#and I want to be clear I'm not saying that graphically the games have been perfect or can't be improved here and there

[dragontamer05]

I fully support and on board with wanting to see Game Freak/Nintendo expand and improve on the pokemon games. I want them to be able to put out and showcase what the developers can do.

However might be a hot take but I really don't think that means, or has to mean things like Realistic Graphics or Full Voice acting.

If it's for like a one off, spin off/side game type thing Ala- Colosseum, XD, hell even Pokemon Conquest where development of it is it at the very least fully handled by Game Freak themselves then you know what sure. I'd love to see what could be made.

But in terms of the main games themselves Hell No. For one even with change of consoles, going from Pixel to 3D models and all the changes that came with it there's still at least some amount of consistency. Bright popping colours, cute things look cute and cool designs still look cool. Characters are recognizable plus over all the art design is seems to try and balance complex elements (with varying success) while also kinda remaining simplistic which allows for KIDS - their main target demographic although a game that can be enjoyed by anyone- Kids to be able to draw out their favourite characters themselves.

Sure I agree a little more details- and perhaps what might help best being able to get the game to better handle stuff like light and shadows consistently. Whatever can be done to help the games look their best I'm for it. But looking its best I really don't think means needing to go overly detailed/realistic. You change up the games look to much and you're gonna end up losing part of what makes a Pokemon game a POKEMON Game. And then you can bet your ass people would start complaining that 'Yeah it looks great but it doesn't look/feel like a Pokemon game'

Pokemon ain't Zelda, or Monster Hunter or whatever other game you want it to look more like.

To take a page out of Jurrasic Park, All people keeping thinking about is if they could instead of thinking about if they should.

Same goes for voice acting.

Look I enjoy some good voice acting in games, it can be a lot of fun however not every game needs it or should have it.

Animal crossing has it's fun little garbled noises take that away and put in full voice acted lines and I think you'd take away a lot of the games charm.

Zelda has proven it can work with voice acting but it's also long proven itself to work just fine without such. Using not much more then some small character noises- grunts, laughs, sighs ect, and not much more then like a 'Hey' sound for some characters when they're calling to you.

Or Okami. Beloved game without a lick of voice acting and frankly I don't want any. It also works off the Animal Crossing school of little noises- just changed in pitch/speed/volume/ ect to fit the character.

Now I can agree voiced or not the choice of animating characters talking in Pokemon games with out even some kinda of noise is an odd one and if they really want to keep that particular choice up - in particular having those full rendered cut scenes, I'd say at the very least maybe they could implements some sort of extra sounds of some kind or just do something to at the very least distract/take away from and make up for the lack of voice acting.

Besides the fact that fully voice acted games would take all the longer to be released- which sure for the development stand point of like the over all game not a bad idea and the games do deserve more time to cook before being released but that doesn't mean all that extra time would actually get put into / used with developing the game itself.

Not only would they need to at minimum have JP voice actors but then comes the decision of how many languages should they dub it into and what can they afford and then going through having to hire all those vas.

And once again we're back to the simple fact of not being able to please everyone as no doubt at least some people would be bound to fine some problems with voice acting. Not liking how one sounds, nit picking if 'oh the horror' there was a slip up oops maybe there's some lines of dialogue that they couldn't make match lip flaps perfectly or god knows what but you know someone would find something to complain about (whether it be an actual issue or just some personal gripe)

Over all I think when it's situations that are like one off side games with a smaller cast of characters to handle like say Pokemon Snap those are great for voice acting, and just in general sort of an experimentation exploration ground for things that may not work or fit well within one of main line games - it's great that they've been trying to do more with their classic formula of game play, trying to find ways to mix it up a little so the games aren't exact but come on they're always going to hit some of the same beats.

[hippiegoth97]

I Wanna Be Your Lover: Eddie Munson x Reader

Collage by me :)

Master List

Tag List: @keikoraven @ar-jupiter @alcielo1438 @cairro-xx @stolen-in-moonlight

@micheledawn1975 @janiejenn @rafeyscurtainbangs @melodymunson @spacedoutdaydreamer

@veemoon @sariahs-stuff @feral-pumpkin-energy @comeonatmebruh @munsoneightysixx

@morgthemagpie @josephquinnsfreckles @jenniquinn @userchai @cometzombie

@spookybabey @daggerdaggerkitten @nina6708 @sanctumdemunson @yourdailymemedelivery

@person-005 @slowandsteddie @gri959 @elegantkoalapaper @letitgoandletlive

@loserboysandlithium @costellation-hunter @leelei1980 @h-ness1944 @pretendthisnameisclever

@ohmeg @stalactitekilla @hellfirenacht @birdysaturne @oneforthemunny

@prettyboyeddiemunson @eddievanmunson @msgexymunson @rattkween86 @violetpixiedust

@bimbobaggins69 @angel-munson @eldermayfield @munsonsbtch @bimbogorewhore

@mediocredreams @xxbimbobunnyxx @taintedcigs @ali-r3n @emxxblog

Description: You, Eddie, and the rest of the Hellfire Club go on a camping trip in the summer. You've been in said club for years, and harbor strong feelings for your handsome leader. You want him to like you back, especially now that you're 18 and have finished school. Will Eddie reciprocate these feelings? Or are you just 'one of the guys' to him?

Content Warning 18+ Only, Minors DNI: smut, female reader, smoking, mentions of vomit, alcohol use, teasing, grinding, mutual masturbation, fingering, oral sex, unprotected sex, praise, light degradation, semi-public sex, talk of sexual history, dirty talk

Word Count: 22.7k

divider by @firefly-graphics

I Wanna Be Your Lover

"Will you guys stop fighting please? I don't wanna get lost." Eddie calls to the back of the van, where Dustin and Erica are arguing over which horse from My Little Pony is best. Erica claims it's Applejack, whereas Dustin insists it's Bubbles. You can't help finding their little squabble entertaining, Dustin doesn't seem the type to enjoy such a childish show.

"Yeah, I'm trying to help navigate here." You chime in through a giggle, a large map from the last rest stop splayed out on your lap in the passenger seat. You agreed to assist Eddie in finding the campsite on your little trip, one you've all been planning since a little bit before graduation. A trip exclusively for Hellfire Club members.

You've been in the club since your sophomore year at Hawkins High. Eddie picked you out as a little lost sheep stranded in a sea of ruthless tigers. You were apprehensive to join at first, especially given Eddie's rather forward nature. You'd heard of Dungeons and Dragons before, it even sounded a little intriguing. But your parents thought things like that were a gateway into dangerous behavior and sexual deviance. Eddie insisted on your membership, however, going so far as to say he could see how lonely and sad you were. You didn't take offense, it was certainly true. You've never been one to have a lot of friends, if any at all.

Eddie took you under his wing, making his first attempt at senior year at the time. He showed you the ropes, and helped you build your first character. But he made it clear that he had no intention of taking it easy on you, and you wouldn't have expected it. Your first game didn't go super well, the dice and turns were confusing for you and you died pretty quickly. But no one in the group made you feel bad about it, especially not Eddie. He gave a sympathetic smile after the campaign concluded, telling you your skills will improve over time. You appreciated his patience, as the next few games afterwards slowly got easier to understand.

By the time you'd entered your final year of school, you became Eddie's second in command. You're a certified master in the game now, skillfully thinking quick on your feet and giving your DM a run for his money. Your fearless leader is notorious for making the campaigns as sadistic as humanly possible. But you never relent, and you never give up. Gathering with this band of misfits is ultimately one of the best things you've ever had in life. The feeling of holding your own and even occasionally winning is borderline euphoric.

"Turn left up here, Eds. Just twenty more miles until we reach the campground, guys!" You announce, gaining cheers from everyone sandwiched into the back of the van. Erica, Dustin, Lucas, Mike, Jeff, Gareth, and Alex have been stuffed uncomfortably together for the last six hours. A pile of coolers, tents, and duffle bags are shoved into the corner of their seating area, threatening to topple over with one ill-timed bump in the road. The stereo quietly plays one of Eddie's many mixtapes, and all you can see out the windows is a large expanse of lush green trees on either side of the gravel road you're riding along. The sky is bright and blue overhead, and it's a cool ninety-seven degrees on this July morning as the sun beats down on the world.

"Thank fuck, we're boiling back here!" Jeff complains, wiping sweat from his brow. It definitely hasn't been an easy ride, as the van's A/C is nonexistent. You've told Eddie many times to take it in to get it fixed, but he swears up and down that it's fine.

"I can always stop and let you all walk the rest of the way." Eddie warns teasingly, a smart smile playing about his face.

"NO!" Everyone shouts, knowing that walking in this heat would be even worse.

"Good. Then shut the hell up!" Eddie barks, he's finding himself feeling rather peeved today. The heat, and the long drive, along with everyone bitching is really getting on his nerves. "You mind lighting a smoke for me, Y/N?" He asks, glancing at you. His voice has calmed at seeing your pretty face, which makes you smile beyond your control. You've always had a crush on Eddie, finding him sweet and charming. Well, most of the time. You'd never tell him though, you don't think he likes you like that. He treats you like one of the guys. You don't mind it, but you can't help wishing for him to see you as the blossoming young woman you are. You're all done with school now, and well into your eighteenth year of existence. But he hasn't seemed to notice, or at least he acts like he doesn't.

"Sure thing." You reply, trying not to blush at his big brown eyes staying on you a little longer than usual. You reach for the pack, slipping one of the paper tubes from it. "You mind if I have one too?" You ask without even thinking about it. Eddie's eyes widen at your question. You're not one to smoke, or drink, or do much of anything like that at all. Hell, you blush redder than a tomato at the tame side of his dirty jokes.

"Since when do you smoke?" He inquires with a raised eyebrow, wondering what's up with you.

"I dunno, figured I'd try it. You seem to enjoy it." You say sheepishly, looking away. You feel dumb for even asking now.

He scoffs, rolling his eyes. "Okay, jeez. Knock yourself out, princess. Just don't waste it, alright?" Concern blooms inside his head, he'll try to figure out what your deal is later.

"Okay. I won't." You pull another cig from the box, putting it in your mouth. You give Eddie his, placing it between his plush lips. You flick the lighter, reaching it over to light his tip, and then bringing the flame to your own. You inhale, a little too deeply. The smoke is bitter and cloying, making you cough.

"Jesus, you alright?" Eddie asks, bringing a hand to pat your back gently. The touch of his calloused fingers through your tank top makes you stiffen, and you feel even hotter than before.

"Yeah, I'm fine." You gasp out the words, annoyed at yourself for being so stupid. You calm down after a minute, shooing away the worried faces on the kids packed in the backseat. You take another drag like nothing happened, ignoring the sudden urge to cry in embarrassment. You inhale and exhale just fine the second time around, although you don't enjoy the taste very much. But you want Eddie to see you're all grown up now, ripe for the taking. All he has to do is reach out and pluck you.

"'Kay, just take it easy. Can't have my right hand girl dyin' on me, right?" He chuckles, shaking his head. He's confused as to why you're acting like this, suddenly so eager to prove your maturity to him. Sure, he knows you're grown up now. Transforming from the little lost lamb he found in the cafeteria, into a beautiful gazelle frolicking enthusiastically into adulthood. He's been attracted to you for quite some time, you're the girl of his dreams. But he's worried that you're not ready for him, that maybe you're still too green. Age isn't the issue for him, you're eighteen now and you're both done with school. Although, your perceived lack of experience makes him wonder if he'd somehow be taking advantage in pursuing you.

"Right." You say shortly, returning your attention to the map as you continue to smoke. You can feel his eyes sweeping to you every so often, but you avoid his gaze. You flick the ash when it threatens to fall and burn a hole through the thin paper below, looking for the next indication of when Eddie should turn.

Thirty minutes and a few more turns later, and you've finally made it to Piney Ridge Campground and Nature Reserve. Eddie pulls the van up to the kiosk at the entrance. The park ranger inside asks for the confirmation of your reservation, and hands Eddie a pamphlet with a map that shows your spot, along with trails to the lake, supply shop, bathrooms/shower shack, and hiking areas. He hands it off to you, pulling away from the gruff man in the kiosk after listening to his spiel about not leaving food out as the wildlife will surely steal it.

You open the pamphlet, directing Eddie down the path to find your designated campsite, number 106. The space is quite large, perfect for your group. There's a weather-beaten picnic table and ashy fire pit included in the area, with plenty of shade from the large trees outstretching overhead. Eddie pulls into the parking space beside the site, killing the engine. "Alright, here it is. Our home sweet home for the next three days." He grins, glancing at you again as you struggle to fold up all the papers in your lap.

"Hell yeah!" Mike cheers, opening the back doors to let everyone hop out and start setting up tents. The sleeping arrangements are pretty simple. You and Erica will share a smaller tent since you're the only girls. Then there's Mike, Dustin, and Lucas in another. And the final one will house Alex, Jeff, and Gareth. Eddie insists on staying in his van, as he hates sleeping on the ground. You find this a bit silly, since this trip was initially his idea. But you don't find any reason to argue, he usually wins anyway.

Everyone pitches in with setting up the tents and rolling out the sleeping bags, getting everything ready for your first night out in the wilderness. You're all sweaty by the end of it, sitting around and panting lazily in the humid air around 1pm. "Who's hungry for lunch?" You ask, going back into the van to retrieve the cooler containing the sandwich supplies. Ham, American cheese, turkey, mayo, mustard, and Wonder Bread from the bag of dry goods. You set to work making everyone's plates, planning on serving up the sandwiches with potato chips and canned soda.

"Ya know, you don't have to baby us, Y/N. We're perfectly capable of feeding ourselves." Eddie says, sitting next to you with his feet facing outward from the table. You're spreading mayo on Dustin's ham and cheese, letting your eyes meet Eddie's for the first time in a good while.

You smile kindly. "I know, but I don't mind it. You're all my boys, and girl." You say, nudging your head at Erica. "I like taking care of you guys." You speak sweetly, you cherish the connection you have with your friends. You had wanted a group to call your own for so long, and now you have the best one you could ever ask for.

"Whatever you say, princess." Eddie chuckles, looking you up and down. You suddenly feel self-conscious in your tank top and shorts, exposed under his curious examination. You take a chance of your own to drink in his appearance. He's in rare form today, wearing cut-off jean shorts and a cropped Metallica muscle tee. His hair is tied up, keeping it out of his face in the dreadful heat. He looks really good like this, showing off his tattoos and lightly toned arms and stomach. He winks when he catches you staring a little too long, making your cheeks flare beet red.

You return your attention to the sandwich, realizing you've been putting on a borderline pile of mayonnaise on it. "Shit." You mutter, cursing your spaced-out spell.

"Need some help?" Eddie asks, extending a hand for a knife to assist you in spreading condiments on the bread. You nod apprehensively, glancing around to see everyone else preoccupied with other activities to notice your interaction. Most are relaxing in their tents, poking their heads out to talk to one another, and Erica is reading a book on the other side of the bench. You hand Eddie a plastic knife, and he turns around in his seat to be level with you. "You doin' alright today? You've been acting weird since the drive over here." He almost mumbles, making you think you imagined it at first. But when you turn to look at his face, he's expectantly waiting for an answer.

You swallow hard, realizing his shoulder is just barely brushing against your own. "Um...yeah. It's just my first trip away from home without my family, that's all." You lie, pushing away the idea that the handsome young man beside you is the reason for your change in behavior.

"Oh, okay. You're not gonna get homesick on me, are ya?" He asks, giving you a playful nudge. You giggle at the tickle of his elbow against your ribs.

"No, I'm not." You shake your head. You want to loosen up, to not be so goddamn stiff. You'll only give yourself away.

"Good, because I really want you to enjoy yourself." He replies, leaning closer to say the words into your ear. His breath fanning over you sends a chill up your spine, making you shiver outside of your control. He half-laughs at your reaction, finding it absolutely adorable. Shit, this trip is gonna be interesting to say the least. You're about to ask what he means, when you realize the food is ready. He moves away from you without another word, taking the plates to dish them out to everyone. "Eat up, shitheads! I wanna get a good hike in today."

Everyone gathers round, sitting at the table or in fold-up chairs you brought while you munch down your pre-hike fuel. The group keeps up light conversation, cracking jokes and busting each others' balls as usual. Eddie has another cigarette, gesturing the box at you from across the makeshift circle you've formed. You nod, and he approaches you. You clumsily pull a cig from the pack, almost missing as you try to put it in your mouth. He flicks the lighter, bending down real close to start the burn on the end. His large eyes bore into yours, and time stands still for a second before he backs away again. "Thanks." You say simply, and he just nods.

You take a deep, long drag, savoring how light and fuzzy your head feels as the nicotine works its way through your body. You exhale, barely holding back a satisfied moan. You're starting to like smoking now, and the taste isn't bothering you as much this time. "Taking a liking to it, I see." Eddie says, bringing everyone's attention to you. You sense he's testing you, trying to get you to fold under pressure. But for what purpose?

"I guess." You shrug nonchalantly, bringing the filtered end to your lips again. Act natural, you tell yourself. It's best to hold one's own and ride it out when it comes to Eddie finding reason to 'challenge' someone. Everyone else watches closely, always eager to see where something like this goes.

"Looks like our girl is all grown up then." He says, exhaling a large puff of white into the air.

"You could say that. What's it to you, anyway?" You retort defensively, crossing your arms. He's really puzzling you today. Earlier it seemed like he was flirting with you, and now he's acting like nothing happened.

He grins, and you see now that he's got you right where he wants you. "Well, last I checked you used to lecture me about how smoking kills, Y/N. That my lungs will turn black and I'll end up with a hole in my throat." He gestures dramatically at his chest and neck as he speaks, working his way back over to you with every word. The other members snicker at his display. "And now you're picking up the habit yourself? It must not be so bad if you're gonna go back on your own principles. So which is it, Y/N? Are you a liar, or a hypocrite?" He asks snarkily, standing just beside the table now as he looks down at you.

You don't say anything for a moment. Your mouth opens and closes as you think of what to come back at him with. You sense the others staring, waiting for you to accept defeat. But you know better than to yield so easily. "Neither. I've just changed my mind on the subject. People are capable of maturing, Eds. Not that you'd know anything about it." You reply with a smirk, continuing to enjoy your cigarette. You blow a cloud of smoke up into his face to emphasize your point. The others laugh at your comment, which would usually earn them a glare from Eddie. But not this time, he's too busy admiring the mischievous sparkle in your eyes.

"If you say so, sweetheart." He smiles in reply, telepathically congratulating you on standing your ground. Eddie sure likes to tease, but he means it all in good fun. Most of the time. Everyone gathers up the trash and puts the food back in the coolers, changing shoes to set off on your journey. "So, is everyone ready?" He asks, bestowing Dustin with a backpack to carry the supplies your group might need on the hike. Sunscreen, trail mix, bug spray, bottled water, and so on.

"And why do I have to carry this?" Dustin asks, annoyed at being stuck with the weight to carry.

"Because I said so, dingus. And I trust you not to lose it, unlike these knuckleheads." Eddie explains, gesturing at the others. You don't take offense to this comment, you know he's not talking about you. And you sure as shit don't wanna carry all that stuff.

"Fine, it's not like I'm missing collarbones or anything." Dustin replies snarkily, slinging the bag on his shoulders.

"Alright, everyone. We're gonna have Jeff and Gareth leading the charge with the map, then Alex and Mike, Dustin in the middle with the pack, Erica and Lucas, and then me and Y/N in back to make sure nobody is left behind. Sound good?" Eddie speaks decisively to the group, and you can't help being mesmerized by his leadership. He's such a natural at it, so sure of himself with every word. Everyone nods in agreement to the arrangement, lining up in the assigned pairs with Dustin in the center. "Cool! Let's go!" He claps his hands together, and Jeff and Gareth begin to walk down the set path to find the hiking trail. The line spreads out a little, giving allowance for anyone wanting to speed up or slow down periodically throughout your adventure.

"I never took you for such an outdoorsman, Eds." You say to Eddie with a giggle as you walk beside him. The others are pretty quiet, focused on taking in the lush surroundings and not getting lost.

"Oh, well, ya know...it was something Wayne and I used to do a lot. It's pretty cheap, and you can just get away from everything for a while." He speaks cheerily of those fond memories, but you can sense a slight tinge of sadness there too.

"You don't camp with him anymore?" You ask, always curious to know more about this young man you're hopelessly crushing on.

He shakes his head. "Nah, he's always too busy now. And I guess I am too, working at the hardware store and shit. I consider myself lucky to have gotten these couple days off. So I wanna make the most of it." He fixes his smile, trying not to bum you out.

"I'll make damn sure we do, then!" You exclaim, leaning over to brush his shoulder with yours. "I wish your uncle could've come with, though. I bet he's got some good campfire stories." You're really enjoying this conversation, it's not often that Eddie talks about his home life. You think he probably hides it so people don't feel sorry for him, so you're gonna do everything in your power to not give him that impression.

"You bet your ass he does. I know them all by heart, actually. I can tell a few tonight if you want." He offers, looking at you with kind eyes. He really appreciates you being so sweet to him. He's not one to trust others with personal information so easily. But you're different, special. He feels like he can tell you anything. And not only do you refrain from judging him, you make him feel like everything is fine, normal. He's never had a whole lot of that in his life, so your presence is certainly a welcome one.

"I'd love that! He can be with us in spirit, I imagine he'd appreciate it." You reply, stopping for a moment to admire some purple wildflowers on the side of the trail. You crouch beside them, gazing at their lush petals and stalk-like stems that house multiple blossoms at once. They're quite breathtaking, though you're not sure what kind they are. Eddie joins you, checking to make sure you won't fall behind the rest of the group. Satisfied with his findings, he reaches into the little clump of flowers, picking the very best one from the largest stalk. You turn to look at him, and he's much closer than you originally thought. Your heartbeat picks up slightly, wondering what he's up to. He brings the hand holding the flower towards your temple, tucking the tiny nub of stem in your hair so the blossom is displayed beside your face. He smiles at how cute you look, eyes flicking to your lips.

"A pretty flower, for a beautiful girl." He says quietly, letting his outstretched hand rest on your cheek. You're frozen in place, unable to stop staring into those huge doe eyes of his. You swear he's just about to lean in and kiss you, when-

"Hey guys! Mike found a family of toads! Come check it out!" Lucas calls to you, interrupting your romantic(?) moment. Eddie's hand falls from your face, causing your heart to fracture like a smashed mirror. He stands up, and you follow. You both pretend nothing happened here, jogging to catch up with the others. You see them huddled around Mike holding up a large rock. Thick mud and dead leaves stick to the bottom of it, and in the moist gap left behind is a plump mama toad, with five little baby toads sitting on and around her.

"Aw, they're so cute!" You coo. Your heart mends a little the wholesome display of wonder on all the club members' faces.

"Where'd you get the flower?" Erica asks as the others take turns naming the little amphibians.

You meet her gaze, and you can tell she knows something's up. You look at Eddie a moment, seeing him preoccupied with assisting the boys in their little game. "Oh, um...I found some on the trail. I just thought it was pretty." You say unconvincingly, unable to hold back the blush darkening your cheeks.

"Mmhmm, sure." Is all she says in reply. She knows damn well that Eddie put that flower in your hair, but she can tell you don't want to talk to an eleven-year-old child about it. The blatantly obvious attraction between you and Eddie has been a very hot topic as of late with the other members. You're not exactly subtle, exchanging longing glances and getting extra touchy with each other. They honestly wish you two would just hook up already and stop dancing around your feelings. It's almost painful to watch you ping-pong off one another when you could just be on the same damn team.

"Alright, guys. Let's keep it moving. Princess Snugglebutt and her legion of offspring have better things to do than be gawked at by a bunch of nerds." Eddie interjects, wanting to finish the hike and make it back to camp before it gets too late. Everyone falls in line once again, and you can't help curtsying at the mother toad as you walk by. She is royalty, after all.

"'Princess Snugglebutt', huh?" You ask, finding the name quite silly.

"They insisted on naming her that, and it's kinda cute." He chuckles, eyes flicking to you. He brightens a smidge when he sees the flower still in your hair where he left it. He was worried the interruption might have spoiled the moment for you. "Jesus, and I wonder why I didn't get laid more in high school!" He jokes, making both of you laugh heartily.

"Oh, please! You know you're hot, you can have anyone you want." You say without thinking, the realization of your actual words hitting you a second later.

Eddie's eyes widen, and he scoffs in disbelief. "Hot, you say? Good to know." He teases, his cheeks turning pink at you calling him that.

You splutter, trying to come up with a way to cover your tracks. "I just mean- in a general sense. It doesn't take a genius to know you're attractive. Not that I find you-" You're babbling, which is definitely not helping your case.

"Y/N, relax." He cuts in, sweeping a hand against your arm to calm you down. Your breath catches at the contact, and you swallow hard as your throat dries up. "You're hot too, by the way. Ya know, in a general sense." He parrots your words back to you, nice and low into your ear. You're really starting to like it when he does that, perhaps a little too much. It takes everything in you to hold back a desperate little noise at him being so fucking attractive right now. You're not sure what it would be. A whimper? A moan? An equally undignified sound that would no doubt be just as embarrassing? Either way, you choke it back down to save face. "You good?" He asks, noticing you've clammed up at his flirting.

"Yeah, I just need some water." You reply, excusing yourself to catch up with Dustin to retrieve a bottle. You feel your lungs refill with the amount of air required to breathe as you distance yourself from the sexy metalhead.

"Hey, Y/N. Everything good back there?" Dustin asks as you sidle up to him.

"Yeah, just need some water if you don't mind." You unzip the backpack, locating a bottle as you both continue to walk.

"Where'd you get the flower?" This again? You're getting a little tired of the third degree you've been subjected to today.

"I saw a little cluster of them on the trail and thought they were pretty. Purple is my favorite." You say, hoping he buys it. He inspects it curiously, before speaking again.

"Well, it's very nice. It looks like a...Gladiolus. It symbolizes the confession of love to a friend. It's also said to motivate one to pursue their desires." He says matter-of-factly. You wonder if Eddie knows this, though you doubt he's the type to care about flowers and their potential meaning. It would be a nice coincidence, though.

"Since when are you the encyclopedia on flora and fauna?" You tease, opening your water to take a sip.

"It's one of my many interests, Y/N. And my mom likes to garden during the warm months, so a lot of it comes from her." He says with a sunshiny smile.

"That's so sweet! Well, I'm gonna get back to my spot." You turn to leave, giving Dustin a gentle noogie.

