#and i have a 15 hour shift ahead of me.... but i can do it. it really is not that difficult of a job especially on the weekends

[minhmynchi]

spell of your shift goes super painless easy smoothly and you get to rest well after and they dont do this to you again 😤 and that whatever you draw or write next is lots of fun and so satisfying <3

thank you 😭 that means a lot waahh when i saw this i almost cried again waghgh i'll most definitely be doodling something today to make the time go by so i'll make sure its something good to me hehe

[evie-sturns]

ᴀʟᴏɴᴇ - ᴍᴀᴛᴛ ꜱᴛᴜʀɴɪᴏʟᴏ

summary: you're staying at your best friend's house, the sturniolos, for the weekend, until one night you can't sleep, so you decide to go for a dip in the hot tub.. but matt's already there.

contains: smut, virgin!matt, teasing, hot tub sex, semi-public?

----------------------∘°∘♡∘°∘∘ ∘°∘♡∘°∘--------------------

i roll over in bed, the clock on the wall reads, 11:57pm. i've been lying here for 3 hours with my eyes shut, but im too energised, i mean, the sturniolos and i have had a crazy few days, resulting in me staying the weekend.

i hoist myself up out of bed, flicking on the lamp as i dig through my tote bag for a small bikini, afterall its almost midnight, none of them would be in the hot tub at this time.

i open my bedroom door, tiptoeing past chris, nick and matts room down the stairs.

i creak open the backdoor, stepping out into the icy air which hits my barely covered body. i turn the corner to the hottub,

matt's sitting inside, his head tilted back, his eyes shut.

hes shirtless, wearing nothing but swim shorts. he doesnt notice me yet, but im just kind of.. admiring him?

the way he looks tonight is just different, ive known him for a few years but ive never felt like this towards him.

"matt?" i ask softly, being careful not startle him.

his eyes open slowly, looking up at me.

his cheeks instantly flush red, he opens his mouth to speak but nothing comes out. "can i come.. in?" i ask, my eyebrows furrowing as matt just looks me up and down.

he quickly runs a hand through his hair before nodding "yeah yeah!" he says frantically.

i climb in next to him, matt just looks straight ahead. "are you alright?" i ask, adjusting the strap to my bikini top.

-

we've been talking and laughing for about 15 minutes, matt's still been nervous.

"and my friend, lana, she went for a job interview and came out of it with the job all because she blowed the manager off" i laugh, my straps accidentally slipping down again teasingly.

matt looks down at his lap before shifting uncomfortably, he clears his throat. my eyes dart down, its hard to see through the water, but matts got an obvious tent in his shorts.

"im sorry.." matt mumbles out in a whisper.

"why do ya think thats happened?" i ask casually, my hand dipping underwater and grazing his thigh.

matt stays silent, he looks horrified with himself.

"im so sorry just give me five minutes in the bathroom i can come right back-" matt rambles but i cut him off but straddling his lap.

matts breath hitches in his throat "oh-"

"do you think you got hard from.. me?" i say seductively, looking down at him.

"i'm sorry." matt says, his eyes fixated on my chest.

"was it from.. these straps?" i say, pulling down the straps on my bikini.

matt nods nervously,

"you can take them off if you want, i mean we are alone." i whisper.

matt reaches his hand out from the hot water, pulling off my bikini top, his tongue slides out of his mouth to dampen his lips as his cheeks go a dark red.

"why are you so scared matt, its not like youve never seen tits before" i joke, but matt tenses under me.

"matt..?" i say, dragging out the 'a'.

"uh.. i'm a virgin so.." matt says, his voice barely audible.

my eyebrows raise, a silence fills the night air.

"i know, we don't have to do anything.. i dont want to make you.. teach me?" matt rambles again, i cup his cheeks and pull him into a gentle kiss, shutting him up.

"you ramble when you're nervous.." i say, toying with the strings of his shorts, i get off his lap and sit next to him. the water is still and clear, illuminated by a blue led light.

i tug at the waistband of his shorts, revealing a small section of his base.

"oh fuck." matt quietly whimpers out.

“i’ll take it gently okay?” i assure him before pulling down his swim shorts,

i never knew matt was this big.

my cheeks flush as i climb back onto his lap, sitting just on his thighs as his dick rests on my stomach. i put my hands on matt’s damp shoulders before hovering just above his tip.

“please..” matt says, his voice hoarse

“please what?” i tease, pulling off my small bikini bottoms and discarding them somewhere in the water.

matt grips my waist, his hands firm against my skin. “please ride me..” matt says, clearly embarrassed.

i slowly sink down onto him, the warm water sloshing around us. matt’s grip on my waist tightens as he lets out pathetic noises.

“you- you okay?” i ask, burying my head on his shoulder as i slowly start to bounce up and down.

“i’m-..” matt struggles to speak, i let out a soft laugh.

“you don’t have to answer now sweetheart.” i whisper into his hair, picking up the pace.

it’s only been a few minutes, but i can tell matt’s close, his fingers are digging into me so harshly i know i’ll have bruises tomorrow.

his groans fill the night air, along with small splashes coming from the water. i clench around him, “i’m so close..” i warn, the knot in my stomach snaps as i orgasm around him, i feel matt tense so i quickly pull off of him, stroking him as he paints my hands with white.

“oh my god.. fuck” matt says, squeezing his eyes shut, he reaches out a hand and grabs my shoulder for support.

i run my thumb over his already sensitive tip, earning a gentle moan from matt. i pull up his swim shorts slowly.

“shit..” matt says, his eyes peeling open slowly.

“you okay?” i ask again, tying up my bikini.

“i’m-.. really good?” matt says, rubbing his eyes.

-

after a few minutes of talking and joking around, i stand up, climbing out of the hot tub onto the cold deck.

“same time tomorrow?” i smile jokingly back at matt.

----------------------∘°∘♡∘°∘∘ ∘°∘♡∘°∘--------------------

was a full task to bring myself to finish this 😭😭 hope y’all like it though

I also genuinely can’t tell if it chris or matt in the first picture by the title, but you get the point

[snowysosturn]

Speeding Car -Matt Sturniolo Part 6

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 Part 24 Part 25 Part 26 Part 27 Part 28 Part 29

Pairing : y/n x Matt Sturniolo

Summary : After six years with your boyfriend Alex, you start to mentally check out. At a UCLA party, Alex reconnects with his childhood friend Emily, who proposes a double date with her boyfriend Matt. Your attraction to Matt grows as he pays you the first real attention you've had in years, sparking a complicated emotional journey.

Warnings : MDNI, swearing, unhappy relationship, disappointment, angst

Returning to the apartment, I noticed a Dior purse left on the coffee table in the living room.

“Shit, Emily must have left it behind” I think to myself. I reach for my phone to throw her a quick text to see if they wanted to turn around and come get it. I put in my passcode but my phone lags, powering off completely. I take it for what it is, maybe it’s just a situation I need to leave alone. Alex can get it back to her somehow.

I got myself a glass of water and took myself to bed. I slipped in beside Alex and gave him a kiss on the forehead, every memory of when things were good flashed through my brain. How can I get it to be like that again? I turned on my side and went to sleep.

My alarm went off at the crack of dawn, and I rolled out of bed, careful not to wake Alex. He had a long day ahead and I knew he needed his rest for training. I threw on my Target uniform, grabbed a quick breakfast, and left a note for Alex on the fridge: "Have a great day! See you tonight. xx."

Work was the usual grind, but having Jess on shift with me made it that much easier. During our break, we sat in the staffroom, sipping lukewarm coffee.

"God, I am so bored with my life right now," Jess said, sighing dramatically. "Same old routine, day in and day out."

I nodded, feeling a twinge of agreement. "Tell me about it. I feel like I’m constantly stuck in a rut."

Jess perked up, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Why don’t you come out with me tonight? There's this new nightclub in downtown LA. It’ll be fun! Something spontaneous to break the monotony."

I hesitated. "It’s a Tuesday, Jess. I need to have dinner ready for Alex when he gets home from training. Maybe another time?"

She rolled her eyes playfully. "You’re such a good girlfriend. But seriously, you deserve a break too. You’re 23 not 73, live a little!"

I shrugged, trying to push away the nagging feeling that I was missing out. "Maybe you’re right. But tonight, I think I’m going to try and do something special with Alex. They don’t have games coming up straight away, so training shouldn’t be too intense."

Jess gave me an encouraging smile. "That sounds nice, offer still stands even if you change your mind!”

As the hours of my shift passed, I decided to take the initiative. After all, seeing Matt so happy with Emily had reminded me of what I wanted, what I needed, with Alex. I went into the staff bathrooms and shot Alex a quick message: "Hey, how about we go bowling tonight? I thought it’d be fun to do something together."

Surprisingly, he replied almost immediately: "Sure, sounds fun! Let’s do it."

I felt a small spark of hope. Maybe this was a sign to focus on our relationship, to reignite the spark that had been fading. Determined to make the evening special, I planned to cook Alex’s favorite meal and set the table nicely. I wanted everything to be perfect.

After my shift, I rushed home, picking up everything I needed. Once in the kitchen, I meticulously prepared the meal, arranging the table with candles and our best dinnerware. By the time everything was ready, I felt a sense of accomplishment. Tonight would be great, I was sure of it.

Just as I finished setting the last plate, my phone buzzed. I glanced at the screen, expecting a message from Alex letting me know he was on his way. Instead, my heart sank as I read his text: "Hey, got some news! I got promoted to captain of the football team! Going to celebrate with the boys tonight. I’ll make it up to you, I promise."

The excitement and anticipation I had felt all day drained away in an instant, replaced by a heavy weight in my chest. I stared at the beautifully set table, the meal I had prepared with such care, and felt a lump form in my throat. This was supposed to be our night.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. "Congratulations Al!" I typed back. "That’s amazing news. Enjoy your celebration. I love you!”

But the words felt hollow. I knew Alex meant well, and his promotion was a big deal, but it still hurt. Tonight was supposed to be about us, and now I was left alone again.

I blew out the candles and put away the dinnerware, wrapping up the meal to save for another night. As I cleaned up, I couldn’t help but think about Matt and Emily again. Seeing them together had made me want to work harder on my relationship with Alex, but now I wondered if it was even worth it. Did he still care as much as I did? Or was I just fooling myself?

I sat down on the couch, the apartment eerily quiet. Maybe Jess was right, I did deserve a break. But for tonight, I’d settle for a glass of wine and a good cry.

Matt’s POV

I was in the kitchen, opening the fridge to get a roorbeer when Emily’s phone buzzed with a message. She picked it up, her eyes lighting up as she read it.

“What’s up?” I asked, leaning against the counter.

“It’s Alex,” she said, a smile spreading across her face. “He just got promoted to captain of the football team and a few people from our class are going out to celebrate tonight.”

I nodded, feeling a mix of emotions. “That’s great news. You should go and celebrate with them. I can give you a ride to downtown LA.”

Emily’s fingers flew over her phone, sending a quick message. “I just text y/n to see if she’s going too and what she’s wearing,” she said, glancing up at me.

I wondered if she’d be going out tonight, too. Emily tried calling her, but there was no answer. She frowned, looking slightly irritated.

“She’s not picking up. I need my Dior purse for tonight. I left it at her place yesterday.”

“I can go get it for you, if you want” I offered, hoping to make things easier.

Emily smiled, leaning in to kiss my cheek. “You’re the best. Thanks, babe.”

I grabbed my keys and headed out. The drive to her apartment was quick, but my mind was racing with thoughts about Emily and our relationship. I loved her, but lately, things had been rough. Her behavior at the party had been a stark reminder of the cracks in our foundation. And the breakdown remains of our fallout of the party were just swept into the cracks. Nothing was cemented again.

When I arrived at the apartment, I hesitated for a moment before knocking. The door opened, and there she was. Immediately, I could see she had been crying. Her eyes were red, and she looked surprised to see me.

“Hey,” I said softly, my concern genuine. “Emily sent me over to get her Dior purse. Are you okay?”

She forced a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just a rough day.”

I nodded, not wanting to push her. “Do you need to talk about it?”

She shook her head. “No, it’s okay. I’ll get the purse. Hold on.”

She disappeared inside, and I stood there, feeling an overwhelming urge to comfort her. When she returned, she handed me the purse, her hands trembling slightly.

“Thanks,” I said, taking it from her. “If you need anything, you know you can call me, right?”

