#and my god his manager oh god she had her arms crossed and eyebrow raised like 'uh huh whatchu gonna do now? im waiting'

[blueflipflops]

Rip to the random fastfood worker guy that got caught up with my university's theatre's sponsorship talk. I'm so sorry my guy I know you're just doing your job but unfortunately for you I'm also just doing my job. My man looks so LOST. I asked the attention of the manager in front of me but the poor guy answered first so my attention homed into the dumbass and started my speech. Boy was FROZEN in shock. My guy was like a literal deer in headlights. Never really knew what that phrase meant till I met this guy. He was stammering and looking nervously to the side where his manager is at and she's just looking back like she's waiting for him to break.

I legit heard him take a deep breath after she finally took the letter and i looked away from him.

[mirohlayo]

SUCH A SIMP

( The monegasque driver has no problem showing himself to be particularly affectionate with you )

warning : fluff, charles spamming you with messages (but it's cute)

note : race week again bby

word count : 2.2k

Oh. It's funny how the monegasque who seems so confident turns into a real man unable to breathe properly when he's away from you.

A young woman who has only just taken her first steps in the incredible world of F1. You were able to apply for the red team, the italian Ferrari team. A great and majestic racing team whose name demands respect and recognition, especially for Italians. And you had just joined these motorsport gods in F1.

Finally, you are not in charge of the most difficult and relentless job either. You were recruited as a new social media manager, certainly with a lot of tasks to carry out, but undoubtedly a little less important than those of the racing engineers and strategists. However, the media is a source of content that fans of the sport love and your ultimate goal is to create the best videos and content possible for Ferrari.

So little by little, you appeared in the Ferrari motorhome. Your colleagues were starting to remember your face and your name, and after a good three weeks on the job, a lot of things had radically changed.

Firstly, you had integrated well into the Italian team. Good relationships and understandings with your colleagues. And secondly, and not least, a new form... of friendship - if we could describe it that way - was formed between you and the famous Monegasque Ferrari driver. Charles Leclerc.

The young man found himself curious about you, interested in this young new woman of his age who, despite the difficulty of the work, completed the tasks required in no time, a fairly perfectionist quality. It must be said that we can clearly see that she really likes this job. And this had intrigued Charles, who often found himself looking for the young brunette.

With the support of his teammate Carlos, who pushed him to take the plunge to try to approach you, Charles ended up introducing himself to you - as if you didn't already know him in this environment. He approached with a shy, almost nervous smile, while he could not hide his completely admiring, almost affectionate look. He struggled to form his sentences, far too dazzled by your sublime beauty and presence.

You seemed quite shy and reserved at first, and that was the case in everyday life. But that's what made you so charming, and Charles felt his heart beat harder and harder every time he managed to make you smile or laugh, a blush that appeared on your face and that he loved more and more.

You blink suddenly, as you start walking with your shoulders straight again in the paddock. You were so lost in your thoughts, remembering how this friendship between you and the driver had blossomed, that you hadn't noticed that the Ferrari motorhome was right in front of you.

The automatic doors open as you enter the small cube, shyly greeting the employees and your colleagues. “Hey, Y/n.” Carlos smiles at you kindly, happy to see you there. You hadn't set foot in the paddock for 2 weeks already, the team had offered you the opportunity to work remotely. You jumped at the opportunity, the chance to spend some time with your family during the week.

“How were your two weeks away from us? I bet you missed us” He winks at you, knowing deep down that a part of you was eager to get back to work there. "It was great. I got to enjoy a little bit with my family." You smile sincerely, remembering the activities you shared with your parents. “But it’s true that I missed working within the stable itself. And then, I couldn’t wait to see you again.”

Carlos' smirk is evident, his arms crossed over his chest as he smiles more and more. You raise your eyebrows slightly, intrigued by his reaction. "Is something wrong? Did I say something funny?" Finally, he chuckles weakly as he shakes his head. “I’m just thinking about how a certain man here was also very, very excited to see you again” He purses his lips, narrowing his eyes, leaning down to your ear so he can speak in a low voice.

“And although I really like you Y/n, that man isn’t me. Besides, I’m sure he’s currently complaining about how much he misses you.” He stands up straight and gives you another wink, followed by another smirk. You feel your cheeks heat up, blush violently. You try to look away, embarrassed.

You know very well who Carlos wants to talk about. You wanted to deny it, to tell yourself that it wasn't true and that it was only your conscience playing with you, but after Carlos' words, all these questions seem true. "Come on, go. You must have a lot of work, just like me. See you later, Y/n!" Carlos pats your shoulder as he walks further behind you.

You don't know how long you stood there in the middle of the motorhome floor, but long enough for you to think about what just happened. Carlos is always honest, and when he saw you in the presence of Charles, he did not hesitate to make some embarrassing remarks to you, like that the monegasque looked at you with hearts in his eyes or that he particularly liked to seek physical contact with you.

These remarks made you blush and Charles always seemed to become embarrassed, more shy than before as he begged Carlos to leave you alone. Because the Monegasque driver knows that his teammate is aware that he has a weakness for you. More than a weakling, he's literally a simp for you. But he really doesn't want you to know.

Or rather, he would like to but he's afraid of rushing you or of you not feeling the same way. After all, three weeks might be too early for you, but for Charles it was enough to make him completely lovesick for you.

You finally come to your senses, and after checking that your face is no longer completely red, you sit comfortably on the chair in your office. You finally got to work, responding to the last email you missed. A notification vibrated your phone, and glancing at the screen, you saw Charles' name.

You really wanted to continue working seriously, you had promised yourself to get back to work but the notification and the message from Charles were running through your head. So, despite yourself, you grab your phone and open your messages to click on the driver's message. Your gaze softens as you read it, your heart racing.

Charles Lec

I heard you finally arrived to the circuit. can't wait to see you again, miss you y/n :(

see you at the 11 o'clock meeting

The message makes you blush again, more lightly this time. But just with a simple message, Charles knows how to make your heart beat and put you in all your moods. He is charming, funny, and caring. Of course you had to fall in love with him. And Carlos' words said earlier secretly gave you hope. Hope for something deeper.

You were about to respond, but your eyes drifted to the messages he had sent you earlier in the month, specifically during your two weeks of remote working. And reading the messages, that's where Carlos' words took on their full meaning.

Charles Lec

07/06

i just learned that you are remote working, that's why I didn't find you at the paddock

i'm sad that you're not here but you also need to rest during these two weeks :(

miss u a lot

09/06

hello you ;) hope everything goes well.

i don't know if you saw the qualifying but I'm starting the race p11

the race will start soon, I hope you can still watch it

can't wait to see you again, gorgeous

still miss u

12/06

it's not race week but I would have liked to spend these few days with you but you work and you must surely enjoy your family

eat well and don't stay up too late, pretty girl

have a good day :))

14/06

i miss u y/n

i feel like it's been forever since I last saw you

I have already planned a few little things to do when you come back, call me back when you can :)

15/06

hello youu

In 1 week I'll see you again but I can't wait any longer

i think I'm gonna die if I don't talk to you right now

can i call u please? :(

16/06

i did a little workout today and I will continue next week

we see each other again in less than a week and all I can think about is that

take care sweetheart

miss you a lot lately :(

not just lately, miss u always, every single minute of the day

Everything seems to fit together like a puzzle. So Carlos was telling the truth, the man who is so eager to see you again is definitely Charles. Come to think of it, he texted you almost every day. To tell you how much he missed you and that he wanted to see you again, not forgetting to add a few pet names here and there.

This kind of revelation changes everything. Your feelings, the way you think and behave. You were still surprised at the idea that Charles could potentially love you the same way you love him. But there is no doubt about it, after everything that has just happened in a few minutes. And you didn't know if you were looking forward to going to the meeting or not.

But there you are, in front of the door to the small interview room. And as you enter, a little late, almost everyone is there. You can feel several eyes on you, but one is undeniable. Charles is there, sitting, his gaze completely glued to you, totally absorbed and attracted by you alone. He follows you with his eyes, completely in love, while your angelic beauty completely takes his breath away. Oh, he missed your face so much.

You move towards your chair, painfully avoiding meeting his burning gaze. But after all, it's impossible. Why would you want to avoid him, when he certainly feels the same way as you.

So, calmly, you sit down, you take your pen between your fingers, and taking a deep breath, you end up laying your eyes on him. You meet his gaze and there, time seems to stop for a moment. His eyes burn into your face, and your breath catches. But a shy smile, which ends up widening, takes its place on the driver's face. And, shyly, you smile back.

And during this meeting, you couldn't help but glance at each other a few times. And in Charles' head, everything was panicking. He wanted to hold you in his arms and never let go. He wanted to spend every next minute by your side, making you smile and laugh until you lost control. He wanted to stay for hours admiring you, listening to you speak with your sweet voice. He was finally able to live and breathe properly.