"Sure thing, Y/N." He calls as you jog back with your bottle in hand.

"Better?" Eddie asks as you rejoin him at the back of the pack.

"Much." You say with a small smile.

"Mind if I have some, sweetheart? The heat's killin' me."

"Oh, sure!" You hand the bottle over, and he takes a long drink from it. You can't help staring as a small drip of water rolls down the side of his mouth to his chin. You're oddly tempted to lean over and lick it off, biting your lip to hold yourself back. His Adam's apple bobs as he swallows, and he lets out a satisfied sound as the liquid cools him down from the inside out.

"Thanks, princess." Eddie hands back the bottle, only half full now. You don't mind, there's plenty more. You were distracted by watching his lips and throat move in a strangely beautiful way anyways. You take another sip yourself, finding your mouth has lost all moisture once again.

The remainder of the hike is pretty uneventful. Eddie collects a few rocks, and you keep the conversation casual. The others do similar things, pointing out birds and squirrels. The trail takes you in a large circle, eventually leading back to the main road. You plop down at the picnic table with a long sigh once you return to the campsite. "My feet have officially died." You say dramatically, laying your head on the tabletop.

"I second that." Gareth says, opting to flop onto the grass. The others grumble and whine in agreement, falling into chairs and on the ground in defeat.

"Aw, come on. Don't be a buncha babies. We had fun, didn't we?" Eddie asks, sitting next to you. He's been hanging around you a lot today. It's not necessarily weird, but given the little moment with the flowers earlier, his continued presence in your space feels significant.

"Of course, Eds. But we're also exhausted. I don't know why you're not, though. You truly are a freak of nature." You joke, groaning as you reach down to take your shoes off.

He scoffs, pulling out his cigarettes again. "What can I say? Nature feeds my soul. I'd live out here if I could."

"That's odd. I thought you said you didn't have a soul!" Mike retorts, drawing a laugh from everyone else.

"Whatever." Eddie huffs, lighting his cig grumpily. He sets the pack and his lighter on the table, which you snatch up once your bare feet touch the cool grass beneath the bench. "Hey!" He tries to get them back from you, but you don't let him.

"Relax, I'll buy a whole damn carton for you on the way home." You take another smoke for yourself, igniting the end like it's nothing. You put his belongings back on the table, letting him slip them into his pockets.

"I'll make sure to hold you to that." Eddie replies as he takes a long drag. He scoots a little closer down the splintered seat, further invading your personal space. His knee sits against yours, making your skin tingle at the contact. He skims his eyes over your face, smirking at the little purple flower still sitting above your ear. "You really like it?" He asks, pointing to it. You reach up in that direction, fingertips brushing over the soft petals.

"Oh, yeah! Purple's my favorite." You blush as you speak, his continued gaze always throws you off. It makes you talk like a foolish child.

"I know, Y/N. I'd hope you wouldn't think I've known you for three years and not learned anything." He smirks, leaning into you so his shoulder grazes yours. "What kinda man do you take me for?"

You snort, blushing harder at the sound. "I don't think you want the answer to that question, Eds." You look away, exhaling a large cloud of smoke across the table. Lucas just so happens to be sitting there, so it smacks him right in the face.

"Jesus, Y/N! Could you blow your smoke somewhere else, please?" He exclaims, coughing in an exaggerated fashion.

"Oh, shit. Sorry, dude." You apologize, shifting your head to Eddie's direction again. You know he won't mind you blowing smoke in his face. In some strange way, you get the feeling that he likes it. Maybe it's because he gets to see you, sweet little Y/N, being a 'bad girl' for once. You'd like to think so, anyway.

"I dunno, sweetheart. I might just surprise you." Eddie says in a sing-song voice, patting your thigh with his hand before getting up to retrieve something from the van. You almost choke on your drag when he touches you, and he holds back a snicker at your expense.

"God, you two seriously need to get a room." Mike says, loud enough for everyone to hear. Lucas smacks his hand across Mike's chest, gesturing at him to shut the fuck up. "Ouch! What? It's true!" Mike carries on, and the campsite falls silent. You look at Eddie out of instinct, and he instantly meets your gaze. You both quickly avert your eyes, but you know you've already been caught. "That! That right there! You keep looking at each other like lovesick little puppies, and yet neither of you make a move! It's excruciating!" Mike continues to rant and rave, disregarding all the disapproving looks he's getting from the other club members.

Nobody says anything for a moment. The occasional chirping of birds, and rustling of trees in the summer breeze is all you can hear. You force out a laugh, trying to save face. Not just for your sake, but for Eddie's too. "I have no idea what you're talking about, kiddo. I think you've been watching too many movies." Yeah, that'll throw them off the scent, you think to yourself as you roll your eyes at how lame of an excuse that was. "And even if you're right, it's honestly none of your goddamn business." You're getting irritated, not appreciating being put on the spot like this.

"There's no need to get so defensive, Y/N. You guys would be really good together." Lucas chimes in gently, fixing Mike with a glare for being so nosey.

"That's enough, guys. We don't need a bunch of kids meddling in our love lives, alright? And you're making Y/N uncomfortable, so knock it off." Eddie interjects, swooping in to save the day.

"Thanks, Eds." You reply, giving him a kind look. He happily returns it, nodding his head. You stub out your smoke, standing up from the table. You locate your flip-flops in your tent, sliding them on after putting your hiking shoes away. "Who's got the map?" You ask, needing to find the bathroom after all that water on your hike.

"Here. Where are you off to?" Gareth asks as he hands you the paper.

"The bathroom, if you must know. Anyone else need to go?" You glance around your group, met with no response. "Great. I'll be right back, then." You turn on your heels, taking your little trip all alone. The trail is quiet, there aren't a whole lot of other campers here. Your shoes make their little slaps as you walk, twigs and rocks crunching underfoot.

You contemplate the many conversations you've had today. Eddie telling you about his uncle, calling you hot, being otherwise flirty with you. And then Mike calling you out, as if the group thinks it's obvious that you and Eddie like each other. You'd love for him to make a definitive move, everything else has been too up in the air for your liking. Even during the hike, you could have easily imagined him about to kiss you because you want it so badly. You could theoretically take a risk of your own. But there's always the chance of Eddie rejecting you, and you can't live with that. Especially not when you're hours away from home, with no escape if he broke your heart. You sigh loudly, wrongfully assuming no one's around to hear it. "You okay, Y/N?" You hear Eddie's voice from behind you, making you shriek in surprise.

You whip around to face him. Your heart pounds at him startling you, along with your own thoughts plaguing you with churned up feelings. "Jesus christ, Eddie! You scared the shit outta me!" You shout, slapping his chest when he approaches you.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to. I just wanted to check on you. I felt bad that Mike made a scene like that." He speaks apologetically, putting an arm around your shoulders as you turn back around to keep moving. He would hold your hand, but you're a little busy using the map. He's so close to you now, closer than all the other times today. He smells like tobacco, bug spray, and the cheap cologne he always wears. The scent is intoxicating, dizzying your head as your heart races even more at his touch.

"It's fine, he's a total dumbass." You say with a laugh, drawing a breathy chuckle from Eddie too. Neither of you say anything else, noticing a tense energy building between you. "Eddie?" You say, squeaking out his name while keeping your eyes trained on the map.

"Yes, princess?" He asks, his breath fanning against your neck in your proximity. He really hopes you're going to address what Mike said in some way. To tell him outright that you like him, that you want him.

"After you put the flower in my hair...were you gonna...kiss me?" You speak slowly, hesitating at every crucial part of your question. Your stomach is doing flips, and you really want him to say 'yes'.

"Would you have let me?" You usually hate it when he answers a question with another question. But in this case, it's more than welcome.

"Yes." You reply, practically holding your breath at this point. Eddie stops walking, forcing you to do so as well with his weight on you. He pulls his arm away, and you almost whine at the loss. You face each other, and he gently takes the map from you and folds it back up. He slips it into his back pocket, and brings his hands to your waist. You move closer instinctively, your own hands resting on his shoulders. Is this it? Is this the moment you've been waiting for?

Eddie gazes deep into your eyes, licking his lips to moisten them. "I hope I don't sound cheesy when I say this. But I have very strong feelings for you, Y/N. You're sweet, kind, and absolutely gorgeous. I think about you all the time, I can't get you outta my head." He inches his face a bit closer to yours, allowing you to speak before meeting him in the middle.

"I really like you too, Eds. You're so handsome, funny, and smart. And you saved me. You brought me into your group when I had no one, when I needed it most. You mean so much to me, and I'd be totally lost without you." You press your lips to his without a second thought, and you instantly melt at how soft they are. You've always admired them, how full and plump they look has been so very tempting for you. Eddie pulls you closer so your bodies are pressed together, but his hands stay respectfully at your hips.

He bites your bottom lip, making you gasp. His tongue slips into your mouth to toy around with yours. You're getting really warm, and arousal spreads in your panties. Your heads twist and move languidly as you savor the taste of each other's mouths. You let out a quiet moan, making Eddie's cock twitch in his shorts. The kiss seems to last forever, and you only pull away when you're finding it hard to breathe. "Damn, you're really good at that." Eddie pants, smiling while he rests his forehead against yours.

"So are you, that's gotta be the hottest kiss I've ever had." You reply just as breathlessly. "On another note, I actually do need the bathroom. I wasn't just running away from that awkward conversation."

"Shit, okay. Here." He says, abruptly handing you the map from his pocket again. You loosen from your embrace, finishing the task you originally set out to do. You walk the rest of the way together, and Eddie waits for you outside the little shack. You try to be fast, and hastily wash your hands so you can return to him. "All good?" He asks with a smile.

"Yep! We better get back, before the kids suspect more than they already do." You giggle. "Hey, um, can we...play it cool when we get back to camp?" You ask nervously, you really don't want to put a damper on this before it even gets started.

"Oh, yeah. That's fine." Eddie replies, and his face falls slightly.

"I don't mean it like that, Eddie. I promise. I want to be with you, so much. I just don't want us to be the focus of the entire trip, you know? The others are already nosey enough. Plus...it's kinda thrilling to sneak around...keep it to ourselves for a while." You explain with a sly smile, and he perks right back up when he understands what you're saying.

"I like the sound of that, angel. I gotta warn you though, it's gonna be very difficult to keep my hands to myself." He says seductively, the words flowing into your ear again. His palm slips behind you, grabbing your ass to give you just a taste of what he wants to do to you.

"Oh, I'm counting on it." You say through a quiet moan, earning a chuckle from Eddie. He keeps his hand on you the entire way back to camp, massaging the flesh of your butt to draw little noises from you. He also brings his mouth to your throat every so often, nipping your skin without leaving any marks. At every single sound, he praises you in some way. He tells you how pretty you look, or how sexy you are when you whimper and moan for him. He drops an occasional 'good girl' in the mix, which turns you on more than you thought it would. By the time you meet up with the others again, you're absolutely soaked for him. But his hand leaves your ass before anyone sees, and you have to pretend you're not extremely horny now.

"Took you long enough! We were worried that maybe you two got lost." Gareth says snarkily, but you just ignore him.

"I'll make you get lost if you don't cut it out, Gareth!" Eddie snaps back, sitting at the picnic table to subtly adjust his erection to hide it. Kissing you and groping your ass has riled him up significantly. It's safe to say he can't wait to take things even further.

"Okay, okay. Sorry." Gareth says, wanting more than anything to get Eddie's death glare off of him. He's downright scary when he really puts his mind to it.

"That goes for the rest of you guys, too. I don't wanna hear another word about crushes or hidden feelings, or anything like that. Got it?" Eddie warns, and everyone nods in fearful agreement. They know better than to continually piss him off. "Good. Now, everyone go find a stick for roasting the hot dogs." He orders, which sends all of you on a mission while he goes to the supply shop for some firewood and more ice for the coolers.

When Eddie returns, you present him with the sticks you all gathered. You yourself found one for him along with your own, you figure he'd appreciate that. He does, and pulls out his pocketknife for you to carve off the ends so they're clean. You set to work, scraping the layers of dirt and mossy bark away with the sharp blade. Each stick is set on the picnic table once you're finished.

You look at Eddie as he's crouched over the fire pit, adoring the way the muscles in his back flex beneath his shirt, and the waistband of his boxers poking out from his shorts. He's so attractive without even trying, it's something you've always loved about him. His charm is so effortless, carefree even. He can lure you in with a single word, a passing glance. But to have him truly focus his romantic attention on you now, it's like you've tasted blood and you want more. He starts the fire in a couple minutes flat, he's clearly an expert in that area. You walk over to him when he stands up, a pleased expression on his face. You get real close when nobody's watching, angling strategically to speak in his ear. "Nice work, Eds. It's good to know you have such nimble fingers. I can't wait to see how well you can use them on me."

He stiffens at your words, in more ways than one. He's so glad that you're proving to be his perfect match, playing little games with him under everybody's noses. He turns his head slightly to find a lustful grin spread across your mouth, and it takes everything in him to refrain from kissing you. "Play your cards right, and I'll use them anywhere you like, sweetheart." He winks, mirroring your filthy smirk.

"I'll make sure to hold you to that." You reply, mimicking his words from earlier. You reach down and squeeze his ass, walking away a second later. Eddie holds back a groan, watching you slink haunches-up into your tent until it's time for dinner. You lay back on your sleeping bag, releasing a satisfied sigh. You want so badly to squeal in excitement, all this tantalization is just too much fun. Meanwhile, Eddie stands in shock at your antics for a moment. He can't stop thinking about all the ways he's going to claim you as his, and it's becoming very difficult to stop himself from getting noticeably hard.

When the sun begins to set on the first day of your trip, everyone takes their places around the campfire. The song of crickets and frogs starts to fill the air. The nocturnal creatures are slowly claiming their territory, and your group are but humble guests in their presence. You're loading up the sticks you cleaned earlier with cold weenies, passing them out to each member of your club, saving yours and Eddie's for last. The others take turns in groups of three to roast the hotdogs. "Shit." Alex exclaims as his weiner falls into the ashes beside the fire. It's like an unspoken rule that at least one person accidentally sacrifices their hotdog to the campfire gods.

"Nice job, buddy!" Gareth says with a smirk while he claps Alex's shoulder. Alex scowls at him, muttering swears under his breath. You happily supply him with a new frankfurter, spearing it firmly on the stick so it won't fall off this time.

"I'll try not to drop this one." Alex says bashfully as a harsh blush colors his cheeks. He positions the stick above the orange flames, watching closely in hopes to save this sausage if it attempts an escape.

"It's fine, dude. We've got plenty more." You say kindly, tapping the cooler containing packs on packs of the processed meat product. Eddie's sat beside you at the picnic table once again, smoking as he waits for his turn at the fire. He'd offered you one too, but you've had enough nicotine for the time being. What you really want is some food, and more kisses from Eddie for dessert.

The daylight continually fades away, going from a warm mix of oranges and pinks, to a deep navy blue that's just a shade or two away from pitch black. "We're up, princess." Eddie nudges your shoulder, the fire casting dramatic highlights and shadows on his handsome face. You nod, following him over to the pit with your skewers. You hand him his, and he purposely touches as much of your hand as possible before taking the stick from your grasp. You gaze at him a little too long, snapping your eyes away before anyone notices.

You focus your attention on the fire, and your weenie roasting above it. The flames flick and lap at the bottom of the sausage playfully, cooking it just the way you like. The heat from the fire is so inviting, the crackling of the wood is such a comforting sound. However, there's a different fire roaring inside you. One that longs to know what might happen between you and Eddie once the others are asleep. You'll take anything at this point, he could make out with your elbow for all you care. You suppress a needy sigh, you just have to be patient.

"You alright, Y/N? You look like you're constipated." Jeff asks, inspecting your face curiously.

"I'm fine, jerkoff. I'm just hungry, I didn't eat enough today." You lie, fixing a smile across your lips to get him off your back.

"You sure you're not on the rag, too?" He retorts with a laugh, drawing snickers from Alex and Gareth as well.

"I think, for your sake, we ought to pretend you didn't just say that." You say in a warning tone, narrowing your eyes. Everyone's really getting at you today, not-so-slyly attempting to draw the truth out of you. Playful teasing is one thing, but it's becoming rather ridiculous now.

"I second that. I'd hate for my stick to accidentally end up in your eye, Jeff." Eddie chimes in, coming to your aid once again. He realizes this won't quell anyone's suspicions, but somebody should be on your side here.

"Okay, okay. Jeez, touchy much?" Jeff scoffs, rolling his eyes. You and Eddie finish roasting your hotdogs, bringing them over to the table to put into buns and slather with ketchup and mustard. You open the drink cooler, pulling out two beers from the slightly melted ice. You hand one off to Eddie, and he gives you an odd look.

"Go easy with that, sweetheart. I'd hate for you to be too drunk to have fun with me later." He says in that silky smooth voice only you get to hear.

"I have had a beer before, Eddie." You playfully roll your eyes at him, locating the bottle/can opener from the bag of utensils. You flick off the top with ease, reaching over to open his too. He watches you like a hawk all the while, his mind going to all the wrong places as you flip the little metal cap off his bottle with a small pop.

"What? When?" He asks, completely surprised at you. He can't even count the amount of times he's offered you one at your D&D sessions or casual hangouts. You've always said no, giving the excuse that your parents check your breath whenever you go home.

"At home...alone, and at a couple parties. I know, it's kinda lame. To be honest, I thought I'd make a fool of myself if I drank around you. But now I don't have to worry about that." You set the opener on the table, taking your previous spot again. He joins you, eyes widening slightly when you take a swig of your beer. You chuckle at his shocked expression, it's so damn cute. "It's not like I've grown a third eye or something. Relax, I'm far from a lightweight. It's one beer, I'll be fine." You pat his thigh to reassure him, shifting your gaze to watch the others munching down their food and poking one another with their sticks.

"Sorry, you're just- like...a whole new person today." He says, fumbling over his words.

"Is that a bad thing?" You ask, looking at him again. Your tone isn't accusatory, more like you're playing another little game.

"Not at all, princess. In fact, I'm really digging this new version of you." He replies, his voice even darker than before. You're just so full of surprises to him, and he wants nothing more than to take you right now on the table. Or in the grass, or in his van.

"Me too. I'm really enjoying seeing this side of you, I've always wanted to." You lean over real close, checking to make sure nobody is looking. Everyone else is too busy rough-housing to pay attention to you, so you take your chance. You bring your face centimeters away from Eddie's, staring deep into his eyes. "And I gotta say, I can't wait to get you alone to see even more." You grin, sneakily palming his dick over his shorts.

"Fuck, Y/N. You're playing with fire here. Anyone could see what a dirty girl you're being if they looked our way." His words come out strained into a whisper, holding back a moan. He's absolutely loving this, he just hopes nobody sees.

"Oh, but that just adds to the fun, Eds." You squeeze him just a little bit harder, watching the pleasure display plainly on his face. He gasps slightly, his mouth sitting open as he breathes heavily. His eyes bore into yours, dilated with lust. "Let's eat, I'd hate for the food to get cold." You let go of his cock, pulling your face away as well to pick up your hotdog. The fact that nobody caught you gives you a massive thrill. You're extremely wet again, and Eddie didn't even touch you this time. You basically made all the moves, and you'll be damned if it doesn't make you feel powerful. You take a large bite of food, realizing you're very hungry all of a sudden.

"You're gonna be the death of me, sweetheart." Eddie says once his brain fully processes what just happened. He grabs hold of his beer, downing almost all of it in one go.

You and Eddie play it cool for the next few hours, focusing on being a part of the campfire conversation instead of isolating yourselves. You didn't plan this trip to confess your feelings and cling to one another, you really want to spend some quality time with your friends. You make tons of s'mores, and Eddie tells spooky stories to scare everyone shitless. You watch with adoring eyes as he weaves gory tales of killers with hooks for hands and families of cannibals. You have to admit the stories aren't exactly original, but the way he builds anticipation and genuinely startles everyone makes them sound entirely brand new. He breaks the fearful tension with some more lighthearted fables, and by the end of the third one, everyone else's eyes are drooping significantly as they fight against sleep.

One by one, your fellow club members take their leave to climb into their tents for the night. Alex and Jeff are first to go, saying goodnight to everyone as they fail to stifle loud yawns. Next goes Mike, Lucas, Gareth, and Dustin after taking a group trip to the bathroom. Erica holds out longer than you thought she would, but she ultimately falls asleep in her chair. Eddie tries to wake her up, but she's stubborn when it comes to sleep. So, he carefully lifts her out of the chair and puts her on top of her sleeping bag in the tent. He takes off her shoes so they don't hurt her feet all night, before rejoining you on the bench. "Well, looks like it's just us now, baby." Eddie says quietly, stroking your arm in a suggestive way.

"Took them long enough, I thought we'd have to wait all damn night." You reply, sharing a light laugh. The fire has winnowed down significantly, just barely illuminating you two in the dark. The croaks and chirps of the forest critters have only gotten louder, serenading you with their native song. The moon shines bright above the trees, peeking through the canopy of branches far above your heads. Twinkling stars can be made out too, if you squint hard enough. It's a beautiful night, which sets the stage for anything romantic that might happen between you and your kinda-sorta boyfriend.

"Yeah, Erica definitely had me worried there. She also likes to kick in her sleep, so watch out for that later." Eddie winces as he rubs the part of his ribs where he got a good hit from Erica once he laid her down.

"Oh, you poor thing. Should I kiss it better?" You say teasingly.

"Yes, please!" He says, a little too excited to taste your pretty lips again.

"Well...since you said the magic word." You giggle, leaning in to press your mouth onto his. He tastes like chocolate and marshmallow, with a little hint of beer. It's delicious, and you can't help scrambling to straddle his lap. You shove your tongue in his mouth, moaning at his erection rising beneath you. Eddie's hands grab the swells of your ass, leading you to grind against his dick. You moan again, a little too loud.

"Shh, baby. You gotta be quiet if you don't wanna get caught." Eddie says lowly after breaking your kiss. You nod silently, letting him bring his lips to your neck. He starts with little pecks, soft and gentle. You continue to grind on him, making a small wet spot on Eddie's shorts as your arousal soaks through your clothes. You try to keep your volume down, and luckily the sounds of the woods help muffle your whimpers and whines.

"I want you, Eddie. I'm so wet for you." You say directly into his ear, and he groans against your flesh. He tests your limits, biting down on your throat to see your reaction. "Fuck." The sting of his teeth on you feels so fucking good, you really want him to do it again. But then you realize it might leave marks, and you don't want anyone finding you out just yet. "That felt so good, baby. But the others might suspect something if I'm covered in hickeys tomorrow."

"Sorry, princess. I'll save that for after we go public." He licks a long stripe up the length of your neck, before capturing your lips once again. Your hands are tangled in his hair, you'd pulled his ponytail out shortly after climbing on top of him. You gently tug on his curly locks, drawing more lustful noises from him. Eddie's dick is unbearably hard, and the feeling of you grinding against it is driving him insane. You decide to give him a taste of his own medicine, breaking away from his mouth to kiss his neck instead. "Y/N." He groans when you find his sweet spot almost immediately.

His grip on your ass tightens, leading you to roll your hips even faster. "Eddie, you're gonna make me cum if you keep doing that." You whimper between kisses on his skin.

"That's kinda the point, sweetheart." He chuckles darkly. You're practically putty in his hands, whining and moaning his name as quietly as you can. He's got you right on the edge, and he wants more than anything to see you come undone. "You gonna be a good girl for me? Gonna make a mess in those cute little shorts you have on?" Eddie eggs you on, his words pushing you closer and closer.

"Uh-huh. I'm so close, Eds." You say breathily, reaching down to bring his hands away from your ass and up to your chest instead. He immediately squeezes your tits over your shirt, and you grip his shoulders to maintain your rhythm. He slips under your tank top and bra to feel you completely, making you gasp when his thumbs brush over your hardened nipples. "Fuck, I'm gonna-" You're cut off by your words catching in your throat, and you clap your hand over your mouth to muffle to obscenely loud sound that threatens to wake everybody up. Your thighs shake as your orgasm washes over you, every inch of you tingling with pleasure. You shove your head into Eddie's shoulder as you ride it out, and his hands go to your sides to stroke you gently.

"You did so well, princess. You're so fuckin' sexy." You blush at his praise, lifting your head to crush his lips with yours. You stay like this for what feels like hours, just kissing and basking in your afterglow. You definitely want more, especially since Eddie hasn't had a turn yet. He doesn't mind taking his time though, it's reward enough for him to make you feel good. You're so caught up in the moment, and just about to strip each other's shirts off, when a flashlight shines into your faces from your right. You freeze, lips and wandering hands stilling in place as you look to see who's caught you.

"Well, what a surprise." Erica says sarcastically. You see she's alone in her discovery, and you immediately separate from one another. You're not sure what to say, but Erica saves your breath. She looks at you with a sly grin, crossing her arms with attitude. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about this. I'd sooner bleach my eyeballs before reliving this moment."

"Thank you, E-" Eddie begins to speak, but she cuts him off.

"I wasn't finished, freak. My silence comes at a price." You and Eddie roll your eyes, there's always a catch when one needs a favor from Erica goddamn Sinclair.

"What do you want?" You ask, already regretting it. It's like striking a deal with the devil in a way, though you imagine even Satan himself fears Erica's wrath.

"I want to be the DM for our next three campaigns." She says simply, and you have no objection. Eddie, on the other hand, is a different story.

"No way, kid! I'm not gonna play your kiddie My Little Pony shit." Eddie says, he's not one to relinquish control so easily. And certainly not when it comes to D&D.

"Fine! I'll just wake everybody up and tell them I found you two macking on each other like a couple of perverts!" She retorts, dramatically gearing up to shout for the others.

"Wait!" You whisper-yell to her, wanting a chance to convince Eddie to go through with her request. You turn to him, taking his hands in yours as you begin to plead. "Eddie, come on! You know she won't make the campaigns lame and kiddish. You've seen her play, she's a borderline sociopath!"

"I choose to take that as a compliment." Erica interjects, before you continue.

"It's just three games, that's not so bad. Please, Eddie? Save us both the embarrassment? I promise we can tell everyone on the way back or something. And I'll make it two cartons of smokes instead of one." You give your best show of puppy eyes as you speak, watching his expression change gradually while you do so. He has to admit, you sure know how to convince him to do anything you want. And the begging is most definitely a turn-on.

He lets out an exaggerated sigh, and you know that you've gotten your way. "Alright! Fine! But no kiddie shit! If you wanna DM, you gotta be ruthless, 'kay?"