She nodded, her eyes meeting mine briefly before looking away. “Yeah, thanks, Matt.”

I hesitated, not wanting to leave her like this. “You sure you’re okay?”

She sighed, leaning against the doorframe. “I’m sure, thank you Matt”

I gave her a reassuring smile. She nodded, and I turned to leave, feeling a heavy weight in my chest. I couldn’t understand why she was so upset when her boyfriend was out celebrating. It made me question why she wasn’t out too. I couldn’t shake the image of her tear streaked face. It wasn’t right that she was feeling this way, and I wasn’t okay with the fact I was aware of it.

When I got back home, Emily was getting ready, her excitement through the roof. She turned to me, holding up a dress. “How do I look?”

“Beautiful,” I said, though my thoughts were still with the girl I had just left behind. “Are you sure y/n’s not coming? She didn’t say much when I was there.”

Emily checked her phone. “No response yet. I hope she does, though. It’d be fun to have her there.”

I nodded, trying to push my concerns aside. Tonight was supposed to be a celebration, but all I could think about was the girl who was left behind.

After dropping Emily off in downtown LA, I watched her hurry off to meet Alex and their classmates. But as I drove away, the knot in my stomach tightened. I couldn't stop thinking about the tears in y/n’s eyes earlier, the sadness in her voice trying to convince me everything was okay. It didn’t sit right with me, leaving her like that. I sighed, making a U-turn and heading back to her apartment. Something was wrong, and I wasn’t going to let her spend the night alone, wallowing in whatever had upset her..

a/n: things are starting to happeeeeen…i have started on part 7 last night, still on holiday and heading to LA tomorrow for a few days so i’ll try my best to update asap

taglist : @muwapsturniolo @anitahunt @sturnfannn @jayde510 @chrissfavhoe @babyalliah-777 @v33angel @urmom69lol @willowrites @ribread03 @2muchofaslvt @sturnsaver @sleepysturniolo @jcsturniolo11 @jessie-essie @immattsslut @mynbbys @sturniolopanini @mattsturnxoxo @delicatechrry @t77te @sturnsyaper69

[akaakeis]

CONGRATS ON 100 FOLLOWERS SAV!!!!! YOU DESERVE IT AND SO MUCH MORE!

for the event!! Which is super cool btw!

im going to the neighbours room with a knife... taking a special mixtape and sheet music w/ me..... and ofc I'll bring my baby nishinoya !!!

for the song.. if i have 2 choose.. hmmm....... rollerskates by end of the world !!! or peach eyes by w2e!!

midnight skates — nishinoya y.

cw: none? i think? but not proofread  ||  wc: 671

— for my dear @laughingfcx <3  ||  event

🎶 — rollerskates - end of the world

the night felt uncomfortable and sticky, the remains of summer still hanging over the weather. your room felt much too hot and humid to fall asleep in. all you did for about an hour was toss and turn, shifting pillows to the side, blankets, everything, in an attempt to be able to fall asleep. for once in a long time, you had decided to fall asleep early, and now you weren't even able to fall asleep. rich, wasn't it?

with extreme frustration, you threw yourself out of bed, groaning. it's not like you can go out to the living room and watch tv or eat something— that would risk waking someone up. doing the only think that you knew you could do, you picked up your phone. the bright screen cast a blueish-white light onto your face. your eyes browse the apps on your home screen until you find the little messages app icon. you click on noya's profile, typing out a message reading "i can't sleep :("

after a couple beats of silence, you see the typing bubble at the bottom left of your screen as he types out a reply to you. the message comes back through to you, reading "sorry love :( we can stay up together then." the message makes a small smile creep onto your face. he was so sweet.

your fingers tap at the screen, and you hit the send button, writing a text that says "meet me at the park with your roller skates instead." he immediately replied back to you, saying "see you in 5."

with that done, you slipped on a hoodie and grabbed your own roller skates, quietly moving about the house. it'd be so bad if you'd woken someone up right now. you creep out of the house, shutting the door as softly as possible, lacing up your roller skates on as you sit on the porch. finally tying them, you roll off to the park excitedly. your pajama pants flutter behind you, clinging to your legs as you skate on, full speed ahead.

by the time you make it to the park, noya is already skating around, waiting for you. subconsciously, you start to smile. his hair is all down and he's in his pajamas. he looks so precious this way. 

"yuu," you call out to him. he turns around, smiling widely. he waves at you, skating over happily.

"hey." he skids to a stop, engulfing you in a hug. "you alright? why couldn't you sleep?"

"yeah, i'm fine," you laugh, "it's nothing, just too humid." you hug him back, squeezing him really hard. "i missed you."

he smiles, burying his face into your hair. "missed you too! c'mon, let's skate." after saying that, he lets go of you, grabbing your hand and pulling you off into the park.

you snort, following him as you struggle to keep up. "wait up, wait up!" you laugh, trying to use your body weight to slow him down. you're practically just rolling behind him. 

"keep up!" he exclaims, swinging you in front of him. you're now rolling backwards as he holds onto your hand.

"oh my gosh." you let go of his hand in amusement. "hey, let's race? i get a head start-!" you immediately speed off, trying to get as far as possible before noya starts catching up.

"oh you're sneaky," he says amusedly, skating after you. after only 15 seconds, he's caught up to you, wrapping his arms around your waist. "boo!"

you gasp, startled by the sudden embrace. "what the heck," you laugh. "yuu, you're so fast, it's seriously annoying."

"i'm just better than you," he teases. "wanna try again, then?"

you roll your eyes. this wasn't a battle worth fighting— you knew you'd lose if you raced him again. that's fine by you; you love him.

the night was filled with giggles and the whir of both of your skates' wheels. you spent the night spinning around the park with yuu. who needed sleep when he was there, after all?

a/n :

THANK YOU LINA!! this is was so fun to write <33 first request down!! ugh i love noya sm :(

[barbieaiden]

1. [A month ago]

2. Jordan: Hey, Sam. How are you holding up?

3. Jordan: ...I brought you coffee.

Sam: Thank you.

4. Jordan: Do you want to go home for the night? Sleep in your own bed? I could drive you home, pick you up on my way to work tomorrow.

Sam: I think I'll stay here.

Jordan: Alright.

5. Sam: I keep thinking... [Sigh] It's so stupid.

Jordan: Go on.

Sam: I keep thinking I should call Aiden. So he can help. But obviously I can't, because... I just... I don't know what to do. Nothing feels real. It's been two days and it feels like ten years.

6. Jordan: The waiting is the worst part. I waited for my mom's death for months. You can't cope when you don't know what you're coping with.

Sam: Months?

Jordan: She wasn't in a coma, just terminally ill. For all we know Aiden might wake up tomorrow.

Sam: Or die.

7. Jordan: As much as I wish I could I can't tell you that he's going to be fine. And I can't replace him, obviously, but I am here if you need anything.

8. Sam: Thank you.

10. Aiden: Jordan, you can't tell me you spent a whole day with a man you're not interested in. That is not friends with benefits, that's practically married.

11. Kell: I'd tell you and Zach to get a room but you already have, like, a million fucking times.

Jordan: What I'm getting from this conversation is that neither of you have ever had any friends.

Aiden: It's true. The only man I've ever spent time with is Sam.

12. Jordan: Even if I wanted to I don't have time for a relationship.

Kell: Dude, you are literally already spending, like, all your free time with him.

Aiden: If you and Zach get engaged we can have a double wedding!

Lucas: You should become a tattoo artist instead, Jordan. No 55 hour shifts and you still get to stab people with needles.

Jordan: I happen to like my job.

Lucas: You complain about it every single time I see you.

Jordan: I find your obsession with needles slightly disturbing.

Lucas: I guess I like the artistic part too.

Aiden: That's why I let Michael do all my piercings.

Lucas: I'm such...

15. Aiden: Sam?

16. Aiden: Are you okay?

Sam: Mhm.

Aiden: Are you sure?

Sam: Just... tired.

Aiden: We can go home if you want to.

Sam: It's fine.

Aiden: I wouldn't mind.

Sam: Really, Aiden, it's fine.

18. Kell: You two are literally worse than that one high school couple making out in the corridors.

19. Aiden: You can't say that, that's so homophobic.

Kell: Your dad didn't think I was very homophobic.

Aiden: [Exaggerated gasp] Kell!

Kell: Too far?

Aiden: No, Kell, by all means, if you want to go over to Nettlefield right now and have sex with my actually homophobic father, go right ahead.

Kell: Dude. I'm sorry, okay?

20. Kell: Find something to eat with me? Please?

Aiden: Sure.

Kell: Sam, don't look at me like that, we're not going to smoke weed.

Sam: That was not my issue with this conversation and you saying that unprompted makes me think you are going to smoke weed.

Aiden: I've never even seen weed. Drugs are bad, or whatever. And so illegal.

Kell: Exactly. We're law-abiding citizens.

21. Aiden: Seriously. No weed. Promise.

Sam: Okay.

22. Aiden: Are you sure you're okay?

Sam: Yes, Aiden.

Aiden: Just... tell me if you want to go home. Okay?

Sam: I will.

[adviceformefromme]

If you want to step into that let’s-fucking-go energy and eat this week alive then here’s a few steps to activate that fire in your belly so you’re heated, motivated and fuelled for a winning week ahead. 

1] Listen to some motivation. Literally 10 mins while you’re making your breakfast, walking the dog, even in the shower. Go play something positive to get your mind activated. I recommend P Diddy (I listened to this today), Old Kanye West, Gary V, Chanel Ritchie, Eric Thomas, Jim Rohn, Joe Rogan, but find someone who speaks to your soul and gives you that let’s-fucking-go motivation. 

2] Get a list together so you can stab through those tasks. Write the time it will take to do each one, so you can see how easy it is to achieve what you need to in a short amount of time. For example a 10 min YouTube meditation. 5 mins writing goals, 15 mins breakfast, 10 mins quick shower and get dressed, 15 mins yoga stretches. In under an hour you could have achieved so much.. see how quantifying your schedule shifts things? 

3] Focus on your move-the-needle tasks as an absolute PRIORTY. This is the task that is above everything else. That is going to get you to where you want to be. For example if you want to write a book, or become a content creator. Literally DO the thing that is going to move you forward TODAY. And the sooner in the day you get it done the better. 

These are some simple things that have been helping me. Since I quit scrolling and moved into action I feel more energised, more present and overall more happy. Gone are the days I feel shit for not doing what I promised myself.

[steddieas-shegoes]

this place is such great motivation for anyone trying to move the fuck away from hibernation

chapter 1: before also on AO3 based on this post Rated E for future chapters

���🧰🧰🧰🧰🧰🧰🧰🧰🧰🧰🧰🧰🧰🧰🧰

Nobody thought he could do it, but he did.

He graduated.

He was gonna get out of here.

He was gonna be someone.

The woman he celebrated with reminded him of Steve. He couldn’t lie to himself about it, knew the exact reasons he’d let her flirt with him, let her touch his arm, let her kiss him against the wall of the hallway of the bar leading to the bathrooms.

She was beautiful, of course, her hair a golden brown, eyes a soft brown. She had freckles along her cheeks and one on the tip of her nose.

Easily kissable if he were looking for more than one night.

He couldn’t give her that.

But he didn’t get the idea that she was interested in more than that anyway.

The back of the van was the perfect place to fuck her, and the fact that she didn’t really seem disgusted or annoyed by it further proved that she wasn’t interested in anything beyond tonight with him.

She was good, liked it a little rough, kissed him like she needed his lips on hers to survive.

Eddie was lost in it, not drunk enough to realize they’d forgotten to use a condom, but drunk enough to ignore it.

She was probably on birth control anyway.

It wouldn’t be anything more than tonight.

————————————————————

“Eds, I’m sorry about this, but they called me in for a shift. They’re pretty short staffed lately, so I think I should go,” Wayne said while Eddie was putting on his coveralls for work.

He was bouncing Mia on his hip, smiling down at her as he spoke to Eddie from the bathroom doorway.

“No, I get it,” Eddie replied.

He did. He totally understood.

When Mia’s mom had shown up with her on his doorstep, hospital bracelets still on them both, he’d already felt the shift of his entire life.

There was no denying Mia was his, even at only three days old.

So he held her in his arms, and he cried until Wayne got home from work, and then they figured it out.

He owed Wayne so much even before Mia, but now, as her number one caretaker, he owed Wayne everything.

So, yeah, he understood.

