#and going back to school is scaring me so much

[julymusings]

Jason Todd x Single Mom!Reader

I've been plagued for many months now by the idea of jason todd x young single mom!reader. I literally made this blog this morning just to post this

this is so LONG try as i might to shorten it i've been itching to get all this out of me so enjoy this word vomit i might just make a full fic if i'm feeling extra frisky

You got pregnant in college, and now you’re fresh out of grad school moving to a new city with your 3 year old daughter

You got a job at Wayne Enterprises, leading an important new project. You and your colleagues are invited to the latest Wayne Gala, hosted at the billionaire’s own manor. All these years as a young mother and a student, you hadn’t any experience with such extravagance-- how could you say no?

the party lowkey sucks because it's all old rich people so you sneak out to a balcony where you find a young man drinking whiskey and texting on his phone.

he introduces himself as jason, and his hand is rough and calloused when you shake it, but it's warm and sends a tingle up your arm. (😏)

You chat about your work, he complains about the stuffiness of a life at Wayne Enterprises and you laugh when he warns you to get out while you can (he's joking, of course. not because he thinks it's worth staying but because if you leave he'd never be able to hear that adorable laugh again)

when you go off on a tangent about how excited you are for your project, he's not even listening anymore. the sheer passion that lights up your face has his mind going fuzzy and a full orchestra playing in the background

you're pulled back in before he can get your number :( he's so mopey all weekend he doesn't even have it in him to retaliate when damian makes fun of him for having pink pony club as his top song for this month :(

when you get home your email is flooded with warnings from other parents at your daughter's daycare about a lice scare?? okay, you think, she's definitely not going on monday, you can just bring her to work with you, right? what's the worst that could happen?

the following monday he just happens to show up at the office (He can't just stop by to say hi to his brother who he loves?) (tim calls security almost immediately)

you're not at your cubicle (in a meeting, your desk neighbor informs him) so he mills about the floor like a lost puppy just waiting for you to show up so he can "accidentally" run into you

the woman at the front desk has a chair pulled up next to hers where this little girl with pigtails is sitting, trying to console her as tears stream down her face

jason springs into action, kneeling in front of her chair to ask what's wrong

she just sniffles and holds up her stuffed animal, an elephant whose button eye has popped out, the woman watching her trying to get her to hand it over so she can sew it back on but she wont let go

he goes full grey's anatomy, fussing over the toy like it's in mortal peril and complimenting her for being so brave before gently asking if he can try to fix it

she lets him take it and he uses the woman's travel sewing kit to stitch it back on

she's ecstatic, leaping forward into his arms to give him a big hug

but now she won't let him leave because no he has to have a conversation with the elephant first and introduce himself and give it post-surgery care instructions and listen to it talk about how much she it wants a puppy and he feels like such an idiot talking to that thing but anything to make this little girl smile

she pulls a little picture book from the backpack hung on the back of her chair and asks him to read with her and he can't just say no!

so he plops down on the tile floor and starts reading out loud and even though she's standing next to him craning her neck to see the pictures he's a head taller than her

when you finish your meeting and head back to the front desk to thank gretchen for watching your kid the sight you see makes your heart absolutely melt

jason and your daughter are sitting criss-cross applesauce on the floor of Wayne Enterprises as he reads to her, and he's pulling out all the stops, he's doing voices, sound effects, and she's giggling so hard she can't sit up straight

but then they both finally notice you

"mommy!" she yells, running to you and wrapping herself around your leg

you're surprised to see him, but definitely not disappointed, and if what you just walked in on indicated anything, it was that you wanted, nay, needed this man

so now you're flushed and hopeful, mind running with possibilities of why he's here; could it be? he couldn't stop thinking about you either? he came all the way to ask you out?

but jason is also surprised, astounded even, by the miniature carbon copy clinging to your leg saying something about scooby snacks

he's freaking out on the inside

through a tight-lipped greeting he excuses himself with what he hopes is a neutral demeanor (spoiler alert: it's not) and goes home to think

and you obviously know exactly what that was about, one doesn't go through pregnancy at 19 without becoming well-acquainted with the whole catalogue of surprised/judgy reactions

of course you're a mess because the early/mid 20s dating scene is hard enough as it is but with a toddler? forget it, might as well just give up now

you go home to call your best friend and get drunk over face time while she assures you that men aint shit and offers to put a curse on him (you consider it, but how are you supposed to get a lock of his hair?)

he's up all night hating himself for being such an asshole and trying to come up with a scenario in which this works, in which he can have you in his life and also a child and be the red hood because he can't stop thinking about you

so then he just says fuck it and the next morning he shows up at your office with flowers and a puppy stuffed animal and finally asks you out

[froggibus]

Scenting - Beelzebub

Pairing: Beelzebub x reader (no pronouns are used, but reader has a pussy)

Genre: smut/NSFW

Word Count: 2.1k

Summary: when you come to school smelling like another man, Beel strives to change that

CW: scent kink, scenting, marking, possessive Beel, size difference, Beel carries you, oral, fingering, unprotected sex, creampie, some dirty talk

omg! this was supposed to be posted on the 30th but schoolwork got the best of me. this fic was in collaboration with @ficsforgaza's kinktober event! thank you for being so patient ^^

The scent of pumpkin and vanilla nearly knocks Beel out of his chair when you sit down next to him. He scrunches the nose, sniffing the air around you. The aroma is unmistakably yours—but there’s something else beneath it, too. Something warmer, something sweeter.

He frowns, sucking in a breath and leaning back in his chair.

“Good morning,” you hum.

“Morning.”

Beel can’t help but glance around the room, squinting at anyone that so much as looks your way. Surely he’s not the only one that smells it, surely he’s not the only one that’s turned on by it.

His frown only deepens when he sees the way you’re being looked at—when he sees the glazed over eyes of the demons around him. He shifts closer to you, clamping a protective hand over the back of your chair.

Not his human. Not today.

—

Beel barely manages to make it through the class. His pants have gotten uncomfortably tight and his nostrils burn with your delectable scent. He’s more than grateful when you wave goodbye to him and gather your books, shuffling out the door to your next class.

Even after you’ve retreated down the halls, the smell lingers. It’s like a taunt, beckoning him closer and closer to something he can’t have.

Beel lets himself take a few breaths, digging his calloused fingers into the meat of his thighs. He can do this. Only a few more classes—all of which you’re not even in. 

But you still linger in the corner of his mind through all of his classes. The way you looked, the way you smelled, the way the others were looking at you. It’s all too much.

Beel’s leg shakes, a sour taste in his mouth as he watches the clock above the door. Just a few more minutes and he can go home. Just a few more minutes and he can see you again and reassure himself.

And then the bell rings and he’s springing to his feet, practically barrelling down the halls to where your locker is. He leans against it as casually as he can, broad shoulders resting against cold metal, and waits for you.

He smells you before he sees you, the dizzying aroma almost sending him to his knees. He watches as you skip towards him, a wide smile on your face and a hand raised in greeting.

You beam at him, “hey!” 

Beel nods as nonchalantly as he can, sliding away from your locker to give you access. You’re so close to him that he can feel your warmth, savoring your scent and—he frowns.

He looks you up and down, examining every inch of your skin and RAD uniform. He sniffs again, brows furrowing. There, buried beneath your vanilla pumpkin heaven, is something new. Something unfamiliar. Something wrong. 

He freezes when you rest a hand on his shoulder. “Everything okay?” You ask.

He clears his throat, subconsciously puffing out his chest. “Yeah. Fine, yeah. How were your classes?”

You close your locker, slinging your bag over your shoulder and starting the walk back to the House of Lamentation. You excitedly tell him about your day, going into detail about all of the things that happened while Beel nods along.

Guilt grasps him. Usually he loves listening to you talk about your day, chiming in with random little questions to keep you talking. But he can’t focus today—not when you look so pretty and you smell so good and some other demon’s scent is all over you.

Anger bubbles in his chest everytime he catches a hint of it. It’s him that you should smell like right now. His scent should be the one surrounding you, scaring away those scummy lesser demons. The thoughts burrow into his skull, spinning around until he’s trapped in a nauseating cycle.

He’s snapped out of his thoughts when you brush a hand down his arm. He flinches away from your touch, violet eyes baring down on you.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

You’re standing in front of the door to the House of Lamentation looking at him with vulnerable eyes. You can tell something’s up—you’ve been able to tell since you sat down next to him this morning. You’re not stupid, after all. 

He looks over his shoulder as if he expects someone to be listening in. “Whose scent is that?”

Your mouth falls open. “What?”

“That smell,” his tone gets stronger as he goes on, “whose is it? It’s all over you.”

You raise an arm, sniffing yourself. You cock your head at him in confusion. “Do you mean my deodorant? Or my body spray?”

He swallows hard and shakes his head. He finds himself wishing he hadn’t said anything, that he’d ignored it and gone to his room and jerked off until the thought of you melted away. Because now you’re looking at him expectantly as if this is something he can just explain. 

“No, just—” He shakes his head, “nevermind.”

Beel moves past you, muttering something to himself and throwing open the door. You follow after him, brows still knit together in confusion. You’ve never seen him like this—all frustrated and high strung.

You grab him before you can even think about it. Your fingers wrap around his wrist, clutching and tugging him back towards you. His head whips around, eyes wide and confused as they focus on you.

“What are you doing?”

“You seem upset,” you murmur.

Beel’s eyes stay locked on yours and he doesn’t bother to move your hand off of his. The rise and fall of his chest grows faster with each passing second, each breath a torturous inhale of that unfamiliar scent. 

Your voice shakes when you speak again, confusion and embarrassment coiling in your stomach. “I want to help you. Let me help you.”

You’re not sure who initiates it but suddenly you’re pressed tight against him, lips pressed against his. His arms are tight on your body, holding you to him like he’s afraid you’ll leave at any minute.

You reach around his shoulders, hands clawing at the fabric of his jacket while your lips move against his. Each shallow, gasping breath only leads to more kissing, more intensity. 

He inhales you with every passing second, only driving his desperation further. He crouches down, hands sliding down your body as he does, and then he’s tossing you over his shoulder.

You squeal at your world turning upside down, your legs hanging limply down his chest. He hoists you up with one arm, his warm hand on the small of your back as he carries you up the stairs to his room. 

Anticipation sets your nerves on fire, an unbearable heat coursing through your body. Nerves bubble up like soda pop in your tummy when his door comes into view.

His grip on you only tightens as he kicks his door open and slams it behind you, dropping you on the bed in front of him. You land in his pile of blankets and pillows with a squeak, scurrying back towards his headboard. 

He crawls up the bed towards you, crouching between your legs. “Still wanna help?” He rasps.

You bite your lip and nod, your knees lazily falling to either side to give him more access. 

He rubs a hand up and down your thigh, getting closer and closer to the waistband of your pants with every stroke. You let your eyes flutter close, focused only on the feeling of his touch.

His fingers lock into the hem of your pants and then he’s tugging them down, your underwear coming down with them. As soon as your pussy hits the cold air, you gasp, trying to close your legs.

Beel catches your thighs, throwing them over his shoulders so he can stuff his face between them. He inhales, eyes flicking up to meet yours, “damn, you smell so fucking good.”

You look away shyly, your legs shaking in anticipation. Soft breaths roll over your sensitive core, each one sending shivers down your spine.

Beel stays poised between your legs, breathing in that hot, sweet scent of your dripping cunt laid out in front of him. You smell so sweet, so pure—so his. And yet, that other bitter demonic smell still lingers in the air. He’ll have to change that.

A moan escapes you when he spits on your pussy, rubbing it in with his index finger. He traces circles up and down your slit, collecting the slick that pools onto his sheets and bringing it up to his mouth to taste. 