"Have you met me? I bet I could be even more sadistic than you. Now, where's the map? I didn't get a chance to pee before bed."

"You sure you're okay to go on your own?" You ask, worried about such a young child wandering down the pitch dark trail all alone.

"Please, I'll be fine. I can't imagine it's all that difficult to find." She insists, extending her hand for you to hand her the map.

"Okay, we'll wait up for you to come back though, alright?" You offer as you give her the bundle of paper.

"Okay. Thanks, Y/N." She says with a smile, before heading on her merry way.

"Well, that was a close one. I guess we'll have to be more careful." You say with an awkward chuckle.

"Yeah, guess so." Eddie replies, looking at the ground. He seems upset, and it makes your stomach flip. You really hope you haven't ruined this.

"What's wrong, Eds?" You ask, but you have a feeling you already know what he's gonna say.

"Nothing, I..." He sighs, contemplating how to put this without causing an argument. "I just feel like you're putting so much effort into hiding us. Like you're embarrassed to be seen with me or something." The hurt in his voice makes your heart ache, that wasn't your intention one bit.

"Eddie, I swear that I'm not. I would never be ashamed of being with you, especially not when it comes to the freaks we call our friends." You reassure him, even making him laugh lightly. "I just know that we'll never hear the end of it, when we're supposed to be having fun as a group this weekend. They've already been getting at us constantly, and they don't actually know we're together yet! I really like you, Eddie. Fuck it, I love you. It's just a little longer, and we'll have to be more discreet if we wanna fool around. But if it really bothers you, we can tell everyone first thing in the morning."

"You...love me?" Eddie asks, his eyes wide in utter shock. You curse yourself for blurting the words out, fearing that you've scared him away now.

"Um...yeah. You don't have to say it ba-"

"I love you too, princess." He cuts you off again, smiling bright like the sun. "And I suppose you're right, the kids will be making jokes and obnoxious noises at us all weekend. We can wait to tell them, otherwise we'll be going home with a van full of dead children." He jokes, giving you a gentle kiss afterwards.

"Thank you, Eddie. You're the best, you know that?" You say sweetly, rubbing your nose against his. He smirks at your affections, you're just too damn adorable.

"Oh, I know, baby. Why else would you be so helplessly in love with me?" He replies with a dramatic swoon, the back of his hand going to his forehead as he teases you.

"Don't make me regret telling you that, Munson." You warn, though the quiver of your frowning lips gives you away.

"Hey now, I said it back, didn't I? Plus, how could I possibly resist you, sweetheart? You've gotta be the most amazing woman I've ever known." He pulls you back onto his lap, sitting sideways this time.

"Do you even know any other women?" You joke, and he just scoffs at you.

"Ouch! Since when are you so feisty?" He finishes the sentence with gritted teeth, raising his hands to tickle you. You gasp as his fingers wiggle erratically across your stomach and sides.

"Eddie, quit it! You're gonna make me scream!" You whisper-yell as you fight back every urge to squeal and laugh loud enough for the others to hear you.

"Don't threaten me with a good time, baby!" He replies with a low chuckle, refusing to let up.

"Eddie, please! I was just kidding! I'm sorry!" You plead, attempting to flail away from him. But it's no use, he's got you trapped firmly in his grip.

"Then tell me I'm the sexiest man alive, angel." He taunts, speaking seductively in your ear to give you a way out.

"You're the sexiest man alive, Eddie! Now let me go!" You don't mind stroking his ego, you find the statement to be very true in your eyes.

"Good girl." He grins, ceasing his tickling and planting a gentle kiss on your neck.

"God, I love it when you call me that." You let out a satisfied sigh, laying your head on Eddie's shoulder. You realize Erica has been gone for a while, raising your head again to peek down the trail. You don't see any trace of her flashlight, and you're getting worried that she's lost.

"What are we looking at, Y/N?" Eddie asks, leaning forward to join you in staring at the darkness.

"Erica's been gone too long. We should go look for her." You say in a serious tone, getting out of his embrace. Eddie stands with you, retrieving two flashlights from the table. "Do you remember if she took her walkie or not?" You ask, unable to recall anything outside of her catching you together.

"No, we can always try it anyways." He replies, taking one from the table. He flicks it on, extending the antenna. He presses the button to speak. "Erica, do you copy?" He releases the button for a moment, only hearing static as he waits for a reply. "Erica, do you copy?" He sounds a little more panicked this time, giving a longer pause. "Shit. I don't think she took it with her. We'll just have to find her the old-fashioned way." He puts the walkie in his pocket, in case anyone wakes up and wonders where you went off to. You flick on your lights, the bright white hitting harshly against the beaten path. He takes hold of your hand, giving a gentle squeeze. "Don't worry, we'll find her." He says calmly, though his face reads equally as worried as your own.

"Okay." You nod, and you set off on your journey to find the missing Sinclair sibling. You find the bathroom shack easily, it's not difficult to locate once you've gone down the trail before. "I'll see if she's in here." You say, letting go of his hand. He nods his head at you, and you go to the entrance of the women's room. You push the door open, calling out to Erica. "Erica? Are you in here?" You ask, hoping you get a reply. She's so young, it must be terrifying to be out here in the dark all alone. Sure, she gives the impression of being tough as nails, but even the bravest of men can easily become scared in the deep dark woods.

"Yeah, I'm in here. I'm not feeling so good, though." Erica groans, and you hear the sounds of her vomiting into a toilet in one of the stalls.

"Oh, Erica. I'm so sorry. Is there anything I can do?" You ask, though you can't imagine you can do much for her.

"Ugh, no. I think I had too many s'mores." She whimpers before puking again. Your own stomach turns slightly at the sounds, you've always been squeamish around sick people.

"Okay, well, take your time. I'm just gonna let Eddie know and we'll see what we can do." You leave the bathroom, finding Eddie looking all around the woods to find Erica. "She's in there, but she's very sick. She ate too many s'mores."

"Shit. Well, I'm glad we found her at least. Not sure what we're gonna do about her being so sick. If it's actually the flu, it could get bad fast with her out in this heat." He says, the gears in his brain working as he tries to figure out what to do. "We probably have to take her and Lucas to the Ranger building. They should have a phone there for Lucas to call their parents to pick them up."

"Yeah, that's probably best. I hate for them to miss out on the rest of the trip, but it's the right thing to do. Let's wait for her to be empty, and then we'll get her and Lucas packed up." A little while later, Erica walks out of the shack. Her face is pale, and she's covered in sweat. "Hey, Erica. So, we've decided it would be best for you and Lucas to go home. If this is the flu or something, it's not safe for you out here. I'm really sorry, kiddo." You speak as apologetically as you can, and she just nods.

"Okay. I was gonna ask to go home anyways. I know a tummy ache when I see one, and this isn't it." She speaks weakly, which freaks you out as she's usually pretty spunky. She looks so miserable, you wish you could magically make her all better. You and Eddie lead her back to camp, giving her some water while you gather her things. Luckily for you, all you need to do is roll up her sleeping bag and zip up her backpack.

Eddie opens the tent where Lucas is sleeping, gently shaking him awake. "Hey, Lucas. Get up, buddy." He whispers so as not to wake Mike and Dustin.

"W-What's going on?" Lucas asks as he rubs his eyes.

"Erica's sick, so we have to take you guys to the Ranger station and have you call your parents. I'm really sorry, man."

"Oh, man. That sucks. But I understand, just let me get my stuff." Lucas replies, forcing himself awake.

"Take it slow, kiddo." You warn Erica as she sips down her water. Eddie loads up hers and Lucas' belongings in the meantime, and then you all get into the van to drive to the large building at the entrance of the campground. You and Eddie walk the kids inside, finding the same burly man from the kiosk sitting at the night desk. Eddie explains the situation, and the ranger allows Lucas to use the phone. He also lets Erica get comfortable on the couch in the rec area, setting a trash can beside her in case she throws up again. The Sinclairs insist you should return to camp and get some rest since their parents are already on the way. But you refuse to leave them alone, sitting beside each other on some not-so-comfortable chairs.

About two hours into waiting, Erica is sleeping soundly again. Lucas is repeatedly dozing off, but startling himself awake when his head begins to fall forwards. You yourself are finding it hard to stay awake, so you curl up as comfortably as you can in your seat, leaning your head on Eddie's shoulder. You don't even care if Lucas sees, you just want to be close to the man you love. "You tired, princess? You can sleep in the van if you want." Eddie offers, though he thinks your sleepy display is rather cute.

"No, I'm gonna stay here with you. Gotta make sure the kids are safe." You say lazily, already halfway to dreamland.

"Okay, baby. Sleep well." He presses a light kiss to the top of your head, once he sees that Lucas has fully passed out now.

By the time Lucas and Erica's parents show up, the sun is starting to rise. It shines through the windows of the Ranger building, going directly into your eyes. "Mmm." You groan as you readjust to block out the light. Until now, you’ve slept surprisingly well with Eddie as your pillow.

"Sweetheart, wake up. The kids are getting ready to leave." Eddie nudges you, speaking softly. You try to cling even harder to him, which makes Lucas raise an eyebrow in your direction. "C'mon, darling. We gotta get up and get back to camp." He shakes your shoulder, and you open your eyes.

"Ugh, fine." You whine, slowly standing up from your chair.

"So....are you two...ya know?" Lucas gestures awkwardly at you and Eddie, putting the pieces together.

"Yes, Lucas. But keep your mouth shut! We plan to tell everyone after the trip." You say with a sleepy scowl, and he nods in agreement. You lead him and Erica outside, helping them into their parents' car.

"Thanks for staying here with them all night, I'm sorry they can't stay for the rest of the weekend." Mrs. Sinclair says through her rolled-down window.

"It's no trouble at all, ma'am. I hope Erica feels better soon." Eddie says kindly, taking hold of your hand. You smile at the contact, and the two of you wave goodbye as the Sinclairs pull out of the parking lot and drive out of the campground.

You sigh in relief, glad that Erica will get the love and care she needs at home. "Did you sleep at all, Eds?" You ask, noticing slight bags under his eyes.

"A little, somebody kept snoring though." He teases, giving you a nudge.

"I did not!" You exclaim, insisting you do no such thing.

"I know! I was talking about Lucas!" He says, and you smack his chest playfully.

"You ass!" You laugh. "C'mon, let's go back before the others wake up." You get back in the van, driving down the trail to Lot 106. But as you pull into the parking space, you realize everyone is already out of bed, sitting around with concerned expressions on their faces.

"Where the fuck were you guys all night? And where are Erica and Lucas?" Jeff asks as you hop out into the humid morning air.

"Erica got sick last night, so we took her and Lucas to the Ranger station. We called their parents, and waited all night for them to be picked up. We're sorry we didn't tell you, but it was the middle of the night and we didn't want to disturb you. We did bring a walkie though in case you guys wondered where we were, though." The others slowly relax as you explain the situation, their hardened expressions loosening with every word.

"Is Erica gonna be okay?" Dustin asks, worried about his unlikely friend.

"Yes, it's probably just a stomach bug. Now, who's hungry?" You reply, watching as everyone's hand raises into the air. You chuckle quietly, going to the table to make PB&J sandwiches for breakfast. Eddie assists you, and you hand them out to everyone along with some orange slices from the cooler. "So, what's on the agenda for today, Eds?" You ask loud enough for the others to hear.

"Well, I was thinking we could have a beach day, and hang out at the lake. It's supposed to have crystal clear waters, and it's covered in colorful rocks on the bottom." Eddie says, munching on an orange slice afterwards.

"Sounds great! I love reading a good book on the beach." You speak cheerily as you finish your food.

"Reading? You're not gonna swim?" Eddie asks, barely hiding his disappointment.

"I didn't say that, I just really like sunbathing, that's all." You giggle, you imagine Eddie wants so badly to see you in your bathing suit. You did force your mom to give you a ride to the mall to find something cute...and sexy, in hopes of enticing him. You're excited for him to see it, but you're gonna wait for your perfect moment to reveal it to him.

"Sounds like somebody just wants to see Y/N in her swimsuit." Gareth jokes, and Eddie's cheeks turn bright red.

"Shut up, dickweed! I never said that!" Eddie shouts, which doesn't help dissuade anyone's assumptions.

"I don't know, it sounds like thou doth protest too much, Eddie." Alex joins in, drawing laughs from everyone but you.

"You guys are perverted. He's just making conversation." You say plainly, hoping your friends will shut the hell up.

"If you say so..." Mike replies in a sing-song voice.

"Alright! I'm done, and I need a goddamn shower after staying in these clothes all night. You wanna come with, Y/N?" Eddie stands, tossing his empty paper plate into the trash bag you have sitting on the table.

"Sure. I guess I'm in the same boat, grunge-wise." You leave your seat on the bench, going to your tent to pull out your toiletry bag and towel.

"And now you're gonna shower together? Interesting." Dustin chimes in, and you just roll your eyes as they all laugh at your expense again.

"We're obviously showering separately, you assholes! I thought we agreed to stop the teasing!" You shout, glaring at everyone individually. But you strike no fear into them, they only laugh harder. "Whatever, I'm over this shit." You're genuinely getting angry, you just wish they'd knock it off. It wasn't so bad at first, but now it's getting out of hand. You storm off, heading down the trail as a couple tears fall from your eyes.

"Dammit, guys!" Eddie groans, shaking his head and snatching up his own things before turning to follow you. He jogs to catch up, and he notices you crying. "Are you okay, Y/N?" He asks, reaching for your hand.

"Do you see why I didn't want to tell them now? I know it shouldn't bother me so much, but they're really getting on my nerves." You say through a sniffle. You feel silly crying over this, but it isn't often that you're the constant target of jokes and comments.

"I'm sorry, princess. I don't know what to do about them, they're being real jerks today." He's not sure how to handle this, the fuckers just won't let up. He supposes it's because they highly suspect you're into each other. But regardless of that, they should know when to quit.

"I don't either. The more we say, the worse it gets. I'm just gonna ignore them, I'm tired of going back and forth all day." You decide the only way to get them to quit is if you freeze them out, to act like they don't exist.

"That's probably a good idea. Maybe if they see how upset they've made you, they'll finally knock it off and apologize. But in the meantime...you wanna shower with me?" He suggests, wanting to help you feel better.

"I dunno, Eds. What if they try to spy on us?" You ask, looking behind you to see if you're being followed. You don't see anyone, so maybe you're being paranoid.

"You don't have to if you're not comfortable, angel. I just want to make you feel good. But it's up to you." He speaks lowly, tempting you with the promise of getting you off.

"Shit, you're impossible to resist, you know that?" You say cheekily as you finally reach the shower shack. "How about you turn on one of the showers in the men's room, just in case they come to see if you're in there. They wouldn't dare go in the women's." You suggest, a mischievous grin spreading across your face.

"I like the way you think, baby. I'll be right back." He leaves you for a moment, and you feel your heart racing as the anticipation builds. He comes back out a moment later, and you lead him into the women's room. You check to make sure no one else is in here, and the coast is clear. You pick the shower stall farthest from the entrance, secluded in the corner. You both put your stuff down on the little shelf so it stays dry. Eddie immediately pins you against the wall, smashing his mouth on yours. You moan against his lips, letting him slip his tongue in. You put your arms around his shoulders, holding him close. His mouth moves on to your neck, meeting your sweet spot shortly after.

"Eddie." You whimper, wanting him to go further.

"How far have you gone before, baby?" Eddie asks against your skin, curious to know if you have much experience.

"You really think I'm that innocent, Eds?" You reply, reaching down to grip his erection. He groans in your grasp, resisting the urge to bite you again.

"I guess you're right. You've been surprising me again and again the last couple days. But have you...gone all the way, Y/N?" You can't help giggling at his phrasing, it sounds a bit childish.

"You really wanna know?" You tease, palming him harder and rougher than before. You look deep into his eyes, eating up the little moans he's emitting just for you. He just nods, unable to form words. "Yes, I have."

"Who with?" He pushes the question out.

"Is this really that important to you? Trying to see who you're competing with?" You chuckle, unable to help rolling your eyes.

"Maybe a little. You just always blush like crazy at my dirty jokes, so I assumed..."

"That I'm a virgin?" You finish the sentence for him. He affirms your statement, and you just shake your head. "Did it ever occur to you that I blushed like that because it was you telling the jokes? Ya know, because I'm head over heels for you?"

"Well, it does now." He says with a bashful laugh. "But you didn't answer my question." He finds his cool once more, lowering his own hand to undo the button of your shorts. He slides your zipper down its track, and slips his hand inside your panties. His fingers brush against your slick folds, making you moan loudly. "God, you're absolutely soaked, sweetheart." He's just about to push two digits into your pussy, when he stills his movements entirely. "Tell me who, Y/N." He says darkly, giving your clit half-flicks to drive you wild.

"There's been a couple." You say, hoping that's enough for him. But you can already see that it isn't.

"I'm not gonna judge you, princess. I just wanna know." He politely insists. You can see where he's going, he'll reward you if you do as he asks.

"Alright, since you asked nicely. My first...was Steve Harrington." You admit, as embarrassing as it is.

"King Steve, huh? And when was this?" Eddie puts his fingers inside you finally, curving them slowly to press on your g spot.

"Fuck. It was a little while after he broke up with Nancy Wheeler. We were drunk at a party." It's insane how easily he's able to draw the words out of you. But looking into his lust-filled eyes makes it impossible not to obey him.

"How was it, angel?" He continues.

"Well, it was pretty clumsy since we were wasted. And let's just say he didn't last very long." You say with a giggle, recalling how you barely got anywhere without Steve blowing his load.

"He didn't make you cum?" He laughs, this little game is very amusing for him. The confessions he's pulling from you, along with your hands working his belt open are turning him on immensely. You open up his own shorts, reaching inside his boxers to jerk him off in your hand. "Shit, Y/N."

"Not. Even. Close. No fingers, no tongue, just a few pumps of his cock and that was all she wrote. I pity Nancy, if anything." You reply, gasping as Eddie's pace increases. You stroke his dick a little faster in response.

"Well, sounds like I've already got one up on Harrington after last night." Your breath fans in each other's faces, hearts beating rapidly as you get each other off with your hands.

"You certainly do, and you'll have another one if you go faster." You whimper, feeling a knot balling up inside you, just waiting to release.

"Anything for you, baby." He pounds his fingers into your cunt, wet noises filling the room along with your moans. You hold onto his shoulder to keep yourself from falling over. And you jerk him off even faster, wanting him to lose it with you. "Who else? Please tell me." He almost begs, finding himself nearing the edge.

"Jason Carver, a little bit before he got with Chrissy. Another drunken mistake." You answer, and his eyes tell you he wants more details. It's so strange, you didn't think Eddie would ever want to hear about the guys that came before him. But you assume he wants to be better than them, and it won't take much if you're being honest. "He was very similar to Steve, only more aggressive. He didn't even kiss me."

"That's terrible, sweetheart. Sounds like you have a habit of collecting the popular boys, though." Eddie can't help feeling a little jealous, even though these other young men didn't perform very well. He brings his lips to your neck again, wanting to bring you down with him as his high quickly approaches.

"It's called having low self-esteem, Eds. The popular kid gives you the time of day, and it makes you feel special. I've learned that it's far from worth it, though." You reply through a whimper. "You're so much better than they are, and it's not just because you actually know what you're doing." You speak against his ear, fueling his fire.

"Was there anyone else?" He asks as his stomach tenses.

"A couple, I don't remember their names. Those were a little better, they tried at least. But I still didn't cum." You say breathily, your walls fluttering around Eddie's fingers. "I'm about to right now, though. Fuck- Eddie!" You cry out, your legs trembling as you cum hard around his hand. Your mouth falls open and your eyebrows scrunch as you moan so loud.

"Y/N." Eddie groans, staring at your fuck-struck face as his load spills onto your hollowed fist. He falls forward against you slightly, clumsily kissing you as your orgasms run their course. Your hands go still in each other's shorts, before you pull away entirely. Eddie leans against the wall beside you, bringing his sticky fingers up to his lips to taste you. He moans at the taste, so musky and sweet. "You're so delicious, sweetheart." He says as his chest heaves to pull air into his lungs.

You decide to taste him too, it's so hot to see him swallow your cum like that. You lick the sticky white fluid off of your hand, keeping your eyes glued to his the whole time. He's the perfect balance between sweet and salty, the flavor makes your eyes roll to the back of your head. "So are you, Eds." You reply once you clean up every last drop.

"Do you want more, angel? Or are you tapped out for the time being?" Eddie asks sweetly, noting the tired expression on your face. He strokes your arm lightly, gazing at you for an answer.

"I think I might be, it was very...intense." You say with a smile, leaning in to give him a gentle kiss. "But we've got all day, and I'm guessing the others are counting down the minutes until we get back."

"Okay, sweetheart. I'll let you get cleaned up, and I'll meet you right outside." He zips up his jeans, sliding the belt back into place. He checks to make sure he's safe to leave and take his own shower, and there's no one to be found. He slips out the door, it slams lightly on its hinges once he's gone.

You slowly strip off your clothes, still reeling from Eddie fingering you while asking you about who you've slept with. You wouldn't have expected something like that to be so sexy, but doing it with him blew your mind to smithereens. You set the clothes on the shelf, twisting the shower knob to start the water. The temperature is nice and warm, and you sigh in satisfaction as the water soaks your hair and skin. You wash away all the sweat and cum from the last twelve hours, becoming fresh and new again.

You're not sure how long you've been in here, probably too long to not raise further questions from the others. You mentally curse your inability to resist Eddie's charms, rushing to rinse off your soap and shampoo so you can hurry back. You shut the water off, drying your body with your towel. You change into your swimsuit, a matching bandeau top and bikini brief set in a gorgeous deep purple. You've never shown so much skin before, especially not to Eddie and your friends. You put on an almost-sheer black cover-up on top of it, you don't want to give away the surprise just yet. The thin fabric barely reaches your thighs, and you close up the button to hide your body away.

You slip your flip-flops back on, gathering your belongings to rejoin Eddie who's waiting outside for you. He's having another smoke, flicking the ash into the grass. He catches your eye, looking you up and down. "Damn, sweetheart. You look like you're ready for the beach." He says with a smirk, offering you a cigarette. His hair is tied up again, dripping water onto the back of his shirt. You notice he's changed into his trunks, which are a simple solid black that go halfway down his thighs. The drawstrings are tied into a neat bow, holding them securely on his hips.

"I most certainly am." You gladly accept his offer, letting him light the cig for you.

"I can't wait to see what you've got on under there." He says, attempting to peek down the front of your cover-up. You hold the fabric tight to your chest, pushing a hand against his face.

"You'll see soon enough, don't ruin the surprise!" You exclaim, giggling like a schoolgirl.

"Ooh, did you wear it just for me, angel?" He asks as he backs off. He looks at you, watching your cheeks heat up and your eyes dart away.

"I may have bought it to try and seduce you." You say sheepishly, taking a long drag of your cigarette. It's kind of embarrassing when you say it out loud.

"Well, I may not know what it looks like just yet, but I can guarantee it would've worked." He whispers as you approach your campsite once again. "Is everyone ready for the beach?" Eddie addresses the others, once again pretending like nothing happened. It's strange how easy it is for him to switch back and forth like that, but you don't mind it.

"Yeah!" The others cheer in unison. You put your toiletries away and retrieve your book, sunglasses, and beach blanket. You put the glasses over your eyes, carrying a cooler full of drinks in your other hand. Everyone else is carrying towels, snacks, beach balls, and a boombox in their hands. You and Eddie lead the way to the lake, which is a little farther away than you expect. But once you reach it, you can't help but gasp at the beauty before you.

"Holy shit." You say as you take in the scene. The lake is huge, and there's surprisingly no one else around. The water is clear as glass, just like Eddie said it would be, and those colorful rocks really pop as the sun shines down on the wide open space. On the other side of the lake is a thick treeline, with a family of deer drinking from the crystalline waters. Birds fly overhead, cawing their mating calls and swirling in playful circles. You set down your blanket a good twenty feet from the water, laying it on the silky smooth rocks underfoot. You lay on your stomach, opening your book to the earmarked page you left off on.

Eddie puts his stuff next to you, giving you a wink before taking off his sandals. He pulls out his ponytail, slipping the hair tie on his wrist. And then he pulls his shirt over his head, revealing his bare torso to you. You stare up at him as his arms raise above his head, eating up every inch of skin that comes into view. His tattoos are on full display, and you can't resist licking your lips when you see the trail of hair that runs from his chest all the way down until it disappears inside his swim trunks. "See something you like, baby?" He asks, a knowing smile playing on his face. Before you can answer, he runs like the wind into the water. He forces his legs through the resisting surface, until he eventually falls forward into the transparent depths. He pops his head out a moment later, flipping his hair backwards. He catches your eye, standing with the surface of the water resting at his shoulders.

"You comin' in, Y/N?" Dustin asks from the little cluster of towels he formed with Mike and the others. Gareth sets the boombox on a large rock near their spot, pushing play on one of Eddie's mixtapes. "Start Me Up" by The Rolling Stones begins to play, and Gareth turns the volume up.

"In a bit, I just want to read for a while first." You shout, yanking your eyes away from the direction of the water.

"Okay!" He calls back over the music, and the rest of the boys strip off their shirts and shoes to join your leader in the lake. They immediately start roughhousing, splashing around and doing handstands. You giggle at their antics, trying to focus on your novel for a bit. You open the cooler you brought with you, pulling out a beer. You crack it open, and take a nice long drink from it. It's icy cold, which is perfect with the sun beating down on you the way it is. You get through a few chapters of your book without being disturbed, but it doesn't take long for the guys to try to coax you into the water with them.

"C'mon, Y/N! Stop being boring and get in here!" Jeff calls with his hands around his mouth to increase volume.

"The water feels great!" Alex chimes in.

"Don't make us have to come get you, sweetheart!" Eddie shouts, giving you a devilish grin. Your eyes widen beneath your sunglasses. You know perfectly well that they can and will gang up on you to toss you into the lake.

You sigh, marking your place and setting down your book. "Fine! I'm coming!" You yell, standing to remove your cover-up. Just as you're on your own two feet, "Moving in Stereo" by The Cars kicks on. Time seems to slow down, like you're having your very own Phoebe Cates moment. You slide out of your flip-flops, and toss your sunglasses away without a care. You reach for the button of the black garment that's been hiding you away, pushing it through the hole. The fabric parts like the red sea, and you slip it off your shoulders. The thin material pools on your blanket, and your sexy bikini is fully exposed. All the boys are staring at you, eyes going wide as saucers when they see how gorgeous you look.