The meeting ends, you take a strangely long time to put away the few things you had brought with you. And Charles strangely seems to take care to say goodbye to each of the people who leave the room. So that in the end, you find yourself alone in the room. No one speaks, your gaze each focused on the corners of the room. And finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Charles finally approached you.

So close, that he ends up wrapping his arms around your waist, nestling his face in the crook of your neck. You practically melt in his embrace, as you return the favor, your hands gently caressing his back. “I missed you so, so much.” His voice is muffled. You giggle weakly, and just that little laugh melts Charles' heart.

"Carlos informed me that a certain person here was very eager to see me again, hmm?". Your shy nature wasn't the type to tease people, but seeing Charles like this made him absolutely adorable and you couldn't help but tease him a little. He groans, because he knows that as soon as he meets Carlos again, he will make him understand that he, on the contrary, will never look forward to seeing him again. But for now, he's just enjoying the moment.

"If it's to be able to stay in your arms like this, then yes I assume that this person is me. And now that you are here, you are certainly not going to leave me." And in an overconfidence, he pulls back just enough to place a soft, long kiss on your cheek, while his hands gently squeeze your hips. The sudden touch makes you jump slightly, and your face doesn't fail to show your embarrassment as it turns a pretty pink.

Which absolutely makes Charles laugh, totally captivated by you. But he absolutely didn't expect you to kiss him back, on his cheek already crimson from the contact of your lips on his skin. The room is suddenly filled with giggles, while the two secret lovers, or rather the two idiots in love who see their relationship blossom into something more beautiful, remain there for a while longer, in each other's arms.

And Carlos, who wanted to make his way into the room to collect his Ferrari cap, had observed everything from the doorway. A huge grin on his face, he finally rolled his eyes, amused. “Such a simp.” He whispers these words, which, without a doubt, perfectly reflect reality. Because yes, Charles is just a simp for you.

[kissitbttr]

RANDOMMM SCENARIO BUT… famous athlete(soccer player) comes up to Wife and flirts with her (???) while her and miggy are at a club or something. 🫨

ooo this gon be a one jealous miggy🤤🤤

-

miguel is fucking furious,

he and his wife had planned to have a date night. a nice drink at a cocktail bar would do the two of them good. in which he refused at first. he offered a dinner and gentle walks with ice cream but it seems that his wife managed to make him agree with her instead . thanks to her gorgeous puppy dog eyes and seduction, he actually complied. under one condition, that she has to stay by his side the entire night.

‘aw baby, you know i wouldn’t stray too far away from you. I wouldn’t like to dance alone anyway’

that’s not why miguel wanted her to leave his side for more than five minutes,

if she did, then miguel has to look at some twenty something year old mother fucker trying to hit on her like this exact moment,

it’s because he knows how gorgeous his wife is. her presence alone could make people’s head turns and men to fall to their knees. let alone if she opens her mouth and speak, they could easily be entranced and fall in love,

how would he know, you ask? because that’s what she did to him the first time he met her,

he brings his glass of whiskey to his lips, taking a slow sips as his eyes settled on another brunette man trying to entertain his wife by the bar,

five minutes. miguel fucking left for five minutes to go to the bathroom and some pubescent fucker already is trying his ways to woo her,

it’s not like she’s actually interested with the guy. he could sense the boredom radiating from her, and he doesn’t even have to stand close to her,

it makes him laugh.

her ears perk at the sound of a familiar sound that she loves, turning around and flashes a smile before reaching a hand to his waist making him mirror her expression,

“miguel, darling. this is christian. christian king. he’s a—“

“number 07. football league. nice to meet you” on the contrary, miguel’s tone doesn’t sound inviting at all, in which she’s quick to notice but doesn’t say anything,

the guy however, is appalled. eyes wide at the size of the man before him who looks like he could snap his neck in half.

miguel’s impossibly large physique has never failed to intimidate people. how could it not? he’s one of the strongest spider-man for crying out loud! not to mention the amount of hours he put in during the workouts. especially when he’s in during the bulking season to put on more muscles,

lord have mercy whomever tries to cross him or disrespect his wife

“oh.. I didn’t know she came with someone” the guy gulps nervously but try to at least smile. “miguel o’hara? a friend of bruce wayne’s right?”

he scoffs, “hardly” he twirls the glass softly in his hand as the other snakes around her waist, showing him that she’s taken. “acquaintance is more suited”

christian lets out a hum, nodding along as he awkwardly tries to avert his gaze. miguel’s wife however is enjoying this weird interaction, her eyes flickers between them before smirking,

“christian here just asked me out on a date. to go watch him play”

hearing that makes christian choke, while miguel raises his one eyebrow at the bold question the man had the nerve to ask,

“that so?” miguel heaves a small humorless laugh, sounding pissed. he watches christian struggle to put some words as he shakes his head,

“t-that was before i knew she came with someone, i swear! sorry i mean no disrespect” he puts his hands up in defense, feeling scared that her words will affect his life. because the way miguel is staring him down hard,

there’s 99% chance that christian would walk out of here with broken arms,

“saw you kept touching her too, compá. you interested in my wife?” miguel steps in closer while she remains quiet, biting back a smile,

“no! oh my god, no! of course not i was—“

“how old are you?”

“21”

“shit” miguel chuckles as if it’s the funniest thing he’s ever heard. “look, you got to find one your age, kid. she’s taken. beat it”

christian nods fast, grabbing his drink off the table and mutter a soft sorry before scrambling off and away from the two,

his wife has her legs crossed, exposing the soft and delicate thighs between the slits of her dress while eyeing her husband who refuses to leave his gaze off the poor guy,

she smirks widely, elbow on the counter before chuckling causing miguel to look at his woman. which then his brows dip into a frown,

“you were enjoying that”

“i did” she confirms, moving to graze his cheek and down to the collar of his shirt. “you handled that better than i did”

“you complaining, cariño?”

“kind of. I should’ve prompted a fight”

“jesus, you’re crazy”

she leans closer, breath ghosting over his mouth as he looks down at her, mind going fuzzy. “you love it.”

“ay. si lo tengo, bonita” he sighs dreamily, planting a quick kiss on her ruby lips. “i still don’t like how they keep trying to take my woman away from me. first, it was at the cake test for our wedding and now that fucking kid—jesus is really testing me”

“what? you know i’m hot. some people just can’t help themselves” she shrugs innocently, giving him her best doe gaze while sipping on her cocktail,

with a groan, he pulls her in. “you’re pushing it, querida” eyes jumping between her eyes and mouth. “but you’re not wrong”

her lips stretch into a smile, pressing a finger on his chin to keep his eyes locked in his,

“you’re my husband. and i’m your wife. we’re tied, baby. you are stuck with me”

the nickname and the reminder puts him at ease for a bit, softly unclenching his jaw, head nodding at the thought of his wife being his forever,

his beautiful, beautiful wife,

“i mean, unless you want us to—“

“don’t even think about it” he grunts, giving her butt a spank with a glare. the gesture makes her giggle,

“you’re fucking mine”

[rxmqnova]

Secret crush

Y/N: 6 years old Wanda: 30 years old Natasha: 32 years old Story: Wanda comes back from Sokovia after 2 years… ——————————————————

NO ONE'S POV Natasha and Wanda have known each other since their college years. They became best friends almost immediately, but in reality both have way deeper feelings for each other. They're just scared it could ruin their friendship which none of them wants.

Their feelings only grew deeper when Natasha's parents died and she had to take care of her youngest sister. Yelena was 22 back then, already having her own apartment and running her own coffee shop, so the blonde didn't need as much care as the newborn sister. Wanda was there, helping the two sisters with everything, especially with the newborn baby which only made the feelings between Wanda and Natasha stronger.

However, the past two years Wanda spent in Sokovia. Her parents had some troubles with health, but both are good now, so Wanda's moving back, ready to go back to work.

Y/N's been super excited to see Wanda again. She's been asking Natasha about her almost every day and even called her from Natasha's phone if Natasha allowed it.

"Y/N, is the fort gone like I asked you too?!" Natasha calls from the kitchen. Y/N's been playing the whole afternoon, but Wanda should be here soon, so she had to clean her fort up.

Y/N runs to the kitchen where Natasha's cooking the dinner. She hugs the redhead's legs tightly on which Natasha looks down with a smile, running her fingers through Y/N's hair.

"Is the fort gone?" The redhead asks with a smile, raising her eyebrow.

"All cleaned, Natty" Y/N smiles back, lifting her arms up for Natasha who smiles, lifting her little sister up and sitting her onto her hip.

"Wanda should be here in any minute, so I expect you to be on your best behavior, okay?" Natasha says, giving Y/N her stern look.