But it didn’t negate the fact that he was now going to have to take her to work with him on a day that the secretary wouldn’t be in to help keep an eye on her.

She was at the age where crawling could happen any day, and she was antsy if she was held for too long or stuck in her car seat or pack and play for more than 15 minutes.

But the shop was no place for a baby to learn to crawl, and that meant keeping her contained in something while he worked his Saturday shift.

“I don’t have to go in for a couple hours, so I could keep her here and drop her off on my way?” Wayne offered, knowing Eddie’s brain was trying to figure everything out.

“No, I may be in the middle of something when you get there so it’d be easier to just go ahead and have her there,” Eddie sighed. “Is her bounce seat in the truck?”

“I can check.”

Wayne passed her off to him, kissing the top of her head before he walked out to the truck.

“Hey, superstar. You wanna come to work with Daddy?” Eddie asked, laughing when she giggled and smacked his face in excitement. “Guess that’s a yes. You gonna behave or are you gonna cause trouble?”

“Ba!” Mia yelled, smacking him again.

“Ba for behave? I sure hope so,” he said quietly.

The guys at the shop were totally fine with her being there, and often turned the music down and watched their language more, but he knew it was an annoyance.

Everyone there had kids, yet he was the only one who had to bring his.

Everyone there also had wives who mostly stayed home or worked at the school so they had someone to watch their kids, but that wasn’t easy to remember when he started feeling bad.

“Better get you in something warm. It’s chilly out there,” Eddie poked at her cheek, where her dimple was on display.

She was a happy baby, hardly cried even when she was a newborn. He was incredibly lucky, would hate to know how much worse off they’d have been if she was a fussy baby.

He brought her into their shared room of the trailer, setting her down on the changing table.

He changed her quickly, buttoning her up in her warmest onesie and sweater, already trying to figure out how he would keep a blanket on her legs when she just kicked so damn much when Wayne walked into the room.

“Bounce seat is in your van. She should be pretty happy in that. Lets her get those legs moving,” Wayne said fondly. “You sure you’re good? Maybe I could try to call someone.”

“No, it’s okay. I’ve got it,” Eddie said with a smile.

“I know ya do, kid,” Wayne patted his shoulder before walking back out of the room.

“Alright, Miss Mia. Time to go start pulling your weight around here. You’ll have to get under those cars and do some oil changes if you wanna pay for those rice snacks you like so much,” he joked, tickling her side.

She giggled, and then started laughing uncontrollably.

It was his favorite laugh.

He couldn’t help but laugh along with her, picking her up and swinging her around before settling her against his hip.

She was his whole life, and if he could spend all of it making her laugh like that, he’d be the happiest person in the world.

————————————————————————

“Right, and I think last time we did mention you would need a cabin filter replacement on your next visit,” Eddie explained to the customer who was irate that they were recommending a cabin filter replacement in his car that somehow managed to still run despite its ignored maintenance.

“And if you remember, I told ya then that was a bunch of horse shit. Cabin filters don’t have to be replaced but every few years,” the man insisted.

“Sir, I do wish that were true, but-“

“Ed? Mia’s gettin’ a little fussy. Want me to hold her while you handle this?” Adam said from the doorway into the shop.

Eddie sighed and wiped his hand down his face, forgetting there was still a bit of oil on it from the last car he’d worked on.

“Sure, thanks man,” Eddie replied with a small smile.

“You either do it for free or I want my car back the way it was,” the man said when Adam went back into the shop area.

“I’m sorry, sir, we just don’t recommend driving it with the old cabin filter and-“

“Where’s your manager?”

Eddie threw his head back and groaned.

Should he have done it? No.

But his least favorite part of Saturdays was that he had to deal with rude customers by himself.

“He isn’t in on Saturdays. I’m the assistant manager. If I take the new cabin filter out of your car and put the old one back, your car is on its last days.”

“That’s what ya say every time I come.”

“Which is often. Because you don’t do what we tell you to do. Look, I’ve got two more cars to do, so if you wanna take the risk, I’ll go put your old filter back in. Or you can just pay us the $20 for the labor and new filter and maybe get another five or ten thousand miles out of that thing.”

That was generous.

This guy’s car was older than Eddie. He’d be lucky to get another 100 miles out of it, even with a new filter.

“Ed, sorry man. It’s just Mia isn’t calming down,” Adam stood in the doorway holding Mia, who was crying and rubbing her eyes, clearly ready for a nap but unable to because of the noise in the shop.

“Yeah, be right there,” Eddie said, and Adam, the best guy he knew besides Wayne, smiled reassuringly at him and went back into the shop with her.

“Why’s there a baby here?” the man asked, arms crossed.

“She’s my daughter. No one else could watch her.” Eddie walked behind the counter and wrote up a receipt showing he was refusing the new cabin filter. “Sign this saying we aren’t responsible for if your car catches fire, which it inevitably will soon, by not changing the cabin filter.”

The man signed it, then huffed about mechanics thinking they know everything.

Eddie barely managed to stop himself from rolling his eyes.

When he went back in the shop, Mia was full on screaming, something she rarely did, even when she was hungry or needed a diaper change.

“What’s wrong, metalhead in training?” he asked as he took her from Adam’s arms. “Sorry guys, she doesn’t usually do this.”

“No, we know man. It’s alright. She isn’t getting sick, is she?”

“Don’t think so. I just think she’s tired. It’s her nap time,” Eddie sighed, looking at the clock.

Three hours left.

He could do this.

They could do this.

“Do you think you can put his old cabin filter back in while I walk with her outside to calm her down?” Eddie asked Adam, noticing a car pulling into the parking lot.

Normally, Saturday mornings were busy, but around lunchtime, things slowed down. It seemed like he wouldn’t be so lucky today.

“Yeah, no problem.”

“I’ll see what this person needs while I’m out there,” Eddie said, nodding towards the front where someone was walking into the shop.

Eddie made his way to the front, ignoring the man pacing the floor as he waited for his shitbox car to be done.

“Alright, Mia, let’s calm down. Daddy’s gotta help a customer, okay? You wanna help me? Wanna wave at them when they get inside?” Eddie was speaking to her calmly, doing his best to get her to calm down.

She didn’t.

And that’s, of course, how Steve Harrington walked back into his life.

He’d left over a year ago, barely said goodbye to anyone, just followed Robin to college like a lost puppy.

He hadn’t really blamed him for leaving, but it still hurt.

He thought they were friends.

Maybe not best friends, but close enough that he would have said bye.

“Steve?” Eddie felt like the walls were closing in, an unexplainable panic at the thought of having to talk to Steve professionally when all he wanted to do was yell at him hitting him.

“Eddie! Holy shit, I didn’t even think you’d still be in town,” Steve said, beaming at him like he hadn’t torn Eddie to pieces when he left.

And, well, he hadn’t exactly known he’d torn Eddie to pieces when he left, but still. Eddie felt a lot of resentment suddenly boiling over.

“Well, some of us didn’t have much of an option,” he said, nodding down to Mia.

He would never let Mia think any of his situation was her fault, but she was too young to understand what he was suggesting, and he maybe wanted to let Steve know that he was a bit hurt.

“Oh.” Then, it seemed to hit Steve what he was implying. “Oh! She’s yours?”

“Uh huh. So, you having car trouble?” Eddie didn’t need to prolong this, not with Mia still whimpering and crying in his ear.

“Oh, uh. Yeah. So I kinda haven’t had an oil change since I lived here and I think my car is trying to rebel,” he said sheepishly.

“It’s been a year since you’ve changed the oil in that thing?” Eddie almost couldn’t believe that Steve would let his car end up like that.

“Well, they’re expensive in the city and I haven’t had time to do it myself. And since I’m in town for a week, I thought I’d just get it take care of here. Is that…okay?” he seemed hesitant, like maybe he was actually realizing that Eddie was a bit pissed off.

“Yeah, that’s what we’re here for. Leave the keys and we’ll get it back soon,” Eddie nodded at the counter as he started to walk around the lobby, bouncing Mia in his arms to try to get her to fully calm down.

“What’s her name?” Steve asked from much closer than he expected.

“Mia.”

“She’s beautiful. Is her mom working too?”

“No clue what her mom’s doing. Haven’t seen her since she was born,” Eddie tried not to have an attitude, but the subject was not one he liked to discuss with anyone, let alone the man who unintentionally broke his heart.

“Oh.”

Eddie looked over to see Steve frowning, his brows furrowed, lost in thought.

“Yeah. Sorry for the crying. She wasn’t supposed to be here today and her nap schedule is fucked now,” Eddie closed his eyes. “Sorry, screwed up. She normally is the happiest baby in the world.”

Steve searched Eddie’s face, then looked at Mia with a smile.

“I could hold her if you want. I’m pretty good with babies usually.”

“You have a lot of experience with babies?” Eddie asked, disbelief clear in his tone.

“I babysit a lot between shifts in the city.”

“Shifts?”

“I’m a waiter, which isn’t the best, but it pays the bills and I get a free meal on the clock, so,” he shrugged. “Anyway, I can try at least? Might make it easier for you to work.”

Mia started crying louder again, like she had realized that she still wasn’t asleep for her nap.

“Mia, baby, c’mon. You can close your eyes and go to sleep, I got ya,” Eddie said softly, trying to get her to calm down enough to rest her head on his shoulder.

He was certain she would have some oil stains on her clothes after this, but he couldn’t really find a reason to care right now.

“Eds, let me hold her for a second. You’re getting stressed out. She can tell you’re stressed,” Steve said quietly enough so no one else in the lobby would hear.

“I got it,” Eddie insisted, while Mia seemed to get more upset.

He felt like crying, but he couldn’t.

“I’m sure you do, but it’s okay to have some help sometimes, ya know?” Steve said.

Which is ironic coming from Mr. I Don’t Need Help himself.

“Fine. Here,” Eddie finally gave in, passing Mia over to him.

She slowly stopped crying, looking at Steve with wide eyes.

“Hi princess. Aren’t you so sweet? What’s got you so upset, little one?” Steve asked her, slowly starting to do a bouncing/rocking motion with his legs that had her little head drooping onto his shoulder.

She let out a loud sigh, like the weight of the world was leaving her shoulders, and Eddie felt tears pricking his eyes.

“That’s it, Mia. You can sleep right here, okay?” Steve whispered.

Her eyes were still open, but Eddie could see the long, slow blinks that told him she’d be asleep soon.

“How?”

Steve smiled at him, but didn’t answer.

“I’m gonna go back in the shop, but come get me if she starts crying again?” Eddie was pretty desperate to finish up for the day, wanted to get home as soon as possible and make sure Mia could properly nap.

“Yeah, take your time. Can’t leave without my car anyway,” Steve winked.

Dammit.

Eddie ignored the stupid butterflies in his stomach, ignored the way his heart skipped a beat, and turned to go back into the shop.

He couldn’t let Steve have an effect on him, not now, not after the hurt he’d caused him.

———————————————————————

He told himself that his constant looking through the glass window to the lobby was just to make sure Mia was okay.

He told himself it had absolutely nothing to do with how hot Steve looked pacing around the lobby slowly as she slept on his shoulder.

He told himself that the way Mia was holding onto his shirt and drooling on him wasn’t adorable at all.

He told himself it didn’t hurt that Mia looked like she could be Steve’s just as much as she could be Eddie’s.

“Dude, the oil is spilling,” Jesse said from behind him.

Jesse was their newest hire, worked every Saturday and most afternoons while he got through his certification program at the community college.

“Shit,” Eddie turned back to Steve’s car, rushing to put a new can under it so the rest of the oil could drip into it.

“You good, man? You seem a little out of it today,” Jesse checked.

“Yeah, yeah. Just wasn’t ready for bringing Mia today is all. I’m fine,” he said with his attempt at a reassuring smile.

“I can finish this one up if you want. You can get Mia ready to go since this is the last car,” he offered.

“Nah, it’s that guy’s car anyway. He’s watching her,” Eddie said as he checked over a few other things under the hood.

Adam had turned the music off when he finished his last car, his station almost cleaned up.

The shop was as quiet as it ever gets, which is the only reason he heard the loud laugh coming from the lobby.

His favorite laugh.

He looked over to see Steve dancing around with Mia, bouncing her around, booping her nose, tickling her neck.

Steve was laughing while Mia smacked at his cheeks excitedly.

She was babbling something, but he couldn’t quite hear it through the door and window.

