#although i haven’t been getting eggs

[awkwardnerdylesbian]

Share pictures of your chickens

not home yet but i have these of a month ago because my mom wanted to see the roosters

[thyme-in-a-bubble]

the basement

a/n: it's finally here, the highly anticipated instalment where you hoes finally get to discover the basement. you're welcome in advance hehe. enjoy ♡

(also, I just gotta point out once again that a lot of you guys who enjoy this au have been incredibly impatient, demanding and rude in my inbox. i don't think it's a big ask to treat me like an actual human being, but evidently some of you need to hear something that basic so that you can stop doing it every single day. in case you didn't know, that kind of behaviour has the opposite effect that you intend for it it have. i am not a printer that you can just smack to get to spew out papers again, if you smack me then it'll just hurt and make me not want to give you the gifts that you're demanding me for. if you enjoy this au and want more of it, then support it, be kind, reblog, add reactions and comments, don't fucking bully me)

summary: “yeah,” you heard Curtis chuckle briefly, “I think she might need a bit of a punishment in order to learn her lesson, so that she won’t repeat the same mistake again…”

warnings: innocent!reader x stepbro!steve rogers, frat!bucky barnes, ari levinson, marc spector, ransom drysdale, curtis everett, lloyd hansen, andy barber, thor odinson, scott lang, miguel o'hara, frank castle, billy russo, smut, dark content, dubcon/noncon, college au, drama with the gamma sigma zeta frat, party, alcohol consumption, polyamory, gangbang, corruption kink, kissing, sex dungeon, fem gloryhole, mask kink, bondage, sex toys, exhibitionism, voyeurism, crying, dacryphilia, dirty talk, size kink, gaping, manhandling, orgasm denial, edging, multiple orgasms, squirting, overstimulation, impact play, pain kink, spit kink, masturbation, oral, fingering, anal, pussyjob, penetrative sex, unprotected sex, just all of the creampies ever

word count: 9262

∼ gentle reminder that feedback, but especially reblogs are the way you support writers on here ∽

take her under your wing au masterlist | 101, intro to the au

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“Alright,” Dr. Richards boomed over the rustle as all of the students around you began to pack up their things, “remember to read chapters eight to eleven for next week’s class if you haven’t already.”

And though everyone around began to filter out of the room, you stayed glued to your seat a moment longer, although it didn’t derive from an academic reason as you hoped your lowered gaze on your haphazard notes helped translate it into.

In fact, the reason why you stayed in the chair a moment longer, was the little distraction you’d somehow been swindled into this morning, currently still buzzing deep inside your cunt.

It was a hot pink little vibrator in the shape of an egg, controlled from an app you didn’t have on your own phone. Although your naïveté had assumed its size would have been a clue to its strength, those mistakes were swiftly squashed as you soon learned just how deep and rumbling its power was.

And though its vibrations could have made you climax over a dozen times since your stepbrother had slyly slipped it inside and made you wear it as you wobbled off to class, all during the lecture, each time you’d creep higher towards that peak, the pattern of the dizzying tremors would change and dull, rendering you to only edge and ruin your panties as you tried to concentrate on your professor’s words.

And as you stared down at Dr. Richards as he wiped the wide chalkboard behind him clean, the guy sitting adjacent to you cut through your trance as he rose from his seat and shrugged his backpack over his shoulder.

“He’s for sure gonna quiz us on those chapters, isn’t he?”

“Huh?” your stare snapped away from your teacher as you blinked over at Pietro, “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

Lightly furrowing his brows, his eyes briefly flickered down to your heaving chest, “uh, you good?”

“Y-yeah, why?” you sucked in a sharp breath before you carefully got up from your seat, “I’m totally cool,” you tried not to react as the movement caused your pussy to clench even tighter around the toy as its angle shifted as well.  

Pietro’s gaze then shifted as two of his friends popped up in the doorway, prompting you to glance back over your shoulder to spot them as well as he then offered them a short wave.

“Me and my friends were just about to go grab something from the coffee cart, have my sister hook us up,” he shared as he began to ascend the stairs that split apart the rows of seats, “you wanna tag along? If Wanda doesn’t wanna break barista policy for the hot girl in my advanced neurobiology class, then I’ll happily pay for yours.”

“Wait, Wanda’s your sister? Wanda Maximoff?” you began to follow his stride.

“Twin, actually,” he tilted his head before looking up from the steps to glance back at you, “so, you wanna join? I mean, it looks like you could use the pick me up.”

Sucking in a breath, you then uttered timidly, “oh, I’d love to, but I can’t. I’m supposed to be meeting up with someone,” you said as the buzzing remained so low that it was only a flutter against your throbbing walls.

“Oh, okay, that’s cool,” Pietro swallowed the gentle rejection. And as the pair of you neared the bottom of the stairs, his friends abandoned their waiting spot, “well, uh… are you planning on going to that Delta Phi party this weekend since you already know my sister?”

“I don’t know, I actually hadn’t thought about it,” you shrugged, recalling how your roommate had gushed about the theme at breakfast the other morning.

As his friends met you both halfway, one of them couldn’t resist but to cut in, “oh, you should totally go, their themed parties are always epic.”

Glancing between everyone, Pietro then gestured to the other guys and said, “Y/n, this is Eddie and Wade. We’re in the same frat together.”

“Hi,” you offered them both a slight wave.  

Rounding back to the subject at hand, Eddie piggybacked off of what Wade had said and then suggested, “you should come with us.”

“What?”

“To the party,” he clarified, “what do you say?”

“Oh, well…” you thought about it a moment, although the way that your poor pussy throbbed made it incredibly difficult to get the right sense, so instead you heard yourself utter, “alright.”

“Alright?” Pietro’s brows floated up as he echoed your answer.

“Sure,” you breathed, shifting your weight gently as you stayed on the last of the steps, “it’s an eighties theme, right?”

“Yeah, but I don’t think like costumes or anything are mandatory,” Wade cocked his head, “we’ll just have old bangers stuck in our heads for the rest of the month.”

“Sounds like fun,” you offered them a small smile before Pietro once again piped up.

“Where do you live? We’ll come pick you up.”

“Oh, uhm,” you blinked for a second before answering, “in Manning Hall.”

“Okay, cool,” he smirked as they all began to back up and slip out of the classroom, “Saturday night, nine o’clock.”

“It’s a date–,” you exhaled, before a wince scrunched up your features, “or well, I didn’t mean it like that, I just meant like, you know, it’s a date, not that it’s a date, date…”

But instead of furthering your mortified spiralling, they all just chuckled as your classmate murmured, “see you Saturday, Y/n,” before they disappeared down the hall.

A long sigh then flowed from your lungs before you finally ascended from the very last step, although, when your feet settled on the floor, the little vibrator inside of you suddenly hit you with a wave, increasing its intensity for only a second before it then settled back down. A gasp swiftly parted your lips as you passed the teacher’s desk, and your hand shot out to clutch the edge of it as a stutter shook your frame.

Still packing up his own things before he too could journey forth, Reed glanced up at you and asked, “you okay?” although the knowing smirk that twitched at the corners of his lips went unnoticed by your dizzy vision.

“Oh, mhm,” you tried to control your heaving chest, “I’m fine, sir,” you briefly glanced up at him, although immediately glanced away as it didn’t help matters, your tunnel vision only fixating on the details of him that made it impossible for you to overcome the overwhelming teasing, “that was a–, uhm, fun class today.”

“Thanks,” he bit down on his slight smile. However, before you could part your lips and utter anything further, a different voice suddenly emanated off to the side.

“Oh no, what was it about this week? Please, I don’t have the energy to try and listen to you babble about it for the rest of the week.”

Twisting your neck, you spotted the figure that then appeared, leaning garishly against the doorway, “Ransom? What are you doing here?”

“Well, your dear stepbrother was busy, so he sent me instead,” he began to waltz into the classroom, “he sends his regards though,” and held up his phone, wiggling it playfully and letting you spot the app that was open on the small screen. Apparently, Steve wasn’t the only one who had access to the controls of the device ever maddening inside of your cunt, prompting your frame to freeze up at the mortifying discovery. Redirecting his glance to Dr. Richards as he neared, Ransom then murmured, “what’s up, teach?”

“Ransom,” the older man greeted the frat guy with a surprising air of informality, “hey, do you boys need me to be there for the next meeting?”

“Uhm, nah, I don’t think we’ll discuss anything major this week. We’ll just send you the highlights in the group chat or something,” he murmured before spotting the furrow to your brow and then clarifying further, “oh, did you not know? Reed is Kappa Alpha Nu’s faculty advisor.”

“No,” you faintly shook your head before the silent stares that the both of them cast upon you caused your cheeks to heat up. The pause that hung in the air almost made it seem as if there was more to that story, although your foggy brain couldn’t pick up on any of it at the moment, as you were merely focussing on not letting the tormenting toy make a complete fool out of you in front of your professor.

“Well, I should get going,” Reed then broke the heated silence, “see you next week, Y/n,” he caught your eye as he picked up his bag and slinked it over his broad shoulder, “remember to do the reading.”

“Will do, professor!” you squeaked as he turned to exit the classroom.

Though as you and Ransom slipped out of the lecture hall as well, your feet didn’t manage to carry you far down the hallway before the frat guy yanked you into the nearest bathroom that you passed.

He didn’t even glance around to see if the lavatory indeed was vacant before he shoved you into one of the stalls, his fingers not finding the lock before he pushed you up against the thin wall.

“So,” he purred as your wide eyes blinked back at him, reeling to catch up to the sudden shift in locations, “have you cum?”

“N-no,” your head swiftly shook, “I haven’t been able to,” you revealed, as each time you’d gotten close, the vibrating pulses the toy offered your poor cunt would switch up or slow down, ruining the high for you and keeping you on the mind-breaking edge.

“Well, good,” he smirked, “that was the point,” his words drew out, holding your gaze captive, before he then uttered casually, “so, I’ll just be taking this back then,” and boldly shoved his hand up under your skirt. He wasted no time before stuffing his hand into your panties, a chuckle slipping from him at just how ridiculously drenched they were.  

“Ransom!” you gasped loudly as he ignored the hot pink tail of the toy that poked out of your pussy and instead sank two thick fingers right in beside it, an obscene squelch echoing from your creamy cunt as he plugged your drooling hole up even further.

“What? Just trying to get it out,” he teased, knowing fully well what his true intentions were, purposefully keeping the little vibrator inside and making it so much more unbearable for you to endure, “quit squirming,” he grinned as your whole body quivered at his greedy touch, “oh, your little pussy's really holding on tight to that thing. Just doesn’t wanna let go,” he swirled his long fingers around the little toy, before they settled just behind it, swiftly scooping up against it to force the vibrator repeatedly against your g-spot, “oh, I know,” he then abruptly fished his phone out of his pocket, “maybe this will help,” he smirked as he opened up an app before you felt the humming pick up again.

The vibrations were strong and deep as he swept his touch against the toy, rocking it against that little spot inside of you that caused your pussy to sing for him in sloppy sloshing sounds at each of his merciless motions.

“A-ahh!” you cried out as you finally came undone. Squirting all over the place as if his touch had switched on some lewd fountain inside of you, your sensitive cunt clenched down around the toy so fiercely that it popped right out and landed in Ransom’s palm, wiggling and buzzing in his hold as his fingers too were forced out. Shakily, your frame slid down the wall of the stall till you were sitting in the puddle of your juices on the cold tile floor, your dazed frame still quivering violently from the intense high as it continued to rock you, your leaky hole still weakly gushing as the frat boy’s laughter floated above you.

“…Adler, Fowler, Jensen, Barton and then Wilson and Brock, you’ve already met,” Pietro introduced his fellow members of the Gamma Sigma Zeta fraternity, before a burly blonde appeared behind the group and interjected.

“What, are you just gonna skip the best one?” he grinned as he sauntered up towards you, splitting the small crowd that surrounded you in half.

“Y/n, this is Johnny Storm,” Pietro uttered beside you as the man neared.

“President of Gamma Sigma Zeta,” Johnny added as he caught your hand in a brief shake.

“Nice to meet you,” a smile flashed upon your features in an attempt at squashing the nerves that churned your stomach, the loud throwback music that shook the entire out house certainly didn’t help matters either, “all of you,” raising your hand, you offered the group a tiny wave as your gaze drifted over all of them.

“Likewise,” Johnny smirked before his eyes drifted down to your empty hands, “hey, how long have you been here? How come she doesn’t have a drink yet?”

“Oh, I’m okay, really–” you tried to insist, before a beer was suddenly cracked open and shoved in your hand, “oh, thanks…”

As you timidly enveloped your fingers around the can, Nick chimed in as the frat’s president settled in at his side, “so, you’re pre-med like Maximoff?”

“Yeah,” your head tilted in a tiny nod, “we have Dr. Richards’ class together.”

“Oh, my condolences,” Johnny suddenly winced.

“What?”

“He’s married to my sister,” he explained his pre-set grudge against the charming professor.

“Oh,” you breathed, your gaze promptly averting, “I didn’t know he was married.”

“Really? Most of the women he sleeps with usually does,” he uttered casually, brashly indicating that you were the older man’s type, even if he wasn’t outright accusing you of actually having an affair with him yet, “anyhow, we were about to go gather a few folks in the other room for a game of something. You wanna join?”

Glancing around the group, you then squeaked, “uh, sure.”

It ended up being a twist on truth or dare, although if you weren’t brave enough to complete the challenge, you’d have to drink.

Sitting in a haphazard circle, a few of the Delta Phi girls had also joined in, as well as the sorority’s resident cat, Gigi, who had wandered around from person to person, though when the fluffy creature had stopped and settled by your feet and you bent forward in your seat on the couch to pet her, your attention faded away from the game and rendered you to nearly miss what Carol murmured after she’d completed her dare.

“Okay…” the blonde cast her glance around the players till her eyes landed on the next victim, “Y/n, truth or dare.”

“Oh no…” your head shot back up at the sound of your own name for the first time so far in the game being picked, “truth, but please don’t be mean…” you blinked up at her as a frown twitched at your lips, “please?”  

“Alright, fine,” Carol gave in to your puppy eyes, “let’s see… what's the worst thing you've ever said to someone?”

Your eyes promptly grew wide, “oh god…” an exhale seeped from your lungs, “that’s you being gentle?”

“Or you can drink, your choice,” she shrugged as she settled further back in her seat.

“She’s like a Disney princess,” Jake grinned off to the side of you, “she’s probably never even sworn before.”

“Okay, ha-ha, hilarious,” you let out a dry laugh as everyone in the circle snickered a moment, “for the record, yes, I have, I say bad words all of time if you must know,” you noted a bit too defensively before averting your gaze to the cat at your feet to ponder the question, “alright… oh… it’s hard to remember…” you screwed your eyes shut a moment before you shared, “I mean, I did say some pretty awful things to my mom back when she first told me she was getting married again,” the rest of them then bathed you in stares that nudged you to swiftly elaborate, “it was back when I started high school, which was already not fun. It was a private school, I was a scholarship student, so let’s just say that the preppy rich kids who already went there didn’t exactly welcome me with open arms…” you sighed heavily at the memory, “and then when she told me that she’d gotten engaged to the dad of one of the seniors, I kinda flipped at the thought of suddenly living in the same house as the most popular guy in school… but, I luckily she forgave me, and I learned to deal with the change. I mean, at least it happened towards the end of the school year, so I really only lived with him for a couple of months before he then went off to college.”

For the rest of the game, you couldn’t help but absentmindedly sip at your drink, especially each time someone would be challenged with a dare or a question so raunchy that your only shield to hide your obvious innocence was the beer can in your grasp.

So, towards the end, when it eventually became your turn again and your drink was nearly empty, you only giggled when they dared you to kiss each and every other player, the alcohol in your system letting them sway you with ease.

Although, when you were halfway through the nerve-wrecking challenge, timidly pressing your lips to each and everyone’s cheeks, when you reached Johnny, he cockily twisted his head just in time for your mouth instead to crash against his own.

But as swiftly as the unexpected kiss occurred, that’s how quickly you were suddenly ripped off of the frat president’s lap, as little did you know, your stepbrother had appeared in the doorway behind you only moments before.

“Rogers, what the hell?” Johnny promptly hissed as you slipped out of his grasp.

But instead, Steve ignored him and directed his glare down at you, “what the fuck do you think you’re doing?” his bruising grip dented your upper arm.

“Hey, let go of her,” Johnny shot up from his seat and reached out for you.

“Don’t! Get back!” Steve roared in a tone you’d never even imagined him capable of, “if you ever so much as look at my stepsister again, I swear I’ll fucking kill you.”

Stumbling back just a tad, Johnny echoed, “step–…” before his glare shifted to lock with your wide eyes, “you seriously weren’t gonna tell us that this was the golden boy you were talking about? Seriously? Rogers is your stepbrother?”

“I–…” your gaze darted between everyone around you as you ceased to connect the dots and figure out why everyone had suddenly exploded in poisonous rage, “what is going on?”

“You’re going home, that’s what’s going on,” Steve grumbled firmly. His glare didn’t waver as he then raised his voice and called upon one of his friends who shadowed behind him, “Thor?”

“Got it,” Thor murmured before he then stepped up and obeyed Steve’s unspoken command, abruptly picking you up and tossing you over his broad shoulder.

And though you tried to fight it, tried to argue that they were being ridiculous, both he and your stepbrother still managed to carry you out of the sorority party without as much as breaking a sweat. And as they hauled you past the rest of the frat, the remainder of Kappa Alpha Nu stood their ground, glaring down their rivals and making you fear that a fight was on the horizon the very moment that the front door slammed shut behind you.

You were still riddled with questions by the time that you arrived back at your dorm room, though the alcohol that still buzzed in your system also pushed you to become mildly pissed off at their mysterious interjection.

Though you wanted to argue, they instead helped you get ready for bed, shoving a toothbrush into your hand before you had the chance to complain. And as you slowly scrubbed your teeth and you watched as a few whispers slipped between the pair, one of them even fishing out his phone to send off a few texts, the flicker of anger that had bubbled up inside of you, instead fizzled down and morphed into a tsunami of bewildering fear.  

So, when you’d finished brushing your teeth, your voice then came out wobbly with the threat of tears, “…are you guys mad at me? Did I do something wrong?”

But to your horror, neither of them answered you as a simple sigh only slipped from Steve as he picked out a nightgown from your dresser and crossed the room towards where your tipsy form stood, “arms up,” he uttered, and without even thinking about it, your intoxicated limbs floated up into the air. The both of their hands then slipped off your clothing before tugging the negligée over your head, “there, much better,” your stepbrother smoothed down the pastel blue fabric, having of course chosen the shortest you owned, rendering it to barely cover the curve of your bottom.

As Thor momentarily slipped into the bathroom to grab you a glass of water, Steve pulled back the covers of your twin-sized bed for you to crawl under.

“Sleep tight, sweetie,” their weight dented the edge of your mattress for but a moment before they once again rose up, although Steve briefly reached out to pinch the long ear of the white stuffed animal that you had swiftly clutched to your chest, his fingertips sweeping up to tug at one of the light pink ribbons that were tied around each of the soft bunny’s ears.  

“Wait!” you gasped as they dissipated from your side, your arms tightening in the hug around Bun Bun’s little teddy bear form, “I–… I can’t fall asleep after all of that…”

Pausing a moment right before they reached the door, “…alright,” Steve then let out a sigh, “what do you usually do when you can’t fall asleep?”

“Well, sometimes I read, or maybe watch something on my phone, but not anything too exciting, you know? Just something that I can kinda half follow along with till I get sleepy enough to close my eyes.”

A devilish idea then popped into your stepbrother’s lewd mind and thawed some of the tension in his broad shoulders, the thought conveniently also coinciding with the sinister plans that were already brewing among his fellow frat boys, and perhaps, his idea could even warm you up for the punishment they’d already begun planning.

“Okay…” he uttered slowly as the corners of his lips twitched, “I think I know something you could watch…”

“Really?” you gratefully gasped, “because that’s always the most difficult part, landing on the right video.”

“Yeah, it’s perfect,” he then grabbed your phone and pulled up a film, though paused it right at the beginning, while the little screen was still completely black, rendering the content a complete mystery to you before you pressed play, “alright, there you go,” he handed it back to you before he then bent down over your horizontal frame and planted a brief kiss to your forehead, “goodnight.”

“Night, night,” you flashed the both of them a smile.

“Night,” Thor reached down to offer your ankle beneath the duvet a squeeze, before they finally exited your room.

And when you then were all alone, you wiggled into a more comfortable position on your pillow, repositioned the stuffed animal in your grasp, before you tilted the phone screen towards you and started the video.

Though, as soon as you pressed play, your jaw promptly hit the floor at the lewd images that instantly flashed across the tiny screen.

You had never in your entire life dared to watch pornography. But even so, the genre that then played out before your own innocent eyes did not embody any of the stereotypical plots that even pure little you had heard inappropriate jokes about.

It started out by shoving a scandal-clad young woman, pretending to be a teen at home all alone in some ridiculously huge house. But then, as she skipped around, flashing the camera teasing angles of her body beneath the excuse she wore as a dress, a hulking man, disguised by the black fabric of a mask, suddenly appeared behind her, clearly on a mission to rob the house, though paused in the doorway when he spotted her.

Though as the masked man tossed the teen around and grunted that he’d much rather steal her virginity than any of her parents’ money, the urge to shut off the video prickled at your every nerve, but you just couldn’t seem to stop staring.

Hugging your teddy bear tight, you soon grew so frustratingly fuzzy that you tried desperately to rid yourself of the sensation, though still couldn’t push yourself over the edge that remained such a mystery whenever you were on your own. The only thing you managed to accomplish as you rubbed yourself raw, was a completely soaked pair of panties before you eventually passed out.

When you suddenly stirred from your slumber, it took you a moment to notice the fact that you weren’t in your warm and safe bed anymore. But in a stark contrast, you now found yourself in the arms of an individual that made you fear you’d been transported into the porn that still buzzed on your phone when you drifted off to sleep.

A gust of the night air rustled in the nightgown you still wore, as well as the cotton scarf that was tied over your mouth. Digging your fingers into Bun Bun that thankfully still remained in your embrace, you cast your wide eyes around to not only the masked man who carried you, but also the small crowd marching all around you, each of their identities obscured by matching black ski masks.

But as panic swiftly arose within you, it suddenly began to fade once again as the man who held you murmured, “well, look who’s finally awake. You were really passed out cold,” you gasped through the gag as you recognised Bucky’s voice, your glace too flickering down to catch sight of some of the many tattoos that decorated his skin, curling out from under the tight black t-shirt he wore, and wrapping down each of his burly arms.

And as you began to recognise the rest of the masked members of Kappa Alpha Nu, it still felt obscene enough to proficiently befuddle you and make you reach so far as to ponder if it actually was just a dream.

You realised what street you were on right before the fraternity came into view, though as they brought you inside the familiar house, you only sank further into your hazy puzzlement as they took you back into the kitchen, towards the pantry, and popped open the door to the basement.

Their past warnings echoed in your mind, cautioning you not to ever wander down there. And one step at a time, as they carried you down the dim and creaking stairway, your stomach began to do flips and ache at the reality that you were now breaking one of their few rules.

At the bottom of the stairs, there was a little hallway with a door at the end of it. The back of it had a little whiteboard strung up, with a schedule scribbled upon it, and at the bottom, a little sign dangled from a string. The side that initially faced you read ‘private session, fuck off’. However, as the frat guy who led the troupe opened the door, the sign got jostled enough for you to catch sight of the other side and the big bold letters that read ‘welcome voyeurs’.

Entering the basement, it was almost as dim as the staircase outside, with the exception of a few dim red bulbs that flickered about the room.

The space was dark and dingy, with decades of graffiti littering the brick walls over the various fliers and posters that wallpapered patches of the periphery. Some mismatched chairs surrounded the beat-up leather couch that stood in the centre of the room. Off to the side, you spotted a long bar, splintery enough to fall apart at any moment. Your naïve eyes flickered from the pool table in the corner, to the chains and ropes that ominously dangled from the pipes on the ceiling, to even the shelves along many of the walls, littered with all sorts of phallic-looking items that made you suck in a breath. And lastly, your stare landed upon the load-bearing wall that stood in the middle of the room, though it didn’t meet the perimeter of the basement as it only stretched out about two meters, and with a strange-looking hole adorning the centre of it.

Little did you know about the nefarious activities and traditions that played out down in this very room, from the playground it was on a day-to-day basis, to the ceremony they held each time a new president of the frat had to earn his crown.

When Bucky finally set you down on your feet, the rest of them crowded around you before one of them reached out to tear the silencing scarf from your mouth.

Hugging the plush lump of Bun Bun’s body tight, you swiftly parted your lips, “what the–”

“Nuh-uh,” you then heard Ari cut you off, your eyes promptly flickering to find his masked visage, “you don’t get to ask the questions here, baby.”

Cocking his head, your stepbrother then spoke in a stern tone, “what the hell did you think you were doing tonight?”

“W-what?” you cast a glance around the lot of them, “nothing, I–, guys,” a small whimper tumbled from your lips as you shifted your weight, “can’t you take the masks off? Please?”

“Now, where’s the fun in that?” Billy chuckled from behind you, making you whip your head around.

“But,” you sucked in a breath, “you’re kind of scaring me…”

“Good,” Steve uttered, “then it’s working,” before he sank down upon the couch behind him and caught your waist, “come here,” he yanked you with him and pulled you over his knee. And as your stomach pressed down against the tops of his thick thighs, and your nightgown rid up, exposing your underwear to every frat guy that surrounded you, Steve let his touch coast up the back of your leg, making you shiver in his lap as he then murmured, “so, we’re gonna try this one more time,” his hand slowly travelled further and further north, “what the fuck were you thinking tonight?”

“What?” your neck twisted for your glare to find the glint of your stepbrother’s eyes behind his mask, missing entirely as one of the others handed something to him, “I just went to a party–, ah!” sharp pain then suddenly sparked on your bottom, though it took you a moment, panting after your yelp, to realise that it hadn’t been Steve’s palm that he’d sent down upon your ass, but instead it was a paddle that one of the others had fetched for him.

“Oh, but that’s not all you did,” Bucky muttered as he then buried his fingers in your hair, clutching your locks tight just as you began to squirm, keeping you trapped in your stepbrother’s lap, even if you’d attempt an escape.

“Why would you go with them?” Steve hissed, “why?”

Flesh still stinging, you blinked up at him and breathed, “what are you talking about, I thought that was exactly what you told me to do, to finally relax and be social?”

“Not with them,” Lloyd’s voice found your ears, “you could have picked literally anyone but them,” he stated before your stepbrother swatted you with the paddle. Spanking you a few times in swift succession, one of the blows landed directly over the heat of your covered core.

“Okay, okay!” you yelped as the smacks caused tears to sting the corners of your eyes, “I’m sorry that I talked to some guys that you aren’t fans of, I’ll try to stay clear of them in the future!”

“Oh, you did way more than talk, babe,” Ari kneeled down before you to get on your level, “and they aren’t just some guys that we aren’t fans of,” he corrected you, “they’re from Gamma Sigma Zeta. The fucking scum of this campus,” he spat, making you recoil atop Steve’s lap, “do you really not know–, does she not know her Highridge history?”

“Apparently fucking not,” Frank crossed his arms before your whole body jumped as Steve once again spanked you.

“Our frats don’t mix,” Ari began to explain, “it’s from way back,” his hand drifted up to gesture alongside his words, “back in the sixties, they budded heads, god knows about what,” he briefly sighed, “but let’s just say, the rivalry has only grown over the decades.”

“So, unless you wanna be on our bad side, you stay away from them. Don’t fucking go near them, any of them, ever again,” you heard Steve bark, “you got it?”

Tightening his grip in your hair and making you wince at the sting, Bucky then tugged your head further back for your eyes to find his, “say that you fucking understand!”

“Y-yes!” you cried out, “I understand!”

And though you obeyed their every word to get back into their good graces, you once again felt Steve swat your ass before he hissed, “did you fuck any of them?”

“What?” you gasped, “no! I didn’t–”

“Oh, so you think we should believe that you only let them stick their filthy tongues down your throat like the little fucking slut you are?” Thor nearly scoffed from the sidelines.

“It was just a game,” you desperately explained, “I mean, it was only one of them that I didn’t kiss on the cheek, but that wasn’t my fault, he was the one that turned his head just at the right time to–”

“Oh, but it is your fault,” Bucky uttered as his stare held your own captive, “it’s all your fault, honey,” a gentle shake found his head, “this is the bed you made, so you better fucking lie in it.”

“I won’t do it again, I swear!” you swiftly tried, a tear rolling down your cheek as they all continued to bruise your bottom, a few of them reaching out to torment you in between the swats of the paddle, “I’ll stay away from them!”

“Hm,” Steve’s voice rumbled in your ear as a slight smirk stretched across his lips, “that doesn’t sound very convincing.”