"Natty, I'm always good" Y/N pouts, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Sure you are, детка" The redhead chuckles and kisses Y/N's pout away which makes the little one giggle and cuddle up to her big sister just in the moment the doorbell rings. "That must be Wanda. Can you go to open the door, honey?" The older woman smiles and stands her sister on the ground. (baby)

Y/N smiles, nodding her head and running to open the door. As soon as the door swings open, Wanda smiles widely at the little girl she missed so much.

"Oh my god, hi, Y/N/N" Wanda smiles even more, bending down to Y/N's level. "You're so big. Who allowed my little monkey to grow up when I wasn't here?" Wanda raises an eyebrow, booping Y/N's nose which makes the little one giggle and blush. "Will Wanda get a hug?" She smiles, opening her arms for Y/N. The little girl immediately smiles, wrapping her arms around Wanda's neck. The brunette lifts Y/N up, spreading kisses all over the little face, making Y/N laugh.

"Stooop" Y/N laughs out, trying to push Wanda's face away with her tiny hands.

"Not until you tell me how much you missed me" Wanda teases, continuing the kissing attack.

"This much!" Y/N immediately gestures with her arms, opening them as much as she can.

"I missed you more" Wanda smiles, rubbing the tip of her nose against Y/N's. The little monkey smiles, cuddling up to the brunette who presses a kiss to her head, rubbing Y/N's little back with her hand.

Wanda manages to take off her shoes without putting Y/N on the ground, leaving her suitcase on the hallway as she's staying at Natasha's house for a while, and walks towards the kitchen.

"Now I would like to know… Was Natasha nice to you while I wasn't here?" Wanda teases as she steps into the kitchen, Natasha turning around with a smile on her face.

"No" Y/N giggles, lifting her head up and looking at her sister. Natasha gasps, putting her hand on her chest and playing offended.

"You cheeky little monkey" Natasha chuckles, tickling Y/N which makes the girl laugh and scream for help.

"Nope. Not my little monkey" Wanda smirks, pushing Natasha's hands away. Wanda kisses Y/N's forehead before standing her on the ground. She pulls Natasha into a tight hug. Y/N not wanting to stay behind, she hugs the two women's legs, joining their hug that way.

"Hey" Wanda smiles at Natasha as they pull away.

"Hey" Natasha smiles back, staring into Wanda's eyes that she missed that much.

"Natty, Y/N's hungry" Y/N says, tugging on Natasha's sleeve. Natasha smiles in response, lifting her sister up.

"We should do something about it then" Natasha pokes Y/N's little tummy which causes another laugh from the tiny girl.

The three of them take a seat at the table and Natasha serves them the food she prepared. Y/N gets into eating straight away, mumbling to Wanda about everything that comes into her little mind.

The time flies fast and it's Y/N's bedtime already. Y/N runs back into the living room after her teeth are brushed, showing Natasha how well she brushed them.

"Can Wanda tuck me in please?" Y/N asks, looking at her sister and then at Wanda with her puppy eyes.

"Of course, sweetheart" Wanda smiles, sitting Y/N on her lap.

"You don't have to, Wands. She's been clinging to you ever since you came here and I bet you're tired after the way" Natasha smiles.

"Nat, it's fine. You know how much I love this little monkey. I'll be happy to put her to sleep" Wanda smiles, tickling Y/N's tummy, earning giggles from the little girl. "Okay. Say night night" Wanda stands up with Y/N in her arms.

"Ni-night, Natty" Y/N waves to her sister, pouting her lips for a kiss afterwards. Natasha stands up with a smile and gives Y/N a kiss. "Sweet dreams, детка. I love you" Natasha smiles, pressing a kiss to her sister's forehead. (baby)

"I love you too, Natty" Y/N smiles, snuggling up to Wanda tiredly. Wanda walks to Natasha's bedroom as Y/N insisted on sleeping there tonight while Natasha makes her way over to the kitchen to clean that place up. Wanda places Y/N on the bed, laying down next to her and the little girl immediately cuddles up to her.

"Will you go on that dinner with Natty?" Y/N asks, staring up at Wanda with her big green eyes and twirling her finger around a strand of Wanda's hair.

"Natty wants to take me out on a dinner?" Wanda asks curiously, hoping it's not just one of Y/N's imaginations.

"Natty told Yelena that she wants to take you out on a dinner, so Lena has to watch me" Y/N answers before laying her head down in Wanda's chest and letting out a yawn.

Wanda hums in response, a smile forming on her face. She'll definitely have a talk with Natasha after Y/N falls asleep

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

Natasha Romanoff masterlist

Masterlist

[nightwriter357]

Smosh Summer Games: Ships 5

Hello friends! Here’s Part 5 of myDamien x Reader series centered around Smosh summer games. This one is definitely smut(18+) so prepare for that. Hope you're still enjoying the story and my ask is always open for suggestions or just general questions.

Love you allll

Part 5: Why won't anyone dance with me? Cause I wanna fuck you.

The group gathered in the lounge, excitement buzzing in the air. You and Damien exchanged a look, a mix of anticipation and nervous energy building between you.

Courtney nudged you with a mischievous grin. "So, what do you think the next game is?"

Before you could respond, the door burst open, and Spencer sauntered in with exaggerated flair. He was previously seen in a long judge's robe with an old-timey wig, but now the robe was cut to the same length as a miniskirt, revealing hairy legs and red flip-flops.

The wig was gone, but he still wore the whistle around his neck. He strutted into the room, dramatically posing as everyone turned to look. For a moment, there was a stunned silence, followed by an eruption of reactions.

Spencer raised his arms theatrically. "Behold, the new and improved judge!"

Everyone burst into laughter, some doubling over while others clapped in amusement.

"Oh my God, my eyes!" Shayne groaned, shielding his face.

"That is the worst thing I've ever seen," Amanda said, unable to stop laughing.

Ian leaned back, trying to keep a straight face. "That's... certainly a choice."

Arasha shook her head, grinning. "Spencer, what happened to you?"

Chanse managed to get out. "Dude, you look ridiculous!" Before going right nack to laughing again.

Trevor, however, was all smiles. "That looks awesome, bro!"

Spencer rolled his eyes good-naturedly, striking another pose. "Alright, alright, enough with the comments. Clearly, someone tried to sabotage my look, but all they did was make me even sexier."

He shot a glance at Courtney and Shayne, who both tried to look innocent, but their eyes darted to you and Damien.

Arasha's eyes widened. "Oh my God, you guys cut up his robe!"

Noah looked between you and Damien, realization dawning. "That makes so much sense. That's why you were being so weird this morning, you were distracting us."

Amanda nodded, laughing. "Oh yeah, you guys were acting crazy. Now it all makes sense."

Shayne, catching on to everyone's comments and piecing things together, added, "We did it yesterday, actually," giving you and Damien a knowing look. His tone implied he suspected there was more to your recent behavior.

Angela raised an eyebrow. "So there's no explanation for you guys being weird this morning?"

Damien shrugged, smirking. "We weren't being weird."

You chimed in, playfully addressing everyone who had commented. "Yeah, you guys are weird."

Spencer cleared his throat, regaining everyone's attention. "Alright, listen up! The next game is... Just Dance! Each ship gets one duet, and Ian and Anthony will have the final dance duel!"

Ian and Anthony exchanged a look, their playful rivalry flaring up immediately.

"Oh, you're going down, Padilla," Ian quipped, puffing out his chest.

Anthony smirked, crossing his arms. "Bring it, Hecox. You're about to witness dance perfection."

Courtney leaned in closer to you, her voice low and teasing. "Are you going to be able to focus with Damien all up in your space?"

You felt a mix of excitement and nerves tighten in your chest. Being this close to Damien, especially in front of everyone, was thrilling but also made you a bit anxious. You shot Courtney a look, trying to play it cool, but the smirk on her face told you she saw right through you.

Damien, catching the tail end of your conversation, leaned in, his voice flirty but low enough that no one else could hear. "I guess this means I get to touch you after all."

Your heart skipped a beat as you met his gaze. "Just try to keep up."

Courtney watched the exchange, clearly amused, knowing there was more going on between you two than you were ready to admit. Shayne, who hadn't even been told anything explicitly, seemed to be putting the pieces together too, exchanging a knowing glance with Courtney.

As the game was about to begin, you couldn't help but feel both happy and nervous. Being close to Damien, especially under the watchful eyes of everyone else, felt like walking a tightrope between excitement and the fear of giving too much away. You weren't sure how much people knew, but with the way Courtney and Shayne were acting, you were beginning to suspect that maybe you weren't as subtle as you thought.

As everyone gathered around the makeshift dance floor, the Just Dance game loaded up on the screen. Spencer, still looking gorgeous in his outfit, stood at the front, twirling his whistle on its cord. "Alright, let's get this party started! First up, we have... Arasha and Trevor!"