“Can Adam and I head out, then?” Jesse asked, wiping his hands on a towel he kept in his pocket.

“Yeah, man. Thanks for your hard work today,” Eddie said, giving him a pat on the shoulder.

Adam waved from his spot and gave him a wink as he looked over at Steve holding a giggling Mia.

He’d come out to Adam accidentally on his first day. He made a joke about how he probably should have celebrated his graduation with a man so there was no risk of pregnancy, and then froze.

He could have passed it off as just a joke, but Adam looked at him, tilted his head, and said, “yeah, me too.”

They’d been good friends ever since.

Eddie shook his head at him, didn’t want him to get any ideas about Steve being more than just a temporary babysitter.

Adam shrugged, like he wouldn’t push, but that he knew there was more to it.

They both left out the side door of the shop, and Eddie followed to lock it behind them.

He heard the lobby door open and looked over to see Steve walking in with Mia.

“Hey, you closing up?” Steve asked, smiling down at Mia still.

“Uh, yeah. She okay?” Eddie asked as he opened up the bottle of oil he needed to pour into Steve’s car.

“She’s great, aren’t you Mia? Just needed a power nap. Happy as can be now,” Steve tickled her side and then smiled at Eddie.

“Mama! Mama!” Mia was saying, slapping his cheek with her hands.

Eddie paled.

“Uh. Sorry. I didn’t even know she knew that word. I’ll take her,” he rushed to say, trying to wipe his hands off on his pant legs.

“Oh, it’s fine. Babies her age are just trying to put any word together with the sounds they know. She doesn’t actually think I’m her mama.”

“Right,” Eddie sighed. “I’m almost done.”

“Mama!” Mia said again, and Eddie had to turn away to hide his face.

A part of him was hurt, thinking how unfair it was that Mia didn’t have a mom. A bigger part of him was upset that she’d decided to do this with Steve of all people.

And a tiny part of him was jealous that she hadn’t quite put together any form of Dada yet.

“Is that your daddy over there? He works real hard, huh?” Steve was saying to her, and Eddie could feel his eyes on his back as he worked. “You’re gonna be a big helper someday aren’t you?”

“Ha!” Mia exclaimed.

“Yeah, helper!” Steve said.

Eddie hated that he was so good with her.

He hated that he was picturing a future with Steve and Mia, images moving rapidly through his head of Steve and Mia cooking dinner together while Eddie cleaned up after a long day at the shop, of Eddie and Steve having date night while Wayne watched Mia, of all three of them going to the park, dropping Mia off at her first day of school.

He blinked it all away.

Those thoughts were dangerous.

He finished up, closing the hood of Steve’s car and removing the drip pan from underneath. He lowered it to the ground and turned back to see Steve watching him with his bottom lip between his teeth.

“All set. Oil change, filter change, labor is usually $40, but since you were such a huge help with Mia, I can give you 50% off,” he said.

He would probably get questioned about it, but if he ended up having to get the rest taken out of his paycheck, so be it.

Steve, no matter how he felt about him, had done him a major favor today when he didn’t have to. He owed him something and this was the best he could do.

“Oh, I didn’t mind. She’s an angel. Plus, wouldn’t want you to get in trouble.”

“I won’t. It’s fine. I insist.”

Steve shook his head.

“Nah, I’ll pay full price.” He poked Mia’s cheek and smiled at her. “But I wouldn’t turn down dinner?”

Eddie’s eyes widened.

“Dinner? No offense, but I don’t think dinner is really in my budget, man.”

Steve huffed a small laugh.

“No, no. I meant, like I could treat you to dinner. Tonight or tomorrow?”

“How is treating me to dinner payment for you watching my daughter?” Eddie asked confused.

“Just is. Please?” Steve asked.

“Um. I can see if Wayne can watch her tomorrow night?”

The confusion only grew when Steve excitedly jumped up and down, waving Mia’s hand in the air in excitement.

She was giggling and saying “mama” constantly, which was no longer embarrassing, but definitely not ideal.

“That’d be amazing, Eds. I’m staying with the Hendersons if you wanna just call and let me know what time works for you,” Steve said.

Dustin hadn’t mentioned.

Steve was staying with the Hendersons and Dustin hadn’t even mentioned this to Eddie.

Dustin was the only person who knew about his pining for Steve besides Wayne, and he hadn’t even fucking mentioned.

“Oh, Dustin, uh, didn’t say you were staying with him. Or visiting at all for that matter,” Eddie said as he handed Steve his keys.

“Really? He told me you were excited to catch up,” Steve’s brows furrowed.

“Did he?”

Steve handed Mia over to Eddie, looking a bit lost all of a sudden with his hands empty.

“Yeah.” Steve reached into his back pocket for his wallet and took out $40. “Do I need to sign anything?”

Eddie took the $40 and put it in his pocket for now, and watched as Steve transformed from a happy, confident person to a shy, unsure version of himself.

“Nope, all good.” Eddie stepped closer to Steve for a moment, sucked up his pride, and waved Mia’s hand at him. “Say bye to Steve, sweetheart.”

“Ba!” Steve smiled at her. “Mama!”

“Bye, sweet girl. Maybe we can hang out before I go?” Steve turned to look at Eddie, silently begging to see Mia again.

“If you want to, sure. I mean, you could also just come over for dinner tonight if you want. I was gonna make spaghetti. Wayne’s at work. I’m sure Mia would love to have someone to play with while I cook,” Eddie knew he’d regret it, but Mia would be happy to have someone keeping her company on her play mat while he worked on the sauce.

“I don’t wanna interrupt your night or anything-“

“You aren’t. I’m not the best chef in the world, but it’s edible. And I’m sure if you’re living with Robin, you’re not eating homemade meals very often,” Eddie lightly teased.

“And what makes you say that?” Steve’s hands went on his hips.

Eddie’s breath left his body.

He’d missed Steve.

He’d missed his bitchiness, his care, his smile, the way he always watched over them all, even when they didn’t deserve it.

“Just figured you two would have been on the news for accidentally burning an apartment building down by now,” Eddie shrugged, trying to appear more nonchalant, but knowing he was failing miserably.

“I’ll have you know I’m a great cook,” Steve said. “I have to be or else we would end up on the news because Robin burnt our apartment building down.”

Steve smirked at him and Eddie was a goner.

He cleared his throat and patted Mia on her back when she startled in his arms.

“So, how’s six sound? I usually have Mia in bed by 7:30 so we have a pretty strict evening schedule,” he said, hoping his voice sounded even and controlled unlike his thoughts that were far from it.

“Six is great! I just have to run by the Sinclair house to bring Erica her gift first.”

“You got Erica a gift?”

“No, Erica picked out the gift, told me not to show my face in town unless I brought it, and then gave me the exact time to bring it,” Steve admitted.

“Sounds like Erica,” Eddie laughed. “What did the queen insist on you buying her?”

“Some D&D book? I dunno, I live near a shop that has a bunch of tabletop game stuff and she said they would have it so I wrote down the title and went there and they did. I may never recover, emotionally or financially.”

Eddie laughed again, but this time, Steve smiled, a light pink dusting across his cheeks like he was proud of himself for making Eddie laugh.

“Well, those can get pretty expensive. I’m sure she’ll be happy to have it though. Anything that helps her kick all our asses is always good with her,” Eddie said.

“That’s what I figured. So six? You still at the same place?” Steve asked.

“Yeah. Key is under the plant by the steps so come on in.”

“Oh. Okay,” Steve nodded, looking down at his feet. “Do you want me to bring anything?”

“Nah, just yourself and your patience for Mia’s antics.”

“She’s your daughter so I expect shenanigan after shenanigan.”

“Hey!”

Steve threw his hands up and walked over to his car.

“Just saying!”

“Do you hear this, Mia? And you call this guy mama,” Eddie said, tone serious.

He was too busy looking at Mia to see the way Steve blushed as he got into his car.

“See you at six!” Steve said before closing his door, starting his car, and backing out of the shop.

Eddie closed the shop door behind him, then gathered up Mia’s things into the diaper bag made just for the shop.

“You ready to go home, superstar?”

Mia snuggled against his shoulder, probably still sleepy from not having her full afternoon nap.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

He set the $40 on the counter with a quick note saying what it was for, in too much of a rush to do a full receipt for it.

He hit the lights, and locked the front door before making his way to his van.

Mia was asleep on him, her slow breathing and occasional snore making him smile.

“Oh, we’re in big trouble now, aren’t we Mia?” he whispered before he set her in her car seat.

He knew he could just go into this knowing he couldn’t get attached.

But he knew he already was.

He always had been.

Probably always would be.

[mj-102009]

When the Stars Align (Bakugou x oc)

The little girl gazed up at her mother, green irises filled with wonder and love. She’d always been a perceptive child, always asking questions on how the world worked, always getting into things she shouldn’t. 

“Momma,” she said softly with her feather light tap to her shoulder. “I have a-“

The woman lifted the eight year old on her lap. “-question? Go ahead Rae.”

She beamed and curled into her arms. “Why didn’t you and Dad get married like Ashlyn’s parents?”

Her mother chuckled. “I knew you’d ask that soon,” the girl opened her mouth to speak but got cut off. “Your father and I didn’t need to get married because when we were born we were meant to be together.”

“Why?” She chirped.

“Well our families have what’s called soulmates,” She saw the confusion on her daughter's face. “That means fate made us to be a match.”

Rae’s eyes blew wide. “Do I have a soulmate?”

She smiled and kissed Rae on the forehead. “Yes, yes you do.”

It started showing when she was 13, on her birthday at 12am exactly:

She had a dream.

In the dream she saw a boy about her age, he had dark green hair and eyes, for a brief moment she thought this was the boy she was meant to love forever, but the moment she truly looked at him she knew he wasn’t.

“Stupid Deku,” it was her mouth yet not her voice. “You’ll never be good enough to be a hero like me.”

A hero? She thought. This sure as heck doesn’t sound like one.

“Cmon Kacchan you know a quirk doesn’t make you a hero.”

Kid makes a point.

(Switching to first person)

I woke in a cold sweat, Anika shaking me quickly with wide eyes. “RAE!”

“I'M UP!” 

She sighed. “Dude your quirk started in your sleep and shit started shifting in my room.”

I was wide awake running into the hall. “Mom!”

My dad opened the door with a stern look. “Someone better explain to me why our house is backwards.”

I winced and looked down. “That would be me.”

Concern filled his eyes, replacing the anger. “What happened?”

So I told him and my mother what I saw, by the end Anika was jumping up and down. “I’m so excited.”

I frowned. “For what?”

Mom and dad made eye contact. “You remember how we came from families of soulmates?”

My breath hitched. “You mean-“

She smiled and Ani squealed. “You and your soulmate are both 13 now!”

I’d given up on the whole soulmate thing for a while. I saw his memories every night, most of which were about victory in some form, or about the boy named Deku. 

I came back to it after I turned 15.

All leading up to afternoon was tame, that was until I happened to glance at my wrist.

Train at 3 today 

Tell Mom to buy pens

Call Na-

I watched in fascination as the sentence finished before me, the only thing I felt was a light press of a pen.

Dad saw my baffled gaze and followed my eyes to my forearm. “Moora come in the kitchen!”

Soon the whole family gathered around my arm.

Anika, now 17, elbowed my stomach. “That means your his age too.”

I made a curious face and seized a pen. “What if I…”

Hello :)

Mom chuckled. “Our little girl’s all grown up.”

It took him a few hours to respond but I felt it.

Hey 

I picked up my pen and scribbled the answer with a small smile.

Hey

Sorry I didn’t say anything the first time

It’s okay no rush

He was silent for a moment, as was I.

I’m I frowned as my name faded from my skin.

You’re what

It won’t let me write my name 

I tried again and groaned as the entire sentence faded into the carmel tan of my skin.

Me either

Damn I pulled myself up from my window sill and sat in the nest of pillows on my bed.

Won’t allow my number either

It’s like it doesn’t want us to meet

I’m getting mixed signals from fate or some shit

I snorted and wiped down my arm, Question

Shoot

Do you see my memories when you sleep?

No tf i have a little red string on my pinky telling me which way to go

BRO WE CAN DEADASS GET THIS OVER WITH IF YOU JUST FOLLOW IT

I tried but it disappears if I do 

Fuck fate fr

Lol

We talked into the early hours of the morning, I learned Deku’s name was really Izuku and he was his old friend, I learned Kacchan was a stupid nickname he came up with when they were kids, I learned he wanted to be a hero when he grows up, I learned that he didn’t want a soulmate in the beginning.