And then he’s diving into your pussy headfirst, lips locking around your clit. His hair tickles the sides of your thighs, orange strands bobbing with each moment. You reach out and tangle your fingers in his hair, using it to tug him further into you.

The pressure only drives him to keep going. His tongue circles around your entrance, a finger sliding inside of you with ease. The sudden fullness has your eyes rolling back, thighs clenching around his face. He continues to pump in and out of you, teeth gently grazing against your swollen clit.

You cry out for him, pulling on his hair so hard that it leaves his scalp tingling. He doesn’t care, though. All he cares about are your thighs shaking around his shoulders and the way your pussy is drooling on his tongue.

“So fucking good,” he moans. “So fucking mine.”

Tears build up in your lashes, a white hot knot forming in your stomach. Through your wet eyes, you can barely make out the sight of Beel’s face shoved between your legs, his hips grinding into the mattress in desperation. He lets out a soft whine into your pussy, and that’s all it takes to send you over the edge. 

You cum so hard your vision goes blurry. Your thighs shake, clenching and unclenching around his face as you ride out your high. He keeps his tongue lined up at your entrance, greedily drinking up your juices.

You’re panting when you come to, your head spinning from the pleasure. Beel pulls his face away from your pussy, blinking at your disheveled form on his mattress.

He smirks at you, mouth glistening with your juices. “Think you can keep going, sweetheart?”

“Y-yeah,” you say weakly.

He smiles at you, quickly discarding his jeans on the floor. His boxers are stained dark from precum, his cock bulging through the fabric. You reach out, fingers gently brushing the outline of it.

He tugs down his boxers, letting his cock swing free. It’s almost painfully hard and drenched in pre, his whole length glistening in desperation.

You pull your knees up to your chest, letting him situate himself between your legs. His tip grazes your entrance, just barely brushing against you. 

“Please.” You whine, “put it in.”

You hardly have any time to react before he’s pushing his cock inside of you, his thick tip stretching you in a way that has your eyes rolling back. You gather a fistful of his sheets, fingers curling around them to ground yourself. Each inch of his cock is a stretch, driving him deeper and deeper until you can feel him everywhere.

Beel’s teeth graze the side of your neck, his hips stilling inside of you to give you a minute to adjust. He leaves marks in his wake, making his way from your neck, to your jaw, and finally, your lips.

His kisses are wet and sloppy and desperate, leaving both of you panting and dizzy. And then he starts thrusting and you come undone beneath him. Whimpers and whines and the sounds of skin on skin fill the room, Beel’s hips snapping violently against yours with each thrust.

With each kiss, with each thrust, his scent washes over you—covering the scent that had marked you before. The sudden change only spurs him further, his motions getting more and more desperate.

“Smell so nice,” he groans, “gonna make you smell like me. Gonna make sure all these demons know who you belong to.”

You babble in acknowledgement, your head spinning from the delicious way his cock fills you up. Each thrust drives you closer and closer to the edge, his filthy words only adding onto the pleasure. 

“Gonna fill this pussy up so everyone can smell my cum inside you.”

Your muscles spasm, your pussy clenches and suddenly you’re coming undone once more. You reach for his shoulders, tugging him down on top of you while you unravel. 

Beel keeps going, getting closer and closer to his own high. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” He pants, “if everyone knew how good you are for me. If everyone knew I claimed you like this.”

You manage a soft little ‘yes’ and that’s all it takes to have him cumming inside of you, hot ropes of cum filling you up. He drives his hips as deep as possible, bottoming out so he doesn’t waste a single drop.

He stays inside of you even after he finishes, his sweaty body caging yours beneath him. 

“Are you gonna move?” You say.

He considers it for a moment, inhaling the scent of your skin. He frowns—you don’t smell enough like him. At least, not yet. But a few more rounds should change that.

(if you like content like this, likes, comments & rbs are greatly appreciated! ^^)

[firewasabeast]

I honestly saw so much of myself in tommy. I’m not out publicly, probably won’t ever be until after my mom passes (hopefully not anytime soon pls god), and I grew up terrified of my sexuality. I grew up in an environment that could have made me a right wing nut job in an instant. The school and church I went to, my town, certain family members, etc. we didn’t have internet back then for me to be informed. You could rarely find tv shows with lgbt+ characters, and they were usually made into jokes.

I saw a lot of myself in tommy. And the discussions about how he craves family and people who are there for him really resonated with me. I was certain it’d lead to him finding this family. To finding happiness. Something I hope for myself.

And then they left him in the dirt. Left him alone, sad and scared. And they didn’t say “just wait and see where it goes” they said “no this is the end for him” he’s gonna be a lonely, sad, gay man forever (show-wise). The entirety of 911 is about found family, it’s about growth, it’s about overcoming. Then they left behind one of the biggest growth-potential characters that they’ve had in years.

But hey, Maddie’s pregnant again so you can see that storyline replay! And you can see Bobby and Athena build a house. And Hen and Karen have more bad days than good! And Eddie do whatever the fuck he’s doing in his underwear. And Buck can go back to sleeping around just like he hated doing in season 1! And oh yeah that Brad guy will apparently never leave for god knows what reason!

[bisnes-socks]

i love kot kot. i've always loved kot kot. and i'm gonna tell you why.

i think it's a beautiful song, i think it's a banger, i think it's a nostalgic sound, and i think it's an incredibly sad song.

musically, i think kot kot sounds like a summer night in finland. the contrast between the melodic, soaring chorus and the darker, harder verses sounds like walking back and forth between the bright light midnight and the dark clubs or bars or restaurants or something. going from the first verse into the chorus again feels like stepping out from a dark venue and it's 2 am but the light outside is the same as it was when you went in hours ago. it's actually super eerie the way time doesn't seem to move at all during the height of summer in finland. it's a sort of a liminal space that can feel either like never ending horror or an addictive state of true living, depening on how you deal with endless light. 

this is a summer song to me.

i love love love the free flying chorus.

i love love love the old school sound of the verses.

the chorus is beautiful with it's long soaring vowels and lines. the verses are mega bangers that remind of early 2000's music. the echoes of like old school drum and bass, breakbeat etc. are super nostalgic to me and have sent me down the rabbit hole of music from my childhood multiple times since the song came out. and i personally love the contrasts and different sections in the song. i think they go together well, i don't think they clash.

i think jurek and allu have composed a clever song. and honestly allu deserves more recognition across the board i am sorry i've been slipping in that department.

now. to the sad part.

i always felt like the chorus was sort of... wistful and melancholic. but the album puts all of that in a different context. he's not just mr. lonely. he's fucking terrified of being alone. 

"pelottaa, ettei jatkopläänit ehkä osukkaa, kuumottaa tosissaan, osote ois saatava, poket tos jo hoputta siis vastatkaa nyt saatana" meaning "i'm scared that after party plans will fall through, seriously getting jittery about it, i need an address, bouncers are on my case, somebody pick up the phone" like with the context of the full album now, it's really painting a picture of someone who does not want to go home and face being alone with his thoughts.

i remember when the song came out and people had all sorts of headcanons and ideas as to why the second time round the voice on the phone is in english - things like maybe he's making an international call or something. well, the truth is that in finland, that message is always played in three languages: finnish, swedish and english. so why is it in english the second time? honestly in all seriousness i think it's just a little nod to his international fans or something, like i don't think there is a real story reason for it. but if there was.. well, if anything, to me it suggests that he must have stayed on the phone, listening through the whole litany: valitsemaanne numeroon ei juuri nyt saada yhteyttä, kontakt med numret ni har valt fås ej, the number you have dialed cannot be reached. to get to the english part he has already been told twice in two languages that there is no one there, nobody is picking up, but he's still there.

honestly this song more than anything feels like the true pair of autiomaa, because to me, this song is someone trying to avoid feeling exactly the way autiomaa describes. feeling empty, feeling nothing, feeling alone. he says as much: "tää klubi on yht tyhjä ku sen katsoja" meaning this club is as empty as he who is looking at it. he's empty and finding other people to party and hang out with is the only way out of feeling empty, the only way to distract himself from the fact that he is lost.

and so for skit and autiomaa to come right after this? he has reached a breaking point and realised he has to face the nothingness inside.

and again, like with takavoltti, i think this song represents that long standing finnish tradition of writing funny lyrics about difficult subjects. it's also very very typical in finnish culture to make songs that seem to be about drinking on the surface level but are actually not about that. this song builds a lot of very comedic images: him vibing to celine dion alone in a club and refusing to leave, fighting with bouncers etc. and then of course there is the whole chicken thing with kot kot kot. it's funny - except it's not funny at all.

but the thing is, it's okay to find things funny in the song. they both are and are not funny at the same time, because isn't that what life is. i don't think the intention of these songs is to make you feel one specific way, it's just a matter of perspective. and that can change from day to day. so i think it's okay if one day the song breaks your heart on behalf of the käärijä in the story of the song, and on another day you just want to belt out the chorus and dance through the verses. it's all okay, it's all good.

and that's pretty skilled song writing.

[taeyongdoyoung]

wicked game

summary: you try to seduce the unpopular virgin to win a bet with your stepbrother. your stepbrother wants to sleep with you and you want his car. but the virgin guy has more to offer... pairing: loser virgin!haechan x popular girl!reader genre: angst, romance, smut, high school setting warnings: the bet trope my beloved, manipulative stepbrother!jeno, ex-boyfriend!mark, innapropriate groping in school, one non-consensual cheek kiss, past man-eater y/n, lowkey corruption kink, lots of kissing, handjob, blowjob, eating out, attachment issues, protected sex (unbelievable), classmates to lovers, non-consensual photo-taking, breakfast in bed, break-up, no pain no gain author's note: this is loosely based on the movie Cruel Intentions minus the dying part; disclaimer: this is a work of fiction, i don't actually think Jeno is an A-hole, i just needed such a character for the sake of the plot word count: 3.7k

You're bored. Being the most popular, prettiest and richest girl in high school is not enough to satisfy your greed. Boys are literally throwing themselves at you in every corner. It's almost too easy. You want a challenge. Something to make the last year of school a memorable one. Something fun.

So, when your stepbrother Jeno presents you with an idea, you accept it eagerly.

"If you're so bored, why don't I propose a bet?"

"What kind of a bet?" you eye him curiously.

"See that guy Haechan? I heard he's a virgin and saving himself for his one ~true love~. How fucking pathetic is that?"

"So? What is it to me?" you scoff, though you already have a feeling where this is going.

"If you manage to seduce that fucking loser, I'll give you my Jaguar."

"Oh, that's very tempting," you smirk. "And if I don't?"

"Then, you'll sleep with me," Jeno whispers in your ear.

"Ew, as if. You're my brother," you make a gagging motion.

"Stepbrother," Jeno points out.

"Still, it's gross," you shake your head.

"Are you scared you'll lose?" Jeno sticks his tongue out.

"I haven't agreed to the bet yet," you answer.

But Jeno knows you too well. You are already thinking of ways to ruin that poor boy Haechan.

You approach him that same day, sitting on the empty seat on his desk. Asking him to do homework together...

"Why would I want to spend time with you?" Haechan spits out.

Ouch. Little one is too feisty for a regular loser. This might be more interesting than you initially thought.

"Why not? If you hang out with me, people will think you're cool," you try to attack where you believe it'll sting.

"So? Popularity isn't everything, you know?" Haechan rolls his eyes. "Besides, people who peak in high school spend the rest of their lives leading a mediocre, non-satisfying existence."

Damn. Pretty harsh. You didn't anticipate this would be so difficult. Oh well, all the more motivation to try harder.

"You admit it, then? That I'm at my peak right now," you smile flirtatiously, running a finger across his face.