"Woah." They say in unison, and you can't help taking it as a massive compliment. You smile innocently, and start to dash towards the water. It's cold when it hits your toes, but you don't react at all. You just keep going, running as far as you can until the resistance takes you down the same as it did to the others. You let the cool water surround you for a moment, slowly turning your body around to pop out to the surface. You gasp in a deep breath of air once you breach, flipping your hair back like models do.

"Fuck, that’s cold!" You exclaim, making everyone laugh. Eddie drifts over to you, calmly kicking his feet below the surface. His arm brushes against your ass, making you whip around to look at him.

"Hey there, princess. Lookin' good." He says smoothly, flitting away like a waterbug as soon as the words leave his lips. You blush at his compliment, and you decide to swim in the opposite direction. You have no destination in mind, you just want to enjoy the water. When you stand up straight, the water goes up to your neck, but you can see all the way down. Beautiful stones lie beneath your feet, in bright blues and reds and greens. It's like you're swimming in a giant fishbowl, a little guppy flapping your fins to pass the time. You notice Eddie circling you, almost like a shark. He gets closer and closer with every rotation, his eyes glued to your form the whole time. He even dips his head under to get a better look at you, admiring every curve of your body. The rounds of your ass, and the swells of your tits. Your beautiful legs that he wants to spread so desperately.

You're surprised no one seems to be watching you two, glancing cautiously to find the other boys playing Marco Polo. He comes up behind you again, wrapping his arms around your waist. "Hey there, handsome." You greet him, pushing your ass against him slightly.

"You havin' fun, angel?" He asks lowly in your ear, barely concealing a groan from you backing into him. Despite the coldness of the water, Eddie found himself getting unbearably hard the second he saw how perfect you look in your swimsuit.

"Yes, the water feels amazing." You sigh, letting him pull you a little closer. His chest meets your back, and you can feel his stiff cock poking into you. "Is that a fish in your shorts, or are you just happy to see me?" You ask in a cheesy tone. Small chuckles leave your mouths at the poor joke.

"Oh, I'm very happy to see you, sweetheart. You're so fuckin' pretty in this, baby." Eddie says while feeling you up to emphasize his point. "Although, I have a feeling you look even better out of it." You moan quietly, savoring the feeling of his large hands wandering all over you.

"You're very sexy too, Eds. You look so good without your shirt on. Your tattoos are so hot, I just want to trace them all with my tongue." Your eyes slip closed for a moment, and you can't help letting your head fall back against his shoulder.

"You're lucky I'm keeping a lookout, darling. Gonna get us caught when you do that." He nibbles your earlobe, and squeezes your tits through your top. He's doing everything he can to make you melt, and it's definitely working. The sensations he's giving you are amplified immensely as the heat from your body clashes with the frigid waters surrounding you.

"Sorry, I'm just really enjoying what you're doing to me." You practically whine at him, which only revs him up further.

"So am I, Y/N." He replies, before pulling away from you when he senses someone about to look in your direction. You open your eyes again, fighting off a frown at the loss of Eddie's touch.

"What are you guys up to over there?" Mike asks, raising an eyebrow as he swore he saw you and Eddie getting real cozy a second ago.

"Nothing. Just talking." You lie, swimming over to join the rest of the group.

"Oh, okay. Well, we’re gonna start some chicken fights if you guys want to play." Mike offers.

"Oh, that sounds fun! I'm pretty good, too. Eddie, you wanna hold me on your shoulders?" You ask, pouting your lips to beg.

"Of course, princess. Hop on." Eddie smiles, lowering himself in the water so you can climb onto him. You slip your legs over his shoulders, and he holds you up firmly and safely. "Alright, who's going against us first?" He asks, looking around at the others.

"How about me and Gareth?" Dustin suggests.

"Sure." Gareth replies, mimicking Eddie's position to get Dustin on top of him.

Your two teams stand across from each other in the water, waiting for Jeff to tell you when to begin. "Ready?" He asks, looking to you and then to Dustin. You both nod, staring each other down as you prepare to push the other one over. "Okay, go!" Jeff shouts, and Eddie and Gareth meet in the middle. You hold Dustin's arms, shoving him down with ease. He falls backwards, splashing loudly into the water.

"Nice job, Y/N!" Eddie cheers, his right hand leaving your leg so you can give him a high five. "Alright, who's up next?" Eddie says with glee. You're smiling giddily at his competitiveness, he can't wait to beat every last one of these knuckleheads.

"I'll go with Mike." Alex says, saddling the scrawny kid on his shoulders. You return to position, and Jeff tells you to go again. You grab Mike by the wrists, jerking them around to throw him off balance. He puts up a good fight, but he eventually slips off as he can't keep a firm grip on Alex. Another loud splash signals your second victory.

"Woo! We win again! I told you I was good." You brag, ruffling Eddie's soaked hair.

"No way, they let you win 'cuz you're a girl." Jeff insists.

"Oh, you think so? Why don't you give it a try, Jeff?" You sneer, crossing your arms defiantly.

"Bring it on! I'm not afraid to take down a chick." He says, getting onto Gareth's shoulders. Alex counts you down this time, and your teams charge forward more aggressively than before. Jeff grips your elbows first, but you quickly slip from his grasp. You take hold of his wrists, crossing his arms over one another. He tries to break free, but you refuse to let go. Eddie tightens his grip to help hold you up, he can feel you slipping backwards in your efforts. Finally, you jerk Jeff's arms upwards, which sends him flailing into the water.

"What's that again about 'letting me win'?" You ask once Jeff resurfaces. He scowls at you, but you just smile nice and wide. Suddenly, Eddie tosses you backwards into the lake. You scream as you go down, splashing hard into the water. You pop back out a moment later, coughing as you get some up your nose. "What the hell?" You shout, a little annoyed at him throwing you like that.

"Oh, relax, princess. You got three wins, I figured you'd want a dip too." Eddie replies, reeling you in to give you a hug. You stiffen at first, before relaxing into his embrace. "No hard feelings, right?" He asks as he lets you go.

"Alright. I'm still the champion though." You state plainly, taking a deep breath. You let yourself sink to the bottom of the lake for a moment. You open your eyes, admiring the pretty rocks below as you blow bubbles through your nose. Eddie mirrors you, grinning happily when he sees your face. He looks so gorgeous like this, his thick hair splaying about like a merman, the sun dancing on the water in the most magical way. He swims over to you, capturing you in his arms. He strokes your cheek with a pruney hand, and gives you a gentle kiss. It doesn't last for more than a second or two, as you can't hold your breath very long. But it's very romantic, sending your heart aflutter.

You go back up for air, wondering where Eddie went off to. You don't see him, whipping around to look all around for his mop of hair. "BOO!" Eddie shouts as he springs up right behind you. You don't know how you didn't see him coming, he must be very good at staying right on your back. You scream bloody murder when he scares you, turning around to smack him repeatedly across the chest.

"Dammit, Eddie! You asshole! You scared the shit out of me!" You yell, drawing everyone's attention in your direction. Eddie laughs hysterically, shielding himself from you splashing water at him.

"Man, I got you good, huh?" He cackles, making the others laugh too. You keep shoving water towards him, falling into your own fit of giggles.

"You're lucky I don't kick your ass, Munson!" You squeal, jumping to tackle him into the water. You both go under again, with you on top of him. His hands immediately grab your waist, and you're practically straddling him. You give him a kiss of your own, harsher and hungrier than his. You bite his bottom lip roughly, before pulling away to return to the surface. Eddie follows close behind you, swallowing air in large gulps since you caught him off guard.

"Jesus, you tryin' to drown me?" He asks jokingly.

"Not at all, Eds. Just getting even." You smirk, casually swimming away from him as this little game is over.

"You guys are laying it on a little thick today, don't you think?" Mike asks, noticing how overly playful you're being. It's not the typical 'Y/N is one of the guys' kind of play. This...is flirting.

You ignore his statement, deciding to take a break from the water. You work your way to the shore, slowly fighting against that resistance once more until you can easily jog out to your blanket. You lay down in your spot, reaching for your sunglasses to keep the light out of your eyes. You close your eyes, sighing blissfully in the warmth shining down upon you. A moment later, you feel cold water dripping onto your face. "Mind if I join you?" Eddie asks, and you see him peering at you.

"You really gotta ask?" You chuckle, patting a free spot on your blanket. He lays down beside you, sneakily taking your hand in his. It's such a simple touch, but it makes you want so much more. "Do you have any idea how badly I want you right now?" You say casually, trying to make it look like you're having a normal conversation.

"I think so...I'd bet I want you even more, though." He replies, turning his head to look at you closely. His eyes scan over the little droplets of water on your cheeks and chin, and your damp hair clinging to your head. His pupils wander down your body, memorizing every last inch of you. He lifts himself slightly to see what the kids are up to. He finds they're back to playing Marco Polo, except everyone has their eyes closed instead of just the person who is 'it'. "You wanna sneak off into the woods with me? The idiots seem to be distracted at the moment." You meet his gaze at this suggestion, finding a blazing fire of wanting there.

"I'll repeat myself. Do you really have to ask?" You quip, quickly standing up with him. You slip on your shoes, and he takes your hand as you slink away from the group. You follow the trail at first, before heading into the trees. You're both giggling like mad, finding a decent spot. It's not too far away from the trail so you won't get lost, but back behind it enough so nobody will see you. Eddie's quick to push you against the thick trunk of one of the trees, and he takes your sunglasses off before kissing you roughly. You moan against him, reaching down to stroke his dick through his wet bathing suit.

"Fuck, someone's needy." He groans, moving on to nip on your neck.

"Well, can you blame me?" You chuckle lowly. Eddie's own hands go behind your back, pulling you forward slightly to reach for the clip holding your top together.

"Can I?" He asks, somehow unsure if this is what you really want.

"Yes, please." You whine, squeezing him a little harder to egg him on. He opens the clasp, and the bikini top falls to the ground like it's nothing at all. Your tits are exposed to the air, your nipples hardening in arousal.

Eddie stares at your chest for a moment, slowly bringing his hands to cup your breasts. "You're beautiful, sweetheart." He says, in total awe of you. You whimper at the sensation of his fingers rolling your sensitive buds. "Does that feel good, angel?" He asks while watching your pretty face twist in pleasure with every move he makes.

"Yes, so fucking good. But I want more." You arch your back, reflexively trying to bring your pussy closer to his cock.

"Relax, baby. We'll get to that soon enough." Eddie coos. He presses you against the tree again with just the right amount of pressure, bending down slightly to bring his mouth to your left breast. His tongue swirls around the pebbled flesh, before biting just hard enough to make you moan.

"Eddie." You're about to ask him to stop teasing, when you notice him slowly lowering to his knees. He leaves hot, wet kisses along the way until he reaches the waistband of your bottoms. You step out of your shoes, and he grips the material with both hands to pull it down. You watch wordlessly as he exposes your cunt, kicking the little piece of fabric away.

"You ever had someone go down on you before?" He asks, lifting your right leg to rest over his shoulder. He gets a perfect view of your dripping pussy, his eyes widening in wonderment.

"No, you're my first, Eds." You say with a kind smile, caressing his cheek to show him how much this moment means to you.

"Damn, well, I hope I'm not being cocky when I say you're gonna love it." He says cheekily.

"Since it's you, I'm sure I will." You reply, eagerly waiting to feel his lips and tongue on your most sensitive areas. He nods, a light blush rising in his cheeks at your encouragement. He moves your standing leg further out slightly, and then he brings his face in front of your core. His breath fans against it, making you shiver. He finally puts his mouth on you, licking quick circles around your clit. "Oh my god!" You cry out, you've never felt anything like this before. His mouth is so warm, and his tongue works at the perfect speed. He paints long stripes from your bundle of nerves to your entrance, occasionally dipping inside to stroke your g spot. "I know I don't have anything to compare it to, but you're really good at this."

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself, baby." Eddie says briefly before continuing his work. Your hands tangle in his hair, holding him as close to you as humanly possible. Your hips repeatedly buck against him, and you use the tree trunk as leverage to keep from falling over. You can feel your orgasm building up fast, it seems Eddie's very talented at giving head.

"Your tongue is so fuckin' good, Eds. Keep going, you're gonna make me cum." As soon as the words leave your mouth, Eddie pushes two fingers into your pussy to work in tandem with his tongue swirling figure eights around your clit. Your grip tightens on his head, and your nails dig into his scalp. He groans against you at the sting, sending overwhelming vibrations through your lower half. "God, do that again." You plead, and he happily obeys you.

"Mmm." He moans into your folds, louder and rougher than before. Your pelvis jolts at the sensation. He does it again. And again. His cock strains harder in his trunks at the sounds he pulls from you each time. You're just on the precipice, all you need is one more. He anticipates your needs, humming stronger than ever before. That, paired with his digits hitting your sweet spot as his mouth sucks onto your clit, sends you flying over the edge.

"Eddie!" You cry out, letting go of his head to grab helplessly at the tree you're leaning against. He holds your legs steady so you don't fall over, squeezing slightly as your thighs shake. Waves of bliss have overtaken you, and your eyes meet his while you ride out your high. He swallows every last drop of your cum that he can, a dribble of it running down his chin. He drinks in all the fucked-out expressions that cross your face, committing them to memory.

Eddie slowly stands up once your body relaxes, and he kisses you deeply. You moan at the taste of yourself on his lips, holding him as close as you can. "You did so well, sweetheart. And you taste amazing, I could do that all day." He praises once he breaks away.

"I'll have to take you up on that offer sometime." You reply with a smile. "But right now...it's your turn." You carefully spin the two of you around, so Eddie's back is against the tree now. You give him another kiss, letting your hands caress his bare chest. Your mouth moves on to his neck, nipping ever so slightly on his flesh.

"Y/N." He groans at the sensation, his eyes rolling shut. You begin to travel downwards, littering his chest with more kisses and light bites that won't leave a mark. You do as you said you wanted to earlier, tracing the outline of his tattoos with your tongue. First the spider, then the demon-zombie thing, and then you gingerly take his right arm in your hands. The wet muscle in your mouth drags along the wyvern, and the puppet master, ending with all the little bats on his forearm. He makes the sweetest whimpers and moans as you work, forcing his eyes open to observe you worshiping him.

"I love how much noise you make, Eds. It’s really hot." You know it's kind of a thing that most men don't like to make any sound at all, short of the occasional grunt. But to hear this man in particular allow himself to vocally express his pleasure feels so intimate and special. You've learned time and again that Eddie is no ordinary man, and this instance serves as further evidence of that fact.

"It's all for you, angel." He breathes heavily, waiting for you to make your next move. You get onto your knees, leaves and sticks pressing into them. You plant more whispering kisses on his stomach, even going so far as to dip your tongue into his navel. He moans again, making you grin. Your hands reach for the drawstrings of his trunks, quickly undoing the perfect knot he tied earlier. The thin strings lay limp now, and you grip the sides of the fabric to pull the shorts down his legs. His dick springs free, slapping against his stomach. Eddie kicks the shorts away once they reach his ankles, and you place one hand on his thigh while taking hold of his length in the other. "Fuck." He grips the tree behind him as best he can, waiting for you to take him in your mouth.

You stroke him lightly, taking a moment to admire the shape of him. He's certainly larger than the others (though it doesn't take much to achieve that), a bit thicker too. He feels so velvety soft in your hand, and you like how he has a slight upward curve. "Your dick is really pretty, Eddie." You observe out loud, drawing a laugh from him.

"Well, that's the first time I've heard that before." He chuckles, looking down at you curiously.

"Is that weird to say?" You ask, feeling your cheeks heat up at the idea of ruining the mood.

"Not at all, princess. It's just...different. But that's what I admire about you. And I appreciate any compliment coming from you, especially about that. Believe it or not, I may have a bit of an ego." He jokes, giving you a kind glance.

"No shit!" You laugh, your embarrassment melting away at his reassuring words. You stop messing around, you're sure Eddie finds your snail's pace a bit torturous at this point. You focus on the task at hand, starting with little swirling licks around his tip.

"Fuck, Y/N. More...please." He begs, needing to feel your hot, wet mouth around him. You grant his request, taking as much of him as you can. You continue to stroke what doesn't fit with your hand, twisting just right while you bob your head back and forth. "Feels so good, baby." He says through a moan, watching his inches disappear behind your pretty lips. He resists the urge to hold your head down to fuck your face, enjoying every lick and bit of suction you're giving him. "I'm not sure how much experience you have, but you're very good at this, sweetheart."

You slip off of him a moment, quickening the pace of your hand to hold him over. Your palm spreads your saliva back and forth while you speak. "Oh, you know how guys are. They love having their cock sucked, it's practically all they talk about." He raises an eyebrow at you, almost offended. "Not you, obviously. But you know what I mean. So I've got a few blowjobs under my belt, and...maybe I practiced on various objects so I could do this...for you." You avert your gaze again, unable to believe you just admitted to such a thing.

"All that effort, just for me?" He asks, like it's the most impossible thing he's ever heard. For you to go to such lengths to please him, he can't help loving you even more than he did previously.

"Of course, Eddie. Because you're worth it." You state matter-of-factly, bringing this conversation to a close by returning your mouth to his dick. You push yourself to fit him all in, gagging slightly when he hits the back of your throat.

"Fucking christ." Eddie mutters. The back of his head thumps against the tree as you continue to gag on him. Your eyes are watering, and you force yourself to breathe through your nose. You want to do everything you can to make the man whimpering above you lose control, to taste his cum spilling into your mouth. "Keep going if you can, baby. I'm getting really close. Such a good girl for me." Eddie pants, reaching down to stroke your hair without forcing you to choke on him. It's a gentle touch, only intended to provide encouragement and praise. His words and sounds and caring hand are making you so wet. Your arousal drips onto the ground below you, forming the tiniest of puddles in the dirt.

"Mmm." You moan around his cock, your insides aching to invite him in. His hips buck forwards at the vibrations, choking you slightly. You look up at him as his stomach begins to tense. He's got one hand in your hair, the other extended as far up the tree as he can reach. His fingers claw helplessly at the bark, and the look on his face is priceless. His brow is furrowed, his eyes screwed shut. But his mouth sits open just enough to let out what you can only describe as beautifully vulgar music. Various curses and expressions of your name make up the lyrics, and if it weren't for his inevitable release, you'd want to hear it for the rest of your days.

"Y/N, I'm gonna...fuck!" He grunts, interrupted within his own thoughts by overwhelming pleasure. His toes curl against the natural debris on the ground, and his knees threaten to give out. He bucks into you once, twice, three times while his load flows down your esophagus. You keep yourself from panicking from the sensation, breathing heavily through your nostrils as you brush against his mound of hair. You swallow every last drop of him, slowly pulling yourself off his length when Eddie's hands fall limply at his sides. You gulp in a few breaths, and gradually get off your knees. They've got indentations from the rocks and sticks you were kneeling on, but you don't mind one bit. Once you're level with him, Eddie pulls you in real close to give you a thankful kiss. "You were amazing, darling." He says with a satisfied smirk.

"Thank you." You blush, failing to swallow a pleased giggle. His arms rest around your lower back, just above your ass. Your own are sitting on his shoulders, and you're both just standing naked in the woods. Bodies pressed together, smiling and sharing more kisses. You stay like this for a while, until you feel Eddie's dick poking into your stomach as he's grown hard again. You bite your lip, a devious look in your eye as you speak nice and low when you pull away from another kiss. "I want you inside me, Eds." You slip your hand between your sandwiched bodies, taking hold of him and dragging his tip along your folds.

"You don't have to tell me twice, sweetheart." Eddie replies in a husky tone, his eyes dilating with lust to match your own. He doesn't move for a moment, savoring the feeling of your soaked pussy lubing him up. His eyes flutter shut, face falling forward. You let out muted moans as his head brushes your clit, it feels so fucking good. But you know this teasing will only push you both further into neediness. He stops your movements, and rotates the pair of you again. He holds his cock in his hand, bending down slightly so he can angle himself into you. "You ready, princess?" He asks, pressing his tip at your entrance while looking to you for confirmation.

"Yes, baby." You reply, barely above a whisper. Without a moment's hesitation, Eddie pushes his length into your velvet walls. You both groan loudly at the sensation. He fills you up perfectly, and your pussy hugs him so deliciously. He takes his time before bottoming out. "You're so big, Eddie." You whine, needing a moment to adjust.

"And your pussy is so tight, Y/N." He murmurs, lifting your legs to wrap around his waist before standing fully upright. His hands hold the bottoms of your thighs, and you instinctively put your arms around him to hold on. You clench around him involuntarily at his movements, making him gasp. "Fuck, you're so wet for me."

"Just for you, baby. You can start moving now." You give him the go ahead now that you've relaxed. He slowly pulls out, before slipping back in easily. He slides against your g spot, and you want him to do it again. "More. I need you, Eds." You beg, digging your heels into his back to bring him closer, if that's even possible. He repeats the action, except he hits your sweet spot harder when he thrusts back in. "Just like that, oh, god. Feels so good." You're making the most pathetic noises you've ever uttered, and of course it's Eddie that is the only one who can pull them from you.

He listens intently to everything you say, maintaining the same speed and force behind his thrusts to meet your expectations. "Who makes you feel this good, angel?" Eddie inquires darkly, his eyes trained on your desperate face.

"You do." You reply, unsure where he's going with this. It's sexy as hell regardless. A knot begins to form within you, growing larger and tighter with every slam of Eddie's dick into your cunt.

"And I'm better than all the other guys?" He asks, though it doesn't come out like a question. More so like a fact, one he wants you to agree with over anything else. His eyes burn intensely into you, expecting an answer as his pace kicks up a notch.

You meet his gaze as fully and honestly as possible, wanting to show him how right he is in his statement. "Yes. You're better than Steve, and Jason, and everyone else. None of them compare to you. Fuck me harder, Eddie. Show me just how much better you are." You moan at all the right words to set him off, and he unleashes the inner beast on you. He hammers his cock upwards into you, the sound of your soaked pussy and the slapping of skin mingling with your grunts and whines. Your tits bounce at the force, making Eddie's eyes boggle. "Yes, just like that, baby." The knot is tangling more and more, gearing up for a monumental snap.

"That's right, sweetheart. I'm the best you've ever had. Got you begging me to pound into this pretty pussy of yours, taking my cock so well like a good girl. I never wanna hear those other names again, Y/N. Only mine, because you're mine." He almost growls as he spouts off the filthiest things you've ever heard. He's claiming you as his, and you have every intention of allowing him to do so any way he pleases.

"All yours." You moan in response, getting closer and closer to an unbelievable climax. The bark of the tree is scratching roughly against your skin, you're sure to have marks on your back once you're finished. But you don't care about your friends finding out anymore. You want to scream your love for Eddie from the mountaintops at this point, telling the world who you belong to. "I'm so close, Eds. Make me cum, I want you to feel it. I want you to see just how fuckin' amazing you are." You plead while holding his stare, so he knows you mean every word with the utmost sincerity.

Eddie eats up all of your confessions with enthusiasm. To hear you match his vulgarity is almost enough to make him lose it right here and now. He could listen to you say X-rated things all damn day, they sound like pure poetry coming from your lips. His rhythm is getting sloppy as he nears the end with you, and the obscene amount of sweat coating your bodies is making it difficult to keep a good grip on each other. "God, I love it when you talk dirty. I'm right there with you, angel. Do you want me to cum inside you? I'd really love to fill you up, and watch my load drip back out of you once we're done."

"Yes, please. That sounds perfect." You reply, digging your nails into what you can reach of Eddie's slick flesh. He groans at the pleasurable sting, and presses his lips to yours as he picks up speed. He's drilling into you, the rough edges of the treebark on your back cutting deeper, drawing blood. You can't be bothered to care, as the knot in your belly finally splinters into a million little threads through your body. You break away from his kiss, gasping as you hit your peak. "Eddie!" You scream, feeling yourself clamping down on Eddie's cock. You're overwhelmed with absolute bliss, it ricochets through you ruthlessly. Your eyes fall shut, your mouth hanging open as you let out pitiful noises through your orgasm.

"Shit, Y/N. I'm gonna cum. Gonna fill your beautiful pussy up so well. Then I'll clean you up with my tongue, taste how good we are together. I'll let you taste it too- FUCK!" He shouts, his pelvis rutting upwards while he paints your insides just like you asked him to. He holds on to your shaking thighs as firmly as he can, one wrong move and you'll both tumble to the ground. His expression twists into the same one from his blowjob earlier, completely helpless for a few moments as you ride out your highs together. You're left breathing heavily in each other's faces, hot and humid. Your hearts pound in your chests, you can feel them exchanging rapid ba-thumps through your ribs.

Eddie pulls out, and sets you down gently. You can already feel your mixed release oozing out of your cunt. He gets on his knees again, his hands gripping your thighs to keep your legs spread apart. He watches as a milky white drip falls from your soaked hole to the ground below. He doesn't want to waste anymore of the sweet nectar, so he brings his starving mouth to your folds. His tongue dips inside you, scooping out as much of your cum as he can into his mouth. He moans at the taste, sending a shock to your core. "Fuck, baby." You whimper, still feeling the aftermath of your high which leaves you overly sensitive. He gathers as much of the sticky substance as he can muster, swallowing some, and holding the rest to give to you.

"Open." He says with his mouth half-full as he stands up straight. You do as he says, and he gives you another kiss to effectively transfer the fluid to your taste buds. It's so sweet, with just a tinge of saltiness. You swallow every last drop he gives to you, moaning at the flavor, and how debauched this act is.

"Damn, we taste good." You comment, sharing a light chuckle. Eddie backs up from you to redress, and it's here that the sting of the scratches all over your back starts to get to you. "Ouch." You whimper, trying to turn around to get a glimpse of the damage.

"Oh my god!" Eddie exclaims when he sees the cuts and scrapes all over your delicate skin. He holds your sides to inspect you further, shaking his head. "Baby, I'm so sorry. I didn't wanna hurt you." Remorse laces his voice, but you whip around to reassure him that it's not his fault.

"Eds, it's fine. It can't be that bad, just needs some bactine and bandages, right?" You say sweetly, smiling to cover up for how sore the bloodied scribbles are.

"I suppose...but they guys are definitely gonna know I fucked your brains out now." He jokes, making you giggle.

"I don't care about that anymore." You say simply, taking hold of his hand for a second while you bask in your naked afterglow.

His eyes widen, unable to believe you actually said that. "Really?"

"Really, Eds. We were gonna tell them anyway, and I'm sure they'll be happy for us."

