand from your underwear, bringing his fingers to his mouth. he shoves them in, tasting your wetness on his tongue. he acts like you’re some sort of drug, he’s addicted to your pussy, it’s his favorite dessert after a long hard day.

his head somehow was now deep between your legs, licking up your pussy lips. the way his tongue dances on your clit makes you think he needs it. he acts like he does. your head was thrown back into the bed, and it felt so fucking good you couldn’t even moan properly. black and white face paint spread all over your inner thighs, but you didn’t care. all you cared about was cumming all over his face. “fuck!” you started grinding over his wet mouth, feeling your second orgasm approaching by the second. it was getting to much to the point where your legs started to shake like no other. what type of spell does he have on you? how does he know how to make you cum so fucking fast? you know you have no answers to those questions. you moan his name like a chant, as you finally let yourself go for the second time. your body couldn’t take it, you were so sensitive and he knew that.

as you’re trying to calm down from your orgasm, art didn’t even give you the time to before he lined his cock up with your entrance. “baby, i can’t take all of this at once.” once again, he ignored you and slide right in. your eyes had a mind of their own as they rolled in the back of your skull. his dick was so good, he’s fucks you like his life depends on it. he knew exactly where your g spot was and always abused that spot each chance he gets. you loved when he marked you as his, the way his cum filled you to the brim and you watched it drip out of you. “yes baby, give it to me! harder!” you moan his name again as skin on skin could be heard from everywhere, his balls slapping your ass. not to long later you feel art slow down his pace, telling you he’s about to cum. you always want him to cum inside so you bring him closer to you than he was already. arts legs started shaking against you. you’re cumming. it’s uncontrollable at this point, feeling your body go limp under him.

you wonder, does he actually know how much you mean to him. does he feel the same way?

hope this was to your liking!! let me know if you enjoyed :)

[city-tickles]

Two Tickle Sessions In One Day!

Hi!

It's been a while but I hope you are doing well. I am still on break from posting clips or requests but I wanted to let you know about my recent sessions.

A month ago I was in one of those bad tickle moods. One of those moods where it was all you could think about and the rush of getting tickled or tickling someone was intense. I don't get these moods often and usually when I do, I don't like it because the last couple of times that has happened, I've received bad news about someone I care about, so it also makes me a little anxious when I get that way. Thankfully, it did not happen this time.

I needed to get the mood out but there was no one in the area to session with. Since no one was available, I decided to check out two parties that I have not been to in years. One M/M party and one Female Foot Party.

When it comes to M/M, I am 100% lee and it is something that does not give me much if any arousal. It's just tickling, and I can appreciate it. I'm sure I'd appreciate it more if it could "get me there" but I've seen enough clips and done sessions, and it usually doesn't. I also rarely do M/M because I have to be in a mood for it. This time, I was in a big mood for it, so I decided to go.

I've spoken about the M/M party in the past. Last time I went about 8 years ago, I just wasn't comfortable or ready to be there and it seemed like the owner took umbrage with that when I tried to leave. I figured a lot of time has passed and I have gained more experience, so hopefully things would be fine. I explain why I wanted to go to the party, and I was allowed to go.

I entered the party, and as a cis-identifying male, it's a little overwhelming at first. Action (Everyone is clothed) is everywhere right in front of you, but everyone is also very nice and doing their thing. I like to give people space, but there was no space to go, so I was just watching everything go down lol.

While waiting, I was introduced to a guy, who had grey hair and , who was also into tickling and we began talking. At first, the convo was small talk, but then we realized we knew each other from a previous meeting, which made things easier. After some talking, he asked what I was here for and when it comes to males, I am strictly a lee, so I told him I wanted to be tickled. Luckily, a massage table opened up and was cleaned off and ready to be used. We asked the table owner, who was a tall, slender man with grey hair and facial hair, if we could use it. Lucky or not lucky for me, we were allowed but the table owner was also into tickling. They asked me if he could join in and I figured why not?

I laid on the table and decided not to be bound because sometimes I stay still anyway. And before I know it, I have two lers all over me, testing out my spots and trying to find where I am most ticklish. They would glide their fingers all over my sides, under my arms, my tummy, my thighs and of course, my feet while I laughed and didn't move around too much. It was extra sensitive because 1. With the massage chair, I'm mostly looking upwards and can only see the ceiling. And 2. I'm getting teasing from all angles! The two very skilled lers keep saying things like, "Oh, he's real ticklish!" "I think he likes it!" While others at the party are watching and saying things like, "I think he doesn't want it to stop" and "He's having a lot of fun now"

With two lers on me, I never had time to have one spot make me off the wall ticklish because it was always changing. Sometimes it was their fingers lightly tickling my stomach that was the most intense. Other times, it was harder touches on my feet by one of the lers. Sometimes it was an attack under my arms. There were a lot of different moments during the 20-30 minutes of tickling that just kept making me laugh hysterically. I do know at one point, a hairbrush was used because I felt it and that always felt more surprising than ticklish. The other interesting part about having two lers on your feet were both styles were different. One was lighter and the other was harder, but both were effective!

(I couldn't find a MM/M gif)

After my time was done, I thanked them for the session and decided to wrap up since the party was coming to an end anyway. It was time to go to the next party.

This party, which I also had low hopes for, runs all the time in NYC and it is pay-to-play. I was that down bad, that I was willing to do it this evening lol. I went in with very low expectations and the reminder that if the first few moments are bad, I can just leave.

When I got there, it took forever for them to let me in, which already set my expectations to low. Despite this, I walked in and heard laughter already. Someone was getting tickled under the sheets, so I knew I wasn't the only tickler in the area. The girls that I saw in there were nice and chill to talk to for the most part. Some were more personable, while others just wanted to make their money, which I am not upset about. They're not there to be my friend.

The first lee was a tiny girl with red hair, and was ticklish but not that reactionary. I don't think she was ticklish on her feet at all, but I would always ask if it's okay to tickle elsewhere. Thankfully it was, and her upperbody, especially her arms, were her weakspot. She did not seem into it in the slightest, so I tried not to overdo it.

The second lee was this tall, black girl, with long hair and very nice to talk to. She wasn't sure how ticklish she could be, so I would tested some of her spots. Her feet were tolerable, her knees were very sensitive, and under her arms, she was almost unable to do!

I brought some tools that I didn't bring out at the M/M party (my bag at that party was all the way on the other side I just didn't want to bother with it) I ran an ostrich feather up and down her soles and her legs, which felt more relaxing to her. Then, I brought out TicklingDuck's device vibrating device.

As the device touched her soles, she would laugh hard, squirm around, cover her mouth, and was genuinely shocked at something being so ticklish on her. I asked if I could use the device on her knees and she went "Oh no!" and let me do it anyway, which I didn't do for long because she couldn't handle it.

The third lee was another redhead, who was also a nice person to talk to and wearing boots and long socks. I tickled her through the socks first, which made her giggle a bit, before taking them off and scribbling on her toes and soles so more. Her feet were also moderately ticklish, so I asked if I could tickle other parts of her body. Her weakspot was the ribcage and made any other spot look like a 1 compared to them! I spent most of my time on her feet since the ribcage was so intense, but we did play a few games. I would tell her if she could let me tickle there for 10 seconds, she would get a reward, which would be a foot massage or other foot worship. She agreed and barely opened up her arms until I scribbled in there and teased her further, saying "You gotta let me get in there or I'm gonna increase the time" She opened up her ribs and it was the longest 10 seconds of her life. Afterwards, I would congratulate her for making it through and doing such a good job.

After we were finished, I was ready to go since I had an obligation to get to later in the evening, but another taller woman approached me and asked me if I like tickling. She mentioned that she liked tickling to and wanted to know if I wanted to session. I was skeptical at first, because it felt like a money-grab, but I figured I'm already here so why not?

Best decision I made at that party. I started by spider tickling all the way up from her feet to legs, to her sides, across her tummy, back to her ribs, and of course under her arms. This woman was genuinely ticklish everywhere and was a lot of fun to play with. I would caress her thighs and tease like I'm about to tickle there, only to sneak attack and tickle her tummy. I brought out the TicklingDuck device again and we played another counting game to see how long she could last without moving, and I made sure to count the longest 30 seconds I could, running my fingers all across her tummy and under hear arms while she laughed her head off underneath the covers. The last thing I did to her, was bring out the pair of stocks that just arrived. I was itching to try them on someone and she was so excited to see stocks. We locked her bare feet and the stocks and I ran my fingers all across her soles and under her toes, while she was unable to get away or pull them out. While these sessions lasted 10 minutes, this one was definitely longer and we both knew it. After she was done, she complimented my ler skills, saying most male lers are rough, but I was very gentle with her, but also devastating, which I took as a big compliment.

Before I left, I had one request for her. I had a hard time locking the stocks on myself at my home, but when I did, they were not very comfortable. I asked if she could test the stocks out on me to see how good they were. She obliged and got my feet in the stocks. Once I was locked in, she began running her nails across my soles, which was one of the more intense tickles I got all night! I laughed hard and and was unable to do anything else, my feet were trapped and that definitely made the tickling worse! She would tease me and say things like "Aww! Is someone ticklish?" And "Now who's ticklish" until I had to stop her because I really had to get going. I thanked her for the fun time and planned to come back in the future.

Overall, it was a great day of tickles and satisfied my ler and lee moods!

[inthe-dark-tonight]

Falling Into My Sins

chapter six: i wanna be the one

dbf!joel x fem!reader series - loosely inspired by the song skin by soccer mommy

chapter 1 chapter 2 chapter 3 chapter 4 chapter 5 chapter 7

summary: joel tries to keep you off his mind while he has the house to himself on a friday night, until tommy shows up after your second date.

word count: 3.8k

series rating: E (18+ mdni)

warnings: joel’s pov, alcohol consumption, joel jerks it, mentions of blood/cleaning a wound, jealous!joel, tommy boasting a little bit

notes: well…… long time no see…. sorry for the extremely long wait on this chapter, life has been insane :,) special thanks to my tumblr mom @pr0ximamidnight for reading this chapter for me, ilysm you have no idea <3 i also hit a new follower milestone a little bit ago so thank you to everyone who follows & reads/interacts with any of my fics it means the world to me, truly 🤍 enjoy and let me know what you think of this chapter!!

It’s ten of eight and Tommy will be here any minute to pick you up. You spent all day wondering where he was planning to take you, and when you asked all he told you was to wear something nice. You check your bag one last time before leaving your room, glancing at your messages to see if Tommy texted you but all you see is an unread message from Joel this morning that reads Hey, I’ll be home tonight if you wanna stop by, i’d still really like to talk.

After staring at it for a moment, you shove your phone into your bag, closing your bedroom door behind you and heading down the stairs. Your dads not home tonight, which meant you thankfully wouldn’t be questioned about your date. When you get to the bottom of the stairs, you decide to wait on the porch for Tommy to get here. As you reach for the door knob and tug the door open, a gust of cool air pushes the door towards you, revealing a surprised Tommy standing there with his hand raised like he was about to knock on the door.

“Oh,” he says in a surprised tone. “Was just about to knock.” He lets out a small laugh.

Your cheeks heat up a little in embarrassment. “Sorry.” You let out a small laugh as well, smiling up at him.

As you step out, pulling the door shut behind you, Tommy’s eyes are glued to you. He clears his throat. “You look great.” he pauses for a moment. “I mean you always look great but-” he cuts himself off with a nervous laugh as he waits for your response.

Your cheeks warm up slightly at his words. “Thank you.” your eyes fall to the ground as you step off your front porch and start towards Tommy's truck.

Tommy walks beside you, hand lightly resting on your lower back to guide you as the two of you near the car. He moves his hand from your back as he reaches out to grab the door and you smile at him as he watches you step in and gently closes the door. You watch him, a small smile still on your face as you watch him round the front of the car and step in before taking off towards downtown.

Joel has the house to himself for once, which is quite rare for a Friday night. Sarah is staying over at a friend's house and normally Tommy would stop by for a beer or two, but he hasn't tonight, leaving Joel to finish a six pack on his own as his mind wanders. When he's working or around people, usually other women, he does a pretty good job at suppressing any thoughts of you, but when he's on his own there's no stopping his mind from drifting to thoughts of you.

Since even before the last time Joel saw you he had told himself he would stop seeing other women, he hadn't slept with any of them, only taken them out to try and keep his mind off you. But now he knew there was no use in trying to stop the way he was feeling, he needed to talk to you and tell you all of this, but you're impossible to get a hold of. He knows it's because of the way he's been acting, and rightfully so. The way he lied, telling you it was noting more than a fuck, showing up on dates with other women in front of you, it was all in an attempt to try and ignore the attraction he felt towards you.

Joel takes one last swig of beer, finishing the bottle off before setting it on the wooden coffee table in front of him and looking at the time, nine twenty. He lets out a sigh, standing up from his place on the couch and grabbing the cardboard pack full of empty bottles from the table. Once he starts walking towards the kitchen to discard the bottles his head feels a bit fuzzy, the effects of the alcohol finally setting in.

He walks slowly towards the stairs, holding onto the railing the whole way up and walking immediately towards his bathroom, leaving the door open a crack before turning on the shower. As the water warms up and steam slowly starts to fill the room, he unbuttons his jeans quickly removing them before placing a hand on the counter for support as his head continues to spin, flashes of you appearing when he closes his eyes. The way you looked the night the two of you first met, skin glistening and glowing under the colorful lights in the club as you swayed your hips enticingly. He can still remember so clearly the way that the heat of your body felt pressed up against him, how warm your skin was as he let his hands wander, the way your soft plush lips moved so naturally with his own.

Before Joel can stop it, he begins to feel a heat creeping up his chest and a stiffness growing in his boxers. A low grunt leaves his mouth as he looks down at himself. Damnit. He looks back at his reflection in the foggy mirror, broad shoulders slumped over and tired eyes staring back at himself as he lifts his hand to swipe over the condensation on the mirror. How much longer can he keep doing this? Jerking off to the thought of you at least once a week. How much longer can he go without touching your skin with his own hands? His imagination can only keep his desires at bay for so long.

“Fuck.” he exhales. This isn't helping.

Joel pushes himself off the counter and grabs the back of his shirt, pulling it up over his head in one swift motion and discarding it on the floor before carefully slipping out of his boxers. He groans as he pulls the fabric over his now fully hard cock and lets them fall to the floor. As he steps out of where they are pooled around his feet and towards the hot shower, he lets out a deep sigh before pulling back the shower and stepping into the thick steam.

He sucks in a breath through his teeth as the hot water beats down onto his throbbing cock before turning his back towards the running water. For a moment he stands there, eyes closed as he takes a few deep breaths trying to rid the thoughts running through his mind, head still spinning from the six pack he polished off. When he opens his eyes, they fall back down to where is cock is springing up towards the sparse hairs trailing to his belly button. He swallows thickly before reaching down to wrap his large hand around the thick base of his cock, closing his eyes and letting out a groan as he lightly squeezes. For a moment he stays still, trying to collect himself before he goes any further.

“God, this is so fuckin’ pathetic.” he grumbles to himself as he throws his head back.

He takes a deep breath, planting his free hand on the shower wall to brace himself as he looks back down at where his hand is wrapped around his painfully stiff cock. A shaky breath leaves his lips as he closes his eyes, images of you immediately appearing behind his closed lids. His hand moves slowly up his shaft, the warm water acting as a lubricant as he begins to lazily pump his fist. Your lips, your eyes, your skin, he thinks about when he bumped into you at the restaurant the other night, how soft your skin was under his rough hands when he stopped you from crashing into him. The scent of you has been lingering around him ever since that night, unable to clear it from his senses.

He starts to pick up his pace, giving a slight squeeze with each pump of his fist. The heat in his stomach is starting to build as he now imagines you on your knees in front of him, the way your soft lips would look wrapped around him as you take every inch. His mouth falls open and a low whine escapes him, he squeezes his eyes shut as the vision of how you would look peering up at him with your pretty eyes as he stuffs his cock into your mouth plays in his head. Your voice replays in his head, saying his name over and over so smoothly as his climax grows closer.

To tell the truth, he would do anything to have you actually here with him now. He would quit all this teasing and messing around once and for all if it meant he could finally taste you, and oh how he's been dying to taste you. Dreaming about it, fantasizing about how sweet your pretty pussy must taste, dying to sink into it. He swears he can hear the pretty moans leaving your mouth, feel your soft skin under the palms of his hands as he imagines them roaming your body. The image of you lying on his bed, back arched, moaning his name as you buck your hips into his mouth sends him over the edge.

A deep groan leaves Joel's mouth, eyes squeezing shut as he paints the shower wall. He stays still for a moment, breathing deeply as he stands up straight and begins to gather himself. His head falls back and he lets out a sigh as he opens his eyes to stare at the ceiling, thoughts still racing. As he turns to face the shower head, he wonders what you're up to tonight. A knot begins to form in his stomach at the possibilities, but he shakes it off, ducking to put his head under the shower stream and running his hands over his face.

He stays standing under the water for a minute or two, giving himself a moment to come down from the high of his orgasm before washing his hair and cleaning himself up. After shutting off the water he pulls back the shower curtain and reaches out to grab his towel, stepping out of the shower. He lets out a content sigh as he dries himself off, wrapping the towel around his waist and pushing back his still dripping wet hair from his forehead. Quickly picking up his dirty clothing from the floor, he heads back into his room tossing them in his hamper before digging through his dresser for sweats and a t-shirt.

Just as he finishes changing, he hears his front door open. “Joel!” Tommy yells out.

Joel rolls his eyes at the sound of Tommy’s voice. “Well that didn’t last long.” He grumbles to himself as he slowly opens his bedroom door and walks towards the stairs.

“Joel! You home?” Tommy calls out again.

Joel lets out a sigh. “Yeah!” He finally answers as he quickly goes down the stairs, walking into the kitchen to see Tommy leaning on the kitchen counter.

“Got the place to yourself tonight, huh?” Tommy asks as Joel walks past him into the kitchen, heading towards the sink. He raises his eyebrows in annoyance once his back is to Tommy.

“Yup.” Until you showed up, he thinks to himself.

“Surprised you don’t have a girl over, or a date planned for that matter.” Joel tries not to let Tommy’s comment get to him as he turns on the sink, allowing the water a few seconds to warm up before he does the dishes.

Tommy laughs and Joel lets out a sigh, thoughts of you entering his mind again. He picks up a sponge, covering it in a small dollop of soap before grabbing a dirty plate from the sink. You’ve seen him the past couple of times he was on a date with someone and he wonders how you feel about it. Were you upset afterwards? He knew you were angry the night you saw him at the diner after a date, but how much did it really bother you? He needs to know. Joel hears Tommy's voice and snaps out of his thoughts.

“Speaking of dates,” Tommy clears his throat, pulling out a chair at the kitchen table and sitting down before he continues on. “I just got back from one.”

Joel’s not so interested in hearing about another one of Tommy's flings at this moment, but he’s too tired to tell him so. “Oh yeah? Who’s the lucky lady this time?” A small smirk grows on Joel's face as he prepares to hear his brother go on about his new girl.

Joel freezes, heart sinking down into his stomach when he hears your name leave Tommy’s mouth, not wanting to believe it. The two of them sit silent for a few moments, only the sound of the running water from the sink filling the room. His blood starts to boil, muscles tensing up as his hands still, a glass in one, sponge in the other. A low ringing starts to play through Joel's ears and he tries to gather himself.

Tommy finally breaks the silence. “Actually just dropped her off before heading over here.”

“Hm.” Joel nods his head as he tries to think of more to say. “Where did you two go?” Joel tries to keep his voice steady as he speaks, visions of you out with his brother, sitting in his passenger seat racing through his brain as he continues to scrub away at the dish in his hands. He doesn't really want to know the answer, but he needs to know. How serious could this thing really be?

“Just a little place downtown, had dinner and a few drinks then went for a walk.” As Tommy speaks, Joel's imagining the scene in his head.

What did you wear? Did you laugh at his jokes, throwing your head back as your eyes fall shut, lips turning up to reveal your beautiful smile. He doesn't want to imagine you with anyone else, let alone his little brother.

“Mmm.” Joel hums in response, not sure what else he can say or if he can even keep himself calm enough to come up with something.

“I think I’m really into her,” Tommy lets out a small laugh, shaking his head back and forth slightly. “Which hasn't happened in awhile.” Joel feels sick at the words that just left his brother's mouth.

Joel rinses the dish he was scrubbing and sets it into the drying rack next to the sink before picking up another dirty dish. He grabs the dish soap and notices his hand is shaking slightly as he goes to squeeze the bottle. Fuck. What seems like half the bottle comes flying out when he squeezes. This can't be happening, he thinks to himself.

“I know she's a little young but, there's something there.” Even with his back to him, Joel can hear the smile in Tommy's voice. “Our second kiss just, it felt like this could really be something.”

Joel drops the soapy wet plate into the sink, causing him to flinch and Tommy rises from his chair. He thinks his heart could stop right this second at the image of you kissing his brother, again. As if once wasn't bad enough.

“You okay?” Tommy says, walking towards Joel.

“Yeah, yeah just,” Joel’s voice breaks and he clears his throat. “Pretty tired, it's been a long day.” He picks up the plate from the bottom of the sink, rinsing it off and setting it next to the others on the drying rack.

“Well, I'm gonna get going. I’ll call you tomorrow?” Joel can hear Tommy’s footsteps as he backs out of the kitchen, but he doesn’t turn around to look at his brother.

“Sounds good.” he nods his head, continuing his task.

Joel listens to the sound of Tommy walking towards the front door, opening and closing it behind him. Then it's silent. Just Joel and his thoughts. He zones out, staring out the window over the sink into the pitch black, still feeling a bit fuzzy from the drinks he had earlier. His eyes focus for just a second on his reflection in the glass.

You and his little brother. He knew you two had gone out together once, he was with you two at the bar, not thinking it was actually anything serious. And he did see you kiss his brother that same night, but Joel just assumed it was to get under his skin, which worked. Now though, this was more than just something casual. He needs to find a way to talk to you, soon. Before it's too late.

He can't shake the images of the two of you from his head. Imagining the way you would’ve looked under the moonlight as you strolled the streets after dinner, breeze gently blowing as you walked hand in hand. He imagines himself there with you instead of his brother. Driving you home, stealing glances at you as you sit beside him in the passenger seat looking out the window as music plays softly through the radio. Walking you up the steps to your front door, pulling you into him and placing a gentle kiss on your lips before watching you go inside and walking to his car.