"It doesn't matter to me where you think you are," Haechan glares at you, grabbing your finger and removing it from his skin. "As long as you get out of my face."

Gee, so aggressive.

"Did I ever do something to you?"

"No, but you messed with my best friend Mark's head. Leading him to believe you cared for him and then ditching him is so not cool. Now, piss off," Haechan grunts angrily.

You don't even remember half of the names of the guys you slept with. But you do remember Mark. He was really sweet. And if you could feel something at all, it would have been guilt. But back when you were with Mark, your mother had just announced she's getting re-married to Jeno's father. So, you were angry at everyone and everything. And you took it all out on Mark.

"Well, I can't change the past, so don't blame me without knowing the circumstances."

"It doesn't matter anyway. Mark found a girl much better than you who's treating him right."

"What about you? Got someone special taking care of you?" you touch him again, this time more forward and shameless, trying to elicit a reaction out of him. Sneaking your hand underneath the desk and caressing him fondly.

"It's n-none of your b-business," Haechan stammers but he doesn't remove your hand this time. Oh, he's so touch-starved this is going to be a lot of fun. For you.

"I could take care of you, you know? Turn all your wildest dreams into reality."

"I know what you are," Haechan shakes his head.

"A vampire!" you gasp in mock surprise.

"Ha-ha, very funny," Haechan fakes a smile. "You're a man-eater. You fuck around with guys and then you leave them to rot. I want nothing to do with you."

"Really? Then, why haven't you removed my hand yet?" you remind him, though perhaps you shouldn't have.

Haechan grabs your wrist, pushing you away firmly.

"You're wrong, you know," you try to convince him of your sincerity. "I'm just as eager to find someone who loves me. Someone worth staying for."

"And what, you expect me to believe that someone is me?" Haechan stares at you sceptically.

"Let's find out, shall we?" you give him a quick kiss on the cheek before he can escape.

And then, you let him be. Enough torture for day one.

You start interacting with Haechan every day. During the first month, you are consumed with thoughts of Jeno's bet. The abominable idea of sleeping with your stepbrother is enough to keep you going. Of course, you know he's not gonna force you into it. But you need the motivation to not lose the bet anyway. The gorgeous car is also pretty seductive.

During the second month, you are consumed with thoughts of Haechan. You begin to realize how lovely, clever and funny he is. And the fact he's even letting you spend time with him is enough to make you happy. You're no longer bored. Because everyday you have something fun to look forward to. You spend time at the school library, doing homework together, occasionally sending memes to each other. You go on little walks and picnics at the park. You even go to the cinema a couple of times, bonding over your shared love for horror movies.

During the third month, the miracle happens. Haechan decides he trusts you enough to invite you over to his place one evening. He even makes the point of notifying you that his parents aren't home. What does he mean by that? Is this an opportunity for you to finally seduce him?

Naturally, you don't get much homework done, before Haechan starts kissing you out of nowhere. You kiss him back eagerly.

"W-what are you doing?" you ask as you notice Haechan has started unbuttoning his jeans.

"I t-thought you wanted this. S-sorry," Haechan looks down, feeling ashamed all of a sudden. He's in a hurry to zip himself again. God, you feel so cruel.

"I d-do," you admit, no longer giving a shit about that stupid bet. "But I don't want to rush you into anything you're not ready for."

"So, you've heard about what I said at that fucking party?"

"What did you say?" you ask, even though you have an idea of what it involves.

"That I'm saving it for someone special," It being his virginity, you suppose. "Someone who loves me. To be honest, I was really drunk that night. I don't care all that much anymore."

"It's okay to have your principles, Haechan," you try to reassure him and stroke his soft hair gently. "I think it's pretty admirable, actually."

Haechan shakes his head, visibly disagreeing.

"Well, it's fine. I'm ready for this, I promise. Just...don't leave right after, okay?" he pouts.

"Oh, Haechan, of course I won't leave," you reply and surprise yourself in that you really mean it.

Kissing him deeper, you finish what he started and take off his jeans. You touch his cock softly, as if it's the most precious thing in the world. You've done this hundreds of time with guys you didn't give a fuck about and felt nothing, the actions methodical and quick. But this, right now, is more special than your limited vocabulary could ever describe. You realize you genuinely don't want to hurt him. You bow down and envelop your lips around his length. He gets hard easily, considering it's his first time. You suck on him a couple of times and he cums even faster than you anticipated. But for some reason, it's never tasted sweeter.

"S-sorry," Haechan mumbles shyly.

"It's okay, my sweet boy," you coo in his ear, after you're done swallowing his cum. You run your hands through his hair once again. God, it's so silky. You could never get enough of him.

"W-what do I d-do now?" he asks cutely.

"Whatever you want, mon ange," you kiss him once more.

"C-can I eat you out?" Haechan inquires.

Oh, so virgin boy is not so clueless, after all.

"Sure, I guess," you shrug. Not really a huge fan of that, the few times guys have offered, they quickly grow tired of it and could never make you cum as hard as you could by yourself. But it's okay. If Haechan wants to...

"Just...guide me, okay?" he pleads adorably and soon, you find out he needs no guidance at all.

What he lacks in experience, he definitely makes up for with enthusiasm. He seems so eager to please you, licking and biting and kissing your pussy that you cum faster than you have in...well, ever, actually. You grip his hair for support, panting and chanting his name like a prayer.

"Was that alright?" Haechan feigns a self-conscious smile, though judging by your reaction, his smile is already turning into a proud smirk. That bastard.

"Are you kidding? It was...out of this world," you say honestly. Funny thing about honesty is how something that used to be so difficult for you comes so easily to you when you're with Haechan.

"Glad to hear," he grins widely. You want to kiss him every second till the rest of your life. The thought terrifies you.

"I s-should go," you try to get up. You can't do this. You can't be the one to take his virginity. Considering how this all started. It'd be too cruel. He should be with someone special, someone loves him more than anything, someone who'd never hurt him.

"W-what, w-why?" Haechan asks, grabbing your wrist in a panic, not wanting to let go. "I thought you liked me."

"I do like you. I like you so much. That's the problem."

"It doesn't have to be," Haechan disagrees, pushing you back on the bed. "Please, let me."

And here you thought you'd be the one begging him to have sex with you.

"O-okay," you can no longer find it in yourself to deny him. To deny your growing feelings...

Haechan digs through his jeans and pulls out a condom. His hands are shaking and he's having a hard time putting it on so you help him and pull him out of his misery. You give him a soft, reassuring smile, paired with a quick squeeze of his hand. He smiles back just as fondly.

And then he slides inside you so easily. As if he belongs there. As if he's meant to be yours. You kiss him desperately to distract yourself from the truth. To hide the tears that are threatening to come out.

"You f-feel so g-good," Haechan grunts in your ear.

"So do you, baby," you admit sincerely.

This time around, he lasts longer, fucking you until your release comes for the second time. He cums right after, with his hands touching your cheeks, his lips on your neck and his heart on his sleeve.

"Wanna stay inside you forever," he whispers once it's over.

"That wouldn't be very practical," you chuckle. Though you would like nothing more.

But he gets up to get rid of the condom and then comes back, hugging you tightly.

"Can you be my girlfriend?" Haechan blurts out. "I know you probably don't like clingy guys but...considering you've been pursuing me for the past three months, I thought..."

"I'll be your girlfriend," you agree rightaway, not giving a shit about the consequences. "Of course, I will."

He laughs, the sound so precious and filled with joy it breaks your heart.

Maybe he never has to know how it all began. Maybe you could hide it from him forever. Maybe...you could allow yourself to be happy. Just this once.

Soon, Haechan falls asleep, feeling comfortable around you. You know what you have to do, but you feel like shit anyway. You secretly take a picture of his half-naked figure sleeping soundly. You sigh quietly and send the photo to your stepbrother Jeno.

Then, you put your phone down, trying to forget about the whole ordeal. You cuddle up next to Haechan and enjoy his warmth until you fall asleep.

The next morning, you wake up before Haechan and quickly run out to make him some breakfast. You have no idea when his parents will be home but you don't want this to be their first impression of you. So, you leave the breakfast on Haechan's nightstand with a little note.

See you at school, boyfriend! XOXO, Y/N.

Rushing back home, you are satisfied when Jeno gives you the car keys to his Jaguar without protesting. Your stepbrother may be kinda freaky, but at least he's a man of his word. What gives you the creeps is the slight smirk on his face as he hands you the keys. As if he didn't lose the bet. As if he's the winner.

You try not to think about it too much, as you get dressed for school, excited to see Haechan again. You still can't believe he asked you to be his girlfriend. That pretty, sweet boy makes you so unbelievably happy. You look forward to spending more moments in his sunny company.

Haechan wakes up to the smell of warm pancakes, covered with chocolate and strawberries and accompanied by coffee. It immediately brings a smile on his face, which only becomes wider as he sees the little note you left him. He giddily enjoys the breakfast and then rushes to get dressed for school. You're his girlfriend! He's never had a girlfriend and he's so pleased you're being so nice to him. Maybe you really are better than people say and all that past drama was just everyone being jealous of your beauty and popularity...This is going to be the best day of his life.

But when he gets to school, everything changes. He knows that he's considered one of the "losers" in the hierarchy but usually people just ignore him and don't pay attention to him. He's fine with that, really! But today, whenever he walks by, people are snickering and whispering something. It feels so weird and makes him uncomfortable. He can't quite hear what they're saying and this kind of unexpected treatment is killing him.

He goes to his friend Mark to ask him what's up.

"Bro...I don't know how to tell you this," Mark looks away, as if the thing is so bad he can't even say it.

Haechan impatiently begs him to just enlighten him as to why everyone is giving him weird looks all day.

Mark sighs and shows him a secreenshot. There, he sees a photo of himself, half-naked and sleeping soundly. Fuck, that's from last night. And what the messages between you and your stepbrother Jeno reveal...shocks Haechan out of his senses. No...no way it was just a bet. No way you spent three months courting him for a fucking car?! This can't be true. It's gotta be Photoshopped or something.

"Listen, buddy, I warned you that she likes messing with guys and then leaving them."

"No, she...she really seemed to care about me," Haechan is still in denial as his vision becomes blurred with tears.

He runs away, unable to believe what is happening. He needs to speak to you. Hear it from your own lips. To be sure this is real and not just a sick joke.

When he finally finds you, he grabs your wrist as he did just yesterday. But this time, he's not doing to get you to stay. But because he's furious.

"Is it true? Did you really make a bet with Jeno on whether you can fuck me? Did you seriously do all of that over a car?!"

Your facial expressions are enough of an answer. Guilt. Something you never thought you were capable of.

"H-haechan, I swear I can explain," you beg him to hear you out.

"Explain? How can you explain that?" Haechan shakes his head, letting go of your hand. You try to touch him again but he shoves you off furiously.

"It was just a bet at the very beginning. But somewhere along the way, I really started having feelings for you, I promise," you cry passionately. "I don't care about the car, I'll fucking thrash it, I just wanted to get Jeno off my back."

Haechan takes a step back, feeling so betrayed. So...used.

"Whatever you say, I don't think I can believe you anymore. Was it fun, at least? Was this all just a wicked game to you?"

"N-no, it wasn't, I swear it," you are bawling at this point, feeling so pitiful. You don't care if the whole school sees. You only care that Haechan understands. You never meant things to go this far... "I truly care about you, Haechan."

"Yeah?" he scoffs, annoyed. "You only care about yourself."

And with that he leaves. And you lose the one person you truly, genuinely loved.

This is the worst day of your life.