The opening notes of 'Uptown Funk' began to play, and Arasha and Trevor stepped forward. Their routine was full of energy, with Trevor throwing in some goofy moves while Arasha added flair with her sharp, confident steps. The two played off each other perfectly, getting the group hyped up with their enthusiastic performance.

Next up were Amanda and Angela, who danced to 'Single Ladies.' Amanda leaned into the choreography with sassy confidence, and Angela matched her energy, both clearly enjoying themselves. The room erupted in cheers when they nailed the iconic hand flip and ring finger move, everyone clapping along to the beat.

Courtney and Shayne took the stage next, performing to 'I Wanna Dance with Somebody.' Courtney's enthusiasm was infectious, while Shayne's moves were surprisingly smooth, showing off his hidden dance skills. They had the group laughing and cheering as they added their own twists to the routine.

Shayne grinned at Courtney and then turned to the others, confidently declaring, "There's no way we're losing this one, guys. 'Peg-leggers' for the win!"

After Noah and Keith's electrifying performance to Michael Jackson's 'Smooth Criminal,' Spencer called out, "Next up, we've got Damien and Y/n!"

The familiar opening notes of '(I've Had) The Time of My Life' filled the room, and you felt a rush of nerves. Dancing had never been your strong suit, and the pressure of performing in front of everyone-especially with Damien-was making you feel a little clumsy. You exchanged a quick look with Damien, who gave you a reassuring smile.

"We've got this," he whispered, his hand lingering on your back as you got into position.

The dance began with Damien dipping you low. His grip was steady, and for a moment, everything felt perfect. But as the routine continued, you found yourself getting more flustered. Damien's hands on your waist, guiding you through the steps, were distracting in a way you hadn't anticipated. You stumbled slightly as you spun out of his hold, catching yourself just in time.

"You okay?" Damien asked, his voice soft but amused.

"Yeah, just... trying to keep up," you replied with a sheepish smile, focusing on his movements to steady yourself.

The dance continued, and though you missed a step here and there, Damien was quick to cover for you, his hands finding your waist again and pulling you back into rhythm.

His touch was gentle but firm, guiding you through the more complicated moves. You couldn't help but feel like you were messing up more than usual, the combination of your nerves and the closeness to Damien making it hard to concentrate.

The room's attention was on you both, and you could hear a few whispered comments and cheers from the group.

"Damn, they're really into it," Noah whispered to Keith, who nodded in agreement.

"Look at those moves! Go, leg-peggers!" Tommy shouted, his voice filled with encouragement.

As the song built toward the iconic lift, you felt your heart race. This was the big moment. Taking a deep breath, you ran toward Damien, who lifted you effortlessly into the air. For a few seconds, it felt like everything else disappeared. The room erupted into applause and cheers as Damien held you steady, both of you grinning like idiots.

"Wow, didn't think they'd pull that off," Courtney muttered to Shayne, clearly impressed.

The performance ended with Damien lowering you gently back to the ground, both of you out of breath but smiling. The group erupted in applause, with a few hoots and whistles thrown in.

"That was incredible!" Angela yelled, clearly impressed, sipping on a glass of paint.. water.. it's probably water.

You glanced at Damien, who gave you a wink. "Told you we could do it, lover."

Next up were Chanse and Tommy, who danced to 'Toxic' by Britney Spears. Their performance was full of exaggerated moves and hilarious facial expressions, clearly playing up the dramatics for the crowd. The room was filled with laughter as Chanse did his best Britney impression, while Tommy leaned into the over-the-top choreography with a mischievous grin.

Finally, it was time for Ian and Anthony. As the first notes of 'You're the One That I Want' from 'Grease' played, the room buzzed with anticipation. Ian, always the performer, threw himself into the role of Sandy, prancing around with exaggerated hip sways and dramatic hair flips. Anthony, taking on the role of Danny, tried his best to keep up but ended up laughing halfway through as Ian's antics became increasingly ridiculous.

As the song reached its climax, Ian and Anthony leaned into each other, their faces inches apart before bursting into laughter. The room erupted in cheers and applause, everyone clearly enjoying the playful rivalry between the two.

Spencer stepped forward, trying to keep a straight face as he held up his whistle. "And the winners of this round are... the Peg-leggers!"

Ian pumped his fist in the air, grinning with satisfaction. "Yes! That's how it's done!" He turned to face the camera, his expression smug. "The score is now: Seamen: 2, Peg-leggers: 1. We're coming for you, Anthony."

Anthony rolled his eyes, but he couldn't hide his smile as the group cheered and laughed, everyone still buzzing from the excitement of the dance battle.

As you caught your breath, you couldn't help but feel a mix of relief and exhilaration. Dancing with Damien had been nerve-wracking, but it had also been... fun.

He leaned over to you, "you know, I've really had the time of my life, and I do owe it all to you".

You smiled back at Damien, "you swear that's the truth?"

The sun had set, casting a warm, amber glow over the dining area as everyone gathered around the long wooden table. After the intense Just Dance competition, the group had taken some time to freshen up, and now they were enjoying a well-deserved dinner.

You looked around the table, taking in the different conversations happening all at once. At one end, Arasha and Trevor were locked in a spirited exchange, their banter aimed squarely at Ian and Anthony, who were content to let the younger duo have their fun.

Trevor leaned in with a grin. "You know, Arasha and I were obviously the MVPs tonight. We're still in our prime, and sooo young compared to you old farts."

Arasha grinned mischievously. "You know, Trevor, every time I'm out in public, people ask me why I'm not at school. They can’t believe I'm old enough to be out on my own."

Trevor laughed, nodding in agreement. "Same! I get asked if I'm selling girl scout cookies all the time. I guess I just have that look about me."

Arasha smirked, leaning closer as if to share a secret. "Oh, and did you know that these guys," she gestured toward Ian and Anthony, "created a channel called ‘Smaush’ or something on YouTube… like 40 years ago?"

Trevor gasped, playing along. "No way! I didn’t know that, Arasha. Is that true?"

Ian and Anthony exchanged amused looks, but before they could respond, Arasha nodded seriously. " I saw it on tiktok so it must be true."

The two of them dissolved into laughter, high-fiving each other as the rest of the table chuckled along.

Across the table, Amanda and Angela were too absorbed in their own conversation to notice the banter.

Amanda pushed her chair back and stood up, gesturing animatedly. "Okay, so when we did this move," she demonstrated a quick dance step, "I was thinking, you could come up behind me and do this," she said, mimicking the action.

Angela nodded, standing up to join her. "Yeah, and then when we do that, we can hit the 'oh-oh-oh' part right on the beat!"

They both laughed, trying to synchronize their movements in the small space beside the table.

You couldn't help but smile as you watched them. The whole room felt alive, everyone caught up in their own little worlds of conversation and camaraderie. But despite the lively atmosphere, your attention kept drifting back to Damien, who was sitting in front of you, his presence impossible to ignore.

Every now and then, you felt his leg brush against yours under the table, a subtle but deliberate touch that sent a shiver up your spine. You tried to focus on your food, but it was hard not to be distracted by the warmth of his thigh against yours, the occasional graze of his hand against your arm as he reached for something.

Courtney, sitting across from you, caught your eye and smirked, leaning in slightly. "Are you going eat? Or is someone a little too distracted tonight?"

You rolled your eyes playfully, trying to brush it off. "I'm fine, Court. Just... enjoying the evening."

Damien, catching the exchange, leaned in closer, his voice a low murmur. "So, with the way things are going, do you think we could sneak off ? Just us?"

Before Damien could respond, a burst of laughter at the far end of the table caught your attention. Spencer had just made a playful jab at Tommy. "Spencer, you really don't think highly of me, do you?"

Your heart skipped a beat at the suggestion, and despite the temptation, you shook your head with a smile. "No way. That would be too suspicious, we've been going to bed early two nights in a row."

Without missing a beat, Spencer replied, "I actually think about you a lot when I'm high."

The entire table erupted in laughter, the unexpected punchline catching everyone off guard. You laughed along with them, feeling the warmth of the camaraderie wrapping around you like a comforting blanket.

As the laughter died down, Courtney leaned in again, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Okay, you have to spill. You guys definitely didn't just accidentally kiss just once. I saw the way Damien was acting yesterday. I mean, when we walked in and saw you two with the mattresses put together, I knew something was up. Damien would not let you sleep on the floor."

You sighed, realizing there was no getting around it. "Okay yes, we've slept in the same bed, but only because it was uncomfortable. And the proximity... it's the only reason we kissed. We just got caught up in the moment, that's all. Nothing more is going to happen."

Courtney smirked, clearly not entirely convinced but willing to let the subject drop for now. "Alright, if you say so. Just know, I'm keeping an eye on you two."

You glanced at Damien, who was engaged in conversation with Noah across the table. He caught your eye and gave you a small, reassuring smile.