“Yeah,” you heard Curtis chuckle briefly, “I think she might need a bit of a punishment in order to learn her lesson, so that she won’t repeat the same mistake again…”

“P-punishment?” you frantically attempted to glance around the lot of them, “b-but, then what was this?”

Your cunt clenched around nothing as Steve then sat down the paddle and let his hand ghost over your aching skin, “oh, this was just a bit of foreplay, sweetie,” he smirked at the way your already soaked panties had gotten a fresh wave of arousal to drench them further.

“Yeah, we’re gonna play a little game,” Scott informed you, “you like games, right?”

“S-sure,” you shivered as your stepbrother let his fingertip trace the hem of your underwear, scarcely touching you at all, only tickling the edges of your embarrassment.

“It’s a guessing game,” Miguel uttered, “wouldn’t that be fun?”

“L-like twenty questions or something?” you stammered as you felt Bucky let go of your hair.

“No, baby,” Steve chuckled in your ear, “it’s a little different than that…” he muttered before he then seized your waist and plucked you up, snatching you with him as he suddenly rose.

And as the rest of them manhandled your wiggling frame across the length of the basement, you squeaked, “w-what are you doing?” as they hauled you around the loadbearing wall and plopped you down on a slap that stood up against the back of it, level to the hole that had been manufactured in it. The opening’s edges were almost padded with a pliable plastic to soften up the rough texture of the brick wall. Slipping your bottom half through the hole, like they were threading a needle, you then felt someone on the other side tie up your legs, spreading them wide and strapping them into a pair of waiting leather restraints. Belt-like straps were swiftly fastened around your torso, before your wrists were then bound together as well, although one of them did readjust your little bunny to be snug against your body, beneath your bound hands, “what is going on?” you whined as they then all vanished from your side of the partition, leaving you shivering in the dark as the crisp air caressed your bottom as it poked out the other side, nearly hanging off of the edge and granting them all a perfect view of your ruined panties.

“Now,” you heard Steve’s voice from on the other side of the wall, “the rules are pretty simple,” he uttered as his footsteps dragged him closer to your exposed parts, “we’re gonna fuck you, one by one, and then you’ll have to identify us all. Try and guess who it is that’s pounding that sweet little pussy of yours,” you sucked in a breath as his touch then ghosted along your covered core, tickling the soaked cotton, “and if you get it right, well then woopie, you get to cum,” his fingers then caught the fabric in a pinch before he went on, “but if you don’t, if you get it wrong, well then you won’t be allowed to cum,” he stated just before he ripped a huge hole in your sodden underwear, revealing your pussy completely as tattered cotton framed it.

“Oh, and if you even so much as try to sneak an orgasm past any of us, we’ll know,” Bucky promptly added, “you’re awful at keeping them lowkey, you just can’t control that yet,” he murmured as you felt your stepbrother’s touch fade as he took a step back, “but if you try, then you’ll wish you hadn’t, you understand?”

“Y-yes,” you breathed, though still only took the warning with a grain of salt out of pure hope that this was only a twisted game and nothing more.

“Good,” he exhaled, making you sink your teeth into your bottom lip.

Miguel was the first one to step up, not wasting any time at all to tease you before he slammed his thick cock inside of you, instantly balls deep.  

Though you could hear everyone’s different voices and groans through the partition, you still had no way of knowing who was stretching out your pussy that was on display like a toy. Knowing them all, you assumed right when you pondered if their stray moans, all of them melting into one big storm, were a result of their desperation getting the better of them as they all began to stroke themselves, impatiently waiting their turn.

“So,” you eventually heard Andy utter, “any guesses?”

“U-uh…” you panted, squeezing your eyes shut as you struggled to recall any of their names with the way that Miguel filled you up, “S-Scott?”

A loud laugh then promptly billowed out of Scott, “you wish, baby!”

“Guess you’ll just have to hold out a little longer, eh?” Thor snickered as you felt your buzzing clit get pinched, making the battle they urged you to fight that much tougher.

And as you neared the edge, your lack of faith in the threats they’d loomed over you then triumphed as you chalked them up to be nothing more than oddly dark jests and let yourself tumble over the edge.

But as you didn’t attempt to diminish any of your moans in the slightest, Marc then scoffed, “oh, did you seriously just cum?” as you still trembled before them all, “you think this is a joke?”

“Holy fuck, no yeah, she definitely did,” Miguel groaned loudly, “feels like her pussy’s trying to choke me,” he only pumped his length inside of you a couple of times more before he promptly pumped your cunt full as you simply squeezed down too good around his dick for him to resist.

“Bad fucking girl,” Frank chuckled as you felt Miguel take a step back, his twitching cock slipping from your haven.

“Greedy little whore,” Ari smacked your inner thigh lightly, making some of Miguel’s load dribble out of you as your cunt clenched at the blow, “just have to make it all about yourself, don’t you?”

“Well, gentlemen, I think a little consequence is in order,” you then heard your stepbrother utter, “any ideas?”

“I’ve got one,” Ransom smirked, “we get to pick out what she wears for the rest of the month.”

“The whole month?” you gasped as their severity finally began to sink in.

“Oh, quit your whining,” Bucky bellowed, “you think that’s bad? Try us again if you really wanna suffer that badly,” his warning sent a shiver trickling down your spine.

It was then Billy’s turn, tapping the weight of himself against your puffy petals before he used his friend’s load as lube.

And try as you might, even after you guessed wrong, you just couldn’t help but give in to ecstasy once again. You tried to fight it, you truly did, but as Billy’s rhythm rocked you and caused your eyes to roll in your skull, you ended up biting down on your teddy bear’s ear to muffle your moans in a feeble hope at the chance that they might not notice.

But unfortunately, your pussy wasn’t on board with keeping your secret.

“What part of ‘you are not allowed to cum unless you guess correctly’ do you not understand?” Billy chuckled as your cunt fluttered fiercely around him, driving him closer to the edge as well.

Next thing you knew, Steve then curved around the partition and appeared at your side. Though as your hazy gaze tried to focus on him, you ceased to notice the little clamps in his grasp before he then pinched your nipples with them, the small pebbles already half poking out of the low neckline of your nightgown, granting him easy access as he promptly fastened the pair to them both.

“Ouch,” you winced at the unfamiliar sensation, pouting up at your stepbrother’s masked features.

“Oh, suck it up,” he playfully tapped your cheek, “you big baby,” before he vanished from your side once again.

And as Billy swiftly finished as well, you heard him grunt through the wall as he snapped his hips one last time against the plush of your ass, “so, you want something worse on top of what you just got? Not a problem.”

“How about, at the next party, we’ll pretend we don’t know you,” Andy suggested, “seeing as you always use us as a safety net, clinging onto us like a lost puppy, next time, you won’t get that luxury.”

The next few that went, replacing each other like ravenous wildfires, weren’t any you could guess correctly either. First, there was the president of the frat whose broad palm spanked your sore ass even further as he fucked you. Next came Marc, who was quickly traded out with Scott, though each of those two paid close attention, pulling their cocks out whenever your pussy began to flutter around them, trading your sweet cunt out with their own fists and granting you just enough time to back away from the edge before they buried themselves once again.

When it was Ransom’s turn, the long and deep strokes he offered you were almost painfully slow, making your legs tremble in their restraints on either side of his frame.

“Fuck, look at how that little cunnie…” he groaned after you’d once again guessed incorrectly, your fuzzy and edged mind barely letting you mumble coherently any longer, “how is she still so tight after everything?” drawing back his hips to pull his cock out completely, “the fuck do we gotta do to train this hole properly?” he watched how your hole winked up at him, snapping back into place just before he plunge back in and split you back open for his fat girth, “because she’s still acting like a fucking virgin even though that cherry was popped long ago…”

Though when Ransom soon faded back into the crowd and the next man stepped up, a shrill gasp instantly flowed from your lungs as there was only one frat bro such an impossibly thick girth could belong to.

“B-Bucky!” you breathlessly cried out as he utilised the copious loads already dripping out of you as lube to make his efforts easier, though his comrades’ seed swiftly leaked out of you completely as he buried himself inside of you, his monstrous size being the one and only thing your poor pussy could possibly accommodating for, “that’s–, that’s Bucky!”

“Ding, ding, ding!” Bucky chuckled as he rolled his hips, stretching your wrecked hole impossibly wide for him, “good girl!” his hefty balls smacked against your slick skin as he found a greedy rhythm, “you finally guessed right!”

“Well, he is the easiest one to guess, so this kinda feels like cheating,” Marc playfully argued as his dick twitched, once again growing hard.

“Yeah, she would have had to be fucking passed out not to do it,” Curtis laughed cruelly.

“Should it not get to count then?” Thor asked.

“Nah, let her have this,” you heard Steve decide, “go ahead, throw her a bone, Buck,” he uttered as he handed his friend a vibrating wand.

Lowering the buzzing and bulbous head to your puffy pearl, only a moment passed before shockwaves jolted throughout your body, as you were already so close to that agonising edge.

“Oh my god!” you thrashed against your binds as your pussy gushed around Bucky’s girth, his efforts never wavering as you squirting for him. Roaring cheers and wolf whistles filled up the room as you came so hard that the comforting bunny in your arms tumbled to the cold concrete floor.

Your frame then pathetically attempted to squirm away as Bucky chases his own high, his selfish pace overstimulating you so fiercely that you would have almost rather he’d brought the paddle back out instead.

But when he’d pumped you full, his load already overspilled around his girth as it twitched inside of you, though when he withdrew completely, your little pussy gaped for a second, his cum leaking out and dripping down onto the floor, before your opening then clenched around nothing and snapped back into place, quivering around nothing as someone else then stepped closer.

Lloyd first knelt down on the ground before you, getting on eye level with the mess that had been left for him. You shivered as he slid his wide hands up to either side of your ass, before spreading you wide, and watching how you leaked before him.

One of his palms then shifted closer before his touch traced your puffy petals, sweeping through your folds before his fingers drifted down to tickle your untouched little rosebud. Your whole body squirmed as he then tilted closer and let himself have a taste of your mess, lapping greedily at your little virgin asshole, even though you were still so hypersensitive that he only overstimulated you even further, making you wiggle and whimper as he kissed a place that utterly baffled your innocent body with the unexpected pleasure it bloomed.  

“Hey! Come on dude!” the sound of your stepbrother’s rumbling timbre then cut through your haze and halted his friend’s lavish tongue, “we all know you’re an ass man, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be the one to get the honour to feel hers for the first time,” he warned him, “especially not today.”

“What, do you want it to be yourself that pops that cherry as well?” Lloyd cocked a brow as he straightened back up, wiped his moustache of your slickness, and began instead to fuck your pussy, “seriously?”

“If you keep that attitude up, yes,” Steve shot back at him, “but I was thinking maybe we pop all of our names into a hat at some point, draw at random for it,” he suggested, “whoever wins gets to claim their prize exactly how they want.”

Their words then began to fade away as you instead focused all of your might on not letting yourself unravel once again without their blessing. By the time they asked you to identify Lloyd, you could barely make out their voices through your dazed fog.

But when Thor then replaced the moustachioed frat bro and you struggled to keep your sluggish eyes open, they drifted off to the side just in time to spot as Bucky then appeared, curving around the wall, his black mask now tugged up over his gaze so that it instead looked like just an innocent beanie atop of his head.

“Oh no,” he murmured as his vision drifted to Bun Bun discarded on the floor, “when did you drop her, huh? Can’t have that,” his tongue briefly flickered out to wet his mocking grin before he bent down, “here you go, baby,” he picked the plushie up and settled it back into your constricted arms.

And just as you feared that he would disappear from your side, he instead sank down onto his knees to be at your height.

His hand curved up around the crown of your head to pet your hair as he gazed down at you, your entire frame jostling on the slab each time Thor thrust into you. Muffling your whimpers with a sloppy kiss, when he tilted back, he caught onto your chin and pried your mouth back open, just long enough for him to let a dollop of his spit drop down onto your breathless tongue.

And as his touch scooped down to cup the peaks of your tits that spilt out of your neckline, he only chuckled at the eternal pout on your lips, “aw, you wanna cum again, don’t you?” he flicked one of the clamps that still held your sensitive nipple captive.

“P-please,” you trembled beneath his teasing touch.

“Then just guess right for us,” he uttered as if the task was simple. But when the wrong name once again tumbled from your lips, his fingers caught onto both of the nipple clamps before he then harshly yanked them off. The sting made you yelp, though the sensation also caught you off guard with the shock of pleasure that trickled down your spine, akin to the rough spanks earlier, “don’t fucking cum,” he swiftly warned, “don’t do it.”

“B-but, B-Bucky! I-it–, it’s too much, please let me cum,” your eyes fluttered as your pussy began to milk Thor’s cock, “I can’t–”

“Oh, yes you can,” he uttered, hovering over you as you felt Curtis impatiently commenced his go with you, “hold it, don’t fucking slip,” he smiled as each of Curtis’ deep thrusts rhythmically forced all of the air to slip form your lungs, leaving you gasping on the slab as he fucked you so hard that you jerked against the restraints, “be a good girl. This is your punishment, you’re not supposed to be enjoying it.”

But as you stared up into the sea of Bucky’s blue eyes, the visage of him becoming your entire reality, the added visual element they’d previously deprived you of caused you to accidentally tumble over the edge once again as you simply couldn’t help it.

This time, the penalty the pleasure earned you was an entire week of not only you not being allowed to touch yourself, but also the added torture of none of them laying as much as a finger on you.

By the time that Frank had begun his turn, Bucky pinched both of your cheeks, imprisoning your puckered lips, and kissed you one last time before he vanished from your side.

Still dizzy from your unsanctioned high, Frank’s efforts ended up overwhelming you so fiercely that you began to fear that you might pass out from exhaustion before you had the chance to possibly cum again.

But when it became Andy’s go, the eleven loads that had been pumped into your poor pussy looked down right obscene, some splashed in the puddle of your own squirt directly below you, while others still leaked out of your trembling hole, though as he first swatted his palm down over your swollen clit, more cum trickled out of you as your cunt clenched at the impact, before he shifted to plug you back up.

Pinching your clit rudely as he bucked into you, someone soon handed him a black marker as murmurs filled the air of phrases they thought your body would benefit to be decorated with. Though as he dragged the pen over each of your inner thighs, the words he ended up scribbling on your skin with dark ink were ‘Kappa Alpha Nu’s fuckdoll’ and ‘cumdump’ on the other leg, which then had a little arrow pointing towards the poor mess where his dick repeatedly sank into.

And lastly, when you were barely conscious any longer, it finally became your stepbrother’s turn to swap his own fist out with the sweetness of your pussy.

However, as Steve buried his fat length inside of you and fucked you even more raw, when he did you the solid of revealing his identity to you after you’d ultimately guessed incorrectly one last time, something else also attempted to slip inside of your cunt as he soon tried to stuff a finger in alongside his cock.

“Wh-what are you doing?” you gasped in a shrill tone, your drool smearing against your teddy bear.

“Just testing the waters,” he murmured as his digit continued to trace your wrecked hole as it gripped his girth tightly, searching intently for a way inside, “damn… I really thought this would have done the trick.”

“Huh?”

“To stuff this pretty pussy with more than just one cock, you silly,” he pointed out cruelly as if such extremes were a goal of yours as well, “guess we gotta be a lot meaner to her than this if we wanna fill her up more…” he uttered, though his words barely registered in your foggy brain.

You were so edged and yearned to unravel again so badly that it physically ached, though as your sensitive walls fluttered around Steve’s thick girth, you incoherently whined, “c-can I cum again? P-please? I swear, I’ve learned my lesson, I won’t go near any of them again. Please, Steve,” you pouted as tears welled up in your eyes, “I’ll be good. Let me cum. P-please, I can’t hold it anymore, it hurts–”

But instead, your stepbrother’s wide palm came soaring down upon your trembling inner thigh as he grumbled, “too fucking bad,” squeals escaped you as he smacked you a few more times, making your cunt clamper down around him as his hand caught the puff of your pussy, “you should have just been better at guessing if you wanted to cum that badly,” his grip came down to settle around your hips, digging into them as he let his thrusts derail and become rougher, “so, suck it up. After all, it’s your fault you’re in this mess to begin with.”

© 2025 thyme-in-a-bubble 

[theladyheroine]

🎵 Little Blues & Dancing Shoes 🎵

Movie! Shadow x Platonic! Reader

Genre: Fluff, Some Comfort

Word Count: 1,801 words

⚠️ Warning: The reader is a little sad for the first half, but don’t worry things get better!

Summary: Hello everyone! This isn’t the end of my Shadow fics, & I am planning more for the SCU in the future. But I figured this would be a good way to wrap things up! This is the song I used, but I hope you all enjoy! Thank you!

6:45PM

The numbers glowed under Shadow’s eyes as he examined the stove’s electric timer. He kept looking at it, as if his gaze would miraculously make the time go faster. 

You were never this late before. 

He turned his head towards the window and watched the sunset turn the deepest orange against the mountains. The vibrant colors now fading into a dark palette. 

It was going to be night soon. Just where on Earth were you? 

Shadow wondered if he should go get you. He knew the address of your workplace, words and numbers you had him memorize in case of emergency. But that was limited to calls on the telephone you bought for the kitchen. Not wanting someone suspicious to discover your little buddy. 

He would be quick; teleporting to and from the house would be a cinch for him. If it was dark out no one would notice him either. But what if you already left? He didn’t want to go searching for you if you weren’t there. 

Shadow’s thoughts quickly dissolved as a loud THUMP hit the door. He watched with narrow eyes, but then the doorknob started to jiggle up and down. He heard the THUMP sound again and a couple grunts, then a loud “OW!” behind the door.

“Shadow!” You called. “Shadow you there!”

He exhaled, letting his body relax as he walked up to the door. 

“Yes!!” Shadow answered back. He heard you breathe a sound of relief before shouting again.

“Hey bud—if you’re by the door, can you open it for me please! The keys are stuck real good this time!” 

Shadow hummed and quickly turned the lock. You stumbled inside, clutching your belongings as Shadow caught you. 

“Well, don’t you have good timing?” You breathed. 

Shadow nodded, “You really should get the door fixed.”

Quickly you took off your jacket and pried the key from the lock. “Yea, sorry buddy. I’ve been meaning to, just-haven’t found the time yet…” 

“But thank you, by the way! And sorry for being late, I got held up at work and the bus was super late today. Thought I’d have to walk back.” 

Shadow shook his head, “That’s alright. Just glad you’re safe.”

You smiled; he was always looking out for you, but you hoped you hadn’t worried him too much. 

Unfortunately though, Shadow was a keen observer. And something about your smile made him feel doubtful. It was too quick, too flat. Even your eyes looked dull under the lighting.

As you put away your things, you pulled out your phone and started typing. Shadow was amazed at the concept of pocket technology, and he knew it held great importance nowadays. Although recently, you’ve been getting a lot of emails. And from your expressions, Shadow couldn’t tell if they were good or bad ones. You just seemed very eager to answer.

“[Y/N]?” 

No answer. 

“[Y/N]?”

Nope. 

Shadow walked over and tapped your arm. 

“Hey—”

“AH!” 

You jolted at his touch and Shadow raised an eyebrow. 

“Are you alright?” He asked. 

“O-Oh, yes I’m fine! Sorry Shadow, I’m just a little busy right now.” You quickly put your phone away and wandered over to the fridge, looking for something to get dinner started. But to your surprise, the fridge was nearly empty. 

Less than half-a-dozen eggs and some week-old scraps sat on the shelves, along with a small milk carton and a bag of apples. Hardly what you’d call a proper dinner. 

“Aw—no!” You facepalmed, “I knew I forgot something! I was supposed to go to the store today!” 

You gave a worried look then rushed over to the pantry, but got the same result. All that was in there were snack boxes and some espresso candy for Shadow. Which already had a pretty good dent in it.

Your head hung low as you leaned onto the pantry door, clearly embarrassed. Shadow walked over and put a comforting hand on your arm. 

“It’s fine, there’s gotta be something in here we can use.” 

You purse your lips together, then an idea pops in! 

“Hey! Why don’t we order pizza instead?” 

“Pizza?” Shadow mimicked, “That should suffice.” 

“Great! I’ll just see what’s open right now and then we can—”

Before you could pull out your phone again, you patted down your pockets. Checking each one frantically before whirling around in a circle. 

“Crap! My wallet’s in my jacket—” You combed your hair with your hand, and Shadow looked at you strangely. 

You seemed far less relaxed than usual, restless even. Something wasn’t right, and running all over the place most definitely wouldn’t help. 

“I am so sorry, lemme just look for it real qu—”

Shadow grabbed your wrist, halting your movements. It didn’t hurt, but you weren’t expecting such strength from someone his size. It was like someone super glued you in place before you  finally shuffled your feet back. 

You turned around, and saw a frown on your friend’s face. It wasn’t his typical droning or any distressed look. 

“Shadow…are you okay?” 

He glanced to the side before he let you go. “I should be asking you that. But first—stop apologizing.” 

Your eyes widened. 

“You’ve been doing it since you got here. You need to stop.” 

You swallowed; had you really been repeating yourself? 

You put your hands in your pocket, opening your mouth to speak, but quickly closed it. You almost said it again. 

“I–I didn’t mean to worry you Shadow. It’s just…been a long day.” 

You trudged over to the table and flopped into a seat. “Things have just been a bit hectic lately. Work’s been a little crazy, and I haven’t had too much time on my hands.” 

“Didn’t mean to make you upset though,”

You rested a hand on your cheek, only to groan in defeat as your phone buzzed. Your demeanor had deflated into a pile of mush, and Shadow couldn’t find any more words to say. 

Words had never been his strong suit. Not since his time with her. 

Even then, Maria did most of the effort. Playing games, picking movies, even dancing were all left to her. Leaving Shadow to enjoy her company as long as he liked. 

Yet here he was with you, someone who had welcomed him into their home. Someone he could have peace around, and hold onto. When he couldn’t even stand on his own two feet, you were there to pick him up. 

He could rely on you, but right now, you needed him.

You had pulled your phone out to check the notification, but Shadow was swift. He grabbed it in one smooth motion. 

“Shadow!! Hey—”

Just as you stood, he teleported away.

“Wh—Shadow?!” You gawked. 

After a moment, he reappeared. Standing on top of the counter with your precious phone in hand. You attempted to grab it from him, scolding him for such behavior, but Shadow didn’t care. He swatted you away as he vigorously started pushing buttons. 

Or at least tried to. It took awhile for the screen to recognize his touch, the gloves likely didn’t help. He finally found the app he was searching for, then held the phone out to you.

“Play this.” 

Your mouth hung open, “Huh?” 

“Just play the song, please.” Shadow turned his head, waiting. 

There was no use arguing with him; Shadow had a firm state of mind. He might even hide your phone if you didn’t listen. 

Sighing, you turned up the volume and pressed the PLAY button. Letting soft, bubbly music fill the kitchen. 

What’s that playing on the radio? 

Why do I start swaying to and fro?

“Hey!” You exclaimed. “Did you watch Grease without me?” 

Shadow smirked, “Maybe.” 

Then he did something unexpected: he held out his hand to you. 

“Sometimes, your feelings–your emotions get stuck. Your body needs help releasing them, but music is good for that.” 

His words soaked in your sorrows like a wet sponge. They took a hold of you, and you grabbed his hand. 

“Guess..you’re right.” You breathed. “When’d you get so wise?” 

“Actually, a good friend taught me that. She liked to dance.”

You smiled, putting both hands in his. 

“Well, she sounds amazing.”

A melody that's never the same!

A melody that's calling your name

And begs you please! Come back to me!

You took two steps forward, striding with the beat as Shadow took two steps back. Then vice versa. 

The music softened your shoulders as it carried you. You swayed as you both stepped to the right. Then to the left, shuffling until you started to turn. 

Shadow followed in perfect sync and you two shimmed in a half circle, playfully swinging your arms to the beat. You gently tugged him closer to the edge, he took the hint and jumped down, hands held higher at the height change. 

“Hey you’re pretty good at this!” You grinned. So did Shadow. 

“Thank you.”

I'll be waiting by the radio!

You'll come back to me 

Someday, I know!

“Been so long since our last goodbye!” You sang. “But I’m singin’ as I cry-y-y!” 

You hopped up and down at the last verse, jerking poor Shadow forward. The second half of the song rolled around and you were basically leading at that point. Unknown to you, his big gloved hands fell limp as you went on. He almost looked like a ragdoll as you danced and Shadow couldn’t be happier. 

Time seemed to move slower, yet the outro of the song drew near as the lyrics shifted. In that time you and Shadow shuffled in a full circle, going round and round til the final words. You ended in a grand “TA-DA” pose with your hand held up, earning a laugh from the hedgehog.

A bit of laughter burst from you too. Then, you bent down on one knee, reaching Shadow’s level. 

Without warning, you tossed your arms around him.

Shadow didn’t flinch, but soon fell still under your touch. At first you feared hugging was too much, but you had to adjust yourself when Shadow pressed his hands against your back. Burying his head in the base of your shoulder. 

The phone had already switched to a different song, but no one heard it. Your voice played just above the music, loud enough for only Shadow to hear.

“Thank you, Shadow. You’re such a good kid.”

“Thank you,” He mumbled. “You’ve been such a good friend.”

After a few long seconds you two pulled away, and you rubbed the top of his spiky head. 

“Now, how ‘bout we order that pizza!” You laughed. “I’m actually starving right now.” 

You went to grab your phone and wallet, scrolling through countless pizza toppings. Leaving Shadow with the warmth of your embrace. Something he hadn’t felt in such a long time. 

“Maria would’ve loved you.”

🩵 —THE END— 🩵

(Quick sidenote: I hope I timed the music right! Let me know if it’s a little funky!)

[sinsofbeauty]

Red Stained Sunflower

Fandom: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Game

Pairing: Johnny Slaughter x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Use of Pet Names, suggestive nsfw content, Johnny being “nice”, minor kidnapping mention

Requested?: Nah

Overview: The only car breaks down and your father can’t afford to fix it. He doesn’t have many options, but when you suggest a certain someone to take a look at, he can't help but feel uneasy. Little did you know that decision will lead to a whirlwind of trouble.

A/n: Thinking about making it into a series, so let me know what you guys think! Enjoy!

Your father was very upset this morning, and you couldn’t quite figure out why. He was stomping around the house huffing and puffing, mumbling to himself as you fixed up some breakfast. Up the stairs, down the stairs, back into the work shed. It made you furrow your brows, bewildered by his behavior. You set the table and sat down hoping to find out the cause as he made his way into the room. You haven’t really seen him this irritated in a long time, and he moved around restlessly despite him taking a seat for the first time this morning… still quite agitated.

"The car is acting up again," he complained, shoving a forkful of egg and toast into his mouth.

“Again?” You ask, spreading butter on a piece of warm toast. “Daddy I told you it was bound to break. Why don’t you take it to the shop?”

Your father looked up, annoyed, and shook his head. "It's too expensive," he explained after swallowing a bite. "The fence is falling apart and the shed needs repairs. I can't afford to manage all that work on my own, and it would cost an arm just to get in there."

“You could always have Johnny take a look at it.”

Your suggestion made him pause, his gaze incredulous as you shrugged. "Johnny Slaughter?"

“Yes Daddy, Johnny Slaughter.” You replied.

His eyes dropped into something more serious than before, and you could notice the changes in his facial expressions. If he didn't appear to be worried about it, that is. "What's going on between you and that boy Y/n? People in the community are always talking about that family, you know.” This was his technique of lecturing you, making you look at him with utter boredom. "He and his family are equally dangerous! What happens if the rumors are true?” Indeed. Rumors. The ones where members of the Slaughter family kept individuals in a cellar to later consume them? Or the ones that they were ferocious and would try to eat anyone who approached their house? Yeah, those.

“What if they aren't though?” You retorted while arching your brow. “Given how much time I've spent with Johnny, I figure something would have happened by now.”

"You're still spending time with him?!"

Oops. Yeah, that wasn’t supposed to come out like that. As your father flailed his arms around, you were slumped in your chair, picking at your food. So, as he lectured you about your decisions, you carried on eating your meal silently. He mentioned the potential damage to your reputation and the possible consequences for your family. Although he had legitimate worries, you also knew that he had a history with them, which probably contributed to his strong opinions.

“Relax,” You said, waving a hand. “It’s been a little bit since I’ve seen him anyway. If he really wanted to eat me he probably would’ve come by the house.” Your father gave you a disgusted look, making you smile nervously before setting your fork down on your empty plate. "On a… serious note, just this once," you attempted to negotiate. "Let Johnny take a look at the car; maybe he won't charge much."

“Johnny Slaughter is nothing but trouble.” Your father mumbled.

"You already mentioned that," you retorted, raising your brows. "Daddy it could save us money if we give it a shot." You stood up from your chair taking your dirty dishes and shrugging your shoulders. By the look on his face, you could tell your father was debating long and hard about it.

Letting out a sigh, your father rubbed his temples. He shook his head once more in thought before lightly thumping the table. "Just this one time," he asserted. “I’ll check with them after breakfast.”