Throughout the rest of the school year you don't dare approach him again. You know you fucked up so badly. You can't even look at that stupid car, let alone consider driving it, so you sell it. Partly because you're angry at Jeno for spreading the screenshot around the whole school. Partly because you no longer want to have anything that will remind you of the biggest mistake you ever made.

With the money you get for the car and some of your own savings, you secretly sponsor Haechan, Mark and their other friends' singing club. You don't even want Haechan to find out. It just...feels right. They could use the extra help.

As the final year of school nears its end, you begin to imagine a future where you never get to see Haechan again. At least, during the past couple of months you had the privilege of looking at him from a distance. But the idea of a world with no Haechan is like a world with no sun.

So, you decide you have to do something as soon as possible. He doesn't have to forgive you or accept you as a girlfriend again. You just want to be in his life in some form.

As you approach the school's radio booth, you feel all the bad things of your past coming back to bite you in the ass. Maybe you deserve to be forever alone. But you need to give it a try. It's your last chance.

"Hi, Mark," you greet your ex-boyfriend.

"What do you want, Y/N?" he sighs, not at all happy to see you.

"Before I get to that, let me just say how sorry I am for the way I treated you in the past. I'm really happy you're finally with someone who appreciates you for how totally awesome you are."

"That's...unexpectedly nice of you to say," Mark eyes you suspiciously. "We were never right for each other anyway. So, what do you want?"

"I want to apologize to Haechan. Through a message broadcasted to the whole school..."

"Gee, and you couldn't do it the old-fashioned way, face to face?" Mark jokes.

"Haechan doesn't wanna see me," you say, fully convinced.

"How would you know without trying?" Mark asks. Has...Haechan told him something? No, you couldn't allow yourself to hope.

"I just know, okay? Please, let me do this. We're graduating in one week, this might be my last chance to talk to Haechan."

Mark nods, agreeing.

"Five minutes," he takes off his headphones and vacates the seat in the radio booth for you.

"Thank you! I mean it," you have never been more grateful for anything.

Mark shrugs as if it's not a big deal and leaves you to it.

"I want to dedicate this so someone I hurt," you speak into the microphone. "Someone who didn't deserve it. Someone very dear to me. Someone I still care deeply about. Haechan, I'm so incredibly sorry, please, give me another chance."

And you start singing.

The world was on fire and no one could save me but you It's strange what desire will make foolish people do I never dreamed that I'd meet somebody like you And I never dreamed that I'd lose somebody like you

Your voice is off-key a couple of times and halfway through the song you start crying inconsolably, all the guilt and pain consuming you. The whole school is probably laughing at you but you can no longer bring yourself to care. The only thing that matters is that Haechan hears this.

When you finish the song, you leave the radio booth and are surprised to find Haechan right outside the door, willing to talk to you.

"H-haechan," you stammer and barely resist the urge to give him a hug. You don't want him to feel pressured or anything.

"I'll give you a second chance on one condition. I want Jeno's Jaguar," Haechan jokes.

"Too bad, I already sold it and donated the money to your music club so you guys can get new instruments and stuff."

"YOU DID WHAT?!" Haechan exclaims. He doesn't sound angry, though, just...shocked.

"Sorry, sorry, I know it wasn't my place. But it was so unfair the football team and the cheerleading team get so much money but no one cares about the arts."

"Okay, okay, I guess this is better than that ugly car," Haechan chuckles. The car is not ugly. Not even a little bit. But you appreciate Haechan all the more for saying that.

"Can you really forgive me?" you ask desperately, eyes still watery.

"I can forgive you but I'll probably never forget," Haechan admits with a sigh. "If you break my trust again..."

"I won't, I swear!" you vow seriously. "I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you and treating you the way you deserve. You're the best person I've ever met, Haechan. If you'll have me, I want to be around you forever."

"Forever is a long time" Haechan muses out loud. "Considering we're going to college...I don't even know where you're applying."

"I'll go wherever you go," you say hurriedly.

"You can't give up on your dreams just for me, though."

"I'm not. You're my dream, Haechan. You're my sun and I want to be in your orbit. If you'll allow me, that is," you can't take it any longer and hold his hand softly, asking, begging for that second chance not to slip away.

"I'll allow it," Haechan smiles sweetly. "Let's run towards our dreams together, from now on."

"I won't let you down," you promise from the depths of your heart.

And you finally, truly mean it.

The End

[a-bad-case-of-the-stephs]

It’s been one of those days. It’s Time for me to violently defend stephanie brown on the internet beyond what should be considered reasonable or good.

I saw an older anti stephanie brown post which blamed Steph for Robin #87 (when Bruce reveals Tim's secret identity to Spoiler and offers to train her) and all the comments and reblogs and whatever were ragging Steph and it pissed me off and it made me sad so I'm going to break down why being mad at Stephanie for something Bruce Wayne did is insane, why Stephanie is genuinely in the right, and why having the same opinion as Alfred "boy mom" Pennyworth is embarrassing.

This ones gonna be more rambly and less analysis like than my other Steph posts for the record, I just kinda need to get this off my chest.

Let's break it down.

When Batman first brings Steph onto the team as Spoiler he tells Steph Tim's secret identity. When Tim finds out his secret was told to her, he freaks out. Tim's perspective is super understandable. He feels betrayed by Bruce, because he didn't even consult or ask Tim first, a clear betrayal of Tim's trust and the supposed equality of their partnership. Especially in light of how much Tim feels he has sacrificed to keep Bruce's secret.

But lets look at the situation from Stephanies perspective. Because she is just NOT at fault here.

Here are the facts: Stephanie is approached by Batman, who has in pretty much every interaction beforehand been cold and dismissive, and who she expects to tell her to quit being Spoiler again.

This man has only ever shown an ounce of approval towards Steph's vigilantism one time before this, for like one line in Stephs very first appearance. For him to be asking her for help sets off serious alarm bells. Steph is "really scared" when Batman asks for her help to find Robin.

Robin #84

Furthermore, its important we don't take Batman at his word here. Bruce is withholding information, something he does with Steph a LOT. He says "no one" knows where Tim is, and in Robin #87, he clarifies that Robins transmitter went dead.

Robin #87

"No one" is an exaggeration of epic proportions, given that Batman has not checked Tim's boarding school, or contacted Alfred, the location which it is overwhelmingly likely he is at, and the person who would be able to check extremely easily.

Robin #87

Because Bruce didn't want to go to Brentwood himself and run into Alfred, or have to speak to Alfred, on account of their fight in Officer Down, he sends Steph.

While the fear and worry Steph is portrayed with in Robin #84 doesn't really carry over to #87 (one of the numerous inconsistencies between these two issues) the fact of the matter is Steph is misled by Batman about the stakes of Tim being missing, which she is led to believe are much higher than they are.

In addition to this, Stephanie was under the impression that Tim was only ever holding back his secret ID soley because of Batman's wishes, that Tim was just waiting on Batman to change his mind.

Robin #56 #75 #82 #62

Tim will assert this is true later, and he certain says this is true beforehand.

If he's telling the truth, he doesn't have an issue with Steph knowing his identity. He has an issue with Batman telling her without checking with him first.

How is Steph supposed to infer this?

Steph has no reason to think it's important that Batman checks with Tim, because Tim has made it abundantly clear to her that he does want her to know but has just been waiting on Batman's approval.

Let's look how Steph acts when she meets Robin knowing his identity for the first time.

Robin #87

Steph enters the situation seeming to believe Tim will feel happy for her and relieved that their relationship no longer has to be as one sided as it has been. She still leaves room for Tim potentially having conflicted feelings, by mentioning she "hopes" that it's okay with Tim that she's finally on the main team. Tim, as mentioned early, freaks out.

Again, Tim's frustration is understandable. But let's look at Steph's dialogue for a second.

Robin #87

She says "we can be together now". This is weird and really interesting choice, because Tim and Steph have been dating for the entirety of No Man's Land and over the course of her entire pregnancy. This is a substantial amount of time. So what does Steph mean by "now"? There are two explantations.

Steph and Tim were not on speaking terms before this, because Steph was under the impression Tim had been cheating on her. He isn't cheating, but it surprisingly never gets resolved. Like the many other threads which were brought up in Robin #84, it gets completely ignored in Robin #87 and onward. Steph could be referring to the fact that she believes they couldn't be together because he was supposably cheating, but now that she knows his secret identity, he has no reason to cheat anymore. This is a super flimsy idea however, and given the fact that no character brings up how Steph believes Tim was cheating with Star after Robin #84, the logical conclusion is that it was either resolved off screen, or retconned.

The second explanation is much stronger. Steph says "now" because despite the fact that they have been dating for so long, their relationship has been extremely unbalanced. She's been closed off to half of Tim's life, something she agrees to when they first get together, but clearly has taken a toll on her. To the point she says "now" because, to her, the relationship never really truly started.

Robin #80

This isn't a stupid or petty complaint, for the record. Tim has seen her at her worst, he was there for there immediately before and after childbirth, but she doesn't get to know anything about an entire half of his life. This is especially true when you consider much Tim was in control of their communication.

He can show up at her house anytime, but if he doesn't initiate contact Steph's on her own. In Robin #80 for instance, Steph is presumably just hopping around rooftops hoping to bump into Tim, because she has no other way to find him.

Robin #87

And after Steph expresses excitement that they can finally be in the balanced relationship, a real relationship, she is rebuked with a violent "No!" that she seems to lean away from. And in the next panel, she asks, confused: "What?" in a small speech bubble which gets entirely ignored. In fact, neither Batman or Robin speaks to, or even addresses directly Stephanie for the rest of the encounter.

When Robin storms off without even a look to Stephanie, Stephs reaction is (big Shocker) to blame herself. Batman uses neutral language to place the blame on Tim, stating that Tim feels betrayed. In direct contrast, Steph actively disagrees, clarifying that Tim was betrayed, and more than that, she directly places the blame on both her and Batman's shoulders.

Robin #87

But Stephanie is a prop in the plot. Tim doesn't yell at her, he runs from her. Because she isn't Stephanie Brown, his girlfriend who has been in a massively unbalanced relationship, who is overjoyed at finally getting to be in a "real" relationship with him, she's the person Batman told Tim's identity to. He's not angry at her, he's angry she knows his identity and Bruce didn't bother to ask if Tim could tell her. He's angry at Batman. This conversation, this whole drama, is about the partnership between Bruce and TIm.

Stephanie Brown, who believed Tim was just waiting for the Batman go ahead, had no reason to think Tim would be anything but as happy as she was. Importantly, Stephanie Brown is seriously just not to blame in this situation, even if she blames herself (which as I've discussed before, is a running theme with her characterization, her low self-esteem and occasional tendancy to blame herself for the actions of others).

Not to mention, Tim doesn't blame Steph either. So if you're reading Robin #87 and somehow coming to the conclusion that Steph is a monster, please reassess.

Robin #92

How does Alfred factor into this? I'll make it quick.

Robin #88

Oh no Alfred, I'm so sorry that your loyalties to Master Timothy run so deep that you HAVE to yell at the teenaged girl who was more of a prop than anything in that encounter and had no reason to think Tim would be hurt. Oh no, really that must be so hard for you. Well, at least we know he's consistent, I'm sure if he's this mad at Stephanie, he's fucking fuming at Bruce Wayne, right? Right? Right?

No, of course not. Alfred Pennyworth, hypocrite extraordinaire is out there actively defending Bruce to Tim. Which no one asked him to do.

It's all "in his defense" and "you knew the perils" and "master bruce's crusade ill afford the delicacy of privacy required in affairs of the heart" and "stop feeling sorry for yourself"

I cannot believe he has the gall to yell at Steph for this. Talk about wounding Master Tim deeply bro, just wait until its Tim's 16th Birthday Party and Alfreds applying his stupid latex mask with a smile on his face. Sorry Alfred, you’re not always wrong, but when you’re wrong you’re really wrong.