As the evening wound down, the lively atmosphere of the dinner began to quiet. Conversations slowed, and laughter became a background murmur as people started to drift away from the table. One by one, guests said their goodbyes, heading to their rooms or heading out for the night.

Soon, the only sounds left were the distant footsteps of the last few stragglers heading to their rooms and the occasional burst of laughter from the hallways. Damien and you eventually made your way to your room, later than usual, but the quiet of the house reminded you that you were among the few still awake.

As the door to the room clicked shut, the quiet of the night enveloped you both. You turned to Damien, your heart racing with a mix of anticipation and nervousness. "I need you tonight," you confessed, your voice almost trembling.

Damien's eyes searched yours, a mix of desire and concern. "Are you sure?" he asked softly.

You nodded, your resolve firm.

Damien stepped closer, his hands brushing lightly against your skin, causing you to shiver with each touch. His fingertips traced a path along your arms, down to your waist, and across your lower back. His lips followed, placing soft, reverent kisses on your exposed skin.

You let out a soft moan as his hands roamed your body. His breath was warm against your neck and you felt yourself craving more of his touch. You wrapped your hands behind his neck and lifted your head up to meet his lips. Kissing Damien was just as nice as it had been the night before but this time there was something more.

The kiss grew more intense as you both found your way to the bed. You pulled your shirt over your head, barely noticing Damien's eyes taking you in before you went to kiss him again. You both undressed as best you could, not wanting to break the kiss or stop touching.

His fingers alternated between light feathery touches and nails digging into your skin. Mostly he was on your thighs, squeezing and letting his fingers stroke over every part of you except for where you really wanted him. You broke the kiss and gently guided his hand to show him what you wanted.

You shivered as his fingers pressed up against you panties, "Damien, I need you now."

He started with a teasing touch, feeling the wetness of your panties through the fabric. "You're already wet," he murmured, his breath hot against your skin. His fingers lingered, stroking the fabric as he watched you squirm.

The slow removal of your panties felt almost ceremonial. Damien's touch grew bolder, his fingers gently brushing against your bare skin. His gaze was intense, filled with admiration and hunger. "Your body is so fucking perfect," he breathed, his eyes never leaving your face as he explored your body.

Your fingers found their way to his hardened cock, your touch tentative yet eager. As you stroked him, Damien's breath caught, his pleasure evident. One of his fingers slid inside you, moving with a deliberate rhythm. Your bodies were close, the heat between you palpable.

Damien's hands were a masterful combination of tenderness and need. One hand worked skillfully by your crotch, pumping into you, while the other grasped your breast, his nails gently digging into your skin. You responded to his touch with an eager passion, practically riding his finger as you let your hand run up and down his throbbing cock.

Damien's gaze was locked onto yours, his expression a mix of awe and hunger. "You feel incredible," he murmured, his voice husky with desire. "I can't get enough of you."

You panted, your breaths coming in short, ragged gasps as you moved against his fingers. "Damien," you whimpered, "please."

He pressed his body closer to yours, his eyes never leaving your face. "I want you so badly," he said, his voice a low growl. "Just seeing you like this, feeling you around me... it's everything."

The connection between you was electric, each touch, each kiss intensifying the moment. Damien's finger worked in you with a steady rhythm, pushing deeper, his movements expertly timed to match your needs. The way he touched you made you lose yourself in the pleasure, every sensation heightened.

Finally, as he positioned himself above you, his eyes locked onto yours. He entered you slowly, inch by inch, his gaze intense and filled with a mix of reverence and hunger. The sensation of him filling you up completely was overwhelming, his movements deep and deliberate.

The initial thrust was painstakingly slow, his cock stretching you out as he eased deeper, savoring every reaction on your face. His hands cradled your cheeks, his touch tender as he brushed away the sweat and tears from the corners of your eyes. He could feel you adjusting, accommodating his size, and he watched you closely, his breaths coming in steady, controlled pants.

As he continued to move inside you, each thrust was measured and deep. He could tell you were doing your best to take him fully, your moans growing louder with each inch he pushed deeper. His cock filled you completely, stretching you in ways that made every touch and movement feel profound and intimate.

Damien's hands roamed to your back, stroking and soothing as he watched the way your body responded to him. The overwhelming sensation of him filling you up was evident in your strained breaths and the way your hands clung to his back. Your legs wrapped around him instinctively, pulling him closer as if trying to meld your bodies into one.

Damien's voice was low, but commanding. "Can you be quiet for me? I need to fuck you harder. Look at me-I want to see you."

His thrusts grew faster and more intense, each movement hitting deep and hard. The rhythm was no longer slow but a relentless pounding that drove you both wild. Every powerful thrust elicited loud moans from you, your hands gripping his back desperately and your mouth finding places on his body to bite into to muffle your cries. Your body responded to his urgency, your legs clenching around him as he slammed into you with a fervent, almost frantic pace.

Damien's grunts and moans matched the intensity of his thrusts, his focus solely on the way you felt around him. He seemed addicted to the sensation, the feeling of you tightening around him, and he moved with a fierce, consuming need. The impact of his movements was overwhelming, a perfect storm of pleasure and pressure that had you crying out for more

As you neared your climax, you begged him, "Please don't stop, Damien. Keep fucking me like this, please."

Damien's response was a fervent promise. "I won't stop. I'd keep you like this forever if I could. Just watching that pretty expression on your face, hearing those sweet sounds from your lips... it's fucking perfect."

The intensity of your orgasm was overwhelming, your body clenching around him, driving him to his own release. He filled you completely, his final thrusts deep and powerful. You both collapsed on the bed, breathing heavily, the room echoing with the sounds of your shared pleasure.

As the last waves of climax subsided, you reached for each other, pulling into a tender embrace. The closeness was comforting, and you felt overwhelmed at what you had just shared.

'That was amazing," you whispered, your voice filled with wonder and satisfaction.

Damien nodded, his smile warm and genuine. "It was. I've never.. wow."

In the quiet of the room, with the weight of the night's passion settling over you both, you held each other close, savoring the intense bond that had just been solidified.

You looked over at him, with your cheek practically glued to his chest. " You are so not a shellfish lover."

He smiled at you, "but you do really grab everything with two hands".

Despite what just happened between you there was still a part of you that craved his closeness and still got a bit flustered and nervous when his lips touched yours.

You let out a small laugh as Damien pulled you into a kiss.

[avengersfantasies]

Anymore - Chapter 4

Summary: You and Bucky go to dinner. Steve and you come to an understanding.

What to expect: angst, fluff?

✩ Read the series here ✩

taglist: @kandis-mom @missvelvetsstuff @mavrellover91 @natashasilverfox @vicmc624 @blackhawkfanatic @haruvalentine4321 @felicitylemon @vonalyn @aboobie @stinkerbelle007 @crist1216 @je-suis-prest-rachel @buckysforeverprincess @bathwater101 @frickin-bats @lovely-geek @winterslove1917

Steve stood outside his girlfriend’s apartment – exhaling and eventually knocking on the door. He was not looking forward to this conversation one bit. The door opened within seconds of him knocking – she had been waiting.

            “Hi,” Steve greeted his girlfriend – walking into the apartment when she stepped aside. “We uh, we need to talk.”

            She crossed her arms and sat on the sofa. “Obviously.”

Steve sat down next to the blonde bombshell. “So…she’s uh…pregnant.”

Her face dropped, and she went from angry to furious. “So, you’ve been fucking her behind my back?!” She stood up and slapped him in the chest.

“What?!”

She scoffed. “Should’ve known better…once a cheater always a cheater.” She went to hit him again, but he managed to catch her hand this time.

“Will you stop it?!” Steve yelled back. “I didn’t sleep with her behind your back!”

“Then how is she pregnant?!”

Steve stood up. “She got pregnant while we were together! God, do you not know how reproduction works?!”

The girl crossed her arms and shook her head in disbelief. “I don’t believe you.”

“Then don’t,” Steve scoffed. “I came here to tell you and hoped you’d be by my side with this.”

“That’d never happen,” she spat. “The only way we’re gonna be together is if the only kid there is belongs to us.”

Steve shook his head. “Then we’re done.”

Before he had time to react, his now ex-girlfriend managed to connect a left-hook to his eye – shocking him but not really hurting him. Without a further word, Steve left the small apartment, not even bothering to grab the couple of outfits he’d left there.

Bucky had you giggling almost nonstop during dinner. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think the two of you weren’t currently trying to figure out what to do with Steve.

            “I do want him involved,” you sighed – using your fork to play with the noodles in your bowl. “It’s hard not to.”

            Bucky nodded. “Baby deserves a father.”

“Or two,” you quietly added on.

Bucky smiled softly. “Or two.”

You exhaled. “If we do this…you and me…and he wants to be involved…you know that he’ll have the final say for things as the dad.”