“I can always go now while you fix the fence.“

“I don’t want you standing mere feet in front of the Slaughter boy,” Your father said standing with his empty plate in hand.

“You really think he’s gonna do something?” You say, raising a brow at him before transitioning into the kitchen. The long pause caught you off guard, considering that you expected your father to say something snarky or a short insult about Johnny. Though nothing came.

Your father had made his way into the kitchen, dumping his plate into the sink with his utensils. He gave you a firm look, his jaw clenched together tightly. "Check with him after the dishes while I try to fix the fence. If you're not back by lunch, I'm calling the sheriff."

You smiled and nodded while placing your own dishes in the sink. You hadn't seen Johnny in some time, primarily because your father didn't approve. Though he undoubtedly had little choice given the circumstances, you knew he would keep his word.

——

You arrived at the Slaughter House after what seemed like a never-ending trip. Having taken the back way since it was a little faster, it led you to the backyard which seemed for the most part unoccupied. You peered across to check if anyone was working yet as you leaned on the wooden fence. If it wasn’t Johnny it was most certainly Sissy prancing around here, roaming the sunflower fields in her bare feet. You briefly blinked, but you couldn't make out a single individual anywhere. It could have been simpler to go the long way to the front. However, just as you were ready to walk away, Sissy appeared from one of the back sheds. She doesn’t notice you right away, but when she does she approaches the fence, face once stoic turning into something… unusual. Almost like a fake smile, nothing enthusiastic whatsoever.

“Oh that’s who it is,” She said, voice dripping with sarcasm. “Lookin’ for Johnny?”

Your eyes swept the surroundings as you furrowed your brows and nodded. “Uhm yeah… I wanted to talk to him. Is he here?”

“Of course ya’ do,” She said, looking at you up and down. The woman had turned her back to you before calling out his name, walking away completely as she made her way towards the shed she was just in.

Your eyes avert back to the shed, seconds later seeing Johnny peek his head out. Sissy gestures behind her and says something that you couldn’t quite hear, but it prompts Johnny to tuck something away and head over. Never have you seen a man jog so fast in his life.

“Hey sunshine!” As a silly grin developed on his face, his voice resonated in your ears. He walked up to you with his head tilted to the side and his thumbs in his belt loops. “Finally came ta’ see me hm? I thought I’d have to kidnap you from yer old man.”

You smile softly, watching as you take a step away from the fence. “The old man is the reason why I didn’t come.” You spoke to him. “I thought you’d be mad about it.”

“Mad?” Johnny chuckled as he leaned his arms on the fence. “Bein’ honest? I knew ya’d come crawlin’ back, ya’ can’t resist me~.”

You rolled your eyes at him with a smirk, making him cackle in response. Johnny had a tendency to be quite… charming. Flirtatious if you might say. He was a very attractive man and he knew that, with a simple snap of a finger he could probably get a dozen women on their knees. Maybe it was one of the reasons why he would get so many lingering stares when he’s in town. It’s not like you haven’t seen him there getting stuff like tools or groceries. The man could be persuasive as well. If it wasn’t for his good looks and deadly charm, your intentions would probably be… elsewhere.

“I suppose the reason you’re here isn’t jus’ ta’ see me, is it?”

You suddenly look up at Johnny, who is grinning slyly with his thin lips. Before shrugging your shoulders, your nose lets out an amused huff. “You can say that’s part of it,” You reply, making his grin widen. “Though I needed to ask a favor.”

“Anythin’ for you doll,” Johnny said to you. “What is it ya’ need?”

“Well the car is out of commission, not sure why. Was wondering if you could take a look at it?”

Johnny nodded his head and looked over his shoulder, gazing at Sissy who had just walked into the house. “Oh sure, it shouldn't be too hard now should it?” He said looking back at you with a raised brow. “Did ya’ tell yer old man?”

“I made the suggestion.”

“How’d ‘e take it?”

“You know daddy doesn’t like you all that much.”

Your sentence caused Johnny's eyes to flinch suddenly, and his jaw to clench slightly before briefly relaxing. “I could really care less ‘bout what ‘e thinks.” He replied with the small shrug of his shoulders. “But ‘e agreed did ‘e?”

“With a little convincing yes,” You replied with the nod of your head. “I was hoping you could possibly stop by today?”

“I can go righ’ now if ya’ want to.”

“That would be great.”

Johnny nodded his head and pushed himself off the fence. “Alright, I’ll go get the truck. Comin’ inside?”

You shook your head no. You expected yourself to be swarmed with his family. They did ask a lot of questions and you didn’t want to be bombarded to answer. Which honestly made you curious, considering what they ask is quite… strange. “No but thanks, I'll start heading home. I’ll meet you there.”

——

The lemonade you had prepared hadn’t been long. It was sweet, and tasted amazing. You hummed taking a sip from your own cup, setting it down on the counter before pouring another glass. Transitioning to the back door you take a glimpse through the window, which made you stop completely in your tracks.

There he was, the Slaughter boy working on the car out back. His slicked back hair came undone while little strands stuck to his forehead, the one he wiped sweat off from due to the heat from the Texas sun. Gloved hand reaching down to the hem of his shirt, lifting it up to wipe his drenched face. Those muscles, his toned frame as he turned slightly, all so shaped with scars of an unknown origin. It made your face heat up, cheeks dusted with a bright blush that only darkened when you stepped away from the window. Johnny was a fine looking man, and there was no doubt in his mind that you had some hidden feelings for him.

You opened the door to the back porch, a glass of cold lemonade in hand. Your thin flats make way to Johnny, strolling in your shirt and shorts. Jeez it's hot out. The closer you got to Johnny just showed how drenched he was in sweat.

“How’s it going?” You ask, finally approaching Johnny with the glass. “I got you this, you look like you need it.”

Johnny’s brown orbs flicked over to you, his brows raising in an instant. “You’re a sweetheart ya’ know that,” A smile spreads across his cheeks. Taking the glass from you he sighs, putting it up to his lips and taking large gulps from the beverage. You couldn’t help but stare, and when he was done he licked his lips before looking at you. Look at him all smug, the man chuckling as he took the hood of the car and slammed it shut. “Like whatcha see darlin’?”

You pucker your lips and blinked in shame, realizing you had been staring at him intently. Then you grunted and crossed your arms as the person in front of you laughed. Such a confident smile on a man. It surprised you that you didn't seem to care about it as much as you implied. “I’d like to see if the car is fixed,” You replied with the simple roll of your eyes, making Johnny take the keys from his pocket and wave them in your face. With that, you went to grab them but he pulled his hand back.

“I have a question for ya’.” He blurts, the keys still in his possession. “I remember the las’ time ya’ said somethin’— when ya’ came over. ‘Bout the sunflower fields, yeah?”

You blinked at his question, nodding your head in response. “Oh… yeah, I think I remember.” Raising your brows you thought about it for a moment. “I think it was how pretty they looked in the evening. Though I didn’t get to stay for long.”

You recall it clearly leaving at that time. In your short sundress, you stood next to Johnny as he leaned his back against his truck while you spoke. The man had just finished his cigarette, leaving a difficult day at the back of his boot. Before you arrived, the brunette and a member of his family got into an argument. In any case, that is all he told you. You had just mentioned the sunflower fields and how much you cherished the scene each time you visited. How lovely they appeared in the garden in the waning evening light.

During that time you had caught Johnny staring, his brown orbs gazing from where he leaned at on the side of the car. You had made a comment, making him smirk and push himself off the vehicle. “You’ve got some nerve sunshine,” His voice all teasing as he took your wrist. The man had pulled you close to him, the heat from his body signaling your proximity. “We’re all alone out here. If I wanted ta’ ‘stare at you all night’, I know jus’ the way to do it~.”

The reality that was only intensifying your blush had slowly crept back into your thoughts. Johnny had drawn nearer to you, which you suddenly realized. His face was incredibly close to yours—just inches apart. You raised your head to see him as his eyes played with a sly sparkle.

“Thinkin’ ‘bout it too?” His tone of voice was playful. Given that you didn't react, he laughed. “I know ya’ are darlin’, considerin’ I have it on my mind.”

Your breathing quickened, and it seemed as though a simple step or downward lean would practically close the distance between you. You couldn't speak because your stomach was churning with butterflies.

“I almost had ya’, if it wasn’t for Sissy butting into what didn’t concern her.”

Johnny didn’t have to say much to make you feel flustered, let alone so excited by him. His words had made your thighs press together slightly, in an attempt to hide that feeling which pooled in the pit of your abdomen. Oh and did he notice. He was observant to say the least, so of course he noticed the subtle movement of your thighs just clamping together. Pressing together at his words that you knew in some ways were true.

“How cute,” He teased, making your eyes widen slightly. “And ta’ think— you didn’t want me, but look at cha’. Holding those cute little thighs taa’ hide what I do to ya’.”

“No! That’s not true!” You fought with him, taking the keys from his hands while he was so distracted. Johnny chuckled as you moved quickly to the driver’s side door, opening it and hopping in. Putting the key into the ignition, you look over at the man who was gesturing you to roll the window down. With a loud huff you did. Set his arms on the opening of the window, a shit-eating grin appearing on his face. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No reason,” He responded. The young man watched as you turned the car on, the engine running to life and your face lighting up in the process. “Good as new. Jus’ a couple loose wires and bolts.”

“You’re a lifesaver,” You thank him, turning the car off. “Now I don’t have to walk miles just for a carton of milk.”

“You’ve been walkin’?”

“It’s been an on and off issue.”

Johnny raised his brows at that, but shrugged his shoulders moments later. “Well if it breaks down again, come by and see me.”

“Why thank you,” You roll your eyes and open the door to the car, making Johnny step away as you pull yourself out. “It’s getting close to lunch time, would you like something to eat while you go home?”

When it was time to close the door, you noticed that Johnny had been creeping up again. When you turned, he was as close as he had been before. It was like a predator stalking his lonesome prey, all alone with nowhere to go. He wrapped his thumbs in his belt loops, eyes glancing at the house before his full attention on you. “Shooin’ me ta’ leave already?” He grinned, making you roll your eyes again.

You cross your arms, this boy had some nerve. Standing so dangerously close and making those remarks. “I was trying to be nice.”

“So sweet,” Sarcasm poured from his lips as a large smile curled. “But sure, as long as it's as sweet as you~.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” You could feel your face start to heat up again, oh did it amuse Johnny. His charm worked without even having to break a sweat.

“Playin’ dumb hm?” He had a cheeky smile on his face. “If ya’ want, I can get inta’ more detail.”

You were hesitant, feeling the raw stare of questioning eyes from afar. The tilt of Johnny’s head fuels your hesitation but only momentarily. “Johnny you shouldn’t be so close,” You say, your eyes wandering to the window who you expected your father to be watching. They widened and went back to Johnny immediately. “Daddy’s watching us.”

Johnny’s eyebrows come close together, making the bridge of his nose scrunch light folds. “And?” His voice lowers an octave, eyelids lowering to a half lidded stare. “Could stare all ‘e wants.” His eyes lower into a half lidded stare, his smile fading away. He looked… dangerous. “Ya’ liked those sunflower fields huh? Why don’t cha’ come by this evenin’ after eatin’?”

“You know I can’t do that…”

A hint of disappointment sparkled in Johnny’s eyes. “Why not?” His voice sounded almost monotone.

“Because—“

You hear the back porch door open, turning your head to see your father walking out of the house. Johnny took the opportunity to step back from you, moving his way to the front hood of the car. Despite your father’s efforts, he still had a suspicious look on his face. He approached the two of you, his hands once shoved in his pockets now out as he moved around to the side of the car where you were.

“Is she fixed?” He asked, Johnny nodding his head.

“Yessir, jus’ a couple wires and bolts.” The Slaughter boy replied. “Shouldn’t be any issue fer now, but yer more than welcome ta’ stop on by if it happens again.”

Your father nodded, inspecting the vehicle and getting the keys from you. “I’mma take her for a drive, see if she’s running properly. I… appreciate your help… Johnny.”

The grin on his face told you plenty. “Anytime.” Johnny said to your father.

The man who raised you had given you a side eye, taking a sigh before going to the car. He had hopped in and both you and Johnny moved away. “Did you want to come?” He had asked you.

“Oh no, I’ll get dinner ready.” You said waving your hand. “You’re just going to town right? It should be almost done by the time you get here.”

Your father had indicated that it wouldn't be long by nodding. He was aware that leaving you with Johnny could lead to problems, but since you were an adult, he couldn't stop you from doing it. After saying that, he drove off the property while you closed the fence in his absence. You watched as he proceeded down the road until, at last, the car was no longer in view.

“So… about the fields.” You turn to Johnny, who you had heard from behind you with his heavy boots. He’d been smoking a cigarette, the bud stuck in his mouth while his hand shoved something in his back pocket. “You said after supper?”

“Ohhh, are ya’ considerin’?”

“Shut up,” You scoff, crossing your arms and rolling your eyes. “Maybe if you say please… I might consider it.”

“You’re kiddin’?” You smile and shrug your shoulders, making Johnny roll his eyes with the click of his tongue. “Please?”

“You could do better.”

It made him laugh, shaking his head with a malicious smile. He had cleared his throat, leaning in close to you before he purred a low, “Please~?”

It made you blush deeply, before coughing softly to look away. “Okay… you’ve convinced me.” Side eyeing him, you smirk. “Could’ve been better.”

“Cheeky lil’ thing aren’t ya’?” He scoffs. “I’ll see ya’ later then, sweet pea.”

Tags: @optimsluv

Part 2 is up! >> RSSF PT.2

[occamstfs]

Those Holi Days

It's a tad early but so is the Spring, Here's a Holi inspired racial TF ! -Occam

Robert is beyond nervous about going to the city’s Holi celebrations. His best friend Pranav begged him to come and have some fun but Robert absolutely hates sticking out which he is sure to do. Pranav swears there are always other white people there but Robert remains unconvinced as he looks through his closet getting ready. Shuffling through he sees dress shirt after dress shirt of a wardrobe meticulously designed not to stand out.

He sighs as he throws on a white t-shirt as recommended by his friend, best thing to wear for the chalk. He sighs thinking of how confident Pranav is as he ensures his shirt sits so no one can see his small gut underneath it. Feeling a pit start to grow in his stomach about going he rushes out the door before he convinces himself to stay in.

On the brief walk over he fights with himself in his head weighing pros and cons. He does not like how intimate it is sure to be, Robert does not like crowds or parties. He read up on Holi of course and this is sure to be quite a hectic event. He starts writing up paragraphs on his phone to chew Pranav out for getting him out of his comfort zone to go to something he’s so sure he will not enjoy.

As he approaches the park he hears some kind of Indian pop music blaring from speakers set at the center of festivities. He must have been quite absorbed in his phone as only now does he notice how thick the air has become from the colored chalk in the air. His heart freezes in his chest as he sees he has already arrived at the outskirts of the Holi block party.

As Robert looks out across the crowd however, he can’t hold back a smile seeing just how much fun just about everyone is having. Technicolor powders are flying through the air creating a storm of vivid blues and dazzling reds above the crowd. Dust begins to settle in Robert’s hair as he looks for Pranav at the event.

He doesn’t immediately find his friend, although to Pranav’s credit there are a not insignificant amount of other white guys present in the park, some of them even seemingly dressed in traditional kurtas. He even sees another one of his friends, John, out there seemingly having an absolute blast. John was always a quiet guy but is almost moshing in the middle of the colorful crowd. Robert almost starts to get his attention before second guessing himself, when did John start growing a beard? He was always the clean cut type but under the blue powder covering his cheeks there is some clear stubble. It almost looks darker than the hair on his head even which must from the powder staining it. 

Robert continues watching his friend have a blast smiling as the jubilee feels almost contagious before realizing, shit? Was he supposed to bring chalk for this? Pranav didn’t mention anything- As soon as his mind turns to Pranav however, orange powder is slammed on his head as if it were an Easter confetti egg and his vision is obscured. 

“Gotcha Robert!” Pranav shouts in a jaunty manner having successfully snuck up on his dear friend. He ruffles Robert’s hair shedding the powder down onto his clothes as he wipes the powder off his eyes as he switches into his prescription sunglasses. Pranav continues to shout over the music as Robert cleans himself off, “you’ve survived your first color attack friend! How are you liking the festivities so far?”

Finally able to see again Robert blushes as he is standing far closer than usual to Pranav to hear him over the crowd replies, “well I haven’t done much so far but it does seem like a lot of fun!”

Pranav smirks, hearing his friend inch closer to agreeing that he was right. He puts his arm around his friends shoulder and continues, “Ah! Sounds like a chance for me to say told ya so is approaching, my friend!” He starts to point around showing Robert all the stands and activities going on around the park though Robert subconsciously tunes him out as the din of the crowd rises in his ears.

He’s not anxious? Red chalk splatters the pair, Pranav laughs as Robert is suddenly feeling adrift in his own head, but not uncomfortable. It’s almost like he's sluggish which should be off putting at such a high energy event.  He should be incredibly anxious right now. But all he can focus on is the raucous revelry of the crowd ahead and Pranav’s arm resting on his back, even this intimacy should be causing him alarm.

The hair of Pranav’s arm brushes Robert’s neck and he stops just sort of moaning in response. Keeping quiet he continues to find his head increasingly groggy. Looking towards Pranav’s face as he sees his friend beam talking about pani puri as he wipes chalk from his beard. God, he’s just so hot, why can I not be more confident like him.

There’s a beat before Robert out loud says, “what the fuck,” catching Pranav off guard. “Oh sorry Rajert? Did you-”

“What did you call me?” Robert asks quickly.

Pausing, worried about his friend, “Robert? Your name?”

Now embarrassed as he was clearly ignoring the friend who invited him to take part in his own culture he quickly apologizes to Pranav and imploring him to continue. Which he does, “I was just saying, I told you that there would be other white dudes here dosti!”

Fighting off his fogginess to keep up Robert agrees, “Yeah you were right! I just saw my friend uh? My friend, uh, Janat?” He stares confused at the crowd scanning it to see his friend once more as Pranav glances down at Robert with a sly smile, eyebrows raised in questioning, “Janat is Bengali, Robert?” At this moment Robert finally sees him, no surprise he didn’t recognize his friend who in the few minutes since seeing him he has ripped off his shirt.

Janat who Robert would have sworn was a guy even more milquetoast than himself is now absolutely covered in chalk as it creates patterns down his now muscular back, sweat creating rivets of dye only seeming to increase the vascularity. Robert stares at a man he will never know as John again, as he creates a torrent of dust in the air, twirling t-shirt he must have ripped off above his head. The crew cut that once rose above his head has grown into a thick ponytail as a moustache pushes itself into existence. Robert cannot look away from his friend as he shows off his muscular body as powder continues to flow through the air. He tosses his shirt to the floor keeping his arm raised as he starts waterfalling some drink from his friend. Robert’s eyes trail down his veiny bicep to see his now-exposed pits. Knowing Janat constantly shaves to keep body looking tight, he watches as hair begins to poke out from under his pits.

Pranav, almost out of jealousy, speaks up to get Robert’s attention away from their friend, “Ah yeah Janat is a real party animal huh? But we don’t need to do all that eh dosti?” His beard, tanned skin, and of course red Holi powder hide his blush as he blocks Janat from view and starts rubbing Robert’s shoulder. Robert in turn looks back to Pranav and smiles. Before hearing his Pranav speak up once more “Woah Rajert! When did you start growing out your own little beard! It looks nice” Both men move their hands to feel Rajert’s face as he freezes up feeling stubble on his hitherto perpetually clean shaven face.

Rajert reaches for his phone to see his reflection but doesn’t even need to as he sees his new appearance in his lockscreen. Now a picture of him and Pranav, which is in and of itself odd, he sees the two of them standing at a pier looking like he always does. Save for the stubbled face that will now always greet him. But, that can't be right? He’s blonde? Or at least brown right? His eyes dart again to his face in the photo and sees not only does stubble now darken his cheeks but the hair rising above his head is similarly black.

Rajert reaches to his head, once more shaking powder out as he tries to rip a strand of his hopefully blonde hair free. Pranav shouts seeing this, “Woah yaar! What are you doing? Is everything alright!?” The two of them see a long strand of midnight black hair between Rajert’s fingers. Pranav suddenly worried that Rajert is entering a state all too familiar starts to try and lead him away from the crowd before he starts hyperventilating. “I’m so sorry Rajert! I was wrong, this is too much for you here, let's go get you some shade!” Pranav grabs his hand and starts dragging him out of the crowd.

Rajert knows the crowd isn’t the problem though. He was having a good time, but something happened? It was something about his hair right? He struggles to audit why he has suddenly frozen up as he is pulled through the crowd. There is a buzz in the air as the music and cries of joy continue to crescendo. Rajert feels a warmth in his chest, as well as in the hand now clasped by Pranav. He smiles as he is led and looks at the arm pulling him feeling safer by the moment.

Neither of the two notice as Rajert’s arm begins to look starkly similar to the one dragging him. The hand begins to grow in Pranav’s grasp as the thin blonde hairs dotting Rajert’s arm begin to grow thicker and darker. It begins to spread up his forearm, curling as they look and feel remarkably like the arm that brushed his neck oh so recently. Neither notices though, as Rajert remains firmly in his own mind. Stuck with the image of Janat dancing in the crowd, he seemed so free. His shirt above his head as he shows everyone around just how much of a man he is. Rajert’s eyes start to glaze as he thinks again about his pits, man. I wonder what he smells like?

“Chod!” Rajert shouts as he again feels his mind drift to such horny thoughts. Neither man noticing as Rajert has just defaulted to a Hindi swear. Pranav in his part is just concerned about his friend. Yes, just a friend. He leads Rajert to sit against a tree, hiding how much tanner his arms have gotten in this short trek as he checks in. “Yaar? Do you want me to go get something to drink?”

Rajert nods as he responds, his throat feeling dry, easily attributed to the significant amount of chalk inhaled. “I’m a little lightheaded Pranav.” Concern is immediately painted across Pranav’s face even thicker than the dye as he plans to run off to get his dear something to drink and eat, it must be a blood sugar thing right? “I’ll be right back Rajer!” He watches as Pranav quickly makes his way through the crowd in search of the cure for his condition as his mind begins to swim even deeper. 

Rajer watches floes of Holi powder stream above the crowd, trying to distract himself from how weird his clothes feel against his body now that he’s sitting down. He feels his sleeves pushing against his biceps as if he’s ever lifted something heavier than a textbook. He pulls at his shirt to relieve the tightness, catapulting more dust into the air. His eyes glaze over as he watches the colors dance in the air. Across the pavilion Pranav nervously watches Rajer, easily noticing that he seems to be filling out his clothes much better. He reprimands himself for thinking with his dick while his friend(?) is in such a state, though this is the Festival of Spring after all with all that implies.

Back at the tree Rajer feels a thought burst through the fog to the forefront of his mind which he immediately puts to words. “Ah, this reminds me of my first Holi.” But no, this is my first Holi right? He sifts through his memories to assure himself. What he finds inside is impossible. 

He remembers being a young boy traveling into Delhi for the festivities. He remembers seeing the colors dancing in the air as millions of hands toss dye in the air. As he does he feels his feet begin to grow in his powder covered shoes. 

He remembers moving to the states with his older brother in late December. Feeling totally apart from hsi culture until that magical day in the Spring. Finally having Pani Puri once more with his community as he did his best to keep the chalk off the dough, laughing with his brother. He kicks his shoes off while he still can as he sees his larger feet start to rip apart his chalk-stained socks. 

“Offo!” He shouts as he strains to pull off his socks, revealing tanned feet covered in thick black hair, his soles already wider than the shoes he removed in the nick of time. Well it is certainly not his first time being barefoot at Holi! He laughs remembering how crazy he has been in the past! In fact, he was barefoot at the big Holi festival in college, the one where. The one where he met his yaar, Pranav?

At this Pranav returns and upon seeing Rajer now barefoot he forgets the dire state that he was left in. Instead Pranav eyes his thicker thighs straining the jeans. His calves seem to be sticking out farther than they should, Pranav wonders why his yaar has put on clothes so tight on a festival day before suddenly finding the most strained part of Rajer’s clothing, his crotch. It’s almost like he’s stuffed something in his pants. Pranav quickly changes the subject to avoid creating a similar bulge for all to see, “have you been working on your tan Rajer?”

Rajer smirks before answering, “Well only one way to see!” As he struggles to get his larger body out of the small shirt he put on this morning. Unable to even raise his arms without tearing he instead opts to rip the shirt off in its entirety. As soon as his sweaty skin meets the air it shows the same dark brown tint that Pranav sees when he looks in the mirror. Pranav stares at Rajer’s tight muscular torso as he flexes to show off. He doesn’t notice as Rajer’s eyes quickly darken from the light blue eyes once magnified by his glasses, to a brown dark enough that they may as well be black. “See! Same as I’ve always been Pran!”

Pranav reaches down to help Rajer to his feet, finding him far heavier than when he was dragged by Pranav to this spot earlier. With a heave he gets Rajer up, only to find he is now looking up at him. Suddenly Pranav finds himself adrift in his own mind, the sight of the man before him immediately causing his cock to pulse in his pants sa he tries to reconcile what has happened. Seeing the confusion Rajer asks, “haan Pran? Everything alright?” Pranav hears a thick accent that he would have sworn Rajer didn’t have this morning. “Rajer, you are feeling better now?”

Rajer stops his flexing as he takes this in and answers in perfect Hindi, “did you call me Rajer? ‘S a weird pet name for Rajesh yaar.” Rajesh reaches to wipe chalk off the face of a man he can only describe as his love as he notices the growing bulges in both their pants and smirks, asking in Hindi. “Ah! Do you want to find our own way to celebrate the spring Pran?”

In a reversal of this morning Rajesh puts his arm across PRanav’s shoulders and puts some of his weight on, which Pranav now struggles to carry. This knocks him out of his stupor, “Chod Raj you are so heavy!” Rajesh smirks and moves behind Pranav, pressing his bulge into his lover’s back as he whispers into his ear in Hindi, “why don’t we head back to our place eh? Maybe we could have Janat over?”

Pranav blushes at the idea and pushes Raj back as he eyes him hungrily. “Well we should certainly get out of here before your cock bursts your zipper off.” The two begin to head off back towards their now shared apartment, their pace increasing as the excitement in the air continues to get them going.

Pranav looks up at Rajesh’s chalk covered smile, “Glad you came after all eh yaar?” As they enter their apartment careful not to get chalk over everything they own they finish the little disrobing they have left to do as Rajesh replies in his true mother tongue, “wouldn’t miss it for the world.” As they forcefully begin smear chalk between their bodies, creating new colors as they celebrate Holi in a far more primal way than dancing in colored powder. 

They feel each other as if it were the first time they had fucked, not knowing it truly is. Rajesh feels his body continue to grow as he pushes Pranav into their bed. Pranav runs his hands across Rajesh’s powerful thighs as his hands are increasingly impeded by ever thickening hair as he prepares for another round of celebrating new beginnings.

[phant0mth1ef]

“who do i look like thirsting over a guy who still has a galaxy s6?”

part 2 to the little streamer drabble i posted!

-

“girl look at your twitter.”

the voice that your phone was emitting rang in your ears, pro hero by day, your longtime bestfriend by night, monoma neito. also known as, phantom thief.

“what? what happened?” you quickly tapped off the call screen, your finger rapidly going to find the app with the blue bird logo, trying to see if you were getting cancelled, or worse, if you were getting shipped with neito.

you quickly tapped the topic that showcased your name, wondering just what all the fuss could possibly be about at 2:53 am on a tuesday morning.

of course, the gossip magazines have now caught onto what you said and they were sure as hell never going to let it go, at least not until you provided them with some details.

“oh my god. neito you told me he wouldn’t even see it! you fucking liar.” you pinched the bridge of your nose while one hand placed your phone on your countertop, the sound of the man laughing echoing throughout your household as you went to open your fridge.

“you had to have known he’d see it! you’re not exactly an underground streamer y’know. although, you’ll never be in the spotlight the way i am.” how the hell was he a pro hero with this attitude? no way his approval rating was high.

“well yeah! but i didn’t think he’d reply to it. d’you know how embarassing this is for me? it was just a joke! it’s literally a lyric from a megan thee stallion song.” you groaned as you cracked an egg over your bowl, whisking it in.

“wait. what’re you doing?” he heard you shuffling around.

“baking a cake. i can’t sleep.” you murmured softly, grabbing your flour.

“i’m coming over.” the man had always had such a sweet tooth, and he was more than happy to indulge in the treats that you’d bake whenever your mind was fully occupied.

“i’m here!” you jumped, forgetting that you had given the man a key in case he was ever on night patrol and needed a place to crash.

he was in his hero costume, his patrol had just finished and the stupid tailcoat that he had followed his every move as he waltzed into your kitchen, a bright smile on his face.

“god, neito! knock or something, i could’ve been naked.” your voice revealed to him just how startled you actually were.

“nothing i haven’t seen before.” oh right, that’s how you both got so close. you used to hook up with the man before becoming bestfriends.