Except it wasn’t him. It was his fucking brother walking hand in hand with you and kissing you as he dropped you off at the end of the night.

“God damnit!” Joel yells out, the glass in his hand shattering.

His heart is racing as he looks down at his hand, a few small cuts scattering across his palm. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t realize he was squeezing it that tightly. For a moment he stands there, staring down at his palm and the red covered broken glass lying in the sink. The water is still running and he moves his hand to run beneath it, rinsing the blood from his hand and covering the sink in a red tint. His breathing starts to slow as he fully snaps back into reality, the sting of the cuts starts to sink in and he sucks in a breath, quickly pulling his hand away from the running water.

“Great.” he mumbles to himself, shutting the water off and walking towards the drawer in the kitchen where he keeps a few bandaids and gauze.

He grabs the roll of gauze with his good hand and walks back upstairs towards his bathroom. He’ll deal with the broken glass tomorrow morning before Sarah gets home, right now all he wants to do is sleep. When he gets back upstairs, he rummages around the cabinet under his sink, looking for the bottle of rubbing alcohol that's somewhere down there, grabbing some cotton balls while he's at it.

Before sitting down on his toilet seat to wrap his hand, he takes a look at it under the vanity light, making sure there's no glass in the cuts. There's a large gash running from the base of his thumb towards the center of his palm, and two small puncture spots beneath his ring finger where the glass just barely cut him. He runs his hand under cold water one last time, then soaks a cotton ball in rubbing alcohol, pressing lightly along the cuts.

He winces as it soaks into the cuts, stinging once again. As he goes to sit down, he tosses the cotton balls into the small trash in the corner of his bathroom, grunting when he finally sits down. He stares down at his hand, examining the wound one last time before starting to unravel the gauze and wrap it around his hand and tucking the end in to keep it in place as much as possible. The stinging hasn't stopped quite yet, his hand feels warm where the cut is but all he can do is hope it’s slightly better in the morning.

Joel lets out a deep sigh as he stands up, walking out of the bathroom and towards his bed. Sleep will fix everything, at least he hopes. He knows it won't lessen the pain of what he's learned tonight, but at least he'll get a break from imagining you with…

He can't even finish the thought, won't finish it. He pulls back his comforter and slips into his bed, reaching to flick off his bedside light before turning onto his side. He’ll deal with it all in the morning.

It’s been about an hour since your date with Tommy ended, now you’re laying in bed on top of your covers, just staring at the ceiling as you go over the events of tonight. The date was alright, you think. You could tell he had put a lot of effort into it, dressing nicer than usual and taking you to a nice spot for dinner. He ordered wine at dinner, which was more shocking than impressive.

The two of you talked about anything and everything, laughing and having a good time, only when Joel wasn’t slipping into your mind. You tried your best to surprise your thoughts, especially since you were on a date with his younger brother, but every time Tommy did something you couldn’t help but think about what Joel would’ve done if you were there with him.

Would he be telling jokes the way Tommy was? Would he have ordered wine instead of his usual in a lame attempt to impress you? He probably wouldn’t have taken you to a place this nice, but you think you would’ve preferred that.

After dinner, Tommy had taken you on a walk around town. The weather was beautiful as the sun was setting, a small breeze picking up as you walked under the street lights. It would’ve been even better if you weren’t distracted the whole time wishing that you were with Joel instead. You felt guilty, absolutely terrible, even now thinking about it makes your stomach twist into a knot. The truth of the matter is, you need to end things with Tommy, sooner than later.

You finally sit up and climb off your bed, walking over to your dresser and grabbing something to sleep in, quickly peeling your outfit from tonight off and slipping into your pajamas. As you toss you things into your hamper, you catch a glimpse of yourself in your mirror, staring back at yourself for a moment.

“What am I going to do.” You let out a deep sigh, walking over to flick your bedroom light off before crawling into bed.

thank you for reading <3

tags: @pedropascalfan221 @mellymbee @kaybee181520 @joeldjarin @akah565 @chefchy4 @untamedheart81 @merz-8 @fellinfromthetop @znerac @hiddenbabynyc

i think i won’t be doing a tag list from now on…. sorry don’t hate me!! i also post all chapters on my ao3 pale_m00nlight :)

[i520u]

invisible string ʚĭɞೃ⟡

HIII i’m so sorry this took me so long i just didn’t wanna be unemployed after i’m done with my series so i decided to keep this in the drafts for a while 😞 i hope you’ll like this!

PAIRING sung hanbin x gn!reader

GENRE fluff, sfw

MASTERLIST

hanbin is a responsible bf, so you can definitely let loose when you’re around him!

he will always makes you feel safe

when you go out on dates with him, he would always silently take your handbag off of your shoulder and carry them himself 😞

his nicknames for you are usually the common ones, baby, my baby, angel, and i think he’d most commonly use 내 사랑 (nae sarang/my love) because it’s so endearing to give your s/o a nickname in your own mother tongue am i right

but he prefers calling you by your name, bc he thinks your name is already pretty

constantly complimenting you

you get your work done and he’s like “good job baby” and then he’d kiss your cheek

you finish mopping the floors and he’s like “you worked so hard today my love, thank you”

the type of boyfriend that will give you legitimate answers to your “would you still love me if i was a worm?” questions

one time you asked him what he would do if you turned into a snail one day

and he told you he’d have to build you nice house where you would be comfortable living in

drives your around ALL the time

he would freak out if you offered him gas money because he really doesn’t mind spending his time, energy, and money with you :(

if you gave him a $10 cash he would applepay you $15

i think hanbin is a great cook, so eating out is very rare for you both because he’s always cooking up a meal for the both of you

if you don’t like a certain taste (sour, salty, sweet, etc) he’d make sure to alter the recipe a little so you’d both be able to enjoy the meal together

hanbin would be cutting up some vegetables, and then you’d come up to him and ask for a kiss, and he would gladly give you a quick kiss before resuming with the meal prep

conflicts with him rarely ever happens

he’s so good at communicating, and he’s just so gentle there’s really nothing to be mad about with him

he trusts you, and he feels secure in the relationship so he never really asks you about your whereabouts. you’re free to hangout with anyone!

all of your friends loves hanbin. he treats you so well, and he’s so polite and can mix around with them, so he’s practically in your friend group too

when you DO get into fights with hanbin, the fight never lasts longer than 2 days. he either apologises first if he realised that he’s in the wrong, or he’ll talk to you and explain why he felt like he was wronged

plus, even when the two of you are fighting, he’d still cook you a good dinner, and you’d still help him clean up all the things he used to make the meal 😭

also on nights where you both had heated arguments, if the situation was okay, he would still wrap his arms around you while you sleep

hanbin never go all out for anniversaries though

rather than fancy dinner date or a big gesture to show his love, it’s more domestic and meaningful

hanbin prefers celebrating your anniversaries together with things like giving you a photobook of all the moments that you’ve spent together

of course he’d buy you a gift too, but his main idea of anniversaries are more domestic

one time he rearranged your house and made a candlelight dinner all by himself for your anniversary, candles, silk tablecloth, fancy steak, he did that all by himself

whenever you get sick, he’d feel bad leaving you alone while he goes to work but duty calls!!!

he would make you text him and update him every 3 hours so that he knows you’re eating well and taking your medicines on time

when HE’S sick he tells you not to worry about him and then he would get flustered when he finds out that you cooked him some healthy soupy foods for him to eat

he thinks you’re so cute when you’re worried over him getting a stupid little cold

when he gets better he would give you so many kisses and cooing at how cute you were when you were taking care of him

honestly he’s always kissing you somewhere, or you’re always kissing him somewhere, it doesn’t matter. he loves kisses

when you say something funny he would laugh and then bring your hand to his lips for no reason?? when you ask him why he’s just like “you’re so funny i just had to kiss you”

when you’re showing him the new top you just bought and then he would just pull you in to kiss the top of your head bc why not

when you kiss him first his ears will go red

he would even be like “why’d you do that”

when you say you just wanted to kiss him he’d giggle and would call you adorable

“my partner is so adorable today, i wonder what’s got into them?”

[the-daiz]

Flashy flash, falling inlove?

Genre; fluff, hcs

Pairing; Flashy flash x reader

side note; My brain does not shut up save me please save me from my suffering. Also I should make this a series, no?

long

not proofread cuz its 2:40 am

I can only think of 2 types of people he’d fall for: someone who is strong, close to his strength or even stronger, or a normal civilian who completely gives 0 shits about him.

Because the other scenario is funnier, I’m gonna do that one. But if you want the first scenario too, just lmk 😋

Your first encounter with this guy was when you were heading home late, after an exhausting, long shift. You had a taser on you, if you live in a world full of Monsters and chaos you’ll have to learn to protect yourself, no?

also, you just so happened to always attract monsters where ever you go.

Unfortunately for you, however, the monster that you encountered that day was immune to the electrical voltage of your stun gun.

When you had jammed your taser into its body, and it gave no reaction, you attempted to run but the feind yanked you by your arm, and started taunting you.

but before anything else could happen, a small gust of wind wizzed past you, and the monster was left in clean-cut pieces on the ground. It took you a moment to process what just happened before flashy flash suddenly appeared, standing over the orge’s dismantled being.

first thing you did when your mind gears started shifting again was glance down at your body, and make sure all your limbs and belongings were intact. All while flashy flash stood, rather awkwardly, before you. Probably waiting for some kind of reaction.

When you finally felt his intense gaze, you offered him a flat ‘thank you’.

then started walking away.

he was taken aback by your reaction.

He stopped you from leaving, and started almost lecturing you about walking alone at such a late hour. You just stared at him, trying to hide your annoyance. You just wanted to get home.

When you still gave him a monotoned response he said. “I’m flashy flash...”

You stared at him with unamusement.

”…the S-class hero.”

”oh, that’s nice…?” -You

”you do know who I am, no??” -flash

”ahaha,, oh yeah! Definitely!” You, obviously lying.

His ego was wounded.

How could you have not heard of him before? Him! The fastest hero alive!

there was definitely something wrong with you, no normal person would react the way you did. So he decided he needed to get to the bottom of this.

He starts following you around. And takes note of everything you do.

there isn’t much to you, though.

He concludes that: You’re just average, and overworked. And you look quite nice too, your outfit choices are perfect. They really compliment you. Also the way you handle yourself is rather refreshing, not to mention your resilience and…

But also, you attract trouble a lot. And since he’s always following you, he ends up taking care of a few himself, but he does like to watch you take down the monsters yourself too, he enjoys seeing how you catch them off guard with your taser, and how you rarely ever look the slightest bit shaken before them, no matter how grotesque they look.

After 5 times of him saving you from yet another problem, you start to grow suspicious and confront him… he plays it off well, and starts to pursue a small conversation with you….

then finds out you don’t even remember his name.

”what are you talking about, I definitely know your name… uh, flashy dash, right?” -you.

Yeah, he needed to stop being around you for the sake of his own mental health.

To help himself cope with your nonchalant attitude and the fact you didn’t even bother looking him up once after the countless times he saved you. He just stops stalking you.

I mean, why would he? He already crossed out any suspicions he had of you.

When he stopped, though, he started missing you??

he didn’t even understand what he was feeling. I mean, yeah, sure, your face was nice, and I guess you were a little cool. You’re strong in a way he didn’t even know someone could be. And I guess you’re a pleasant person. And he likes your hobbies, and what you do, and watching you do it. Maybe. But so what??

He starts growing irritable. You’re always consuming his mind.

It must be because he was around you for so long, his brain is simply not used to the switch of routine. Yes! That’s definitely it!

A month passes. With him going out of his way to avoid even the mere sight of you.

AND HIS EMOTIONS ARE GETTING WORSE!

worse as in stronger, more roudy, and more overbearing.

He starts to resent you in a way, and he feels frustrated with himself.

How could he be so allured by someone so incredibly normal, someone who doesn’t even remember his name, while he knows every single detail about them!?

When the feelings get too intense, to the point they’re interfering with his hero work. He decides to go and confront you.

Maybe if he speaks with you, he could find something to hate about you. Something he doesn’t like about your personality, or about your face, just anything that could trick his mind into being revolted by you.

”oh, hey flashy flash.” -You

His heart leaps. His breathing stops for a moment and his mind goes blank.

you remembered his name, you greeted him first!

He sucked in a deep breath and masked the ghostly joy on his features.

He was going to insult you, or make a backhanded comment, just anything to tick you off and make you feel the slightest bit frustrated, like he’s been frustrated for the past month.

But when his lips parted to spew out the harsh sentences he had been practicing in his head on the way here… nothing would come out.

He couldn’t do it. Not with the way your gorgeous hues were peering at him with genuine curiosity.

He just asked about your day instead. His voice was low and a bit awkward, but his face was firm with his usual stern expression.

He tried to ignore the racing beat of his heart when you smiled at him, or when you asked about his day, or cracked a light-hearted joke every now and then

He tried to calm his breathing through his nose, but he didn’t think he could keep his composure for long.

He quickly wraps up the discussion, and felt his heart ache slightly when you didn’t seem the slightest bit bothered by his urgency to leave.

Either way. He couldn’t stop thinking about that interaction. His mind kept wondering back to the way you looked at him, to the gravitating way your lips moved, to your words, to your voice-

He definitely couldn’t avoid you after this. Maybe he’ll just enjoy having these feelings for you, for a little bit…

He starts going up to you more often. A lot of the times when your heading back from work, and there aren’t much people on the streets.

You question his intentions, and he simply states that you attract too many monsters, and it’s his job to take care of them. You didn’t really buy it but didn’t bother probing much.

He was wrong about something. You weren’t normal. You didn’t care about what other people thought. You carried yourself so definitely from everyone else. You knew what to prioritize.

You didn’t treat him like a hero. You treated him more like a good friend. He didn’t know how good that felt until you had entered his life. (actually he’s the one that entered your life but anyhow)

and you were simply enchanting.

Still, he didn’t like that you barely knew anything about his very flashy, and amazing, career and talent.

How he confesses… One day, on your usual walk with flashy flash after work, you ask him about his hero work. He gets slightly excited at that and straightens his back a little.

He tries to keep everything he says low-key, like “Yeah, I do this and that. I mostly work alone. i neutralize the enemy quickly. I’m very busy mhm.”

You just nod attentively and continue to ask more questions, and to say that he was elated would be an understatement.

It was when you ask. “What rank are you in again? B, right? Or A?” (you forgot S class even existed) that everything goes south.

He stops walking and tries to hide the disheveled look on his face.

He hated the constriction in his chest.

He was an S-class hero, one of the strongest, the fastest. Defeated the most viscous monsters to walk this earth

And, yet he was still another hero name, still another rank you could barely remember.

How weak does he seem to you?

”S-class.” He muttered, his voice cooler than it had been before.

”oh? What does that stand for, special-class?” You let out an awkward chuckle, trying to lighten the mood.

“I have to go.”

You’re about to protest and ask him what’s wrong, but he’s already gone in a blink.

He couldn’t stand it anymore. You, a weak civilian, looking down on him?? You didn’t deserve him. (or at least that’s what he was telling himself)

Even though he couldn’t deny the yearning in his heart, he started avoiding you like the plague. Going out of his way to patrol areas that he knew you had no way of being in.

a few days after the incident, when flashy flash is no where to be found, you knew you had done something to hurt him, and that he was avoiding you.

So you start looking for him,

it takes you weeks to finally catch him.

you’re at a minor incident site and wait patiently behind a wall, hiding away from the monsters, for flashy flash to hopefully appear.

And appear he does.

your face lights up at the sight of him, and after he takes care of the few weak monsters, you rush iut of your hiding spot and yell out for him, grasping his arm so he couldn’t leave.

He doesn’t look at you and stays quiet, trying to contain the turmoil in his mind.

You start apologizing for everything wrong you think you could’ve done. And admit that you missed him.

He’s a bit taken aback by this, his eyes visibly widening at the confession.

He explains how he was hurt by the fact that you didn’t acknowledge his strength or rank. He didn’t mean for his thought to spill like that.

You two have a bit of an awkward back and forth, and when silence settles between you two, that’s when he confesses.

His words are elegant and romantic, even if his voice is a bit strained, and his features are slightly distressed, it still doesn’t fail to leave you awe-stricken. (Shhwhahhawgwahahah)

He’s not surprised when you reciprocate his feelings. (cuz his ego is still high asf)

How he is in a relationship,,,

He’s a very busy man, so he doesn’t spend much time with you, but when he does, he makes sure to shower you with compliments and love. He’s very skilled when it comes to verbal affection and doesn’t shy away from showing off his talent.

Speaking of showing off, he always tries to show off to you. If youre watching him fight, he’ll use unnecessary, extra-flashy moves, and glances at you every once in awhile to make sure you’re watching.

When you’re on a date, he makes sure there are zero distractions for him, and rarely ever has to excuse himself because of his hero duties. He wants everything he does for you to be perfect.

his love language is gift giving and quality time.

he SHOWERS you with expensive gifts, and anything you want. If your eye lingers on something, he’s already at the checkout with every colour option of that thing.

He has the money, so of course he’ll spoil you rotten.

Your outings too are also very lavish.

Even though he does spend a lot of time fighting monsters and saving the city, he values the time he spends with you more than anything. He doesn’t care what you are doing as long as you’re beside him.

Honestly, I don’t see him being big on physical touch, he loves it from you though. Adores it when you lovingly caress his face, embrace him or nuzzle closer to him.

PDA is a no-no, BUT, if he gets jealous of someone who is getting a little too close to you. His hands are magnets and you’re the metal. He’s pulling you close by your hips, pressing you close to his chest as he makes passive-aggressive remarks or simply glares at the individual he’s jealous of. (How cliche)

When he’s having a bad day, he’ll collapse into your arms and asks you to massage his scalp while he complains about it, his arms wrapped around your waist.

His kisses are very passionate and lingering. He’ll often have his hands softly holding the side of your face while the other cradles the back of your head. He loves planting kisses all over you.

[icryaboutit]

I don't know if I was dreaming it or somethin' or I just accidentally deleted the ask, but someone was asking if I can do another Prefect!Yuu...

I'm just gonna do it anyways!

The start...

SUMMARY: In which everything had been normal. Twisted Wonderland style. TAGS: After Chapter 1 before Chapter 2, Prefect!Yuu origin, otherworldly shenanigans, "Everything is normal if it's happening in Twisted Wonderland" -Prefect!Yuu, P!Yuu in this story: "That's normal, pretty normal, that's weird...but normal.", P!Yuu cursing some crow WORD COUNT: 768 words

It was a great day in Twisted Wonderland, where Yuu had the rarest of rare "free time". So as any ordinary person would do, Yuu decided to better their living condition, since he needed no longer keep an eye out for the Adeuce duo and Grim.

Since somehow, they only had a half day, Yuu was able to immediately head back to Ramshackle to start his cleaning operation.

"Ugh. That damn crow..!"

Yuu had grown accustomed to cursing at a certain crow, and he did so whenever he got the time to remember the state of Ramshackle.

"I swear when I get my hands on that-! *Sigh* Let's just get this over with..."

Yuu mumbled under his breath, he placed his uniform jacket in a slightly clean place before rolling up his sleeves and forge get some cleaning supplies! Somehow...

"That crow didn't even give me some cleaning supplies for Ramshackle!"

Yuu exclaimed in anger, yet he still did his best to search for some decent cleaning supplies. As he did so he accidentally stumbled and fell on the ground.

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!!"

... Well not really a ground, but much more akin to a hole with unmeasurable length.

"Wahhhhh bwaaaahhh hwwwwweeeellll wwwiiisss bbbwwiiisssss?!?!"

Yuu continued to fall through the hole, he was about to curse the crow, but stopped when he saw a light that kept getting bigger and brighter.

"Oof!"

Once he reached the end of the hole, he landed on something soft.

"Uggghhh. Where am I?"

Yuu mumbled as he raised his head to look at his surroundings. What he saw made his eyes go wide with astonishment, clear awe can be seen within his gaze.

"Holy shit... That's one beautiful scenery!"

He exclaimed mouth agape. He couldn't believe this. One moment he tripped on something, falling through a hole and then get greeted by such a wonderful sight...

Truly a Twisted Wonderland experience.

As Yuu snapped out of being awe-stricken, he finally noticed that the soft thing he had landed on was a flower. The biggest flower that he had ever seen.

"It's either I got smaller, or this is normal."

He mumbled to himself before he decided to get down from the flower. All it took was for him to slide down to one of the petals, and now he landed safely on the ground.

"Sheesh! At this point, once I managed to get back to my world, I'd be dubbed crazy once I start babbling about my experience in Twisted Wonderland..."

Yuu uttered as he slowly walked, taking in the unnatural view he was seeing. It didn't take long until another unexplainable thing occurred, when he saw a bird with two human feet, pecking away.

"..."

Yuu was stunned, but quickly recovered once he reminded himself that he was in Twisted Wonderland. He had seen a man with horns, animal traits, and literally flaming hair, why would a bird with human feet shock him at this point? It may as well just be a mother trait of the beastmen for all Yuu knew.

So with that knowledge in mind, Yuu decided to mind his own business and just continued walking to wherever at this point.

On Yuu's journey, he stumbled upon very interesting things and even interacted with some who spoke to him. Everyone who greeted and talked to him looked weird and unnatural, but hey! Being the only one normal here might as well be the weirdest thing.

Yuu also noted that everyone there was friendly and courteous, which not many NRC students possessed which of course startled and made Yuu raise some suspicion and guard against them.

Even then, Yuu notes the unchanging friendliness and understanding one the person he interacted with noticed his guarded disposition. They didn't question it as normal did they push him out of his comfort zone.

Yuu was greatly surprised of course, between both worlds, he seldom encountered such considerate people. So as a response, he too was friendly and courteous at his replies.

Continuing on, he also saw some peculiar trees and fruits, along some very interesting sudden shifts. Yuu continued to shrug it off and move forward until he finally came upon a small village, at which small bumps formed on the ground were made to be housed by the people living there.

Yuu decided to approach the village to ask for some directions, but once he reached the entrance, he had the same look of astonishment when he saw the name of the village, though this time the awe was replaced by shock.

Written on the sign being shown proudly by the villagers states:

"Ramshackle Village"

[snowy-nostalgia]

Postal 1 Dude x GN!Reader : Date Night

No content warning, all fluff!

This one is longer than the last fanfiction I made because I been doing a lot of wips behind the scenes. I’m still not fully back into writing like before, so it might not be the best. But I still hope you all enjoy it!