He nodded. “I do. And I won’t try to argue or interfere unless you ask.”

You smiled at him softly. “Before we decide to start something serious…I need to have a sit down with Steve…make him understand that he and I are over for good.”

“Probably a good idea,” Bucky agreed – sipping his beer. “He’s an asshole, but he’s still my best friend. Last thing I want is him thinking we’re going behind his back.”

You scoffed. “Oh no, how horrible,” you said sarcastically, rolling your eyes. “He’d deserve it.”

“He would,” Bucky nodded, “but I know it’s not like you to want to hurt him.”

You smiled softly. “I’m gonna come back to the tower with you tonight…sit down and talk to him.” You exhaled. “I’m just…scared.”

Bucky raised an eyebrow. “Of what? Steve?”

You shrugged. “Myself,” you answered, “scared I might fall back into his spell…end up in bed with him or something.”

“Do you think that’s something you’d want?”

“I don’t know, Buck,” you admitted. “I don’t think I could be with him like before, but there’s a part of me that’s still just…”

“Attracted to him?” You looked down – feeling embarrassed that he knew how you still felt about the super soldier. No matter how much he broke your heart, there was always a part of you that would nonetheless be attracted to Steve Rogers. Bucky chuckled and reached his hand across the table – holding yours gently. “Sweetheart,” he spoke softly, “whatever you need so that you can be happy, I’ll support it.”

“I don’t want to fall back into bed or love with him,” you told him quietly, “but I’m scared that there’s that part of me that’ll never let go.”

“Do you want me there?” Bucky asked – stroking the back of your palm with his metal thumb.

You nodded tearfully. “Please.”

            Bucky drove the two of you back to the tower after dinner – holding your hand as you walked inside, but he made sure to keep a short distance and let go once inside. The last thing you needed was gossip about you and Bucky being together. You followed him up to Steve’s room, and he gently knocked on the door.

            “Steve,” Bucky called out, “can we talk?” A few seconds passed before Steve opened the door – an ice pack held up to his black eye. “What happened to you?” Bucky asked.

            “Nadia hits harder than I thought,” Steve informed him.

            “Are you okay?” you asked – your voice was meek and quiet.

Steve gave you a soft smile. “I will be.” He put the ice pack down on his nightstand and sat on the foot of his bed. “So, what’s up?”

“We need to talk,” you told him – sitting on the edge of the bed while Bucky sat on the chair across the way from you. “We need to…be clear about things.” Steve nodded and signaled for you to continue. “You and me…we’re—”

“I know I fucked up,” Steve began to interrupt. “Whatever I can do to fix it…just tell –”

“No, Steve,” you cut him off with tears in your eyes. “You did more than fuck up…Do you remember what you told me? I’ll remind you in case you forgot…you told me you didn’t love me anymore.”

Steve looked down to the floor – clearly ashamed at what he had done and said to you. “I know I can’t take that back…but believe me I didn’t mean it.”

You looked over at Bucky for some backup. You could feel yourself falling for him again, and you wanted so badly to throw yourself into his arms and tell him you forgave him. Bucky’s soft and caring expression gave you strength, however, and he was a very strong reminder that there were other men out there. You didn’t need to settle for someone who had so badly shattered your heart and soul.

“Steve,” you exhaled, “we’re done…you cheated…said horrible things to me…I can forgive you, but I can’t trust you....Not with my heart, anyways.”

He nodded. “I get it.”

“I’m more worried about how we’re going to do this whole parenting thing,” you continued. “If you say you want to be there but then end up leaving—”

“That won’t happen,” Steve insisted. “I do want to be there.”

You began to feel a sigh of relief. Maybe things would work out in the end. Maybe the two of you would never be together again, but at least, maybe, your baby would have their biological father in their life in some way. At least, that’s what you had hoped, but you had always found out that life had other plans.

[callsign-rogueone]

the dress - i.c.

Imogen Cardulo x reader Imogen finds you getting ready for a night on the town, and makes it clear what she thinks of that idea. part of my Valentine’s Day celly! 💕 #9: love confession words: 980 🏷: no book spoilers. reader wears makeup and a dress, but no pronouns used. very mild argument, talk of drinking and hookups, it's mentioned that reader had one (1) shot (I may be sober, but I can still write about drinking!), Imogen calls you sweetheart twice. I cannot believe it took me this long to post something for her! I just wanna be her cute little femme girlfriend so bad bro 😭

You shut the eyeshadow compact, satisfied with your work. It’s been a long time since you’ve bothered to do yourself up like this, and you almost don’t recognize your reflection, but it looks nice.

You hear the door unlock, straightening up.

“Oh, hi Im,” you greet, your cheeks warming. You weren’t expecting to run into her, but you suppose it was inevitable; you do share a bathroom, after all.

She stares at you blankly for a moment, taking you in -- she’s never seen you like this, ever. “What are you wearing?”

“A dress,” you answer, moving in a small circle to show her the full extent of the outfit. “I bought it first year, but I’ve never had a chance to wear it. Do you like it?”

It’s cute, a pretty shade of light blue patterned with tiny white flowers, cap sleeves and a short skirt that flutters as you move, but it's definitely not seasonally appropriate -- it’s very likely going to pour rain tonight, and that thin cotton isn’t going to keep you warm at all, especially when it only extends to your knees. She doesn’t see your flight jacket anywhere, either.

“I do like it. But why are you wearing it?“

You gather up the makeup back into the little bag you keep it in, pulling the drawstring tightly. “Me and the infantry girls I met last week are gonna go into town to hook us some civilians. Wanna come with?”

You stumble a bit as you turn, still unused to the heeled shoes you’d borrowed from your new friend. 

Imogen reaches out to steady you, setting a hand on your back. She sniffs the air twice, undoubtedly smelling the shot of whiskey you’d taken earlier -- you hate the stuff, but it does the job, and you can’t really complain about the taste when there’s nothing else available; cadets aren’t supposed to have any alcohol in their rooms.

“I only had one shot,” you defend, seeing the unamused look on her face, “and I’m gonna need one or two to convince myself to go through with this.”

“To go through with what?”

“Y’know…” you gesture aimlessly, embarrassed. 

She raises an eyebrow. “No, sweetheart, I don’t. Care to enlighten me?”

“To go out to a tavern and take somebody home. Or to be taken home, I guess, since we can’t have visitors. I’ve never done anything like this before, but there’s a first time for everything, right?” You manage a smile and a nervous laugh.

The anxiety radiating from you is her last straw, but she treads carefully, knowing you’re a little fragile right now. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why not?” you ask, looking genuinely confused. 

She can’t take it anymore. “Gods, how naive are you? Do you have any idea how dangerous this plan is? Walking half a mile to town at night in the cold with a group of girls you hardly know, dressed like that, just so you can get drunk and hook up with some stranger who you’ll never see again?”

You take a step back, grateful you don’t stumble again, and cross your arms over your chest in a show of intimidation that doesn’t work at all. “I can protect myself. And you don’t get to tell me what to do, or who to hang out with, and you certainly don’t get to tell me who to fuck. Why do you even care?”

“Because I want you to be safe, and because you’re worth so much more than just a drunk hookup. You deserve someone who actually cares about who you are inside, about your feelings. You’re a good person, and I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

You deflate, looking down at the floor in shame. “You’re right, it was a dumb idea,” you mumble, rubbing your hands over your arms in an attempt to warm yourself up. 

“C’mere,” she coaxes.

You step out of the shoes, taking a few steps across the cold tile toward her and letting her wrap her arms around you.

She smells nice. 

There’s a moment of still quiet, just the distant sounds of water moving through the pipes.

She rubs a hand over your back. “I’m sorry, sweetheart,” she says quietly. “I shouldn’t have raised my voice at you.”

“S’okay,” you mumble, but she isn’t entirely convinced.

“Hey,” she says softly, “you know I love you, right?”

You blink. “What?”

She stiffens and pulls away, realizing what she’s admitted, but it’s too late to take it back. “I’m in love with you,” she repeats. “But if you don’t feel the same, I— mph!”

She squeaks in surprise as you tug her back to you by the collar of her flight jacket, connecting your lips. 

You taste like malt liquor and strawberry lip gloss, and it’s intoxicating; she can’t get enough of the thing she’s wanted so badly for the last year.

You pull away for air after a moment, resting your forehead against hers. “I do feel the same, for the record. I’ve been in love with you for months. Tonight was going to be a desperate attempt to get over you, but that’s clearly never gonna happen.”

She smiles. “I’m glad I found you here, then.”

Rain splatters against the frosted window, a downpour starting outside, and you can’t help but laugh -- there’s no way you would have made it all the way to town and back like this; you’d be soaked before you got past the front gates.

“How about I go change into something warmer, and then we can start making up for all that lost time,” you suggest, picking up the shoes and your makeup bag. 