That’s all. Goodnight 🌙

[littlestarbigsky]

outsiders week - darry

@outsidersweek

today’s a hard and scary day for my american friends (i’m right there with you, trust me) but i planned on posting this today and i hope it can bring some joy where it is much needed. i hope you all are taking care of yourselves today and if you need a friend, my messages are open🩶

sooo my little brother (he’s almost 17 but be quiet) got hurt wrestling this week (he’s okay but dear god he scared me) so naturally i had to inflict darry with a football injury. this is when he’s in high school soo im imagining him at about 14 here :p

“follow my finger,” the trainer instructed, and darry blinked rapidly to clear the dots from his vision.

he couldn’t remember the last time someone had knocked him so hard. sure it was a rivalry matchup, and sure the kid had gotten a penalty for it, but darry was surprised he was still conscious. he didn’t really remember what exactly had happened or how long he had been laying on the field, just that it had taken both paul and their coach to get him up and off to continue the game.

paul was lingering behind the trainer, his brows furrowed, watching darry anxiously. darry vaguely seemed to remember jumping in front of paul. nobody messes with his quarterback.

he felt pretty stupid. go figure, paul and darry had been waiting for their chance to play all season and it was the first time their coach had let the freshman play, and he managed to get himself plowed in the first five minutes.

“darry!” he heard someone yell from behind him, but his neck was hurting a little too much to turn around. he thought it sounded like his dad, but he couldn’t be sure, there were so many voices and it was like his senses had been dialed to eleven. paul seemed to catch eyes with someone and he hurried over in the direction the voice had come from.

darry tried to watch where he was going but the trainer grabbed his face and forced his focus back onto his stupid human tests. it didn’t last too long, though. within a few seconds, his mama was shoving the trainer out of the way and grabbing at darry.

“are you okay? what happened? oh, baby, you scared us to death,” she pulled back and held his face in her hands.

darry almost opened his mouth to say something, but the words felt far away and strange in his mind. he blinked slowly up at her, trying to communicate to her telepathically that he was okay, that she didn’t need to worry. it felt like a lie, but she shouldn’t need to worry about him.

“oh sweetheart…” she hugged him to her. the pain in his head started to build and he squeezed his eyes shut, partially to block out the bright stadium lights, but also because he could feel tears brimming in his eyes.

when she let him go, she patted his shoulder and went over to where the trainer was already talking to his dad. it took about five seconds for something very solid to launch itself into his arms.

“be careful, pony!” darry turned his head to see soda anxiously chasing after their brother. it was only around then that darry realized that it was ponyboy that was hanging off of him, and he wrapped his own shaking arms around his brother. he could feel pony trembling against him.

he wanted to tell pony he was okay, he wanted to say that he didn’t need to worry, but he just couldn’t. words still felt mixed up and confusing, so he let go of his 8-year-old brother and pushed him back a bit. pony’s eyes were glassy and darry felt the ache in his head migrate to his heart as he realized how badly this had probably scared pony, who was already way more anxious than any kid his age had business being. he gently rested their foreheads together for a second before pressing a kiss to his hair.

“are you okay?” soda asked, sitting down next to darry on the bench and leaning up against his side. darry just threw an arm over soda’s shoulders and pulled pony into another hug.

it was a mark of how badly the hit had scared them that they were so close and clingy with him in such a public place. soda, now 10 years old, had slowly been growing out of needing hugs from his big brother as much as he used to, and pony, ever soda’s shadow, was beginning to pull back as well. but there they were, huddled up with their big brother on a football field.

after a few minutes, their parents came back over and their dad kneeled down in front of darry.

“well junior, we’re gonna have to go to the hospital. the trainer is pretty sure you’ve got a concussion,” he said sadly. ponyboy made a small squeak, and their dad grabbed one of his hands and smiled. “oh, but it’s gonna be alright, kiddo! darry’s brain just got rattled around a little bit. if he were smart like you, his brain would be bigger and it wouldn’t clunk around so darn much. but it’s all gonna be okay.”

darry knew their dad was just kidding around, and part of him knew that ponyboy was well aware that concussions didn’t work that way, but the anxiety in his chest seemed to lessen when ponyboy giggled.

their dad wrapped an arm around darry’s shoulder and helped him to his feet so they could head to the car. mama came back over and grabbed pony and soda’s hands to start walking with them to the bus stop to go home. pony looked sadly back at darry, dragging his feet as mama guided him along, and watched soda throw a few nervous glances back at him.

darry felt like he was going to collapse when they finally got home, and he was pretty sure that had nothing to do with his concussion. he practically fell into mama’s arms and gladly let her hold him close on the couch while his dad explained what had happened at the hospital. darry would most likely be out of football for the rest of the season, and he wasn’t allowed back at school for a few days.

“but it still could have been worse,” mama kissed his head gently as she smoothed his hair back. “i know this is lousy, but you’re gonna be alright, baby, it’s all gonna work out.”

darry just nodded. she was right, he knew it could have been much worse, but he was still having a hard time being grateful. he could still barely speak. he’d been able to get out a few words in the hospital, but he was still having some trouble stringing his thoughts together.

there was a creak from down the hall, and all three of them turned around to see ponyboy in his train pajamas and wrapped in a blanket standing in the doorway. his face lit up as he saw darry, running over and jumping into darry’s open arms.

“you’re okay!” pony cried, his voice muffled against darry’s jersey, which he was still wearing from the game.

darry held his baby brother as tight as he could, pressing a kiss to pony’s soft auburn hair. he could feel the tension he’d been holding in his shoulders easing.

“be gentle, pony,” their mother scolded, but there was no real malice in her voice. “darry’s had a long night, sweetheart, how about you head back to bed? soda will probably give you lots of snuggles and dad will come tuck you in.”

pony looked up at darry sadly and squeezed him tighter.

darry opened his mouth slowly, “can pony stay with me, mama?”

mama looked shocked for a moment, but seemed to fold under the pressure of both of her boys silently pleading with her to let them stay together, “…okay, pony, go get your blanket while darry gets changed.”

darry headed back to his room and slowly started to change his clothes, keeping his overhead light off in favor of his aching eyes and wincing while he stretched his sore shoulders out. he looked at the bed and almost shed a tear with how welcoming it seemed after the night he’d had.

there was a soft knock at the door and it opened a moment later. pony had a blanket in his hands and let out a huge yawn. darry couldn’t help but laugh at him a little bit.

“c’mon, kiddo, you look like you’re gonna fall over,” he smiled meekly, and pony hopped up onto the bed, plastering himself to darry’s side when he laid down.

“that was really scary.”

“what? me getting hit?” darry asked, and pony nodded anxiously. “oh, baby, that was nothing.”

“but you got hurt. you were laying on the field. soda and i were so scared…”

darry’s breath hitched in his throat, guilt building in his chest. he pulled pony closer to him, finding comfort in feeling his steady breaths.

“it’s football, it happens. i’m gonna be okay, though. you heard dad, if my brain were a little bit bigger it wouldn’t have happened at all.”

pony thought for a second, “i can read you some of my books if you think that would help…”

darry laughed, “i’ll let you know, but i think now it’s time to go to sleep.”

pony snuggled impossibly closer, “mm, okay.”

by the time mama came in to say goodnight, they were both already asleep, and when she came to wake up darry in the morning only to find soda squeezed in next to pony, she couldn’t bring herself to wake them up just yet. she waited in the doorway and watched the rise and fall of their chests, pony sandwiched between his brothers.

the world could wait, they needed each other.

[princess-of-songs]

Tashi’s Jealousy and Possessiveness

*originally posted on Reddit*

I like how Tashi’s jealousy and possessiveness manifests itself in different ways.

Patrick: We see her jealousy and possessiveness in the way we are used to seeing it. At 19, we see her get visibly upset over Art suggesting Patrick may not be loyal and that he may not love her. I think this possessiveness started when they first got together when she asked him not to tell anyone or she’d stop seeing him. It meant something to her because I think Patrick was her first serious relationship. In the original screenplay, Tashi mentions to Patrick in the Atlanta scene, that her dad hated his guts because as far as he was concerned, Patrick was the boy who ruined Tashi’s life. In the film, we see Tashi mention her parents didn’t want her to go to boarding school for a multitude of reasons, one being distracted by boys like Patrick and Art. Tashi’s cross necklace also pointed me in this direction. I would remiss if I didn’t point out the chaotic hypocrisy. Challengers has strong motifs of repeated behaviors coming in cycles of 3 and specifically with Tashi’s relationship with Patrick- cheating together has always been inevitable. Patrick cheated on his girlfriend with Tashi and Art at the Junior US Open, Tashi and Patrick cheated in Atlanta, and Tashi and Patrick cheated in New Rochelle. Each time, Tashi attempts to ignore Patrick’s luring charm and fails spectacularly. Our girl is nothing but consistent and I can’t say I would’ve fared much better. The specific jealousy part of it is fascinating to me. Tashi gets irritated with Art over the simple idea of imagining Patrick being with other girls on tour or being filled with quiet, simmering anger when she sees Patrick with Helen at the hotel bar, and even making a snarky comment when Patrick mentions he’s still staying at Helen’s house. But we never see her jealous when Patrick is with Art. Tashi only smiles and cheers when they’re together, she’s devastated when Art tells her they fell out of touch, and she’s pissed off when Patrick tries to put Art down in the alleyway. Patrick and Art are just as much of each other’s as they are her’s. What pops out at me also in the midst of this, is seeing Patrick both excite and frighten Tashi. Here is someone who can see through her facade she puts on, calls her out on it, still thinks she’s hot, and loves her anyway. I can easily see why that would scare her. It’s not a secret that Tashi loves to be in control in any and all aspects of her life. Patrick disrupts that and gets under her skin like no one else does. It’s not a feeling she’s used to. She’s probably used to getting praise from others like Art (though I think his is so raw and genuine) or ignoring the not so glamorous parts of who Tashi is as a person. Patrick doesn’t allow for that and it drives her (and Art) crazy.

Art: We see her jealousy and possessiveness in a unique way. Tashi is simmering with jealousy over Art being able to heal from his surgery with no issue. The thing really withholding Art in the present, is his emotional and mental exhaustion from a myriad of things. Art still gets to play the sport that Tashi lives and dies for and it drives her crazy that Art’s heart doesn’t seem fully in it. She tries to do everything in her power to help him get his confidence back despite saying she can’t do that for him. Art is her avatar in tennis. His body is her’s and through him, she can still play the sport and accomplish her dreams. The idea of hanging up her racquet is unfathomable. Tennis is so intertwined in her soul. The question rises who is Tashi to the world without tennis? Tashi clearly wants to delay that answer as long as she can. This possessiveness and jealousy unravels when the night before the final match. I honestly think Tashi’s conversation with Patrick opened her heart. As much it hurts to leave tennis, I think she’s finally fully allowing herself to see it from Art’s perspective. He’s tired. I think in the best way an emotionally repressed person can, I do think she does try to reassure and comfort him by saying he doesn’t need her permission. It’s okay and he can retire. What throws Tashi for a loop is when Art questions her being okay with it, he was expecting and hoping for similar argument he had with Patrick, something to fuel him. I think he wanted Tashi to neg him in a similar way. Tashi and Patrick are extremely similar but there are key differences. As much as Tashi can be quite brutal with her words when talking to Patrick about his tennis career, we don’t see her be as harsh with Art. In fact, Tashi highlights his skills and praises him. Tashi doesn’t really neg Art and we can see why. She goes too far with her statement. At first, she looks visibly ill before and after she says it. Topped off by her rubbing Art’s head, asking if that helps him. This makes Tashi spiral into desperation with her feelings all over the place. I think she’s too stubborn to take her words back so she comes up with a last ditch effort plan to get Patrick to throw the match so Art can win. So she doesn’t have to lose Art or tennis. The chaos of this act is logically speaking, Tashi could’ve texted or called Patrick. Getting in the car in the middle of the night with the your ex that you’ve been passively aggressively flirting with and gotten jealous over is setting yourself up for failure. But Tashi’s feelings and intentions are all jumbled up because she’s desperately trying to cling on to tennis and she isn’t ready to leave it or them because she cannot have it without Art or Patrick.