“anyways. back to the main subject. what the hell do i do? he’s seen it. so it’s not like i can delete it and pretend it’s never happened.”

the man handed you the sugar from your pantry before sitting on your countertop right by your stove.

“well no, you can’t delete it now. honestly i say live up to it, what’s the worst that can happen?” he was always so confident, it made you like him and hate him at the same time.

“i don’t know, neito. i mean that’s embarassing! who do i look like thirsting over a man who still has a samsung galaxy s6? i’m so stupid sometimes, this is why i need a media manager.” you poured the cake mix into the pan, tossing neito the bowl so that he could have the leftover mix.

“mm. thank you. chocolate cake mix.”

“can you be serious?” you threw a wooden spoon at him, the man letting out a small ow! before getting back to your conversation.

“i am being serious, sweetheart. unfortunately this is just something you’ve got to live up to. i’ve met the dude y’know, and he’s a cocky little shit but he’s not that bad.”

“so he’s basically like you?”

“hey!”

you sighed, setting your timer for your sweet treat. this was just an interaction you couldn’t keep on avoiding.

tags: @sukunasbottomlefteyeball @pixiesluver

new character unlocked: monoma neito

[steddiehyperfixation]

don't you forget about me (part four)

(part one)(part two)(part three)

Eddie wakes from a thankfully dreamless sleep, his head on his pillow now, which is somehow far less comfortable than Steve’s solid chest. Speaking of… Eddie looks around; Steve isn’t there at all anymore, and Eddie is alone. He’s disappointed, though not entirely surprised, that Harrington’s left him again despite his promises. 

In fact, he’s honestly more surprised when less than two minutes into his wallowing in the empty room, the door is pushed open by none other than Steve Harrington carrying two trays of food, one balanced on each hand like a goddamn waiter. It’s kind of adorable, actually, Eddie thinks, and that thought surprises him a little too. 

“Oh, you’re awake! Good morning.” Steve sets one of the trays on Eddie’s lap. His smile is bright, though there’s a slight, uncertain wobble to it. “Shitty hospital food and shitty hospital TV, right?” 

“Right.” Eddie’s face breaks into a grin, something light unfurling in his chest. He glances at the plate of gross food on his lap then back up at Steve, and he admits, “You know, for a second there I thought you’d left again.” 

Steve shakes his head as he settles into the chair beside the bed with his own tray. “I promised you I’d hang out today. I’m a man of my word.”

“Good.” Eddie smiles and grabs a remote off the bedside table, turning on the TV. “Now for our mealtime entertainment, let’s see what’s on the shitty TV today.”

The television starts blaring some old black-and-white rerun of I Love Lucy. Eddie’s immediately about to change the channel, but then he notices the way Steve’s eyes have lit up. “Hey, that’s not shitty TV!” Steve says. “I used to watch this with my mom all the time when I was a kid.” 

Eddie snorts. “Of course you did.”  

Steve gives him an indignant look. “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“Nothing.” Eddie shakes his head evasively, shoveling a forkful of rubbery scrambled eggs into his mouth so he doesn’t have to say anything else. 

Steve just rolls his eyes, almost affectionately, like they’ve had conversations like this before. He chews on a flimsy piece of bacon and makes a face, nose scrunching up. “Ugh, you really weren’t kidding about the shitty food, though.” 

“Nope,” Eddie laughs, “I really wasn’t. Thanks for catering it though.” He swallows down another mouthful of food, and then adds with a little less levity, “And, uh, thanks for last night, too - for calming me down. Don’t think I’ve said that yet.”

“Oh, yeah, of course.” Steve gives a small smile, shrug, slight shake of his head, a tiny pinch between his brows like he doesn't quite get why Eddie even feels the need to thank him for that. “That's what I’m here for. I just hope I didn't cross any boundaries or anything, holding onto you like that.” 

Now it's Eddie's turn to give him a confused little smile and a head shake. “No, of course not. That was exactly what I needed.” He attempts to add some humor back into the conversation, jokingly quips, “Although, to be fair, I never did think that King Steve would ever be caught dead in a bed with The Freak.”

Steve had hazarded another bite of his breakfast, trying the eggs this time, only to choke on it at Eddie’s comment. He coughs, hits his fist against his chest, and hurriedly takes a sip from the water bottle on his tray. 

“Jesus.” Eddie tries not to take offense, assuming Steve’s reaction to be one of disgust at the double entendre. “That bad of a thought, huh?” 

Steve shakes his head and clears his throat, face flushed. “No, no, it’s not that, man. Food just went down the wrong pipe, is all.” 

“Uh huh…” 

“Seriously.” Steve gulps down some more water, quiet for a moment before adding, “You know I’m not King Steve anymore, right? Haven’t been for a while now, since even long before your memories end.” 

“Yeah, I know. You ditched Tommy H. and Carol your junior year, and then Nancy Wheeler dumped you and Billy Hargrove stole your crown and bashed your face in your senior year, I remember,” Eddie recalls. “But for the most part you were still well-known and well-liked, still this popular, pretty, rich boy jock all the girls still drooled over, so.” He shrugs. “Always figured ‘King’ still fit.” 

“Right…” Steve raises his eyebrows as Eddie lists off these events of his life, looking at him with a smirk of barely-hidden amusement. “I forgot you were obsessed with me.”  

Eddie’s jaw drops in exaggerated offense. “I was not obsessed with you.” 

“Were too,” Steve taunts.

“Was not.” 

“Were too.” 

“Was not.” Eddie chucks a piece of bacon at him. 

Steve gasps indignantly as the bacon slaps him in the face and tumbles onto his lap. “You child!” But he’s laughing, retaliates by flinging a forkful of eggs back at Eddie. 

The conversation devolves into a full-on food fight, shrieking and cackling as they pelt each other with flying bits of eggs and bacon. It turns out shitty hospital food serves far better as ammunition than it does as anything actually edible. 

A nurse chooses the exact wrong time to decide to come in and check on Eddie, walking into the room at just the right moment to be caught in the crossfire and hit with a stray chunk of egg. Both boys freeze. 

“Uh oh…” Eddie mutters under his breath. Just his luck - it’s not the young, nice nurse, Katie, who always laughs at his jokes, but Nurse Margaret, the old, mean one who he’s never once seen crack a smile. She flicks the egg bit off her shoulder, leveling them with a stern frown as she marches over. 

Eddie casts a furtive glance at Steve who looks back at him, lips twitching like he’s trying not to laugh again, and Eddie feels mirth bubbling back up in his own chest too. He has to look away from Steve again before he loses it. 

He sucks his lips in, clamping them together between his teeth to hold in his laughter, and he stares up at Margaret with a thin-lipped, guilty, upside down smile as she chides them both for making a mess and scolds Eddie for exerting himself and risking reopening his wounds. Steve mumbles an apology and starts cleaning up the scattered bits of food strewn about the room while Margaret double checks that Eddie hasn’t, in fact, reopened his wounds or gotten worse in any way. Once the nurse is satisfied with both the state of the room and the state of Eddie, she whisks away what’s left of their food trays and stalks out of the room with one last disapproving look over her shoulder.

Then and only then does Eddie risk eye-contact with Steve again, and the two of them immediately burst back into laughter. Steve nearly doubles over with it, leaning against the trash can where he’d just been dusting off his hands. “Oh my god,” he chuckles out. “Her face when I hit her with that egg? I was so sure she was gonna kick me out.” 

“Nearly gave mean old Margaret an aneurysm, and that was just from hitting her shoulder,” Eddie snickers. “Imagine if you hit her in the eye or something.” 

Steve does his best impression of Margaret’s angry scowl and reproachful huff, and Eddie cackles. He laughs so hard his sides ache and his injuries hurt, wounds aggravated by the movement of his laughter, but he doesn’t care, the pain far too distant beneath the cushion of painkillers and positive emotion he currently feels so high on. 

“You’ve still got some egg in your hair,” Steve notices with another amused snort as he pushes himself away from the trash can and approaches Eddie’s bed again. He plucks the offending bit of food out of Eddie’s curls and smooths down the hair where it had been stuck. “There.” 

Steve’s fingertips brush ever so lightly against Eddie’s cheek when he fixes his hair. It sends a pleasant sort of shiver down Eddie’s spine, turning his laughter to breathless giggles just for a moment. “Thanks.”

Steve flicks the egg chunk into the trash before sinking back into the bedside chair with a soft sigh and a warm smile. “God, I missed this,” he says, “just laughing with you.” 

“Yeah.” Eddie returns the grin. For him, of course, this is the first time they’ve laughed together like this, but he has to admit he’s already rather fond of it. “Can’t remember the last time I’ve laughed that hard.”

Steve’s smile turns nostalgic, like he can remember the last time Eddie laughed like that, like he was there for it. “It’s a good look on you - laughter,” he says, so quietly Eddie almost feels like maybe it wasn’t meant for him to hear. And Eddie can’t help but think that laughter is a pretty good look on Steve too, all rosy cheeks and shining eyes.

“How did we become friends?” Eddie asks, before his previous thought can take any sort of root. 

The nostalgia in Steve’s expression only grows. “It was the beginning of June, start of summer, probably only a few weeks after your memories stop. I was working at the Scoops Ahoy in Starcourt, that new mall that had just opened, and you wandered in,” he says, looking at Eddie with a teasing glint to his eyes, “because you were obsessed with me-”

“Was not,” Eddie protests immediately.

“Were too,” Steve laughs. “Anyways, you saw me in my stupid little sailor uniform trying and very obviously failing to chat up a girl at the counter, and you came in just to laugh at me, actually.” 

“Okay, that does sound like me,” Eddie concedes with a grin. He probably walked in there just for the sailor costume alone, if he’s being honest with himself. That’s something he’d kill to see - just for a good laugh, of course. “Do you still have that uniform? It might, you know, jog my memory a little if you were to bring it in one day,” he suggests slyly. 

“You and that uniform, man,” Steve scoffs and shakes his head like this is something they’ve talked about many, many times before, enough for it to become a predictable sort of annoyance, a longsuffering inside joke. “No, I don’t still have it. Threw it out first chance I had, not to mention it got totally ruined when the- uh, when the mall burned down.” 

Eddie’s eyes go slightly wide. “The mall burned down? While you were there?” 

“Yeah- well, sort of,” Steve falters, a shadow falling over his expression, and he shakes his head again. “It’s kind of a long story, and not the one I’m telling right now.” 

“Right, yeah, shit.” Eddie waves his hand as if to erase everything he’d said before. “Forget I mentioned it.” He, more than anyone, understands not wanting to relive bad memories right now. “Continue the other story. How did we go from me making fun of you to us being besties?”

The shadow lifts as Steve returns to that memory. “Oh, yeah. I told you the show wasn’t free and that you needed to order something or leave. So you bought a milkshake, which I somehow managed to end up completely spilling all over the both of us when I tried to hand it to you. You were livid,” he chuckles, “thought I’d done it on purpose, even though I definitely hadn’t. I felt so bad I insisted on helping you clean up. You were icy about it, but you let me show you to the sink in the backroom and accepted the jacket I lent you so you wouldn’t have to walk around with ice cream stains on your shirt all day.” 

“That’s quite the meet-cute,” Eddie jokes. “Are you sure you’re describing our friendship and not some rom-com chick flick you watched last week?” 

“Nah, true story, honest. It wasn’t a rom-com,” Steve says, and though he smiles, there’s an odd sadness to it too. He shakes his head and continues, “Anyways, you clearly warmed up to me after that because you came back the next day to return the jacket and apologize for being a bit of a dick before, and then you gave me this whole ‘you’re actually a good dude’ speech and told me to give you a call if I ever wanted to split a joint or something. I took you up on it that same night; it had been a rough day at work and I figured why not, so I came over and we smoked and we talked and we got along like a house on fire - better than either of us expected, I think. And that was our thing, then, after that - smoking and talking. Sometimes weed, sometimes just cigarettes, and sometimes we just smoked and didn’t talk, and then sometimes we just talked and didn’t smoke; until eventually we started doing other things together too besides just talking and smoking, we were just hanging out. At that point we were friends, practically inseparable, and then we-” Steve stops himself, a shade of melancholy reentering his dim smile once more. “We only got closer from there.” 

“That sounds nice…” Eddie tries to remember it, really digs deep in his mind for any sort of spark of memory or recognition in Steve’s words, but it’s empty. It all just sounds like a story to him, doesn’t settle anywhere real. It’s a good story, sure, one he’d like to experience, one he aches to connect with, but a story nonetheless, only words, only fiction. “I wish I could remember that.” 

“Me too,” Steve says, and Eddie hates how sad he looks, hates even more that he’s the cause of it. 

“Well, I guess we’ll just have to make new memories, then!” Eddie declares with a theatrical amount of enthusiasm as he flashes Steve a bright grin, all in the hopes of chasing that sadness back off of his face. “Won’t we, my friend?” 

Success; Steve seems a little startled by Eddie’s sudden gusto, but he laughs and smiles, the real kind this time that shines in his eyes again. “Yeah, I guess we will.”

Eddie does his best to keep the conversation away from their past after that, not only in an attempt to keep the light in Steve’s expression but for his own sake too. It’s a strange thing to be reminded of the fact that he shares a history with someone and has no memory of it, to be around someone who seems to know everything about him while he feels as though they’ve only just met.

For the most part, hanging out with Steve is nice and fun and easy - there’s something so natural, familiar, about the way they talk, the way they banter, the way they sit together even in the silences. But sometimes Eddie will say something that makes a sadness flicker in Steve’s eyes again, or sometimes Steve will say something that makes Eddie wonder just what secrets this guy knows about him and his skin crawls with that old discomfited itch. They’re both quick with a joke, a redirection, whenever the other’s expression falters, though, like Steve is trying to make sure Eddie doesn’t feel uncomfortable just as much as Eddie is trying to make sure Steve doesn’t feel sad. 

Other visitors come in and out of Eddie’s room that day too: Dustin stops by with a portable cassette player and some newer heavy metal albums that came out during the period Eddie no longer remembers, which brings more than one source of entertainment as it also incurs Nurse Margaret’s wrath again when they listen to it too loud. Wayne drops in with some actually edible fast food for lunch and a deck of cards, playing a few rounds of a few games. Nurse Katie checks in on him to redress his wounds and she laughs at his stories of annoying Margaret. Even Steve has to leave a couple times, says he has errands to run or needs to pick up Robin from work, but he promises to be back each time and each time he is. 

Night has fallen now, and it’s just Eddie and Steve again, Steve sitting, as always, beside Eddie’s bed as they watch whatever cheesy old movie is playing on TV while Eddie fights off sleep. He fears it still; each wave of drowsiness that washes over him is met with a shiver in his heart that breathes ice into his veins and freezes him awake. 

After about Eddie’s hundredth attempt to suppress a yawn, Steve turns off the TV and looks at him. “Are you tired?” 

“No,” Eddie says, only for his lie to be almost immediately undermined by another traitorous yawn. “Alright, yeah, I am, but- I don’t want to sleep,” he admits. “I don’t want to dream.”

“Oh.” Steve’s gaze softens, sympathetic. For the first time unprompted, not waiting for a nightmare or for Eddie to ask like he always had before, Steve moves closer and takes Eddie’s hand. “I’ve got you, you know,” he says, the statement fierce in its sincerity. “It’ll be alright. I’ll fight off your nightmares with my bare hands if I have to.” 

Steve’s hand is warm against the chill in Eddie’s blood, the heat of his skin seeping in to thaw his fear. “I don’t think a nightmare is something you can fight,” Eddie says, cracking a smile, but looking at Steve now, he can almost believe it. 

There’s a new sort of spark in Steve’s eyes, protective, devoted, and it burns the way a fire in the hearth of a home burns, like something dangerous made safe just for him. Eddie suddenly doesn’t doubt, somehow, that Steve could fight off anything, even something as intangible as a nightmare, if it was threatening Eddie. With Steve here holding his hand, he somehow doesn’t doubt that not a single thing can hurt him. Not a single thing would even dare try. 

And not a single thing does. 

No nightmares make their way into Eddie’s mind that night, no bad memories stir in his subconscious. That night, instead, he dreams of Steve.

(part five!) taglist (CLOSED): @romanticdestruction @daydreamsandcrashingwaves @paintsplatteredandimperfect @hallucinatedjosten @mugloversonly @estrellami-1 @alongcomesaspider @thatonebadideapanda @tell-me-a-secret-a-nice-one @dragonmama76 @wxrmland @nuggies4life @sirsnacksalot @myguiltyartpleasure @lolawonsstuff @marklee-blackmore @vinteraltus @sebastiansstanswhore @0happyeverafter0 @scarlet-malfoy @hotluncheddie @xxfiction-is-my-realityxx @emsgoodthinkin @alyelf @warlordess @stevesbipanic @lil-gremlin-things @rockandrolodex @badcaseofcasey @bat-outta-hel @fandomcartographer @manda-panda-monium @littlewildflowerkitten @giopandaonice @mightbeasleep @queenie-ofthe-void @krazyperson @worldofshea @marvel-ous-m @tartarusknight @a-little-unsteddie @xenon-demon @goodolefashionedloverboi @xxsky-shockxx @mc-i-r @bookbinderbitch @aspenshade88 @slowandsteddie @thedragonsaunt @daydreaming-mood @space-invading-pigeon @irregular-child @a-lovely-craziness (taglist continued in replies. please lmk if you'd like to be removed from this list)

[razorblade180]

The Line

Carmine:Mom, I have a serious question.

Ruby:I have a serious question. *flipping eggs*

Carmine:You hate me going on a missions involving criminals. More over, you hate the idea of me taking a life.

Ruby:Most parents do. What’s up? A mission pop up?

Carmine:No. I was just thinking…you’ve obviously dabbled in extreme violence. What’s the line?

Ruby:Your life, or someone else’s that is caught in the crossfire.

Carmine:That’s a broad spectrum in our work.

Ruby:Yeah! That’s why I don’t let you take those missions regularly. Always try to be strong or clever enough to the point you don’t need to take a life. You’re a very talented person. *ruffles head* But you’re also too practical. Even hostages would be scared of you if you took down everyone to save them.

Carmine:I…guess that didn’t cross my mind.

Ruby:I will take you on bounty missions personally after you get a little more experience. Although…it would be a problem if you got put in danger around me. I wouldn’t want my own kid being scared of me.

Carmine:Why would- oh. Right, I guess you would kill for me.

Ruby:Any good mother doesn’t play about her kids. I wouldn’t take any risks; it’s why I don’t get on you too hard. I’ve been in your shoes. Just ask your father. One time he got captured on a solo mission and I went to get him. This was back when i was still his fiancé.

Carmine:Was he scared of you?

Ruby:Pfft, nah. He knew who he was marrying. It’s honestly refreshing you see me as a softie. It means I haven’t completely blundered as a mother.

Carmine:Honestly…I think I’d be okay with seeing you like that. Sometimes it’s hard; seeing how perfect you can be at times. Makes me feel like I’m doing something wrong.

Ruby:….You’re doing everything you can, and that’s always going to mean something to me. There’s no right or wrong in this; just learning as you grow.

Carmine:For what it’s worth, I’d never be scared of you.

Ruby:Thanks, kiddo. One of these days we’ll probably end up looking scary together.

Carmine:Heh, that’s a weird way of bonding. *leans on her*

Ruby:Yeah, but since when have we been normal?

[2309analysis]

Luffy smut — My Sweet Cherry ⟢

This was very indulgent. I was extremely horny, and I wanted to see a very specific submissive Luffy. So, I just decided to make it myself. (It’s hard to find sub!Luffy) I’m very satisfied with how this has turned out. I think it’s one of the best, if not the best things I’ve written.

Word count: 3351. Pages: 6. TWs: Pegging (possibly thinking about getting rid of it), overstimulation, shaking orgasm, chokehold, restraints, cussing, begging, blow job (head), fingering, male receiving, mentions of edging, edging.

Sweating, aching dick, constant denial. He was on the verge of begging and losing his sanity for you. Tied up, on your lap, close to your face. Both noses practically grazing each other. Heavy breathes. Squirming with anticipation. A firm hand holding his neck on the side. Caressing his firm skin.

“You’re such a good boy. You’re so pretty like this. Strapped up against the bed frame, edged against your will. Ooh, baby, you’re wonderful. You’re all mine. I’m the only one who gets to see you like this. You’re way too precious for anyone else’s eyes.” You don’t exactly praise, nor egg on, but it gets him panting. He’s shaking just by your words, weak, and delicate, sensitive as hell.

Naked for only your view. Hickey’s all over. Drool running from his mouth on all ends. “P-please, mommy, just relieve me. I-I can’t focus like this. You’re too much — uhghhh! M-mommy…” You softly touch his nipples, and sucking on the other one. Taking him by surprise, sending chills down his spin. He shivers through the coldness and warmth of your mouth.

Twitches. Slight twitches from his legs kneeled on your lap. Your free hand over his mouth, preventing him from turning into a moaning mess. You’ve edged him all week. Pinning him to a wall and giving him a quickie before his high. Then suddenly return to your other duties. Almost trembling, he blushes fiercely and shakily walks off.

“Oh, my baby… are you having a rough time? You’re too adorable to just please immediately. I want to help, but first, I want to experiment. Break you. Weaken your senses. Make you dizzy. Fill you up with so much pleasure you will go drunk just from touch. I’m obsessed with you. You’re all I need. You’re my sanity.” Softly massaging his back. With cold hands, he squirms some more. Blushing like hell, and embarrassed, he closes his eyes to avoid eye-contact.

“N-nghhh… please, please, please, please, please just fuck me already!” He squirms under your touch. You smile even wider. “Be patient, my cherry.” You whisper to his ears. Softly licking them. He feverishly whines and whimpers. “Ugh… how long do I need to wait? I’ve been a good boy, haven’t I?” You seductively hold up his chin and force him to watch you smirk and sexily stare him down.

“Yes, my baby boy. You have. Although, teasing you is so much funnier than just hitting it off. Wouldn’t you agree? I love you so much. I’d do anything for you, but to edge you on, oh, baby, that’s my favorite part.” He wraps his legs around your waist. Giving in. Yearning for at least a kiss. “Can I at least get a kiss to ease my pain? Please, mommy, I want you so bad…” You kiss his neck, and cheeks. “Mmmmh, maybe, but I want to search your body s’more.”

As you kiss his delicate, and desperate body, he starts to gulp and sweat more. “Oh, god. You’re so good… it’s almost not fair. You take it so well. You make me go feral, y’know that?” He pants while your voice memorizes his ears. He’ll worship it. Your voice is like heaven to his ears. Can’t live one day without it. As he bites his lips from your touch. He tightens his grip around your waist with his legs, shaking.

Hitching under his breaths, face heated up, “M-m-mommy… please… just, uuuhhh.” Barely slurring out his sentence, panting like a dog, sweating bullets, shaking violently from every touch. Emotions swelling and tying knots in his stomach, embarrassed but loves this side. He loves you dominating him. He loves the way you make him weak, the way you ferally devour anything and everything out of him. He can’t live without you. He’s too developed around your façade, touch, demeanor. He desires you like no other, nothing could or can compare to you. You please him through the heavens.

His dependency on you is like life-support. You softly smooch his lips. “I love you. That will never change. You’re too good to leave. I can’t live without you, I need you, I need you. Ooh, you don’t understand.” You worship his grace. His heart jumps out of his chest, panting, just barely holding on the threads of sanity. He adores you so fucking much. “I-I do too, mommy. I understand well, too. I know much more than you anticipated… but… I need you more. I crave for you. You’re my only solution, the reason I can be pleased. You’re perfect.”

His intensity on you gives you chills. Lust swirling in each other’s eyes. Precum sits bedazzling on his dick. His bulging is just enough to soak you up. “Mmmmmh, am I ready? Mommy? Will you please fuck me now? I’m dying here. I need you. Please, please, please.” You chuckle from his constant begging. “Oh, I’m having too much fun to just stop. I’m going to rile you up to the point when I finally relieve you, you’re cumming by the first touch.” You kiss his neck some more, and softly trail some drool to decorate his neck.

“M-ngh…” his hands grip hard on the rails of the bed frame. He wants you so bad, he needs you so badly. He doesn’t know how much longer he can last before going into a fully moaning and begging to be fucked mess. “Pleeaase!! Ju-jus… haaaaah,” groaning from a few soft and light touches. You’re trailing your nail over his tip, teasing him to the point he’ll break. Growing teary from all the teasing, squirming intensely, sweating to the point where you can smell his bodily fluids.

“Baby, do you know how cute you are? Sometimes I wonder if I’m the one who’s really going insane right now. I wish you could be like this all day, every day, but you’re too good for that. You’re way too amazing for anyone else to be able to see you like this. My cherry.” His eyes spells out things his trembling mouth couldn’t admit. He yearns for a kiss. The kiss full of lust and desire from you both. He’s earned it. He’s been such a good boy for you. Oh, how wonderful and sweet he is. Almost hurts.

“Baby, do you want that kiss? I think you’ve been patient enough.” You chuckle, practically touching his lips with yours. Closing the space between you two, he inches closer. You back away a little, “Awh, don’t rush things. It’s not fun when you get whatever you want without any fight. I want to drain your fight, drain the sanity left. I want your mind and brain to only circulate around the arousal of my pleasure. You’re so radiant. I can’t stand not teasing you, you’re so pretty… oh, you’re too enchanting for my brain. You make me go crazy, to touch you like this, to even see you like this, to be the reason you’re like this. Do you realize how much that arousals me?! How much it turns me on? You’re so damn luxurious, it’s too good. Way too good. You can’t leave without atoning for the vile crime you’ve committed. You made me obsessed.”

You caress his hair. Trailing your fingers along his face, his skin tensing after each agonizingly slow embrace of your finger. You slowly feel his lips, deeply staring into his eyes, his low and unsteady breathing fills the air. The silence. It’s too much for you two. You’re wanting to take him whole, but know it’s better to take bites. “You’re my salvation.” After mindlessly whispering it into his ear, you roughly kiss him. Leaving him no time to react, choking on his breathe, eyes widening. “M-mhmhm…” His chest tightens up, arching his back, deeply engraving to your kiss. He can barely keep up with your pace. Your right arm cradled around his neck, intensely looking deeply into your lover’s eyes.

He’s feral at this point. Dripping from arousal, intoxicated by your touch, your voice, how you make his heart race. Tongues intertwined with each other’s drool. Hard panting’s from both of you, on the verge of losing your breath. Both of your mind’s on the tip of losing it all for each other. You softly depart from the kiss. “Let me feel you,” like animal instinct, he sits prettily, mouth open, letting you dig your fingers inside. Circling his tongue with your index finger, softly kissing his mouth with the taste. You toy around with his drool on your fingers, tangling it inside your tongue, you rub his lips with his drool. Swiftly kissing his sweet nectar.

“You taste is so elegantly sweet. I can’t have enough, I need to seep through everything. You’re so possessively sexy. You have me under shackles. I can’t stand to not look at you. You’re too glamorous. Glorious, even. My dear, sweet, Cher’.” You passionately dive through his shoulders, caressing them with your kisses. He softly gasps, you can feel his trembling arms. His mind seeps farther and farther from sanity. Head pricked up, back arched, arching legs, sore arms & hands.

He was on the brink of moaning your name, gushing out his groans, he needed you more than anything. “Y-Y/N… please… I beg of you, just touch me! Fuck me, fuck me until morning. I don’t care anymore. I need it, I need you.” His achingly whiny voice seduces the drums of your heart. His head bobs up from the bliss of pleasure as you lick his scared chest. “Haaah… mommy…” you perk up, enchanted by his pureness. “You’re the best… so pretty.” His shaky head angled down back at your body on top of his. Lustful eyes connect with yours.

You lean into his face. You decided to kiss his forehead, his cheeks, and softly kiss his lips. He was motionless to all of this. Covered by exhaustion, panting, and sweating like he’s been in lava. “I don’t c-care anymore… please… just take me a-already.” You smirk slyly, “in time, darling. You’re being so good. If you can feel how enchanting you are to me. You have me bound by bliss and desire.”

His shaky legs were screaming silently for your touch. He was so ready for you. He desired you, yearned for you, enchanted by you. You brought your right hand down to his thigh, slowly massaging it, inching closer and closer to his dick. “I think you’ve earned some pleasure, wouldn’t you say?” He pants. Teary-eyed, “m-mom— uuuuhhhhhggggg…” you softly brought your hand to his dick. Slowly, and agonizingly caressing it.

“You’ve been such a good boy. You’re so dazzling, tied up, helpless, gorgeously vulnerable. Oh, it just gets me soaking without even trying. You’re too enchanting. Watching you pant like this, effortlessly look so prettily and captivating. It gets more going, cherry.” You dazzle your way up to his head while still deeply staring into his eyes. He squeezes his eyes shut after he feels your sensation on the tip.

Swirling your index finger lightly around his dick, he pants even harder. More drool dropping off the edges of his mouth. Perked up lips forbidding to moan anymore. He was quite embarrassed, even more so than if he would lose a fight. Embarrassed about how all easy this was. Exhaustingly trying to feel everything you’re doing. “M-mommy… haaah, please, please, please, please, please, just fuck me already!! I’m too tired of waiting. I need you. I’m begging. I surrender! What else is there for me to do?”