Oh I wrote when he told me.

Not now tho after i got your first message I felt like it would be wrong to push you away

So I’m not an extra

Of course u r

Tf

Just not the worst one

I’ll take it

I told him about my family and my friends, I told him about my quirk and that I too wanted to be a hero, I told him about how I didn’t believe my soulmate was real until I saw the writing.

Why? He asked when I told him.

A lot of what I saw in my dreams was just yelling and explosions so I was convinced I was insane it took a while for my parents to really get me to understand but even then I was afraid you’d be someone who hates me like other people

I’ll kill anyone who hurts you

Thank you seemed like the wrong thing to say to that, any sane person would’ve called the police and gotten scared, but I laughed and rolled over with a smile. Immediately groaning when I saw the sun peaking out my window.

The sun just came up here

Same

Do you live in, the word Japan faded and I smacked my forehead.

I live in

I’m not even gonna try and put down what school I go too

Fate sucks fr

Not that bad

How so?

I met a girl who doesn’t give a fuck that I’m an ass

I flushed from head to toe Lucky girl

I'm the lucky one

Nope

Yup

Nope

Yup

No I’m far luckier for meeting someone who doesn’t care that I’m strange

You’re not strange whoever believes that is wrong

And you’re not an ass

I woke to the ceiling with the blank stare, my face in a tired frown, bags practically tattooed under my eyes.

Morning

That got me up, I slid out of bed and reached for my pen.

How’d you sleep?

Good and you?

Meh some extras blowing up my phone all night,

I giggle and walk down stairs with the pen, Anika rolls her eyes at my cheerful state. “Sup fucknugget.”

With a frown I use my quirk and spin her chair around, the floorboards rippling around at my command. Dad came down stairs and lightly hit me on the back of my head. “Fix my floor Rae.”

I turned the wood back to its original position with a huff, Dad mumbling a thank you and pouring me a cup of coffee. “What’s on the agenda Rae?”

Shrugging, I tell him. “I’m off work, might just take a nap.”

Anika gasps. “No! You told me we’d train for my admissions test.”

My idiot sister waited until she was 21 to become a licensed hero, so now she was asking me to train her on everything before the big test.

“Sure, what time?” I truly didn’t care when we went, I just needed the training.

“After breakfast?”

“‘Kay, just be ready.”

“C’mon Bakugou!” Denki begged again.

“No.”

“Really bro?” Kirishima deadpanned. “He can go with-”

He glared at him. “No, don’t side with Dunce Face.”

“Pleeeeease, my friend and I went to a pretty beach just a few minutes away, it’s super hidden so no one will film.”

Kiri rolled his eyes. “You can go Denki.”

Bakugou whirled on him but after these years Kiri had far outgrown him, now towering the blonde. “Fine,” he grumbled, turning to leave. “Hurry the fuck up.”

“Yay!”

“I took my friend to the beach yesterday to train. It was so much fun,” Anika chirped as I drove down the road. 

I shot her a look. “Did you tell him about-”

“No Rae I didn’t,” she said exasperated. “I wouldn’t tell a secret like that.”

“Sure.”

She smacked my arm. “I wouldn’t.”

“Mhm.”

“Rae,” She said dead serious. “I’m your older sister and I’m so proud of your accomplishments, I would never jeopardize your job.”

I laughed softly. “I know, I just worry for the day people find out I’m Atlas, hell even my soulmate doesn’t know, it won’t let me tell him.”

“Sometimes the filter really bothers me,” She told me. “I understand the pain of not being able to tell him the full story.”

I nodded solemnly, pulling into the public beach parking spot. “C’mon time to walk.”

“Only thing I hate about this beach.”

“What the hell Kami!” Kiri shouted, throwing his hands up around him. “You said you knew where we were going.”

He chuckled nervously under the glares of his friends. “Oops.”

Bakugou was practically boiling in rage and frustrating. “Thanks a lot Dunce Face, now we’re lost and our phones aren’t working.”

“What if we make a flare?” Kiri mused. “Would that work?”

He flicked his forehead. “No stupid, we’d light the whole forest on fire.”

The boys were just giving up hope, in the middle of the woods with barely enough water to last the day and one granola bar.

Bakugou’s head perked up when he saw his wrist.

Are you okay I feel like something’s wrong

He rifled for a pen and wrote down an answer.

Denki got us lost on a hike

The fuck? Are you okay???

Yeah just angry

I’m mad there’s nothing I can do

Lol

���AWEEEEEE,” Kiri squealed looking over his shoulder. “She’s so nice!”

Bakugou got ready to punch his best friend but got cut off.

“OW, YOU BITCH!” The yell came from the right of them.

Denki sighed and looked at the boys. “Told you we weren’t lost,” but stopped when he saw Bakugou’s sparking hands.

“Let’s just ask for directions and get out of here.”

Anika rubbed here arm and swore after I punched her arm. “That was uncalled for.”

“What if I’d stabbed your arm,” I told her. “You wouldn’t be complaining then.”

“Uh no, I’d definitely complain either way.”

I rolled my eyes and dropped into a fighting stance. “Round four, three-nothing.”

She groaned but raised herself into an acceptable stance. “Ready.”

We circled each other, I called upon my quirk, the sand shifted with me as I stepped, neither of us made a move  to attack. She lunged forward to grab me but I spun away with grace of a dancer, under my feet the sands balanced me.

I watched as she pulled in air and released it in a loud WHOOSH, pushing me over closer to the water.

She continued to throw gusts of wind at me, each more forceful than the last.

“You’ve been practicing, haven’t you?” I shouted over the roaring wind, a grin forming on my face.

Her eyes sparkled with mischief. “Just a little,” she replied, sending another gust, this time aimed at my feet, causing me to momentarily lose balance.

Using my quirk, I swiftly transformed the sand beneath my feet into a firmer platform, allowing me to stand my ground. I then molded the sand into a series of barriers, hoping to deflect her relentless attacks.

But Anika was quick. She directed her gusts upwards, sending spirals of sand high into the night sky. I watched, a bit awed by her skill, as the sand took the form of large birds, flapping and soaring over the beach, aiming at me.

Laughing, I decided to up the ante. I pulled moisture from the surrounding air, turning it into droplets of water which quickly crystallized into sharp, gleaming icicles. With a flick of my wrist, I sent them darting around Anika, not to hurt, but to challenge.

She deftly manipulated the wind to create a vortex around her, causing my icicles to swirl harmlessly before melting away. "Is that the best you can do?" she teased.

Taking a deep breath, I focused my energy. The sand around Anika began to ripple, forming a series of walls, which quickly transformed into a box to hold her. She looked around, momentarily surprised, before a sly grin formed on her face. She summoned wind currents to lift her up, attempting to get a bird's-eye view of my creation.

I wasn’t about to make it that easy for her. As she ascended, I manipulated the atoms in the air, creating a dense fog, obscuring her vision. I could hear her groan of frustration.

Descending back to the ground, she tried to break through, I reshaped and shifted the walls constantly, making it a challenge for her. But after some time she tore through the ground blowing up the box from below.

A migraine fuzed the corners of my vision, Ani saw this and darted forward, I stubbornly fought hand to hand until one of us lost. She threw poor punches and I frowned trying to amp her up to be better than that.

Needs work… I thought to myself.

I could see as she became tired of my toying around, finally stopping the hitting, she spun around to kick me with a round house. 

“Too slow,” I whispered, catching her foot and knocking her over. “I taught you better Ani.”

She huffed angrily and tried to sit up, but exhaustion weighed down on her and she laid flat to the floor. “I give.”

I laughed and gave her my hand. “Puss.”

“That’s not fair, you're a trained hero!” She exclaimed taking it, she opened her mouth to say something else but something caught her eye. “Hey this is private property!”

My face turned confused and I turned to the tree line. “Who’s there?”

A man easily over 6ft came out of the woods with a blush. “Sorry I got a little lost.”

I grin and shift my weight onto my right leg. “Sure man, where’s the others?”

A shorter guy with sunshine yellow hair came after him. “Ani!”

My sister’s face beamed and she ran up to him. “Kami!”

I deadpanned at her. “Really?”

“Bakugou! Over here!”

“Three of you…” My voice trailed off as I saw him for the first time.

Seeing him was like breathing for the first time, it was like a blind man seeing the sun for the first time, it was like my body got plugged in and electricity was flowing through me. My eyes widened and I knew he felt it too as he stumbled out nearly tripping over a tree branch, never once taking his eyes off me.

“Rae?” Anika said with worried eyes. “You okay?”

I didn’t answer, my lips were magnetized to each other, so I nodded numbly. I stepped forward because it just felt right, at this point Ani was next to me and the red head was with him.

“You’re scaring me Rae,” She said nervously. “I don’t wanna tell dad his favorite child died.”

He faintly gasped when she said my name, his hand sparking.

“Screw it.”

Suddenly a powerful outburst of wind threw me off the beach into the water, my instincts kicked in and I solidified the air under my feet. “Anika what the fuck.”

She crosses her arms smugly and grinned. “There she is.”

The boys gaped as I stepped down from the air. “That was a bit excessive.”

“Nah, worth it.”

“You good Bakubro?” The red head asked him.

‘Bakubro?’ I mouthed to myself. That doesn’t sound ri-

“It’s Bakugou.”

I looked up at his vermillion eyes, they bore into me but I held my ground.

“I’m Rae.”

Anika gave me an unsure look. “Uhhhhhh, ya’ll good?”

“Mhm,” I nodded. “I’m great.”

“So you’re Atlas?” He asked me later.

We’d taken them out to the beach house just around the corner. “Mhm, and you’re Dynamite?”

“Yeah.”

The silence wasn’t awkward but rather comforting. 

“All these years, we've been going to goddamn meetings together,” I laughed. “Who knew?”

“If we’d talked at all this could’ve been done with this a lot sooner.”

I shook my head in amusement. “Who knew?”

On the beach was Ani and the other two, they were teaching her how to punch properly. I gave up and went to the porch.

From what I could tell he wasn’t great with feelings, I think I’ve known that since we first spoke. So I took the first step and gently took his hand.

“Is this okay?”

He took a steady breath. “Yes.”

[thoughtsonhurtandcomfort]

Shun the Light - Ch 15 - The Bunker

Slow Burn | Refuge | Decision | Mend | Hunger | Thin Mints | The Garden | Philip | Moments | Full Moon pt 1 | Full Moon pt 2 | Tend | Absolution | The Talk | Scars |

Author's Notes: Consider....vampirism and lycanthropy as disability? If you take a less fantastical and more naturalistic look, both are changes to the mind and body that make existing in a society difficult. Just something I've been thinking about.

Some more bonding, some #justvampirethings, some full moon dread. Thanks to everyone who has read this far. <3

Content Warnings: werewolf whumpee, vampire whumpee + caretaker, not much else just some angst, dread, mentions of blood

----

Sometimes, when he wakes at dusk, Dante forgets that he isn't alone in the house.

Dante learned early on that being mostly-dead is pretty hard on the body. Many of the systems that keep people alive also keep them comfortable, and so he has built habits to deal with the discomforts.

His throat is always parched, so he keeps a little cup of blood by the bed to get moving. His body is stiff from sleeping very still, so he does stretches.

And then there's thermoregulation, or the lack thereof. On cold days his skin becomes tingling, oversensitive, even numb, and in the summer he frequently suffers from heat exhaustion. Both make hunting difficult, so on mild days he stocks up on blood for his fridge, and he keeps his bedroom at a consistent temperature year round.

After his stretches he exits his bedroom wearing Philip's old silk robe and slippers, grabs a jar of blood from the fridge - calling it a 'cup of Joe' like Mr. Townsend used to - and settles into his chair for an evening gameshow.

That is usually when he remembers he has a guest, in the form of Matteo sprawled on the couch with the remote control already in his hand.

Tonight he is there as expected...but something is off. Matteo is sitting at one corner of the couch with his arms around himself, staring straight ahead. When Dante greets him he barely reacts.

"Matteo?"

"Mm."

"What's wrong?"

"Just a few days left."

As if to prove his point, the waxing moon peeks out from behind a cloud. Dante pulls the curtain shut.

"It never gets easier," Matteo says softly. "I get so anxious that I can barely eat or sleep, which only makes things worse..."