It isn’t that Tashi isn’t herself around Art, she is. How I’ve read it, is that the two of them are deeply repressed in several areas of their lives so there is a wall of passivity between them in addition to the current lack of passion in their marriage and the pedestals they put each other on. They’re both fully aware of each other’s flaws and the issues in their marriage but they dance around it until the bedroom scene. With Patrick specifically, I was thinking about him saying to Tashi “You like precisely one thing about me. It’s the fact that I’m such a piece of shit that I can see you for exactly who you are.” In the original script, Patrick mentions he didn’t treat her like a mystical being who was going to change his life. I believe that he is Tashi’s twin flame/mirror. To me, Tashi is a more raw, unfiltered version of herself when it comes to Patrick. He pushes back and challenges her, which is something I don’t think Tashi is quite used to in her life when she first meets him. I think what’s also notable to me is whenever Tashi and Patrick talk, they’re saying the most raw unhinged things but they aren’t beating around the bush with each other. It’s fun foreplay for them. But unlike with Art (for the both of them), they struggle to surrender to the deeper feeling of love, longing, and surrender. Being vulnerable and soft with each other doesn’t come easy to them. Ultimately looking at it from Tashi’s perspective, she can be herself around both of these men but displays different aspects of her true self.

[steddieprompts]

Wrote a whole mini-fic again. sorry.

High School, no Upside Down, platonic Steddie:

Sometimes Steve wants to be left alone. Sure the popularity has its perks, but it can also wear a guy down. There's no quiet in his social life. Tommy and Carol are always badgering him about things and girls are vying for his attention. It's nice but... it's just alot.

That's why Steve is ducking through the library door during his lunch period instead of going to the cafeteria. He squat-walks behind the low book shelves to wards the back of the library hoping Kelly didn't see him out in the hall. She's been haunting his locker the last two days and while she's cute, she's not really Steve's type and he hates letting girls down.

He reaches the back of the library and opens one of the study room doors, swings inside quickly and shuts the door with a soft click. Letting out a deep breath he presses his forehead to the worn wood. Finally, some quiet.

"Uh..." Steve nearly jumps out of his skin at the voice. He whips around to see Eddie Munson at the table. "Sorry, your highness. Occupied."

Steve lets out another breath (Jesus, can't he catch a second to breathe around here?). "Shit, Munson, you scared the hell out of me."

"A thousand apologies," Eddie replied sarcastically. "Now, if you don't mind?" Eddie made a shooing motion towards the door.

Steve looked through the door window and out into the library... Kelly had seen him. She was slowly making her way across the library, head swiveling back and forth like some sort of search dog on the scent.

Steve pulled away from the window, back flat against the door.

"Look, Eddie, I promise I won't mess with you. You won't even know I'm here."

Eddie's eyes flicked to the window before a pointy smirk crossed his face. "Now that's interesting. What's got the great Steve Harrington hiding out in a room with the freak?" Eddie moved to the window, peering out like Steve had. "Kelly Jacobs? That's who you're hiding from?"

"She wants to go out with me but I hate trying to let them down easy because it never works and she's not my type and I don't even want to date anyone right now and my head hurts and..."

"Alright, easy there, playboy." Steve leveled a look at him before Eddie looked back out the window.

"Uh, she's uh..."

"What?"

"She's coming." Eddie said.

They moved at the same time, Eddie throwing himself back into his chair and Steve throwing himself behind the big wooden desk, hoping the angle and the other chair were enough to hide him.

He held his breath as the door clicked open.

"Have you seen Steve?" He heard her ask, could see her sneakers through the tangle of table and chair legs.

"Steve who?" Eddie asked dismissively.

"Harrington." She replied impatiently.

"The hair? Haven't seen a strand of him."

Steve heard Kelly let out a scoff and shut the door but not before a quiet "freak" floated into the room.

Once the door had clicked shut Steve let his head fall back against the wall with another sigh, closing his eyes. There was a few seconds of quiet before he heard the creak of Eddie's chair. He squinted his eyes open to see Eddie peering at him over the edge of the desk.

"Such a charming young lady. You sure you don't want to..."

"No." Steve cut him off. "Thanks... for all that."

"Yeah, let's not make it a habit. Trying to keep my conscience clean and lying to the student body isn't helping." Eddie said with mock sincerity. Steve huffed out a laugh at that.

They didn't say much for the last ten minutes of the period, but Steve did get up and sit catty corner from Eddie at the study table, head pillowed on his arms and eyes closed. Ten minutes of beautiful quiet.

Problem was that ten minutes was addicting. Steve didn't hang out much at the library before... except when he was dating Nancy... but now he's seeing the advantage.

The next week Tommy had hinted at ditching after lunch so they wouldn't have to put up with Mrs. O'Donnell's class, but Steve was barely making it through her class as it was. If he missed another class he probably would fail, then he wouldn't graduate. Plus they had an essay due in her class at the end of the week that Steve had barely started...

He ducked into the library again before Tommy could track him down in the hall. Quickly he made his way to the study rooms, two of which were occupied by actual study groups and one... well.

Steve cracked open the door and stared at Eddie until he looked up from his, again, numerous notebooks and books.

"Again?" Eddie sighed.

"Listen, I promise I'll leave you alone like last time." Steve said stepping into the room.

"You should probably just tell her instead of running away from her. That's gotta be bad for your image, no?"

Steve slumped into his chair and ran his hands over his face. "It's not Kelly."

"Oh, a new admirer. Probably shouldn't be running from them either, honestly..."

"No! No, it's Tommy."

Eddie let out a low whistle, "Wow. Didn't know he swung that way. I guess all those accusations he threw at me were a little hypocritical."

"What? No! Tommy's not gay! Jesus."

"It's okay if he is. You should be flattered..."

"Dude!" Steve squawked at him. A slow smirk spread over Eddie's face. "Oh, fuck you, man." Steve laughed and Eddie chuckled in response.

"Why are you avoiding him?"

"He wants to ditch, but I can't miss O'Donnell class again."

Eddie let out a sympathetic groan and held up one of the notebooks. The words "State's Rights and the Civil War" were scrawled across the top.

"You too?" Steve winced. Eddie nodded.

"Maybe we can help each other." Steve said, cautiously. It was one thing to invade Eddie's space. Suggesting they work together was an entirely different beast.

"Aren't you failing?" Eddie squinted at him.

"Didn't you already fail once?" Steve squinted back.

"Yeah. Sure. This can't backfire in the slightest." Eddie said before sliding over so he was directly in front of Steve. "Let's do this, Big boy." Steve raised an eyebrow but got out his notebook none the less.

Steve met Eddie in the library for the next three days. He told Tommy and Carol that he needed some time to study. No, they couldn't come with him, can't they spend three days on their own? Jesus.

He conveniently left Munson out of the conversation. He didn't want to here what Tommy and Carol had to say about him studying with "the freak."

And it turned out Eddie was actually really good at understanding history... Steve just had to keep him on track.

"Dude, if you open that dragon nerd book one more time I'm taking that sandwich back." Steve huffed at Eddie who pulled the half of Steve's sandwich that he gave him to his chest.

"Finders keepers." Eddie said taking a huge bite.

"Dude, I gave it to you." Steve said through a chuckle.

They turned in their essays on Monday. That Wednesday Steve slammed into the study room.

"Jesus! You scared the shit outta me, Steven." Eddie said, dramatically clutching his chest. Steve was already swinging his backpack off his shoulder and throwing a ziplock bag of cheez-its at Eddie.

"Did you get it back?" Steve asked, dropping into his seat.

Eddie stared at him for a second before reaching into his bag and pulling out his essay, slapping it down in front of Steve.

"B minus." Eddie said, barely keeping the grin off his face. "She gave me the most evil look when she gave it back." Eddie smirked.

"Dude! Awesome!" Steve said grinning at the paper. "I hope mine was enough."

"It will be. It was solid, man, don't worry."

Steve looked up at him with so much sincerity Eddie almost felt like he should look away. "Thank you, Eddie."

Eddie shrugged.

"I mean it." Steve insisted.

"Yeah... no problem." Eddie murmured. Steve nodded and then pulled his bag into his lap, taking out a notebook and his lunch.

That night found Eddie on the phone with Jeff, describing the last few weeks and his encounters with Steve.

"He's been coming into the library during my study hall period. We worked on O'Donnell's essay together. He *feeds me,* dude!"

"Feeds you?"

"He keeps, like, giving me parts of his lunch!"

"He-" Eddie could hear Jeff starting to laugh. "He actually-" Jeff cuts himself off with his own laughter.

"Jeffery!"

"You're friends with The Hair!" Jeff finally gets out.

"Oh.. shit," Eddie considered it for a minute. "No way. We just had a mutual essay. right?"

Jeff's laughter finally calms down. "I dont know, man, sounds like more than that."

"... Harrington?" Eddie mused in amazement.

"I told you he wasn't that bad." Jeff gloated.

"Shut up."

The next few days Steve didn't storm into Eddie's study room, but Tuesday he did.

"Hey." He said, sitting down at the desk.

"Hey." Eddie said, watching him and expecting Steve to say something. But he just pulled out what seemed to be algebra homework, and his lunch, and didn't say anything.

"What?" Steve finally said, looking back at Eddie.

"Nothing. Just. ya know, thought after you got through the essay you'd go back to, ya know, Tommy and Carol."

Steve shrugged, taking half his sandwich and sliding the other half, still in the bag, over to Eddie. "Didn't feel like dealing with them today."

"Wait..." Eddie said, slow smile growing on his face, "You, Steve Harrington. would rather hang out with me, Eddie "the freak" Munson, than Tommy and Carol."

"Don't call yourself that. And yeah. At least you don't try to stuff freshmen into lockers."

"Oh my god, Jeff was right!"

"Huh?"

"We're friends!" Eddie smiled, what probably seemed a little manically, at Steve.

"Uh, yeah..." Steve timidly offered back.

"Let me tell you something, Harrington," Eddie chuckled, picking up the sandwich, "This is not how I saw my super senior year going."

Steve shrugged and pulled Eddie's Dungeons and Dragons manual towards him, flipping open the cover. "So how does this game work anyways?"

Eddie grinned. "Strap in, Stevie, you've got alot to learn."

[dumbasslesbi2]

Let Me Read To You ~ Chapter 6 (Agatha x Rio Bookstore AU)

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5

Summary:

Rio's book is finally finished! Which means now she can focus now on how she can ask Agatha Harkness to be her wife <3

Notes:

School burnout is so real, warning chapter uploads might be not as frequent but I'm trying my best to keep it daily!

“Rio! This book is going to be a hit!” Agatha said, finishing the final draft of Rio’s book. “You really think so, my love?” Rio said, coming into the living room with two glasses of wine. “I swear Rio, I love your other books but this one is amazing. I’m not just saying that because it’s about us” Agatha told her, taking a sip of wine. “What? Us? I have no idea what you’re talking about” Rio said, side-eyeing Agatha. “Uh huh, and I guess then you have no wants of marrying me then” Agatha said, putting down the final draft of the coffee table. “I wouldn’t say that exactly” Rio said, cuddling into Agatha’s arm. Agatha put her arm around Rio so she could cuddle her better. “Well atleast I have a hint” Agatha told her, kissing her head. “I think you would look so pretty with a wedding ring on your hand” Rio told her, kissing her hand. “I think you’d look gorgeous with another ring on your hand baby” Agatha said, taking Rio’s hand and kissing it. 