You’ve been planning this day with your boyfriend for a whole week, the ultimate date night. Well, not in the typical way, but in your guys’ own way. Neither of you really liked going out places, you both enjoyed staying at home. Usually date night was held at your house, as your boyfriend Dude was very self conscious about the state of his home. However he promise this time it would be at his place and that he’d tidy the place up for you. You had to help him through it though over the phone, as it was a very daunting task for him, and he didn’t want you there helping him. He wanted to surprise you, and show you how good he did. He may have been looking for praise too, he couldn’t help that. He loved it when you praised him over things like cleaning or doing his laundry, it helped him want to do it more. He wanted to make tonight special for you two, He even scrounged up extra money so he could buy snacks and a pizza for the night, and he let you pick out the movie, which was your favorite one. He knew you loved him no matter what, but he still wanted to show you in any way that he was worth loving. He worried about being the last resort a lot when it came to your relationship. No matter what he never felt like he was worthy of your presence, that you deserved more than him. How could you settle for someone like him? He couldn’t wrap his head around it, but he cherished every moment. It wasn’t that you were changing him necessarily, it was more like you put him in such a safe position that he began taking care of himself again, which he hasn’t done in a long time. Not that he was magically cured, no. He stilled struggled with most things, he still had a plethora of breakdowns a week, still couldn’t trust anyone, and still had violent thoughts. But, he was doing better than he used to, even though it’s just baby steps. He was so thankful that you were someone he could trust, which is why he wanted to make this night absolutely perfect.

The time had come for you to head on over to Dude’s house. He lived in a small house a few blocks away from you. He moved there about 3 years ago, 2 years before you moved in. He never told you about where he came from, or more importantly what happened. He never said what it was specifically, all he said is that something bad happened, and he was stuck in a hospital for a few years until they stopped caring and let him out. He never specified what happened at all, he’d usually dance around the question. He said it’s the reason why the only job he could get was working as a busser in a local restaurant, and he mentioned even that was on thin ice. On the rare times you did go out together people would give him dirty looks. You always chalked it up to people judging the way he dressed, but something in your brain told you it was because of whatever happened. Yes, he didn’t want you to know because he was sure you’d leave, but also to protect you from feeling unsafe with him. It was partly the reason he didn’t like going out in public with you, he didn’t want anyone saying anything. He feared the day you’d find out, but he knew it would happen someday, just not tonight. No, tonight was special, it had to be perfect. Especially because last minute you two decided that you’d stay the night. You two have cuddled on the couch before, sure, but you’ve never shared a bed yet. He washed his bedding for tonight, even dug out extra blankets to make sure you’d be extra cozy. He wanted to make sure you were comfortable. He was excited about it, cuddling on the couch was never that comfortable to him. This way he could wrap himself around you like a koala. As long as he was as close to you as possible, that’s all that mattered to him.

Before you knew it you were at his front door. Before you could even knock he opened the door. He was probably looking out the window waiting for you behind the curtain. “Hi, Baby!” You said as you hugged him. “Hello, (Y/N).” He said, sounding nervous. It made sense, this was only the second time you’ve been at his house, and the first time it was a huge mess. He let you in and you got a good look at the work he’s done. The place was practically spotless, save for a few dust bunnies in the corners. He clearly worked hard on it. “Wow, it looks great in here, Dude! You did a great job!” You exclaimed, squeezing his hand reassuringly. He always had a blank face, but you could tell he was happy given that his cheeks and the tips of his ears became rosy pink. “Thank you, Baby.” He replied, squeezing your hand back. Yeah, that’s how you could usually tell he was happy. He may be blank on the outside, but inside he was doing cartwheels. You two headed towards the couch, he had put your favorite snacks out on the coffee table. He really went out of the way to make this a good night for you. “Do you wanna watch the movie now, or some videos or something…?” He said, but the way he said it really showed his nervousness. “Whatever you wanna do is fine, Dude. It’s your house.” You said with a smile. You and him usually watched videos when you hung out, usually whatever showed up first. You two always had a blast making fun of stuff together, or you’d watch some sort of video essay together, however you two would always talk through it. You both decided to do just that for the moment. You wound up watching some videos about lost media for a few hours. It was his first time really watching that stuff, and he seemed oddly into it. It was nice seeing him be interested in something, he usually seemed so sad, so it was a nice change of pace.

A few hours went by, you didn’t even notice, and neither did he. But when he noticed he became anxious. “Are you hungry? I think we should order the pizza now, it’s getting late…” He said in an anxious tone, it was clear he had some internal schedule going on in his mind. “Yeah, that sounds good, Dude. While you’re doing that, can you tell me where the bathroom is? I forgot.” “Oh, yeah it’s the door at the end of the hallway…” He replied. You got up and started heading down the hall, when you noticed his bedroom door was slightly opened. It was dark, but you could make out that his bed was made and had plenty of pillows and blankets. You knew it wasn’t like that usually because he’s mentioned before that he can really only sleep with one pillow and one blanket, no matter the temperature, he was very particular about that. “He’s so sweet.” You thought. You turned your head and entered the bathroom. You immediately noticed the sticky notes he forgot to take off of the mirror. They all said stuff like “Do it for them” or “It’ll be okay”. It melted your heart, how could someone with such a seemingly troubled past do stuff like this? Whatever he was hiding didn’t matter to you, the way he showed his love for you, even in the smallest ways like the “Do it for (Y/N)” on the bottom of the mirror showed you that whatever happened, he had a heart, even if it was just for you.

The rest of the night went smoothly, the pizza was great, and finally showing Dude your favorite movie was really fun. He didn’t even mind that you would pause it sometimes to tell small facts about the movie. He had snuck his arm around you halfway through, and rested his head on yours. He loved every second of it, especially when you nuzzled into his touch. He hadn’t been this happy in his whole life. He spent most of his life being afraid of and hating everyone around him. No matter how much time he spent with anyone, he never truly felt safe. Until he met you. You two had first met about a month after you moved into the neighborhood. You always tried to make small talk when you saw him, even though at first he seemed shy and reserved. You didn’t know why you kept trying to be friends with him, there was just something about him you liked. He was afraid of you at first to be brutally honest, he didn’t know why you were so adamant on talking to him, he thought at first you were trying to get his guard down. But after awhile he realized how kind you were to him, always complimenting his outfits and listening adamantly to him when he talked. Your relationship was a slow burn, but he never looked back after it started to take off. You were the only person who cared enough about his issues to help, and the only person to show him genuine love, and for that he tried everything he could to make sure things stayed the way they were.

It had started getting late, you were nodding off and yawning up a storm, Dude was aswell. You decided it was time to go to bed, but in all honesty he didn’t want to. He wanted to stay awake with you, because if he was asleep he technically wasn’t with you. It didn’t help that he only had nightmares. “C’mon, Dude, let’s go to bed.” You said, standing up from the couch and pulling on his sleeve. “ Do we have to?” He asked with a pout, as he grabbed your hand that was tugging on him, his grip firm. “I don’t want to sleep, I wanna stay with you.” He said, getting quieter at the end of his sentence. You could see his eyes through his sunglasses, they were watery and a little bloodshot. It took a few minutes to convince him to go to bed, he seemed worried, scared even. But he gave in, it was hard saying no to you. You both made your way towards the bed, sinking yourself in the bundle of blankets he left on the bed for you. As soon as he layed down next to you he wrapped himself around you. “You promise you’ll still be here in the morning?” He asked, he sounded sad and clearly exhausted. You knew he didn’t sleep much, so whenever he was tired it almost seemed like his body was going to give out. “I promise, Dude. I’ll be right here in the morning, and right here while you sleep. I’m not going anywhere. I promise.” He held you to his chest, placing his chin on top of your head. It didn’t take long for him to fall asleep, his grip seemingly getting tighter on you. You loved it though, because you knew it made him feel safe. As you fell asleep, you whisper to him, “I love you no matter what… Goodnight.”

[lady-of-ocs]

The Beginning of my Rampage

Alright. I advertise this as an OC blog, so it's time to introduce the first.

This is Odette LaRue. She's a 26 year old tattoo artist and piercer living in Japan (where in Japan depends on what show/movie I've decided to watch recently). Her father died when she was eight, while her mother was pregnant with her younger sister, Céline. She was nine by the time Céline was born, and their mother died three years later (how they die also depends on what show/movie). They lived with their grandmother, who didn't abuse them, but didn't treat them nicely either, until Odette was seventeen. She made a deal with her grandmother that she'd take Céline away and they'd never come back as long as the grandmother gave them enough to pay for leaving. They moved to Japan and Odette raised Céline from age eight to the current day (in a majority of the stories, Céline is seventeen when the story is taking place).

In the case of this particular Odette, she resides in Okinawa because I watched Sk8 the Infinity and loved it. Céline will get her own separate drawing with additional facts, so here are some quick Odette-in-Sk8 Facts:

She became friends with Kaoru and Kojiro shortly after moving. They bonded over skating and are still close to this day

She started skating at around thirteen

She skates at S under the persona of Siren (that'll get its own drawing as well)

She's some flavor of LGBTQ+ but I haven't specifically labeled her

While her main canvas tends to be skin (due to her tattooing), she's generally a pretty talented artist

She designed all of her tattoos herself

She's the one who tattooed the sun on Kojiro's shoulder

She retains a noticable French accent despite living away from there for almost ten years

She and Kojiro had a one night stand when they were 21-22. It changed literally nothing about their relationship and they now laugh about it

175 cm/about 5'9" (so the same height as Langa and Shadow)

P.S. All of these were initially sketched either on a plane or on an island when I went on vacation. It took me a long time to get around to cleaning up the sketches, but I'm very proud of how they all turned out. The entire thing took 20 hours and 2 minutes to complete!

Additional facts and close-ups below the cut:

Fun Facts:

Kaoru is the one who wrote out the script of Céline's name in Japanese that Odette now has tattooed on the inner side of her left wrist

Céline and Reki are friends. Reki's had a crush on Odette since he was twelve

Technically ambidextrous but an injury to her left wrist during teenhood means that she can't use it for long without it starting to hurt, so she primarily uses her right hand

Primarily acts as a big sister to Céline rather than a maternal figure even though she raised her

Considered hot by Kojiro (I cannot do her justice, honestly)

Rarely has time for fun things because she's often busy working

Runs her own tattoo and piercing shop near Sia la luce

Céline's nickname for her since childhoot is "Dettie." Kojiro and Kaoru also picked it up because they found it cute and amusing

Regularly gets free food from Kojiro

Technically considered a collaborative business partner of Kaoru's

She's got a great singing voice

And that's all I can think of at the moment, but I'm literally writing a fic that's just writing her and Céline into Sk8. So. There'll be more about her in later posts.

[honeybadgerwritings]

DONT READ THIS ITS NOT FINISHED AND I DIDNT MEAN TO POST IT 😭

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Reader

Summary:

Warnings:

A/N:

—————————

The atmosphere of the empty high school hallways would normally seem calming to you, peaceful even. But right now they’re filling you with nothing but an overwhelming sense of dread; reminding you of how everyone else is in class, where they need to be.

Everyone else is continuing on with their day as normal, and you’re being sent home.

You’d been pulled from your biology class in the middle of a test, a particularly hard one that you hadn’t bothered to study for, and were called into the office to meet with the principal. You were asked to bring your bag with you, and the entire class “oooo”ed as you stepped out of the room, cheeks burning bright red.

You could feel your palms sweating, wracking your brain for anything you might’ve done to get yourself in trouble, but you came up with nothing. Nothing bad enough to be called to the office at least.

When the school principal opened the door to his office, you were surprised to see Ms. Kelley, the school guidance counselor, waiting inside. She’d smiled at you, but it was filled with sympathy. They’d sat you down, both looking at you so solemnly, that for a moment you’d thought maybe someone close to you had died.

“Is everything okay? Is my aunt alright?” You’d asked, immediately being reassured that she was completely fine and there was nothing to worry about, so you were able to breathe a sigh of relief.

That, however, did not last long.

“We had another student come to us recently and… well, they told us some concerning things about you Y/N. We wanted to maybe speak to you about them.” Miss Kelley had stated.

Your heart fell into your stomach, and your words were caught in your throat. You had a feeling you knew what she was talking about, but that’s not what startled you.

What startled you was that there was only one person who was supposed to know.

You’d been struggling for the last year and a half with your mental health, and lately things were only getting worse. The most difficult part of it all is you can’t seem to figure out why.

Part of you wants to pin the blame on all of the “End of the world” bullshit you had been forced to endure at such a young age. All the unprocessed trauma that lives inside of you, eating you alive every time you think about it. And while you know you’d be half right if you did, you also know that the other half is something you’re unable to explain.

You have the perfect boyfriend, the most amazing group of friends, and even though you don’t have much family, you’re content living with your aunt (even if she’s rarely home). You live a comfortable life in a cozy home, and you don’t have to worry about work until you graduate. So why is it so hard for you to get out of bed in the morning? To shower? Brush your teeth? To take care of yourself?

Why are your grades rapidly plummeting from A’s to D’s and F’s? Why haven’t you had the energy or will to clean your room in the last four months? Why do you feel like the whole world is watching as your life falls to pieces and you cave in on yourself?

And why did the one person you thought you could trust with these thoughts, rat you out?

A few months ago, your boyfriend had been concerned for your well-being after you had gone a whole 2 weeks without seeing him, and decided to show up at your house. It was there in the dark that he’d found you, curled up in your bed, completely dead to the world as you laid there, feeling numb.

He’d been so sweet to you, just holding you in his arms, before slowly coaxing you out of bed and into the shower. He’d joined you, gentle with his touches as he’d helped you get clean.

He’d monitored you brushing your teeth, after you’d told him that it’d been a week and a half since you’d last done so, before fetching some new clothes for you to change into.

He’d helped you change your bedsheets, throwing the old ones into the wash, before laying down, just holding you in his arms. He didn’t ask questions, he didn’t try to coax answers out of you, he just waited patiently until you were ready to talk.

And when you were, you laid it all out for him, explaining every detail. He’d listened intently, reassured you when you choked on your words, and he understood without judgement. Even when you’d told him that a part of you doesn’t want to be alive anymore.

He was the first, and only person that you’d ever told.

You shouldn’t have been as surprised as you were in that office. Seeing the fear in his eyes when you’d said those words, you should’ve seen something like this coming.

You’d stuttered your way through the entire conversation, trying to assure the two staff members that everything was fine and there was nothing to worry about, but it was easy to see that they didn’t believe you.

So now you’re here, being sent home for the rest of the week to “focus on yourself” or something like that. To make matters worse, starting next Monday you’re to check in with Ms. Kelley twice a week.

And frankly? You’d rather bang your head against a wall.

You slam your locker shut with a groan, and lean forward, resting your forehead against the cool metal. A heavy sigh leaves your lips as you try to collect your thoughts.

“Y/N?”

You tense at the sound of his voice, dripping with concern. It was just your luck for him to show up right now. You find yourself cursing the universe, because god forbid you catch a break once in a while. You shake your head, turning to walk, not even acknowledging him.

“Hey… wait up!” You hear him jogging up behind you, before he places a gentle hand on your shoulder to grab your attention. Though you’re quick to shrug it off.

“Don’t touch me.” You mutter, pushing the front doors open, and heading towards your car. You don’t see the way realization fills his eyes, biting the inside of his cheek as he follows you out to the parking lot.

“Where are you going?” He asks timidly, but you don’t answer him as you reach your car, shoving your backpack into the passenger seat, “Baby?”

“Don’t call me that.” You snap, spinning to face him, “You don’t get to call me that.” He throws his hands up in defense, backing away from you.

“Okay… okay.” He states calmly, not wanting to upset you further. He knows exactly what this is about, and he knew you’d react this way if you figured out it was him. Which was almost inevitable, because who else could’ve told the school administration about your depression?

Your glare is sharp, cutting through him like a knife as he awkwardly stands there, not knowing how to better the situation. “How could you?” You sniffle, eyes welling up with tears, “How could you tell them Steve?”

He’s doesn’t know what to say at first, doesn’t know how to respond in a way that could put you at ease, “I-I didn’t know what else to do! You were starting to scare me and I-”

“You promised!” You interrupt, anger boiling deep in your gut, “You promised to keep this between you and I, and the first thing you go and do is tell the school administration? Are you serious?”

Somewhere deep in your mind you know you’re being hard on him, you know that he’s genuinely concerned for your safety, but you can’t bring yourself to care.

“Just- take a breath okay? Will you at least let me explain myself?” He practically begs, trying to diffuse the situation. But you’re not having it.

“No, I don’t need you to.” Your tone is sharp.

He pinches the bridge of his nose, letting out a sigh, “Listen, I understand that you’re upset, but you’re being unreasonable. Please just try to trust me here.”

Disbelief is the only thing you can feel right now. You scoff, “No. You don’t get to talk about trust right now. Especially after you broke mine. Now you’re here telling me that I need to calm down and that I’m being unreasonable? Fuck you Steve.”

“Y/N c’mon! Will you just listen to me?”

“Why should I listen to you? I told you things that I’ve never told anyone! Now I have to go to counseling two days a week, and the entire school staff thinks I’m fucking crazy.” Your voice cracks as you cuss, and you wipe your teary eyes with the sleeve of your shirt.

He takes a step towards you, and you take a step back, not wanting to be any closer to him, “Nobody thinks you’re crazy. It’s normal to feel like this.”

“No it’s not! Nothing about any of this is normal Steve!”

He doesn’t respond to that, knowing you won’t believe him if he tells you otherwise. At least not while you’re in this headspace. Instead, he takes another step towards you, voice softening as he does so, “Sweetheart please…”

You don’t look at him, but you don’t back away, letting a tear or two fall from your eyes. Your voice shakes lightly as you speak, “When we first got together, you said you’d never hurt me.”

His heart feels like it’s shattering in his chest, and he’s shaking his head, “I didn’t mean to hurt you. Believe me, that’s the absolute last thing I wanted to do. I just wanted to help you.” He takes another step closer to you, almost completely closing the gap between the two of you.

But it’s enough to pull you back.

You step away from him again, making your way to the drivers side of your car. “I didn’t need your help. I needed you to be there for me, not talk about my personal shit.”

You tug open the driver door, bitterly spitting out, “I never should’ve trusted you.” Before slamming it and speeding off out of the parking lot, leaving Steve in the dust.

———

Robin is the first to show up at your house.

Two days after your argument with Steve, you’re being pulled from your afternoon nap by the incessant ringing of your doorbell. You get up from the couch with a groan, quickly tucking your blanket over your shoulders, not wanting to leave the warm comfort it brings you. You can only hope that you don’t look too bad as you pull open the door.

You’re not surprised to see her; she comes over unannounced fairly often. Usually it’s to watch a movie she’d snatched from family video, or to swoon over Vickie for hours on end. You don’t even get a chance to greet her before the words slip past her lips, “Holy shit you look like hell.”

You stare at her, unamused, “Thanks Rob.”

Her eyes widen in realization at what she’d said, “Oh shit no- I didn’t mean it like that I swear- it’s just that your hair is like all over the place and you look like you haven’t slept in days and I was just-”

You roll your eyes, “Do you wanna keep insulting me or are you going to come inside?”

“Right. Yeah. Sorry.”

She steps in, not even bothering to hang up her jacket or take off her shoes as she makes a beeline for the couch. She pats the spot next to her, inviting you to sit, and you do, turning to her and raising an eyebrow expectantly.

She clears her throat, “So, um…. nice place you’ve got here.” She says awkwardly, and you can’t help but snort, “You’ve been here a thousand times.”

She groans, exasperated, dropping her head in her hands, “I know I’m sorry, I’m just not very good at this.”

Your smile falters, “Good at what?”

She frowns as if it was supposed to obvious, “I don’t know, comforting you? Mending arguments? I heard what happened between you and Steve.” You feel your heart sink.

So she isn’t here to spend time with you, she’s here because she knows, and once again, you definitely didn’t tell her.

You let out a sharp laugh, except it wasn’t humor filled in the slightest, it was mean, angry, “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Her eyes widen, “What? What’d I say?”

You shake your head, standing up, “Just go home Robin.” You sigh disappointed, making your way towards the front door. She’s quick to stand, gently grabbing your wrist to stop you.“No wait! I want to be here, I want to help you!”

You groan, rubbing your forehead in frustration, “I don’t need help. Why the hell does everyone keep telling me that?”

“Because we’re all worried about you!” She blurts out, not knowing the damage she’s doing to you with every word that slips past her lips.

“All?” You ask softly, and she nods.

“Me, Nancy, Eddie, Jonathan. But nobody’s freaking out like Steve. He’s a mess, wants to give you space and shit but he’s so worried about you.” A part of you feels bad knowing that Steve’s probably pacing, tugging at his perfect hair and biting his nails raw on your account,

“He’s even got the kids freaking out too! They think you’re going to… do something.”

You don’t feel bad anymore.

“Do…something?” You ask lowly. You know exactly what she means, but feel like you need to hear her say it.

“I don’t know, hurt yourself? Do something you’ll regret?”

You scoff, “You actually think-”

She cuts you off, an exasperated look covering her face, “I don’t know what to think Y/N! I find out you’re extremely depressed, and here you are, trying to act like it’s no big deal!”

You bite the inside of your cheek, refraining from saying anything mean to Robin. You have to remind yourself none of this is her fault, “And how exactly did you find out that I’m ‘extremely depressed?’”

“I-” she pauses for a moment, watching you carefully, “Steve told me. Steve told all of us a week ago.” Tears fill your eyes, and you try your hardest not to let them roll down your cheeks. You nod slowly, sniffling, “Of fucking course he did.”

“Y/N…” she murmurs, finally realizing why you’re so hurt. She carefully takes a step towards you and places a hand on your shoulder, but you shake your head.

“No one was supposed to know. He- he wasn’t supposed to tell anyone. He promised me that he wouldn’t.” You choke out. “And now everyone knows. He lied to me.” Your whole body shakes, and you pinch your eyes shut.

“Oh honey…” she murmurs, “He only did it because he was so worried about you. He needed advice, wanted to know the best way to help you-”

“For fucks sake I don’t need help!” You finally snap, voice rising to the point of startling Robin, and she takes a step back, eyes widened at your outburst. You sigh, shoulders dropping as you hang your head in shame, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…” your voice trails off mid apology,

“I think you should go Rob.”

She steps forward again, “But I-” You shake your head, “Please leave.” You whisper to hide the crack in your voice, and she nods solemnly. She makes her way to the door, looking back at you as she opens it, “Call me if you need anything. I mean it.” And just like that the door shuts and she’s gone.