"I'm so glad you said that, sweetheart. I know it's been fun to sneak around, but it's also kinda stressful." He chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

"It really is. Look, let's get dressed and go back to the lake. We can face them and confirm their suspicions. Sound good?" You offer, bending down to pick up the individual pieces of your bikini.

"Sounds great, Y/N.'' He replies, retrieving his swim trunks. He slips them on easily, giving time for him to help you with the clasp on your top.

Once you're dressed, you slip into your shoes and make the trip back to your group. You find them all sitting on their cluster of towels and blankets, waiting for you. "Well, look who it is! The lovebirds have returned after abandoning the party!" Gareth says snarkily, but you and Eddie just smile like dopes at his jabs.

"And don't even try to make up some lame excuse. You guys were gone way too long for any bullshit you're about to say." Jeff adds, crossing his arms over his bare chest.

"Alright, alright! You caught us! We've been sneaking around the last couple days, but only because you guys don't know when to shut the fuck up!" You explain, squeezing Eddie's hand that you've been holding this whole time.

"But if you must know, we're hopelessly, disgustingly in love." Eddie says, fighting off a maddening blush creeping up his cheeks.

"Hell yeah!" Dustin cheers, coming over to give you both a hug. The others join in, crowding your sweaty bodies in a large huddle.

"Okay, okay. Careful, Y/N's got a ton of scratches on her back." Eddie warns when you wince at multiple hands meeting your scraped flesh.

"The hell did you do to her, Munson?" Alex asks, quirking and eyebrow at Eddie.

"He did a lot of things, but this is from a tree...that I may have been pressed up against." You admit, your own cheeks going rosy to match your boyfriend's.

"Oh, ew! I don't wanna hear about that!" Mike says, plugging his ears and making obnoxious noises to block out any further comments.

"Okay, I think we've said enough. Let's go back to camp. We can have lunch, and I'll help Y/N with her injuries." Eddie announces the plan, and everyone gathers up their belongings to go back down the trail to the campsite.

"We're really happy for you guys, by the way." Dustin adds as you walk together in a clump, yours and Eddie's hands still entwined. The others add various expressions of agreement, all of which make your heart soar. To have the overwhelming approval of your friends is so sweet, and you appreciate everyone being so cool about it now. You look over at Eddie, finding his doeish eyes gazing back at you.

"I love you, Eds." You say quietly, smiling harder than you think you've ever done before.

"I love you too, princess." Eddie replies, leaning over to give you a light kiss as you keep walking. Your friends make exaggerated kissy noises with their mouths, flapping their tongues lewdly. But you just laugh it off, their teasing can't bother you anymore. Because you know it's done with love, and that this moment can't be spoiled by any amount of jokes or comments. As long as you have Eddie, nothing else matters.

The end.

[sunflowersbones]

Stalker’s Tango

Warnings: This fic will contain NON-CON, Discussion on mental health, Psychological distress, Stalking, Violence. My warnings are not exhaustive, proceed at your own risk.

[AUGUST WALKER x reader]

18+ only. This is a dark!fic and explicit. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: The therapy sessions with your new patient have been going well lately; something that surprises you due to his initial distaste towards the mandatory sessions his unit commands. You’re glad that there is progress in some part of your life, as your own mental health seems to be slowly sinking. You chalk it up to exhaustion and stress; but as the events of your life unfold, you realise that your mind hadn’t been playing games. It had been warning you; that danger truly did lurk around the corner.

DIVIDERS: @firefly-graphics

NOTE: I'm absolutely devastated that I couldn’t put this out in August; my laptop decided to die on me. I know it's not that big of a deal, but still. So for my sake, let's presume that I did post this in August cuz I'm not waiting until next year.

*

You observe him as you slowly twirl your pen around; in between your fingers. He was so unlike any of the other patients you’ve ever had.

He always seems so calm and collected. His attire always put together. His clothes were just as stiff and polished as him. He seems to gravitate more towards a monotone cool palette of blues, blacks, and greys, and if he desires to experiment a little; he’ll try brown or a pale yellow, but that’s about it.

You had been having a hard time, trying to figure out if it was due to his personal likes and dislikes or if he chooses it due to a societal and corporate expectation from men’s fashion, but you dismantled the latter thought quite quickly.

His voice is always loud and clear; it never quivers, and he rarely repeats himself. He always just seems so sure of himself. You suppose that’s why he hated this in the beginning—not that he's so fond of it now, but at least he's moved on from his initial grunts and one-word answers.

It must be an offence to a man like him to presume that he is, quote-unquote, “weak”. That talking about your emotions and difficulties or having regular therapy sessions is only for those who make their way into lunatic asylums. That they; as normal citizens, are better than the others.

Even educated people cannot shroud themselves from the taboo around mental health. You of all people know that very well; you’ve dealt with it quite personally. He reminded you of your father, not just in attitude but also in tone. Both of them carry a patronizing effect in their voice, even through the most simple remarks.

Your father was a man of voice and vigour to whom even the notion of mental health was absurd. His anger, most likely contributing to his denial of most problems. People of his generation tend to be like that, while it is changing—not at the pace you wish it would.

Having a patient who does not even try to get better unnerved you a little. You had never been very persuasive, all you can do is help bring clarity. You tell yourself to keep calm; perseverance is the only way to survive in this line of work.

His eyes land on you, onto your pen, and then above you; on to the clock, you presume. In the beginning his eyes never left it, at least now they only longingly look up half way through the session.

“Well, won't you look at that, doc? Times up,” he says in a tone of farce surprise, as if he hasn’t been yearning for the clock to strike.

You heave a small sigh as a smile forms on your lips; for a man his size, he can be quite childish.

“You know, August, it’s not your job to keep up with the clock; it's mine. Your mind is supposed to be relaxed in here.”

“Of course, I simply wouldn’t want to keep your other patients waiting; you're quite in demand, you know.” Your eyes quirk up in a questioning gaze; he already seems to have anticipated it.

“This generation loves coming in here, they think that you can fix all of their problems. They believe that their minds are broken simply because they can't handle the reality of life,” his voice laced with contempt and disappointment.

“Well anyway, see you next week, doc.” His tone was determined, so you didn’t bother to keep him longer than what was required. Your half-assured goodbye was only met by the creaking hinges of the closing door.

The entire bus ride home, your mind had been preoccupied with him; you nearly missed your stop. To some people, it's just a notion; their rigidity tends to crack from the sides, but he truly believes that all of this is useless, and that’s what makes it all the more difficult. It's not just prejudice; it's a true belief. You have to find a way around this or all your work will go down the drain.

You crack your neck as you walk into your apartment, fatigue taking over your entire body. You’d initially planned on taking a warm, long bath, but now you just want to fill your stomach and pass out. You heat up yesterday's mac and cheese, while it's nothing elaborate; it's enough to fill you up. The low rhythmic whirring of the oven lulls you as you think of all your other patients; you still have to come up with a proper time schedule to alternate between all of them, and then there’s August. You’ve met teenagers who are less adamant than he is, the oven beeps as it snaps you out of your thoughts. The smell of cheese fills you with ease, and you decide not to bring work to the dinner table, you’ll think about it tomorrow.

You walk into your bedroom ready to crash when your eyes land on the bluebells you bought a week ago. You curse yourself for forgetting about it again. None of your indoor plants ever seem to survive, no matter how much you care for them. But the wild ones growing outside your window seem to have no problem flourishing as they grow out through the thin cracks of the wall.

You fill a glass up and move to water the plants. As you lean in, you notice that the soil seems damp; a small crinkle forms in between your brows. You can’t remember watering them this morning, but then again, you did everything in a hurry today. Terrified that you’ll miss your morning bus. You don’t think much of it as you place the glass down. Your bluebells seem to be retaining their colour; you hope this one won't die on you.

A strong thud startles you from your repose; suddenly wide awake, your annoyance turns into dread as you suspect that the noise was coming from inside your apartment—you couldn’t remember if you had locked the front door. Nighttime stirs up the imagination of your ears; as you sit up on your bed, your mind convinces you that you can hear low symphonies mixed in the silence. You're sure that you can hear footsteps outside the room, or was it the creak of the door? You feel goosebumps etch your entire body as you force yourself to take a deep breath.

You slowly get out of bed, careful as to not make any noise. You look around for your phone only to realise that you’d left it on the kitchen table. Now your worry increases even more; you can hear your heart beating in your chest. You’re unsure of what to do. You could simply lock the door to your room, but then what? Wait until the morning? For all you know, it was nothing, simply your paranoid nature freaking out.

Your mother tends to make it a habit of informing you about every single crime activity that pops up on the news; whether you're interested in it or not. Her own fear and paranoia seem to have transmitted onto you in an increasing degree. If you are hopefully alive by tomorrow, you’ll keep in mind to stop watching those missing persons documentary.

You slowly peep out of your room. You look over to the left, slightly straining your neck, only to find the main door locked. You heave a relieved sigh at that. You walk into the kitchen and find your phone on the table just where you had left it. The light from the streetlight fills your kitchen with a low yellow glow as you hear another thud. You look over through the window and see a truck unload some boxes, the noise now you’re certain was from this ruckus. You absent-mindedly wonder if someone new was moving in as you make your way back to bed.

The slow-moving normalcy of everyday life makes you indifferent of others in the daytime, but at night... that’s when every little movement terrifies you. You clutch your handbag around a little tighter, your head spins around every few minutes, and your feet pick up their pace no matter how exhausted you are. A pepper spray bottle has found a permanent residence in your bag. You’ve made a habit to always make sure that your door is closed and locked. You don’t want to admit it, but you're actually a little perturbed after last week's incident, mostly about your own forgetfulness.

You wonder if the stress of it is evident on your face; the raven-haired man in front of you has been rather cooperative today. He answers you without the usual quirky remarks. You wonder if it's due to his own interest in taking these sessions seriously or if it's because of the dark circles that lace your eyes. His eyes landed on your face the second he entered and has remained on them since. He looked like he wanted to say something but thought better of it; however, his inquisitive nature could only keep it in for so long.

“Not to be harsh, Doc, but you look like shit. Not getting enough sleep?”

“Sleep has been evading me as of lately, yes.”

“Why?”

“Nothing much, just work.”

“Huh, I didn’t think dealing with a bunch of paper work and people would be that hard; regret signing up for it?,” he says as he crosses his ankle onto his other leg. His condescending baritone reminds you of a familiar one, and you momentarily snap back a “no,” but you compose yourself rather quickly. Deflection—that’s what they all do.

“Every job has its hurdles, August. But we are not here to talk about mine; we’re here to talk about yours.”

“So tell me how’s work?”

“Can’t talk about it; confidentiality agreement, remember?.” He quips.

“Of course, I didn’t mean the intricacies of it. I meant, how does it make you feel? I’m sure working for the government has its own complicacies.”

“Do you enjoy your work? Does it stress you? Do you ever feel like you’ve neglected life?” His jaw clenches at that as his voice turns gruff.

“No, I do what I have to; I’m ready to make sacrifices for my work, and yes, you could say that I enjoy it. In fact, I think it’s the only thing I enjoy in life sometimes...” The last part seems to be a careless whisper, but you catch on to it anyway.

“Well, that’s not very healthy; why? Do you find life outside of work difficult? Stressful?”

“No. I just find it mundane.”

There’s something in his eyes that makes you feel like it's aimed at you rather than the conversation you’re having, but you don’t dwell on it.

The rest of your conversation carries on, and after August’s session, you call onto your next patient. Your greeted by a familiar strawberry blonde; you’d completely forgotten about her.

“Gee Y/N, sometimes I wonder how you even work when you have to deal with a hottie like that fella!.”

“Ha-ha, I survive, Nance. I survive.”

“But seriously, look at him—what an absolute specimen.”

“That he is.”

“Ohhh, I sense tension; is he the grumpy kind?”

“Spot on.”

“Hmm.. well, the hot ones do tend to be like that.”

“So how are the babies?”

“Oh great, its been great as of lately; Charlie said his first words, you know.”

“Ahh, how wonderful!; was it mom?”

The gleam on her rosy cheeks makes the answer apparent. You're so happy to see the girl you’ve now known for two years, who at first meeting was just a gloom of anxiety and sadness. She’s changed so much, and only for the better. You listen to her carefully as she continues; but even then, in the back of your mind, his staring eyes persist.

You huff as you run towards the bus stop, unable to reach on time as you watch your bus leave. You look around; the evening is darker than usual, indicative of the fast approaching winter. You have no idea when the next bus will arrive. This junction being nooked into the corner had fewer buses on this route compared to the main one. So you decide to just walk your way to it.

Your feet ache as your slippers slap onto the road. You should have left the office earlier; it would have spared you the walk. You continue on through the cold night, wrapping your arms around yourself, when you hear a soft snap behind you. You turn around thinking nothing of it, purely based on instinct.

Surprised to find yourself all alone; a tiny part of you is uncomfortable. You start to walk a little faster, restless to reach the bus stop. However, as you turn around a corner, you hear light footsteps behind you; they sound much calmer compared to yours. It means nothing; it’s most likely just somebody walking towards the bus stop, just like you. But your nerves get the best of you, and to ease your mind, you increase your pace. The second you do your followers pace increases as well. They sound much louder now; it puts your heart in a frenzy. You could see the dim light of the bus stop ahead of you. Your body sprints towards it.

You reach the bus stop a little calm now due to the lights that fill the stop; its saxe hue comforts you from the danger your mind intuits. You notice a man asleep on one of the seats. The new-found comfort of the lights and the company gives you the courage to look behind. You come to regret the decision as you feel your heart skip a beat.

A tall shadow stands a few meters away, their figure looming in the darkness. You're unable to see anything but a dark outline; but you suspect it’s a man. Even from afar, his enormous size is terrifying.

You’re so grateful to see a bus approach; you climb into it immediately as its doors buzz open and peep out through the glass window only to find nothing. Nobody’s around except for the man who was asleep on the bench; it's almost as if you had imagined a ghost up. But you know, that was not true because that little heart of yours was still thundering inside you; assuring you that the fear you felt had been very real.

The days ahead had been increasingly difficult, your fear transmuting into insomnia as you lay awake at night petrified of every little noise you hear. The chances of somebody stalking you seem ridiculous, but how many women had believed such and been the victims of an attack?

Your cautiousness skyrocketed these days, and you carried two bottles of pepper spray along with you. You’ve decided to put an installment on a car; your house was not very far away from work but enough to evoke the fear within. You could not rely on the buses anymore; you did not want to end up suffering because of their impunctual timing.

You had been searching through your cabinet to make sure you had all the files that were required. That’s when you found it, it had arrived a week ago; you remember receiving it, but you’d been too busy to check it out. August's health and history files had been finally transferred on to you; you had requested it nearly a month ago.

You skim through the papers, nearly missing it at first, but you reread the part again, and a frown forms in-between your brows. His first mission... he… he’d lied to you.

It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary; all clients lie to a certain extent. Especially during the initial stages of therapy, even when it isn’t a case of "pseudologia fantastica." It's just the initial distress of being vulnerable and the desire to express ones own narrative rather than the truth.

But with August... while you never really thought of it before, now you slightly suspect if August has a case of pathological lying. For some people, it's not about a grand lie; it's about the smaller details. And you're sure it’s the norm in his line of work; the lines between lying and withholding the truth tend to blend pretty soon when one is not cautious. You won't lie; you’re a little disappointed in him, or with yourself; you're unsure.

You don’t know why you thought this conversation would go easily; the clench in his jaw, the anger in his eyes, and the tight grip of his fingers clearly suggested otherwise.

“I have no idea what you're talking about, doc.”

“August please. Let's not waste our time, I know. They sent me your files. I need to have certain knowledge about my patient's history.” His gaze pierces through you at that.

You try your best to approach the topic as softly as you can. “Your mission, your first mission; you weren’t alone; you had a team... and there were casualties. You’d suffered from a severe head trauma too. It was—

“A disaster?” The grimace in his voice was mixed with pain and anger.

“…difficult. Is that why you lied? August I need you to know this is a safe space. I’m not here to judge you; that’s not what we are here to do.”

“You’re a practical person; you know that lying doesn’t help. It simply convinces you that you’ve made progress when, truthfully, you’ve just been stagnant the whole time.”

“I, we, all... all of this,” you say, waving your hand around, “we exist to help you, not to condemn you. You can open up to me; that’s what I’m here for.”

His aggression at that makes you flinch. All you hear is the scraping of his chair, and before you could voice anything, he was gone. No other patient had stumped you the way he had, and when you finally snap out of it and go out in search of him, he’s nowhere to be found.

Your day had gone by uneventfully; August’s departure had been lingering on your mind the whole day. Coming back from work, both your mind and body had been exhausted. You didn’t even bother with dinner, your eyes closing the second you meet the bed.

Your body allowed your mind to sleep for a few hours before the familiar pang of hunger stirred you awake. You turn around and feel your heart clench; an overflow of fear courses through you. Your throat constricted as you whimper; the darkened, sharp outline of the man seated before now moves forward. The small strand of silver moonlight shines onto his face.

“You tend to talk in your sleep, you know.”

Fear paralyses you completely as you stay put. He stands up and walks over to your bed, his entire frame towering over you. He stares at you for a few seconds before flinching away.

One would imagine you were the one who broke into his place to hurt him if they saw him now. The pain etched on his face changes from discomfort to anger. You hear him draw a deep breath in as he composes himself.

“You’re on my mind a lot doc.”

“At first I entertained it, it was just a harmless little fantasy. And you… you’re such a cliché, ” he sighs, “your clothes, your glasses, your office, it doesn’t help.”

“Your table is always meticulously arranged, everything’s always in order, even your stupid post-it notes are colour coded,” he hisses, “I’d wanted to throw everything off of that table and fuck you on it until you were a babbling mess.”

“Not to belittle you doc, but you look like you’d get cock drunk pretty fast.”

He turns toward you, his broad shoulders straightened as he slightly tilts his head

“I’d have my hand around your throat, tight enough for you to barely breath,” he growls, “could make you shut up for once.”

“But then you decided that you wanna fuck with my head. And now I can’t get you out of my fucking mind.”

Your eyes travel towards the door, you could just make a dash for it but he seems to have read your mind. “Don’t even try.”

Your fear overclouds your judgment and you bolt out of the bed, but you barely take three steps, before he grabs onto you and throws you back onto the bed.

“Why do you have to make this so fucking difficult.”

You try again never the less as you smack him. None of this seems to deter him, one of his hand moves to twist your arm around your back. You scream in pain, only to have his other hand warp around your throat. You try to scratch his face, shoulders, neck anything just to make him let you go.

His fingers dig into you harder, his hand now moves around to the back of your neck making you wince “Please,” you whisper as he pushes your face onto you pillow.

“What did you think, you could run away from me? I’m ten times faster that you are. The only way you got away from me is because I let you.”

“Please, please, August. This isn—

You feel him hard against your ass, as he presses himself on to you.

“I didn’t expect you to be begging so soon Y/N, why hurry? we have the whole night for that don’t we.”

Your whole body stills with fear. His hands loosens around you as he’s moves to unbuckle his belt. Suddenly, you sense a rush of energy bloom within you; this might be your only chance.

You use all of your strength to push him away. He slightly looses his balance; just as you use the opportunity to move out of the bed, his hand lands on your ankle making you fall, face flat on to the floor.

You wince as your head and nose pound in pain, your body moving as he turns you around. His hands dig into the flesh of your arms as he looks at you.

“That was your own doing. I don’t want to hurt you, but I can if I wanted to. I can make this really painful for you Y/N, but if you co-operate I’ll go easy on you, understand?”

A slight nod of your head is all you can manage as you hear the sound of your shirt being ripped apart. Your shorts and underpants gone just as easily. Your face ends up on the bed again, as his left arm palms your breast. His other hand moves to coat your cunt with his juices. You feel a rush of disgust and shame course through you.

He rubs his leaking tip on your folds, his teeth gently nipping on your shoulders. He pushes himself into you, your mouth gently  parts as you feel his length inside your body. You hear him curse as pulls you up, your hands extending as you use them to balance yourself.

His hands land on you hip, “shit, your tight. Should have expected that from you.”

He begins to thrust in, slowly at first but then just as he gets comfortable his pace increases. You could hear the sound of his hips slapping into you. The girth of him nearly ripping your core apart. The fabric of his shirt and pants felt like they were made out of small metal pins as they grazed your naked skin.

Your mind still couldn’t believe this was actually happening, your eyes focused onto the movement of the headboard; the bed shaking because of him.

His hand on your hip tightens and as he spills into you, you hear a low carnal moan. You feel him soften inside you as he finally pulls out. You lay down on to your soft sheets— as he lets you go— now stained forever as you feel him trickle down your thigh. You hide your face in the pillow as you feel the tears brim your eyes; you just want to sleep.

“Ah ah, not so fast” he voice carelessly drawls as he pulls you up with your upper arm. He drags you around and before you can wonder where to, he opens the door to your shower.

The expectation is clear in his eyes and as you move in you hear him lock the door. The scalding water helps your mind from dwelling, you don’t want to think about anything right now. You’re more focused on rubbing yourself raw, nearly making your skin bleed as the hot water burning your skin cleans you.

When you come out you’re surprised to find him still there, casually sitting on your hair. He’s tidied himself up, not even a crinkle formed on his shirt unlike your ripped clothes that lay on the floor. Your eyes land on to your bed; they have a new pair of sheets shabbily placed on them. The old ones crumbled, down next to the foot it.

“You should get some rest, your body probably isn’t used to so much work.”

“Now, after you wake up tomorrow your brain will try to come up with ideas to get rid of me. You can try, but let me tell you right now you’ll have to deal with consequences. I can get really, really ugly.”

“It’s not easy to convict people without proof these days. If you try to leave, I will find you and you don’t want that.”

He stands up and walks over to you. You slightly step back, your body moving on its own as he gets closer. His hand moves to lift your head making you look at him.

“I like this arrangement a lot, so be good. We can help each other. So long as you behave I’ll be good to you.” A slight smirk forms on his features “Who knows?, I might just open up to you…doc.”

*

[russellsppttemplates]

I never knew anybody 'til I knew you (Lando Norris)

Your new job is allowing you to have new experiences, and your heart is not too mad about it either

Note: english is not my first language. After a long time in the books, I'm finally writing for Lando! This is my first long piece and I hope I did well enough!

Thank you so much to everyone who likes and reblogs, your feedback is appreciated 🤍 and I'm taking requests so if you have any ideas or concepts you want to share, feel free to do so as I'll try to get to them the best I can!

my masterlist

Tw: curse words, mentions alcohol consumption

Tag list: @myloverjk-blog

"I'm just saying, it's closer that way. We can go and get the packages ourselves and sort out any issues with them straight away", Lando reasoned, opening his text message app so he could continue what he wanted to do. "Okay, fine by me. He's got a point, Y/N", Max raised his hands in surrender, looking at you for your opinion.

Working for Quadrant hadn't been a goal you had set out to accomplish in the strict sense of it. You didn't see yourself working for a massive company where people were stuffed in offices where the only way they could know their colleagues' names was when they had online meetings that took far too long and discussed the baseline of the issues. So, when you saw the job offer for someone in the Graphic Design area of work, you looked up the company name and saw their work, fascinated with how the guys had grown this business from streaming online gaming. Later, as you progressed in the recruitment process, you came to learn that Lando and Max also had a more public presence than you had initially figured out, despite all of your friends' insistence that "you can't be that clueless, Y/N, how did you not know that Quadrant was Lando Norris'? I thought you applied because of that", they would say as you shrugged your shoulders, "in this economy, do you think I am that picky about a job? I have my preferences, sure, but I know what I'm worth and I saw the offer was actually quite okay!", you defended yourself.

You ended up getting the spot and, so far, you couldn't complain. Most of the time you worked with Callum, Max and Tara, since your work overlapped with theirs, and every now and again, like right now, Lando would also meet up with you.

"Are you sure it's fine if I go? Your parents know Max, but they haven't met me before. Are you sure they won't find it weird?", you spoke directly to Lando, thinking that his idea, as lovely and kind as it was, didn't account for the facts you were stating.

"Max is coming because he's from the team, and you're from the team, too, so you're coming with us as well", Lando said simply, not seeing the problem.

"But he's been your friend for so long now, I'm a Quadrant Team member", you attempted again, "they don't have to provide for and give a roof to a stranger, I'll find an hotel to spend the night", you offered, wanting to be clear about it.

"You're part of the team, too! Don't worry about that, okay?", Lando said, "besides, mum loves having a full house, she's definitely the host of the family", he smiled, checking the item on his list nd carrying on the meeting.

"When we're there, we'll be able to get our hands on the embroidered Originals collection", Max began, "hopefully they're perfect and we can start working on the website", he gestured as you turned your laptop so they both could see, "this is the concept I've come up with, since this isn't as flashy or as colourful as past collections", you showed them the mood board, looking for disapproval signs but being met with looks of surprise instead, "I know it's not usually what you go for, so I also have another idea here, if you just let m-", you were about to change when Lando slapped your hand away from the mouse and holding it in his, "I really like this one, especially these posts here, I think the ideas are great!", he noted as he set your hand down on the table, "okay, then I can keep working on this", you said, closing the other tab, "do you have something better than this?", Max asked, "seems as good to me!", he offered.

"This is just a draft, I'll invest more time in this and I'll have it ready for the end of the week. That way we can have it ready when the clothes arrive. I'll text Tara to ler her know", you smiled, grabbing your phone as the boys flickered through the ideas, pointing out the different details they liked and wanted to keep.

.

"I'm way too young for my life to be just this, so please drive safely, Max", you said, buckling your seatbelt and exaggerating your hold on the door handle, "if you weren't such a crucial part of this team, I'd make you reconsider your jokes", he teased back, reversing out of the parking space and initiating the trip.

Lando was already at his parents' house since they had a family gathering the day before, so you and Max were driving up to meet him, "they're really nice people, really chilled as well", Max began, "Adam and Cisca, that is. I can hear you thinking and I'm assuming that is what's going on in your head", he stated.

"I don't want to step on anyone's toes, and I don't want to embarrass anyone or myself even. Can you imagine Lando's parents finding out their son's company has questionable employees? They'll mark me off as some sort of strategy fool or think that I want to take this company down, and I don't!", you uttered out, sharing more than you meant to.

Impostor's Syndrome was a bitch, and it often showed up the moment things got progressively harder, and while you knew you were able to deal with it, the little voice still nagged you.