It's been hard to shake the memory of seeing Matteo's violent transformation, he can't imagine living it.

"I can make you do both of those things," Dante offers, realizing too late how creepy it sounds.

Matteo only smiles, though it doesn't reach his eyes. "Thanks."

"Do you want to see the shelter? Maybe that will help."

"Yeah, sure. Why not."

-

It's a bit like opening a time capsule. The bunker hasn't been touched since the 1960s, everything exactly the way Mr. Townsend left it the last time he went down to check expiration dates.

Against one wall is a shelf stacked with supplies, books, canned food and water, a radio and a box of ammunition. Cot-style beds line the other two walls, one a bunk bed and the other a single.

"Only three beds?"

Dante shrugs. "They didn't like me and dad that much. So, what do you think?"

Matteo steps inside and looks around. "We should probably remove anything that isn't attached...the wolf will just wreck it all anyway. You'll find me covered in canned peaches in the morning."

"Those probably need to go anyway. Okay, we can do that. What else?"

"I guess that's all." he still seems uncertain.

"Matteo..." Dante joins him in the small room. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"No, it's not that. This is a good idea. I can't hurt anyone here. It's this or chain me out back like a dog."

The resignation in Matteo's voice is all too familiar. In his early days of vampirism Dante had tried to find ways to still be part of the world, spending time in bars and 24-hour diners, taking long drives at night, he even tried taking a night shift in a stockroom. But eventually fear won - fear of sunlight, fear of discovery, fear of hurting someone or being hurt. It drove him into the shadows, and there he has remained.

"I had a dog once. He slept at the end of my bed."

The new information pulls Matteo from the brink of despair.

"Yeah? What was his name?"

"Porco. It means pig. It started as an insult when we found him as a stray. He would eat anything and everything. But I got attached to him and dad was bad at saying no if something made me happy. He always said joy was in short supply and we should stock up whenever we could."

Matteo smiles in this warm, endearing way that Dante finds impossible to look away from. Sometimes he tries to smile back but it's as if the muscles of his face have forgotten how.

They get to work moving everything out of the bunker until only the beds and shelves, which are fixed to the concrete walls, remain.

When they're finished it looks much more like what it really is - a prison. But Matteo seems less apprehensive. Maybe just knowing what to expect is enough.

"Dante?" he says as they ascend the stairs back toward rooms with windows and light.

"Yes?"

"Thank you. You didn't have to do any of this."

They reach the first floor hallway. Dante pushes the door shut with his foot and turns to look at him.

"You saved my life, remember?"

Matteo huffs. "I think you made up for that a while ago. This is...more than I have any right to ask for. If there's anything I can do..."

"I really don't mind. You're - "

...can he call him a friend? An acquaintance? Is this thing between them just a series of favors, an exchange of small kindnesses the world has not been so quick to give? A rescue for a rescue. A warm bed for some company. A sip of blood for relief from pain.

"...you're nice to have around," he finishes carefully. It seems a safe enough statement. Neither coming on too strong nor dismissing just how big a change Matteo has brought to his dull life, if only for a little while.

There is that smile again - and then Matteo's arms are around his neck in a tight hug.

"I like being around," he says quickly, shyly.

It's over too soon and Dante is left with the lingering warmth, watching Matteo disappear into the living room and wishing he'd had the nerve to hug back.

[fallingdown98]

Shout out to Fantasy High Junior Year to get me to post original thoughts on here for the first time on years - Thought after Episode 15, The Last Stand, spoilers ahead

Based on what happened with Buddy, Brennan's callout of "what was loaded into that crossbow?", and Brennan saying in AP that killing Buddy was always on the table this is what I think Kipperlilly Clerickiller's plan was (Also ty Fandom I will be using this forever now)

1. Snuck in with Buddy when the Last Stand was being set up. (Saw some people questioning how she managed to get in, I truly think it's as simple as this)

2. Steal both Buddy and Kristen's diamonds to ensure no reviving can occur

3. I think the plan was to shoot the proctor with rage crystals, causing him to hulk out and depending on timing, no one to stop more monsters from arriving.

4. Based on where she was standing, I think the goal was to blame the crossbow bolt on Buddy and then leave still undetected with Oisin's prepped plane shift

4a. I still think Buddy dying was always part of the plan but I think the goal was to get the Bad Kids to have to ruin their own situation (Having to kill the hulked out proctor, seeing Buddy as an enemy and targeting him, being stuck because if Kristen had used her 7th level slot then they would at minimum be stuck for 8 hours assuming they all managed to survive if the monsters were still coming)

5. Theory here and we'll see if it proves correct but my immediate thought when Buddy died was that KLCK is planeshifting to the Celestial plane and hoping to use Buddy to sneak into Sol's office like when Aguefort snuck in through Kristin's backpack

6. Once in Sol's office, she would be where YES! Was originally created and the reason Bakur supposedly failed his ritual is that he needed to be in a place where a god had been created in order to rez a God.

7. Chaos ensues when corrupted Ankarna is brought back

8. Profit??? I guess??? Tbh the exact reasoning of the Ratgrinders is still the most elusive thing to me. I think my current most likely thought is that Jace is serving as manipulator and that KLCK is the most "lost in the sauce" as it were what with her pre-established anger issues.

Since we only saw a hand I'm reserving judgement on Oisin as he may have only been aware of his part of the plan and not the rest of what Miss ClericKiller has been up to. Not attached so I'm also down for him to be full evil but I'm just not sure yet.

Another thought I had is that the Ratgrinders may yet mirror the Bad Kids not just in class, but also in personal problems.

Ruben and Fig both having identity crises but Ruben has isolated himself so much he's turned to being a lackey

MaryAnn just doing what she's doing because she's good at it, not because it's something she's passionate about

If Oisin's dragon relative is evil and he's going along with the plot because of that, that would mirror Adaine breaking away from her own evil parents

Don't know enough about Ivy to have thoughts on her really, buddy and Lucy could probably be their own post tbh, and as I can't get a lock on Kipperlilly.

Jawbone seemed convinced she was just misunderstood and jawbone usually has a pretty good read on people. But then she's smiling while murdering Buddy and teleporting away. Why does she hate Riz specifically? Is it something he did or is it more generic jealousy (or a crush but I don't care for that theory personally and doesn't feel super supported currently)?

What's the deal with the rage soil and how did they place a rune of Ankarna's name on Yolanda/Lucy if it was unknown at that point?

Anyway, feel free to reblog or tag with thoughts, I'm so excited to unravel more of this mystery.

[taruchinator]

🌳 General Audiences

🌳 1.5k Words

🌳 Day 15 | “Wait, you love me? “I always have.” For @flufftober!

Today was the day.

Thomas was groggy with sleep and trying to adjust to the light seeping through the Homestead's roof when the thought struck him.

Today he and the Gladers were heading into the maze. Today they were going to escape.

And for some reason he was sharing a hammock with his best friend.

MAZE RUNNER FANDOM ARE YOU ALIVE? I'M HERE AND I'VE BROUGHT FOOD! T_T

So as the late bloomer that I am, I've only just recently experienced the goodness that is the TMR series, and all I can say is that even though it's no masterpiece, it's a masterpiece in MY heart, okay???

I wanted to do something Newtmas for Flufftober because the content just writes itself oml these boys be gay good for them. Enjoy! ^^

Today was the day.

Thomas was groggy with sleep and trying to adjust to the light seeping through the Homestead's roof when the thought struck him.

Today he and the Gladers were heading into the maze.

Today they were going to escape.

Everything around the teen was relatively quiet, except for the rustling of leaves and soft snoring coming from the other boys in their hammocks. It was then that the brunet noticed no one was up yet—looking at the watch on his wrist indicated that he'd awoken even earlier than the Runners, which was honestly surprising since he considered himself a heavy sleeper.

It honestly made the situation around him feel that much more surreal.

To think that less than a day ago he'd managed to crack the code to their freedom with the help of Teresa, all when they were nothing short of hopeless mere hours before. Although if he was being honest with himself, Thomas wasn't even sure if this was the answer they were looking for.

Sure, it made the most sense out of everything they'd stumbled upon over the years the Gladers lived here, but there was that small voice in the back of his head that made him worry.

What if he was reading too much into something that wasn't there?

What if the instructions they'd uncovered were actually another trap set by the maze, leading them into more pain and suffering?

What if Thomas’ unknown past was unconsciously sending his friends to their demise?

The brunet let out a sigh as he shuffled into a more comfortable position. He couldn't think like this—not when they were already so deep in. No matter what the day ahead brought, he had to stay strong, if not for himself, for the people who put their faith in him.

Alby, Minho, Chuck, Teresa.

And of course…

“Hmm…”

The low grumble almost made the brunet jump out of his skin, until he felt familiar lean arms snaking around him from behind. After getting everything set up and talking nothing but strategies all night, Thomas had nearly forgotten that in the midst of their sleep deprived minds, he'd invited his best friend to lay down in his hammock to take a rest since his own was on the other side of the Homestead.

After slowly turning his body around, Thomas was met with the most peaceful sight he'd ever witnessed since arriving at the Glade.

Newt rested against his chest, a mere inch standing between them as the blond shifted under the brunet's scrutinizing gaze. The slow rise and fall of Newt's chest was more than enough to bring peace to Thomas’ mind—he was here. Alive and breathing and in his arms.

A force inside him caused the brunet to lean forward and place a soft kiss against Newt's forehead. It wasn't long before the oldest of the two began blinking the sleep away as he adjusted to the world around him.

“Morning.” Thomas spoke in a hushed tone, both for the sleeping Gladers around him as well as his partner beside him. He allowed himself to smile as the other scrunched his nose and shifted around to get into a more comfortable position.

“G'mornin’...” Newt mumbled the words while ruffling his hair, maybe trying to tame it only to make it worse but equally adorable in Thomas’ opinion. “What time is it?”

“Early. Runners aren't even up yet.” Thomas tried to give Newt some more room, but their limited hammock space made that task a little difficult, so he settled with placing one arm behind his head in hope of not having his limbs all over the blond's business.

“Bloody hell, someone's up early, then…” The amusement was evident in his voice as he showed off that damn crooked smile that gave Thomas butterflies for no logical reason whatsoever. “That eager to get today started, Tommy?”

He knew the comment was meant to be teasing in nature, but the younger boy couldn't help but have his thoughts drift back to the string of negativity from earlier. It must have been evident in his expression, because Newt dropped the smile and instead raised an eyebrow in slight concern. “You alright?”

Thomas contemplated how to answer for a minute, only to come up with nothing but the truth. It wasn't like he could lie to Newt, even if he tried. His best friend knew him too well—better than he knew himself, sometimes. With a small sigh, he gave him a sheepish grin. “Guess I'm nervous? Not sure what we're going to find out there.”

Newt observed him for a minute, then leaned his chin against an open palm, elbow resting against the rope-like texture of their shared sleeping quarters. “We're gonna find a way out. Doubt it'll be a big old door with the words ‘Exit!’ scrawled on top, but in this rubbish place, almost anything’s possible.”

At that, Thomas let out a soft chuckle. “You know what I mean.”

“So do you.” Newt's expression remained serious, but Thomas could see a hint of reassurance in his eyes, which was quickly backed up by the blond reaching for the brunet's hand with his own. “We're going to find an exit because that's what's out there. Our way to freedom.”

“What if it's not there? I mean, Teresa and I could've read it wrong. I could've read it wrong! Then I'd be leading all of you to danger for no reason and—”

“Tommy.”

With a single utterance of his nickname Thomas was silenced. He didn't even realize he started gripping the hammock until Newt's hand went to pull him away, interlocking their fingers instead. After staring at their joined hands for a moment, the blond brought them close to his lips and pressed them against the rough skin of Thomas’ knuckles.

A warmth spread across his cheeks before he could stop it, and Newt's giggle was more than enough proof to know that it was evident in his face. “For someone so smart, you doubt yourself a lot. It's cute, though. One of the many things I love about you.”

At that moment, time seemed to stop around him, and nothing else mattered. Nothing but the beautiful boy standing before him. He barely managed a whispered response. “Wait. You… love me?”

Newt's crooked smile returned, only this time laced with what Thomas could identify as fondness. “I always have.”

Before he could stop himself, Thomas instantly leaned forward and began peppering kisses all across Newt's face. His temples, nose, cheeks, neck—anything that was exposed to the air was up for the taking. The leaps and thumps in his chest were so loud he thought the other Gladers would certainly hear them, yet Thomas could care less.