You crumple to the floor and cry until you fall asleep.

———

The next time you’re disturbed, you don’t even have to look up to know who it is.

Your front door squeaks open, gaining no reaction from you as your eyes stay trained on the television, wheel of fortune taking up the screen. You know you’d locked the door originally, and you don’t know many people who can unlatch locks with their minds.

You huff out a tired laugh, watching as the two girls sit down on the coffee table in front of you, blocking the TV from view. They both look at you expectantly with their arms crossed, “What do you two want?” You ask with a raised eyebrow.

“To get you out of your house.” Max answers, “You haven’t left in a week.”

You roll your eyes, realizing this is another attempt at making you feel better, “That’s not true,” You groan, “Yesterday I went to pick up some take out.”

“Seriously?” The redhead asks, a look of disbelief on her face. Her eyes rake over your form, and you watch as she scrunches her nose, wanting to cave in on yourself a little, “When was the last time you even showered?” And ouch, that stung a little (a lot).

“Max,” El cuts in, “Nancy said to be nice.”

You may not know much, but you do know that El doesn’t have a mean bone in her body. So you try your best to hide your disappointment when you hear that Nancy sent them.

Max’s face falls as she realizes the harshness behind her words, “Shit, right, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”

She actually seems apologetic, and you can’t find it in yourself to be upset with her. Granted, you can’t find it in yourself to feel much lately, “It’s just, we haven’t seen you in a while and we wanted to make sure you’re doing okay.”

She’s genuine, and you feel guilty for not reaching out to them, or any of the other kids in the last week. But it’s hard. It’s hard to find the energy to even take care of yourself, let alone interact with other human beings. You find yourself sitting up entirely to face them,

“I know, I’m sorry. I just… haven’t been feeling like myself lately.” Max nods, knowing what you mean. It was hard for her after Billy died. That was no secret to anyone. So if anyone is going to understand you, it’s her.

El, however, remains entirely clueless.

She eyes you strangely with her head tilted, “Who do you feel like then?” She receives a weird look from the redhead beside her, and you can’t help but let out an amused laugh, the first bit of happiness you’ve felt in last week.

“It’s an expression. I’m um… feeling sad I guess, so I’m not as happy as I usually am. I don’t feel normal.” You try to explain it in a way that she can easily understand, and she nods slowly, thinking.

“How can we help you feel normal?” She asks after a moment, and as much as your heart melts at the sweetness of the girl before you, you’re unsure of how to answer.

Max, your savior, cuts in with an idea of her own, “What about a girls night?” You look at her in confusion, considering they’re both like five years younger than you. Though it’s a pretty mellow idea, at least compared to some of the things you’ve experienced with them in the last few years.

You’re quick to shake off the images of alternate dimensions and lurking monsters, returning to reality, “A girls night?” You ask, cautiously.

“Yeah! We could order pizza, watch your favorite movies, paint each others nails… we could even sleep over… only if you want us to of course.” She’s quick to add, and with the way they’re both beaming at you, there’s no way you can say no to them.

“Okay.” You agree after a moment, “That sounds fun but uh- I don’t really have much food, and I don’t have any movies rented.”

“We have to run home anyways!” El chimes in, “To pack.”

“But we can totally pick up a movie or two! Which ones do you want?” Max asks, excitedly bouncing on her heels, and you take a moment to think, before an unfortunate thought occurs to you. It’s Saturday.

Steve works Saturday’s at family video.

“Um- before we figure that out, can you guys promise me something?” You stumble on your words nervously. They eagerly nod in sync, and you can’t help but smile at the teens, “Promise not to tell Steve that the movies are for me?” Max is quick to nod again, but El looks confused once more.

“Did Steve make you sad?” She asks. As much as you want to say yes, you know that it wouldn’t be fair to him, so you shake your head, plastering on a reassuring smile on for El’s sake.

“No honey, we just can’t let him know how much fun we’re gonna have without him tonight.” She giggles at that, nodding excitedly, and you feel your heart warm, ignoring Max’s sympathetic look.

“Footloose and Sixteen Candles it is then.”

In the time that they’re gone, you force yourself to shower and throw a load of laundry in the washer and dryer. You also take time to clean not only the bathroom, but the living room as well, laying out blankets and pillows for them to sleep on when they grew tired enough.

You can’t help but feel kind of proud. It might not have been a lot of work, but it was more progress than you’ve made in the last week, and that had to count for something.

You call and place an order for a large pepperoni and a medium Hawaiian pizza, per the girls requests, and the food arrives mere moments before they pull up on their bikes.

Max was definitely right. The girls night was a really good distraction from everything. You’d listened to them gossip, gave them advice about their relationships, painted each others nails, happily munched on pizza, and watched Footloose together.

They’d both fallen asleep in their makeshift beds during Sixteen Candles, and you’d tucked them in, making sure they’re each covered with a blanket. You laid back down to finish the movie, falling asleep at some point before the end.

The next morning you make them each breakfast, before sending them on their way with the movies, thanking them for the fun night.

Unfortunately, you can’t stop the sickening feeling from crawling up your spine as you watch them bike down the road, leaving you alone with your thoughts once again. You can already feel the purple polish chipping from your fingernails, leaving a horrible sense of dread in its wake as you make your way back to the couch.

Your clothes stay in the dryer, and the blankets stay on the living room floor, untouched.

————

The next time you’re disturbed, it’s not from the supernatural powers of El, but rather blaring police sirens instead.

You frown when you hear them, listening as they make their way up your driveway, accompanied by the sounds of kicked up gravel. They’re cut short as the engine of the vehicle stops, and you glance at the clock on the wall, reading 8:39 PM.

What the hell could the cops want at this time?

When you pull open the door, you shouldn’t be as surprised as you are to see Hopper on your front porch. He has that tough facade that he always puts on, but you can see it falter in his eyes. You’ve been learning to do that lately.

“Hop.” You greet him, pulling the hood of your sweatshirt over your head, hiding your tangled, unwashed hair.

“Hey kid,” he nods at you, taking off his hat, “The uh- the school called, said you haven’t showed up yet this week. No phone calls, no nothing.” He shuffles his feet awkwardly, not so subtly observing the bags under your eyes, the paleness of your skin, the greasy hair that sticks out from your hood, “Wanted me to do a wellness check on you.”

You shrug your shoulders, gesturing to yourself, “I’m well.” He huffs out an unamused laugh, shaking his head.

“Yeah…I’m not so sure about that.”

Your brows furrow, and you can’t help the way you glare at him, though you can tell he remains unaffected in the slightest, “I’m fine Hop. Just sick is all.” The lie rolls off your tongue easily, but you can tell he doesn’t believe a word you’re saying.

“Sick? I thought you were ‘well’?” He raises an eyebrow, quoting your previous choice of words.

“And I thought wellness checks were for making sure people are still alive. Didn’t realize tending to the ill was part of your job description.” You grumble, kicking a pebble, watching as it hits the older man’s boot, bouncing off it, “I’m fine. You can go home Hop. I’m sure Joyce and your kids are waiting for you.”

As much as you attempt to hide it, he doesn’t miss the tiny bit of dejection in your tone at the mention of family. He knows it’s a touchy subject for you, considering you don’t have much left.

He clears his throat, “Actually uh-” he reaches over to one of the chairs on your porch, picking up a tupperware container he’d most likely set there earlier, “Joyce asked me to bring this to you.” You take the container from him, lifting the lid to see it’s contents.

Your mouth waters at the sight of pot roast, carrots, and mashed potatoes smothered in gravy, the scent hitting your nose. You can’t remember the last time you’d had an actual home cooked meal, only surviving off of takeout and junk food whenever your aunt is gone, “Hop you guys really didn’t have to-”

He shakes his head, cutting you off, “I know we didn’t, but we did. So take it.” You nod, closing the lid fully with a small ‘thank you.’

“Is Donna home?” He asks, referring to your aunt. You shake your head. “How long til she’s back?”

You shrug your shoulders nonchalantly, “Dunno. She said she’d be back by last Friday, but I assume her trip got extended again. It’s not really out of the ordinary for her to come back later than she planned.” He stares at you for a moment, and you wrap your arms around your body, slightly caving in on yourself as he does so.

Jim Hopper is a man that has always been impossible to read. His constant stoic expressions and bored tones usually leave you wondering whether he’s angry with you or not, even if you’ve done nothing wrong. This is most definitely one of those times.

“You know kid…” he finally breaks the silence, “You can always stay with us when she’s gone. Can’t imagine it’s fun being left alone for this long.” He clears his throat, “And besides, El had so much fun with you last Saturday, she’d be excited to have the occasional roommate.” You’re too stunned by his offer to conjure up a response, so he continues,

“And Will he uh- he’s been talking about how much he misses you. Well, how much all the boys miss you.” He rubs the back of his neck awkwardly, “Dustin and Lucas have been begging me to check on you for days.”

“Not Mike?” You ask with a smirk and he chuckles, shaking his head, “Yeah well you know how he is. Little shit acts like he doesn’t care, but I heard him talking to my daughter last night. He uh- he misses you too.”

The idea of it should warm your heart, knowing all of the kids have so much love for you, but it only makes you feel worse. “So I’m really worrying everybody huh?” You ask timidly, shame filling your entire body.

Hop nods, not hesitating to be honest, “Nobody more than Harrington.” You groan, rolling your eyes at his confession. You’re still very obviously angry with Steve. If it weren’t for him, you wouldn’t be having this conversation. Although with each passing day, you find it easier to understand why he’d done what he did.

Hopper watches you, contemplating for a moment as he chooses his words carefully, “Listen, I’m not very good at the whole relationship advice thing.” You’re prepared to stop him, saving yourself from his awkwardness. Instead he cuts you off, “But believe it or not, I know what it’s like to be in a dark place.”

That stops you, because of course you believe it. The whole town had used his late drunken nights and many hookups as gossip topics for years.

Hardly anyone showed remorse for him, even if they knew the reasons behind his actions. You’d always found it horrendous, adding another excuse to your list of reasons that Hawkins is a shithole.

“And I promise you, it gets better.” He adds, “It always does. But not until you let people help you.”

You want to scream. You want to cry, and kick, and punch the nearest object, tired of being told that you need help. But you don’t do any of those things, simply shrugging as you pick up the Tupperware once more, “Tell Joyce I said thanks for dinner Hop. I appreciate you stopping by.”

He clears his throat, getting the message as he places his hat back on his head, “Don’t mention it. If you need anything, I’m a phone call away alright?” You nod, watching him walk back to his truck. Just as you’re about to turn and head inside he adds a gruff, “I’ll call the school and tell them you’re sick, but you’re back on Monday. You hear?”

You nod and he gives you a reassuring one in return, “My offer still stands, come over anytime.” You smile, giving him a thumbs up as he pulls out of your driveway, though it fades from your face once the door is shut.

You set the container in the fridge, not hungry anymore.

————

You’re awoken to the sound of your doorbell ringing once, twice, three times. You glance at the 9:30am displayed on the wall clock, and ready yourself to tell Robin to go away again. That is, until you hear the desperate voice of Steve Harrington.

“Y/N, it’s Steve. I know you’re in there. Can you come out please?” You swear your heart stops for a moment when you hear him, and you slowly lift yourself off of the couch, peering around the corner to get a good look through the glass in the door.

And there he stands, frantically running a hand through his hair, the other one reaching for the doorbell again. His sudden presence doesn’t frighten you as much as his appearance, because to be honest, he looks like just as much of a wreck as you do. From what you can see, bags have formed under his eyes, his movements are anxiety ridden, and you can hear his voice shake when he speaks.

“Baby please, I just want to talk to you.”

He looks through the glass, and you quickly duck back around the corner, back pressed tightly against the wall. You’re unsure of whether he saw you or not, so you don’t move. You keep your back pressed to that wall for the next twenty minutes, ultimately forcing you to listen to his pleas, to how worried he is, to how heartbroken he sounds.

It isn’t until you hear a sigh of defeat through the door, and the rumble of his car engine that you feel safe enough to move. And sure enough when you peek out your window, you watch him pull out of your driveway, taking off down the road.

You make your way back to the couch, not moving for the rest of the day.

————

Metalheads had been a huge target of the satanic panic during the 80’s, unintentionally scaring every god-fearing person that crossed their paths. You’d always roll your eyes whenever you’d witness it, knowing people have much worse things to fear than someone with a different taste in music.

Though, even after all of the interdimensional bullshit you’ve been through, apparently there’s nothing scarier than Eddie Munson sitting at your kitchen table in complete darkness.

You’ve just come back from from the 7/11, plastic bag of goodies in hand, and you’re pretty sure the cashier thought you were a cocaine addict after one glance at your appearance.

“Took you long enough.”

You jump, a loud shriek filling the air as you drop the bag, fumbling for the light switch. You flick it on, revealing a very amused Eddie, resting his chin in his hands, “Damn, even Ozzy can’t hit that note.”

You pinch the bridge of your nose in sheer annoyance, “What the actual fuck is wrong with you?!” You shout, still trying to calm your racing heart.

He shrugs, “You know, most people are home and in bed at 12:30, not venturing to the gas station alone.”

You glare at him, “And most people don’t break into their best friend’s houses when they’re not home,” you run a hand through your greasy hair, “Jesus fuck Eddie, you scared the shit out of me.”

“Guess we’re even then.” He retorts, both his tone and expression becoming serious. You face twists in confusion, “The hell are you talking about?”

He gives you a look, completely unamused, “Oh I don’t know. Maybe the fact that you haven’t bothered to answer the phone or show up to school in two weeks?”

“That’s not fair! The school told me to take that first week off and-”

“Sit down.”

You do with an annoyed huff, promptly shutting your mouth as you take a seat beside him. You refuse to look at him though, eyes locked on the twiddling of your thumbs as he stares at you expectantly. After half a minute of silence, Eddie finally clears his throat.

“Steve stopped by yesterday, yeah?” He watches you carefully, noticing how your shoulders tense at the mention of your boyfriend, ex boyfriend? Nobody’s really sure anymore, but regardless, your resolve doesn’t slip.

“Hear that through the grapevine did ya?” You mumble, finally looking up at him as you set your chin in your hand, elbow resting on the counter. He hums, mirroring your action, “Among other things.”

You squirm in your seat, feeling slightly intimidated underneath his gaze. And the worst part is, you could take a good guess at what he must be thinking right about now. Not only have you known Eddie for years, but he’s got that look in his eyes. The one you had seen in Hopper’s, in Max, El, and Robin’s. Hell you even recognized it in Ms. Kelley’s eyes two weeks ago.

It’s the same look that Steve’s consistently given you since he discovered you in your bed three months ago, and you know it all too well at this point.

You clear your throat, voice practically dripping with sarcasm, “Oh really? Do tell.”

The ghost of a smirk dances over his lips at your response, and he doesn’t hesitate to let the words roll off his tongue, counting on his fingers, “Let’s see, you’re severely depressed, you’re ignoring everyone, you’ve hardly left your house in almost two weeks, you’re fighting with your boyfriend-”

“Okay stop it- I wasn’t fucking serious!” You cut him off frantically, as if he didn’t know that already, “And Steve and I aren’t fighting, we’re just-”

“Not talking?” He finishes, and you hesitate for a moment before nodding, but he shakes his head at you, “See I don’t buy that. Cause he came over here yesterday to talk, and you ignored him. Just like you’ve been ignoring everyone else.” His tone shifts, bordering the line of accusatory.

As true as his statement is, you can’t help but flinch, hurt filling you as you look back down in shame, “That’s not fair Eddie…” you murmur, sniffling.

“Course it is. Everyone’s trying to reach out to you, and you’ve done nothing but push us away.” He’s being cruel now, sounding genuinely upset with you. You shake your head, standing up from your stool and making your way towards the living room that had become your makeshift bedroom over the last few weeks, “I’m not fucking listening to this.”

He follows you though, right on your tail as his words spew out, “Yes you are. You’ve got everyone worried sick. You don’t get to just run away from it.” You try to make yourself smaller, wishing you could just disappear.

“I-I just can’t okay? I can’t see anyone. It’s too hard-”

“You can’t or won’t?” He cuts you off, face showing nothing but disapproval, “See, Steve told me-”

You turn on your heel, finally snapping.

“I don’t care what Steve told you! Steve shouldn’t have opened his mouth in the first place!”

Eddie stops in his tracks, eyes widening at your outburst.

“I-I was fine! I had it under control! And now everybody knows that I’m a total fucking wreck! It’s not a secret anymore that I-I can’t even force myself to brush my teeth or shower or clean up; that I’m disgusting and can’t find the energy to even take care of myself! They know everything, and I had no say in it!” He opens his mouth to speak, but you cut him off again.

“And that look- that stupid look you’re giving me! Everyone just keeps showing up at my house as if I’m a fucking charity case, looking at me like- like I’m some kind of kicked puppy! And you all keep telling me over and over again that you, ‘Just want to help!’ But I don’t want help! I don’t want help from you or anyone else!”

He’s studying you now, eyeing you up and down carefully, “And why is that?” He asks, gently urging you to continue.

“Because-” you pause for a moment, eyebrows furrowing as you try to grasp your own reasoning behind your reluctance for their aid.

Your voice softens, “Because if I accept it then you’ll all figure out just how bad it really is, and you’ll hate me.”

You pause for a moment, taking a shaky breath as you wipe a fallen tear from your cheek, “You’ll see the worst parts of me, and then you’ll leave, and I don’t think I can fucking take it.”

More tears start to slip down your cheeks, and your bottom lip wobbles as words continue to spew out from your mouth.

“So I’m sorry okay? I’m sorry that I’m scaring you, and the kids, and everyone else, and I’m sorry that I didn’t fucking open the door to Steve yesterday. I know that everything’s he’s done was to try and help me because he’s scared, but that’s the problem Eddie! He’s scared!” Your hands begin to tremble.

“Every single day for the last three months he’s been scared of me, of what could happen to me. And-and now that I’ve gotten so bad I…I can’t face him. I can’t bare to see the look on his face when he realizes he’s been dating a fucking abomination okay? I’m sorry.”

Your chest is heaving, as your spiel comes to an end, and it takes a moment for everything you just said to hit you. You half expect Eddie to say nothing, to shake his head in pure disgust and walk out. But he doesn’t. He just stares at you for a moment as a shit eating grin slowly makes its way onto his face, “Was that so hard?”

Your eyebrows furrow, teary eyes scrunching in confusion, “What?”

“I’ve known you a long time sweetheart,” He takes a step towards you, “And I also know that you have a habit of not quite communicating what your feeling, until you feel the need to defend yourself.”

You blink at him as you piece together his words, sniffling, “You were being an asshole… to figure out what’s wrong?”

He grimaces, “Well when you put it that way it makes me sound like a dick.” You stare at him unimpressed as you wait for his answer, and he sighs, “Yeah, no that’s… that’s pretty much what I was doing.”

You stand there in utter disbelief for a moment, opening your mouth to shout at him, but he cuts you off instead.

“Before you yell at me,” he quickly lifts his hands in surrender, “You���re forgetting that you’ve done the same thing to me a thousand times.” He gives you a pointed look and your shoulders drop in annoyance. He’s right, you definitely have. More than once. Neither of you happen to be good at dealing with your issues, which makes you a slightly dangerous pair as best friends.

You should technically be angry, but you can’t stop the disbelieving grin that overtakes your face as you reach for your pillow that rests on the couch.

“You’re such an asshole!” You shriek, hitting him with it over and over again, and he lets out a sound close to a squawk, trying to dodge your attacks.

“Hey! Cut it out!” He snatches the pillow from you, holding it above your head, “Jesus, you trying to kill me?”

“If I did you’d deserve it,” you grumble, giving his chest a gentle shove before plopping yourself down onto the couch, rubbing the fallen tears from your cheeks. He drops right down next to you, wrapping an arm around your shoulders.

You’re surprised you didn’t see this coming; not even just his ploy to get the truth out of you, but just him showing up in general. The two of you have been practically tied at the hip since you were middle schoolers, of course he was going to pop in and check on you after two weeks of radio silence.

Maybe if your mind had been occupied with less self deprecative thoughts you could have potentially predicted it, but it seems as though you set yourself up for failure once again.

You can’t help but groan, leaning forward with you head in your hands, “What the hell do I do Eds?”

A breathy chuckle escapes his lips as he gently rubs your back, “I have a couple ideas.” You turn to face him, peeking up through your fingers in confusion.

“Such as?” You ask, muffled.

He bites back a grin as he kicks his feet up on the coffee table in front of him, “Well, you could continue doing whatever it is you’re doing, until Hopper comes and physically drags you back to school. And then you’ll have to face everyone against your will.”

You groan, visibly disgusted at the idea of every one of your friends seeing what you’ve turned you into.

“And there’s always the fact that your aunt will inevitably come home, find you, completely flip out, and check you into the hospital.”

“I think you’ve made your point-” you flinch knowing he’s right.

“Or maybe Ms. Kelley will call for another wellness check, and a deputy’ll show up at your door.”

“Why do you always-”

“Or you could call him.”

The silence that follows is almost sickening, and your body tenses. Call him? You can’t call him. How could you expect him to even talk to you after everything that’s happened? You start to shake your head, but Eddie’s quick to cut you off, “Yes, and that’s exactly what you’re gonna do.”

You let out a frustrated huff, running your hand through your greasy hair, “I can’t call him. He probably hates me at this point.”

A laugh bursts deep from his chest, and he folds over, shoulders shaking. You watch in a mix of awe and confusion as he tries to catch his breath. Finally he turns to you, and reaches to hold your face in his hands, eyes still crinkling in amusement.

He sighs, “How can someone so smart be so stupid at the same time?” You pout, and his grin only widens.

You open your mouth with some sort of half-assed retort, but he cuts you off,

“Call him.” He stands, shrugging his jacket on.

“Eddie-”

He ruffles your hair, kissing the top of your head before making his way to the front door, “Call him,” he points the van key in your direction, “Or I’ll go get him myself.”

The door shuts behind him, leaving your house completely silent once again. You sit for a moment, reaching for the TV remote, but your hand hovers over it. Eddie’s words are ringing in your ears like the incessant pressing of a doorbell.

You think of Robin, jamming the tiny buzzer over and over again to make sure you were doing alright.

You think of Max and El, who tried so desperately to pull you from your slump, and Nancy, who’d sent them your way in the first place.

Hopper and Joyce, occasionally leaving meals at your front door over the past week and a half.

The boys, who’d been calling your phone nonstop to make sure you’re still alive, despite you never answering.