The next day Rio decided to pay Lilia a visit without telling Agatha about what she needed to talk to Lilia about. “Lilia I don’t know, I really love her” Rio told her while Lilia was finishing her tarot reading. “Rio, the cards do not lie. Just propose to her, it’ll be fine.” Lilia told her, taking her hands. “I know but I want it to be special” Rio complained, still not sure how to propose to Agatha. “Listen, take it from an old crone. It doesn’t matter as long as you feel it’s the right time. When my wife proposed I was the happiest woman and it didn’t matter where she did it. It mattered when and how loved I felt” Lilia told her, looking at her wedding ring. “I guess you’re right, I don’t know, I guess I’m just scared. What if she doesn’t want to get married again. What if she’s just pretending because I hinted it in the book” Rio told her, still groaning and complaining. “Hey auntie where do you - Oh, hi Rio!” The teen came in with a box full of candles. “Just leave them over there William” Lilia told him, letting go of Rio’s hands. 

While Rio was dealing with the teen and Lilia, Agatha was over at Jen and Alice’s. “Guys please, I’ve already been married once but I need this to be special for Rio” Agatha whined, practically gulping down her beer. “It’ll be fine Agatha, trust, we know Rio. She likes the simple things in life, she doesn’t need a grand gesture” Alice said, rubbing Agatha’s back. “I know but I still want it to be special” Agatha groaned, heading towards the fridge for another beer. “Listen, an at home proposal can be special, why not just do it in the backyard? Rio practically has turned it into a full on garden at this point” Jen suggested, grabbing the beer out of Agatha’s hand. “Hmm I guess you’re right, I could hang lights and stuff. I have the ring already so I could just do it tonight” Agatha said with a sigh, putting her hands in her hair. “You have the ring and haven’t shown us!!!!” Alice yelled, upset Agatha had been talking the whole time and hadn’t shown them. “Oh ya, it’s in my pocket” Agatha said with a laugh, pulling out the black box. Agatha opened it to show a silver ring detailed with a black obsidian rock in the center. “I know how much Rio loves the color black so I chose this one to match her aesthetic, what do you guys think?” Agatha asked, pulling the ring out. “Oh my god, she’s going to love this” Alice said, examining the ring. “She’s so going to say yes” Jen said, in awe of how pretty the ring was. “Thanks guys I really need the encouragement” Agatha said, putting the ring back in the box.

It was later at night when the two had put Nicholas to bed that Agatha brought out Rio to their backyard. She had put on a fire and brought wine and chocolates for both of them to enjoy. Agatha had set up two chairs for the both of them but she should have guessed that instead it would end up with Rio on her lap. “So what’s the occasion of all of this” Rio asked as she fed Agatha some chocolate. “I’m not allowed to spoil my lover?” Agatha asked, licking Rio’s fingers. “No but now I might aspect this more often” Rio giggled, kissing Agatha’s neck. “Wait, Rio” Agatha told her, pushing her off a bit. She knew once Rio started, she wouldn’t stop and then get carried away and not let Agatha have their moment. “What is it my love?” Rio asked, perplexed since Agatha usually lets her go all the way. Agatha took her hands and looked at her solemnly. “I need you to close your eyes” Agatha said, waiting for Rio to do as she said. “Ok” Rio said with a giggle, waiting to see what Agatha would do. Once Rio had her eyes closed Agatha pulled out the box in her pocket, opening it to show Rio the ring. “You can open them now” Agatha whispered, praying Rio would say yes. As Rio opened her eyes, she was speechless. “Agatha…”Rio  whispered as  tears formed in her eyes. Agatha remained silent with her mouth agape, waiting for Rio’s response. Instead Rio didn’t reply and instead kissed Agatha, pushing her face closer to Agatha’s to feel her whole being. “I’m taking that as a yes?” Agatha questioned as she let go of the kiss. “Of course it’s a yes, I can’t believe you beat me, I’m still waiting on the ring to be made” Rio said, kissing Agatha’s hands. “Made?!? You’re giving me a custom made ring?!” Agatha asked, flabbergasted that anyone would do that for her. “Of course, only the best for my future wife” Rio said, kissing Agatha’s cheek. Agatha was too shocked to say anything so instead she kissed Rio as passionately as she did earlier. 

It was about a month later as Rio and Agatha were getting ready to head out with Nicholas they heard a knock on the door. As Agatha went to open it she was greeted with streamers and screamed, not ready for all the noise. “Congrats!” yelled her lesbian book club plus the teen. “Holy shit, you guys almost gave me a heart attack” Agatha said, grabbing at her chest. “You can’t die before the wedding” yelled William. “I swear to god teen im shocked you even brought the right type of popper” Agatha said, looking over at him. The whole group laughed and when Rio came to see what all the commotion was, a smile came to her face. “Also this isn’t just a congratulations on just you two but also to Rio” Jen said, bringing out a cake. Rio’s book not only was a massive hit but was winning awards in best LGBTQ+ fiction. “Aw thanks guys but we need to get going, I have an interview I need to go do” Rio said, making sure she had everything. “We’ll be over at our place then, join us when you can later” Alice said, giving the couple space to walk out. “We’ll be over later tonight” Agatha said before they all left, waving them all goodbye. “Are you sure you wanted to bring Nicky to this? I don’t mind but we might be there for a while and I know how he is about wanting you” Agatha said, double checking she had everything in her purse. “Trust me baby, I want you all to be there. I need them to see how much my family matters, especially since half the book is about that” Rio told her, taking her hand and kissing every knuckle. “Alright but don’t get upset if mid interview he starts crying for his mama” Agatha told her, taking Rio’s hand and repeating her action. The two giggled and laughed for a bit until they made it to the bookstore in which Rio would be interviewed for her newest book.

“Mama!” Nicholas screamed after about thirty minutes of waiting and not being able to be held by Rio. “What did I tell you” Agatha said as Nicky interrupted the interview. “It’s fine, we can keep it in!” said the interviewer who found the entire interaction cute. “Nicky, do you wanna tell something to the people?” Rio asked as she picked him up. “Hi!” Nicholas said as he waved to the camera which had the whole camera crew giggling and aweing at how cute they found the kid. “Is it ok if we do the rest of the interview with him? He won’t say anything, he just wants cuddles” Rio said as she let Nicholas hold onto her neck. “Of course! Now where were we, oh right! So I think it’s no shocker to everyone that family is important to you and especially now with the story within this book. Many have been speculating and wondering if you have gotten married yet and if so if that caused this big shift in your writing?” asked the interviewer who also couldn’t help but look over to Agatha as well. “Well, it’s true that my latest relationship has changed my views on many things but unfortunately we are not married. We are, however, engaged!” Rio exclaimed as she showed her ring. “Congrats! I hope you two have a wonderful wedding!” the interviewer said as she also looked over to Agatha. “Baby do you wanna add anything to this?” Rio asked, looking over to Agatha as well. The crew made sure to make fast work and grab a mic and chair for Agatha as well. “I, oh, uh. Well, we only recently got engaged. It was actually me who asked Rio to become my wife. We’ve only been together for a short period of time but it feels right. I love her so much and can’t see a future without her” Agatha said, looking over at Rio and kissing her on the cheek. “Honestly I haven’t felt so at peace with someone until I met Agatha. Honestly I never even thought of having kids until I met Agatha and now here we are raising a three year old together.” Rio said as she also made sure to kiss Nicholas’s head. “Many are praising your book for finally not doing a kill your gays trope for your two lesbian characters, do you have anything you want to add or tell the people about this?” the interviewer asked, looking at her notebook. “I think nowadays the message of dying lesbians and unhappy sapphic endings aren't exactly the best message to send out, especially to the youth. While this book focuses more on forming a family, I think it shows young sapphics that they can have a happy ending. That we can find happiness despite all our hardships” Rio said, looking over at Agatha and holding her hand. “Truly such a genius at your craft. Well that's all the questions we have here as we talk to Rio Vidal, author of the amazing new lesbian romance fiction, Coven of Chaos” the interviewer said, looking straight into the camera. The camera crew made quick work of tearing everything down and thanked Rio for letting them film in her store. Finally the couple were able to go back home and celebrate with their friends.

“Took you three long enough!” Alice shouted as she came to the door, already shoving a wine glass in Rio’s hand. “Perfect, now we can cut the cake!” Jen said, getting the cake out of the fridge. “Sorry, the interview took longer than we thought” Agatha said, picking up Nicholas. “Its fine, Jen and Alice are just upset because they didn't like the reading Lilia gave them” William said, going to greet the couple. “Alice we talked about this, you can’t blame Lilia for your results! Only yourself” Rio told them, hugging William. “She’s the one dealing the cards!” Alice yelled back at Rio, obviously semi drunk at this point. “Yes but it’s your reading not mine, I can’t control what they say” Lilia fought back, sipping her own wine glass. “Ok how about we just cut the cake?” Jen asked, placing the cake on the table. “I call dibs on cutting!” Rio said, reaching out for the knife. “Of course you want the knife,” Agatha said with a groan, bringing Nicholas closer to her. “Don’t complain, I know you find me hot with a knife” Rio told her with a wink, making the whole group groan. “Really? In front of your kid” William said jokingly, putting out the plates. 

After the small party was over Agatha and Rio were laying in bed, cuddling and telling each other words of affirmation. “My love?” Rio asked, kissing Agatha's shoulder. “Hmm?” Agatha questioned, propping herself up on her elbow. “Marry me?”Rio questioned, looking up at her. “We're already getting married” Agatha told her, giggling and kissing her lips. “I know but I wanna hurry up and be your wife already” Rio told her, putting her arms around her tighter. “Mmm we have so much to plan” Agatha said with a huff, threading a hand in her hair. “I know, once I'm done with all the press from the book we can plan everything we need” Rio told her, leaning up to kiss her lips. “I'm still so proud of you. I'm so happy you're getting the recognition you deserve, “ Agatha said, kissing Rio’s crown. “Thank you baby. I couldn't do it without you” Rio replied, smiling up at Agatha. “I was thinking too,” Agatha said, looking away from Rio. “What is it my love?” Rio asked, propping herself up to really look at Agatha. “Well I was thinking, how would you feel about adopting Nicky?” Agatha asked, still avoiding eye contact. Rio had tears form almost immediately, she reached out for Agatha’s hands and basically made Agatha look at her. “I would love nothing more. I want nothing more but for that boy to be considered my son” Rio told her, trying not to full on cry. “And I would love nothing more than to see you be his mother” Agatha replied, tears forming in her eyes as well. “Thank you, thank you for letting me be in your family. I love you Agatha” Rio told her, hugging her as hard as she could. “I want nothing more than for you to be a part of us. I love you too, Rio. Now hurry up and marry me already” Agatha said with a teary chuckle. “God I hope the press tour ends soon” Rio said, giggling and kissing Agatha's cheeks. 