"Y/N, you're one of the most valuable people we have on the team, and I don't say that lightly. This is Lando's baby, and yes, he's the face of it and that counts for most of it, but the work behind it is just as important and with the numbers we're having, it all comes down to you. Since you joined us the designing aspect of it, - obviously, you wouldn't be the one responsible for accounting, duh -, the compliments have been non stop, it has improved the interactions, too!", he said honestly, "you have nothing to worry about, truly", he comforted, "it's this exit here", he mumbled, checking the GPS and turning on the blinker, slowing down the car as they entered the city.

You didn't have to wait long before he pulled up to a big house, the gravel sound quieting down until it came to a halt when Max stopped the car, "Lando said he'd meet us at the door, I really don't fancy being mistaken by a burglar", he joked, getting out of the car as you did the same, stretching your legs and taking in the sight.

"Max, Y/N! Did you have a good trip?", Lando made himself be heard and seen, walking up to you and grabbing the bags his friend was taking out of the car boot, "I'll take these", he offered, picking up your luggage as you pulled on your backpack, "thanks", you smiled, following him as he led the way into his parents' house.

"My parents are in the kitchen", the Formula One driver said, ushering you to the roomy space after he and Max dropped the bags by the stairs, "Max, dear! We haven't seen you in so long, how are you?", a beautiful woman said. Her hair was brown and her skin was tanned as she hugged Max and Lando, "this is Y/N, she is our graphic designer", he presented you, the older man hugging you and his wife doing the same, "I'm Adam, it's so nice to finally meet you", he smiled warmly, "likewise", you smiled back.

"You can call me Cisca, darling. We've heard so much about you, it's nice to finally put a face to the name", she winked at you as you didn't miss Lando elbowing his mother as he closed his eyes, sighing at her, "thank you for having me over, I hope it's not too much trouble", you thanked again, feeling more at ease at their genuine welcoming greetings.

Lando quickly scrambled an answer, seemingly not wanting his parents to talk, "of course it's fine, no trouble here! Let's get your things upstairs so we can settle in and work!", he clapped his hands, walking to the corridor and up the stairs with Max as you excused yourself.

"This is your room, you have the bathroom on the next door", he pointed on the corridor after he placed your bag and backpack down in the small sofa, "Max is in the office, it's just across the hall and I'm at the end of the hall, if you need anything", Lando offered.

"Thanks, again. Do you guys want to begin now? I just need to put on some fluffy socks and I'm good to go", you said, "yes! Is the dining room okay with your parents? The table is big enough to layout everyhting", Max chirped in, whistling at your room as he looked around, "she got an upgrade, good move!", he tapped his friend's back.

After Lando cleared it with his parents, he was quick to remove the table runner and flower vase from the dining room table, extending it to its biggest size so you had all the space you needed, "you can sit here, Y/N, it's usually where the room heats up faster", he pointed out the radiator, pulling up the chair next to your and typing on his iPad.

"So this is the video idea? I like it, we just need to find some background music for it", Max asserted, grabbing his phone to check the time, "we should get going to pick up the order", he uttered.

"Do you need all of us to go?", you asked, saying the changes in your laptop as you did,

"You can pull your the backseats of your car down, can't you, Max? That way we can bring more boxes, and you and me go", Lando reasoned, looking over at you, "do you mind staying here while we go get them?", he asked, not wanting you to feel uncomfortable.

"I'll be fine, you go", you smiled, opening your notebook and writing down some notes.

"Oh, darling, you could've turned the lights on. Soon enough you'll be like me and need glasses", Cisca said as she stood on by the door, flickering the lights on as your eyes got used to the brightness, "I already wear them, or I should more often anyway", you blushed, suddenly getting caught with your hand in the cookie jar, grabbing your case from your backpack and putting them on.

When Lando and Max left, you decided to work on the website graphics, checking how the campaign would work with the current layout, that you lost track of time.

"May I see what you're working on?", she asked, "it's okay if I may not, I don't want to intrude", she smiled as you pulled up the chair next to you, "I don't know much about these things, but I always get quite fascinated with this part", she said, sitting down and looking at the screen.

Already driving back home, Lando and Max talked about the plans once they arrived, "and that way Y/N can also finish the social media stuff, and maybe you'll have more time to actually make a move on her", he teased.

Lando scoffed, "I'm not trying to make a move on her", he defended himself, "I'm glad to know, because if those moves were what you had, it wouldn't surprise it that it didn't go very far", Max yelped as his friend took the opportunity of the straight road ahead to hit his thigh, "so that's what you talk about? Here I am thinking about business and you're meddling in my love life?".

"I never said it was love life, but since you've admitted it, it's saving me time. So, what are you planning? I could help since this seems to be stalled", Max tried again, holding his hands in protection of his body in case Lando hit him again.

"I wouldn't know where to begin, I mean, it will make things awkward if this goes south, right? I'd never be able to look at her again, much less work with her", Lando admitted, "She's very kept to herself as well, I highly doubt that she'll want to be involved with me in that way. Whoever I date or interact with has to deal with enormous amount of public eye and I wouldn't spring that up on her", Lando mumbled, taking the road exit on his left.

"So you've given this some thought, too. Here we are thinking you're coming to the meetings to help and now you're just blushing when we talk about Y/N", Max joked back as Lando shook his head.

"We're back!", Lando announced, walking inside the dining room while pushing the boxes with Max, "don't worry, mum, we're not scratching the floors", he said, sweetly kissing the side of her head, "are you planning to work for us?", he noticed she was sitting next to you, notebooks of the projects open and sheets and fabrics all over the table in front of you.

"Y/N was kindly showing me the project you're working on, for the launch, and it looks really nice!", she complimented, placing a hand on your shoulder and the other on your arm, "she's been showing me everything, I've probably stolen some valuable time from you, darling, I'm sorry", she slumped her shoulders slightly, "not at all, it's all under way, don't worry", you smiled, easing her worries, "I'll leave you guys to it, how about I make some tea?", she suggest as the three of you nodded.

"We have the boxes here, they're sorted by colours", Lando opened the first box, "these are only for the Originals collection, right?", you checked over, peaking at the blue hoodie he pulled out.

"The sizing is right, right?", Max wondered as Lando stretched it out, "Y/N, can you try these, please? We need to check if the model is good for guys and girls".

Getting up from your spot, you grabbed the vibrant blue piece, feeling its soft texture against your fingertips, "I have wider hips that average, I'm not sure I'm the greatest test model for that", you shrugged your shoulders, "keep that in mind". Taking off your sweater so your torso was covered in a strappy top, you pulled the new garment on, adjusting the strings around the neck so you could pull it all the way down, "Oh, it's so soft", you noticed, "and warm, too. And feels quite good actually, it's not too tight", fumbling with the ribbed material on the bottom as you checked yourself out on the windows now that it was dark outside.

Lando gulped as you did so. Oh, had Lando noticed your hips. To anyone else, it would be another feature of your body, but he was enamoured by them. Your body's curvy outline enticed him and he would be lying if he said that it wasn't the first thing he noticed at first glance when you arrived for you last interview, especially with the tapered pants you had been wearing.

"Looks nice. What do you think, mate?", Max turned to Lando, hoping to get an answer but finding him looking at you, "is there something wrong? I told you I'm not the best mo-".

"It's gorgeous, looks gorgeous", he breathed out just as his mother walked inside carrying a tray with tea and some biscuits, "Here's the tea, guys", she said, setting it on the table, "wow, that's a very nice piece!", she complimented.

"It is, isn't it, Cisca?", Max said, covering up her son as he kept looking at you as you tested the front pocket, not noticing his gaze on you.

"You also have a very beautiful model, you can't ignore that factor in the equation", she complimented you while you grabbed a mug, taking a sip of the warm liquid and hoping it hid your pink cheeks, "thank you", you whispered.

While Lando helped his father with dinner, Max convinced his mother to show you both family albums, and once you had the delicious food they prepared, you excused yourself so you could use the shower, wanting to wash the day of travelling away. Max and Cisca stayed in the living room while Lando helped his father prepare dessert, checking on the apple crumble in the oven so it could get golden brown and not burnt, "so, any life updates recently?", the older man asked.

Lando wasn't around as much as they both would've liked, so often times his visits also came along with news and updates, "not much, racing has been good, it's nice to have a break now, even if it's just two weeks", he offered, looking at the oven.

"And nothing else? I mean, no one special? Your mother is usually the blunt one, but I'm going to try it myself: Y/N is just a Quadrant Team Member?", Adam questioned, noticing his son's cheeks become redder.

"Is it that noticeable? I just hope she doesn't see it as much as you do", Lando groaned, rubbing his cheeks, "maybe you should hope she notices, you know? Maybe she'll admit she likes you, too. You never know", Adam patted his son's back, grabbing the gloves so he could take the tray out of the oven, "she seems like a really nice girl, kind, good work ethic, intelligent, and she's beautiful", he finished as his son sighed, grabbing the vanilla ice cream from the freezer, "she's all of that and so much more".

.

"Kygo is doing a set tonight", you heard Max say as you walked inside the living room, taking the spot on the sofa next to Lando since his mother had taken your previous spot when you went to use the bathroom, "I've been meaning to ask you guys if you wanted to go, actually. He texted me saying to tell him if we were planning on going", Lando stated.

"Go and enjoy being young, life is not all about work if you can't enjoy yourself", Cisca shared, "dad and I won't complain if you make noise when you get back", she winked.

"Would you like to go, Y/N? You can say no, that's fine, too", Lando turned to you. He knew Max would be down on a heartbeat, but he didn't want you to feel pressured to do something you didn't want to because you were at his parents' place as a guest.

"I'm good, I like his music, too. I've been wanting to see him live for a bit, actually", you smiled, thinking about how lucky you were to be able to have these experiences because of your job and friends.

Later that night, you're getting ready in your room, sitting on the carpeted floor and applying your make-up for the occasion. The dressier outfit you had brought with you consisted of a burnt red top and some pants as it had become the outfit you had felt the most comfortable and confident in to go out. The top complimented your chest and your midsection as your pants looked really good around your hips and butt, your legs elongated by the small heeled shoes you had spent years looking for. They were comfortable, pretty and functional, ticking all the boxes for what you needed for tonight.

"Y/N, can I come in?", your heard Lando knock on the door, welcoming himself when you said he could, "we are leaving in about ten minutes, if that's okay", he said, taking a good look at you as you fiddled with your earring, "yes, fine by me", you smiled looking back in the mirror propped on the bedside table and finally clasping it, looking back at him.

You took his breath away. It was as simple as that. Your hair had your natural curls he loved so much, your makeup complimented your naturally soft beautiful features and your outfit made you look incredible.

"You guys ready?", Max patted the door, propping himself on it as you grabbed your shoes, "I'll put them on downstairs", you said, carrying them in your right hand as you had your small purse on the left.

While you did the small, dainty tie on your shoes, Lando's eyes went straight for your chest, the slightly bent down position granting him an agonisingly teasing angle as he tried his best to look away, "you might want to be less obvious, you don't need to creep her out to get her to be yours", Max whispered in Lando's ear.

As soon as you arrived, Lando and Max walked with you to the VIP area, asking you what you wanted to drink before they went up to get it.

Lando looked great on his white shirt, the light coloured shirt looking great against his tanned skin as the relaxed fit complimented his back, prompting you to make sure you weren't drooling in public. You worked for his company, it would never be a good idea to get romantically involved with him, no matter how many times your heart leaped.

"A very weak Gin and Tonic for you, as requested", Max said as he pushed the cup towards you, carrying nother drink for himself, Lando sitting next to you on the booth and empty handed, "you're not drinking?", you asked, "I'm driving us all home today, I'm want to do it safely", he stated, tapping his hands on the table when he saw Kygo, signalling him to approach you.

"Hey Lando, Max", he smiled, "I'm Y/N, I work for Quadrant", you smiled, greeting him with a half hug as he introduced himself too, "my set is in a few minutes, you got here just in time. If you want to see it up close, Y/N, let me know and I'll make it happen", he winked at you.

The wink was not missed by Lando or Max. While Max wanted to laugh at his friend's jealous expression, threatening to send the norwegian DJ to a place that was less than nice and sunny, Lando couldn't believe his eyes. Yes, it was only fair that others, too, saw your beauty and noticed you, but to put themselves out like that, that was a different story. You didn't seem to bothered by all of it, sipping on your drink as you spoke to Max, pointing out different people you remember from Silverstone earlier that year.

"Kygo's starting, I want to dance!", you said, getting up and gesturing for the boys to join you. While you were used to having a lot less space to dance in, the welcomed freedom was appreciated as you playfully placed your pointer finger on Max's head, making him do a little spin, "now, no need to be jealous, Lando, you can twirl, too!", you yelled over the music blasting from the speakers, doing the same and sinking your finger on Lando's curls.

"I'm going to get another drink, want anything?", Max asked, excusing himself when you shook your head, "you know you can drink, I'm the designated driver", Lando offered, "I know, thank you for that. I just don't want to drink more", you smiled, recognising the next song, feeling brave and pulling Lando by his hand so he could dance with you.

I never knew anybody 'til I knew you

I never knew anybody 'til I knew you

And I know when it rains, oh, it pours

And I know I was born to be yours

Lando twirled you would face him, chest flush against his as his colourful eyes looked into yours intensely, "I know this is very forward, and very unlike me to be fair, but I need to get it out", he gulped as he spoke loudly in your ear, looking for any sign of discomfort from you, "I really like you, like, a lot. And I would like to know if you feel the same. Because Max and my parents seem to think you do, but all I know they're just saying so that I shut up about how much I love you and how much it would mean to me", he spoke loudly against your ear as the song played.

You were struck by his confession, not expecting it to ever happen, much less like this and in these circumstances.

"If you consider this a hostile work environment, I didn't want that, but I had to be honest with you", he gulped, "just say you don't feel the same and I'll drop the subject, okay? I might have to pretend to go somewhere else so I can be away from you a bit until things are not awkward, but don't worry, I won't drink because I'm driving and-", Lando belted out before you interrupted him, moving your face closer to his neck this time and speaking into his ear, "It's not hostile if it's consensual, right?", you smiled, a glint in your eye as his own widened, chuckling as he sang the the words in your ear, taking the opportunity to kiss your cheek near your earlobe.

"Took you two fucking long enough!", Max yelled as he approached you, tapping Lando's back in congratulations, "you know what this means, Y/N? I won't have to listen to him mope about how he thinks he was made for you and you were made for him, and that the universe would have to be playing a very bad joke of you two didn't end up together!".

"What makes you think I'll stop that? I just got the girl of my dreams, now I'll have the confirmations of all I've said! You'll just hear how amazing all of it is!", Lando smiled, hugging you close to him and kissing the top of your head.

[juliasmesmerized]

Video Games

pairings: Josh Washington x F!Reader, Chris Hartley x Ashley Brown (Until Dawn) type: fluff, too deep into the friendship, mutual pining, subtle flirting summary: Josh and Chris have gaming nights as the only 'geeks' in the group. Chris and Ashley got together and she found out of this 'secret'. Since they knew nobody else would be interested they didn't invite anyone and they knew nobody would care for it regardless. Ashley tells you about it and you join Chris's party and surprising them both. AU: sister's never disappeared, all of them are university students now too. vibes intended: cherry flavored - The Neighbourhood (I personally listen to Odetari when playing competitive games such as Overwatch which will be reference to the video game they'll be playing.) for the best experience: unfortunately we lost interactivefics, but there's another chrome extension called word replacer II; I recommend using it to have this be read in the way it was intended. I will have this on my masterlist at some point, but for now this'll be a disclaimer on every post I make. I hear when people say it breaks the immersion when using y/n and such, but I use the extension above and it gets me more excited to read. hopefully, with this, people can enjoy this piece of work and other y/n works. (i can also make a you / y/n-less version, but i just prefer seeing my name for DR purposes) word count: 2944 part 1 | part 2 | part 3

Chris booted up his computer to get into his and Josh's untimely tradition of playing video games until dawn. Their current fixation stands tall to be a five versus five shooter with each character having unique abilities and are divided into three ranks. Each team has one tank, two damage dealers, and two supports. Chris is a serious tank main while his main damage dealer teammate would be Josh. Josh may sometimes switch it up by taking up the other roles, but it was clear which one was his favorite.

Chris's phone buzzed; the screen lit up to reveal a new-found message from his gaming buddy, Josh. The chat log reads:

Josh: still up for the matches? Chris: yeah im just turning the game on Josh: ok cool i thought maybe bc ash was with u you'd forget Chris: nah bro we had a plan ill stick to it Josh: that tight bod bro, bro we're gonna lose u to it Chris: i dont have a raging libido like u josh Josh: u wound me

As soon as the game loaded up, an invite from Josh immediately popped up on the top part of the screen. He accepted and as soon as the voice chat system on the game connected he could hear screaming on the other side: "YEEEEEEAAAH!" Their names pop up on the left side corner of the screen with a speaker graphic to symbolize them speaking.

Chris's expression turned quizzical, "Josh?" the username 'c0destopher' perked up on the screen while the username 'washingmachine' never left.

Josh, still excited for having his winding down time, kept going. "We're finally doing this since we've been buried under exams. They're OVER! Let's get this party started!"

Josh chose the role queue option which allows players to pick their ranks ahead of time which ensures better play experience as everyone enters the match knowing what they want is given. Chris, without taking much time confirmed only tank. Josh decided on all roles, and since Chris was only tank, he only had the chance to be a damage dealer or support.

Chris's door swings open. Ashley, who was too engrossed in her phone, began to speak. "Hey Chris, I'm going out to the store to get something I'd need for the-" She looks up to realize the dark atmosphere with his computer screaming RGB lights that lit the room in an unnatural way. "You playing with Josh?"

His heart sank from her sudden entrance, but regained his composure. "Yeah Ash, he could still hear us if you wanna say hi." Ashley took him up on his offer and took the headphones off of Chris. She held one ear pad up to her ear to not ruin her hair, but still be able to hear Josh.

Ashley smiled as he greeted her. "What's up Josh?" Chris couldn't actually hear what Josh was telling her, the muffled sounds were whisked away by his thoughts overwhelming him. It'd only been a while back he confessed to Ashley and she excitedly accepted to be his girlfriend. It still feels surreal to him. She tucked her hair behind the free ear and began speaking once more.

"That's good, I'm well. You do this often?" Her eyes looked up unintentionally, as to focus on the conversation. She slightly nods her head from time to time.

She tilted her head and hummed before speaking. "Well, I just wanted to see if Chris wanted anything from the store." Chris's eyes were locked onto her facial features, the way she moved, and her cute mannerisms when she's talking to somebody on the phone.

She keeps nodding out of nowhere and he could hear Josh stopping to allow her to speak. "Oh! I'm getting some stuff I need for my hair, and also some snacks. I forgot some things I needed."

Josh's muffled voice perked up and Chris could hear him going on about the match about to begin. Ashley responds immediately. "The game's starting? I'll get you back to Chris." She places the headphones back on for him, trying her best not to hurt him. The character selection screen opens, but Chris looks back at Ashley as she leaves the room.

Before she closes the door after herself, she peered into the room once more. "I’ll get you some snacks, anything else?" He nods sweetly to her and she smiles and closes the door.

She got her coat from the hanger and wore it. With her purse on her shoulder, Ashley left the apartment and locked the door behind her. She placed her key in her purse, and took out her phone from her pocket. She messaged y/n asking to call her.

A few moments later, her phone rang to see a call premeditated by her own message asking for it. “You won’t believe what I just saw!” Ashley giddly spoke to the phone. She pressed the button to the elevator to signal it to open on her floor.

Her friend responded on the other side. “What happened?”

“I just saw Chris and Josh playing the game you like! This is your moment! Surprise them and join them!”

y/n audibly gasped. “What?! They used to bully me about it all the time!”

y/n continued on, this time mocking Josh’s words to her when talking about the game she liked. “Call Of Duty is the better of the competitive games and not that hero rainbow bullshit!” Her voice went sarcastically deeper and had a few ‘blah blah blah’s splattered around it.

Ashley left the elevator to walk outside. The wind gushing through her as she left the complex. “I know! That’s why I got so shocked, I thought you’d love to know that they got into it so you could tease back. Especially, Josh. I didn’t show that I cared too much so they wouldn’t suspect a thing!”

She took some time to think it through before responding. “I don’t think I should even if I want to show them for teasing me and then playing it. If I wasn’t invited then it’d look bad on me to join their group.”

“Oh come on, y/n. We both know they wouldn’t mind you playing, they didn’t invite you because it’d look badly on them for teasing you about the same game they got themselves into. I even got Chris’s username memorized for you.”

y/n relented and gave in to Ashley’s plan. “Alright why not. I’m down to cause a little bit of chaos.”

“I’ll send you everything right now.” Ashley closed the phone and looked ahead of her to cross the street. She arrived at the grocery store and went inside to escape the cold. Once inside, she opened her phone once more. Ashley spilled out everything she remembered, hoping it’d suffice.

Ashley: c0destopher#5576 y/n: thats actually so geeky Ashley: i know its so stupid y/n: birds of a feather, your username on goodreads reminds me of the one he has on the game Ashley: dont compare me to that when im doing u a favor to get closer to josh y/n: aye aye captain y/n: i friend requested him Ashley: im sure he accepts everyone y/n: and that u are right ab bc he accepted me right away Ashley: ok ill go focus on doing what i have to do update me whenever ill read when i can y/n: okay thanks ash i will let u know how it goes, stay safe

She booted up the game as she friend requested him on the mobile app. Unsurprisingly on Chris's account, it shows a new button: 'join group' and y/n had a long and hard moment of clarity set in that she's going to have to face Josh if she entered. Her face felt warmer, not that they were anything special, but he was special. She regretted relenting to Ashley's plans due to the trouble she went through getting the information to her.

She took a deep breath and entered their group. The bottom left corner displays a party chat message: unforgettable has joined the group.

Josh, not realizing the message, spoke up. "Yeah I think out of the group, y/n stands out the most, you know? The only person that has playful banter back towards me within the group from the girls. Jess and Em both would do the same, but they're too into their boyfriends so they act like they're untouchable. Sam likes to ensure I wouldn't get hurt which is sweet, but it ruins the fun. Like you could tell she's holding back for my sake."

She, who obviously entered a conversation which shouldn't be privy to her, shoved a palm onto her mic to mute it which showed her name with the speaker graphic. She didn't waste time in messaging Ashley.

y/n: I dun goofed. Ashley: what?

Chris realized first that a message showed up in their party chat that isn't accounted for and the voice chat had a third person suddenly. "Wait who is that?" She could see him using his charge attack to stun his enemy into a wall to kill them. When a friend joins a party in an ongoing game, the leftover friend spectates the match. The chat still open on her phone, y/n stayed quiet to just see the chaos begin to brew and to text Ash.

y/n: I seriously fucked up. Ashley: you gotta explain EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!

Josh took a look and was at a loss. "I dunno. Did you invite them?" Josh was playing a character with double shotguns, and his character needed to creep near enemies to deal serious damage. Typical shotguns.

y/n: he didn't realize i heard him neither of them did?????? Ashley: STOP BEING CRYPTIC WHATS GOING ON??????

"No, did you?" Chris, even if nobody could see, shook his head due to habit. His character slashed his hammer at the enemy tank, dealing some okay output, but the reason for this is to create space for his team to do the damage. She realized this quite quickly.

y/n: WELL i listened to u and joined them and i joined them as josh was talking about the girls and he spoke about me saying i was the only one that stood out to him between all the girls since i give and take in his banter with us. Ashley: OMG? THEN WHAT?

Josh answered his question and was about to say something else, "no," but Chris remembered something.

y/n: heres where i fucked up, yk my mic has an external mute button where placing a palm on it would mute? Ashley: yeah so?

He spoke up. "Oh! They added me a few minutes back and I accepted." Score, he remembered her, but didn't realize who she was. She thought to herself. Josh was getting ready to use his 'ultimate' ability since he charged it to the max. y/n got more focused into the conversation with Ashley that her fingers were going to reach the speed of light.

y/n: well i kinda sorta fucked up by being so nervous after i heard what i heard that i literally kind of slapped the top part where the palm was supposed to go and they heard it and realized i was there Ashley: GIRL WHAT SO THEY DIDNT REALZE YOU HEARD THEM OHMYGDOS???? y/n: YUP IMAGINE WHAT THE HELL? Ashley: SO CHRIS KNOWS THIS ENTIRE TIME THAT JOSH THINKS YOIURE SPECIAL NAND NEVER TOLD ME? THE AUDAXITY OF THAT MAN y/n: WHAT LOL?

Josh chuckled a bit. "Why do you accept randos?" He hid on the roof of a high building on the map, then jumped down and used his ability which sent bullets in a good radius in a circular motion, killing three members of the enemy team. He was shot in the head by the enemy sniper after, and thought for a second as he respawned in game. "Kick them out?"

y/n: HES TELLING CHRIS TO KICK ME OUT Ashley: NONONONO ITS GETTING GOOD

Chris didn't skip a beat. "Sure alright."

y/n: YOUR BOYFRIENDS A BASTARD HE SAID SURE TO KICKING ME?? Ashley: SAY SOMETHING OF COURSE THEY DON'T KNOW ITS YOU y/n: OK GTG BGYE

Ashley was right. y/n had to speak up now or forever hold her peace. "WAITWAITWAIT! It's just me." She peeped as if she was a criminal, but all she did was join her friends.

Josh perked up, things were getting interesting. "y/n?"

"The one and only." Her voice getting a little more confident over time.

Chris was absolutely on edge. "How'd you get my username? What? We hid this from you for months!"

"I know! Ash told me about you guys playing. How about Call of Duty being the best game on the market for these types of games?"

Chris got defensive, he didn't belittle her for her choice of games. "Hey, I didn't say that." If anything, Chris sees himself as the most understanding in that aspect. All games could be fun if done right and with the right people.

Josh, sounding sarcastically defeated, sounded like he was raising his hands to surrender himself to y/n's beck and call. "I didn't think the game would be this addictive!"

"I'm officially inviting myself to join you." She continued, she liked how she got Josh back for belittling her.

They could hear the smile come up his face. "Our group is yours, y/n." Josh said.

Chris knew exactly what he was doing. "You couldn't have come at a better time, y/n, we were just talking about romance." He was hoping Josh would take the reins to say something witty.

She raised an eyebrow and smirked against the screen. "Romance, huh? Tell me about it, Josh. We're all friends, right?"

Josh quickly regained his composure after Chris kind of just outed him. "Chris is overdramatizing it. We were just talking about the group and our opinions on everyone."