Giggles erupted from the blond below him—Thomas didn't even realize when he'd caged him under his body—until he eventually started to pull him away, albeit rather reluctantly. “Alright, alright, that's enough! We're gonna wake—!”

“God, could you shanks get any louder?”

The voice instantly brought both boys to their senses, causing them to pull away from one another fast enough to fall from the hammock, landing on their bottoms with groans echoing from them both. Thomas could feel his face heating from embarrassment, and Newt's was flush pink as well.

He made a mental note to call him cute for that one later.

On the other hand, Minho stood above them with arms crossed, eyebrows raised and a look of mock disgust gracing his features. He swung his pack over his shoulder and turned away from them and faced the West entrance instead. “When you two are done being so shucking mushy, I'll meet you by the entrance, Greenie. We need to go over the route again before the others wake up.”

Thomas could barely muster a weak nod. He was never living this down, he could already tell. “G-Good that…”

Minho left without another word, leaving the duo alone once more.

As they exchanged looks, a few minutes passed before they let out chuckles of embarrassment at the whole ordeal.

Newt was the first to stand up, and as he did, he offered a hand to Thomas with a smile. “Ready to face the unknown?”

Thomas remained still for a moment, until eventually a smile spread itself across his own face while accepting the blond's help.

It was true that he had no idea what they were truly up against out in the maze, let alone outside the walls of all they've ever known. But as long as they had each other, Thomas knew nothing would stand in their way.

Nothing they couldn't handle.

“Together.”

[estrellami-1]

Soft Touch Baby

Pt 1 | Pt 2 | Pt 3 | Pt 4 | Pt 5 | Pt 6 | Pt 7 | Pt 8 | Pt 9 | Pt 10 | Pt 11 | Pt 12 | Pt 13 | Pt 14 | Pt 15 | Pt 16 | Eddie’s POV | Song | ao3

Eddie is back less than a minute later with two tablets, which he drops on the table in front of Steve as he passes to grab a glass of water. “Drink the whole thing,” he murmurs softly, and Steve doesn’t think before obeying.

“You actually hungry, or just humoring me?” Eddie asks, leaning against the table across from Steve.

Steve tilts his head to the side, then wavers his hand in a maybe sort of gesture. “I’m getting there. Mostly intrigued by the fact that apparently pancakes taste better at three a.m.”

“They absolutely do and I will happily prove it to you,” Eddie returns immediately. “Will the noise bother you?”

“Nah, go ahead.”

Eddie grins wide at him. Steve pretends he’s unaffected.

Watching Eddie bustle around Steve’s kitchen like he owns it is a new experience. He’s so comfortable, surprisingly in his element, and all his chaotic energy shifts into exactly what he needs, whether it’s mixing the batter or flipping or buttering a pancake.

“You like cooking?” Steve asks eventually, head on one hand, elbow on the table. Shamelessly staring.

Eddie smirks back at him. “That obvious? Wayne keeps odd hours, for work, so I learned his weekly schedules and try to have a meal ready by the time he gets home.”

Steve hums. “‘S nice of you.”

Eddie turns to grin at him. “Don’t tell anyone. Don’t want anyone thinking all this is a scam.” He gestures to himself with the whisk, frowning when batter splatters on himself and the floor. “Dammit.”

Steve laughs, then winces. “Ah, fuck you, man, don’t make me laugh.”

Eddie wiggles his hips in a way that just makes Steve want to laugh more. “I can’t help it, I’m just that funny.”

Steve hums. “If that’s the case, you might have to leave.”

“Well hey now, I never said I’d quit my day job for comedy,” Eddie says, sounding so affronted Steve laughs again.

A few minutes later, Eddie places a plate stacked high with pancakes in the middle of the table, then grabs two more for them to use. “Bon appetit,” he grins, spearing the top pancake with his fork and dragging it over to his plate.

Steve smiles in thanks and grabs his own pancake. It’s only after he’s halfway through that he notices the look Eddie’s giving him. He frowns, then sighs when he remembers their previous conversation. “I think you might be right. Pancakes really are better in the middle of the night.”

Eddie giggles, wiggling excitedly in his seat. “Toldja.” He takes another bite then leans back, studying Steve. “Your headache’s better.”

It’s not a question, and Steve is surprised to find he’s right. “Yeah. Probably a mix of the meds and the food.”

“And the company?” Eddie goads, waggling his eyebrows.

Steve rolls his eyes. “The company is headache-inducing,” he says, hiding a smile in his next bite of pancake at Eddie’s offended look. “You know I’m joking,” he finally says, kicking a leg out to tap Eddie’s shin. “Having you here is making all of this easier, actually. Thank you.”

Eddie does something that makes him almost fall out of his chair but ultimately ends with him hooking Steve’s foot with his own. “Anytime.”

They stare at each other for a few minutes, and Steve knows it’s getting to be too much, knows he needs to stop before he freaks Eddie out, but there’s a look in Eddie’s eyes that he can’t quite decipher but wants to. Finally Eddie yawns, overdramatic like anything he does, mouth open wide and eyes scrunching closed and the most obnoxious sound coming out of his mouth that just makes Steve laugh because he’s whooped. “Bedtime?”

Eddie pouts. “But there’s pancakes still.”

“Mhm. Perfect for the morning. Err… next time we wake up.” He puts the plate in the fridge, not bothering to cover it, then pulls Eddie out of his seat. “Come on. Dishes can wait. We both need more sleep.”

Eddie sighs, dragging his feet, laughing when Steve just yanks him along by their joined hands. “Anyone ever tell you you’re bossy?”

“I prefer opinionated.” He doesn’t think about the fact that even though they’re no longer holding hands, Eddie’s following Steve to his room like it’s a fact of life.

Steve chooses not to comment on it, instead crawls into bed and settles along the far side, leaving enough room for Eddie, who joins him almost immediately.

Pt 8

Taglist:

@snapshotmaestro @the-redthread

[fuck-customers]

hey gang! me again (from /post/741038774641983488, bitching about the two coworkers and the filthy deli slicer), and i guess we couldn’t go three days/two shifts without more bullshit from J1! as i write this it’s currently the morning after the shift described below. thankfully, i have the day off today, due to a prior appointment, so i might be able to wind down again before going in again tomorrow afternoon.

so before Chef C left on the hell shift prior, he asked me to be there at noon, when the first folks are showing up for their prep. good thing, too, because shortly after i arrive, before i even clock in, the head line cook (M) that showed up the same time i did informs me that he’s just gotten a text from C saying that both the sous chef S and the pantry cook J1 have called out for the day, leaving me as (currently) the only person available with any experience on pantry.

before i switched mostly to dish, this was fine, because i could rest assured that the old pantry lead (name irrelevant; no longer works there) would have as much as possible done and prepped for the next shift, even with the one day off we had between. the only time she wouldn’t is if the store was going to be closed for 3-4+ days straight and we needed to be concerned about spoilage. thus i would be left with minimal prep actually needed to be done and could just focus on the essentials.

considering this prior prep cook is the one who trained me and J1, it’d be safe to assume that she’d follow the same practices, right? well, clearly, that’s giving her too much credit, because again, i never got trained to any degree on how to make the vast majority of what gets “cooked” for pantry, and apparently she’s incapable of planning ahead even if for no other reason than to simply make her own job easier.

to make matters worse, we had just gotten a shipment, so the walk-in was packed full without any room to get around; i’d have put it away myself, but i don’t know where the vast majority of the shit goes, and i don’t want to fuck up the already tenuous inventory log situation that C constantly grouses about. i’m resultantly unable to get counts for anything we already have, so for the time being i focus on what i am able to easily access to get done, which is mostly plating desserts.

after a couple hours, a temp (E) comes in to help. there is a language barrier and she has never worked pantry before, only line, so i have to train her (through translation apps and my own rudimentary kitchen spanish) while also trying to figure out what the hell i’m doing myself. chef doesn’t get around to teaching me how to make two of the items we need until about half an hour before service starts, meaning i once again did not get a break and had to rush through making them myself, while i also try to get E set up with making sure everything she could put together was ready for service.

as you can probably imagine, this doesn’t go particularly well! E does great with the actual prep stuff, with dressing the cold cured meat dish and this that and the other, but as soon as we get to service it becomes an absolute shitshow. apparently nobody taught E on line that you need to send dishes out in the order the tickets come in, so we’re 15 tickets deep with more printing, and she’s ignoring things i specifically showed her how to make while we were slow to, instead, pull from the end of the queue to make salads that i keep having to drop what i’m doing to coach her on how to make correctly when they have a special request applied.

ultimately this results in me getting scolded by the GM/service lead to send tickets out in order, to which i just respond that “i’m trying,” and M comes to my defense when i can’t hear it to point out that i really wasn’t set up for success today, and folks kind of back off. thankfully we only end up with one extra dish (to my knowledge? something was said about extra carrot cakes but they were never brought back) and it’s just like. a half salad that E didn’t prep right so we couldn’t send it out.

insult to injury is that there were actually others present who had worked pantry before. one of the expo cooks (D) actually comes back to help J1 all the time, but because of S being absent he had to focus on expo—and he ended up leaving before dinner service without raising a finger or even pausing to ask to make sure i was going to be okay with just me and the temp. D’s got a problem habit of leaving without doing everything that needs done, anyway, which ended up resulting in J2 getting forced into overtime to pick up his and J1’s slack on that front, which is why he wasn’t there for this shift. probably ultimately for the better but i really would have appreciated the extra pair of hands.

due to the string of buffoonery that resulted in us missing no less than 3 kitchen staff and damn near everyone who knew how to do anything of substance on pantry, i wasn’t really given an opportunity to call for help. thankfully M had my back and nobody seems to have any hard feelings now that it was made clear to them that i wasn’t given room to do anything but struggle, and the GM and service staff took it pretty well when i apologized for how much of a shitshow pantry became, but i really should not have been left drowning like that in the first place.

Posted by admin Rodney.

[miikishii]

To Hold the Sea | Ch. 15

main masterlist

series masterpost | previous chapter | next chapter

synopsis: a good lazy day.

warnings: one suggestive joke

A soothing warmth embraces you, rousing you softly from sleep. As your eyes open, you’re met with a mass of wavy brown hair strewn across your chest. When you stretch your arms above your head, Dazai lifts his face to meet you. His eyes are barely open in his haze, but he nods at you; he doesn’t say good morning, but it’s close enough to a greeting. You bring a hand to comb through his hair gently. You’re well-rested, finally. You’re calm, finally. 

You don’t say anything, just continue working your hands through his hair. You stare blankly at the ceiling, thinking to yourself. Whenever you woke up together, he always felt so distant; it was just something about him. But now, it seems, there’s nothing between you; no invisible barrier; no strange feeling of disappointment. Carefully, Dazai inches closer to your face. Your hands shift down slowly, tracing shapes on his shoulder blades. You smile at him,

“Good morning.”

“I’m cold…” he says groggily, burying his face into the crook of your neck.

You take the blanket covering you and pull it up over his shoulders.

“Better?” 

“Perfect.” 

You can hear rain outside, but the sun still peeks through the clouds and into your window.

“Beautiful morning, isn’t it?” you say softly. He just nuzzles further into your neck. 

“You’re beautiful,” he whispers; you chuckle and place a hand on the back of his head. You stay that way for a while. At some point, you try to get up, but he doesn’t budge. You sigh, but, nonetheless, you let him keep you. He smooths a hand up and down your side and places a soft kiss on your jaw,

“What do you think you’re doing?” you feel his smile, his lips pressed to your neck,

“Hopefully you.” he tries his best not to laugh. 

“Ha ha, very funny.” you roll your eyes, “I’m hungry,” you say, trying to sit up. He doesn’t move at all, leaving you to struggle by yourself,

“Don’t go,” he whines.

“But I’m hungry..!”

“Five more minutes…”

“Ugh.”

You pout, but you know it really doesn’t bother you at all. He curls up closer to you again,

“I’m happy in moments like this; let me have this,” he says softly; it gives you pause.

“Happy…” you whisper to yourself.

“This is as close to perfection as I’ll ever get, as impossible as it is.” His words make you hug him a little tighter.

“I think you're right.” You smile. Your stomach growls.

“Breakfast is on me today.” He mumbles as if he regrets suggesting it.

“I’ll hold you to it.”