Eddie, showing up without warning to knock some sense into you.

And Steve. Poor Steve, showing up at your door all disheveled, just wanting to speak to you.

Letting out yet another sigh, your hand drops to your knee, and you push yourself up off the couch, making your way towards the phone.

Your hand shakes as you pull it off the wall, and you press the numbers in an order you’ve long since memorized.

You place the phone to your ear, and take a deep breath.

————

The phone gives at least four rings before Steve’s groggily getting up out of bed to answer it.

He’s cursing whoever the hell decided to wake him when he picks up the phone, “Harrington residence,” he yawns.

The other line is silent.

“Helllooo?” He huffs out.

There’s some shuffling on the other end.

“Look Dustin, I’m really not in the mood for whatever you’re-”

He’s cut off, “Steve?”

And he freezes. He hasn’t heard your voice in almost 3 weeks, but he recognizes it all the same.

“A-are you there?” You ask, after a moment of silence.

Steve clears his throat, “Uh- y-yeah, yeah I am I-….” He pauses for a moment,

OMG THIS WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE POSTED YET HOW DO I FIX THIS AFSJSBSKAVAU

[rey-jake-therapist]

Lost Souls: chapter 2

Chapter 1 is here.

Summary:

"She knew it was foolish, but in that moment, it made her feel like she was in control again. She didn't have any expectations for anything to come of it, but she didn't care. At best, he would ask for her number and never call her. At worst, he wouldn't even bother because she was just a girl he picked up in a bar. And that was fine. He looked at her so intensely that her knees went weak." What would Mina refrain from doing what her husband seemed to do so easily? That's exactly what Mina thinks as Jake, the handsome stranger she met outside, comes back for her. Quickly, things get steamy... Too bad her past will abruptly get in the way.

Notes:

I've got to put a TRIGGER WARNING on this one: there will be a flashbacks of a rape that Mina went through in this chapter. It will be very brief and I don't go into details.

"You came back!" Mina replied, amused, before settling onto a barstool. She took off her coat, deciding to stay a little longer after all, and pretended not to notice her new "friend's" eyes following the movement of her coat and lingering on her bare shoulders.

"Yeah, I realized I gave you my favorite lighter," he said nonchalantly. "I miss it."

"Do you want me to give it back? I can do that," Mina offered cheekily.

"Nah, it was a gift! But you can have a drink with me, so I know where it is when I need it," he replied. "If you want to, of course."

"It's not like I have better plans," Mina admitted. "But I've been trying to get a drink for half an hour now. Do you think you can do better?"

The man chuckled. "Nothing could be easier," he claimed.

Here, in the mottled ambiance of the dimly lit nightclub, Mina could see him more clearly. He was incredibly handsome, with prominent cheekbones and a sharp jawline. His sharp blue eyes looked deep enough to get lost in. He knew he was attractive, as evidenced by his irritatingly smug smile. But as much as Mina wanted to wipe it off his face, she also didn't want him to leave. Not yet, at least.

And yet, Mina knew the type. Most likely a jerk. Everything about him screamed "I'm broken, I need to be fixed," but she had met too many men like him when she was younger. They were all so charming, with eyes full of empty promises, who took but rarely gave and were too lost to care. Mina had shed a tear or two over men like him before deciding to avoid them at all costs.

However, tonight was special. Nothing mattered anymore tonight, and how could he hurt her more than she already was anyway? Besides, he seemed to know the bartender, who approached them, swaying her hips and smiling - at him, of course - and Mina desperately needed a drink, maybe a fix even.

"Jake, it's been a while!" The beautiful, dark skinned brunette swiftly collected empty glasses from the bar, cleaning as she went.

Mina mentally noted his name, Jake. She liked the sound of it. It suited him.

"Has it really been that long? Did you miss me?" Jake asked, his voice sugary sweet.

The bartender laughed, admitting that she had missed him a little. Jake ordered a whiskey on ice and nodded towards Mina, signaling for her to place her order.

"She's been waiting for two hours, she's dehydrated! What are you paid for?" Jake teased, receiving a playful tap on the arm.

"Says the guy who serves pricey wines to snobby customers at a fancy restaurant! I bet you make twice my salary with your tips, you lazy bum," the young bartender retorted. "You couldn't last a day in a place like this!"

"Ahem," Mina cleared her throat. She appreciated their playful banter, but she was thirsty and eager to be served at last. She ordered a beer from the bartender, who apologized for being swamped with work. She returned shortly with their drinks and then went off to attend to other customers. But before leaving, she told Mina,

"Watch out for that guy!"

Jake looked mildly offended, but Mina just shrugged and responded after taking a sip of her beer, "Well, I'm not perfect either."

Jake gave her an intrigued look, but he was wise enough not to question her. Instead, he suggested they clink glasses, which Mina gladly accepted.

"So, Jake," Mina began. "You're a bartender at a restaurant. Is it your day off, or have you just finished your shift? By the way, I'm Mina."

"It's my day off. But like Corinne said, I'm a clown with an easy, overpaid job," he admitted, sounding almost proud. "But enough about me. Mina, Mina... What a lovely name. I don't hear it often, but it sounds familiar," he added.

“It’s from Coppola’s Dracula,” Mina explained, feeling slightly embarrassed. Jake looked surprised, prompting her to elaborate, “It's my mother's favorite movie. She watched it while she was pregnant with me. It's about Mina, who's believed to be the reincarnation of Dracula's dead wife. My mom ate that stuff up,” she chuckled nervously.

“I remember that movie. There are lights of red in your hair.. Isn't the redhead girl called Lucille, or Lucy? Something like that?” Jake inquired.

“Yeah, Lucy! I suppose my parents didn't want to name me after Dracula's whore,” she laughed nervously again before taking another, larger sip of her beer.

Mina suddenly realized how long it had been since she last talked to a stranger. It was exciting and refreshing, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she sounded like a dimwit and that Jake would soon abandon her to find someone more intriguing to chat with.

She froze as she noticed something unexpected. When Mina paid attention to a man's eye color and his ring finger, it meant she liked him a lot, which was why her heart skipped a beat when she saw a ring on Jake's left hand.

“I didn't think you were married!” Mina feigned relaxation, but her heart wasn't in it. It was one thing to mess up her own marriage, but it was another to ruin someone else's.

“Married? Since when? With whom? Why didn't anybody tell me?” Jake asked, astonished but also amused at her claim. He seemed genuinely surprised, so Mina pointed to the large ring on his finger, which, upon closer examination, looked more like a signet ring than a wedding band.

“What's this?”

Jake quickly looked at his ring, then burst into laughter.

“Oh, this! Okay, it's on that finger, but it's not that type of ring. It's a gift from a young lady who's very dear to me, and I'm never going to take it off. I can't, I promised her.” He explained with a solemn tone.

“I see,” Mina whispered, not entirely satisfied with the answer. “And why aren't you with her instead of having drinks with a stranger in a bar?” She teased him.

Jake winced.

“Because it's already late, and she's probably asleep now, dreaming of princesses or whatever else twelve-year-old girls dream about,” he explained earnestly.

Mina groaned but couldn't help but laugh. Jake smirked and continued, “It's from my goddaughter Emily. She gave it to me two years ago to protect me. See, there's a cat! She says I'm like a cat because I never answer her father's calls but show up whenever I want to. She's a clever one!”

His smile grew wider as Mina's face turned red. She giggled and admitted, “I suppose I look foolish now.”

“No, you look jealous. It's alright. I like that,” he teased her, his smug grin returning. She rolled her eyes but didn't protest. She smirked and finished her beer instead. She was so thirsty that she had drunk it quickly, but she knew it wouldn't be enough.

“Speaking of…” he paused, mimicking the gesture she had made moments earlier. “…wedding rings, I have eyes too. What brings you here?”

Mina smirked and let out a long, weary sigh.

“It’s complicated,” she conceded.

Jake appeared receptive, even ignoring a phone call to give her his undivided attention. Mina shared fragments of her recent history, carefully chosen. She recounted her husband's infidelity and the searing betrayal she had experienced due to the unique circumstances. She also confided in him about their dysfunctional relationship and her urgent need for distance. She even admitted she wasn't entirely certain she wanted to return home anymore, not after the conversation she had had with Johnny earlier. She withheld certain details she had only divulged to Keisha. Disclosing all these facets of her life to a stranger was much easier than she had anticipated, Mina realized with a sense of satisfaction. Perhaps it was due to the numbness she had felt after her last conversation with Johnny, but she no longer felt anything at all. It was so liberating...

Jake was a good listener. He abstained from offering any commentary or guidance, which she was grateful for, but suggested that she might need something stronger than a beer.

"I loathe whiskey if that's what you're implying," Mina retorted, wincing at the thought.

Jake leaned closer and whispered with a seductive tone that sent shivers down her spine, "Nah, that's not what I had in mind. Do you trust me?"

Mina arched her eyebrows.

"Trust you? Trust you for what?"

Jake didn't respond, a behavior she instinctively identified as his modus operandi.

He summoned Corinne again with a commanding voice, already shouting for the second time. Even though the bartender cast an irritated look his way as she was already serving other patrons, she hastened over to them. Mina smirked, still pondering what Jake had in mind.

"Still here?" Corinne teased Jake. "Shouldn't you be with your girlfriend by now on Valentine's Day?! It's already past eleven, her shift must have ended by now!" She teased him, before winking at Mina. Mina was slightly disconcerted to learn that he had a girlfriend, but Jake's flustered expression was too comical not to chuckle.

"What girlfriend?" Jake queried, feigning ignorance but sounding unconvinced.

"You're asking me? Simone told me that you have a new girlfriend from the restaurant! I trust Simone when it comes to you. Plus, I know you've slept with all your coworkers, so it was just a matter of time before you banged the newbie!" Corinne added, while serving another client, who had taken advantage of her availability to order a drink.

“Ouch, bad idea…”Mina couldn’t help but comment on the ongoing discussion between Corinne and her new friend.

“You know Tess?” Corinne asked with curiosity.

Mina wondered for a few seconds what made her think that and looked puzzled, then shook her head and replied after an embarrassed giggled,

“Absolutely not, I’m not even from here. I was just saying, it’s always a bad idea to date a coworker. For me, at least! I never do it. It’s surely fine as long as everybody’s having fun, but it can quickly turn a workplace into hell on earth. I saw it happen too many times!” She added.

"Thank you!” Corinne exclaimed, before pointing a varnished nail on Jake. “See? It’ll cause you trouble someday. But don't come here to complain, ‘cause I’ve warned you!”

As Jake scoffed but side-eyed Mina, who grinned mischievously in response, Corinne continued,

“Anyways, Simone: she said that girl had spent the year chasing you, what took you so long? Oh, and that you'd probably break her heart. She also said it wouldn't be her problem, this time. Are you at odds with Simone? She seemed pretty upset a couple of days ago…

"Simone's full of shit," Jake grumbled. His smug smile was gone and he looked uncomfortable. "If Tess was my girlfriend, I would be with her, it's that simple. We're just having fun. That's it! Now can you be a doll and bring us two shots of tequila with lemon and salt? Please?" He then asked, slightly aggressive, and visibly nervous.

Corinne must have felt the sudden tension he displayed, as she grew cold and served them what he asked.

Mina, who had wisely remained uninvolved in the strife that opposed Corinne and Jake, raised her eyebrows when she heard his order.

"Tequila?" She asked, an ounce of skepticism in her voice.

"Yep! That's why I asked if you trusted me. I intend to get you really drunk tonight because my gut tells me you need that, but I need you to be comfortable or… it won't work," Jake explained, mischievous. He then took off his jacket, revealing a white t-shirt and an athletic torso.

"Honestly, it's way too early to trust you yet. Good luck for getting me drunk though, I'm a tough one,"

Mina then smirked and licked the skin between her thumb and her forefinger before sprinkling a small pinch of salt onto this area. Jake imitated her. They both licked the salt and raised their glasses to clink, downed their tequila shots and bit their limes, eyes locked on each other. Mina always enjoyed the sourness of the lime on her tongue and how it broke with the bitterness of the tequila. And she was enjoying Jake too, a little bit too much.

Another round of shots followed, then a third one, a fourth, a fifth... They chatted about everything and nothing: Mina especially caught herself being chatty about her current situation, while Jake remained very quiet about his.

After each round he came closer to her and almost never broke eye contact, except to look at her lips. His eyes, made of the deepest blue, seemed to gaze directly into her soul and made her feel weak, in a strangely good way. She knew now he wanted to kiss her as much as she did, and enjoyed the delicious feeling of being desired but wanted this moment to last as long as possible. Everytime she met someone she liked, this moment between the first words exchanged and the first kiss was the moment she preferred. There was nothing at stake yet, nothing life changing anyways. It was a comforting realization that if they parted ways now, no harm would be done.

Perhaps, in the future, they would reflect on this brief encounter with fondness. The moment was a respite from the pressures of life and the uncertainty of what the future held.

Mina felt a strong urge to touch Jake's bare arm as it casually rested on the bar, but an invisible string seemed to hold her back. She relaxed a bit when Jake pointed out her inhibition and began to giggle. “Mind you, I’m still not drunk. Only jetlagged!" she claimed, before laughing out loud as Jake put on a skeptical face. She revealed that she had been working as a waitress at a fancy restaurant for six years, but had decided to pursue a professional reconversion. After much contemplation, she had decided to return to her abandoned informatics studies and found a school. As she had experience in hacking, she explained to Jake that it seemed only logical to specialize in cybersecurity and pursue “a more lawful path”, as she proclaimed with a touch of mock solemnity in her voice.

It seemed to impress Jake, especially when she disclosed that she had hacked into her school's computer network at fifteen to lower her ex-boyfriend's grades after catching him cheating on her. Not stopping there, she had also exposed the illicit pictures stashed on her math teacher's hard drive, involving underage students.

“I would have never guessed. You don't strike me as a computer geek at all,” Jake pointed out.

Mina scoffed. “You mean I don't fit the stereotype? We're not all like Sheldon from Big Bang Theory!” She playfully teased him. “My stepfather’s a computer engineer and a genius who once hacked the FBI just for kicks. So, I don’t really have much credit; he taught me… Everything.” She emphasized the word ‘everything’, but Jake was way too impressed to catch on.

“He did what, for kicks?!”

“It was a bet with a friend,” Mina responded, shrugging.

No longer wishing to dwell on the topic of her stepfather, she abruptly turned to the bar and, after a few minutes of waiting, ordered another round of tequila shots. Jake seemed to sense she was shutting herself down, so he proposed they head to the lounge for a smoke. Mina cheerfully agreed. She knew she would quit smoking again eventually, but now was not the moment to exercise prudence.

The smokehouse was as crowded and smelly as Jake had described it. It was so cramped that moving without bumping into someone was difficult, and Mina had to apologize three times before they found a corner where they could smoke and talk quietly.

Jake stood so close to Mina that she could still smell his intoxicating cologne. His presence and the way his deep blue eyes stared into her soul were captivating. Mina still had Jake's lighter, so she lit his cigarette. They exchanged a brief smile as they puffed on their cigarettes, but Jake's phone started ringing again. Although he groaned and seemed reluctant to answer, Mina saw the name 'Tess' on the screen and felt empathy for this girl she didn't know at all.

"Why don't you pick up? You could say that you're busy and not interested in seeing her, perhaps? She might be worried about you," she said with a voice she wanted to sound severe.

Jake expressed his disapproval with a scoff, although Mina could sense a hint of regret in his sour expression.

"She shouldn't," he grumbled. Despite his reluctance, he eventually answered his girlfriend's call after an exasperated sigh.

"Yeah, I missed your call. Sorry... I'm not going to the Home bar tonight, babe. No, I'm at home. I was just dozing off. Why? There's music playing because I turned it on. Are you doubting me now? ‘Cause this shit ain’t gonna fly with me, you know that!"

Mina found it amusing how Jake was trying to avoid his inquisitive girlfriend's questions, but she suddenly remembered her obligation to her best friend and her baby.

"Christ! I forgot about my best friend and her baby," she whispered as she slapped her forehead.

Jake looked confused, but he was still busy arguing with the girl over the phone. Mina pulled out her phone from her bag and switched it on for the first time since she had returned to the Omega Lounge.

She dreaded what she might find on her phone. She had hung up on her husband and hadn't given him a chance to call her back. She knew that there would be at least one, if not several messages waiting for her, but she wasn't in a rush to find out.

The first text was from Keisha, who informed Mina that everything was fine and that she, Ewan, and Zahra were back home. Mina felt slightly guilty for not responding to Keisha's message, but she promised herself that she would make it up to her friend in the morning.

The second message was a voicemail from Johnny. Mina took a deep breath and listened to it while Jake was still on the phone arguing with his girlfriend. She thought she was prepared for the worst, but she had clearly underestimated Johnny's anger. The atmosphere in the smoking lounge was hot and stifling, but Mina couldn't help but shiver as she heard her husband's voice tearing down their marriage, calling it a "scam," and regretting the day he had met her. He also said he was happier with Lyla than with her, claiming that it was only natural for him to laugh and communicate with someone, something he had always found impossible to do with Mina. Johnny repeated that he had never been happier or felt more free than he did now that she was gone, and urged her to stay in New York and never come back.

Despite knowing that Johnny was only trying to hurt her as revenge for her sudden departure, Mina was overwhelmed with emotions and tears streamed down her face. She wanted to stop the pain, but her fingers seemed frozen on her phone. When the voicemail finally ended, and the artificial female voice informed Mina that there were no new messages, she wordlessly dropped her phone into her purse.

" The child is grown

The dream is gone

I have become comfortably numb, " she heard Pink Floyd sing in her head.

Mina finally became aware of Jake's genuine concern as she turned to him, her eyes now awash with tears. She realized he must have finished his conversation long ago, and her heart sank as she wondered for how long he had watched her.

"Is everything okay? Did you get bad news?" Jake inquired, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. Mina recoiled and stepped back, overcome with emotion. She turned away from him, ashamed of her tear-stained face. She had hoped to keep her emotions in check, but Jake's kindness had opened the floodgates, and she began to sob uncontrollably.

"I need to go to the bathroom," she choked out between sobs. "Please watch my things. I'll be right back."

Mina did not look back to see Jake's reaction. She knew it was risky leaving her purse with a man she barely knew, but her intuition told her he was not a thief and wouldn't leave before she returned to the smokehouse. Being alone in this unfamiliar place scared her more than the thought of her money being stolen. She rushed through the crowded nightclub, determined to find the bathroom.

As she gazed at her reflection in the mirror, Mina was appalled to see mascara streaks running down her cheeks, giving her the appearance of a haunted, grey-eyed witch. She quickly wiped away the smudges and tried to tame her wild curls, which she hated. They reminded her of him - the man who used to love them. She scrutinized her cleaned face in the mirror, taking note of her striking features - her glamorous curls, her perky cheeks, her full lips and her big grey eyes made her undeniably pretty. Mina knew Jake would eventually invite her to his place for a final drink, but she was unsure if she was ready to take that leap. What seemed so simple to others always terrified her, raising questions she wasn't sure she was prepared to answer.

Mina longed to retrieve her phone from her bag to listen to Johnny's voicemail again, but she remembered she had entrusted her purse to Jake and shook her head in frustration. The realization that she might lose not only her means of payment and identification but also Keisha's and Johnny's phone numbers paralyzed her. She had never bothered to memorize Johnny's number or backup her contacts online. If Jake decided to abscond with her purse, she would be stranded and forced to file a complaint that would most likely be futile. She imagined herself on the street, standing at her apartment door, begging Johnny to let her in and confessing she had made yet another mistake. She recalled his harsh words echoing in her mind - "You always think you're better," "Find someone who loves you more," "I knew her better in two days than you in three," "You say we're toxic, but you're toxic," "Don't bother coming back…"-

Suddenly, Mina was jolted from her reverie by the sound of female voices, signaling the arrival of other women in the bathroom. Without a second thought, she retreated into one of the stalls and waited for the strangers to leave. But to her dismay, it soon became evident that the young women were here to stay, snorting cocaine away from prying eyes. Hearing these familiar sounds stirred up old demons in Mina, reminding her of a time when she would take anything that could be snorted or injected, without any regard for herself or others.

The temptation to join in became too strong, and she couldn't resist leaving the stall to ask the girls if they had any left to sell her. She explained that she didn't have her purse, but her boyfriend was waiting for her in the smoking lounge with it. She offered to pay them there, and to her surprise, one of the girls, a brunette, offered her the remainder of the cocaine with a smile, insisting she didn't need the money.

Mina felt a twinge of guilt as she walked back to the lounge, knowing she was on the brink of falling back into her old habits. But as she caught sight of Jake's handsome face in the crowd, all her reservations dissipated. He was smoking, as usual.

"Hey, I'm back!" she exclaimed, relieved to see him.

Jake teased her, "Long time no see. If you hadn't left your stuff here, I would have thought you ran away!"

Mina couldn't help but smile, and impulsively snatched the cigarette from his mouth and put it in the ashtray.

Taken aback, Jake didn't resist when Mina pulled him towards her and kissed him. It was a brief, impulsive kiss, but the delighted surprise in Jake's eyes made it all worth it. She knew it was foolish, but in that moment, it made her feel like she was in control again. She didn't have any expectations for anything to come of it, but she didn't care. At best, he would ask for her number and never call her. At worst, he wouldn't even bother because she was just a girl he picked up in a bar. And that was fine. He looked at her so intensely that her knees went weak.

"I've been wanting this for a while now," Mina admitted with a tender smile.

"I've been wanting this since the moment I saw you," Jake whispered huskily.

He brushed her lips gently, teasingly, sending shivers down her spine. She knew he was testing her. As the tip of his nose brushed her cheek, Mina opened her mouth, inviting him in. Emboldened, Jake's arms wrapped around her, enveloping her in his warmth. He pushed her roughly against the wall, and Mina moaned as he deepened the kiss. She clung to him, running her hands under his shirt and across his soft, sensitive skin. He shuddered and grabbed her hands, raising them above her head.

"Slow down, we're in a fucking smoking den," Jake whispered, followed by a short laugh.

Their breaths were heavy and loud as a growing fever took over them. Jake pushed her against the wall, still keeping her hands up and locked, and gave her another passionate, deep kiss. He wasn't just kissing her but devouring her like a feisty meal. His lips tasted of cigarettes, whiskey, and danger. Mina almost lost herself when he began to focus on her neck, licking and biting it. He was everything she had tried to escape from for years, but it was too late to turn back now. Not that she wanted to.