"Yeah, right." Chris rolled his eyes.

Josh also rolled his eyes at him, he knew he was going to get him for this later. She spoke up which redirected them both back to the conversation. "Oh? What're his opinions Chris?"

Chris spoke up. "I can't share on behalf of somebody else, dear lady."

"Josh?" y/n called out into the cyber void that is their online voice chat. Their game has finally ended now, they queued up for another match where y/n also chose all roles like Josh.

The queue waiting time has begun, and Josh sighed; unsure if he should reveal the truth, but he did anyway. He didn't understand why he wanted to be honest with her even if he could've easily lied. "I was just saying how Emily and Jessica create barriers with the guys after getting boyfriends, it's not the same as before."

y/n nodded. "Mhm... And Ash and Sam?" She heard this story before, but to avoid suspicion, she decided to ask and follow what Chris might've set up.

Josh continued, the conversation being tame enough for him to ride the wave without falling off the board or having to admit something that was specifically between him and Chris. "Sam is a pacifist, we all know that, and Ash could be talked about by Chris for days."

"And..." She trailed off at first, but his words gave her confidence. He already admitted to her unintentionally and that's all she needed.

y/n thought she was being smart about it to get him to confess. "Me?" She would never admit that she heard him though, never, ever.

Josh chuckled and began to tease her. "Couldn't get to you until you rudely interrupted our conversation." Chris chuckled at the banter, knowing that was a complete lie. Josh didn't react to sound as honest as possible.

y/n bought it to keep face. "Uh huh, nice one, Mr. Washington. What a coincidence."

Josh returned. "Yup."

"A quinky-dink." y/n continued.

Josh replied, once more. "Mhm." Chris kept holding in a laugh at the awkward yet funny atmosphere that surrounded them, even if it meant he was the third wheel. y/n sent Josh a friend request ingame, which he promptly accepted.

A match started which changed the topic.

Josh directed his attention to his new friend's banner which would show her selection when she chose. "I never asked you who you played."

She sat deciding what support character she should choose. "Me?"

Josh took a second to try to understand her thought process when asking that. "I mean I play with Chris, I know who he plays."

She realizes her stupidity at this moment in time, but played it off cool. "Right...! I play everything including tank, but it seems like Chris takes the cake for that. I play whatever the team needs."

"Nice. Yeah, Chris likes playing tank." Josh slightly smiles at her comment. "Seems like you'll support our team, what shall you pick, madam?"

"I like playing based on the team when I'm support. I'll see what everyone else picks to best help the team with my choice of character."

Chris always keeps his number one choice unless the other team counters him. Where they'd play a character that makes his own completely useless. "I already know what I'm choosing."

"I'll play this guy this time." Josh decides to try the soldier.

"I see, if you play that then..." She chooses the damage boosting support and their teammate picks a main healer to focus on keeping everybody's health satiated.

Josh smugly replied to her action. "I think I see where this is going..."

y/n rolled her eyes behind the screen. "Not that I have any faith in you, but your ultimate that 100% doesn't miss, would need this to change the tides."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say."

hi everyone! i hope u enjoyed what you've read. i do wanna continue it, but im a bit busy and got too excited to keep it in the drafts, i want it to eventually end with one of them realizing their likeness towards one another. i usually do write longer chapters, 5k-10k, but i have a midterm tomorrow and i couldn't stop myself from writing something. comments, likes, and everything else is appreciated for ur friendly neighborhood budding writer. took about 2 hours to write this.

[bellysoupset]

Gossip, rumors even.

No emeto or sickness in this one, just Bella and Jonah doing some good old fashioned gossiping.

--------------------------

It was a rare, sunny day out and Leo was bouncing on his feet like a puppy. Jonah rolled his eyes at his fiancée, watching Leo like a hawk as Luke talked with him.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer," Bella teased him lightly, sitting down next to Jon on the bleachers and unceremoniously pushing a paper bag of peanuts in his hands. She was wearing a long, flowy black skirt and it covered half of Jonah's leg as she sat down, "did Wen text you?"

"Nope," Jonah fished out a peanut, before pushing the greasy bag back in her hands and turning his attention to where Leo had just joined the field with Luke. Community baseball game.

Leo had bitched and moaned about Jonah joining the team, but it was a commitment he couldn't make. Most of the games were on Wednesday night, this was a rare and sparse one happening on a Saturday.

Besides, why would he want to play when he could just watch Leo prance around in tight white pants?

"She's been super secretive lately," Bella continued to talk, not needing him to participate in the conversation at all, "well, not really, just... Something is different, I can tell."

"It's called paranoia, darling," Jonah rolled his eyes, fishing another peanut from her bag, "Luke's control freak tendencies are rubbing off on you, Wen's fine."

"I know she's fine," Bella wrinkled her nose, offended at the idea she was becoming as overbearing as Lucas was, "but there's something. Ever since she spent that week in Doveport, remember?"

Jonah let out a frustrated sigh as the more serious conversation topic forced him to stop gawking and drooling about Leo, "no, I have no idea-"

"When the hospital suspended her," Bella cleared up, turning on the bleachers to look at him in the eyes. Jonah raised his eyebrows and let out a soft scoff as he noticed how heavy-handed she had gone with her makeup today, sporting black lipstick and a red graphic eyeliner, "ever since she came back, I think something's a little weird."

Jonah fought the urge to dismiss the worries, thinking back on his best friend's behavior lately. Sure, Wendy had been displaying burn out tendencies for a while now, which he had pointed out to her face many times, but yeah, now that Bell mentioned... Something was different.

Not worse, different. He assumed she was taking less classes, because she seemed less exhausted, but at the same time... Now that he thought about it, Jonah was seeing her less than before. Not that Wendy was avoiding him, but she certainly wasn't going out of her way to suggest activities...

And it all circled back to Vince. As it seemed like it always did, it circled back to Vin.

"If that asshole broke her heart again, I'll break his nose-" Jonah decided, causing Bella to let out a surprised snort and raise her eyebrows.

"Geez, and they say I'm the one with a short fuse," she poked at his chest, rolling her eyes, "no, I think Vin and her are fine... More than fine, actually, she's giving honeymoon vibes lately."

Oh?

Jonah frowned, turning back around so he was facing the game and watching just in time to see Leo hit the ball with his bat and start running.

"Honeymoon vibes?" he asked, lowering his voice to the appropriate gossip tone now that they ruled off this being an issue.

"Yeah," Bella leaned against his arm, stuffing her mouth with peanuts, "like, you know when your friends start dating and they kinda drop off the face of the earth? Wendy's sorta like that."

He took a handful of peanuts, munching on them as he watched Leo keep running and then slide down just in time to touch base. Next to him, Bella let out a loud "WOOOOO!" causing Leo's cheeks to turn cherry red and Jonah to snort at his embarrassment.

Sure, him and Leo had been like that. Although in Jon's perspective that had less to do with the fact they had been dating, but with the fact he didn't feel as comfortable with his friends as he did now... But then again, Leo did feel comfortable with Vince and Luke, but he too had been spending all his time with Jonah-

"Well, but it can't be that," Jonah concluded, "because she's not dating anyone new, it's same old Vin, who's a million miles away because he's a prick with a family who loves him."

Bella choked with her coke at his line, wiping the soda off her chin, "you're such a jerk," she giggled, "but yeah, she's not seeing anyone new. Do you think she made a new friend?"

For the first time in a long time, Jonah felt a vicious flash of jealousy. He whipped his head to look at Bella, mouth half open and his cheeks burning, "like a new best friend?"

Bell obviously was able to read it in his face, she was the crazy jealous sort herself after all, and she raised her eyebrows and pressed her lips tightly together, as if trying to not laugh, "no, darling, just some friend."

Ugh.

Jonah scoffed and turned away, mouth suddenly sour. He dropped his peanuts back in the bag, deciding he didn't want to eat after all, "Wendy would tell me. So no, I don't think she found a replacement, she's not Vince."

"Sometimes I do wonder if you and Luke aren't truly brothers, you know?" Bella teased him, "spoken like a true Atwood."

"Shut uuup," Jonah shoved her arm, causing Bella to nearly fall from the bleachers and she snorted, chuckling at his gesture, "can we focus at the issue at hand?"

"Sure, sure, sure," Bella's face was all red with glee or maybe it was just the heat. It was a really sunny day... "are you absolutely certain we can rule out a new friend? She's very friendly, I once watched her befriend a whole group of nuns in New York."

Jonah grinned at the mental image, but shook his head, "she'd have brought it up if she was hanging out with someone so frequently that we noticed."

"And she's definitely not dating anyone new," Bella shrugged, "so what is it?"

Ahead of them, the team switched up, Luke taking the bat now and Leo bouncing on his feet as he put on the gloves to catch the ball. His hair was long enough that Leo had been able to tie it back, in a tiny spiky ponytail. A bunch of strands had escaped and they were framing his face, making Leo look like a prince. A very pissed off prince who probably was dying to shave his head, yeah.

"If it's important she'll tell us," Jonah lied smoothly, making a mental note to grill the living shit out of Wendy. Jealousy or not, he suddenly felt protective of his spot as her confident and didn't think Bell deserved to know before he did.

"Uh-hu," Bella rolled her eyes, "well text me when you force her to tell you. I'm dying to know. My theory is that she's moving to Doveport."

Jon's heart all but stopped in his chest.

"What?" he turned to look at Bella, confused, and the ginger shrugged.

"She's spending all her free time there, she's sorta avoiding us, when we went to the cabin last time she was sooo all over Vince to the point I noticed and I don't notice that shit. And then there's Max."

"Max? Who the hell is- Vince's new friend? What the fuck does that have to do with-"

"Vince and Luke had a whole ass fight about Max last weekend," Bella whispered, lowering her voice and suddenly looking serious, "and you know they don't fight over anything."

"Okay... I don't follow," Jonah felt a prickle of a headache forming. He wanted to text Wendy ASAP, he wanted to shake her. She couldn't fucking dare moving to bumfuck nowhere, no way. What about her career? Her three hundred different cliques? Her apartment, her life-

"I don't either, but Vince told Luke that Max was like. Non-negotiable?"

"Why was Luke negotiating Vince having a friend? That's toxic-"

"Besides the point," Bella waved him off, "all I'm saying is maybe now that Vince has more friends there than just his family and she's there all the time... And she obviously misses Vin a whole lot-"

"Nope," Jonah shook his head, deciding there was absolutely no way, "that's not Wen, she's not gonna move to a tiny town. Welton is already too small for her and we're an hour away from Portland... Nope. There's no fucking way."

"You know her better than I do," Bell nodded, crossing a leg on the bench, boot nearly touching the inside of her thigh, "that's just my theory."

"Well, it's a shit theory," Jonah scoffed and Bella smiled at him, reaching in to push his cheek in a fondly, amused way. Like JD swatting at him.

"Because you don't want her to go-"

"Because it sucks," Jon pushed her hand down, crossing his arms, "and you're wrong."

"I hope so," Bella mumbled, shoving yet another handful of peanuts in her mouth and looking away, suddenly seeming just as upset as Jonah felt.

[ladyloveandjustice]

Someone's been in the Revolutionary Girl Utena rabbit hole for a bit 👀

I don't even know what it's about, I just see it and get happy

Mind telling me a bit on what it's about? I might watch it myself if it sounds like my thing, bc you seem to have great taste in anime and games

I do have good taste thank you! *flips hair* lol just kidding,

Revolutionary Girl Utena is a surreal and wild queer feminist deconstruction of fairy tale romance and shoujo tropes and it has a lot to say about systems of power, cycles of abuse, the ways people cling to an ideal of innocent childhood which may have never existed anyway, the concept of purity, fear of change and loss, and whether becoming an adult inevitably means being corrupted in some way. Lots and lots of gender, lots of queer characters struggling with compulsory heterosexuality... but over all, it's a deeply meaningful story about the human condition and growing up in an imperfect world.

But also people turn into cows sometimes, there are elephants of surfboards at one point, and one character has a very emotive pet monkey in a tie. at least we think it's a monkey. It can be very silly, is what I'm saying.

The basic plot is that a girl named Utena lost her parents at a very age, but a prince came and comforted her, giving her a ring and telling her to never lose her strength and nobility. Rather than taking that as an engagement offer and aiming to be his princess though, Utena actually admires him so much that she decides to become a prince who saves girls in trouble too. She's determined to find the prince who changed her life though, and her search leads her to a very fancy and phallic looking Ohtori Academy.

Then, when this shitty popular guy makes her friend cry, Utena challenges a guy to a duel to make him pay (as you do). ONLY to find out that the student council of her school are all secretly dueling each other to be engaged to "the Rose Bride", a girl who is supposed to give whoever's engaged to her the power to revolutionize the world. As part of the student council, the shitty popular guy assumes Utena wants to "win" the Rose Bride too.

So next thing Utena knows, she's been dragged into a duel to "win" the "Rose Bride" (who is actually just Utena's classmate, Anthy). Utena thinks that fighting to possess a girl like she's an object is pretty screwed up, but on the other hand, she IS devoted to saving girls, and that shitty popular guy IS treating Anthy pretty badly....

Could be that she'll end up engaged to Anthy, whether she likes it or not....

It covers a lot of dark topics, from misogyny to abuse (sexual abuse included) to child predators to incest (never framed as healthy or okay though, in one case it initially comes off as a joke thing for a character, like the typical anime comedic brother/sister complex, but throughout this characters arc it becomes clear that no, it's really not, and it is not good for the character in question). It's not a graphic show by any means, it handles its subject matter tastefully imo, and the way it explores these things is very effective. It takes a while to build up to where it's going, but the journey is worth it.

If you're interested at all in queer anime or like...queer western cartoons even because odd are they'll have a Utena reference-- it's a must see because it was massively influential. It was made more than 20 years ago and really holds up still.

I also did a review series about it here a while back that people found handy!

[haloslips]

do you have a daniel sprong primer or just in general what about him compels you? i don’t know anything about him so i’m just curious

do i "have" a daniel sprong primer? if you count my single braincell clinging desperately to daniel sprong being a kraken for life as something i have, well, yes! that braincell bounces around my brain NOT unlike - [lound honking].

anon, we're about to embark on a journey, i hope you'll take me in stride. before we start there are a few things you should know:

i took an edible about an hour ago that's just kicking in;

i probably won't finish this in one go so it's likely the tone will change inexplicably halfway through;

i want to Fuck That Man SO bad it makes me look stupid

great, let's get started!

important note: daniel was accused of pretty brutally assaulting a former indycar racer. (warning: graphic images) for what it's worth, the story is a little fishy and there is absolutely no mention of it other than the articles from august 11th - i followed this incident very closely because my first favorite hockey player was p*trick k*ne and i learned my lesson in a hard way, and there was no local news after the initial accusation, no criminal charges pressed, no statement again from anyone on either side. he obviously doesn't cross my personal rpf boundaries, but yours may be different!

okay let's continue 😎

my love for daniel sprong (i luv to full name him) is inextricably tied to his being a 22-23 seattle kraken, which is going to be My Team for the rest of my life god willing. it was just fucking electric to be a kraken fan in seattle that year, and daniel was a big part of that. he ended the 21-22 season with the kraken and as a free agent that summer signed a pto and then a contract with the team right before the season started and then had a career year with us. he was occasionally healthy scratched, but usually on the fourth line. a local like sports and culture writer started making memes about him on twitter in a fun way, idk there was just a lot of local hype around him. and he was playing well! he was winning games for us! call it bad data but the stats say we lost a LOT more games when he was scratched than when he wasn't.

before he was a kraken, daniel sprong was drafted in 2015 to the pens in the second round. he was in draft year (2015) which is a docuseries that appears to have been wiped off the face of the earth except for this instagram account and the google drives of generous friends. the series highlighted six (i think) players leading up to the 2015 nhl draft - it's a real gold mine of content, it's a shame it's not more widely available. anyway so he's drafted to the pens where he plays a handful of games with them and then is sent back to major juniors. i'm pretty sure the guys in pittsburgh do not care for him - he's known especially at the beginning of his career as being a pretty severe defensive liability.

the pens trade him to the ducks in 2018, and the ducks play him a little and then send him to the gulls because he's a defensive liability. in 2020 the ducks trade him to the caps. he played for the bears at first, eventually gets a contract extension and a little more than minimum wage. in march 2022 he's traded to the kraken! he's still a defensive liability probably but like i said he had a banner year 22-23. after that season, which was the entire length of his contract, he was a free agent and ron francis was like, go get your bag kid, and sprong signed a 2m x 1yr contract with the red wings.

he does alright with the wings - stays on the nhl team, scores some goals. he doesn't put up enough of a showing that the wings extend his contract and he remains unsigned for most of this summer. i think he ended up on the canucks on a pto and then they basically just gave him back to us. which is to say traded for future considerations.

then last week we put him on waivers and for 24 hours i considered death and dying and then he cleared waivers and now he's on our ahl team, which is not my favorite thing but also isn't my worst case scenario i guess.

BEFORE all that, daniel sprong was born in amsterdam. his dad played hockey there, and when daniel was 7 they moved to quebec so he could pursue his hockey career more seriously.

now let's get into some fun stuff!

my first dms to beccah on the subject:

(sidebar i did actually submit a photo of daniel sprong to the leadership program & at the end the six weeks three separate people had left me shoutouts to thank me for my participation so. if you've ever wondered why i am the way i am it's because the universe only rewards me.)

my assessment of his fursona from this post about kraken fursonas i made:

some get to know the player graphics from the kraken and the red wings:

MUCH to consider!!!! sprong & burky were on the caps together for a brief amount of time, and have a known bromance (although i'm not sure burky has ever met a man he couldn't bromance). but WHAT a weirdo!! in another kraken media thing, he says wizards of waverly place was his favorite show growing up. i love him!!!!!

a really critical piece of media about him TO ME is this deep dive on his tattoos the kraken did. this is also were i sourced the first two photos at the top! some takeaways:

The first tattoo Sprong got was on the inside of his left arm. It's a rose with the birthdates of his parents, his sister, and himself inside. He got the tattoo in Montreal from an artist that a friend had recommended. "I'm not great with dates, but I don't really have any excuse to forget now," Sprong said with a smile.

okay girl. had to get a tattoo of your own birthday to remember it, i see you. this tattoo is kind of ugly so if you want to see it you will have to click the link sorry 🫡

"The outside is a bit of a forest and some water and trees with two wolves," Sprong said. "One wolf (represents) my dad, one (represents) me and the two birds are my grandparents back in Amsterdam."

i'm going to be so real with you when i say daniel sprong would be a furry in a life without hockey. further evidence:

But Sprong doesn't have to wait to finish the sleeve on his arm. He already knows what he wants for the front. It will be a play on imagery from his favorite movie growing up: Disney's The Lion King. Sprong's current vision includes two lions, something that holds multiple personal meanings to the 26-year-old, as well as Pride Rock.

OKAYYY yeah every hockey player wants a lion king tattoo. oh wait that's just me and all my friends.

here are some stills i have saved from draft year (2015) where he looks especially ridiculous and sweet:

here, he's talking about how much he misses peanut butter spread while he's adhering to a strict meal plan. i too would not handle giving up peanut butter well :( his fucked up teeth are sooooooo important to meeeeee

in this one i'm pretty sure he's winning an award playing on a team with people quite a bit older than him. look at his little neck guard!!!! his abundant curls!!! these days you hardly see him without a hat on because his hairline is awol. i truly don't understand why he doesn't just shave his head...... he would look amazing bald and yet he remains dedicated to the hair left on his head. actually ykw i accept this i think if he wants to rock his natural hair he should.

op i get you.

when luke prokop came out, daniel sprong was the first member of the caps to post in support of him:

also on the caps, daniel sprong did math!

here's a picture that drove me crazy from the moment i watched the video it comes from. daniel is ALWAYS wearing a snapback or something with the brim to the front (regrettably not as slutty as he could be, sigh) and looking down - so this angle is really striking imo.

OKAY pivoting hard but my absolute favorite thing is HOW BADLY HE WANTS TO BE A SEATTLE KRAKEN. when he was traded back to us this season from vancouver, he said he never really wanted to leave the team. HE LOVE US. i hate dan bylsma for scratching him 90% of the time he was with us before putting him on waivers. i'm not going to get into his recent post-game comments after scoring two goals and having an assist in his opening night w coachella because he's right and he should say it tbh.

another thing i love is that he talks like he has marbles in his mouth. it's that dutch french canadian thing he's got going on. it's charming!!!!!!!

also he is regularly on ice in shorts and flip flops. freak ass.

the following is NOT my favorite slow-mo video of him but unfortunately when my pc bricked itself a couple years ago i lost my favorite video, lovingly titled DANIEL SPRONG THAT ASS. but this video is mesmerizing also.

and finally!!!!! here's a snippet of burky/sprog fic i will probably never finish, if you've made it this far

in conclusion:

[unseededtoast]

Turtle Doves | Joel Miller

Part Five

Chapter Directory

Series Summary: In which two broken souls connect so deeply, that if one should perish, the other would surely die of a broken heart. (slow burn, timeline changes. After TLOU1, before TLOU2, assumed knowledge of infected, uses elements from both show and game)

Series Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence, death, and sexual content.

Also cross-posted on Wattpad and AO3. Link to my masterlist for everything else I’ve posted!

The man is wearing a dark green flannel, medium wash jeans, brown boots, and a broken watch. He's got a rifle leaning against the table beside him.

With the back of my hand I wipe sweat off my brow. Unfortunately, I was not placed on graffiti cleanup today. Instead, they're making me dig holes for new fence posts on the QZ border. FEDRA is trying to rebuild what the Fireflies blew up, and digging deep holes for hours on end only makes me more bitter towards the wannabe mercenary group. Manual labor paired with no sleep for the past two days is not working in my favor. I have to constantly fight to not pass out from overexertion. But, I'd be lying if I said I hadn't considered passing out to get out of work.

The hours pass by slowly, but surely. As soon as we get cleared to leave for the day I make a beeline for my apartment, wanting to at least get a shower before I start my activities for the night. I've got a list of things I need to accomplish, and I'm hoping to do so before curfew. However, with the luck I've been having lately, I'm not holding my breath about being back before curfew.

After I've showered and made myself presentable again, I leave my apartment and head towards area four. I'm counting on someone to have reported those poor girls in the alley today, there's just no way nobody found them. And I'm hoping my contact will have some good information for me. As an incentive for information, I brought along a few pills. Information like this is sure to come at a hefty price, and free narcotics usually does the trick.

I locate the familiar apartment and knock on the door. It's not unheard of for regular people to be in area four, but it is unusual. Thankfully, the soldier opens the door and lets me in quickly without asking questions. I stand in the doorway of the rickety apartment and nod to the man standing across from me.

"What are you doing here?" His voice is callous, but curious. We had just delivered to this guy last week and I know he isn't due for another round of pills until next week, so it is weird for me to be here right now. I clear my throat,

"I need information, and I'm hoping you can be of assistance." I start off. The man's eyes narrow,

"What kind of information?" His eyes briefly look me up and down, probably searching for obvious weapons. I move from the doorway to the man's living room, where my voice is less likely to be heard by bystanders.

"I know there have been bodies found. I need to know what FEDRA is doing to find the killer." My voice is stone cold and serious. On our drug runs, I try to stay friendly to the clients, so they keep quiet and keep coming back. But this is something else entirely. The man scratches the back of his neck and takes a few steps towards me.

"How do you know about that?" His voice is equally as cold. I look right into his eyes, trying to pierce his soul so he sees just how serious I am about this.

"I have my sources." I decide against confessing what I really know. He licks his lips and shakes his head,

"Noelle you know I can't tell you shit like this." He sounds frustrated, he has to know something. Otherwise he'd be asking for more elaboration.

"What if I gave you these?" I pull out the small bag of pills from my back pocket. The man's eyes grow wide as he sees them. His gaze flickers between me and the pills.

"What's the catch?" He asks and I shake my head innocently.

"No catch, just information." I say, hoping that the thought of free drugs is enticing enough to get what I need from him. He paces back and forth before he gives in.

"Fine. I'll tell you what I know." He says, eyeballing the pills. I release a breath I hadn't realized I was holding and motion for him to continue on.

"You'll get these after you fess up." I explain my terms more thoroughly to him. Thankfully, he starts talking without argument.

"Three bodies found, ages fourteen to seventeen. Two girls, one boy. All had the same marking on their forehead. All killed brutally. I heard from another guard today that they had concluded the girls had been sexually assaulted before they were killed. Same with the boy." He explains, and my blood boils at his words. It's bad enough these children were ruthlessly killed. But to have been defiled before? It's sickening and awakens a rage in me I've never felt before.

"List of suspects?" My voice is uncharacteristically dark and I take a few steps towards the soldier. He shakes his head,

"I don't have names, nobody has a name. But, I did hear something about a man, or some small group, staying out near the wharf in area five. I guess we've been having perimeter issues around there. It's no surprise, there are a few empty warehouses out there and nobody ever patrols them. My best guess, start there if you want to find who did this. As far as I know, all FEDRA is planning to do is to sweep the warehouses tomorrow and then call it if they don't find anything. They don't want people knowing about this, they're hoping it just stops. They're worried a riot will break out. We don't have the numbers to go investigating this, we still have our orders. My guess is that we're just going to blame the first man who looks at someone the wrong way." He spills more information. My fists clench involuntarily as he says FEDRA is basically trying to sweep this under the rug to stop a potential riot. It seems that good old-fashioned vigilante action is going to be needed after all. Appreciative of his cooperation, I toss the pills over to him.

"Thank you. Those are on the house." I say as I make my way out of his apartment, on a newfound mission.

I feel as if I'm practically flying to area five, near the wharf. I'm familiar with the empty warehouses, there are plenty of transactions I make there. But, I've never noticed any sign of someone living there before. Usually, even just one straggler leaves some sort of evidence. Unless they're dumping their evidence into the water.

I begin searching the warehouses one by one, knowing that this might take a good while to be thorough. I intend to search each warehouse with a fine tooth comb. Those children deserve someone to fight for their justice. And if FEDRA isn't going to get these families justice, then I sure as hell will. I know I would want someone to do the same if it were my child.

The sudden thought of Lucas makes my heart constrict with sadness, and I find myself clutching the necklace that never leaves my neck; a constant reminder of my family who are only with me now in spirit.