When you finally find the strength to get out of bed (push Dazai off of you) you get ready and sit in your living room while you wait for him. He walks out in his usual clothes, rubbing sleep from his eyes. The two of you walk to the train station holding hands in silence. 

“It’s cold,” he mumbles to himself as he squeezes your hand a bit tighter.

“It’s a little chilly,” you say as he moves in closer to your side.

You don’t really think about where you’re going, your feet just happen to take you to the same place you always used to go. He lets go of your hand only to open the door for you,

“After you,” he bows and smiles. You roll your eyes and chuckle. 

“Remember, breakfast is on you.” 

“How could I forget?”

When you sit down he lays back in his chair, relaxed, waiting for you to say something. Instead, you enjoy the silence between you, sipping your drink idly, and staring at him. He hunches over his coffee, holding the mug to warm his hands.

“What else should we do today?” you ask.

“Stay home.” 

“You don’t want to do anything else?”

“Nope. I’d like to take a nap today.” you stifle a laugh,

“We woke up, like, half an hour ago.”

“I’m just taking a page from Kunikida’s book; I’m planning ahead.” 

“Maybe after your nap-”

“I was thinking it could be our nap.”

“Hm,” You stir your drink, “I’m okay with that.”

“Yes, so, anyways, after our nap…” he prompts you,

“We could watch something.” you shrug, “It’ll be a good lazy day.”

A good lazy day it is; breakfast is great and he pays without complaint, you walk home hand in hand, and sit at the kitchen island for a while. He reads while you scroll on your laptop. The lack of words between you makes the time that much more valuable; comfortable silence. When you move to the couch, he moves with you, not a word exchanged. He continues to read even when you turn on the TV and lay across his lap. Eventually, he puts the book down and drifts off, shifting onto his side to lay behind you, an arm draped over your waist. 

“Our nap.” You say to yourself. You pull his hand to your chest, hugging it tightly, knowing many things could change in the next few weeks. You were no stranger to change, but it would never stop gnawing at you as it approached. And when it passes you by, it often comes back to nip at your ankles. Never stopping you, just biting enough to startle you. Even in your unhappiness, it’s sometimes hard to accept any change. Sometimes, the comfort in knowing that everything is the same is both your worst enemy and your greatest ally. As if he could feel your brain pacing in your skull, Dazai places a quick kiss on your head. Everything will be okay. He pulls you impossibly closer,

“Relax,” he whispers.

You squeeze his hand tight,” Okay.”

note: big things are coming I just really have to figure them tf out

[xxshadowcasterxx]

The Bad Boys stood atop Bread Bridge. They looked down onto the rest of the server, taking in every detail. They waited.

They needed a kill, desperately. Jimmy looked down at his wrist. It flashes up at him. ‘32:18’

“Guys,” he said, looking up at the other Bad Boys. “Yeah?” Joel asked, clearly nervous. He noticed how Jimmy kept looking down at his wrist, where glowing numbers continued to flash. “How much?” he asked, knowing the answer couldn’t be good. Jimmy looked up at him and replied, “Almost a half hour.”

The air seemed to grow heavier with Jimmy’s response. The group tensed. They really needed a kill. This was something they couldn’t afford to lose.

The boys eyes the ground, scanning for any movement. They needed someone quick.

The Canary Curse had been plaguing Jimmy since the beginning. It had weighed on him every cycle, and each time his hope that the curse would break weakened. But the Bad Boys were determined to break it.

No matter the cost.

Their eyes scanned the ground desperately. “Come on, just one person,” Grian mumbled. He wanted to break this curse more than anything. He wanted to right the wrongs of the Watchers. He needed to.

Finally, after about ten minutes, they spotted someone. It was Scar.

“There,” Joel pointed to the ground, where Scar stood gathering some wheat. He placed the TNT mine cart and positioned it right above Scar’s head. Grian visibly stiffened, but he gave the go ahead.

Joel and Grian stepped back. “Go ahead, Tim,” Grian said. He was visibly nervous, eyeing Jimmy carefully as he stepped forward. Jimmy gulped as he looked down. If he were to fall…

No. He wasn’t going to fall. Surely not.

Jimmy closed his eyes and pushed the mine cart forward.

The mine cart fell, but unfortunately for Jimmy, Scar took notice. He jumped out of the way, barely missing the explosion.

“Dammit,” Joel said, disappointment written across his face. Jimmy, however, wore a different expression. That of fear.

“Guys, I only have 15 minutes left.” The whole group shifted uncomfortably, weighing their options. “Tim, I have 5 hours, you can just kill me,” Grian said. Jimmy shook his head. “No, it’s not worth it. You’ll lose an hour and the Clockers are already targeting you.”

“Please, Jimmy, I caused so many of your deaths. Just let me help you here,” Grian said. He was pleading, knowing how he wore his own curse. He didn’t want to let his curse win, either.

“Scar must be low,” Joel said. “He still got hit by a bit of the explosion, so if we just get the drop on him we might be able to get you some time.” Jimmy eyed his wrist. He sighed. “I don’t really have a choice, do I.”

They looked down, trying to make their decision. Jim was at 9 minutes. Whatever they were going to do, it had to be fast.

Grian agreed to stay on the Bridge as a look out, making sure no one else would interfere with the battle. Secretly, he hoped that being on the sidelines would help Jimmy’s chances of survival. Tim already had one curse to deal with, he didn’t need Grian’s too.

Meanwhile, Scar was beginning to infer what they were about to do. He drew his bow and began to shoot towards the Bad Boys.

One arrow snagged Jimmy’s jacket and threw him off balance. He wobbled back and forth, teetering on the edge of the bridge. Joel reached towards him and grabbed his jacket, pulling him back onto the bridge and steading him. They both sighed a breath of relief.

Jimmy’s timer was counting down. He was at 5 minutes. He had to do something right now.

Jimmy poured the water bucket and jumped, quickly followed by Joel. They both descended onto the ground and began to fight.

Scar might have been outnumbered, but his skill showed. He fought elegantly, his sword deflecting some blows and inflicting others.

Soon, Jimmy was at half health. He fell to the ground, injured. He had only a few minutes left. Joel looked back, panicked, but kept fighting.

Joel knew that he couldn’t kill Scar, or else Jimmy wouldn’t get the time he needed. Still, he was going to die soon if Jimmy didn’t do anything.

“Jimmy!” Joel cried, “Shoot him!”

Jimmy looked at him surprised, but didn’t question it. He aimed his bow, ignoring the shaking in his hands. He only had one arrow, one shot at this.

Scar was low, really low, but not out yet. He pushed forward, attacking Joel with his full strength. Joel was weak, near dying. He was out of food, too. Even if he had any, he didn’t have time to heal up.

He didn’t have time.

Jimmy fired the arrow, sending it flying. He closed his eyes.

Jimmy heard a ‘thump’ of someone falling to the ground. He sighed as he felt relief wash over him. He checked his wrist. It read ‘31:47’

He had gotten a kill.

“Joel, look!” he shouted, eager to show his teammate his newly acquired time. But no response came from his teammate.

“Joel?” Jimmy asked. Again, he got no response. He looked around for a second, searching the direction that he had shot. There, he saw something.

Two figures were lying still, one with an arrow piercing his back and another lying near him with a sword in hand.

Jimmy felt his heart drop.

He ran over to them, blood running cold. “Joel?”

Jimmy’s eyes widened in horror as he began to process the scene.

Scar and Joel both laid before him. Jimmy stood over them and just stared. He watched blankly as Scar’s body dissipated.

When someone died in the Life Games, their body evaporated, often reforming into when they respawned. The only exception to this was if their death was permanent, in which case their body would remain.

Jimmy watched as Scar’s body evaporated. Joel’s, however, did not.

“Joel?” Jimmy asked, some hope still remaining. Maybe he was just knocked out. That was a rough fight, after all.

But something made it clear to Jimmy that this wasn’t just Joel lying unconscious. And that something was the singular arrow sticking out from his back.

“Oh my god,” Jimmy mumbled. He put a hand on Joel’s shoulder. “Oh my god.” Jimmy felt as though he was going to be sick. He just stared at his teammate’s corpse. “Oh my god,” he whispered.

Jimmy felt his eyes well up with tears. Scar began to approach, but stopped when he saw what had happened.

The Canary sat still, tears flooding his vision. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t see, he couldn’t breathe. All he could do was sit and mourn.

Just as they had hoped, Jimmy had broken the curse. The death meant for the Canary had fallen upon another.

The curse had been broken.

Was it worth the price?

[fregolicotard]

24.09.2024

Remember when I complained yesterday about my "uber adventurous and packed day". 💀 Such a sweet sweet summer child I was...

07:00 am – Wake up, bleary-eyed, and drag ourselves to the airport. Completely unaware that we won a ticket for an obstacle course disguised as air travel.

12:30 pm – We finally take off from Berlin, fashionably late by an hour. No big deal—just leaves us with a razor-thin 40 minutes to catch our connection in Madrid for Dallas. Who doesn’t love a little adrenaline with their layover?

15:30 pm – Land in Madrid and immediately get an email: Good news: we’re rebooked! Bad news: it’s to New York at 16:20. Because why go straight to your destination when you can collect cities like trading cards?

15:40 pm – Andrzej calls Iberia, and they inform him that, surprise, the New York flight is also cancelled. Meanwhile, the monitor insists it’s boarding. Who do we trust? The airline or reality?

16:00 pm – We run to the gate for New York like two racehorses. The gate agent tells us we can board… but our luggage isn’t coming with us. So we’d have to file a claim in New York to get it to Dallas. Hard pass. She sends us to customer service to get rebooked instead. Because clearly, that’s where all problems are solved.

16:10 pm – Join the purgatory that is Iberia’s customer service line. Forty people ahead of us, two agents “helping” with the kind of enthusiasm you’d expect from people about to perform a root canal on themselves. Meanwhile, Andrzej is calling Iberia and then British Airways, trying to find a way to Dallas.

17:30 pm – Victory (ish): Andrzej books us on a new flight… to Chicago… in two days. I suggest we keep waiting in line, just in case customer service has something earlier up their sleeve. Maybe they'll take pity on us?

18:00 pm – Eighteen people still ahead of us. Food and water? Nonexistent. Assistance? Please. No one gives a tossing fig about us.

18:10 pm – Just as I start wondering if I’ll grow old and die in this line, the agents announce their shift is over and walk out. Mayhem. Everyone starts screaming. We’re directed to another desk—because why stop at one disaster when you can have two? It’s a 30-minute hike across the airport, because of course it is.

19:00 pm – Desk #2. We split up: Andrzej tries to file a luggage claim, while I get in yet another line. I sweat these are actually East European post offices disguised as customer service desks.

20:00 pm – After what feels like eternity, the desk agent tells me to go to bus stop #7 for the hotel shuttle. Which hotel? Who knows. Apparently, that’s classified information. I try to ask, and she snaps at me to “just go to the bus stop.” Customer service is dead, and she’s the one who killed it.

20:20 pm – Standing outside at bus stop #7, surrounded by luggage, rushing vehicles and men who look like they will say at any time: "Hey, gorgeous". A bus finally pulls up, but the driver looks at us like we’ve asked for a free ride to the moon and refuses to take us. So Andrzej heads back inside, leaving me to babysit 123 kilos of baggage, increasingly convinced I’m living in some twisted social experiment. Maybe I died on the flight to Madrid and this is purgatory? Straight to hell old girl?

21:20 pm – An hour later, Andrzej returns, saying the bus stop is somewhere else and that “Jorge” is waiting for us. Whoever Jorge is, he’s our only hope.

22:30 pm – We’ve now been waiting an hour, and shocker: Jorge hasn’t shown. Our fellow passengers are skedadling one by one, calling Ubers, tired of the lie that Jorge is coming to rescue us. What if I made Jorge up?! Maybe I'm so hungry that I'm imagining Jorges is shining armour coming up in a shuttle bus??

23:45 pm – We join the others, booking a hotel ourselves because dignity is for people who didn’t trust this airline. I call an Uber van big enough for our suitcase bonanza.

00:30 am – Arrive at the hotel, a hollow shell of my former self, wondering if life was ever anything other than an endless airport queue. Energy depleted.

00:45 am – Tapas. Flavor profile: Optimal. Resource expenditure: Excessive. Emotional satisfaction: Temporary. Take a selfie because surely they don't allow you selfies in hell?

#268of366