Recalling what she had in her pocket, and suspecting that Jake was a user, Mina gently pushed him away and, showing him a naughty smirk, revealed the small pouch of cocaine given to her by the girl she met in the bathroom.

"Hey, look what I found... interested?" she asked.

Jake raised his eyebrows and claimed he did not expect her to be into drugs, to which she replied that she was full of surprises. He then stated that he knew of a place where they would not be disturbed, and before Mina could ask where it was, his knuckles were sliding against hers and her hand was in his. She felt a warm rush over her whole being as he pressed his palm against her own and led her through the dancing crowd to a staircase she had not noticed before. She attempted to get an explanation from Jake, but he only encouraged her to follow him, his hand still holding hers.

They found themselves in front of a door that Jake opened and closed behind them as Mina entered. The room was dominated by a large table with eight chairs that occupied almost all of the space. Only a green plant in the corner provided a bit of cheer, but it was clearly parched. Mina watched Jake remove his jacket in silence and toss it onto the nearest chair back.

"It's a conference room," Jake announced. "They sometimes rent it during the day to companies that require a venue for their meetings," he explained.

"I thought you didn't like it here, but it seems you know every dark corner of this place!" Mina scoffed. She took off her coat slowly, relishing the sensation of his hungry eyes devouring her.

"I didn't say I wasn't offered a tour once or twice," Jake retorted.

"By Corinne?"

"Possibly…"

Jake grasped her by the waist and pulled her firmly against him. Mina squirmed, but suddenly her husband's face appeared in a corner of her mind, condemning her. Mina froze and shied away from his lips. Then she remembered that Johnny had done far worse. Keisha's advice was: “have fun”. Keisha would probably not approve of her using what she had in her pocket, but she was not present to stop her.

Mina shook the small pouch of white powder under Jake's nose.

"Guests first!" she quipped, with a small smile at the corner of her lips.

Jake chuckled, but took the pouch and used his credit card to prepare two lines. He then snorted the first one before making way for Mina. She hesitated for a few seconds, too brief for Jake to notice that she was not as confident as she seemed, but enough for her to convince herself that she was in control. She had quit drugs seven years ago when she met Johnny, who had been a tremendous support in helping her stay away from drugs. There was no danger of her relapsing. Not for one line... She wanted that line, and she wanted that man.

Everything will be fine.

As Mina swiftly snorted her line of cocaine, she sensed Jake's eyes fixed on her. The sensation of the drug infusing into her bloodstream was all too familiar, as if she had never stopped doing it. She felt instantly rejuvenated and more self-assured.

Suddenly, she gasped as Jake lifted her hair and delicately caressed the small hairs at the back of her neck. She knew he was teasing her, but she relished the attention. A shiver of pleasure ran down her spine when his finger traced a line down her bare back, only to be halted by the barrier of her synthetic dress.

"You've got a tattoo down there," Jake murmured, his breath hot on her neck. "Is it a cherry tree?"

"It's a cherry branch," Mina replied, smirking. "It runs all the way down to my lower back."

"Nice, can I see it?" he asked, toying with the zipper of her dress. Mina's heart raced as she gripped the table with her hands, but she still answered weakly, "Sure..."

She heard Jake's breathing quicken as he unzipped her dress and pulled it apart to reveal the tattoo it concealed. He traced the pink flowers and followed the light brown line of the branch. Mina bit her lip in excitement, allowing Jake to continue. He pressed his body against hers and slid a hand under her dress to caress her thighs, while his other hand went to her shoulder and slowly slipped the straps of her dress off. Mina bit her lip harder, shivers running down her spine as Jake's fingers followed the curves of her body down to her hips.

"Your skin is so soft," Jake whispered into her ear with a deep, hoarse voice, before his mouth ravaged her neck with sudden, passionate kisses. Mina let out a cry of pleasure, which turned into a long moan when he pulled her hair to gain better access. She squirmed and pushed her hips against his erection. Jake growled and bit her tender skin, then slipped a hand into her panties. Mina stopped him, however, and turned to face him, eager to touch him as well.

She realized his eyes were a dazzling shade of cobalt blue as he looked at her breasts and whispered, "You're gorgeous..."

They exchanged a brief smile before Mina pulled his face towards hers and kissed him passionately. She then cheekily asked, "You don't expect me to be the only one like this, do you?"

Mina fiddled with Jake's shirt, indicating that she wanted him to take it off. He chuckled, but complied, revealing a torso and arms covered with tattoos and inscriptions. Mina blushed and ran her fingers over his silver necklace, stroking his chest hair before drawing him close and kissing his neck with the same fervor he had shown her. Jake moaned with pleasure, sliding his hands back under her dress and pulling her panties down to her feet. Mina gasped with excitement as he lifted her effortlessly onto the table.

"Spread your legs," Jake ordered.

Panting, dripping wet, Mina obeyed without a word.

"Good girl," he murmured, smirking.

"Don't be so sure of that…"

Jake’s smile grew larger. He dove on her to steal a kiss. Grinding her against the table in a tight embrace, he then put a hand between her legs. Feeling her wetness, he groaned with satisfaction and toyed with Mina’s desire for a few seconds, visibly enjoying the sight of her squirming and the strangled sounds that came from her mouth. Her moans intensified when he slid first one, then two fingers inside of her. She circled his waist with her legs and bit his shoulder to smoother the waves of pleasure that shook her to the core while he kept circling her clit. When she felt the orgasm coming, she pulled on his hair while her nails digged on his flesh so hard Jake let out a small scream followed by a brief laugh.

And then, as unexpected as it was unwelcome, the first flashback came.

The sound of another laugh, a way more sinister one, followed with the vision of her stranded on the hood of a car, helpless and terrified. ‘No!’

Mina blinked to chase the vision away. She kissed Jake and whispered in her ear,

"Fuck me,"

Jake met her words with a grunt of approval but kept caressing her, letting Mina unbuckle his belt and drop his pants to reveal his thick hard member. She took it in her hand and started stroking, making him moan and groan while he looked for a condom in the pocket of his jeans. Jake then pushed her down the table and lied on top of her, panting and grunting. Mina gasped, once again taken aback by the violence of his moves. She didn't dislike it, but she was once again unpleasantly distracted by another flashback.

Her shirt brutally ripped off her chest. A slap on the face, and injunction:  "Shut up!"

Mina tried to close her eyes and shook her head to kick the memories out. But it didn't work; soon, she couldn't tell if she was still in the conference room of the Omega Lounge with Jake, or battling with two men in an isolated parking lot in Los Angeles. She felt Jake's hands on her but could only hear a voice that haunted her nightmares for weeks,

"Hold that bitch down ".

" No," she whined. She begged, swore she wouldn't tell anybody. But he wouldn’t stop hurting her. He had told his friend he'd be next. "Just hold her down!"

"No, please stop it!" she screamed, forgetting where she was. “Just stop!!" She yelled again, trying to push an invisible enemy away.

Dumbfounded, but quick to react, Jake stood up immediately and retreated, taken aback. When Mina recovered her senses and saw his face showed no anger but only deep concern, shame took over her as she swiftly jumped off the table. Jake asked what happened but she shut him down and put her clothes back on as quickly as she could, all while avoiding eye contact with him. She was mortified, unable to speak after what was one of the most embarrassing moments in her entire life.

"Mina, don't…"

"I'm sorry, it's not your fault. I'm so, SO sorry," Mina abruptly interrupted Jake, before storming out of the conference room. She stubbornly ignored Jake as he tried to stop her and ran down the stairs so fast she almost missed a step. 

Barely conscious, Mina tried to run through the merry crowd of the Omega Lounge, but was slowed down by the dancers who bumped into her. She was crying and probably looked like a freak, Mina thought, but she didn't care about that now. She only wanted to leave the damn place but was still too disoriented to find her way out. The beats of the music resonating in her head were so loud it gave her a headache, and her head was spinning. Mina soon felt sick as if she was going to puke and the shivers on her arms made her realize at last she had left the conference room without her coat. She let out a groan of frustration as her empty hands also told her she had left her purse there. .

"I just need some fresh air. I'll go look for them after. Jake will probably be gone.

Feeling her cheeks were wet with her tears, she calmed down and dried them, then spotted the main entrance of the nightclub and walked decidedly towards it.

Just as she was going to open the large heavy door guarded by the tall and hulking Tony, a hand firmly grabbed her arms and stopped her progression. Taken aback, she abruptly pulled away and turned around to find herself in front of Jake, whose handsome face showed concern and disbelief.

"He must think I'm crazy,"

Mina still refused to meet his eyes, certain that she would die of shame if she did.

"Look I said I'm sorry," she muttered between clenched teeth, "I don't know what to tell you! It has nothing to do with you. I just want to go home now." She bit her lower lips as she realized she had said the word 'home', despite knowing that where she was coming back to was nothing like 'home'.

Tony, Keisha's friend who Mina had met the first time she had entered the Omega Lounge and had told her she could ask him anything, put himself between her and Jake and asked her, not before throwing a cursory glance at Jake who rolled his eyes,

"Are you alright? Does he bother you?"

Mina opened her mouth to speak, but was abruptly interrupted by Jake, who ignored Tony and addressed her with undisguised impatience.

"I thought you might need these," he said, proffering the black coat and handbag he had been carrying under his arm. They belonged to Mina, and she felt her face turn crimson with embarrassment. Jake could have simply left her things on a chair and forgotten about her, but instead, he had chased after her.

Mina was flabbergasted and stuttered out an incoherent apology as she put her coat on. She stared at the floor, praying that it would open up and swallow her whole. However, Jake's tone softened, and he said, "You need food."

Mina was puzzled and asked, "What do you mean?"

"When was the last time you ate something?" Jake replied, his concern evident.

Mina scoffed but then had to admit that she hadn't eaten a proper meal since she had boarded the plane to New York. "I don't know… Does a cookie for lunch count?" she asked with a tired voice.

The shadow of a grin passed over Jake's lips. He suggested that she head to a nearby burger joint, which he described as "not bad." After an awkward silence, punctuated only by the loud electronic music blasting through the nightclub speakers, Jake wished Mina a good night and left the Omega Lounge.

Mina stood dumbfounded for a few seconds and stared at the large entrance door, her mind blank. Then, driven by an impulse, she left the nightclub and spotted Jake's tall, lean silhouette already far away from the Omega Lounge. She didn't know why, but she ran after him.

"Jake, wait!" Mina shouted, running as fast as she could to catch up with him.

Let me introduce you to the characters Mina and Jake

Chapter 3 is up here!

[maisondrew]

nido

On most, if not, all occasions, baba was the merciful one. Rarely would he get angry, but if he did, i probably deserved it. When i would complain to him about mom, he would always say: “don’t mistake my quietness for passiveness, i too am upset, i just know you hear enough from mom”. Although it seemed like he would do me a favour, his silence was just transferred. I too became silent. There were two places where he showed no mercy however: the chess board, and the ping pong table. “Get the chess board” when it was late, and i didn’t wanna go to bed right away, my dad would challenge me, maybe 8, to a late game of chess. Naturally, i would lose. Every. Single. Time. When it came to ping pong, my youth was my only leverage, but most of the time i still lost. Baba grew up in the struggle of egypt. Four brothers, he was known as the quieter, more reserved one. He loved his books, and his bible. When it came to ping pong, naturally, purchasing a table was out of the question back then in their conditions. Therefor he built his own table out of scrap wood, only being left with the expense of a couple paddles and a net. Wanting to rebirth this hobby for baba, we asked to buy a table for christmas, but they refused. Even offered to build one like baba did, but denied still. The basement in our old house was snug unfortunately and did not offer the required space for ping pong. We ended up buying the paddles and a couple balls for whenever we travel and find a table at a resort where he continued to whoop my 8 year old ass.

Time has fleeted us quite a bit. Over the pandemic, I had decided to reignite my chess in an effort to finally get revenge on my dad. I nearly studied the game for a couple months. You would have thought I was Beth Harmon. I was being discreet in an effort to catch my dad off guard. After months of practice and playing, and learning i felt confident i was ready. I was wrong. first game back, and he still managed to win. i tried several more times after, and eventually won for the first time ever. my inner child was finally victorious. as a married familly woman, mel finally felt she was able to get dad a dream toy for christmas, an actual ping pong table. during the day we were unwrapping gifts, dad opened his gift with some new rackets, and a ball, and a note saying “arriving january 7th” he looked up at mel with a genuine disbelief “no way”, as he hugged and thanked mel and jimmy, his eyes watered, he needed to go to his room, to let himself feel, this was a long time coming from the scrap wood in egypt. when the package came yesterday, i was still too ill to be able to help build it. Jimmy and dad stayed up till 2-3 in the morning building it outside my room. The next day, dad and i, fix up some mistakes, build it back up, add the net and immediately start playing. We play one friendly game before Jimmy comes over, which is when true competition will commence. Jimmy doesn’t take loss well. nor do I. 

The intense competition had led to back to back games. unfortunately all of them always against jimmy. I thought there was no way he can beat my dad, my dads the best. Surely Jimmy would clean him out. Dad would complain “i can’t see the ball”. I thought he was referring to the speed. But Dads eyesight has been progressively worsening more rapidly than usual, and i had forgotten about that. I couldn’t beat Jimmy either but i kept up, so eventually I played my dad where I had also finally gotten my victorious childhood reign. as i later stood and watch dad lose time and time again to jimmy, i watched my hero not win any games at all. it had ached in me an awareness of guilt. It’s been nearly 6 years since ive been to a resort with my dad, and maybe 8 years since we left the old house. And when time fleet so does my parents age. My moment of victory had suddenly become distasteful and hurtful. Dad got older, and I didn’t see it happen so fast. His excitement for his table had discreetly diminished just enough for me to notice he felt it. The arthritis in his fingers, the prescription glasses that seem to so quickly need to be changed, the difficulty to bend down for the ball when it rolls away: we were too late. He no longer has his touch. My heart felt like it was wrapped in wet cloths.

 After dinner, Jimmy and Mel had left, and mom was finishing up cleaning upstairs when I take dad back down for a quick round. I ask him for one more game, in efforts of proving my heart wrong. Unfortunately he just could not keep up, and loses yet again. “I think I wanna go to bed now” he says, but I come up with a plan. “One more game” I say. “Alright lets go”, he agrees. We play, ordinarily, and on some opportunities i would openly miss the ball, or smash it completely out. Giving him the lead. When he would reach his match point, I would intentionally keep a large gap in points, so I can orchestrate a comeback, where i would then intentionally lose when id come close. This would eliminate any suspicion of me purposely losing. Dad finally wins his first game of the night. “YES, I BEAT CALABA (my nickname) FINALLY” he puts his hands up, with his huge smile on his face. I couldn’t help but hug him tightly. Sometimes I hug him so hard I fear ill snap him in my arms. “another one to finish the night” excitingly he asks. We play. Same technique. I let him win again. “If I beat you, it means at least now I have a chance to eventually beat Jimmy” “Yeah baba, why not”. Of course there is guilt for lying, but seeing him so happy to win at least once against me was priceless.  i want him to know hes still the best ping pong and chess player i have ever played. i love him with every bone in my body. and i want him to be okay always.

i love you baba  

[wandasnatasha]

If You Run, Run To Me (18+) PT. 2|2

Natasha Romanoff x Fem!Reader

Summary: It's been six months since you and your friend Natasha started sleeping together. When Natasha catches wind of your feelings for her, will she run?

Word count: 5.5K

Warnings: angst, a long emotional rollercoaster, smut (cunnilingus, fingering, strap-on).

A/N: Thank you for all the lovely comments, likes and reblogs on part 1! I haven't responded to every comment/reblog, but I've read them all and I appreciate it very much. 

Part 2 is the end of this little story and picks up where we left off in PART 1.

Crying is hard on the body. After Natasha had run out of your room, and once your emotions had left you completely drained and exhausted, you had fallen asleep. When you wake up the next day, you’re met with a minor headache, but your mind is clearer than yesterday. The whole situation seems more manageable now that you’re not in the heat of the moment. You know what you’re going to say to Natasha as you stand in front of her bedroom door.

The two of you can talk this out and work through this bump in the road or you can just forget about the whole situation if she wants to pretend it didn’t happen. You can return to normal, to friends with benefits. You can even settle for being just friends again. You could handle that… But if she wants to, and you really hope she does, maybe you can take her out on a proper first date, see where things go.

You hope a romantic relationship with Natasha is possible somewhere in the near future. There have been all these moments in the past six months - and possibly even before you started sleeping together - that suggest Natasha reciprocates your feelings.

You had caught Natasha staring at you from the other side of a room on more than one occasion. She was the one to initiate that kiss: the kiss that was the start of this whole ordeal. She had gone out of her way to learn how to make your favorite meal after that one time you had let it slip that you hadn’t eaten it in a while. She laughs way too hard at your jokes that aren’t even that funny to begin with. She sat through all of the seven seasons and 109 episodes of your favorite TV show with you. You don’t think she even likes the genre.

Natasha - the woman who hates it when people see her in such a vulnerable state; the woman who rarely asks for help - has let you clean her wounds and patch her up after rough missions. She hadn’t shied away from you then. And then there were those instances where she had showered you with affection and warmth, like when she washes your hair whenever you’re too tired to do it yourself, gently massaging your scalp because she knows it calms you down. She’d braid your hair afterward. She’d even sought out physical contact that hadn’t involved sex at all, like a brief touch to your waist, her hand on the small of your back, or her resting her head on your shoulder. 

All that goes beyond lust and just friendship, right?

“Nat? It’s me. Can we talk?” You knock on Natasha’s door. 

You think you hear some shuffling coming from her room, but when you press your ear against the door, it’s silent. Maybe you’d imagined it? You wait a moment longer, but when nothing happens, you turn back around feeling somewhat deflated, but still hopeful. You’ll talk to her later.

Everything’s going to turn out alright!

Little do you know, Natasha is standing right behind that door with her hand resting on the handle. She decides against pushing it down.

Everything is fucked!

As a highly skilled assassin and spy Natasha can sneak in and out of just about any space and remain undetected. She knows how to easily disappear and how to make it difficult to be found. It’s glaringly obvious she’s been doing just that ever since the whole fiasco between the two of you occurred a few days ago. It’s also clear that Natasha has added avoiding you to the list of her capabilities, and just like everything else she’s great at, she’s exceptional at steering clear of you.

She doesn’t show up to your shared training sessions, she doesn’t hang out in the rooms where you would usually find her, and that one time you had found her preparing lunch in the kitchen, she was gone before you could even get a word out. The only proof that you hadn’t imagined her was the peanut butter and jelly sandwich she had left behind.

You haven’t caught a single glimpse of Natasha today, but there’s a scheduled team meeting and you hope you can talk to her after.

When you arrive in the meeting room, you greet the others and sit down in your usual spot. The seat next to you is still unoccupied. It’s where Natasha always sits. Running late for a briefing is unlike her. She’s usually in the meeting room well before you arrive.

“Has anyone seen Nat?” You ask, wondering if she’ll sit next to you or if she’ll take someone else’s seat to further avoid you.

“Romanoff left for a low-stake mission with Bucky earlier this afternoon. They’re retrieving some intel for Fury and myself,” Steve answers.

“I was supposed to join Bucky, but she offered to take my place instead. Said that I looked like I needed a break,” Clint chimes in. 

Clint looks well-rested. He looks like he’s doing fine.

“Do you know when she- when they’ll be back?”

“Not for a couple of days at least, maybe up to a week. They’re on their way to Europe.”

Europe…? She’s switched with Clint to put a whole ocean between you.

With your thoughts being elsewhere, you don’t catch much from the meeting once it starts, but you don’t miss the sympathetic smiles Wanda offers whenever your eyes meet.

“Y/N,” Wanda catches up with you after the meeting is over. “If you need someone to talk to or if you need a distraction, I’m here for you. You don’t have to go through it alone.”

“Thank you, Wanda.” It’s the first time you genuinely smile in days. You’re grateful for her kindness towards you.

During the first few days Natasha is away on her mission with Bucky, you decide against contacting her. Perhaps she just needs some time away to process everything. It won’t happen overnight. You understand. You can give her the space she needs. You’ll be here when she’s ready.

Usually, you and Natasha would try to stay in touch whenever one of you was away while the other stayed behind. That doesn’t happen this time around. There are no voicemails, no brief phone calls, and no texts. You would be worried about Natasha’s safety and well-being if it weren’t for the fact that when you open your chat with her, you see she’s left the one message you did send on read.

Are we still friends, at least?

You know things are complicated and that she’s busy with the mission. It still stings when you overhear Steve’s brief phone call with the redhead as she reports the details of her findings to him. You wish she would talk to you, too.

Your mind is plagued with doubts and anxieties. Maybe you had it all wrong. 

You shove away the voice telling you that maybe Natasha no longer wants you in her life, but it’s much harder to do that than it was yesterday.

When Wanda notices your somber mood, she asks if you want to join her for coffee. You take her up on her offer. You’ve never really been close to Wanda, but something is soothing about her presence. Confiding in her lifts some of the weight off your chest. Talking to her is easy, you realize.

On the other side of the world, Natasha sits on the edge of a small bed with her face in her hands. Her mind is racing a mile a minute. She’s lost count of how many times she reread your message and typed a response but then hadn’t pressed send. There’s someone who’s made her feel valued and safe in a way she’s rarely ever experienced, and here she is hiding from you like a coward.

Natasha can hardly keep up with her own emotions. It’s like she’s forcing her head underwater, making herself drown in both longing and fear. She’s fighting a battle against herself and she can’t tell which part is going to stay under and which part is going to rise to the surface.

She scolds herself for letting things get this out of hand, for allowing the lines to blur, for letting herself fall in too deep. She should’ve pressed her feet on the brakes when, three months after you first started sleeping together, she had caught herself imagining what it might be like to build a life with you. The world has always conspired against her, so why had she entertained the idea that such a future might be in the cards for her? After everything she’s done, can she even accept the love you’re willing to offer? Does she even deserve what you’ve already given her? Her mind screams at her that she doesn’t.

You had told her she was breathtaking. Natasha knows what you meant by it. You’ve made her feel loved way before you’d even alluded to feeling that way about her. Natasha just hadn’t allowed herself to think about it for too long. You being in love with her conflicts with everything Natasha believes about herself.

Natasha has found herself in many unsettling situations in the past, but she could always crawl her way out of those. She doesn’t know how to do that now. She doesn’t even know if she wants to. But she should! You deserve infinitely better than to be burdened by someone with so much baggage. 