“That sounds perfect,” she agrees, giving you another soft kiss. “See you in five minutes?”

You grin at her over your shoulder as you push open the door. “I’ll make it three.”

[primalmagic]

here's an excerpt out of my WIP benlor fic called "letters in incognito" <3. hope yguys like it !!

-

It wasn’t fair. They’d gone through so much together. They’d literally gone through hell and back, but Tyler still wasn’t done.

She wishes so badly that she could do something, that she wasn’t so. Fucking. Useless.

God, there was at least one thing her “secret admirer” had gotten wrong. Taylor wasn’t smart- she was just… ignorant. It was easier to manage things when you didn’t believe they were real.

She got to live her little daydreams and normal life while Tyler was faced with the real stuff. And it was killing him, once.

It’s killing him now.

The damages done to their house and their reputations after the phantom realm only meant Taylor’s mom had to work harder to fix their mistakes, barely coming home for longer than an hour a day. That Tyler had to work harder to fix the gap she’d left beyond.

Everything was so, so-

Taylor?

She looks up suddenly, not realizing she was already in the kitchen, the counter’s cold marble digging into her hand.

You’ve been standing there for a while.

“Oh,” she mutters, “Water. Right.”

But Ben blocks her from the cabinet, hastily typing with one hand. Are you okay?

She nods, closing her eyes. “Yeah, yep, I just… tired, you know?”

She thinks that’ll make him drop it, but instead, he simply moves closer. I’ll get the water for Tyler. You should go to sleep now.

She shakes her head,” We share a room anyway, I’ll just give him the water. Thanks for offering though.”

Still, he doesn’t move.

You said he was up all night, right? If you sleep in the same room as him, you might not be able to rest again. 

“I need to be there for him, Ben,” she smiles tiredly, “He would do it for me.”

You’ll be a lot more help to Tyler if you’re not falling asleep in my arms. He raises an eyebrow, and Taylor turns beet red. 

“I’m not falling asleep in your arms!” 

Really? So I won’t have to carry you to the couch then?

She splutters, caught off guard, and Ben only smiles. Before she can process what’s going on, she feels arms around her waist.

Almost on instinct, she lets herself rest on his shoulder, feeling a little bit of tension disappear. He holds her for a few seconds, minutes, moments that feel like hours.

It’s a simple gesture, but it makes her feel so much better. Wrapped in his arms, she lets herself feel warm.

Ben is safe, she knows.

She is safe.

She’s not alone.

“Thanks,” she whispers, pulling away. His hands are still around her though, she thinks. And then forces herself to stop thinking because she’s already blushed way too many times today.

She’s really fighting to stay awake now, and she knows Ben can see it. “Might have to take up your offer of carrying me,” she jokes, “I think I might fall asleep here.”

She can’t hear him chuckle, but she can feel it, reverberating under her pulse.

She smiles as she looks up, “I do really need to get that wat-” 

Oh.

Oh.

Oh my god.

It is safe to say that Taylor is caught completely off guard as Ben picks her up.

Bridal style. 

Oh.

She’s pretty sure she’s combusting. 

A few thoughts cross her mind, one of them being:

Oh, he’s strong. 

And:

He’s carrying me. Why? Right. I said that. Right. Fuck. Words. What do I say? Um.

She opts to stay silent, because any word that leaves her right now will probably sound like one of Alvin’s chipmunks. 

He carries her to the couch, then settles her down slowly. Taylor watches him in a daze, feeling a little bit otherworldly- as if she’s watching the entire scene in third person- and is somehow more awake then she’s been all day.

Go to sleep, Tay. I’ll figure it out, alright? You deserve to rest.

Half of her tries to stay awake, but the other half doesn’t need to be told twice.

Her eyes close immediately, her mind focusing on the steady (but slightly rushed?) heartbeat of the boy next to her. She lets it drift her away, away from her exhaustion and into a dreamless sleep.

Before she falls, she swears she feels lips brushing her temple, a soft, sweet touch- one that reminds her of the kisses her mother used to give to her as a child.

She’s imagining it, she knows. But it makes her feel at home all the same.

[64yrsold]

WINTERING 4. nightmare before christmas

twelve days of christmas writing prompts by @abiiors wintering masterlist previous (3)

“Hey,” Matty grunted, sitting across from me, all splayed out on the couch. The evening was heavy and he was stoned, trying to pull himself through another get-together with friends. I glanced at him, his lips stained wine-pink. He raised his eyebrows when he caught my attention, gesturing for me to sit beside him. I tucked my feet underneath me, curling deeper into the couch. I tried to listen, or eavesdrop, to friends around me, ignoring the side of my face burning from his stare.

“Hey,” he said again, under his breath. My head snapped to him when something hit my shoulder – a peanut he had thrown.

“What?” I spat, crossing my arms around myself tightly.

“C’mere,” he mumbled, opening his arms. I rolled my eyes. He patted his lap.

“Fuck off,” I whispered, “I don’t want to talk.”

“I want to talk,” he shrugged, buttoning and unbuttoning his sleeve. I sighed, rubbing at my forehead. When I looked up, he was plopping himself on the couch beside me. 

“You reek,” I frowned, and he turned to me, a sleepy smile on his face.

“You think?” he grinned, resting his chin on his palm. 

“Jessica is gonna be pissed,” I noted, “She’s trying to keep the home pure during her pregnancy.”

“Pure,” he slurred, “Pure shit party.”

“Don’t,” I said, steeling my face. I tried not to think of him, younger and with fewer greys, waltzing over to me, tipsy and blushing. Shit party, he had said, interlacing his fingers with mine. I sighed.

“What?” he giggled, “That line worked the first time.”

“Well,” I groaned, “I was very young when that line worked.”

“God,” he sighed, “It wasn’t that long ago.” He cracked a peanut between his fingers, making a mess on his black dress pants.

“Right,” I picked at my nail polish. Anything to avoid his soupy brown eyes, and how soft his hair looked. 

“Wanna go outside?” he smiled, poking at my knee with his knuckle. It felt like a knife.

“No, thank you.”

“C’mon,” he grumbled, dropping his voice low, “I saved you a joint.”

“Matty,” I scolded, then flushed pink. He grinned. “I don’t smoke.”

He coughed through a fit of laughter, “Just a cig, then?”

“Alright!” Jessica interrupted, “Everyone with something for the gift exchange, head into the living room!”

I blinked.

“You don’t have a gift,” Matty smiled.

“Maybe I need a bit of fresh air,” I grumbled, and got up, Matty following me like a puppy. The backyard was dark, deep, and crowded with evergreens. The air was sticky with fog, kissing my cheeks.

“You cold?” He asked, pushing the snow off a bench in a secluded area of the backyard.

“No,” I said, sitting on the bench. He sat beside me, warm shoulder against mine.

“You look cold,” he insisted, taking off his coat and putting it over my shoulders. My throat tightened as his scent covered me, and I banished the thought of sleeping with his tobacco and mint on my skin. 

“I’ll probably head home soon,” I managed, the cold air and wine making my head turn.

He reached into the inner pocket of his jacket, careful not to touch me, “Sure.”

“I have,” I shrugged, gesturing vaguely, “work.”

“On a Saturday?”

I sniffled as he lit the joint between his lips. He smiled from the corner of his mouth.

“Did you roll that?” I asked, frowning.

“Yeah,” he nodded, voice deep from his throat full of smoke. 

I bit my cheek, “I can fucking tell.”

“Oh, Christ,” he groaned, throwing his head back, “Are you still on this?”

“It’s just,” I smirked, looking up at him, “I can do it so much better.”

He took another drag, “Yes, love.”

“Are you agreeing so we don’t fight,” I reached for the joint, which he put between my lips instead, “Or because I’m right?” He watched me intently as I inhaled, blowing smoke behind his back. I coughed when I breathed in again, making him laugh.

“You alright?” He covered his mouth with his hand, watching me splutter and gasp.

“This is why,” I wheezed, “I quit fucking smoking.”

He moved to rub my back, patting it gently as I calmed down. The joint went out in the corner of his mouth, his attention surrounding me as his hand stilled on my back.

“Better?” he asked.

“I’m fine.”

“Mhm,” he smiled, “You still mad at me?”

“Of course I’m still mad at you,” I shifted, his closeness making my heart beat out of rhythm.

“I hate it,” he murmured, “when you’re mad at me.”

“Then do something,” I whispered. “Do something to fix it, for once.”

“Like what?” He prodded.

“I don’t know,” I sighed, “Make it up to me. Show up.”

He hummed, “You mean I shouldn’t get on a plane and wait for you to forgive me?”

“No,” I rolled my eyes.

“I shouldn’t get drunk,” he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, “And call you, and beg you to take me back?”

“No.” 

“Should I,” he smirked, “Storm out when you imply I can’t verbalize my feelings?”