He dizzily demands. Tired, panting, sweating like an animal, feral enough to moan out in pleasure just from mere sight. The sight of your lover being this needy and eager to have you fuck him was so captivating. Like a moth luring into an open flame. Yet, for the moment all you do is smirk and softly dangle your fingers around his precum. Making him softly mewl in response. His eyes hazily peering onto your figure. He has his legs laying down, making it easier for you to play with him. He opens up his neck some more causing you to lick your lower lip narrowing your stare.

You kiss his chest leading it up to his beautiful and bare neck. You run your nuzzled nose around his neck’s edge. Caressing his beauty with your nose, absorbing his undeniable scented body. You kiss his cheeks and run your free hand through his hair. Feeling his lips, he softly gapes his mouth open for your entry. “For a second there, I thought you were going for my neck. Heh, way to fool me.” You chuckle as you softly kiss his lips. Yet, he’s left breathless, fully aware of the effects you have on him.

It will never matter how prepared he’ll be. You’ll always captivate him and leave him huffing for more. Earning an extra satisfaction out of you. You knew that he practically needed you at this point, but always was so embarrassed for it. It always aroused you. His effortless way to captivate you had you outmatched from the very beginning. What can you do without him? Absolutely nothing. At least, it’s what you convince yourself. You’re in such awe with his beauty you can’t even imagine a life without him in it.

He gasps out a few tears, and grips the bed frame with fierce force after you linger your hand down to his veins on his dick. Tracing them enchantingly, his legs twitching intensely. His girthy, and thick, veiny dick gets you soaking within seconds. You can’t help throb in your fabrics. “Shit… you’re so sensitive, it’s so cute. It just turns me on more. Your juices and energy are just enough to make me cum in seconds. Your effect on me brings me to the very edge of sanity and desire. You really drive me insane, my cherry.”

“Fu-fuck! Please, touch me more, praise me more!!” He needed you. With every ounce of his body could give up, only to you. Just for you. He was made for you. For your touch, your scent, your heart, your love, ugh, everything about you drives him into the depths of insanity. He filled you up with such pleasure, it was only fair to do the same. If not, exceed his own walls. He was so good at taking you, waiting for you, feeling you, pleasing you, loving you, owning you. You gave everything to him. You deserved it. He deserved it. You owned everything to his happiness. He has saved you. From sanity to his own sanity.

“Shit, shit, shit! Hugh… you’re so… good, but Jesus, Y/N, stop teasing me! Please, you’re so close. I’m so close to just cumming right now. I want to feel you more. Please…” He was becoming frustrated, but that only fueled your desire and lust more. It almost made you just want to leave him here for the sight. He was such a beautiful sight. Just to leave him here for hours… and have him beg, and cry for your touch. Ooh, it just turns you on even more! If not, to the max capacity. You delicately make sure he feels and understands every movement you make. To the point where even his own body is overwhelmed by his own desire for your touch. It’s almost hard to tell the two apart at times. Yet, he falls prey to it every time.

You finally take his dick into your hand. You, gently pressing your hand to his head. Causing him to shoot his head back and sigh out. You silently start to circulate your hails on his entrance as you begin to rub his dick up and down. Every movement you make, the more twitchy he gets. Endless moans escaping from his mouth fills the room. You're on the brink of edging him again, but you’re so captivated by the thoughts of his high. “Baby, I hope you enjoy these next moments. They’re going to go by fast, I can just tell from your electric twitches.” Suddenly you start to grope him quickly causing intense chills / shivers to shoot through his spine. He arches his back straight up, “oh my god… oh my god… yes, yes, yes! Please, more, more!”

You slyly smirk, angling your head to your left silently watching his eyes roll to the back of his head. Shaking everywhere, clenching hands on the bed-frame. Drool dripping everywhere from his mouth to chin. Soft pants fly from his mouth, gripping the last threads on sanity. You thoroughly feel his dick enveloping around your hand, twitching with every new and exalting touch. His feet curled up, tightly and trying to make sure he enjoyed every moment of the moment. His body overwhelmed with euphoria to even properly process the pleasure. He was overwhelmed within seconds. Heavy pants fill the room, as he slowly lifts his eyes to look at you. You’re staring at him with ease and anticipation. His face heats up, he knows he’s lost, but dammit, it just feels too good not to show it.

“Holy shit, you really know how to fuck me up before the real game. How could I ever win against you? You’re too much, please, just please, fuck me ‘til I reach the moon! I need you desperately. Shit—!” My words are immediately cut off as the wind brushes against my dick through Y/N’s hand. Damn, how weak am I? She’s too good to be with someone who’s inexperienced as me, how the hell am I satisfying her? “Guh— fuckfuckfuckfuck… yes, please, keep going, right there…! So close… hah, hah…” Y/N’s hand increases speed as they grace my dick through their running hand. Her backhand was working me out like a dog, I was helpless. All I could do was moan in and out of pleasure, begging her to not stop. “Don’t stop..! Holy shit, there, please, please, keep going, yes! Theretheretherethere..!” I could only fumble and collide my words to beg for what I desperately needed.

I couldn’t help but to laugh. “My dear cherry… you’re too cute to please so easily, a taste does this much? My… I wonder how exulting you’ll be after I have fucked you out of your senses. I’ll be slow and nice, though, I’ll save your high for the climax. I promise, I’ll be nice, just, you’re really too cute to please so easily.” Still keep the pace, but turning over all his extra sensitive and leaving them yearning. Making him masturbate through your hand, but you take it away when you sense the movement. “Nmmm… mommy, pleaaaase! I really need you, just get me through my high already! Please! I need it, I need you, just help me…” I smile sweetly at him, “I think you deserved it… after all, you’ve been such a good boy.” I gently trace my nails across the rim of his tip, making him mewl and moan softly. Becoming submissive again, he gestures for me to finish.

The velvety fingers twirled through the moans filling the corners of the room. Those nails, it will be the death of him. Circling over and over again, nails through and around the edges of his dick. Hand groping through his veins and skin, making his dick twitch with more euphoria. She was truly merciless, one hand formally holding on his neck to prevent him from moving too much. The other hand, back jobbing his starving body. “Mmmh… hah, hah, ha… faster, please.” A smirky smile carved through Y/N’s lips. “You’ll be rewarded soon, honey.” You abuse your tongue around his sensitive neck, as he mewls into your hair. Shuffling between his nipples; you play around on his scar. Coming undone by your touch for the endless pleasure; he grasped the chains tying him to the bed. Sweat peered down his neck, and flew through his chest.

Moans slowly form back into whimpers and groans. Your hand is working numbers on and inside of his dick. His face flushed with intense blush and a pink tinge of sweat. Decorating his blush, and glistening eyes. Those eyes swallowed you whole; you never thought you could be so intoxicated by them. Your heart leaping for his soul; his soul dancing for your heart. Reaching his high, echoes of his undying moaning becoming faster, and faster. His hips flung up and down to match your speed. “Don’t stop- please.” He attempted to hide his face underneath his bangs, hurrying into his biceps.

As he wallows into pleasure, you can’t help but to tease him a little more. Slowly lifting your hand from the head of his dick, whines erupt from his mouth. “W-wait… please, please, let me cum. Let me cum for you, mommy.” Your sly smirk smears on your face as you lean in your face to kiss him. “You’re so close, I think you finally deserve this, you’ve been such a good boy, my cherry.”

His legs spasm, lockjawing with force as his head slowly bobs as he finally reaches bliss. “Thank you, thank you, fuck, fuck, right thrreeereeeee!!!”

•

I just added more up to the point where I stopped writing. It’s actually almost done but just haven’t been able to pull myself to get as motivated as I was when I was in the middle of it. Sorry if it also keeps switching perspectives, and differences of writing style.

I’ll make build-up after I finish the fic, and post that alongside pinning the posts all together.

[rgbsilver]

long rant on why bunny duo WILL happen

If you can’t tell I am going insane (spoiler warning/leak mention)

1: Merchandise/Logos

As I’m sure your aware, WanPre’s logo scheme corresponds to just about every single Cure:

Pink for Komugi/Wonderful, Purple for Iroha/Friendy, Green for Mayu/Lillan, and Blue for Yuki/Nyammy. This leaves us two colors left: orange and yellow, just enough to fulfill another duo.

The colors don’t just stop at the logo, either.

A special shout out to the daily satoru blog for finding this out (I never could have!), but Mayu’s ribbons also similarly match up with this.

Again, two colors are left, an Orange-Yellow color and White, just enough for our bunny duo!

These buttons are also similar: notice the outer colors and the inner colors. The outer colors on the owners correspond with their pets theme color (Mayu is Blue, Iroha is Pink, which fits with Yuki and Komugi) and the opposite for their pets.

By this, we can assume that Daifuku could be a White or Grey Cure, and Satoru could be a Yellow or Orange cure.

This ones already been mentioned, but again, the yellow/white colors!

..And even more buttons. Almost all merch featuring Satoru and Daifuku is either Yellow/Orange, or White/Grey. I’m not going to list everything ever here, but check out the Precure Wiki for more merchandise listings.

2: Daifuku is an anomaly (lol)

If you are unaware, Daifuku is a huge character for merchandising from WanPre. According to the wiki, out of all of the mascots, Daifuku has sold out much, much quicker and is well-received by fans.

Also, in WPC23.. do I have to explain this screen shot? Yuki just straight up calls him not ordinary.

But, she is right. Out of all the animals we’ve seen in the show, besides the Cures and the Kirarin Animals, none have the same proportions Daifuku does. And we know he isn’t a Kirarin animal (lacking the gem), so you can assume he’s a future Cure.

Also, as of WP24, Daifuku (and Satoru) has been to Niko Garden. Not sure if that strengths the point, but yeah.

Daifuku’s movie character: note how again, only the Cures in their animal form have the wristband (Komugi and Yuki.)

And, some card listings that were leaked a while ago:

This one is pretty self-explanatory: there’s 1 more slot for a Cure (or maybe a movie exclusive character) on these cards.

And as of recently, we have seen both of them together on one card in merchandise: it’s possible they both could be a Cure, just on one card.

And last but not least..

There’s 1 more spot for a Cure, or a duo! 3. Other things

Although I do agree the ending doesn’t leave much room for more cures, know that we still might get another ending. Mahou Tsukai and Kira had 3 endings, and Star Twinkle even had 4.

The point is, it’s not too late to call it quits! We have had cures introduced later too: Majesty’s first appearance was in 31. We still have hope. Probably. I’m also probably going insane.

We also can have another ‘Black Pepper’ which personally I think is going to happen— Daifuku will be a white colored Cure and Satoru will be a orange or yellow colored Black Pepper like hero.

Plus, we haven’t had a series without a mid season or additional warrior since Smile, which was 12 years ago. It’s pretty unlikely that’ll happen again.

And it’s not like there is anyone else who can be a mid season besides these two. Unless you count like.. MeyMey but that’s really unlikely lol.

(Against some popular theories: I think it wouldn’t make sense for Niko to be a cure, as not only as she (?) doesn’t fit the orange/white/yellow scheme (based off the Niko leaks), but they aren’t apart of a duo like Mayu and Yuki, Iroha and Wonderful, Satoru and Daifuku..

Plus, in WPC24, notice how Niko’s egg only glows after both Satoru and Daifuku are touching the egg. )

According to some posts I’ve seen on the wiki, ratings for the show actually drop if they don’t have a mid season or additional warrior— having one apparently does better for merchandise sales and reviews in general. Take this with a grain of salt, however. I have no idea if this is true, but I believe it. Plus, with Cure Wing being generally well-received, it’s not impossible that we can have more male cures in the future.

anyways. This is all just a theory. A FILM THEORY.

Thanks for coming to my tedtalk ok bye. In my eyes will Daifuku be a cure? Yes. Will Satoru be a cure? Probably but more likely to be something like black pepper. I’m going insane thanks bye

[ladylooch]

Emma FaceTiming timo before lio’s bedtime ( and then her bedtime) while he’s in NC

Emma may be new to being a NHL playoff wife, but she isn’t new to Timo Meier.

She knows after a game one loss in the playoffs, he wants space right now. So she does her best to give it to him, outside of the easter egg hunt pictures she sent during the first intermission. An hour after the game, Emma got hearts on each of the pictures and two simple 😘😘 emojis from her husband.

He needed more time.

She understands.

So, Emma focused around the apartment. She heated up some leftover pasta from Friday night for dinner. She filled a tray of food for Lio to pick at, but the fresh air and activity with all the other Devils kids had tuckered him out. He puts more mashed sweet potato in his hair from rubbing his eyes than his mouth. 

“Well, I guess tonight is bath time.” Emma chuckles, trying to wipe off his latest smear.

“Nnnnnnn.” Lio protests, shoving his hand at her arm to bat her away. When that doesn’t work, he dodges her hand by shaking his head from side to side.

“Okay.” Emma concedes “How about some cottage cheese?” She suggests, picking up a spoon full and delivering it to his mouth. He opens it, spitting it out before wiping at his tongue.“Oh, daddy was right. We don’t like that, huh?” Emma grabs her phone, going to text that to her husband then pauses.

He will call when he is ready. She glances at the time on her phone. Hopefully soon. Otherwise, she will have to do bedtime alone- her least favorite. It makes Timo’s absence so much more noticeable and Emma goes to bed with an uncomfortable loneliness.

After trying to force a few more bites into Lio’s mouth, Emma gives up. He had a lot to eat at the playoff party and he’s getting grumpy. She has to utilize the remaining minutes he is awake with a bath more than food.

“Up!” Emma waves her hands at Lio. He thrusts his hands into the air, bouncing in his high chair to be lifted. “Up!” She repeats in Swiss German. As much as possible, they try to speak both languages with Lio. This summer, it will be strictly Swiss German in their home to get him more used to their native language. Although Timo jokes she shouldn’t be allowed to talk because of her thick, “southern” accent.

Emma takes her phone with her into the bathroom to play some baby tunes. She likes to create a fun esthetic for bath time to alleviate the annoyance of soap and water. Lio bops around in the water, sucking on toys and trying to hand them to her as she cleans off his hair. Once he is a clean boy, she gathers him up in a ducky towel, wiping off his pudgy rolls throughly. She takes him to his room, combing his hair gently then putting him back into his yellow, carrot pajamas from this morning. His blue eyes are blinking slow as she grabs two books- one in English and the other in Swiss German that her parents sent to Lio for Christmas.

“Let’s check in with daddy.” Emma kisses Lio’s wet hair as he leans his head into her chest, patting insistently at the books. Emma clicks on Timo’s contact info but isn’t able to connect the call. She frowns. “Hm. Okay…” Emma goes into her messages, not seeing Timo on Do Not Disturb. She’s about to text him when his FaceTime call comes through. “Oh hi.”

“Hi baby. I think we just called each other at the same time.” He chuckles. Emma is relieved to hear his laugh. She offers a laugh of her own back to him.

“Perfect timing.” She smiles, showing her dimples as she maneuvers the phone so her and Lio are on the screen together. Lio starts to squeak at seeing Timo. 

“Hi buddy!” Timo greets their son enthusiastically. “How are you!? Big day with an egg hunt, no? Did mama let you have chocolate?”

“No.” Emma giggles. “Not American chocolate.” She shake her head. 

“Did a package come today?” Timo asks.

“I haven’t checked.” Emma admits. “It’s been busy here today.” 

“That’s okay. But there should be some Swiss chocolate for him in the package room. I figured he could suck on it as a treat.”

“Oh! I’ll go grab that tomorrow.” She bounces Lio as he wiggles to try and get down from her grasp. “Nope. It’s bed time.” She tucks him tighter into her chest. “We are reading books with daddy.” Emma kisses his hair again. “Ready?” She asks Timo. He makes a show of moving his massive shoulders as if wiggling into position in his bed. He rests his head against the headboard then nods.

“I’m ready, mama.” Emma blushes at his heated gaze, then cracks open the first book. 

They only get through one before Lio is passed out. She folds the book closed and lets it fall to the side of her into the chair. She adjusts him slightly where her arm had fallen asleep then looks at Timo. 

“Wanna put him down and call me back?”

“Yes.” She nods, sending him a smooch. Timo disconnects and Emma transfers Lio to his crib. She rubs his back, clicking his white noise machine up a notch then slowly begins to back away. He stays asleep, so Emma grabs her phone and makes a dash for it. 

She immediately calls Timo as she wanders into the kitchen for her nightly ritual of red wine and popcorn.

“Hi.” He greets as he picks up. He’s rubbing at the beard on his face then exhales heavily. “How was your day?”

“Oh, are we not address the elephant in the room?”

“We can, but first tell me something good.”

“Something good…” She trails off. “Oh! Our jackets are in. You’re gonna love it.”

“I love anything with my name on you.” He murmurs.

“Mr. Posessive.” 

“Give me this first year. I’ll be better next.” He winks at her. 

“No you won’t.” Emma pops in a bag of popcorn and presses the popcorn button on the microwave before grabbing a glass from the cabinet. 

“True. Did Lio get a jacket?” Timo asks as she pours a small glass of wine.

“Yes, we are going to match. But you can’t see until Game 3. It’s a surprise. Even for you.”

“Okay.” He smiles softly through the phone. “How was the party?”

“It was so fun. The weather was great; we got to be outside. It’s been a good weekend with the Devs girls.”

“Lex doing okay? Nico has been worried.”

“Yeah, she’s been perkier the last few days. I think switching her prenatal to the brand I use has been good. She’s getting more of what she needs.”

“You’re a pro, baby.” 

“I would not say that. I swear I fumbled my way through our entire pregnancy.” 

“Hmm.” Timo mumbles back, not agreeing with that statement.

“You seem… okay?” Emma tries to move on.

“I’m okay.” He agrees. “Annoyed, but it’s not like it’s over.”

“That’s true. Two trips to the box?”

“The first one was shit.” Timo immediately argues. Emma chuckles at the passion that shrinks his face into a scowl. “The second one, yeah but fuck that guy.” Emma laughs, propping her phone up on a vase filled with playoff flowers from her husband, so she can lean against the counter and eat her popcorn. “Why are you eating that?” Timo points out.

“Because I want to.” Emma murmurs.

“You’re gonna be up all night from heartburn.”

“But if you’re not here to listen to me complain, did I even have heartburn?” Timo laughs.

“I guess we will find out tonight.” He smugly declares.

“Playoff you is sassy.” She murmurs as she picks through the bowl for the perfect piece.

“It’s weird.” Timo shake his head. Emma raises her gaze back to him after grabbing two more kernels to tuck in her mouth.

“What?”

“Having a family and completing in the playoffs.”

“Weird… in a bad way?”

“Of course not.” Timo shakes his head. “But it is different. Like… I just want to make you both proud. I don’t feel like I did that tonight.” His frown makes Emma’s chest burn. Or maybe that’s the heartburn. She stands up taller, shifting as she looks down at his defeated face.

“You always make us proud, T. It doesn’t matter what the score says. It matters that you went out there and gave what you could. That you were a good teammate and you got off the ice in one piece. And when your job is done in Carolina, you’ll come home to us. That’s what Lio and I care about.” 

“I miss you.” Timo responds to her pep talk. “This would be easier if you were right here.” He shows her the spot on the bed under his right arm. “And Lio was right here.” He shows her the left side of his body next. Emma nods, a deep longing washing over her body, widening every mile that sits between them.

“Soon. But you have work to do before then.” She reminds him. “Come home 1-1 and do what it takes to get there. We understand.” 

“I’m not gonna ghost you, Em.” He chuckles, picking up what she is laying down. “That works for some guys. Not me. I need to see your face and hear your voice every day.” His confession warms Emma’s cheeks as they stretch apart, showing him her dimples. 

“Okay.” Emma responds, she sits up from her lean into the counter. “Wanna watch Only Murders?”

“Like you haven’t already.” He accuses.

“I-!” She starts to laugh. “I admit I started, but I felt guilty.” She continues to giggles as Timo stares her down through the phone. 

“You’re lying.” 

“I am not! You can look at Hulu! You’ll see I stopped 10 minutes into episode three.”

“You better have.” He insists. “Otherwise I’m gonna have to figure out a punishment for you.” He picks up his remote and turns on his TV. Emma does the same in New Jersey. She backs the episode to start from the beginning before letting him know she is ready.

“Three.” Emma says first.

“Two.” Timo continues.

“One.” Emma declares as they both hit the button simultaneously.

They pause, waiting to hear the audio. It’s perfectly synced, bringing joy to both of them. 

On days like today, where things don’t go the way they wanted them to, it’s the simple things that matter most like a sleeping baby in his crib, a happy wife at home, and a snuggled up husband in Carolina.

[jazziejax]

𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐞𝐰

𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 - Lamont Diggs x Black!OC

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 - In which Cree decided that it was time to shut her haters up and get back into the music scene. She also needed a night out on the town in the city of Miami after being near her sister for more than five minutes. But she didn’t know how fun the night would be with no friends…

𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 - Mild alcohol consumption, flirtation between two different men, family conflict, mention of addiction, suggestive themes, slow-burn tension, vulgar language…

𝐉𝐚𝐳𝐳𝐢𝐞’𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 - I have a Spanish oral exam tomorrow that I haven’t studied for and I’m so nervous. But here I am, writing about a fine as man. Where are my priorities? Anyways, UNEDITED, sorry for any spelling errors or grammar mistakes.

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 - 12,075 +

Even though her nephew has been under her care newly since he was born, one thing Cree could never get used to was waking up before the sun early in the morning. She absolutely dreaded it. Each morning when the sound of her alarm startled her awake, she’d pray that some outside force would just shut the dam noise off, before realizing that the task lay solely upon her to wake her from her slumber.

After starting too many mornings in a pissy mood, she finally got one of those sunset clocks that chirped birds sound to raise her from her sleep. But that only helped her wake in a less shitty mood because she still hated early mornings and now she had to get two people ready for the day. That is why she made sure to always keep her routine simple and efficient.

Getting up at 5:30 am, she’d take the quickest shower known to man, not once picking up her phone because she knew it would distract her. She showers and does her hair to speed up the process of getting ready in the morning. She also does her win routine as quickly as possible in front of the mirror before moving to wake up Raheem. It’d take a little coaxing, rubbing the boy’s back before slightly shaking him to get the deep sleeper to finally rise and use the bathroom. His clothes were already locked out the night before, and he knew how to dress himself so while he did that, she went to get breakfast started.

Now, Cree has the funds for a chef if she wants one, but after everything that went down with her manager, she decided to not have so many people in her inner circle anymore. She had her family and that was all she needed, no matter how hard things got. And if it came down to it, it would just be her and Raheem, like always. That being said, she simply whipped up some eggs with two sausage patties and half a banana for him while she settled for the other half and some oatmeal, which she already knew was going to end up on his plate anyway.

He watched cartoons on his iPad as he ate while she tried not to get caught up when the childish story so she could have important phone calls and answer emails. After making her mocha coffee and putting it into her cup, she had everything packed and was on her way out of the door with the small boy.

That was how their average day went. So this Friday morning, Cree was just following routine as she dropped Raheem off at school. She pulls up to the front and parks her car, making sure to remind him to behave as they did their handshake. They were sort of matching this morning, back shirt with denim shorts and red shoes, although he was much cooler with his Spider-Man paraphernalia. She gave him a kiss forehead before watching as he walked inside with his backpack bouncing on his shoulders.

Cree was too focused on watching Raheem walk away to notice the woman standing a few feet away—until she spoke.

“He’s very polite.”

The thick Miami accent caught Cree’s attention, making her glance over. Standing there was a brown-skinned woman dressed in a grey two-piece set. Cree was about an inch taller than her, with flawless makeup, a warm smile, and perfect teeth. Cree returned the smile, small but polite. She was sort of guarded, knowing if this woman knew who she was or not, but she wasn’t good enough to be rude.

“Thank you.” She said softly.

A brief silence settled between them. Cree gave Raheem one last look before turning to leave, but the woman spoke again.

“I’m Nia.”

Cree paused, turning back to face her. Behind her large shades, Nia couldn’t see her eyes, but she could make out the rest of her face clearly. Up close, she was almost certain—this had to be who she thought it was. And when Cree gave her a soft smile, extended a hand, and said her name, it only confirmed her suspicion.

“I’m Cree.”

Nia matched her smile, trying to mask her reaction at the information she knew she would get, but still didn’t expect it. “It’s nice meeting you. My daughter talks about Raheem all the time.”

Cree nodded, not picking up on any ulterior motives. “Yeah, Raheem says she’s super smart,” Cree stated, although she was too clear on who the woman was speaking about there was only one girl that Raheem spoke about, and that was…what was her name? “Always competing with him and Mateo in math class. Great job.” She complimented, looking the woman up and down with an impressed look. Raising a confident black girl was no easy feat, people are constantly trying to knock them down a pedestal and it starts young. So even though bee nephew was probably getting beat in math class, he didn’t have a problem with it so neither did she.

Nia just chuckled, shaking her head. “Thank you, but that’s all her. She’s just built like that.” Her smile softened, turning genuine as she thought about her daughter—the girl she was raising practically on her own. She was so proud of the little girl she was seeing her daughter become and she wasn’t sure if that was by her making.

Cree scoffed lightly. “What? Nah, you seem like a good mom.” She said with a small shrug. But before Nia could respond, Cree had glanced down at her watch. “Uh, I gotta go.” She said quickly. “But it was nice meeting you, Nia.” She offered a quick wave before turning in her heels and heading to her car.

Nia watched her drive off, maintaining a polite smile. But the second Cree was out of sight, she pulled out her phone, opening Instagram with a smirk.

Nia hit record, angling the camera just right as she leaned against her car. The Miami sun hit her skin perfectly, and with a subtle smirk, she spoke into the camera.

“Y’all… I knew I wasn’t tripping. I just met this lady at the school, and tell me why she looked exactly like—” she paused for dramatic effect, adjusting her shades, “Cree? Y’all know Cree? Y’all know y'all know Cree, now. That singer that went MIA after that scamming-ass, broke-ass, bum-ass manager drama? Mm-hmm, yeah. I ain’t saying it was her… but I ain’t saying it wasn’t either.”

She let out a little laugh, keeping it playful, then flipped the camera to show a quick view of the school parking lot before cutting the video. She wasn’t about to blow up the woman’s spot—not yet, anyway. But if she really was Cree, then damn… what the hell was she doing in Miami, dropping off a kid at school like a regular mom?

Shoving her phone into her bag, Nia glanced in the direction Cree had driven off, her mind already working. If this really was Cree, this could get interesting.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Cree pulled up to the studio, exhaling as she cut the engine. She sat in the car for a second, letting the quiet settle around her before finally grabbing her bag and stepping out. The sun was high, the Miami heat wrapping around her like a thick blanket even in her shirt clothes, but she barely noticed. She had work to do.

Inside, the hall was dimly lit, the faint hum of bass leaking through the walls from other sessions taking place. She made her way to her usual room, the one she had rented out for her while she was here, and pushed the door open. The familiar scent of leather, stale coffee, and the faint scent of weed greeted her as she set her things down and made her way to the console.

Her laptop was back where she had it last, on her right-hand side for easy access while she messed with the mixing board. She powered it up, clicking through her files until she found the song she had been working on last time. The melody played through the speakers, filling the room with soft, dreamy keys and a gentle rhythm that pulled at something deep inside her.

It was the song. It just had this vibe to out that she enjoyed so much, and it was something a little different from her. She had nearly finished writing it after leaving her last session. The lyrics were there, the composition and mixing practically done after hours in the isolated and soundproofed room. All that was left was recording.

She leaned back in her chair, letting the instrumental play through while she sang the song out loud. She had poured herself into this song, capturing a feeling she wasn’t sure she even deserved anymore—the quiet, aching kind of love, the type you hold onto even when everything else is falling apart. It felt real. It felt like her.

But before she could even get in the booth, her thoughts drifted. As much as she loved her second home, the circumstances as to why she was her weren’t all that good. And every time she thought about that scamming son of a bitch, a sour presence entered her mouth. She left a place she’s known since she was a child because of the contact harassment from not only paparazzi, but also random ass people. And keeping Raheem safe wasn’t an option in that environment.

And the thought made her angry all over again.

Her jaw tightened. All of this was because of him.

Her scamming-ass manager.

For the first time in weeks, she reached for her phone and opened Instagram. The moment the app loaded, she was bombarded. Notifications flooded in—tags, messages, reposts. She barely skimmed through them before something else caught her attention.

Videos. Posts.

About her.

About the case.

Headlines, think pieces, and worst of all. And it was expected, the main reason she stayed off of any social media app flaunted the stupid scandal hit the mainstream. It the worst of all of this—her manager’s words, twisting the narrative while she had been off the grid, and dumb motherfucka’s were falling for it. Then, just as she was about to exit out, her eyes landed on something that made her stomach drop.

It was a Shade Room post with a familiar face.

A woman, in a video, talking about her—about Cree being in Miami.