The first warehouse proves to be empty, every surface is covered with a thick layer of dust and nothing has been recently disturbed, save for rat droppings here and there. The second warehouse is also empty, but I did find some spent shell casings. Probably remnants of some shootout, but I don't know if the killers had anything to do with it, they seem to be keen on using blades.

With hope, I step into the third, and final, warehouse that sits on the wharf. The creaky old building looks like it could fall over at any second and so I'm careful of where my steps land. I take my flashlight out to look at every minute detail, looking for anything that suggests someone is staying here. I take a deep breath and stand up straight as the faint scent of a fire tinges my nose.

Carefully, I make my way up the warehouse stairs to where a small landing overlooks the rest of the building. To my surprise, there's the remains of a poorly constructed fire. It looks like it's been put out for a while, but was lit recently, as evidenced by the warmth of the wood. The floor surrounding the fire suggests that there were at least two people here, there are two different shoe tracks imprinted in the dusty floor.

I walk over to what looks like a makeshift mattress, made out of broken down cardboard boxes. Crouching down, I examine some scattered papers. There's a hand-drawn map of the QZ and there are circles drawn around areas with accompanying notes. I read the notes scribbled on the edges of the paper and realize I'm looking at the killer's plan. I feel like I could throw up as I read what it written on the paper.

They had singled out their victims, made note of their physical appearances. The notes imply that the killer wanted nothing more than to defile the victims in any way possible. It's almost like the killer, or killers, were playing a game. After I've read everything, I fold the map and tuck it in my back pocket, looking for any other evidence they might have left.

Sticking out of the cardboard boxes is another piece of paper. I turn the paper around in my hand and read what's written on it. It's a checklist, or more of a goal list, and it's clear as day to me now that these killings were a game, and that there are definitely two people in on this. The listed goals include finding suitable victims, seeing who could stab their victim more, who could kill their victim the quickest without a headshot, and who could get their victim to give up the most information.

On the left and right hand side of the paper there are numbers listed, along with words. The numbers correlate to the listed goals, and the words are all about what they learned from their victims. The killers got information about their victims' personal lives, it seems they weren't after much more than that, which I find to be a little odd. Usually infiltrators want to know where the armory is, where the food is kept. But it seems these people may have a steady flow of food and weapons if their focus was on personal information; making it all seem more like a sport. Like they chose this QZ as their hunting ground. I fold this paper and put it in my pocket as well, and search for anything else. However, that seems to be it.

The lack of personal belongings, weapons, food, paired with the lack of additional fire wood tells me that these people left and don't plan on returning here. Perhaps they knew they were going to be tracked down and so they left before anyone could find them. Maybe they were satisfied with the carnage and fear they created, so they just left before they could get caught. If my experience in this world has taught me anything though, it's that people as vile as this will never stop hurting others. It's possible they may even return here, maybe with more people. Maybe this was some sort of test run, to see what they could get away with. It's hard to know for sure.

I fall back so that I'm sitting flat on the floor, and tears make their way down my face. These predators killed those children for sport and just left without any sort of repercussion.Tears of sadness and frustration fall for the children who lost their lives, for the families who lost their dear loved ones. After a few minutes of anguish, my sorrow turns to anger, and I stand to my feet, wiping my face and making my way back to area one.

Each time my foot hits the pavement, the anger intensifies. These people will not get away with what they've done here, they will face consequences. I will hunt them down until I find them, even if that means I must go to the ends of the Earth. In this world, there is no place for evil offenders such as them, it's bad enough the infected threaten our lives everyday. Life is valuable, and those who don't treat it as such must be taken out of the equation for the greater good and the order of civility.

With one last sniffle, I knock on James' apartment door. He doesn't answer after a few minutes, so I knock again, louder this time. I hear a chair scrape against the wooden floor, and heavy footsteps come my way.

"What?" James' gruff voice demands before he even sees its me. His hard exterior immediately softens as he sees me standing there. I let myself in and am surprised to see an unfamiliar man sitting at the table.

The man is wearing a dark green flannel, medium wash jeans, brown boots, and a broken watch. He's got a rifle leaning against the table beside him, which should intimidate me, but in my current state, it doesn't phase me.

The man stares back at me like he's angry I'm here, like I interrupted something. But, I can't seem to find it in myself to care what I interrupted in this moment. My mind is on one track and one track only. James closes the door and stands between me and the unfamiliar man. He clears his throat and for the first time, I think James is uncomfortable. I tear my gaze from the stranger and look to James.

"I need to talk to you." My voice cracks as I speak. James nods and glances back to the other man.

"Can it wait?" He asks and I bite the insides of my cheeks to keep my anger at bay. I cross my arms, not backing down.

"It can't actually." I keep my words vague because this other man doesn't need to know anything about what I'm doing. James lets out a huff of air and runs a hand through his hair. The other man shifts in his seat. The two men exchange a glance, and I can tell it's loaded with some sort of silent communication. James nods his head, as if he's coming to some sort of conclusion.

"What is it then?" James asks, taking me aback. He knows what's going on, and I'm surprised he even suggested that I talk in front of whoever this man is. How do I know this man isn't going to go talking about everything I say here? I glance quickly at the man, who's now leaning forward on the table.

"Really? You know what I'm here about." My voice is tinged with anger and I set my jaw tightly. James takes a seat across from the other man and gives me a reassuring nod.

"It's okay Noelle, he's a friend. And he's leaving the QZ tonight, he won't talk." James promises me. I shift my weight from one foot to the other, struggling with what I should do. But, I don't see any other option but to tell James what my plan is. With an exasperated sigh, I uncross my arms and start talking.

"Fine. I went back out after curfew and found two girls, both killed like the boy was. I let someone else report them, I couldn't be the one to do it. And so later I went to area four and talked to one of our clients to see what's being done about this. He gave me more information about the kids, led me to the wharf in area five. I searched them all and this is what I found." I take the papers out of my pocket and spread them out on the small kitchen table, giving extra space to the unknown man. The two lean in to see what I've presented. I give them time to read the papers, and I see James' face grow pale. The other man's face seems to be set in anger.

"It was more than one." James states as he finishes reading the papers. I nod my head in confirmation.

"I think it was two. There were two sets of prints on the floor. But I think they left the QZ. The firewood was going cold, and there were no possessions left behind." I take the papers back and put them in my pocket. James scrunches his eyebrows together.

"So if they're gone, what's the issue?" His question shocks me.

"What's the issue? Three kids are dead because of them. One of them died in my fucking arms. They're just going to keep doing this. Maybe not here, but to others. I came here to tell you I'm leaving. I'm going to hunt them down." I stare right into James' eyes as I tell him I plan on leaving. Immediately, he shakes his head.

"No, Noelle, you can't leave." He practically begs. I shrug my shoulders,

"Why not James? I do the same damn thing every day here. I do my duties and then I run pills. Over and over again. These children deserve justice, someone has to fight for them. Why not me?" I tell him, feeling only slightly awkward that a stranger is present for this conversation.

"Who's going to keep things going? Theresa won't." He says, only caring about the pill smuggling operation we have going here. I shake my head, he just doesn't get it.

"There are plenty of others who can run pills just as good as me. Get one of them to do it, James. Hell, I'll even give you a list of who gets what and when." I say, more than willing to leave behind the schedule I've got going with our clients. James throws his hands up in frustration.

"So after all these years you're going to leave? Just like that?" He incredulously asks. I'm almost at a loss for words, he's acting like he's never going to see me again.

"I won't be gone forever. Once I kill these bastards I'll be back and it'll be like I never left." I tell him the truth. I do fully intend on coming back here. This shouldn't take me but a few days. James runs a hand through his hair and then focuses his attention on the man across the table from him.

"Man, do me a solid. Go with her." I'm almost offended that James thinks I need a security detail to go with me. Before the man can reply, I interrupt.

"No James, I can handle myself. Have some damn faith." I protest, but James keeps his eyes trained on the other man. Feeling patronized, I turn on my heel and leave James' apartment before either of them can say another word, slamming the door behind me. Sure, it's a little juvenile, but so was James' blatant display of his lack of confidence in me.

I go to my apartment to gather things I'll need, being sure to bring all the ammunition I have, my good hunting knife, and other survival necessities. I was planning on leaving first thing in the morning, but I know James will just come over here and bother me, so I'll leave tonight before he gets the chance to.

It leaves a bad taste in my mouth, how things left off between James and I, but once I return I'm sure we'll be able to patch things up, we always do.

Part Six

[wonderfull-star]

I want to write this post just to feel nostalgic and remember what the game used to be like for me. I’ll say right away that I won’t describe past updates, but will simply share my thoughts and later what I’m NOT happy with in the game now.

Is there anyone here who, like me, started playing in December 2021? Remember how the game used to be simple without any unnecessary donations? Do you remember how before it was impossible to change the background music and in winter the special music was always turned on? Do you remember how before there was only a dragon in the guild? Do you remember when the first special story with Creme Republic just came out and before we all in the fandom thought that Clotted Cream Cookie was a villain? Do you remember in the game was given a special item for achieving a master in the arena? Do you remember when there wasn’t even Alliance? Do you remember when the update with the Black Pearl just came out and for many it became the best update in the game due to many unique mechanics? Remember how in the game, as a bonus for the new update, cookie cutters were given for promoting cookies? Remember the old mileage system? Remember before there were no special stories, only the main and tropical soda island? Remember how before the max level was only 60? Remember when there used to be only story and dark mods? Do you remember when there were no souldrops in the game? Do you remember how before the game only had common, rare, epic, legendary and ancient? Remember how everyone used to love the Tower of Sweet Chaos? Do you remember Cookies of Darkness? I haven't seen them for a long time.. This is really annoying. Like, we've already been seen the main story of the Dark Cacao kingdom. Is it really so difficult to reveal other tribes at least a little? For example, many people likes Licorice cookie. I'm sure everyone was looking forward to the update with him(

Now there is nothing left of this former feeling. Devsisters add everything to the game and add innovations that are not really necessary. The plot became completely incomprehensible. The character wanders aimlessly here and there, with no clear intentions. Although before, the entire goal of the main team was very clear - to stop Dark Enchantress Cookie. And knowing Gingerbrave, he logically would have done this a long time ago, knowing how reckless and brave he can be. Nothing is clear about the villains at all. It's like they decided to take a vacation. Well, or they were already eaten by that strange substance from the dough. This would explain the reason for their absence. Seriously, they had so many chances to attack the main team. And don't even talk about retreat. Because this “retreat” seems to have been going on for them for 3 years already.

The most important problem right now is donation. There's too much of it. At every corner you are forced to pay. The last time I played, it was difficult to even get into Master II. And that would be okay. Devsisters haven't even optimized the game yet. Even Genshin with an open world and high graphics works several times better for me. If they get so much money from whales, then they definitely have the opportunity to optimize the game. But 3 years have passed and there is still no optimization. Disappointment..

Finally, I want to say thanks to the game itself - for all the warm memories it gave me back then. I can't believe it's been 3 whole years since I started playing this game. It seems like it’s not that many, but at the same time it seems like an eternity. Most of all I remember those carefree summer days. I still remember how I was riding on a tour bus while listening to Sorbet Shark theme song 🥺

[pseudophan]

what do u think of the silent hill remake so far personally i'm really loving it

(minor silent hill 2 remake spoilers in this reply, no story spoilers though)

IT'S SO GOOD. i'm SHOCKED. like i always thought it would be a decent game i never bought into the negativity really but i didn't think it would be like... great? i assumed it would be fine but objectively maybe a 6.5 or 7/10 but i'd love it just because it's silent hill and i can always just replay the original when i want the full experience but GODDAMN.... i'm only like halfway through the woodside apartments cause i can only play when it's dark out and my mum's awake so it's a very limited timeframe lol but so far i'm having an incredible time. i've never been more tense in my life. i'm also one hit away from death at all times because i'm bad at video games and the way james is moaning in pain and barely able to walk is stressing me out even more sbdhfjsd i'm so sorry dude i will get better at combat i promise.

idk my main thing i keep thinking about is how clear it is that the devs really really love the og game. my biggest worry was that they wouldn't be able to capture the atmosphere and feeling of the original in a modern game but fucking hell they really did. it's of course not the exact same, the fixed camera angles being traded in for an over the shoulder view and the better graphics and relatively normal voice acting all make it so you can't fully recreate the way the original felt, but none of it has made the game worse at all, the differences aren't a big deal. i've seen people say the original felt more dreamlike and the remake feels more oppressive and i think that perfectly sums it up. running through the streets of silent hill in the og feels like you're trapped in a nightmare you can't wake up from, the remake feels more like you're trapped in a very real scenario you just can't escape

also!!! obsessed with how they handled the corpses strewn about. they clearly realised that if they did what the original did and used james' character model for all of them it would be a little too obvious because of the better textures and graphics, and if it's obvious then james would have to comment on it and that makes it a direct part of the story rather than a subtle eerie thing. the one with the key just being a pile of clothes is a decent solution but i looove one by the tv being covered by a sheet and how if you interact with it james reaches out to remove it but changes his mind and leaves it. i thought that was clever

i could go on forever but my mum's calling me to come stack firewood my life is so hard

[stellarspecter]

93 and Stobin for the Spotify Wrapped ask game

hi koko!! 93 on my spotify wrapped is naked in manhattan by chappell roan, so it took me a sec to figure out what to do with this one lol. so have some steve encouraging robin's lesbian exploration. if you're unfamiliar with the song, these are some of the lyrics i'm referencing:

Oh, I've never done it, let's make it cinematic Like that one sex scene that's in Mulholland Drive

Mean Girls, we watch it every night And we both have a crush on Regina George

words: 378 | pairings: buckingham, stobin | rating: t

“Robin, I’ve heard enough about Mean Girls. I know you both like Mean Girls.” Steve says, rubbing tiredly at his eyes as he flops onto the couch.

“But you don’t get it, Steve, she said Regina George is hot!” Robin exclaims, frazzled and excited, gesturing wildly. She just got back from this most recent sleepover with Chrissy, and it’s clear that no progress has been made.

Steve waits. “So?”

“So?!” Robin cries. “So, I think Regina George is hot! We can bond over it! Maybe I have a chance!”

“That’s great, Robs!” Steve smiles, happy that at the very least, she doesn’t have to worry about her crush being straight. “Now you know you have the same taste in women.”

Robin pauses. “Wait. I’m not anything like Regina George. Shit, what if I don’t have a chance?” She scrambles over to Steve, kneeling over him on the couch and just barely avoiding kneeing him in the balls. “Dingus, what do I do?!”

“Watch a different movie, maybe?” Steve suggests. “See what character she likes in that?”

Robin sits back and nods thoughtfully, the main glint in her eye never leaving. “Would it be too much to show her Mulholland Drive just for that one lesbian sex scene?”

Steve nearly chokes. “Wh— Oh my god, Robin.”

She sighs. “It is, isn’t it.”

A slow smile spreads over Steve’s face. “Robin Buckley, I didn’t know you had it in you.”

Robin smiles too, relieved. “So you think she’ll like it?”

“At the very least, it’ll start a conversation,” he says. “And maybe you can go from there. Mention your personal stake in having more lesbian representation in media, or something.”

“Aw, you have been listening when I talk,” Robin teases with a wide grin.

Steve bats away her teasing hand pinching at his cheek. “Shut up, I always listen when you talk.”

She relents and leans back, resting all her weight in his lap like it’s normal, because it is. “Do you really think I should go for it?”

“Isn’t that why we moved here?” Steve says, gesturing to their shitty Manhattan apartment. “In New York, you can do whatever you want.”

Robin takes a deep breath. “You’re right. Next time, I’ll show her.”

Steve smiles with her. “Next time.”

divider by @saradika-graphics

[omamervt]

Whenever people complain about the long-overdue change from AAA games costing $60 to games costing $70 (which let's be real - they already did in some places back in the 2000's/2010s. Retailers with no nearby competition would sell wii games WAY above market value, all the time. Ask me how I know.) The common refrain is always that spending power is down (true.) and that most of the dev budget and profits aren't even GOING to the developers, the CEOs are just pocketing it (also true.) But it's also hard for me to care about those factors when the expectation for what a game should cost has been thrown out the window.

Sonic Adventure retailed at $60 in the U.S in 1998, which is about $115 in today's money, and it takes 9 hours to clear the whole story. Sonic Frontiers had a larger team, budget, development schedule, and despite the fact it has nearly double the amount of gameplay, it sold at almost half the price of Sonic Adventure. Adjusted for inflation.

When I was in middle school, it was understood that if a game was free, it was most likely made by someone on their free time, and therefore it would probably be short and simple. The mobile apps that were worth your time all cost 99 cents. This was a fee people were willing to pay, because a song on iTunes also cost 99 cents. Games with microtransactions were already taking advantage of gambling addictions, so people were willing to put up with a certain amount of adware on the free app market to avoid them.

Then everything went wrong at once. Free-to-Play video games were popping up all over the place with the amount of content you'd normally expect from the most ambitious AAA titles, and the content updates you'd expect to see from subscription-based MMOs to keep things fresh. Music could be streamed, so nobody wanted to spend 99 cents to own a copy of their favorite song anymore, and suddenly that fee looked too high for apps as well. Then Apple stopped pushing the paid apps, encouraging every developer to make apps that either monetized every corner with ads, or baited players into constant microtransactions so they'd be more than one-time sources of income. And despite being driven primarily by cynical profit motives, the leadership of most American AAA studios wanted to be compared to Hollywood. And so games are being pushed to look more like Movies. Photorealism. Cinematics. Stories that resemble the Movies. Stuff had to be more and more ambitious while costing less and less for the consumer on the frontend, sometimes in ACTUAL dollar amount and sometimes just adjusted for inflation, while also being designed to wring as much money out of every player as humanly possible. It's still going on like this and we all know it isn't fucking sustainable.

But sure. your DLC contains stuff you feel should have been in the base game now. The default price is $10 more - and once they've patched out as many of the issues they were forced to ship with as is realistically possible, you'll get what you paid for out of the experience.

You realize that if you get your reality where we have smaller games with worse graphics made by people paid more to work less, the price of heavily marketed, retail-worthy games will still probably go up, right? Because those likely won't go anywhere, even if they all start to look like what we think of as AA now rather than AAA. For a game to ACTUALLY cost $70 it'd need to maintain mass market appeal so it could sell enough copies to make back budget and probably fund the next dev cycle. Because in this world, game devs wouldn't be beholden to shareholder interests, right?

I'm not saying this to discourage you from that way of thinking in the slightest. I'm just pointing out that, as with SO many things in our lives, your sense of what something costs to produce is incredibly divorced from reality because of just HOW exploited the labor behind it is.

But to be completely honest, if an extra $10 on the base price of SOME PS5 games is enough of a stumbling block for you, I don't know how you'll handle the value for that money decreasing, as well.

[brineffxiv]

Hi!

Er.. So. Dawntrail is imminent. I have been meaning to make this post for some time? But I procrastinated. I sort-of hoped that I would be able to catch up to my huge backlog of posts? Ah, but I suppose I should confess, I finished the game!

I loved it. It was awesome. Incredible. I cried so much.

Yeah. Kind of a poor excuse for a "liveblog" at this point, eh? So, when we last spoke... I got to the end of Elpis, and then that biiig cutscene happened. And I couldn't manage to articulate how I felt about it. Like. The first time I saw it, I was so upset and cried through the whole thing. I loved it. I hated it. I was so very angry with Venat. But I couldn't put it into words why. In the end, I was very glad I'd taken screenshots of it, and could go back through it and see it slowly, because my initial impression of what happened, turned out to not be what actually happened when I looked at it again?

I am still angry with Venat. But not necessarily for what she did in the moment, more, a collection of her actions and her overwhelming need to be in control at all times. Her mistakes were made long before the sundering, and I think at the time she did the best she reasonably could. Unfortunately, her best wasn't good enough.

BUT! These are all conclusions I should save for that post.

Which I still would like to write.

That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about. See, like I said, I finished the game. But. I kept taking screenshots all the while, expecting to write posts. I had just hoped to have caught up before this point. Because as I understand it, Dawntrail will bring with it a significant graphical upgrade. And then it's not really possible to pretend that this is still a "live" blog, yeah?

And I mean, regardless, pretending it's all still "live" wouldn't be fair to you all. That'd be telling lies. And that's bad.

So how do you feel about this? When I get to writing posts I will still call them a liveblog, and I will try to write them in the mindset I was in when I first played through them. But we all know that it's not truly live.

The other option is I can just... not write the posts and quit the liveblog.

I don't know. Up to you to decide, I suppose. Do you even want to see the rest of it?

Anyway. So what happened was, I stalled out on writing that post, but I really wanted to keep playing. So I thought I'd play just a little... And, well, you know what happens with "just a little" - before I knew it I was in Ultima Thule facing down the Endsinger. And I still couldn't finish that damn post.

I did a lot of fun stuff after finishing the game!

I did all of Eureka! I cleared the Baldesion Arsenal enough times to complete 4 sets of gear and 4 Relic Weapons! I even did calls and led some of the runs through BA! It was a lot of fun! (I did it through the ABBA discord, which, while there are some lovely people there, upper management are assholes and I would not recommend sticking around long term. Use them and lose them is what I'm saying)

Then I went and did Bozja! I ran Delubrum Reginae Savage (with the Lego Steppers discord. Very well managed run. Full stars) and got my Cerberus mount. I hate Bozja! I'm not going back there! You can't make me!

I joined a raiding static and cleared EX6 when it was current! Then we cleared EX7! Then last Monday we cleared P9S! Such fun!

I joined a second raiding static! I was asked to leave the second raiding static! Because I am not very good at raiding!

Hmm... what else did I do? I maxxed out my Island Sanctuary. I got all my Blue Mage spells and completed the Masked Carnivale. I even got my umbrella! And I completed all my Splendorous Tools! I have 25 fish left to catch in the game!

I won a Medium house and decorated it. If you want to come see it some time, it's on Marilith, Mist, Ward 17 Plot 29. I filled it with secrets. And a little shrine to my favorite character (It's Emet-Selch, of course it is).

I even built a personal FC with my alt and am experimenting with subs and airships!

Speaking of alts. I may have made too many.

I did the raids (and cried), I did the tribal quests (and cried). I did a lot of crying! But it was good. It was worth it! I love this game!

I am so looking forward to Dawntrail (and I hope you are too!).

[papurgaatika]

People trying to tell me zionism isn't rampant in TLOU and that Neil isn't a zionist. Okay sure, let's get into it really quick.

First of all, there's no such thing as an "innocent israeli" they're all settlers aiding a settler colonial state. If they truly wanted to change things they would leave occupied Palestine, but they won't, because it's easy to blame your government and move on when you're being aided by the privilege they're giving you.

Second. He is a zionist. He has made his stance on the matter extremely clear. Whether or not you understand and use your own critical thinking skills, is up to you. He has stated in many interviews that pt. 2 is based on the "conflict" (if you want to call the resistance to colonization of a native people a conflict) happening in isreal and Palestine. Do you believe that when Neil said that "if [he] could just push a button and kill all these people that committed this horrible act, I would make them feel the same pain that they inflicted on these people." after the killing of two IOF soldiers, he was somehow supporting Palestinans? Or are we choosing to ignore his blatant hatred?

Third. Over 30,000 individuals have been killed because they are being bombed, forcibly starved, trapped under rubble, or getting medical supplies cut off. There is no way you can ask me to condemn a freedom fighter for shooting down an imperialist soldier, it's stupid to even think that.

Fourth. Do not ever tell me what I can and cannot write. If my morals and values make you feel like you need to write a stupid ass reply to my fic, shut the fuck up!! I don't need you to read my work, and lord knows that I don't need to hear your blabbering. If you take such great offense that I've linked ways to donate to a vulnerable people, i don't know what to say to you. Seek help and gain compassion* maybe.

Anyway. I know for a damn fact that if you're mad that I oppose an ongoing genocide and ethnic cleansing that you're not going to comprehend anything ive said nor will you read anything that I link in here, but what the hell. I have sources to back myself up. I don't speak out of of my ass.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/video-games/news/the-last-of-us-part-2-ellie-evolution/

https://www.vice.com/en/article/bv8da4/the-not-so-hidden-israeli-politics-of-the-lkast-of-us-part-ii

If you've made it all the way down here and want to actually help the people in Gaza right now, I'm providing some links below. Goodnight everyone and free Palestine 🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸

https://x.com/CareForGaza?t=Q9zooda7I6rHbkAUgcAGVQ&s=09

https://www.pcrf.net/

Remember that E-Sims are how people in Gaza are able to use the internet so PLEASE donate those if you can as well.

[rolameny]

@catchaspark Number 17 was 2005's Karl Urban's Doom, a movie adaptation of the games. There's a sequence where he goes first person shooter in a clear homage to the gameplay. It's such a weird film, because it tries to staple an emotional core to Doomguy that doesn't really take. The body of Doomguy is rejecting the transplant. There were so many Star Trek AOS movie fics that made Bones the Doomguy from this Doom movie, remember those? What a time.

Really fun movie to watch with a rowdy group. I love bullshit.

@clothonono I'm desperately rustling through so many Batman comics to get to something else. Okay. Okay. We're reading two comics against each other:

I reread all of Fullmetal Alchemist for the first time this year since its final chapter released. (Which I read scanlated in someone's Photobucket album.) I was so nervous about this reread and whether or not it would hold up. It holds up. It's so good. Still the best thing Arakawa's ever done -- moves at such a brisk pace, really thoughtful about the materials it's using, funny and vivid throughout. Hey what does it mean to be born into a country that literally kills people for power? Hey what levers are there actually to pull? What compromises would you make, and what would you refuse to let yourself see till it was too late? Hey: your hands ARE covered in blood. What do you do with them, hotshot?

We're reading FMA against Squire by Nadia Shammas and Sara Alfageeh, a new YA graphic novel with similar questions. I'd call it an alt-history Middle Eastern Alanna book: young girl from oppressed minority wants to join the empire's army to gain prestige for her people, goes through struggles, learns to see the empire for what it is. It's beautiful, and it's pretty long for an original GN, but it still just doesn't have the runway to fully explore what it's talking about. It's so tricky, comics just aren't that dense a medium. FMA needs every one of its 20+ volumes for the points it makes. The ending kind of whiffs for me, because it says "well, this figure of authority is wrong. how do we fix this? let's leave the army and tell on her to a higher authority." as though the point up till now hasn't been that structurally it's all rotten. The personal story is fighting the structural point. I dunno. I feel bad critiquing this because it is very fun, and I would have gone ape shitt for "Tortall but we're normal about Arabs" as a kid. Kids should read this. I would give this to a tween without question.