[sexy-monster-fucker]

👉 👈 🥺 for the pining prompts, what about number 8 with lee russell? (i love the way you write him!!)

yes yes yes!!! Also thank you so much I’m glad you like the way I write for him :))))

Lee Russell x Teacher!Reader

#8: Glances that linger on longer than intended.

also @dichromaniac you're a saint for making this GIF I am in love

~~~

Smitten. Completely head over hills. Practically floating on a cloud of blushed cheeks and awkward laughs every time you were together. Butterflies levitating you above.

You had transferred from a different school to take over the science teacher position at North Jackson High.

That was when it started.

Being guided around the building by one of the Vice Principals, Lee Russell. Tall, eccentric, and extremely handsome. Starting off your interaction with a compliment.

“Nothing would make me happier than showing a beautiful new thing like you around,” Lee grinned from ear to ear as he placed his hands on his hips. You could not deny the heat that rose to your cheeks with his words.

You followed him around the school. Stopping at showing you all the important parts of North Jackson High School. Cracking a joke or two along the way. Showing you your classroom with the lab connected. Admiring how much space you were given. Ending your tour in Lee's office.

"And this is the most important place in the whole building. My office. If you ever need anything done, or just want to spend a little time with me," he winked, "Right here is the place for you, my dear!"

"You really are the sweetest, Mr. Russell," you swooned.

Catching the attention of Neal Gamby from the hallway.

“Lee Russell, you fake ass bitch,” Gamby laughed. You saw Lee's face turn a shade of red you had not yet seen. His teeth clanked together as he bared his teeth at his coworker. "You've got this poor girl convinced you're some sweet guy. Hah! Please, you are an a-grade liar, Mr. Russell," Gamby cackled.

"Shut the fuck up, Gamby!" Lee rose to his feet fast. Catching you off guard with the sudden attitude change. Not bothered by it, just a little surprised.

Lee’s eyes darted back down to you, noting the way your brows pushed together at his demeanor. Softening his stiff shoulders and putting on a smile as to not scare you away. “Sorry about that, sugar. Sometimes I lose my temper,” he smiled at you.

“Sometimes?” Gamby began again.

“Get out of here!” Lee pointed.

Gamby stomped his foot like a child before leaving the two of you alone. Slamming Lee’s door behind him. Both of you exhaling in relief.

“So,” Lee questioned, “Got anything else you need to know?”

…

A few weeks had passed and you were growing into the rhythm of North Jackson High School. The utter lack of professionalism from your coworkers was your hardest adjustment. Your fellow teachers attempting to welcome you in at their lunch table, but finding yourself not enjoying the conversations. Unable to stop thinking about Lee. Anytime he was in the room your full attention was on him. Admiring the eccentric ways he dressed, the frosted tips of his hair, and how he let no one get off easily.

Since you had started, Lee would often visit you at the end of the day. Coming by your classroom to check on how things were going. Making sure you were comfortable. You adored his visits.

But as you got later in the year, Lee’s attention had gone elsewhere. Not stopping by as often. Having more important principal responsibilities to tend to. You did not mind, you just missed him.

No matter. You still had his attention. It had become a tradition now. When either of you walked down the hallway at the same time, you could not take your eyes off each other. Not often did you find yourself in the hallway at the same time, but when you did…

You walked from opposite sides of hallway. Unable to look away as soon as you caught each other’s eyes. Time slowed. Hazel eyes locked into yours. Body still moving with the motions of hallway traffic, but your attention was his. Watching as a closed mouth smile crept across his face, cheeks turning pink. Feeling like a teenager bumping into her crush in between classes all over again. If you could capture a moment in time, it was this. Mutual exchange of longing looks. A silent understanding that you shared feelings. Smiling brightly as you finally got close enough to each other to pass in the hall. Both of you turning your heads to keep your eye contact going.

Heart fluttering in your chest. Hand going up to grip at your shirt over it. Thinking that maybe it would calm the feeling down. You hurried back to your classroom. Waiting for your next class to join you. Mind running wild at the moment you had just shared.

Later that day…

You sat at your desk grading papers. The end of day announcements had just finished over the intercom. Getting slightly flustered when Lee’s voice took over your class room. Unable to forget how his eyes fixated on you so often. Waving off one of the lingering students in the hallway when you heard a familiar southern drawl.

“Why the hell are you hanging around Miss Y/L/N’s room? Boy, it’s late in the day, get out of here,” Lee’s sass hissed off his tongue at the student.

Arm resting on your door frame now. Bright white teeth meeting your gaze. Your cheeks bright with your crush for him.

“Hi, Mr. Russell,” you smiled ear to ear.

“Oh, call me Lee, sweetheart. No need for you to be that formal with me,” he continued his smile as he entered your classroom. Closing the door behind him. Nonchalantly touching some of the things that decorated your classroom as he closed in on your desk. Large hands splayed out on it in front of you.

“So, what’s a young thing like you doing tonight?”

Your body radiated heat. Stuttering and stammering awkward noises. “N-Nothing. I live alone and don’t know many people,” you awkwardly laughed.

“I wanna take you on a date,” Lee was so straight forward. Butterflies danced in your stomach.

“Really?”

“Absolutely. You’re beautiful and I want to get to know you better. We can’t just keep eye-fucking each other in the hallway,” he laughed.

You grinned. Flustered at his proposal. Giddy like a young girl getting asked to prom. Unable to believe he really was that interested in you.

“I’d love to, Lee.”

~

{tags}

@boydcrowderapologist ~ @toogaytofunctiondangit ~ @megangovier ~ @justme12200 ~ @castle-of-ruin ~ @its-in-the-woods ~ @itsyellow ~ @hiddlebatchedloki ~ @iwmflbb

[mikimakiboo]

I was wondering if you were doing anything for/with the apple incident. Since it would be like, a clarifying moment for the guys in the tt gang. Like that’s why he’s jumpy and scared all the time. That’s why he was so rude and scared. That’s why he stopped talking to them, he thought they would be aggressive and violent. The servants could think he was cursed by the devil, or a witch or smth. Till it reached a high note, then him and Dream slowly reconciled and reconnect. Then night just starts pouring his soul out with him bc he’s so lonely and scared.

My time to shine and ramblllleeeeeee

Btw since you asked something about my AU just assume I'm in love with you, okay ? I'm your wife now /jk

As you can imagine the answer will contain spoilers regarding Nightmare's backstory SO I'm putting it under the cut :D

So regarding the apple incident, whenever I make AUs including Nightmare he is always corrupted, however the tree of feelings doesn't always fit the narrative, like in Time Travelers AU where Nightmare was born and lives as a noble in the 17th century and not 500 years ago as a guardian

So since there isn't any tree of feelings there isn't any apples either so there technically can't be an apple incident

So that's when the second scenario comes in handy: magic overdose :D

Basically at the age of six Nightmare's magic starts to grow a little too much, he would often choke on a black goop that would form in his soul and go in his throat for him to throw up, and it's a long and painful transformation, I'm talking about years here, from his six years old to his ten years old his magic would slowly overwhelm his soul more and more, come out of the joints, mouth, nose, eyesockets, he would choke and develop quite severe chronic pains until he's eventually covered in goop just like his original corrupted self

One good thing with that scenario is that it allows me to give him a softer personality as he wasn't exactly corrupted, his magic just got messed up, but he's still the same person as his passive self

Now, as Nightmare is living in a very religious time, everyone thought that his messed up magic and black goop was due to some demon possession or that he was cursed by either God, Satan, or any other divine force, and so Nightmare had to go through a lot of exorcisms, lots of different covens but of course none of it worked

He was always insulted and looked down upon as he was seen like a curse by himself: his father died young (when Dream and him were babies), his mother died young too (when they were young adult) and everyone blamed him and his mere existence for it and every other bad thing that happened to other people he ever talked to or looked their way

His own mother, Nim, was part of the people insulting him, by telling him that he was her biggest failure and she should have left him in a coven if only Dream didn't insist so much to keep him

So yeah Nightmare doesn't really think very high of himself and is fully focused on being as good as he can so hopefully people won't see him as a curse anymore

Dream was actually the only one to never turn his back on him, even when they were in different covens/schools (nobles were placed in special schools from 10yo to 18yo, very strict, they had to speak Latin too so that's why Nightmare is fluent) he would always send him letters, so their relationship never got too bad, Nightmare did have a period when he didn't respond to the letters but he never felt resentment or anything toward his twin because he was actually his only friend, so when they were back home together when they got out at 18 they actually became even closer because Dream was really the only one who would listen to him and genuinely love him

So yeah the two brothers are inseparable and rely very much on each other, Nightmare tells everything to Dream and Dream also talks about anything and everything with Nightmare

Now regarding the tt gang, when they learnt about the backstory they did assemble some pieces regarding Nightmare's behavior

Because his obsession with being perfect and not mixing with them, hardly talking to them and keeping his perfect noble image is actually trauma response after years of being talked down and seen as God's mistake, so now he has to appear perfect at all time so he won't have troubles anymore without realizing that this image hurts him too as he bottles up everything he feels and do not act like himself AT ALL

So yeah the backtory do make them understand his behavior better and they do feel very bad for him because obviously it wasn't his fault, he was only a child who should have gone to the doctor to have some magic drained out instead of being exorcized every two days and treated like shit

They'll eventually work through the trauma together

Hope that answers your question :D

[illusionremember]

I graduated high school in California in 2008. I remember what it was like being a queer kid back then. For the most part? Don't Ask Don't Tell wasn't just a military policy. There were a few people open about it, but not like it is today.

I remember platonically holding hands with a friend, and a group of girls staring at us like we were a disgusting bug in junior high, 2004. I remember dropping her hand. I wish I hadn't. But I remember hearing one of those girls behind us saying "that's disgusting!" and feeling shame - not for holding her hand, but for letting go, for saying nothing.

I remember evangelists protesting in front of our school with no prompting or cause aside from trying to terrorize children. They carried signs that told us we would burn in hell.

But I also remember subtly watching two girls slow-dance at homecoming, wishing them nothing but love and light, and feeling horrible for scaring them when they noticed me watching and got visibly uncomfortable. I wish I'd been able to reassure them that I was so so happy for them, and proud of their courage.

I remember walking to the mall after school holding hands with my girlfriend, and a couple of kids behind us saying "AWW!" and "KISS HER! KISS HER!" and cheering when we complied. I can still remember the warmth and delight and openness they showed us.

I remember participating in a Day of Silence, in support of queer voices that had been silent, alongside so many classmates, and those who didn't participate, were largely curious and open.

Those protesters with their hateful picket signs? I remember a swarm of kids from the school arguing with them, questioning their logic, laughing at them.

I remember the one and only openly trans person at our school, watching them go from tomboy to openly presenting as male. He's in my senior yearbook, wearing the boys' suit for their formal senior photo. I was so happy for him. He looks so confident and happy.

I think kids today - especially today - don't realize just how much we have been able to change in such a short span of time. That was in 2008. It was a transitionary phase for the queer community. We were stepping slowly out of scorn and shadow and into the open room we have now. We were opening the closet door, but our hands were still on the knob.

Within a few years we had legalized gay marriage. We have had successful trials to cure HIV. People openly have conversations about pronouns, microlabels, and other nuances of identity. Being transgender or queer is something that people explore openly and proudly and loudly now. We are standing outside of the closet.

I am only 34 now.

Things are changing. It was not long ago at all that things were different. In some places, there are still some people still keeping the safety and sanctity of the closet. But we're having the conversation on both sides of the closet door now.

Keep holding on. Keep moving forward. Keep opening your arms to each other. Keep holding out a hand for the people in line behind you. Keep shielding each other. Keep fighting. Keep believing that we will make it better. We already have.

[baura-bear]

Crying but idk why

[hella1975]

the closest ill ever get to being a pick me girl is the joy that fills me when the chefs at work so clearly favouritise me. like im there nicely cleaned up in my smart-casual uniform just a 20 year old waitress smiling my customer service smile and behind me spawns Scary Dog Privilege 10x in the form of several burly middle-aged chefs at least three of which have criminal records and would all stick a bread knife in someone for bothering me

[problemcore]

been real cloudy here, without any rain