“That singer that went MIA after that scamming-ass, broke ass, bum ass manager drama? Mm-hmm, yeah. I ain’t saying it was her… but I ain’t saying it wasn’t either.” The voice said through her phone. The vide has 35 thousands likes and was only posted an hour ago.

Cree’s blood ran hot.

This was why she stayed off social media. This was why she kept her circle tight. Because the moment people thought you were vulnerable, that they had something over you, they talked. Talked get getting something for their own gain, talked just ti see you down. It was sick behavior and Cree was true if being cordial, she was tried if being the bigger person. So she did what she knew best, and that was second to whopping ass. She’s gonna write, and she was gonna make a bag off of it too.

Cree’s hands balled into fists as she took in a deep breath, her nails pressing into her palms. This might be the last semblance of peace she’d have for a while know that folks knew where she was. And if they wanted to talk, she was going to give them something to fucking talk about.

She tossed her phone onto the couch and grabbed her notebook, flipping to a fresh page. She wasn’t about to sit around feeling sorry for herself—she was about to write.

And she didn’t stop.

For hours, she was locked in—writing, mixing, layering beats. The dim studio lights blurred into the background as she worked, her hands flying over the equipment, crafting something raw and unfiltered.

She had been sitting on this one beat for a while now. It was time to bring it to life. But for that, she needed him.

Cree quickly grabbed her phone, so hooked on rage and adrenaline that she didn’t even think before finding his contact and clicking his name to FaceTime him. Joey, it read, with a red heart emoji behind. That name has been a contact within her phone since she could remember, it’s been years and no matter what they’ve been through, she’s never changed it.

It wasn’t until the sound of ringing hit her ear that she had any semblance of hesitation and she couldn’t even sit in that for long because two rings later, the phone clicked as the man answered. His deep, familiar voice coming through and she saw that same cocky smirk she expected.

“Two calls since you been in Miami. You must really miss me, shorty.” She said, the subtle lisp he had coming from the grills he has in his mouth.

A tired smirk tugged at her lips as she rolled her eyes. “Yeah, whatever Joey.” She said, her voice just as tired as her grin, although it was all an act to tease the man she called.

Joey leaned into the camera, studying her. “Where you been at, ma?” He asked. “You called me about the studio two days ago, so I know you ain’t been working this whole time. You can’t be going ghost on me, Cree.”

She huffed, running a loose curl behind her ear. “I’ve just been busy, aight.” Cree stated, subconsciously ducking her head to hide the blush that crept up her face at the nickname he called her. “Taking care of Raheem alone isn’t exactly easy.” She mumbled.

“But you’re not alone, you with your grandparents.”

“Yeah, but the whole reason I even take care of Raheem is to give them space. They’re too damn old and dealing with Karmen is enough.” Cree sighed, leaning back to twist slightly into her rolling chair.

“Yeah.” Joey sighed as well, both of them thinking about the girls older sister who was wild child and a damn handful and a half. “But you know I always got you.” He stated, and Cree saw him as he licked his luscious lips, his gold teeth peeking through at her. His head was tilted in that easy that always got to her, looking at his phone intensely. Cree smiled at that, a small chuckle slipping through at his words. “Yeah, I know.” She said softly, adjusting her phone in her hand to show her face fully. “You know he misses you.”

Joey hummed at that, a small laugh sounded through the phone, but Cree could see a hint of sadness in it. “Yeah, I miss lil man too. That’s my twin.”

“Lord bless us all.” Cree mockingly groaned as she rolled her eyes, causing Joey to laugh. “Man, he can’t help it if he wants to copy success.” Cree smacked her lips at him. “Boy, please.”

Joey chuckled again, then sighed. “I’ma have to come see him soon.”

Cree paused for a second, her brow quirking slightly. “Yeah, you should.” She said softly, and for a second, there was a beat of quiet between them. The silence wasn’t awkward—it never was with them. It was just there, heavy with history, with all the things they never had to say.

Cree wasn’t sure if it was nostalgia or the exhaustion creeping in, but hearing his voice like this—soft, unguarded—it made her chest feel tight. There were years of history between them, wrapped in late-night calls, stolen moments, and all the things they never said. Things that didn’t even need to be spoken, because no matter what, they understood each other

“Anyways, let’s get into what I even called you for.” She retorted.

“You didn’t call me to talk and reminisce about when we were together?”

“No, Jovaughn, I did not.” Cree retorted. “I actually called for a favor.” She stated.

“Well, I’m gonna let what you said previously slide so I can tell you that I always got your back. Whatever it is, you know that.” Joey sajd. “So, what is?”

“I need your help.”

She explained the situation—how she had been in the studio all day, how she had this beat she couldn’t shake, how she needed to make something real with it. Joey was quiet for a moment, making Cree furrow her brows at the phone silently, but he then spoke. “You remember that track we made a few years back?”

Cree’s brows furrowed. “Which one?”

“The one from that night after your 21st birthday party.”

Then it hit her. That session. That night.

A slow smile spread across her face as she leaned forward in her chair, the memory playing in her mind. “That one…” She murmured, already scrolling through her files, silently reminiscing about the night her and Joey grew closer.

“That beat’s a classic. Soulful. Old school. I loved it then, I love it now.” Joey said. At that, it gave him an idea, causing Cree to watch him sit up in his seat and look at her. “Oh, shit. What if we do it together?” He asked.

“What?” Cree asked as she let out a small laugh in confusion.

“I’m sayin’—what if we really bring it back? Make a statement. Together. His gaze was locked on hers through the screen. “I mean, we ain’t ever did a song before, and we been locked in since before we blew up. It’s about time. And we could really send a message with this one.”

Cree’s fingers hovered over the track before clicking play. As the beat poured through her speakers, she nodded her head, feeling it. The moment it dropped, she heard Joey’s reaction—a quiet, appreciative “Sheesh.” Joey’s face lit up on screen, vibing right with her. She smiled, knowing he felt it too.

“This shit still go crazy.” He admitted.

“Right?” Cree grinned.

Joey exhaled. “Alright. Let’s cook. You start?”

“Nah,” Cree said, leaning back in her chair with a grin. “You first. Show me what you got.” She grinned. “Let’s run it!”

And just like that, they were back in sync—passing lines back and forth, building something undeniable. Something that felt like them.

For the next hour, they went back and forth—freestyling, bouncing lines off each other, deciding what to keep and what to drop. It felt natural, like old times. Like before everything got complicated.

“Yeah.” She murmured. “Let’s do it.” She grinned.

By the end of the call, they had something solid.

And Cree?

She was ready.

Joey grinned, nodding as he listened to the beat through the phone, looking at the lyrics he had written in his note book. “Yeah, that’s it right there. That’s the one.”

Cree smirked, already hearing different possibilities and a potential music video in her head. “I’m telling you, these few songs are gonna be the one. Shit just feels different now, B. But it need something—or someone.”

Joey raised a brow, cutting her off before she could even finish. “And that someone just happens to be me?” Cree rolled her eyes at him, flashing him a quick middle finger through the screen. “Don’t let it go to your head, Jovaughn.”He laughed, leaning back, stretching his arms over his head. “Too late. You know I been waiting on a track with you, shorty. This is overdue.”

Cree tilted her head, eyes narrowing in playful suspicion. “Waiting on a track? You ain’t never even asked.” She said, turning her lip up at him playfully.

Joey scoffed. “Because I knew your stubborn ass wasn’t gonna be the first to bring it up. Look at us now, though.” He smirked. Cree exhaled, shaking her head but smiling. “Yeah, look at us now.” She played along.

Joey’s expression softened just a little. “Send me the files. I’ma lay some vocals on it tonight.” This caused Cree to pause, her eyes snapping down to her phone in slight surprise. “Tonight?” She asked, raising a brow him. “You don’t even need time to sit with it?”

Joey smirked, tapping his temple. “Already got a verse in my head, a few written down. You forgot who you talking to, ma?” He quipped. Cree just chuckled, shaking her head at his usual copy behavior that’s rubbed off on her over the years. “Aight then. I’ll send it after I tweak a few things.”

“Bet. And Cree?”

She glanced at him through the screen. “Yeah?”

His gold teeth flashed in a knowing grin. “Don’t go ghost on me again.” He demanded with a subtle smirk. Cree sucked her teeth, but her lip did up turn in with a smirk she tried to hide. “Boy, bye.”

Joey just laughed, his voice warm and familiar, like it always had been. “I’m holla at you later, Joey.” She grinned.

“I’ll catch you later, shorty.”

She ended the call, staring at her reflection in the darkened screen for a moment before shaking her head, smiling to herself. This was about the music. Just the music. At least, that’s what she told herself.

It wasn’t long before Cree stretched as she stood up from her chair, feeling the hours in the studio settle into her body. She needed to move, clear her head. And besides, it was time to go pick up Raheem.

Grabbing her keys and phone, she slipped on her sneakers that came off her feet halfway into her session and headed out, shutting the door behind her. The hallway of studio building was quiet, save for the faint sound of a TV playing a sports somewhere in the distance.

As she turned to start heading down the hall to the exit door, she nearly ran right into him—Lamont.

Cree didn’t expect to see Lamont again.

“Damn, you always in a rush.” His voice was smooth, amused. Cree huffed, stepping back slightly. “And you always in the hall.” She shut back, a small smirk on her face. Lamont smirked, leaning casually against the wall like he had all the time in the world. He was dressed in his usual laid-back style—gold chain resting on his chest, dreads laid neatly on his head, a fresh pair of kicks on his feet.

“You on my schedule or somethin’?” he teased.

She rolled her eyes. “Whatever, Lamont. Move, I gotta go get Raheem.”She said as she began to walk past him. Lamont’s smirk didn’t fade, but there was something sharp in his gaze now, like he was piecing things together. “ Oh,word? Raheem?” He echoed, tilting his head slightly. Cree hesitated, not expecting the genuine interest. “He’s good.” She answered, shifting her keys in her hand. “And your daughter?” She asked, tilting her head at him. Lamont subconsciously licked his lip, looking her in the eyes. “She’s good.” He nodded slightly, his eyes drifting across her. Her curly hue was in an half up half down, and, some pieces hanging and framing her face.

There was a brief pause, the kind that lingered just long enough to mean something. Cree wasn’t sure what, but she felt it. Lamont’s gaze was steady, like he was sizing her up in a way she couldn’t quite read. Not in a bad way—just like he was thinking. Maybe remembering.

“You know.” He started, pushing off the wall slightly. “I was wondering when I’d run into you again.” He said, taking one step closer with his bend crossed. Cree raised an eyebrow, shifting her weight. “Yeah?” She asked, folding her arms as she with her bag hanging off her arm.

“Yeah.” His smirk deepened, just a little. “So you do music?”

Cree smiled a little unsurely, her gaze quick but observing as she looked at him. She then licked her lips with a nod, eyes bouncing away from him briefly. “Something like that.” She shrugged.

Lamont let out a low hum, nodding like he was tucking that little piece of information away for later. “Makes sense.” He mused, tilting his head slightly. “I mean, studio.” He stated, gesturing over to the door and she had come out of. “And you got that quiet, focused vibe. You know, like me.” He said with a shrug and a small grin. Cree scoffed lightly with a smile on her face, shifting her weight. “Oh, how presumptuous of you.” She said, looking him up and down. “And you don’t even know me.”

Lamont smirked, unfazed. “True,” He admitted. “But I know the type. ‘Cause I know myself.” He shrugged.

She raised a brow at that, giving him a quick once-over. “Yeah? And what type is that?”

Lamont’s grin widened just a little, but he didn’t answer right away. He just let the question sit, like he wanted her to think about it. After a beat, he shrugged. “The kind that don’t like small talk.”

Cree huffed a small laugh despite herself, shaking her head. “You got that right.”Lamont chuckled, low and smooth. “Figured.” He let his gaze linger on her for a second before stepping back, nodding toward the exit. “Go head, don’t let me keep you.”

Cree adjusted the strap on her bag and hesitated just a second before nodding. “Later.”At that Cree stepped past him, but before she made it to the door, she heard his voice again.

“Yo, Cree.”

She paused, glancing back over her shoulder.

Lamont gave her a lazy smile. “Imma see you around, aight.” He stated more than asked, locking his lips as she gave her a quick once over, taking in her legs in her cute shots and her red sneakers that complimented her skin. A small smile crept onto her face, the sun shining through the glass door and giving her this angelic look from Lamont’s point of view. “I’ll see you later, Lamont.” She said softly, barely audible due to her distant acne but heard in the empty hall. She then turned and walked toward the door, feeling his eyes on her the whole way. And for some reason, she didn’t mind.

Cree exhaled, shaking her head as she pushed through the door and stepped into the Miami sun, a slight breeze sweeping over her. She wasn’t sure why he seemed so interested, but she wasn’t about to let it distract her.

This was about Raheem. Just Raheem. At least, that’s what she told herself.

Cree did the same as any day, entering her car with a deep sigh as she drove off, head full of music and this mysterious man from the studio she keeps encountering. And she couldn’t help but wonder if she would ever see him again, or where. Her car hummed softly as she drove through the city streets, the music low and soothing as went to pick up Raheem. He greets the car with his usual enthusiasm after school, taking about lunch and recess. He sat in the back seat, tapping his fingers along with the beat of C.R.E.A.M, by Wu-Tang Clan. Cree glanced over at him, her expression softening.

“Hey, you ready for some family time?” She asked, breaking the comfortable silence. “It’s the weekend!”

Raheem looked up at her with wide eyes, grinning from ear to ear. “GG and Pawp? Oh, yeah!” He cheesed as she looked at the side of his aunts face. “We gonna have some fun!”

Cree chuckled, her heart warming at his excitement. She liked how he always looked forward to these visits. Raheem adored his great-grandparents, and Cree loved seeing them together, especially since her won parents were gone—her grandparents were a source of stability, wisdom, and warmth within their lives, and even though she hated leaving Brooklyn, Miami was also home.

“Yep, we’re spending the afternoon with them. You can hang with Grandpa in the garden, and Grandma’ll probably have some of her famous peach cobbler waiting for you.” Cree said, eyes focused on the road as they neared their destination.

Raheem’s grin grew wider. “Bet! I’ll help Grandpa with the plants.”

Cree laughed softly. “You just like getting dirty in that garden.” She quipped, cutting her eyes at him.

Raheem shrugged his little shoulders nonchalantly, innocently picking at the beads having off his backpack. “It’s fun, Mama Cree.”

“There is nothing fun about playing in dirty with worms and bugs, Raheem.”

“You don’t get it.” The small boy softly groaned. “You don’t even like getting flowers.” He stated, causing Cree’s head to snap back at him with her mouth slightly agape. “That is not true!” She said as she looked back at the road. “I just think they should stay in the ground so they can live longer.” She stated. It was silent for a moment then, causing Cree to look into the rear view mirror to see Raheem giving her a deadpan look. She furrowed her brows at him. “Girls like flowers in the movies.” He stated.

“Well, I’m not those girls in the movies.” Cree mocking grinned at him. “Now stop it, I can feel you judging.”

They arrived at her grandparents’ home a short while later, the familiar sight of the old house nestled on the edge of town bringing a sense of calm to Cree’s shoulders. The garden out front was in full bloom, vibrant colors of flowers and greenery surrounding the porch, and the scent of fresh soil filled the air. Cree parked, and Raheem was out of the car before she even turned off the engine.

“I’ll race you to the door!” He shouted, already sprinting up the steps. Cree’s face dropped in surprise, briefly pausing her movements of coming out of her own seatbelt. “Uh! You unbuckled your own seatbelt?” She called out to him, but Raheem payed her no mind. She sighed in defeat. “Slow down, lil boy!” She called after him, sliding laughing as she got out of the car and locked it behind her.

When she walked inside, she was greeted by the usual warmth of the house—faded but comfortable furniture, creek wallpaper that had now aged into a yellowish tent in the sunlight leaking through, the scent of fresh bread baking in the oven, and the soft murmur of her grandmother humming in the kitchen.

“There’s my favorite grand baby!” Her grandma’s voice called out from the kitchen, followed by the sound of her moving around pots and pans as she washed the dishes. Cree’s face slightly scrunched at her grandmothers words, thinking of her sister who was the woman’s other grandchild, but she still held a small smile at the woman. “Don’t say that, granny.” She mumbled, a twinge of guilt piling though her veins sharply as she stepped into the kitchen, her arms out slightly as she walked over and hugged the older woman from the side.

“Oh, hush!” Grace-Anne said, waving the girl off as she dried her hands.

Cree smiled. “You know your real favorite has probably already found Grandpa out back, right?” She said, moving back to lean against the banister of the kitchen entrance, watching Grace-Anne move around the space she seemed to never leave.

Her grandmother’s face lit up. “Ah, I figured. He’s just like his grandmother—always getting his hands dirty.” She said, letting out a small sigh afterwards. “You hungry? I just made some yams and cornbread to go with these neckbones.”

Cree’s stomach rumbled at the mention of it, and she smacked her lips before lauging. “You know I am.”

“Oh I know.” The older woman choked as she moved to fix her granddaughter a plate. “You need some meat on them arms, because it seems that all ya food goes to that behind of yours.” She said, her back to the younger woman. Cree frowned. “Uh, Granny—.” She started before turning her upper body to look down at her bottom with slightly pouted lip. But Grace-Anne continued.

“Or, you could start dressing a little sexier, put some effort into how you carry yourself. You a young woman, Cree. You can’t spend the rest of your days dressing like somebody’s gay uncle and expect a good man to just fall in your lap.”Cree groaned at that, running a hand down her face as she turned to take a seat at the dining table behind her. “Granny, no, I’m not about to do this with you.”

“And why not?” Grace-Anne asked as she walked out a little later, a hot plate of food in her hands. “I need to start seeing some grand babies out of you too.” She said, sitting the plate in front of the girl. “Raheem needs some siblings.”

Cree scoffed, taking the plate as her grandmother sat across from her. “Cousins.” She corrected firmly. “And I don’t know about all that right now.” She sighed, waving the conversation off with her fork before scooping up some yams. “I’d have to find a good man first—one I actually like, who’s respectable, and all that.”

“You can find you someone. You Foster blood, girl, you ain’t ugly.” Grace-Anne stated as she took a seat on the other side of the table, adjacent to the woman.

Cree snorted. “Well, damn. Thanks, Granny.”

“I’m just sayin’. You just need to get out of that damn house and go somewhere besides work,” Grace-Anne continued, leaning back in her chair with a knowing look. “What happened to that one boy you was seein’? What’s his name? Jason? Jaylen?”

Cree nearly choked on her food. “Jarod? Oh, no. That was ages ago, Granny.” She shook her head, stabbing her fork into her greens. “And besides, he was boring. Thought he was deep just ‘cause he listened to jazz and had a record player.”

Grace-Anne hummed. “Ain’t nothing wrong with jazz, but I see what you mean. Still, you got too much going for you to be spending your nights alone, Cree. There’s someone out there for my precious baby and if I have to find them, I will.”

Cree rolled her eyes, but deep down, she knew her grandmother meant well. It wasn’t that she didn’t want love—she just wasn’t sure if it had time for her. Between raising Raheem, working, and making sure her life stayed steady, dating always felt like something she’d worry about later. It all felt like too much of a chore to put on any man that comes into her life, she didn’t want to be a burden to anyone. But she also needed time to herself, right?

Before she could respond, the sound of the front door opening cut through the warm quiet of the house.

The easygoing atmosphere stiffened.

Cree’s chewing slowed as the sound of heels clicking against the wooden floor echoed through the home. Her grandmother’s expression remained neutral, but she could tell by the slight pause in her movements that she’d noticed, too.

And then, a voice Cree hadn’t heard in a while spoke up, smooth and knowing.

“Well, well. Ain’t this cozy.”

Cree exhaled through her nose, setting her fork down with a soft clink. She didn’t even need to turn around to know who it was. The air in the house turned thick the moment Karmen’s voice rang through the walls.

Cree’s breath caught for a split second before she turned toward the doorway. And there she was—Karmen, standing with a hand on her hip, her weight shifted to one side like she owned the place. She was thinner than Cree remembered, but not as bad as before. Her skin had some color again, and the wild, restless energy that used to flicker in her eyes had settled into something more controlled.

She looked… better. Or at least, she was trying to. Cree had seen this before.

“Karmen,” Grace-Anne said, setting her hands on her hips. Her voice was even, but her eyes were sharp.

Karmen grinned, like she shift the tension in the room. “Granny.” She greeted before turning her attention to her sister. “Cee.”

Cree let out a breath through her nose, setting her fork down. “Wassup, Karmen. I didn’t know you were back in town.” She said with a soft smile.

Karmen shrugged, stepping further in. “I live here, Cree. You’d know that if you came to visit from New York more often.” She spat through a forced grin. “And I didn’t know I needed to check in.”

Cree bit back a sigh, rolling her shoulders. She wasn’t about to get into this right now. Not here. Not with Granny watching. “You eat yet?” She asked instead, turning away from her sister and nodding toward the food on the stove.

Karmen’s brows lifted slightly, surprised by the offer. “Nah.”

“Go on, then.” Cree gestured toward the plates. “Ain’t like you to turn down a meal.” She beer once saw the look Karmen was giving her, eyes focused on the food she no longer had the appetite for.

For a moment, Karmen just looked at the side of her head, as if waiting for some kind of catch. Then, with a small scoff, she moved toward the counter, grabbing a plate. “Damn, Cee, I almost forgot—you always wanted to be the nice one.”

Cree ignored the edge in her tone with pursed lips, eye glancing up and watching as Karmen loaded her plate with the same careful precision she always had. Like food was something she had to take before it was gone. Some things never changed. Karmen sat across from her, digging into her food without hesitation. She ate like she hadn’t had a home-cooked meal in months, which was probably the case. For a little while, the only sound in the room was the clinking of silverware.

Then, without looking up, Karmen spoke.

“Raheem here?”

Cree felt it before she could stop it—the way her body tensed, the way her fingers twitched against the table. Karmen caught it, her chewing slowing slightly.

“He’s outside,” Cree said carefully. “With Grandpa.”

Karmen nodded slowly, setting her fork down. “I wanna see him.”

Cree inhaled deeply, willing herself to stay calm. “Karmen…”She had to pause, her mouth slightly page as she tried keeping her face neutral. “We’ll see.” She stated.

Karmen’s lips pressed into a thin line. “We’ll see?” She repeated, venom laced within her tone. She then scoffed. “I just wanna see him, I won’t cause no problems.”

“You know how this goes, Karmen.”

“No, I don’t think I do.” Karmen leaned forward slightly, her voice quieter but sharper now. “Last I checked, he’s my son.”

Cree looked up at that, studying her carefully, searching for the usual lie, the manipulation, the cracks in her story. She didn’t trust this. She didn’t trust her. Cree clenched her jaw. “And last I checked, I’m the one who’s raising him.” She added.

Karmen exhaled through her nose, shaking her head. “I ain’t about to do this with you.”

“Do what?” Cree challenged. “Be held accountable? Cause I don’t feel like doing that either.”

Karmen’s eyes flashed, and just like that, the air in the room shifted. Grace-Anne stiffened, watching closely, but she didn’t interrupt the grown women.

Karmen laughed under her breath, but there was no humor in it. “You always loved playing mother, huh? Always loved stepping in, making yourself the damn hero.”

Cree’s expression remained steady, but inside, something twisted. She’d heard this all before. The same bullshit she knew her sister was about to spew wasn’t anything new. Karmen always thought she had to be the villain for Cree to play the hero, like they weren’t all just doing what needed to be done. Like they haven’t been purely surviving since the death of parents they both shared. Like Cree wanted any of this.

She exhaled sharply, sitting back in her chair. “Somebody had to.” Her voice was cold, but her eyes were still down cast to the abandoned plate and as she twisted the silverware in her hands.

Karmen’s jaw flexed, her grip tightening around her fork. “You act like I was never there for him.”

“You weren’t,” Cree said bluntly before she could even think about it, the older woman’s words evoking a rage she only felt in the studio hours before.

Karmen scoffed. “You think I wanted to leave him? You think I just chose to let you take him?”

Cree eye snapped over to her sister and tilted her head, eyes narrowing. “You act like I stole him, Karmen. Like I came in the dead of night and ripped him out of your arms. But that’s not what happened.” She pointed toward the back door. “That little boy out there was a hungry, scared, and confused baby. Damn near an infant. He needed somebody. And I stepped up because you couldn’t.”

Karmen flinched. Just barely, but Cree caught it. She sighed, softer this time. “I don’t doubt that you love him. I know you do. But love ain’t enough, Karmen. It never has been.”

Karmen’s eyes burned as she stared at her sister. “You don’t think I know that?” Her voice cracked, and for the first time since she walked through the door, the anger in her face wavered.

For a fleeting moment, Cree saw her sister—the real her. The one who used to sneak into her bed at night when she was little. The one who used to hold Raheem tight even when she had nothing left to give.

Then, just as quickly, it was gone.

Karmen sucked in a breath, rolling her shoulders back. “I just wanna see my son, Cleopatra.” She stated, her eyes trained on her younger sister across the table.

Cree just swallowed. She wanted to believe her sister, she did. She wanted to trust that Karmen wouldn’t break that boy’s heart all over again. In a way that would only confuse his innocent mind. But she couldn’t believe the woman. The woman’s that broken every promise she’s given since Cree could remember. Not yet.

“We’ll see.” She repeated, firmer this time.

Karmen’s jaw tightened, and she pushed her plate away. “Yeah. That’s what I thought.”

She stood, her chair scraping against the floor. Cree didn’t move, just watched as her sister left the room, tension still thick in the air.

Grace-Anne sighed, shaking her head as she began clearing the plates. “Lord, give me strength,” she muttered under her breath. Cree stayed seated, her chest feeling heavy. She ran a hand down her face, exhaling, mind clouded with Raheem, Karmen, and her job that she was supposed to be fixed on in order to make a living.

Thing between her and Karmen have always been complicated, but it seemed that Cree taking care of her sisters baby as a favor so that the woman didn’t have to battle addiction while trying to be a good single mother, wasn’t quite the favor it Karmen. And Cree was never sure if the drugs were ding the talking or what, but she dreaded every moment with the girl now, Alana’s on edge that Raheem could run in and see a sight she’d have trouble explaining. She’s only had to do that once, and she doesn’t plan on having to do it any time soon.

She began scratching at her neck, blinking to snap herself it if the quiet atmosphere she put herself into with her zoned out silence.

One moment with her sister and she needed a fifth of tequila, asap.

Soon, Raheem came running back inside, his face flushed and eyes shining with excitement. “Grandpa showed me the new plants he got,” Raheem said, almost breathless from running. “He got a cactus, some azaleas, which are poisonous and a Venus fly trap, which eats bugs! and I wanna help him plant the new rosebushes next time!” He said, shaking onto Cree’s arm. The woman sat up in her seat, looking down at the small boy with a fond look in her eyes, the moments from earlier easing away for now.

“Woah, slow down, champ, you’ll do it soon.” She said. “You know Pawp wouldn’t do it without you.”Cree said with a smile, running a hand over his braided hair. “But you know what I would do without you?” She asked, leaning in a bit as if to whisper a secret. Raheem leaned in as well, his big eye curious as ever. Cree grinned. “Eat peach cobbler!” She grinned before standing up and rushing into the kitchen. Raheem’s face lit up, and he bolted after her, cheers of excitement and laughs coming from him as he tried to beat his aunt from the plate his grandmother was now fixing.

Their grandfather passed by with kitchen with a smile on his face, looking at the duo around his wife.

Cree lingered a moment longer in the kitchen, savoring the feeling of peace that came from being here. It had always been a sanctuary for her—a place where she could just be herself, where no one expected anything of her but to enjoy the time with the people she loved most. After eating desert, Raheem and Pawp here in the couch watching Wheel of Fortune while Cree leaned against the kitchen counter, arms crossed as she watched Grace-Anne hum softly to herself while string her food away. The older woman didn’t need to ask what was on her mind—she’d known Cree long enough to sense when something was brewing.

“Spit it out, girl,” Grace-Anne finally said, not looking up at her. Cree let out a small exhale through her nose, hesitating for only a second before speaking. “You think you could watch Raheem tonight?” She asked softly.

Grace-Anne did look up at that, brows raising slightly in surprise. “It’s Friday.” Cree was quick to add at the woman’s silence, rubbing the back of her neck. “And I was thinking maybe you were right. Maybe I do need to get out more.” She stated with a small shrug.

Grace-Anne smirked knowingly. “Mmhmm.” She hummed as she closed the lid in the leftovers. “And where exactly you plannin’ to go, miss thang? You got some plans?” She questioned, a small smirk in her face. Cree huffed out a small laugh, shaking her head. “Not really. Just…out. Maybe a drink, some music. Nothing crazy.” She shrugged.

Grace-Anne tilted her head, studying her. “You goin’ with anybody?” She addled hopefully.

Cree hesitated, giving her groans a certain look before letting out a small laugh. “Nah. I ain’t really got no friends here yet.” She said it casually, but there was an undeniable weight to the words. “Ones I trust, you know.” She said, her voice dropping place as her eyes sifted from her grandmother’s empathetic gaze.