Things have already gone wrong, but what if they get worse? There’s so much she stands to lose. Natasha’s terrified she won’t be able to live up to the person you see in her. She’s haunted by one too many “what-ifs”.

What if she puts her armor down and lets you in fully only for you to realize you were wrong? What if you stop loving her? What if you left her heartbroken? What if she’s incapable of ever being worthy enough to have the “good” kind of love? What if you get together only to break up? She will have lost both her partner and her dearest friend.

When the Quinjet finally lands back on American soil after nearly a week has gone by, Natasha makes a run for it as soon as the doors open. She needs a shower, her limbs feel heavy and she hasn’t slept properly in days, but she has only one destination in mind. She doesn’t know what she’s going to say or how she’s going to say it. 

All she can think about is you.

Natasha spots you lounging in the common room with your eyes closed. She’s out of breath, but not because she sprinted here. 

You’re even more beautiful than the last time she saw you.

You’re humming along to music that comes from the TV speakers at low volume. She thinks the song might be Sokovian. It’s a language neither of you understands. It sounds similar to a song she’s overheard Wanda listen to frequently.

You draw a sharp breath when you open your eyes and become aware of Natasha’s presence.

“Natasha?” The way you say her name is filled with hope. She’s back home. You’ve missed her.

Your relief is quickly replaced by dread when you see Natasha’s body grow stiff when you move toward her. She’s right there, almost within reach, but she still manages to slip through your fingers.

Panic surges through Natasha and it seeps deep into her bones. It holds her rigid. It squeezes her throat shut. She can’t do it. Natasha turns away from you. She leaves you with your arms wrapped around yourself instead of being the one to hold you.

It’s one of Tony’s parties, but you’re not in a festive mood.

It’s one thing to be given the cold shoulder and to be pushed aside for four weeks straight, it’s another to then have that rejection rubbed in your face and shoved down your throat. You had been friends. As your friend, Natasha could have afforded you some common decency and respect. If things had to end, it could have at least ended on a better note than it did. A month ago she had still been a part of your life, and then she wasn’t.

It’s brutal to witness Natasha all over Bruce, her hand resting on his bicep, throwing her head back as she laughs at whatever stupid science joke he’s probably making. It’s the first time you can’t stand the sound of her laugh. You’ve never known Natasha to be cruel. Not to you at least. Not until recently. 

When did they get close? Has it always been like this? Did she go back and forth between the two of you? You never noticed. You have so many questions, but you’re too exhausted to even think about it.

At first, you thought it possible Natasha might reciprocate your feelings and give a relationship with you a try. For some reason, you had believed you were special to her. You had it all wrong. You were just a temporary indulgence, to be replaced when someone better came along.

You know when to give up. You know when you’re beat. You hope she's happy, at least. That's all you've ever wanted for her.

You want to hold on to the part of you that's angry. You want to replace your affection and hurt with that anger, but you can't. That would have made it easier to move on. You're mostly mad at yourself. If you could turn back time and take those three words back, you would do that in a heartbeat. You wish you had kept your mouth shut because now you have lost everything.

“I think you should have a little more faith than that, gorgeous,” Wanda comes to stand in front of you, obscuring the view you have of Natasha and Bruce. 

You’re not aware of it, but Wanda makes sure to stand in a way Natasha can still see what’s happening if she were to look in your direction. 

Someone needs to shake some sense into Natasha because this has gone on for far too long, and Wanda knows she can hold her own against the other woman.

You’ve grown a lot closer to Wanda these past couple of weeks. You hadn’t known it before, but now you know that Wanda has a great sense of humor. Her comedic timing is always spot on. You’ve enjoyed watching sitcoms with her and listening to the Sokovian songs she shared with you, her favorites. The songs make her feel like she’s back home. Talking about her brother is difficult for her, but she has told you stories about him anyway. She has become a pillar of support for you.

Wanda uses her thumb to wipe away a stray tear on your cheek. Your eyes close because for a fleeting moment it feels like you've stepped into a patch of sunlight. She doesn't remove her hand afterward. When you open your eyes and find Wanda watching you intently, you know she would have been able to sweep you off your feet if there was no Natasha.

Natasha stands motionless as she takes in the scene that's unfolding. She wants to look away, but her eyes remain laser-focused on your interaction with Wanda. Natasha wants to push Wanda to the side so that she can stand in her place instead. Bruce calls for her attention, but she doesn't hear him. She wouldn't have cared about what he had to say anyway. He isn't you.

“I have a feeling Natasha will come around. Don’t give up on her just yet.”

“How do you know?” You desperately want things to take a turn for the better, but you can't keep chasing after Natasha forever. She has to be the one to come to you. She has to stop running away. Right now, it appears she's already made her choice.

Wanda tilts your chin gently. You don't feel the need to pull away when she leans in closer to place a soft kiss on the corner of your mouth. She moves to ghost her lips over your ear, then she whispers, “I can read minds, remember?"

All Natasha can think about is how Wanda might discover the birthmarks on your skin. What if she already had? Has Wanda made you feel good? Better? Natasha can't stand the thought, but she can't get the image out of her head. First, it creeps up on her. Then it hits her with full force. Those unwelcome images merge with flashes of a future that leave a burning sensation in her chest. It makes her sick to her stomach. 

Natasha envisions a life where she will never place kiss after kiss from your forehead, to your cheek, to your neck. She'll become the forgotten part of a vague memory. She'll move to the quietest corner of your mind to make room for a different set of green eyes, a different shade of red hair. Natasha will be the bad experience you bring up when you're comforting a friend or a child who's going through heartbreak. You'll say: "Years ago I went through something similar. I thought I'd never recover from it. But I did, and so will you".  

"You'll be okay," Wanda reassures as she wraps her arms around you in a tight hug. It's nice to be held.

Wanda doesn't have to turn around to know Natasha is no longer focused on Bruce, but is glaring daggers into the back of Wanda's skull instead. Natasha's thoughts are thunderous. She wants Wanda to back off, but Wanda stays right where she is with you in her arms.

Natasha needs to understand that if she isn't prepared to step up then there is someone else willing to do so. If Natasha doesn't go after you to fix things, there will come a day when she'll look back on her life, and she'll think about all the mistakes she's made: losing you to someone else will be the one thing that stands out from all the rest. It will be her biggest regret.

“And hey," Wanda pulls back to look at you. "If I'm wrong and things don't work out. Well, you know where to find me."

That pulls a smile out of you. Your talk with Wanda hasn't solved any of your problems, but you do feel better than you did a minute ago.

"Thank you, Wanda. For everything." 

You think that under different circumstances, or in another life, Wanda could have been your favorite redhead.

“I would have liked that,” Wanda beams.

"Me too," you say. "I'm not really in a party mood, so I'm gonna head out."

A beat goes by.  

"I'll be in my room if you-" You leave the rest of your sentence hanging in the air, but Wanda can fill in the gaps. 

She nods in understanding, "Maybe I'll see you in a minute."

She watches you walk away. Then Wanda twists her body around at high-speed. Two different shades of green cross from different ends of the room. Natasha is hit by the severity of the clear message - no, the warning - Wanda delivers. Natasha needs to run after you and grab this chance with both hands. She doesn't have many more left, if any, at all. But Wanda does, and you will not wait around for Natasha forever!

For once, Natasha listens to another fear than the ones that have been tormenting her.

Natasha runs in the direction you went, and she prays to whatever God that's listening, that you're willing to give her one last chance.

There's a sharp, urgent knock on your bedroom door. 

Your breath gets caught in your throat when you open the door and see a different face than the one you expected.

"Hi," she breathes out.

"Can we talk? Can I come in?" Natasha's fingers fidget with the silver-arrow necklace resting against her neck. 

You hesitate. But then you move aside to let Natasha enter your room. You close the door behind you before turning to face her, wrapping your arms around yourself. You both remain standing near the door. She will have to shove you to the side if she wants to make a run for it.

Natasha stays rooted in place.

You want to lunge forward and reach for her, but you don't. You won't be able to bear the devastation if she pulls away again.

Natasha looks down at her feet and she takes a deep breath. There's a list of things she wants to say. It's nearly overwhelming, but she knows she has to start somewhere. She looks you straight in the eye when she says the most important thing that comes to mind.  

"I'm sorry."

"You've hurt me," you respond, confirming what Natasha already knows. It's not your intention to make her feel guilty or to hurt her back, but it's the truth.

"I know I've hurt you and that I haven't been fair to you. I have no excuse for that. I'm sorry for making you cry and then just leaving you. I'm sorry for pushing you away and for treating you the way I did. You deserve so much better than that," Natasha voices her regrets. 

She understands that her apology doesn't make how she treated you okay. She won't hold it against you if you want nothing more to do with her, but she needs you to know how much she regrets her behavior. She would take it all back if she could, but she knows she can't.

"Thank you," you accept her apology. You still have an array of emotions you need to process on your own time, but her being here and apologizing, means everything to you. 

You still want Natasha to be a part of your life. There's just one thing you need to know, however painful the answer may be.

"Are you and Bruce- Did you-?"

"No! There's no Bruce and me."

A brief silence follows.

"Are you and Wanda?"

"No."

Natasha releases the breath she was holding, but anxiety rears its ugly head. 

"There are a lot of things I have to work through, Y/N, things that I struggle with. My past is ugly and I have a lot of… baggage. I don't want to burden you or disrupt your life."

There's no malice in your voice when you say, "You've already disrupted my life. You turned my world upside down when you came into my life. I like it that way. I can decide for myself what I want my life to look like, Natasha, and I want you in it. I want you to 'burden' me. I want to get to know you fully. If you ever feel ready to talk about your struggles or your past, I'm here to listen to the good and the bad. You don't have to be perfect. I'm not either and I don't expect you to be. If it's patience you need, I have a lot of that. I think I've proven that by now."

You continue, "Relationships aren't fairytales. Whether it's friendship or more, it requires work from everyone involved. I'm prepared to put in the work and fight for you. I'm prepared to show you how much I adore you. But when you feel the need to run, I need you to stand your ground and face your fears. I need you to talk to me and I need you to fight for me too. Can you do that?"

"I want to," Natasha steps forward. She reaches for your hand, lacing your fingers together. Her voice breaks when she speaks again. "I'm scared."

"I know you are," you squeeze her hand. "I can be just your friend if that's what you need, but please don't become a stranger… Where do you want to go from here?"

Natasha brings your hand to her lips. She kisses each knuckle one by one before placing a kiss on the inside of your wrist.

Where does she want to go from here? Natasha wants to wake up with you tomorrow morning and shower you with little kisses. She wants to confess that, ironically enough, she's actually afraid of spiders. She knows it will make you smile. She wants to take you to Ohio to show you where she spent three years of her young life; she'll tell you the story. She wants to stop running away from love.

"I want to take you on a date." There's no hesitation in Natasha's answer.

"I would love that," you smile. 

"And I really want to kiss you right now," Natasha adds.

Your gaze drops to her mouth. Her lips look smooth and well-moisturized, no doubt from the lip balm she's always applying. You wonder if it's the last lip balm from the set you gave her seven months ago, or had she lost that one like she usually does and bought a new set herself? Either way, you also want to discover this flavor directly from her lips.

"What flavor do you have?" You refer to her lip balm, still transfixed by her lips.

You swear you can feel the blood pumping through your veins as everything happens in slow motion. Natasha moves her tongue across her bottom lip. She fights back a smile. She puts a hand against your cheek. She moves a hand to the back of your neck. She pulls you in closer. The warmth of her skin gets nearer. Her lips brush yours. They are soft. Do you taste vanilla or coconut? You don't know. You can't think straight.

At first, Natasha kisses you like she's learning how to kiss for the very first time, like she's trying to savor every second of this moment and commit it to memory. 

Your back hits the door as the kiss turns from soft to frantic. Her lips are warm and demanding against your own. And God! This is a woman who knows how to kiss! She traces your bottom lip with the tip of her tongue, begging for entrance, which you eagerly grant her. Pleasure and arousal pulses through your bodies. The time you've spent apart makes you desperate for each other, like you're presented with a feast after starving for weeks. Every missed kiss needs to be made up for.

You only break apart when you desperately need to come up for air.

"Do you want me to stop?" Natasha pants hot air against your neck.

"No! I've missed you, Nat," you sigh when Natasha places open-mouthed kisses along your neck, sucking at that particular spot, hitting your pulse point with great precision. 

Natasha untucks your blouse from your pants. She moves her hands under the fabric to grope at your breasts through your bra. "Oh, I've missed you too. Very much."

Suddenly, buttons fly around your room as Natasha rips open your blouse. She crashes her mouth against yours before you can comment on her actions. Before you know it, your blouse and bra drop to the floor. Your head falls back against the door as Natasha catches a nipple between her teeth. She alternates between kneading each breast, drawing circles around your nipple with her tongue, leaving goosebumps across your skin. She wants to worship you like you deserve. She wants to taste and rediscover every inch of your body, and that's exactly what she's going to do. The little sounds you make only spur her on further.

Natasha makes quick work of unbuttoning your pants as your lips melt together in a searing kiss. You gasp into the kiss when she slips a hand inside your panties. She doesn't have much room to move her hand, but she manages to glide her fingers between your legs. She smiles proudly against your lips as she feels how soaked you are for her. She's dripping for you, too. 

You let out a whine when she breaks the kiss and stops her movements after a few strokes. All your complaints are forgotten when Natasha looks you straight in the eyes as she guides two of her wet fingers into her mouth, sucking and moaning at the taste of you.

She's driving you crazy, and she knows it. 

Natasha slips your pants and underwear down in one swift motion, dropping to her knees to help you step out of the items. She looks up at you from her position on her knees. Her lips are swollen from kissing you. The sight of her nearly makes your legs give out. Natasha feels a flush creep up her body as she watches you drink her in.

"Bed!" God, you would love for Natasha to fuck your right here against the door, with her on her knees, but you wouldn't be able to hold yourself up.

With Natasha back on her feet, you waste no time undressing her as you stumble your way to the bed. You are the one on your back for a change as Natasha kisses her way down your torso to the inside of your thigh, sucking on the sensitive skin. Her warm breath moves to hover over your center for a moment, and then she leans in to run the flat of her tongue between your folds, sending a wave of pleasure through your body. 

Natasha coats her fingers with your arousal. You clamp down on her finger when she slides her middle finger inside you, curving upward, moving at a slow, tortuous pace. Once she's sure you're used to the sensation, she starts pumping the single digit in and out of you. Her index finger joins a moment later. When Natasha looks up, she sees you have your eyes closed, chest heaving. She's enthralled by the way your body reacts to her, moaning in pleasure, taking her fingers so well as your juices drip down her wrist.

You look ravishing.

Natasha dives in to circle your swollen clit with her tongue, sealing her lips around it and sucking it into her mouth. In mere seconds you're a writhing, moaning mess. You grab a fistful of her hair, grinding against her face, causing Natasha to moan against you. Your thighs tighten around her head instinctively. She carries on, alternating between sucking and licking your clit. 

It isn't long before your back arches and your entire body shudders, calling out her name while you come on her tongue and fingers. She continues her ministrations as your orgasm spasms through you.

"Fuck, you're good at that!" You finally speak, opening your eyes.

Natasha peppers kisses all the way up to your neck. She looks at you with a twinkle in her eyes, pleased with herself.

"I want to ride you," Natasha admits eagerly. 

She's going to be the death of you.

"Of course you do," you chuckle. Some things never change. "Do you remember where I keep the strap-on?"

"Nightstand. Right side of the bed. Bottom drawer."

You give her a peck on the lips, humming in confirmation, "Go grab your favorite toy."

Once Natasha has grabbed the lube and strap-on, and you've put the harness on, she quickly finds herself on your lap. You spend the next few minutes making-out sloppily, your fingers thrusting inside her.

"Ready?" You inquire.

"Hmm," Natasha hums in response.

You take your fingers out of her, grabbing a hold of the dildo. You rub the head through Natasha's folds and against her clit several times before you position it at her entrance. She lets herself down, slowly, moaning and whimpering at the feeling of being thoroughly filled. Not for the first time do you wish you could physically feel how her walls grip around your strap. 

She begins to move in a slow rhythm, alternating between rolling her hips and sliding up and down the base of the toy. You grab a handful of Natasha's ass. Your free hand cups her breast, and she puts her own hand over yours as she throws her head back, helping you squeeze and roll the tender flesh. Beads of sweat drip down the valley of her chest, and you can't help but lick the salt from her skin. Her moans get louder when your fingers find her center, and when you thrust your hips upwards, hitting her at a different angle.

Loose strands of red hair fall onto Natasha's face, sticking to her forehead. There are signs of your own arousal on her chin and shallow breaths escape from her parted lips. She sinks her teeth into her bottom lip every so often. You're at a loss for words as you look at Natasha, taking in every detail of her face as she bounces on top of you, working herself into a frenzy. 

You know Natasha's peak is mounting with each desperate roll of her hips, and when she finally gets the release she craves, it's with your name falling off her lips, your favorite sound in the world.

Natasha wraps her arms around you, embracing you, holding you close. 

"Y/N?"

"Yeah?" You ask, pressing a small kiss against her neck.

"You are breathtaking."

[in-my-feels-probably]

I have an angsty request for Eddie, maybe one where he is suffering from ptsd after all that happened with vol 2 and is turning to alcohol and more drugs, he tries to push the reader away but they refuse and help him get the help he needs and fluff after, thank you!

It’s Metal, Even

Request: I have an angsty request for Eddie, maybe one where he is suffering from ptsd after all that happened with vol 2 and is turning to alcohol and more drugs, he tries to push the reader away but they refuse and help him get the help he needs and fluff after

Hi! So, I’m setting this a month after the last episode, Eddie is alive obviously, and Vecna is gone. This was too hard to write without Vecna being out of the picture, so I hope that’s ok with you. Also, Max is ok in this. And Eddie’s name is cleared, but people are still wary of him, so you generally avoid public situations. I also didn’t focus much on the drugs and alcohol thing, more just how he’s coping in general, I hope that’s alright too. This isn’t my best work, sorry if it’s shit.

(Warnings: mentions of a fem reader, angst, intimate touch, language, let me know if i missed anything)

—

It had been almost a month since Eddie had nearly died in the Upside Down, barely escaping with his life. You’d never felt as much dread fill your chest as you did when he cut the sheet rope, severing the connection you had between him in the Upside Down, and you, back in Hawkins in his trailer. 

Mere feet apart from each other, but to you it felt like miles. Far enough that you wouldn’t be able to go the distance fast enough to save him. 

It has been no doubt the scariest moment of your life, the fear of losing him overwhelming you, but you somehow pulled it together long enough to get him and Dustin out. You had forced the nearest doctor to do what he could to ease any pain either of them were in, and had him make sure Eddie was ok, and then you proceeded to threaten to send the Devil after him next if he tried anything to get Eddie detained, and that seemed sufficient enough to have the doctor turn a blind eye. 

After everything was said and done, everyone was ok. Everyone was alive. 

Eddie was alive. 

But, he wasn’t the same. 

It was to be expected. He spent the first few nights, once you found somewhere safe for him to hang low away from the townspeople, clinging to you. He didn’t let you out of his sight for nearly a week, before he finally decided that it was time for you both to get cleaned up and get out of bed for more than ten minutes a day. He was skittish, paranoid by most noises, and was clearly uncomfortable with anyone coming to visit you both. Dustin came by when he could spare time, Steve too, and they’d try cracking jokes, see if they could get a smile out of Eddie, but a smile was rare these days.

And you didn’t blame him. After everything he’d seen, everything he’d been through, it was a miracle he was still sane. 

Eddie was there with you physically, but he wasn’t really there. He wouldn’t change in the same room as you anymore, he didn’t ask you to shower with him like he used to, and he really only let you hold him at night, when he couldn’t brave the dreams alone. You couldn’t get him to eat much. He mostly drank his calories, not spending more than a day at a time sober. Sometimes it would seem like he was coming back to you, like he was finally ready to talk, but by the next day, he was back to closed off. 

And he did talk to you, he wasn’t that cruel yet. He made you stay with him, not willing to let you go, but he kept you company, kept you entertained. He’d tell stories about Hellfire, ramble about what he wanted to do in the future, tell you about all the places he wanted to roadtrip with you and see.

But he wouldn’t talk about that night. 

You’d bring it up in conversations sometimes. You never pushed him, you never made him talk about what he didn’t want to, but it was getting hard to manage on your own. You knew it scarred him, and that he was scared, but you were scared too. Talking about it made it real, but it had to be real, because you were eventually going to have to face it. And you’d face it together.

You had just gotten back from the hospital, visiting Max. She was awake, doing better. You knew she was bored out of her mind, not able to do much other than sit and listen to whoever was visiting. 

Eddie had wanted to go in the first week, keep her company, but he couldn’t even make it out the door. He’d nearly had a panic attack in the doorframe, the outside being too overwhelming. He froze up, and you tried to stay with him to calm him down, but he made you go without him to see Max. You had reassured him that you’d be quick, and that you’d say hello to her for him. 

He didn’t try to leave much after that, and it was probably the smarter choice anyways. He was a free man, but not a liked one, despite your efforts after clearing his name. 

This cycle continued for nearly a month, before you finally broke through to him. You’d just gotten back from the hospital, stepping inside, calling for Eddie. You heard the shower turn off, and made your way to the bathroom. 

You peeked your head in the door. “Eddie?”

He’d been standing in front of the mirror with a towel around his waist, eyes locked on the wounds from the bats. He jumped at the sound of your voice, pulling the towel up to cover more of his torso. 

Your heart broke at the sight, but you quickly stepped back out of the bathroom, closing the door. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to barge in and scare you.”

“It’s fine,” you heard him mumble, shuffling around while he got dressed. “I was getting ready for bed.” 

You nodded as he pushed past you, climbing into bed. He had only been down a couple seconds when he rolled back over, giving you a sheepish look. He opened his arms, silently begging you to come sit with him, and you couldn’t say no when he looked so vulnerable. Besides, you relished in the moments of affection he showed you these days. 

You curled into his side, hooking a leg over his, throwing an arm across his chest. You laid with your head on the pillow, your face inches from his. You felt his hands come up to hold you, and then the room was quiet. 

“Max ok?” Eddie asked, breaking the silence. 

“She’s doing good. She told me that she wants to come by when she’s discharged. But I don’t think she meant it for me. I mean, I see her every week. I think she’s taken a liking to you. Dustin keeps bragging to everyone about ‘the most metal concert the world has ever seen’ and I think that got her interested. She wants to know if you’d ever want to teach her how to play guitar a little.”