Grace-Anne tsked, waving her off. “Chile, you won’t make none sittin’ up in this house every night. Go on. I got Raheem. We’ll make some popcorn, put on one of them Marvel movies he loves so much.”

Cree smiled, relief washing over her. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me. Thank yourself for finally listenin’ to some sense.”Cree rolled her eyes but chuckled. She explained the situation to the men on the couch, getting only a small pout from Raheem before he accepted it and she gave them both a kiss on the forehead before heading out the door to go get ready.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

The city pulsed with life, a steady rhythm of music, neon lights, and the humid breeze rolling off the ocean. Cree hadn’t been out in forever—not like this. It felt weird, being out alone, but she was determined to enjoy herself.

She ended up at a spot called Miami Midnight’s, a lounge that wasn’t too packed but had just enough energy to make her feel like she belonged there. Her outfit was simple, as wore sequin leopard print short-shorts and a blank Loewe tank top the fit her tight. Her clutch matched her pants and she had on a pair of leather stiletto boots. Her shining jewelry seemed to be the staple pieces in her outfit since it drew the most attention as she walked around the club.

But Cree had only been in Miami Midnights for about fifteen minutes, and already, she felt out of place. The music was good, the energy high, but being alone in a packed club wasn’t exactly her comfort zone. It made her feel more lonely than she was outside of the club. Everyone was there with somebody else, either a friend or their boo.

She nursed a drink at the bar, absently watching couples sway to the slow, bass-heavy music for a while before she found herself making a beeline for the bathroom, needing a second to collect herself.

Inside, the music was muffled, the air cooler, and she let out a slow breath as she approached the mirror. She stared at herself, her eyes smirking over every aspect of her outfit to see if there was a problem. Besides that fact that she hated the outfit after leaving the house. She felt underdressed in two forms, that she didn’t have on enough clothing and that her outfit was flashy enough for a Miami club. And she couldn’t tell if the stairs she got when she exited the car were confirming her thoughts or because she was a celebrity.

She just let out a sigh, closing her eyes briefly as she collected herself, because if she didn’t, she was just going to indulge in her urges and just flat out leave.

Just as she reached for the lip gloss inside her small purse, she caught movement beside her.

“I know you not in here hiding.”

Cree glanced over and saw two women watching her, one with a head full of soft curls and warm brown skin, the other with thick honey-blonde braids that cascaded down her back. They both exuded confidence, the type of women who owned whatever room they walked into.

Cree smirked a little. “I ain’t hiding.” She said, trying to hide her obvious lie. She was sure of hiding, this has been her third trip to the bathroom to reapply makeup or over analyze her outfit.

The curly-haired one lifted a brow. “Then what you doin’? ‘Cause you don’t look like you about to fix your makeup. Not to sound like no stalker or nothin’ but our booth right by the bathroom and this about to third time running in here. You look like you tryin’ to talk yourself out of somethin’.”

Cree exhaled a small laugh, shaking her head. “It’s my first time out in a minute. Gotta get my mind right.” There was no use in trying to hide it anymore, she had been caught. But that doesn’t mean she still was a little embarrassed and ashamed.

The blonde one hummed in understanding, then gave her a once-over. “Well, you damn sure dressed like you belong here. Boots, lil ass shirts with the booty coming out a bit, the whole I-don’t-gotta-try-too-hard-but-I-still-look-good vibe.” She explored, waving her hand up and down the girls figure. “I like it.” She shrugged as she smacked her gum.

Cree chuckled. “Appreciate it.”

The one with curls grinned. “I’m Alesia, by the way. This is Nelly.” Nelly lifted her cup in greeting.

“And we,” Alesia continued, “Are about to have a damn good time. So, if you tryna sit in a corner all night, don’t. You should roll with us, girl.”

Cree hesitated, she then quirked a brow. “You brought your cup in the bathroom?” She asked curiously.

Nelly jerked her head back at that, looking after up and down. “You must not be from here? Cause these hoes are thirsty and broke, and I paid my for bottle.” She said, hiding her other hand up to show the large bottle she had, the cap on it. Cree just let out a small laugh and then nodded. She hadn’t planned on meeting anyone tonight, especially women. Had fully prepared for an awkward solo night out and the occasional rejection of a man that was obviously drunk. But Alesia and Nelly were hot, fun, and honestly? She could use the company.

She shrugged. “Why the hell not?” She said.

Nelly grinned. “That’s what the fuck I’m talking about!” She grinned as she made her way over to the door. “Let’s go, bitch!”

And just like that, the night felt a little less lonely.

After leaving the bathroom, Alesia and Nelly wasted no time pulling Cree back onto the dance floor. By now, the club was packed, the air thick with heat and bass, bodies moving in sync with the heavy rhythm of the music. After a few more rounds of dancing, Alesia fanned herself dramatically. “Okay, I need a breather before I pass out on this damn floor.”

Cree, still feeling the heat from the crowd, nodded. “Y’all got a section or something?” This caused both women to look over at her, judgement closing their features at what they thought was a slick shot.

Nelly scoffed. “Girl, do we look like we got a section?”

Cree simple gave them a small grin. “Well, I do.” She said, seeing their expressions and not wanting to wrested the situation.

Alesia’s eyes widened. “Huh?”

“I mean, it’s just me over there,” Cree said casually, pointing toward the fairly empty VIP section she had reserved near the side of the club. “Y’all can come sit if you want.”

Alesia and Nelly exchanged looks, then immediately hooked their arms through Cree’s.

“Oh, we love you,” Nelly gushed as they let her lead them away from the bathroom’s crowded entryway.

As they got closer, Alesia’s jaw nearly hit the floor. The two sections next to Cree’s were packed—celebrities, athletes, influencers, and groupies all mingling in an effortless display of wealth and status.

“Oh, we really love you,” Nelly whispered, barely containing her excitement.

Cree just chuckled. She hadn’t thought much of it when she booked her section. She had just wanted somewhere to sit and vibe without getting bumped into all night. But now, watching Alesia and Nelly practically vibrating with excitement, she realized how much of a moment this probably was for them.

And to be fair, she wasn’t immune either. She recognized a couple of online stars from viral videos and a rapper she had written for before.

Alesia nudged Nelly. “Bitch! Is that Taylen and ‘nem.”

Nelly gasped. “Mitch, ain’t no way.”

Before Cree knew it, the two of them were off, confidently introducing themselves to people, making connections like they had belonged in these spaces their whole lives. Cree let them have their fun, amused at how quickly they adapted. She, on the other hand, wasn’t much of a mingler.

That was until where them girls at started playing and Nelly and Alesia popped out of nowhere and dragged her back to the center of the dance floor before she could even relax.

Cree barely had time to take a sip from the water bottles left for them before she felt hands latch onto her arms. “Uh-uh, girl, come on!” Nelly’s voice rang in her ear.

Alesia was on her other side, grinning as she pulled Cree toward the dance floor. “You thought you was about to sit this one out? No ma’am!”

Cree barely had time to protest before she was being dragged back into the thick of it. Where Them Girls At was blasting through the speakers, and the energy on the dance floor was electric. Nelly and Alesia wasted no time getting into it, hair flipping, hips swaying, and booty shaking to the beat like they had something to prove. Cree, laughing despite herself, let the music pull her in.

It was impossible not to move when the whole crowd was vibrating with the same energy. Everyone was clapping along with the beat, hyping up their twerking friends and just acting a fool. Hands lifted in the air, bodies moved in sync, and the bass rattled in her chest, and Cree was doing the same in her little leopard shorts. Alesia and Nelly screamed as the girl danced in them in her shirts, until she rose and faced them with a knowing smirk. “Look at you! Having fun and shit.” Alesia grinned.

Cree rolled her eyes but couldn’t deny that she was feeling it now. The nerves from earlier had melted away, and for the first time in a while, she let herself get lost in the moment.

Alesia, full of energy, grabbed Cree and Nelly’s wrist. “We takin’ a shot.”

Cree smirked. “We?”

“Yes, we. You out with us now, which means you drinking with us.”

Nelly flagged down one of the servers as they made their way over to the bar, that carrying a tray of drinks and about to go serve someone. “Three tequila shots.” She demanded, and the man only looked over at the other bartender that gave a simple nod before she began mixing.

Cree lifted a brow. “Oh, y’all don’t play.” She said, watching as the shits were handing over to them.

“We really don’t,” Nelly confirmed as she handed her a shot. “And if we see you babysittin’ it, we pressin’ you.”

Cree chuckled, but as soon as they counted down—“One, two, three!”—She threw the shot back with them, the burn spreading down her throat.

Alesia cheered. “Okayyy, we got us a soldier!” Cree laughed, shaking her head, but she had to admit—it felt good to let loose.

They made their way back to the dance floor and danced for a while. Alesia dragged them both onto the center of the floor when a City Girls song dropped, all three of them rapping along like they’d known each other for years. The three of them hyped each other up over their outfits, Nelly dramatically pretending to faint at Cree’s red bottom boots. At some point, Nelly managed to get the DJ to play a Caribbean set, and Alesia whined her waist so effortlessly that a small circle formed around them.

Cree was so caught up in the fun that she didn’t even realize when a certain song started playing. It was her song, Broken Clocks. A song she wasn’t quite sure was being playing in the club, but when she looked around, it was obvious that this was for a different type of bumping and grinding. A few couples around her started moving closer, bodies pressed together in a slow grind, that the shift in vibe became obvious.

Cree bit her lip, suddenly aware of the fact that she didn’t have anyone to dance with. Alesia and Nelly immediately found some men to dance with, caught in the song’s sultry rhythm. But Cree? She suddenly felt the weight of the moment. She wasn’t drunk enough to forget that she was alone tonight. She wasn’t comfortable enough to grab some stranger and dance on him.

Before she could think too much about it, she slipped off toward the bar, giving her new friends a small wave as they got swept up in the moment with some men from the section they met earlier.

That’s when Alesia and Nelly, mid-dance, finally clocked who she was.

She nursed a drink at the bar, absently watching couples sway to the slow, bass-heavy music.

“You out here lookin’ lonely, Miss Cree.”

That voice.

She turned, already knowing who it was before she even laid eyes on him.

Lamont.

Her stomach did a weird little flip, and she immediately scolded herself for it. Of all the people to run into—again.

First at the studio, then at Raheem’s school, then the studio again only hours prior, and now here? Either Miami was way too small, or something was up.

Cree raised a brow, taking a slow sip of her drink.

“Are you stalking me?” She asked, jokingly but the question did have some seriousness to it if she started showing those signs. “If you’re honest I won’t call the police.” She grinned.

Lamont chuckled, shaking his head as he leaned against the bar beside her. “Nah, you got it twisted. You the one following me.”

Cree let out a scoff, turning fully toward him. “Oh, boy please.”

“I’m just sayin’.” He said, smirking as he gestured around the club. “I was here first. You popped up after me. Same thing at the studio. Twice.” I sensing a pattern with you, Cree.” He said with a sultry grin, it taking his eyes off her and be brought his drink to his lips.

Cree tilted her head, pretending to consider. “Okay, fair point or whatever. I’ll take your world for it.” She said, getting a soft scoffed out of him that made her grin a little. “But what about the school?” She questioned with a tilt of her head.

Lamont paused for half a second, staring at her, before shrugging. “That one don’t count.”

“Oh, it don’t?” She asked raised a brow.

“Nah,” He said, still smirking. “That was a coincidence. Just like this one.”

Cree narrowed her eyes at him, but there was no real suspicion behind it. More like curiosity. He was too calm, too at ease—like he found all of this amusing. And maybe it was a little funny. Because why did she keep running into this man? Him of all the pole in Miami. At the stupid it made scene, they were both there don’t work, she assumed. But now the club? On the same night. It was a Friday night but still.

And it wasn’t like she minded the view—Lamont cleaned up real nice. Black tee, fitted just right over his arms, gold chains catching the dim club lights just enough to draw attention. And those big brown eyes that were set with low lids. He was sexy as fuck.

“You out here lookin’ like you own the place, a little, Lamont.” Cree added.

Lamont smirked, leaning against the bar and trying not to think about his name coming from her lips again. “I don’t. But I know the owner.” He glanced at her outfit, his eyes lingering for a second longer than necessary before meeting hers again. “Didn’t take you for a nightlife kinda woman.”

Cree shrugged. “I ain’t. Just needed a break.”

“From what?”

She studied him for a moment. “Life.” She stated.

Lamont nodded with a small hum, like he understood that better than most.

Cree took another slow sip of her drink. “Now, since we’re apparently tied together by fate or whatever, you buying my next one?” She asked, holding up her now empty glass.

Lamont chuckled, lifting a hand to flag down the bartender. “Yeah, I got you.”

Cree smirked, shaking her head. “That easy, huh?” She questioned with a small squint.

“What can I say?” He shrugged, eyes flickering over her before meeting her gaze again. “You do look good tonight.”

She wasn’t about to let him see how much that affected her. Instead, she rolled her eyes, but the small smile on her lips gave her away, and she just prayed that the dim lights didn’t show her brown skin getting hot.

“Yeah, yeah. Just don’t start actin’ like you my shadow after this.” Cree quipped.

“No promises.” He said, his smirk deepening. “You know, tried together by fate and whatever.” He repeated with a shrug, causing Cree to let out a genuine laugh. He paused, watching as the beautiful woman in-front of him giggled, his eyes drifting over her figure one last time. He gestured toward the dance floor once she looked up at him. “If you tryna forget life for a minute, I could help with that.”

Cree exhaled through her nose, a small smirk tugging at her lips. “You tryna dance with me, Lamont?” She asked, looking him in the eye.

“I’m tryna see if you still move like you got somethin’ to prove.” He smirked. “I saw a lil bit of you out there.” He stated, causing Cree to let out a small groan, although the thought of him watching her throw ass did do something to her a little. She set her glass down, tilting her head. “You ain’t ready for that.”

Lamont’s smirk widened as he extended his hand. “Try me.”Cree glanced at his outstretched hand, then back up at him. He looked confident—too confident—but she wasn’t about to back down now.

You say you got a girl

Yeah, how you want me?

How you want me when you got a girl?

Cree slid her hand into his, feeling the warmth of his palm as moved in front of her to lead her toward the dance floor. The bass thumped through her chest, the crowd thick with bodies moving to the slow, hypnotic rhythm of the music. The song pulsed through the speakers, Cree barely registered that it was her own song playing, the familiar lyrics to The Weekend drowning out as she watched his back muscles contort under his shirt, his black breads swaying as he moved.

She was too caught up.

Hangin' out the back, all up in your lap

Like is you comin' home? Is you out with her?

Lamont didn’t hesitate—he slowly turned her around, his hands finding her waist like it was second nature.

Cree smirked, pressing back against him just slightly, testing him. His grip tightened just enough to let her know he could handle whatever she threw at him.

She was too caught up.

Too caught up in the heat of Lamont’s body pressed against hers, the way his hands rested firm but respectful on her waist. Too caught up in the way he moved with her like he already knew her rhythm, like this wasn’t the first time their bodies had been this close.

“Go ‘head.” He murmured near her ear, his voice low and tempting. “Show me what I’m not ready for.”

Cree exhaled sharply, rolling her hips to the beat. She didn’t even think—her body just moved, finding the rhythm easily. Lamont matched her pace effortlessly, his body solid and warm behind hers.

I don't care long as you here by 10:30, no later than

Drop them drawers, give me what I want

For a moment, she forgot she had come here alone. Forgot that she had been sipping her drink at the bar, wondering if this night would even be worth it.

Because right now, with Lamont’s hands on her waist and his body moving in sync with hers, she wasn’t thinking about anything except the music, the heat, the way he felt pressed up against her.

She rolled her hips slow, letting the bass guide her, feeling the weight of his presence behind her. His grip on her tightened just a little, enough to send a spark of something down her spine. Lamont dipped his head, his lips close enough to brush against her ear. “You always dance like this?”

Cree smirked, turning her head slightly but not enough to meet his gaze. “Only when I got somethin’ to prove.”

Lamont let out a quiet chuckle, his fingers flexing against her hips. “Damn.” He murmured. “Guess I see why fate keep throwin’ us together.”

Cree didn’t respond—she just kept moving, letting the music take over. Before the song could end, she felt the buzz from her few drinks getting to her. Cree turned in his hold, their bodies still moving together, and met his gaze fully for the first time since they started dancing.

“You like this song?” She asked, tilting her head slightly as she moved her arms you to his shoulders.

Lamont hummed, his fingers flexing on her waist. “I like the way you movin’ to it.” He smirked, causing her to let out a small laugh while he licked his lips. “But yeah, I like this song.” He said. Cree bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling too much, but she knew he saw right through her.

The song’s beat throbbed between them, thick with tension. And for once, she wasn’t thinking about being alone, wasn’t overanalyzing the fact that she kept running into this man.

The song shifts, transitioning into something a little faster, something that would make staying in his arms feel like a choice rather than just the rhythm guiding them. Cree exhales, rolling her shoulders back slightly. This was enough. She thought.

Lamont must sense it too because his grip loosens just a fraction, his hands sliding back down to her waist in a way that feels more like a question than a demand. “You tappin’ out on me?” His voice was low and teasing with a tilt of his head, but there was something else there too. Cree felt her stomach drop at the phrase he used, and felt a part of her pulse at the thought of it being said in another phrase.

That tequila shot must really be getting to her.

Cree smirks, slipping her hands from his shoulders.“Just taking a break.” She said softly, dragging her fingers down and grazing his hard chest.

Lamont watched her for a second, then gave a slow nod, his smirk fading into something unreadable. “Come on.” He said, tilting his head toward the exit. “Let me walk you out.”

Cree raised an eyebrow at him, slight amusement dancing across her face. “You assuming I’m leaving?”

Lamont shrugs. “Nah. Just making sure you get to your car safe.”

She could argue, could tell him she’s fine on her own. But instead, she just nods, letting him lead the way as they step off the dance floor.

As they step outside, the night air is cooler, contrasting with the heat inside the club. Cree exhales, feeling the night settle over her as she digs for her keys in her small clutch. Lamont walks beside her, hands in his pockets, watching her with that same unreadable expression. He looked her up and down, taking in her legs that giggled when she walked, her heels hurt the pavement in a rhythmic tune. They make easy conversation, but there’s an unspoken something between them.

When they reach her car, maybe there’s a beat of silence—just the two of them standing there under the streetlights, the bass from the club still faint in the background.

“You good to drive?” He asked, his voice softer now. He looked down at her, about two steps away from the woman who leaned against her driver side door.

Cree smirked, twirling her keys around her finger. “I had two drinks. I’m straight.” She stated.

Lamont nods, but he doesn’t step away just yet. He takes a small step forward, his fingers brushing against hers with the hand that angled by her side. “Guess I’ll be seein’ you around, huh?” He asked, his tone still low and soft. Cree paused for a moment, looking up into his low eyes. She then huffs a quiet laugh, unlocking her door. She turned with him still in her space, hopping into the front seat and rolling her window down all the way. Lamont still stood there, easing closer to lean his weight on her door while they held eye contact. “If fate’s got anything to do with it, I guess so.” She answered him, her voice just as soft.

A half-second passed, and Lamont’s drops to her glossed lips. The air between them shifts as he takes a step closer. But neither of them moves. Not yet. Before Cree could think about it, she felt his rough hand tilt her chin up, his thumb grazing along her jaw as he pressed his lips—warm, deliberate—against her cheek. It wasn’t rushed, wasn’t careless. It was slow enough to mean something. Slow enough that when he pulled away, the ghost of his touch still lingered.

Cree swallowed, her fingers tightening around her keys as she exhaled through her nose.

Lamont smirked slightly, watching her reaction as he backed away from her. “Drive safe, Cree, okay?” His voice was low, smooth, but there was something else beneath it—something that made her grip the steering wheel a little tighter.

Cree blinked, looking up at him. “Okay.” She answered softly, matching his small smile. And she didn’t know if he had her that smitten or if those few drinks were really starting to get to her. He pushed off her door, taking a step back, but his eyes stayed on her. She didn’t break eye contact as she finally started her car, the low hum filling the space between them. Lamont gave her one last look, a knowing smirk playing at the corner of his lips before he stepped back fully, slipping his hands into his pockets.

And as she pulled off, she caught one last glimpse of him in her rearview mirror—still standing there under the club lights, watching her go.

And damn if that didn’t make her stomach flip just a little.

@saturnville @notapradagurl7 @nubiawrites @zillasvilla @slvt4her @saltburnsworld @melaninhawtie @jOysyndrOm3 @moooonluvr @henneseyhoe @blkgirlsneedlove2 @kinginwithbreezy-blog @sheaabuttaababyy @nubiagurllll @inkedbydesire @rosaaverse

[laveens-pearl]

BUNNYMUNDxFEM!Human reader

A.k.a. -The Easter Adventure-

Summary: after falling asleep, reader randomly finds herself waking up in the realm of Easter and it’s grumpy Guardian who’s not at all excited to have a human strolling around three weeks before his favorite holiday

WARNINGS: tiny bit of angst, bigger bit of fluff :33

Find part five here->

Part four

On the night of the same day, you were alone in the cave, quietly humming to yourself. The light breeze of the Spring, something that you grew used to in the Warren by now, warmed your skin and made you just as lightheaded as you felt in your heart.

Tooth, as it turns out, was secretly a fan of fashion (hence her colorful appearance). Therefore, one of the first things she noticed was your pajamas, which were all too worn out after a whole week spent in the nature, mostly doing handiwork.

You in fact did not know she possessed actual magic, or that it had anything to do with creating clothes, so it was enough to say you were surprised when out of nowhere she handed you a whole dress, which was luckily not as colorful as hers, but still a little glittery around the edges.

Truthfully, the first thing it reminded you of was Easter: the flowery patterns hidden along the fabric were like the blooms all around the Warren, and although you normally weren’t a fan of dresses, this one you just couldn’t refuse to try.

You were still humming a melody as you changed out of the old clothes, bending down for something you dropped when you heard a faint clanking sound from the doorway. You shivered, immediately turning around as you grabbed the dress to cover yourself… But you didn’t see anything.

Weird.. Quickly pulling the fabric over your head, you tip toed to the entrance, peeking out into the darkness. You waited for a few seconds, but nothing, that would’ve been out of the ordinary moved to get your attention.

-Hey. Anyone there?-you muttered, trailing off a bit doubtfully when you didn’t get an answer.

You could’ve sworn someone was in there seconds ago, but maybe your mind was just playing tricks with your senses.

-Bunny, is that you?

Him for example you haven’t seen all day, except for the few minutes you spent greeting the lovebirds goodbye, but then he disappeared, mumbling something along the lines of ,,having to check up on the eggs”. That wasn’t unusual, being gone for a whole day on the other hand almost never happened.

You guessed it was just something important though, and didn’t think much about it. After a while you grew bored of just standing around, so you turned back on your heels, and disappeared into the cave, ready to catch up on the night’s sleep you were entirely lacking.

——

The next morning you were greeted with bright and warm sunshine, the perfect day to finally wear the dress you’ve been gifted (and although you were worried it’d get all spotty at first, Tooth reassured you the fabric was stain- and creaseproof ).

You strolled down into the valley, barefoot, still in a sing song mood while you placed two beautiful flowers you noticed discarded on the ground in your hair.

You found Bunny at his usual spot, in the central Valley of the Warren, coordinating a bunch of statues as they hoarded eggs, and checking up on the patterns before he let the troops into the final phase of production.

You watched him for a few beats smiling, as he hopped from one place to another, clearly not being aware of your presence until you actually greeted him with a cheerful expression.

-Hey Bunny.

His ears twitched and he straightened up, turning around. As his eyes fell on you, a dumbstruck smile came over his features.

-Mornin’. Tooth found a new apprentice for her shenanigans I see-he stepped closer, and your face heated a little from the warmth you saw in his eyes-you look beautiful Sweetpea.

-Thanks-you smiled from ear to ear, the excitement bubbling all over your features-it’s unbelievable! How does nobody else know the Tooth fairy’s able to make dresses?

-Probably because she hasn’t done it for anyone else before-he murmured, a bit thoughtful before his smiling eyes trailed back to you-from the outsiders that is.

-Really? Should I feel special then?-you teased, and he tipped his head, grinning a little.

-I’d watch out if I were you to be honest. She’s still new to casting fabric-related spells.

You rolled your eyes, playfully smacking him in the shoulder.

-Jack was right, you do act like an old ass grandpa sometimes.

You didn’t exactly know which part of that sentence was risky.

Maybe the fact you decided to mention Jack, or that you just forgot about Bunny’s actual amount of physical strength, but before you could even blink, he flawlessly pulled you to his side by the waist with a single movement, catching the fast-paced boomerang in his other hand (without even a glance) that flew dangerously close to where you were standing mere seconds ago.

While you let out a faint squeak, eyes widening from surprise he chuckled in a low voice, winking swiftly at you, before placing the object back in his shoulderstraps. -I’m still young enough for a few things, don’t ya think?

You gulped, merely noticing how he held all your weight in one of his arms, or that you were probably cherry red by the time he helped you back on your feet.

-Yeah. I guess so.

He didn’t say anything, but his eyes spoke enough, as he grinned, gesturing for you to follow him.

-C’mon lil one. We’ve still got millions of eggs to paint.

-I am actually an adult you know-you mumbled a little grumpily, but followed him nonetheless.

____

The day flew by fast.

You spent it mostly at your usual spot, thinking about all kinds of patterns to finish up the eggs with, and by the time your stomach reminded you it was actually lunch hour, you realized you’d gone over about a hundred eggs.

There were many things you’d gotten used to around here, but that still surprised you, no matter how many times it happened. Whether it was magic or enthusiasm you never knew, and you supposed you never will.

When another round of low rumbles from your belly came, you finally got around the decision to find something to eat. Just as you straightened up though, a familiar rhythmic thumping sounded behind you and the next moment the huge egg statue appeared on the clearing, turning towards you with it’s smiley face up front.

-Oh hello-you smiled. They didn’t frighten you anymore, but talking to them was something you were still trying to get around-how may I help you?

Bob (a name you decided early on would suit all of them) leaned down a little, stretching it’s hand out in your direction. You stared at it a little dumbfounded for a moment, before you looked back up towards the eyes carved into the stone structure.

-Do you want me to uh.. get up?

However surprising it was, they did actually understand human language, although the communication itself was mainly one-sided. Bob gave you a thumbs up with his other hand, which you assumed probably meant yes, so you quickly gathered your things, and (although a bit hesitantly) climbed up to the improvised seat he offered you.

Bunny’s gonna go crazy if he sees this…

When you were all set, Bob straightened back up and started off towards the valley with loud, but swift movements. You were amazed to find how great of a sight his height provided, and the more the moments passed, the more comfortable you became in your position.

At the next crossroad, your ,,driver” turned towards Bunny’s usual work-spot even though you didn’t say anything, which left you wondering what else was there you didn’t notice until now.

You just couldn’t wait to finally tell Bunny all about this. The eggs, although they were always respectful, didn’t usually listen to anyone besides him, and so this whole experience felt like you weren’t an outsider anymore.

Not to mention the actual air of magic around: being carried by a bewitched statue, that bends to your will, how crazy is that?!

You found the Easter Guardian among a bunch of other statues and the usual hordes of eggs, so he didn’t even notice you in Bob’s hands at first, only when you started waving excitedly towards him.

-Yo Bunny! Look who’s giving me a ride!

He immediately turned around, and decidedly looked the most surprised you’d ever seen him, before a broad grin broke across his features.

-Alright troops, time to reassemble! You-he pointed towards Bob number 71 (you decided to rename him for the moment being), who carried you until now-hand over the lady please. The rest of you, carry on! Report when all of these googies are safely stored in the tunnels.

You had to brace yourself a little as Bob immediately started off towards his superior, crossing the remaining distance with slightly uneven movements.

Bunny waited for you with that broad grin still plastered all over his face, and as the statue lowered itself to let you back on the ground, you jumped straight into his arms, squealing excitedly.

-Sweet Heavens, did you see that?! I was just laying there, ya know, working when out of nowhere he appeared and just offered me a ride! And he knew where to go, like how crazy is that?!

Bunny chuckled, pulling you closer and you nuzzled yourself in the soft fur around his neck.

He smelled of paint, flowers, and maybe a little like freshly fallen rain, and you sighed, gladly sinking into the comfort you felt in his arms.

-That’s amazing Sweetpea. I’m proud of ya-his voice was low, and raspy, and you tried not to think too much about how it made you shiver a little.

-That makes the two of us then-you grinned, as you finally pulled away, and he gently placed you back on the ground-wanna get some lunch?

All he did was nod, as the two of you started off towards the cave, chattering about anything and everything, when a yet unsolved idea crossed your mind.

-Where were you yesterday? Around the evening-you inquired, glancing up at him. He murmured thoughtfully, wondering for a moment before he answered.

-Last minute check-ups ‘round the other end, I think. Why?

-Something really strange happened actually. I was in the cave, checking out the dress from Tooth, and it felt like..-you trailed off, thinking about the right words to say when you notice him suddenly stop as he glanced at you, quirking a brow.

His voice was low when he spoke, and full of a sudden something that you couldn’t exactly pinpoint.

-Like what?

-I don’t know. I could’ve sworn someone was there, just.. watching i guess, but when I went outside to check I didn’t find anything-you mumbled.

There was silence around in the surroundings, that’s probably why you heard the slight difference in his breathing. That wasn’t what caused you to loose your train of thought though.

That same, warm flame flickered in his eyes as he glanced down at you intently. It made you feel like you were out of balance, like everything else in this world lost purpose, only leaving those two, green orbs shining down at you in the way they did now.

You drew in a sharp breath. Your mouth opened slightly, without even realizing. You didn’t know what you were going to say or if anything would’ve happened if you stepped just a little closer. But the mystery was left in the air, as he suddenly averted his eyes, clearing his throat as someone who’s just snapped himself back to reality.

-I uh.. I don’t know. I’ll take a look around though, see if there’s anything strange.

You gulped, still trying to get your heart rate back to normal. What the hell has just happened?

-Yeah, i guess uhm.. you should do that. Absolutely.

He nodded curtly, and started off towards the clearing with a sudden swift to his motions. Something changed, you realized, as you hurried after him, barely managing to catch up.

-Hey, Bunny..-he slowed down a little, glancing back at you, and you managed to blurt out a shy smile-thanks.

He returned it, but something almost hurtful radiated around his features that you wouldn’t recognize, no matter how hard you tried to decipher it.

-Don’t worry Sweetpea. I’m gonna take care of ya.

-Yeah that’s really kind of you, I..-you trailed off, and before you could think about what to finish with, he was already gone between the bushes.

You just stood there, dumbfounded your heart still pounding in your ears and with a slight pang in your chest.

Again. What the hell had just happened?

_____

That night, you just couldn’t sleep.

No matter how you tried, your mind kept drifting back to that moment. Sadly for you, there were several of ,,that”moments, which after a while just became hella overwhelming.

You got out of bed, changing into the first thing that came in view, and a few moments later you were already walking between the dark hills, your bare feet a little cold in the tall grass.

The cool air of the night helped to calm your senses, and your eyes quickly adjusted to the surroundings. You let your mind drift off with the wind, letting your feet take over the course of the journey instead.

That is probably why a few moments later you ended up on one of the tallest hills of the Warren. You glanced around curiously at first, before you noticed a familiar grey shape hunched over a few meters away, just staring into the starry sky.

You sighed, wondering for a few moments whether you should just turn around, and leave whatever this is with him and his thoughts.

The inner argument lasted for a few seconds before your feet just hollered ahead again, and with a thumping heart, you lowered yourself next to Bunny trying to be as silent as possible.

He didn’t turn around. A mere twitch of his ears was enough for you to know he noticed your presence minutes ago, and therefore probably wasn’t too bothered about it.

You sat in silence for a while. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but somehow, felt louder than actually saying anything.

At some point, he just glanced towards you, green eyes analyzing you with unsaid curiosity as he slightly shifted his position to face you entirely.

-Hey-you muttered, slowly breaking a smile that he probably couldn’t see in the dark.

-Hello Sweetpea. What’cha doing up here?

-Couldn’t sleep-you mumbled, thinking for a few beats-what about you?

-I didn’t even try.

Another few moments of silence passed, before you decided to speak up. This time, he didn’t turn around, but you knew he was listening nonetheless. He would’ve heard you even from a 10 meters distance, had it been truly necessary.

-Bunny?

-Mhmm.

-Earlier in the cave.. that was you, wasn’t it?

He merely glanced at you, before he slowly nodded, heaving out a sigh. Right.. You inhaled evenly, thinking for a few moments before you spoke again.

-What did you see?

-I only went there to visit you. And I left before I could actually see anything-he muttered, fiddling a little with his hands.

A few moments of silence stretched between you again. You didn’t know what you wanted to say: you weren’t surprised, but the words still felt lost in your throat.

-Why didn’t you tell me?

-I didn’t wanna scare ya. And it even scared me a little I think.

You glanced at him with eyes a little wider than before.

-Is that why you were acting so… different earlier? Something’s wrong, I can see it.

He stared off into the dark for a few heavy beats before he smiled to himself, slowly shaking his head.

-No Sweetpea. I might have a different reason for that.

You wanted to hear him say it. You wanted to hear it desperately, but your throat was dry, and you felt like you’d go numb any minute.

-Well it’s.. really unsettling to see you like this. I just want to help you, if.. if I can.

Silence settled in the air again.

You were growing more and more anxious in the timespan of mere seconds, and when he didn’t say anything, you supposed he didn’t want any help.

Maybe that also was your cue to just get up and leave, but before you could take a step or even start lifting yourself up from the ground, he suddenly turned towards you, hesitantly stretching out one of his hands as he took yours in his palm.

-Lainey..

-Tell me tough guy-you grinned, shuffling a little closer so you could properly hear him.

-I think I.. something’s happening to me and I don’t know what to do about it-he muttered, averting his eyes as he spoke, while yours became a little wider.

-Can I ask you something?

He glanced up, thinking for a few moments before he slowly nodded. -I’m all ears.

-Just tell me if I’m wrong but.. earlier, when we were walking around the corner…-you huffed out a breath. This felt harder than you had expected.

-Yeah?

-I think I might know a little about what’s happened to you-you finally managed to blurt out, feeling way too sheepish for your liking-and I think I wouldn’t mind if.. you just catch up where you left off. The last time.

You didn’t know which one of you was more surprised. You definitely wouldn’t have expected the courage from yourself to say that out loud, Bunny on the other hand looked a little starstruck as he glanced at you.

-I don’t know if that’s.. if we should do that. Last time I heard you still think you’re in a dream Sweetpea-he muttered, that same sadness coming back to his eyes for a second as he quirked a brow.

-It’s easier than admitting to myself I might be going crazy-you muttered with a heavy sigh-that doesn’t mean I.. want it to be a dream though.

-Don’t worry, you can’t be crazier than you already are-he grinned in a low voice, which became a chuckle when he saw your reaction.

-Go suck an egg rabbit-you groaned, annoyed as you crossed your arms in front of yourself and he leaned a bit closer.

-I’ve been around for two millenials, and you’re the first one who’s ever made me forget about Easter-he whispered, gently tucking a strand of black hair behind your ears, as your mouth slightly opened from the dumbstruck surprise that came over your features- I think I’ll go try it on someone else.

What even..

-Has anyone ever mentioned you should be the Guardian of mixed signals, Bunny?-you mumbled ironically, but didn’t move any further. He chuckled. -I’ll go take it up with North.

Silence came and went before you broke it again.

-But if this is a dream then.. he can’t have much of a complaint about it right?-your voice was small, but the silence coated all your words and you knew he’d heard them.

-This isn’t a dream Lainey-he whispered, probably in the saddest but most sincere you’d ever heard him-but I cannot make you believe that.

-That’s not what I care about anymore-you huffed, placing your hands on his chest as you pushed him back slightly. One can at least mimic the feeling of strength sometimes-Just tell me what you want, in clear words, for once, or I think I’ll actually go crazy.

He pondered for a moment, glancing down at your small hands compared to his much bigger paws before he looked back at you. His voice was dead serious when he spoke.

-Fine. I want to take you back to that cave and find out about everything I haven’t seen yesterday.

You took one big breath. Then another. Your heart pounded in your ears, before you nodded curtly.

-Go on then. I’m not about to stop you tough guy.

All he did was grin devilishly at you. The next moment, you were already on his back, as he scooped you up in one of his arms, and started off into the darkness.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for getting upset at my best friend for calling me a hoarder in passing?

My (29NB) best friend (also 29NB) have been going through major crises lately at the same time—we will call them Sun. So, yesterday, they sent me a text, when we weee talking about how they haven’t wanted to be over at my house for a while, mostly bc they don’t like my partner…although the subject was in discussion bc my partner and I are splitting up, and I will be living alone again in a couple months. At some point in this discussion, they mentioned the more pressing matter that’s caused them not to be over as much is that they are very allergic to one of my cats—but only the one I just adopted a couple years ago, they’ve had no allergy issues w the other one and they love her very much, she is their niece.

However, at one point, they mentioned that a few years ago, when I was using drugs a lot more irresponsibly than usual—to the point where I got injured from falling down the stairs—they had been speaking to my other close friends. Which is appreciated, and I knew about this already obviously since there was an intervention that happened around that time…the way they mentioned this was upsetting. Specifically, they mentioned that “they approached [other friend of mine] about my drug use bc they thought I was becoming a hoarder” and that MAJORLY triggered me—specifically the hoarder comment. The woman who gave birth to me/raised me is a hoarder, which is a well known fact to just about anyone who is close to me irl, especially anyone who’s known her irl, and ESPECIALLY Sun, who worked as her caregiver for quite a while. Also being compared to/told I am just like my abusive egg donor is the thing that will hurt me the most, bc she is the most cruel, manipulative, abusive people I’ve ever had in my life.

So the thing is, my house is indeed very messy…I have too much junk around, and it’s very difficult for me physically to keep anything clean. It’s actually one of the reasons I’m separating from my partner, and as ashamed as I am about it, I understand. However, it’s not a hoarding disorder at all—I don’t hold onto anything I don’t need out of sentimentality, and if I could wave a magic wand and simply get rid of all the extra shit I don’t need/make everything nice and clean, I would. Unfortunately, I am very disabled with too many chronic pain/fatigue conditions, and actually cleaning the house/sorting through shit to get rid of takes immense physical effort. But whenever someone offers to help me, I jump at those opportunities! I take things to be donated all the time (if I’m able to sort through the stuff that needs to go) and it’s entire worlds different than my egg donor refusing to give up several bins of my baby clothes bc she can’t bear to part with them, despite them never seeing use in her possession ever again.

So, I responded to Sun’s mention of a past conversation thinking I’m a hoarder, with offense and saying it hurt me. We had been discussing just downsizing and how we will be going through my stuff as we pack for the new place, and had mentioned that I should make sure to get rid of certain clothing things if they have holes/are worn out/whatever, which to me, sounded like they think I have a hard time throwing clothes away even if they’re not even wearable anymore. With that and the hoarding accusation in mind, I told them I was very hurt by this. I made sure to be respectful and kind yet assertive, but after explaining how this was an unfair assumption/description of me, they got upset and said I should’ve asked for clarification before coming at them.

Now, do me, I wouldn’t have even considered they meant anything other than how I interpreted it, so it would never have even occurred to me to ask for clarification if I’m not even aware there’s a miscommunication. Apparently, the reason they mentioned getting rid of clothes that have been too worn out is an issue they have themselves, but this isn’t anything I was ever aware of, and once again never would’ve thought was referring to anyone but me. They also say they’re aware that it’s my physical difficulties that make cleaning physically painful for me…but honestly, that’s not anywhere near the same as having a hoarding disorder, which is indeed what they’d accused me of.

Of course, I know the both of us overreacted—me, being offended about being accused of being a hoarder (especially since my immense difficulty cleaning the house is part of why I’m separating from my partner and is therefore something I’m incredibly sensitive about right now) and them, being offended that I took what they said wrong and being upset over some things they didn’t actually intend w what they said…but I’m just not sure if maybe I AM in the wrong here, for expressing being hurt by being called a hoarder here, or if I really am making the entire thing a big deal out of nothing.

So, AITA for voicing my offense at being called a hoarder?

What are these acronyms?

[dollesung]

cooking with ricky . . ?!

☆! shen quanrui x gn!reader. fluff. mentions of blood, cuts and injuries. requested.

you’ve been in a relationship with ricky for a while now

but you haven’t had the time to hang out in your apartment with just the two of you

busy with debut preparations, ricky basically had little time for dates

which you understood

so one morning, on a busy day of his, you decided to surprise him

more under the cut.

you woke up earlier than usual, leaving ricky on his own in your shared bedroom

you were planning to surprise him by preparing breakfast before he left for the day

you were already in the kitchen, busy beating eggs while a pot of water was boiling in the stove,

when you felt a pair of arms wrapping themselves around your waist

you nearly jump in surprise, but end up giggling once you feel ricky’s sleepy figure leaning against you

“g’mornin’” he’s mutter, voice still hoarse from slumber

“what’cha making?” he asks, and you respond that you’re making him breakfast

“can i help?” he’d ask, and even though you had some doubts about his cooking skills,

one look with his wide, pleading eyes would make you say yes

i mean who could deny that man anything

so you both spend a good half hour making breakfast

in the messiest way possible

ricky, although helpful, was not the cleanest person when it comes to cooking, you found out

he’d be mixing pancake batter and end up with flour and eggs on his shirt

he was also pretty clumsy

you’d ask him to chop some onions and he’d end up cutting his own finger

“ow.” even though it was just a small, tiny cut, he’d definitely whine and pout about it

“it hurts.” he’d grumble to you. “kiss it better?”

honestly you weren’t even sure if he was a help or a hindrance to you

but you eventually finish cooking and the two of you eat together in the living room

because ricky trashed the kitchen so much it was physically impossible to eat in there anymore

ricky offers to help clean up, but you tell him he doesn’t have to

plus he already has to get ready for practice since he needs to leave soon

he frowns when you say this, his shoulders slouching in sadness

you try to hug him in comfort, but the two of you only end up cuddling on the sofa

“i wanna stay in with you.” he mutters against your neck, whining about how he doesn’t want to go

you have to go remind him that he can’t skip practice, not when they were so close to their debut

and he agrees

so he reluctantly lets you go and starts getting ready to leave

meanwhile you busy yourself with cleaning up the kitchen

when you finish, you find ricky dressed and ready to go in the living room

he leaves you a kiss and a tight hug

“thank you for the breakfast, baby”

he tells you he’ll be in charge for dinner later as compensation for messing up the kitchen

but you tell him not to worry about it

half because you’re worried he’ll burn the apartment if you let him cook on his own

“i’ll just bring home takeout.” he says

you laugh, and he leaves for the day, excited to come back home to you tonight

acehoons © 2023

[cameronspecial]

Thorn In My Side, Rose In My Hand (Part 8)

Pairing: Rafe Cameron x Reader

Warnings: Talks about sex and swearing.

Pronouns: She/Her

Word Count: 3.3K

Summary: First days of school can be unnerving when you are a part of a new couple.

Masterlist

Lazy mornings with Rafe have become Y/N’s favourite. It’s been two weeks since their first date and they are now officially calling themselves girlfriend and boyfriend. School starts today, but since it starts in the afternoon because of orientation for the freshman in the morning, the two could spend the morning tangled in bed together. “Good morning, my rose,” he whispers to her with his lips pressed to her forehead. She scrunches her nose as his morning breath hits her nose, “Eww, Cameron. Morning breath.” He grins at the girl mischievously and starts an attack of kisses all over her face. This causes Y/N to erupt in a fit of giggles. “Ugh, stop it.” She laughs whilst burying her head back into his neck. “I don’t want to go back to school.” Rafe laughs at her complaints, “Wow, I never thought I’d see the day Miss. Valedictorian says she doesn’t like school.” “I’ve never liked school. I just like beating people,” she argues and nuzzles herself further into him. “Come on. It’s 10 now. If we don’t get up, we won’t get up at all. I’ll pay for brunch before we head to school,” he tries to bribe, rolling off of the bed to get ready for school. “I want brunch too, dude,” Mason calls out while he walks past his sister’s open door from the laundry room. Y/N and Rafe chuckle at the boy and finally get out of bed to get ready. 

—— 

The three of them pile into Rafe’s truck to head to the country club for breakfast. Y/N and Rafe sit on the same side of the booth at the restaurant, while Mason is on the other side. This is a shift from how the group used to configure itself before the couple became a thing. Rafe eats his waffles and just watches as Y/N gently nudges her utensils under his arm to cut herself a piece. He doesn’t mind; the whole reason why he ordered it is because she couldn’t figure out if she wanted eggs benedict or waffles. But she doesn’t need to know that he wasn’t planning on ordering it. 

“God, how you guys went from 0 to 100 couple-wise is always going to amaze me. It’s going to be weird seeing this at school,” Mason comments, pointing the fork between the two. Y/N frowns at the words, “Oh, I didn’t think about that. It is going to be a little weird.” Rafe wraps his arms around the girl for reassurance. “It’s okay. If anyone bothers you, I’ll be sure to punch them,” he promises to her. 

“Cameron! Violence will only get you expelled.”

“Okay, I promise to just give them a very stern talking to, my rose.” 

“Yeah, and I’ll punch them after school so I can’t be expelled,” Mason interjects, feeling his protective side come out at the upset look on his sister’s face. Y/N smiles at the two boys and cuddles herself into Rafe’s arms. “What class do you have first?” Y/N questions. Rafe takes out his phone to check, “I have business, then English.” “Dude, I got last period English too. So does Y/N/N. Is it with Mrs. Santos?” Mason informs. “Uhh… Yeah, it’s with Ms. Santos,” Rafe confirms. Y/N beams at this news, “I’m so excited. I heard that she teaches novels only written by women. And that they aren’t only classics, but modern YA books. One of the books we read is Written in Starlight by Isabel Ibañez, which I’m excited about because I read another one of her books and I loved it.” “Well, maybe it can be the book we read for book club. Then you can kill two birds with one stone,” Rafe suggests. “That’s such a good idea, but I don’t have anyone but you in my book club so far, Cameron,” Y/N pouts a little. Mason notices the time, “I’m sure you’ll find more people to join, Y/N/N. But right now, we need to head out or else we are going to be late.”

——

Although Y/N and Rafe are not trying to keep their relationship a secret, only their best friends really know they are dating. They haven’t had any super public dates or a reason to post on social media about their status. Rafe often opted out of going to parties choosing, instead, to stay home with Y/N. So, today is the first time that the students are seeing them as a couple. Y/N had been cold on the car ride over here, so she snuck on Rafe’s school sweater that she stole from him on their first date. Rafe’s last name on her back is obscured by his arm being drapped over her shoulder. Wanting to show off to her, he insisted on carrying both of their backpacks to impress her. 

Kelce approaches the pair with a surprised look on his face, “So this is what you’ve been up to while I’ve been away. Finally got the girl I see.” “Haha, you know it, man. I’ve never been happier. Got the best girl in the OBX as my rose,” Rafe brags, giving Y/N a big smackeroo on her burning cheeks. “Hello, Kelce. Nice to see you too,” Y/N teases at the boy skipping over greetings. Kelce lightly taps her shoulder in a joking manner, “I’m sorry, Mrs. Cameron. Hello to you too. How was your summer?”

“It was good, then there was a little bump in the road. But it ended off on an extremely high note. So I’d say everything worked out as it was supposed to. How about you?”

“It was tight as fuck, man. The cruise was awesome. And I may have been on the water, but I definitely didn’t go through a dry spell if you know what I mean.”

“Eww, too much. Kelce. It’s good you had fun on the cruise though.”

Before the conversation can continue, the bell rings signaling that everyone has five minutes to get to class and seeing as they haven’t even gotten to their lockers yet, the couple has to get going. They say their goodbyes and the three separate from each other to get to their classes. Y/N sits in her first class of the day, drama, alone. She isn’t friends with any of her classmates in this class so the hour and fifteen minutes pass by slowly. The bell finally rings and she makes a mad dash for English class; partly because she actually interacts with people in the class but mostly because she is excited to finally be under the tutelage of Ms. Santos. She has heard great things about the teacher and she gives amazing letters of recommendation. She taught a modern literature course at Oxford and seeing as that’s Y/N’s top choice, it would look amazing to the admissions office. 

She got to class early, not wanting to be slowed down by the people lazily walking to class. She is the first to arrive so she sits in the front row in the middle seat. Rafe makes his way early into the class as well and sees where Y/N has chosen to sit. He isn’t exactly a front-row kind of student, but he wants to sit beside her. She watches him approach her and prepares to uncomfortably sit beside her, “You don’t have to sit beside me, Cameron. Just because we are dating, doesn’t mean we have to be attached by the hip. We can be separated for three hours.” Rafe pouts at her remark, knowing that she is correct. “Okay,” he mumbles in a childlike manner, giving her a peck on the lips before making his way to the back of the class where he normally sits. 

Next to come in is Riley, who chooses to sit right beside Y/N. The grin on Riley’s face as he turns towards Y/N to start a conversation fills Rafe with insecurities. While Y/N is a straight-A student, Rafe had a solid B report card with a few Cs and tutoring sessions sprinkled here and there. This is normally a shock to most people, who expect him to be the stereotypical jock who doesn’t care about his schoolwork. However, Rafe really does try in school. At first, it started out as wanting to make his dad proud, but eventually, he started doing it to make himself proud of what he could achieve by himself. Even though Rafe gets better grades than his other swim mates, without having to cheat, he couldn’t compare to straight-A mathlete Riley, who is third in line for valedictorian in their class. Rafe couldn’t compare to Riley academically wise and this makes him nervous. He couldn’t keep up with Y/N in that way and when he realizes the conversation between Y/N and Riley switched to French, he becomes incredibly jealous. She laughs at the joke Riley makes in French and Rafe wishes he could connect with her on an academic level. 

Rafe wants to stop the conversation between the two, but Mason and Ms. Santos coming in stops Rafe from walking to the front. Mason goes to sit beside Rafe, while Ms. Santos goes to her desk at the front of the class and begins her lesson. 

——

The lesson ends and Rafe leaves Mason behind to push his way to Y/N. His height and reputation help him achieve his goal. Riley is still following her and this peeves Rafe off just a little. Y/N turns towards him with a smile on her face, “Hey, Cam-” She can’t continue because he instantly pulls her in for a mini make-out session in the middle of the hallway. 

The bustle of the hallway pauses to see the new reveal of Y/N and Rafe dating. A mixture of disappointed groans and encouraging hollers fill the hallway which makes the two pull away. “Let’s go to the bookstore. We can get the books for class and you can recommend me a book for the comparative essay we need to do as a final,” Rafe proposes, taking hold of her hand and tugging her towards their lockers to get their stuff to go. Y/N gleams at the idea, “Only if we can read in the hammock when we get back to my place.” Rafe chuckles at her excitement and ignores the stare as people step aside to create a path for them to walk. 

——

Rafe is driving back to Y/N’s house from the bookstore when he hears a screech come from the passenger seat. “STOP THE CAR.” This causes him to panic and slam on the breaks. His hand comes out protectively in front of Y/N so her head wouldn’t hit the dashboard. “Y/N, you can’t scream like that when I’m driving,” he chides, looking over to check if she is okay. She doesn’t reply as she flings the door open and runs towards a small blob on the side of the road. Rafe quickly unbuckles his seatbelt and follows her out of the car. He approaches her and sees what’s in her arms. She turns toward him with a puppy nuzzled close to her chest. From where he is standing, it looks like a gray and black border collie with spots on the gray and electric blue eyes. Rafe knew what she was about to ask for, “No, my rose. I literally just got my car detailed.” “But the poor baby is all alone. What if he gets hurt?” She uses a baby tone and waves the little guy’s paw. “Would your parents even let you keep him?” he questions. 

“If I ask nicely, they will. Especially if he is an orphan all alone on the side of the road. What if he got hit by a car? Could you, in good conscience, drive away knowing that possibility?”

He knew he lost the argument when both the puppy and Y/N give him puppy dog eyes, “Okay, fine. We can put him in my car, but I want you to take him to the vet first to get him checked out and to check for a chip. Wouldn’t want the little guy to give you fleas or something.”

Y/N lets out an excited squeal as she runs over to him to give him a hug, then jumps into the car, cuddling her new friend. Rafe follows her back into the car and changes directions toward the vet clinic. “I’m going to name him Sparky.”

“Yeah, why?” 

“Because his eyes are so blue, it’s almost electric and electricity can make a spark. Plus, he looks like he has a real spark of life in him. He looks energetic.” 

“I can see that, it makes sense.”

——

After a vet visit and a trip to the pet store, Rafe and Y/N return to her house with their spoils of war. Mason comes downstairs to check on them, “Damn, good thing I got a ride from Topper. You guys took forever at the bookstore. Wait, where did that dog come from?” Y/N smiles and puts Sparky down on the ground after closing the front door. “This is Sparky and he is your nephew. Isn’t he cute?” Sparky excitedly runs over to Mason to examine his new environment. “That still doesn’t explain where you got him from. Please tell me you didn’t steal another dog.” Rafe interrupts this time, “That was one time and she was six. But she found Sparky on the side of the road. The vet says he has no chip and is healthy, so your sister wanted to take him home.” 

Mason lets out a small sigh of relief and finally lets himself crouch down to pet the attention-seeking puppy. He doesn’t have to worry about returning Sparky to an angry owner. Sparky immediately rolls over and begs the boy for a belly rub. “I guess he is cute, but I’m not picking up his poop,” Mason confesses while obeying the pup’s wishes. At this time, Marvin and Cassie arrive home to find the newest Y/L/N family member. “Uh-oh, did Y/N/N steal another dog again?” Marvin jokes, approaching the dog with his wife. Y/N feigns offence, “Dad! That was one time!” “And it was adorable. But if he isn’t stolen, where did you get him from?” the twins’ mother asks, giving the dog the attention he wants. Y/N explains the story all over again to her parents, who are more than happy to let the dog stay seeing as they’ve always wanted a dog but never felt a connection with any other dog. Sparky’s excitement causes him to appear to be the perfect match for the family. 

——

The first full day of school is today and Y/N couldn’t wait for this school year to be over. With a full day of classes and her first student council meeting of this year, her day is going to be very busy. Her first period of the day is ancient history, which she, thankfully, has with Lacey, who is surprisingly a fiend for mythology. “I’m so excited for this class. It would be so interesting to learn more about Mayan and Aztec culture. I heard they had an influence on modern Mexican food. I think next summer I should see if I could do a cooking internship down in Mexico. And you should come too. Y/N/N, you would love the beaches there,” Lacey confesses, sitting in front with Y/N. Y/N smiles at the idea, “Ohh, a graduation girl’s trip would be so fun. Although, I’m worried about how Ms. Baker marks. I hear she is extremely strict with how she grades. If she doesn’t like your writing, she will mark the answer wrong.”

“You love a challenge, though. Don’t worry too much about it. We can work together to beat the system.”

“Definitely. We always think better when we put our heads together.” 

“So, did you want to watch a movie tonight?”

“Hmm, maybe. I have studying to catch up on.”

“Oh, come on, Y/N/N. This is the first full day of school. How can you already have stuff to catch up on?”

“Well, I just want to get ahead so that I know I understand everything and don’t have to worry if I fall behind. But I guess we can do a movie night. As long as we watch Knives Out. I’m in the mood for a mystery. You can even sleep over.” 

The plans for tonight are set in stone and the conversation ends when Ms. Baker enters the classroom and begins her lesson.

——

Once ancient history is over, Y/N went to her next class by herself. The bell rings signalling the end of math class. The teen packs her things up and heads towards the cafe, which is just the cafeteria but the school wants to make it sound fancier. She makes a stop to the bathroom before going to her final destination. She is finishing up in the stall when she hears the bathroom door open and the middle of a conversation enters the room as well. “I can’t believe Rafe is actually dating that boring book nerd. I don’t see how she could satisfy his more sexual desires,” a shrill and high-pitched voice, Y/N recognizes as Molly Hudson, notes.  She hears shuffling toward the sink before a lower-pitched voice responds, “I know right? From what you told me about Rafe in bed, I don’t know if that slow innocent little prude could keep up with him.” That voice belongs to Hannah Barns, Molly’s best friend and minion. Y/N has heard enough and she is not just going to pretend like she is not there. 

Y/N bursts out of the bathroom stall; her annoyance evident on her face. “I really don’t think that mine and Rafe’s personal business matter to you guys. Just because our relationship is public; does not mean you have any right to any sort of ownership over us. I know that Rafe hurt you by not talking to you after you guys slept together, but it is no excuse to say things about me behind my back. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go enjoy my lunch.” Y/N walks out of the bathroom without so much as a pause to see what else they had to say. Most people would’ve felt insecure knowing that Molly has slept with her boyfriend; however, Y/N feels very secure in her relationship with Rafe. She knows that he has a long string of girls who have had their hearts broken by him because they expected a relationship and he didn’t. But she knows what he feels for her is actually genuine emotion; she could see it in how he looks at her and treats her ever since they started dating. 

Her scowl has not left her face as she sits down in between Rafe and Mason at the lunch table with Lacey, Topper, and Kelce sitting across from the trio. “Who spoiled your book?” Topper puns, noticing the look on Y/N’s face. Y/N reaches for the lunch tray that Mason procured for her with thanks, “Ugh, just Molly and Hannah being little gossiping hens.” “Seriously? Do you want me to deal with them?” Rafe straightens his back and wraps his arm protectively around her. “Nah, don’t worry about it. I put them in their place. I’m going to have to get used to it anyways. It comes with the territory of dating the Kook Prince of the Outer Banks,” she replies, resting her head on his should with a sigh. 

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