You reached a hand out slowly to push the hair back from his face, caressing his cheek with your thumb. 

He hummed, a small smile visible. “Yeah?”

“She’s probably gonna make you teach her Kate Bush,” you chuckled, Eddie dramatically groaning. 

“You tell Red she’s got herself a deal, if, and only if, she lets me make her a mixtape with some real music. I bet Harrington’s corrupted her with the amount of times he’s driven her around, it’s a miracle Henderson made it out with his taste still intact.”

You smiled at his theatrics, basking in the momentary joy of seeing your boy sound happy again, even if it was fleeting. You felt a tug at your heart, eyes glossing over at his smile. You were too choked up to speak, and the room was filled with silence once more. 

Eddie noticed, smile fading. He let you hold him for a minute longer, trying not to look you in the eye.

“Baby?” You questioned, running a hand up and down his arm. “Talk to me.”

He shook his head, not meeting your gaze. You could see the gears turning in his head, watching him get worked up. He turned away from you, taking deep breaths. 

“Eddie,” you said, giving his arm a squeeze. “Please.”

He curled the sheets in his fist, knuckles going white at the pressure. You could see his shoulders begin to shake, his grip beginning to waver.

“I’m sorry,” he finally choked out, clenching his jaw. 

“For what, baby?” You shook your head, confused. 

He scoffed, rolling and sitting up against the headboard. He pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes, violently wiping away the oncoming tears. 

“For being like this, doing this to you. I don’t know what’s wrong with me!”

You quickly sat up, shaking your head. “There’s nothing wrong with you, Eddie.”

“There is!” He interrupted, scoffing. “I can’t believe you’ve stuck around after I’ve spent a month moping around. It’s fucking pathetic.”

“Eddie–”

“No!” He cut you off. “I mean, seriously. I’ve got the best girl in the world by my side, and I won’t even let you touch me. I can’t even leave this room without panicking, not that you’d want to be seen in public with me anyways, the entire town thinks I’m a fucking brutal murderer now. As if they needed another reason to hate me.”

“Eddie–”

“I keep having these nightmares, waking you up every night. I spend most of the day drunk in bed, not paying any attention to you. I literally pushed past you earlier when you were just trying to check on me. And I know you saw those fucking horrible scars, they’re hideous. You should just leave me here, I wouldn't blame you–”

“Eddie!” You finally cut him off, getting his attention. He flinched at your outburst, and you quickly recoiled, giving him some space. 

“Listen to me,” you spoke calmly. “I’m here because I want to be here. I don’t feel obligated to be here, I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to be. You think I don’t enjoy spending all my time with you? Baby, I almost lost you, there’s not enough time in the world left to spend with you. You’re not a burden, and you most certainly aren’t getting left here. I would never do that to you.”

He looked like a scolded child, curling into himself. You sighed, slowly pulling yourself up and settling into his lap. He immediately brought his hands up to hold your hips, not meeting your soft gaze. You cupped his face in your hands, bringing his head up so you could look him in the eye.

“I don’t care if I get woken up by a nightmare, or if you’re not in the mood to talk to me. I don’t care if you drink too much, or get too high. I don’t care if you get upset with me or snap at me, it’s a miracle that you even have the energy to speak to me at all after everything you went through.” 

His shoulders slumped, and the dam broke. Tears flowed freely as he gripped at your sides, grounding himself under your touch. You tucked the hair in his face behind his ears. 

“And incase I don’t say it enough, I think you’re fucking beautiful. Scars and all, you’re so fucking stunning. You never have to hide yourself from me.”

You let your hand wander down to the hem of his shirt, silently looking up to him for permission. He hesitated, but finally nodded, letting you inch his shirt up his torso. 

You had seen Steve’s scars, he’d let you look at them after you told him Eddie wouldn’t let you see his. They’d been raised and red, scattered along his ribs and hips. Fresh skin had grown over, white stripes of scar tissue scattered across the wounds. Steve wasn’t too happy about his either, but was eased by the sentiment of you saying they made him look cool, that it was physical proof of how brave and heroic he’d been.

Eddie’s scars were similar.

Deeper, and there were more of them, but nothing you hadn’t prepared yourself to see. You ran your fingers lightly across them, feeling Eddie shudder under your touch, tense. He was looking at you warily, ashamed of them.

You quickly leaned in, pressing a kiss to his lips.

“They’re beautiful,” you murmured against him. “You’re beautiful. And you’re a fucking hero. That’s all these scars are. Proof that you risked your life to save us. And I think that’s pretty cool. Metal, even, If that’s not metal, I don’t know what is.”

He let out a watery laugh, and you laughed with him, wiping his tears away with your thumbs.

“I don’t care what you have to do to get through this, but we’re gonna get through it together. I’ll be there every step of the way. But baby, you’ve got to talk to me. You can’t just drink your problems away, or try and change the topic when I check in. I need you to be ok. If we need to find you a therapist, or get you on medication, we’ll do it. If you think talking to the gang would help, we’ll do it. And I’m right here. Whatever you need, whatever you want to talk about, there’s nothing you can’t tell me. Ok, love?”

Eddie quickly nodded, pulling you down to press a kiss to your lips, holding you tight against him.

“Ok, baby. I promise.”

—

A/N - Hi! I don’t love this one, sorry if it’s bad. I’ve got more requests I need to fill still that I’ve got some better ideas for, but it’s been a while since I posted and I needed to get something out, so here you go. 

[primofate]

Genshin [Volleyball Team AU - Inspired by Haikyuu!] What it’s like to be their manager Headcanons

Note: I think a lot of people misunderstand the role of the manager XD It’s not that the whole team is dating you. It’s that the whole team treats you like their family/sister. So you’d better bet that all of them are gunna be hella protective of you XD

Scenario: What do you do for the team and what do they do for you? :D

Warnings: not proofread, fluffy, might have some swear words, platonic relationships

Characters: Zhongli, Diluc, Kaeya, Albedo, Tartaglia, Kazuha, Xiao, Tohma, reader as the team manager

Other works in the Volleyball Team AU Series: Click Here

Genshin Volleyball Team manager

It’s just fuckin’ chaos

On your first day you’re already bombarded with questions by Tartaglia and Kaeya

“So which class are you?” “What’s your height?” “Are you single?”

Captain Zhongli just cannot be bothered to reign them in anymore.

So Vice Captain Diluc does it and grabs their collars. “You idiots, you’re scaring her off!”

Possibly Kazuha and Tohma are the ones you really try to rely on, on your first few weeks.

So how do you gain the trust of your team? Let’s start with each player shall we?

#1 Zhongli (Captain/Wing Spiker/Ace)

Zhongli is just handsome and mature. He’s strict and needs to be the pillar of the team. 

You’re intimidated by him the first few weeks and he just seems...a little far. He’s always so focused that you can’t seem to catch a moment to just chat with him.

There’s a day where you notice that his form is a little off, you suspect that he hurt his wrist a little. 

You fidget uncomfortably in the gym as they practice, but finally turn to the coach “U-Umm... The captain is... I mean! I’m not sure, but... I think he needs to take a rest,”

The coach calls for someone to substitute Zhongli and suddenly asks you to check on him.

“Huh?! Me?!” the coach pushes you towards him, and Zhongli is just looking at you quizzically, you can practically see the question mark on his face.

“C-Captain, d-do you need some bandages on your wrist?”

Zhongli is taken aback, but silently puts his right wrist out for you to wrap.

Only when you’re done tending to it does he look you in the eye and ask.

“How did you know?”

“...Because I always watch, and all I can do is watch. If I can’t even spot that out then I’m not a very good manager am I?”

Zhongli has a newfound respect for you. He thought you were just a meek and shy thing sitting around and passing them balls but he feels his heart swell that someone like you is seriously watching over them.

#2 Diluc (Vice Captain/Wing Spiker/Defense Specialist)

Diluc is probably the second hardest to get along with or break the ice with.

But he gradually warms up to you when he notices that he’s always the first one you pass a towel and water bottle to.

You’re not doing that on purpose, it’s just him who always comes up first.

After a few days he deliberately goes to you faster cause he always wants to be the one to receive a water bottle and towel from you first. Secretly a puppy.

The moment he realized that you were reliable was when you stayed behind to help him practice when everyone else went home already. 

You didn’t let up in your constant praise of “nice receive”, “great spike!” and “that’s so cool!” 

He thinks he saw stars in your eyes at some point.

“Hey, Diluc, it’s getting late, let’s leave some energy for tomorrow, yeah?” he could tell from your mannerisms that you were tired too, but you tried not to let it show on your face and still cleaned up with him.

“I’ll see you tomorrow then!” you wave but you’re stopped by a quick. “No,” from him. You tilt your head in wonder and he just looks at you as if it’s the most normal thing in the world.

“It’s late, I’ll walk you home,”

#3 Kaeya (Middle Blocker)

You don’t have to impress this guy, anyone of the female gender impresses him.

lol jk

safe to say it’s not difficult to befriend Kaeya, just bring him a cheering squad and some food.

all jokes aside the way to this guy’s heart is through his stomach.

He’s not a particularly hungry person but there’s this one time he forgot to bring lunch. He was running late, or something of that sort, honestly not something new for him.

He ALSO didn’t bring money so he couldn’t eat food from the cafeteria.

Ask his friends for money you say? Tartaglia would go, “Haha no way!” Albedo would go, “Let this be a lesson for you,” his brother would go “Serves you right,”

By club time he’s famished and dramatic. “Guys, go on without me, this is as far as I go,” as he sprawls on the gym floor.

You ask if he’s okay and he doesn’t answer so Diluc is the one that answers for him. “He forgot his lunch, as always,”

You make a sound of understanding and the next thing you know you’re taking out a lunch box and Kaeya has lifted his head up, sensing food.

“I packed onigiri for everyone today, actually... In case someone was hungry. It’s not much but--”

Kaeya comes alive from the dead and clutches your hands to his chest. “Manager you really are an angel,”

Diluc jump kicks him away from you.

#4 Albedo (Setter)

You also don’t know how to approach this guy

He always looks mad or stoic or something. Like he’s always thinking about something.

He low key actually is always thinking about play strategies and how to set the ball better for his teammates.

You really do think he works so hard while the game is going on, so you decide to help him out a little bit.

You watch a few more of their games and somehow come up with a list of what kinds of sets are better for each different spiker in the team.

There’s surprise in his eyes when you pass the document to him and modestly exclaim “...but, it might not be accurate, since I’m not that experienced,”

He still nods and says “...It’s the thought that counts,” 

When he does read your report and try the techniques out he notices that it does hold some merit in it

Is amazed like how Zhongli is amazed. He thought you were just there to hand them bottles and cheer for them but he had never been so wrong as to what a manager’s role is.

Will trust you enough to ask you about his set performance.  

Will sometimes slam Kaeya with an insult. “Kaeya, your spike sense is horrid, Y/N can read the moves better than you,”

#5 Tartaglia (Middle Blocker/Wing Spiker)

It’s not that he has a hard time trusting people but let’s just say he has the tendency to make you feel like he likes you but then he actually does that to everyone.

For example: He’ll throw compliments like “Oh that’s amazing Y/N!” but then back in the classroom you’ll hear him say “Oh that’s amazing!” to, like, every other person. 

That kinda disappoints you cause then the comment doesn’t really hold that much meaning to it if he keeps on saying it to others too.

He encounters a crisis mid year because this guy is just... he struggles with his grades. 

Captain Zhongli has told him he can’t play volleyball if he fails even one subject.

This boy is panicking and has semi-accepted this is the end of his volleyball career.

So you offer to study with him and he’s legit stoked.

Intensive and strict study sessions commence. Note taking, pop quizzes, surprise questions and even sudden random calls from you wherein you ask him a question and he has to answer within 5 seconds.

You’ve pulled all the study techniques you know here, this man better pass everything.

Welp, he still fails History....but since he worked so hard Captain Zhongli excuses it.

He’s so happy that he can’t hold back the stupidly wide smile on his face. He turns to you and for the very very first time in months, he bows and THANKS you.

You realize that he’s never thanked you before. Not even when you pass him water bottles or towels. 

You consider it a win, getting rare and sincere appreciation from him.

#6 Kazuha (Decoy/Middle Blocker/Wing Spiker)

One of the easiest to get along with but at the same time, he’s so mature that you feel like you’re not even in the same age range as him.

Definitely someone you can count on though, so you ask him many questions on the first week.

Still, it’s one of those things where you can kind of talk to him but there’s still a wall between you two.

One day while walking around in school there were these boys who were commenting about his height, and questioning his abilities as a volleyball team member.

You didn’t really think much about it when you speak up, “But he’s a really good middle blocker and spiker,” 

Those boys look at you weirdly and you realize that you’ve unconsciously spoken up. So you hurriedly walk away.

Little did you know that Kazuha was in some secret corner and heard the whole thing.

Just like that, the next day, it seems as if the wall between you two was gone, and you’re able to talk freely.

That, and he seemed to like asking you to help him practice his spikes and throw balls for him now.

#7 Xiao (Libero)

is deceivingly easy to get along with. Just has a rough exterior but is actually a softie if you squint.

You know this because there are subtle things he does. 

He doesn’t speak to you much but then he would be the one picking up the balls with you, or sometimes there’s magically a new set of clean towels on the bench that you don’t remember taking out from the storage room.

This guy is passionate for the game, so he really beats himself up when he isn’t able to receive a ball during actual games.

You worry about his mentality sometimes. I mean, it’s a team game, it’s not like he alone can save the whole game

So you talk to him about it the other day

“You’re already a really good libero Xiao, I mean... I’m not saying you should stop practicing but you don’t have to feel so bad...” you pause because this doesn’t feel like the message you want to convey

“Sorry, what I mean is... You CAN feel bad, but share the burden with your team, you know?”

He knows what you’re saying and contemplates it for a while. He knows that his team has his back, but sometimes just needs reminder about it.

He looks at you and asks, “...Can I share the burden with you too?”

You blink “Huh?”

“You said I can share the burden with my team, but can I share it with you too?”

There is a blush on his cheeks at this point.

“Oh, yea! Of course! I don’t play but I’m still part of the team you know!”

Ever since then, during games, if he feels a little frustrated he’d glance at you on the bench and you’d give him a thumbs up for a job well done.

#8 Tohma (Pinch Server/Middle Blocker)

You’re like bffs the moment you see each other

lol jk

You’re still awkward with him the first few days cause that’s just how first meetings are.

But he is very easy to talk to and always makes you feel at ease

Will always be the one to ask how you are if you need any help or if class was okay in general

Seems like the type of person to care more about others than himself

So he’s surprised when you come into the gym and you beat him to asking his usual questions.

“Tohma, how are you today? Did you have a proper lunch?”

“Tohma, are you getting tired? Want some water?”

“Tohma, how was class today?”

All the other members of the team turn to look at the two of you, thinking ‘Why does Tohma get extra attention?’ 

Tohma certainly doesn’t get extra attention you just TALK to him more. The other members deadass are also getting cared for by you, just in different ways.

This boy has some insecurities though, when it comes to playing the game. He hasn’t been in it for long so he’s the least experienced and that gets to him sometimes.

“Oh, really? But you play really well! I couldn’t tell that you’re new” 

His serves are really amazing though.

“Also! You always score points for us with the serves. Sometimes, your serves are my favourite part of the game!”

Has practiced extra hard so as not to let you down.

Masterlist

https://primofate.tumblr.com/post/653296890583154688/masterlist-for-mobile-version-main-links

Taglist (Want to be notified when something new comes out? Sign up! I’ve added some other fandoms as well, so if you’re interested in those, fill in the form again!):

https://forms.gle/VZmJXQssHcv7YzQc6

Commissions are open on my kofi :) and there’s only a limited amount available. Make sure you read the description of what kind of commissions I do:

https://ko-fi.com/primofate

Taglist: @softlybeloved @bobaducky @normalisthenewnorm @how-simpy @atasi-luna @berryqueue @hallohun @milkypompon @fadinganchornight @coldstonecrematorium @probablybethere @hanachan_2481 @gultonluvv @batcatistruemaster @plumpkie @amigenshin @foxxtrot-116

[queentala]

You mentioned wanting situations for reader and her witches, so could we get a reader who left her sketchbook open to a page and Manon and Asterin find a bunch of sketches of themselves in there, thank you!

After few months it's time to finally answer this request... Baby, I'm sorry it took me so long but 1) because of school I don't even have time to sleep no to mention writing, 2) I'm a lazy raccoon and have no motivation to do anything but..... Here you go <3

Sleepy witchlings and soft blankets.

Manon x reader x Asterin

Words: 1340

Warnings: extreme dose of fluff (plus some dirty stuff at the end :))

Both Asterin and Manon were still snoring gently when first rays of sunlight shone through the window, casting golden glow on three figures cuddled up in a big bed. Tilting your head up you saw peaceful and the most beautiful face of golden-haired witch that stole half of your heart. Your eyes studied her facial features, her barely visible freckles that blended into the golden skin, her slightly parted soft lips and golden locks of hair streaming down her still closed, black eyes. You didn’t have to turn to know that the another witch that owned second part of your heart and held you tightly from behind looked as beautiful as Asterin.

Usually both women were already up training or trying (and failing) to make you breakfast, yet last night they came back home way after midnight, bruised, sore and tired. There was no wild smile on Asterin’s face and Manon didn’t even tried to hold her usual cold posture when they collapsed into soft sheets and clinged to your body, falling asleep in your warmth before you could say anything. The state they were in made you worried but Manon’s soft skin against yours and Asterin’s hot breath on your neck quickly pulled you after them to the land of sweet dreams.

Now, you laid in your lovers’ embrace with head nuzzled into Asterin’s breasts and back pressed against Manon, trying to figure out how to wiggle out of their arms without waking them. If you could, you’d definitely stay in their arms forever but so many things had to be done today. Your witches’ territorial nature won’t like it if they’ll wake up without you by their side. For a moment you thought in your head all the pros and cons of leaving the bed, until finally you sighed softly and decided to just do it.

Thanks to your Fae genes moving quietly wasn’t hard. Also your witches’ sleep must have been very deep as they didn’t even budged when you slipped out of your bed. Putting on some clothes you glanced once more at two women laying between the soft blankets and pillows. You could finally notice Manon’s relaxed muscles and small smile on her lips what was really rare occurrence. Her moon-white hair were sprawled out on the pillow, creating a halo around her head and making the witch look like a goddess. Both of them looked like goddesses. Yours and yours only.

Using your magic to keep your previous place between witches warm to don’t worry them with your disappearance you walked towards the kitchen, desperate to satisfy your growling stomach before very active day.

Two hours passed but neither of the witches walked out of your bedroom yet. You managed to make perfect breakfast, clean up your whole house including polishing Manon’s and Asterin’s iroonwood brooms they left in the corridor last night, take a shower and finish all your paintings before finally deciding to check up on your lovers. Big smile appeared on your face when you peeked through the door. The sight filling your heart with warmth and love. Asterin was snuggling your pillow, burring her face in it and inhaling your scent. Manon on the other hand... She laid with duvet over her head, desperately trying to find a spot where sun won’t shine on her eyes. Deciding you still have some time before you’ll have to leave to the city, quickly you grabbed your sketchbook and got down to business.

***

You closed the door with a kick of a shoe as your hands were full of various bags and packages. The house was quiet and dark but warm, the fire in the fireplace was burning vividly, which meant that someone had recently added wood to it. Leaving your things on the kitchen counter you noticed that the breakfast you made for your lovers is gone. That is, the witchlings deigned to move their asses.

Guided by the smell of iron and wind you reached your bedroom’s door. Walking in you were greeted by the same view you left behind while walking out few hours ago.

“And you have the audacity to mock me for sleeping till noon...” crossing your arms you leaned against the door frame and met two pairs of eyes staring back at you. One black flecked with gold like a starry night, other shiny as burnt gold.

Both women were still buried among the blankets, furs and pillows. Manon was leaning against the headboard with a book in her hand. Asterin laid beside her, the sheets wrapped up to her chin as she rested her head against Manon’s arm. At the sight of you she opened her arms and made grabby hands. With a big smile you kicked off your shoes and jumped on blonde witch. Skinny yet strong arms wrapped themselves around your waist, holding you tightly against her, Asterin placed soft kiss on your lips. You pulled off with a smile and grabbed Manon’s cheek, now connecting your mouth with hers. Iron teeth slid along your lips, making small scratches and letting out few droplets of blood which white-haired woman eagerly licked off.

“We missed you today, little flame.” Manon’s voice was low, teasing, making your tight squeeze. She smirked when you hid your face in Asterin’s neck. Said witch also let out small laugh and patted your head.

Usually after this tone being used, you’d end up naked, squirming under their touch and moaning as their lips wandered all over your body but clearly this evening was different.

Manon chuckled and her eyes turned back to the book she was holding.

Manon with a book...?

Your head snapped up from Asterin’s shoulder and wandered to the leather-bound notebook. On the open page was a sketch of Asterin with her hair flowing and her usual wild smile. You did it on one of the mountain trips while the three of you watched a beautiful sunrise. The adjacent page showed drawing of Manon in only band on the chest and Wind-Clever in hand.

“I have to admit you really drew my muscles wonderfully“ Manon looked into your eyes with a smirk as your cheeks turned pink and once more you hid your face. More sketches appeared to their eyes as white-haired witch turned page after page. Both witches sleeping or training, Manon during bath in the lake near your house, Asterin on her broom racing with the wind and much more. Once you even drew their faces during orgasm as you couldn’t get that sight out of your mind (not that you wanted to, though).

Iron nails caressed your cheek and gently raised your chin. “I wish I could draw this beautifully so I could capture this view...” Your eyes fell to witch’s soft lips and raised to meet her golden-black irises. “You look so cute with a blush.” Asterin brought your mouth to hers and pushed you against Manon who drawled out her iron teeth and started marking your neck.

“You know... We would be happy to pose for you if you asked.” Manon said between kisses.

“I wouldn’t mind practice drawing a female nude.” Your words came out more like a moan when Asterin pulled off your lips and also attached herself to your neck.

“Hmm.” Murmur of pleasure coming out of their throats made your scent changed drastically. “How about practical lessons first?”

You were too stunned to answer, their lips and hands alone nearly bringing you to the edge. The only expression of approval were moans coming out of your mouth.

“Don’t you think it’s kinda unfair that you’re all dressed up while we’re naked, little flame?” Iron claws started ripping your clothes and scratching your skin, making you even more wet.

Yeah... This night is not gonna be any different from others.