“No,” I grumbled, “Obviously not.”

“Just checking,” he brushed his thumb over my cheek, “Hoping to get it right this time.”

“Oh, this time?” I raised my eyebrows. 

He nodded slowly. 

“You must be drunk,” I shook my head, “And high. And delusional.”

“I’m always drunk, high, and delusional,” he grinned, kissing my cheek. 

“I know,” I whispered, “So I’m going home.”

“Oh, please,” he pouted, “We were just getting somewhere.”

“Goodnight, Matty,” I stood, taking off his coat and tossing it onto his lap. I felt giddy walking home, my cheekbone warm where he had touched me. The sheets smelled like mint as I drifted to sleep.

-> next (5)

[ohbo-ohno]

Literal man hunt!!

Ghost and Soap who are protective of their land like they're Americans, literally guns everywhere and shooting anyone suspicious on sight because they have many enemies and a lot of people would love to kill them once they're retired.

But our girl literally just...got lost. She stumbled across their cabin like a baby deer because she is either got lost or was running from someone. It was the first time ever when Ghost missed a shot...and he is happy he did because now they have an adorable injured darling!!

Her leg is no good so they help her, get her treatment from a real doctor even but of course you have to stay with them, you're cold and hurt and delusional because you're their soulmate and their perfect little pet who can't even resist because they are providing food and shelter. Living cottagecore life with your two murderous husbands but you really don't want to be here.

And you want to ran away but you physically can't. Soap is constantly doting on poor us, supports us when we have to make food because they are horrible at it, Ghost is adoring the sight. Retirement is nice when you have a little pet near you.

Eventually they even force us help them with other victims!! Like cleaning the blood from Ghost and Soap in the shower, listen to their various hunting stories, hold the ammo for them once we can escort them in the forest.....the possibilities are endless. Other victims think we can help them, but we just cry and apologize over and over as Soap bashes their brains with an axe

being forced to help with their other victims... my guy you should read Brother by Ania Ahlborn, man is forced to help his serial killer family dispose of their victims

also below the cut i kinda barely touched on the concept you sent but it's so good and i had nothing to add im sorry :(

cw below for like... very light gore? description of murder fitting of a horror movie

wandering around lost through the woods and randomly getting fucking shot, only for someone to come running out of the trees and asking if you're ok??? has me going bonkers

also this is totally giving the most dangerous game so i present you: soap and ghost kidnap groups of people and hunt them for sport, but when you wake up they realize that they want you to stay alive. maybe soap pretends to be one of the victims, teams up with you to help you (help keep you alive) and herds you in the direction of their cabin without you knowing

you only realize what's going on when he slaughters another person, someone who wants to team up with you two. sure the way the new guy looked at you made you uncomfortable... but johnny split his head open with an axe when he reaches for you, splits him right down the middle and leaves you staring up at him, both of you covered in blood

and now what, right?

you learn you've been kidnapped to be prey in some sick bastard's idea of fun, and now the one man you thought might help you through this turns out to be that sick bastard?

and johnny's pretty pissed, he'd wanted to play along with you for a little longer :/ but that other motherfucker had forced his hand, had tried to touch you, and he couldn't just let that happen. and now you're screaming and crawling away from him, which is bullshit because he was literally protecting you

so now you've got pissy serial killer johnny, grabbing you by the elbow and dragging you behind him despite your best struggles, grunting and asking can you just fuckin' relax for a minute while you stare up at him like ?!?!!?!?!?!

anyway he drags you to where simon's been hunting the others, drops you at his feet and crosses his arms all angrily. ghost just raises an eyebrow, "i thought you wanted to play along with them this time?"

and johnny's pouty about it, damn near tapping his foot in complaint. "wanted to play along with her, but some bastard got touchy."

you manage to scramble away, get up and fucking sprint through the forest because oh my god the guy johnny took you to had a fucking crossbow, only to trip over a wire and end up locked in a net, six feet off the ground

and here comes johnny and ghost, sauntering out of the woods and looking up at you in the air. johnny laughs at you, and you're crying so hard you can hardly even see them

anyways, they leave you in the net while they deal with their other prey <3 come back for you at the end of the night and take you home with them

[angel-ixily]

Tickle Me Silly

pairing: Kit Connor x Non Binary!Reader

Pronouns: I/They/Them/Me

Fandom: Heartstopper

Warnings: Mentions of death

Summary: Y/n finds out that their lover Kit Connor is ticklish.

A/N: It's been months since angel-ixily has posted because her account got terminated and as soon as she got it back, she had some really bad stuff happen to her! But now she's back with this amazing request from this very patient anon! Thank you all for being patient with me! It's been a crazy few months! But expect a whole buncha more fanfics coming your way!! Enjoy

~~~~~~~~~

Kit tensed as he watched Max’s body start to float in front of Billy’s gravesite. Lucas, Steve, and Dustin surrounding her as she began to rise into the air.

“If Max dies, I am literally going to cry.” He said with anticipation. He was now breathing at a much faster, and more excited rate. I mean, the producers did say that this season would keep you on your feet.

“I will too. But if Steve dies, oh that will be the end of me! I swear I will lay down right here and die.” I replied. Kit quickly glanced over to me, a smile on his face.

“I love Steve too, but that’s a bit extreme Y/N.” Kit chuckled as he threw popcorn at me. I slowly turned my head over to him, picking up one of the pieces of popcorn that he had thrown over at me.

“You know what’s extreme?” I asked. He raised an eyebrow.

“What?”

I threw the piece of popcorn back at him. “Abusing your partner.” I stated, a sly smirk on my face as Kit put his hands up to defend himself.

“Oh my god! You’re such a hypocrite!” He yelled, uncovering his face, which was red from the joyful smile that was covering his face. The sight of it made my smirk form into a smile.

“And how am I a hypocrite? You started it!” I giggled, sitting up so I was sitting on my legs, facing him.

“You called me abusive for throwing popcorn at you, and then you continued to throw it back at me! That would make you abusive as well!” I shook my head in disagreement.

“Oh no, no, no. You have it all wrong.” I bat my eyelashes at him as if that would be convincing enough for him not to question me. Instead, he raised a brow, the smirk that was on my face currently sitting on his.

“Oh really? I have it wrong, eh?” He asked. I nodded, crossing my arms stubbornly.

“You always do.” I agreed. He opened his mouth and an offended gasp slipped through his lips. I read his face really quick to see if it was serious, but even though he was a good actor, I could see a slight smile leaking through his expression. I decided to continue to play along, my worry slipping away.

“I always do? Now that is just preposterous! If I remember correctly, you have it wrong!” He stated. Now it was my turn to gasp. I placed a hand over my heart. I tried to hide my smile that was trying to seep through, but I failed miserably. I obviously wasn’t as good of an actor as Kit.

“Me?! You have to be insane to blame me! I’m perfect! You on the other hand are yes, perfect! But on a lower scale of perfect! You obviously haven’t remembered correctly because you’re wrong!” I faced away from him; my head held up high as I closed my eyes stubbornly. I was expecting Kit to give in as he always does before, I apologize, we kiss, and continue redoing what we were doing, but this time was different. He stayed quiet. A quick flash of fear zoomed through my body as I got nervous that I had offended him. I went to check if he was okay, but I felt a heavy body leap onto mine, touching every funny bone I had.

“Kit! No! Get off! Stop!” I managed through my delight. His fingers playing with my sides, tickling me.

“You think I’m the crazy one, huh? Well, who’s laughing now? Who’s crazy now?” He asked, a smile on his face as he continued to tickle the living hell outta me.

“Stop! Stop! I’ll answer! I’ll answer! Just stop!” I laugh, repeating my words. Kit slowly stopped, his hands laying at my sides as he hovered over me.

I laid there for a moment just catching my breath. Once my lungs began to work again, I stared directly at him, trying to find a way out. “Still you.” I answered, quickly trying to escape by sliding up and away from him. Be grabbed my sides again and pulled me back to him.

“No! Please no!” I gasped as he began tickling me again.

Kit laughed too. “When you tell me the right answer is when I’ll stop. Until then,” he continued to tickle me harder, “you’re gonna be tickled to death!”

I put my hands onto his chest in an attempt to push him away, but there was no way, even if I tried to, I could push this gym buff away. My hands slid down his chest in my weakened state, and I gripped onto his stomach. He yelped, pulling away. He jumped off of the couch and landed with a thud.

Surprised, I looked at my hands, then back at him, and smirked. “Oh Kit dear, I didn’t know you were ticklish.” Kit sighed.

“I’m not! I’m not ticklish at all! I’m just super sensitive in that spot!” He tried to use an excuse, but that’s the exact same thing I said the first time he found out I was ticklish. I got off of the couch and sat on his legs.

“So, if I do this,” I began to poke at the spot around his stomach. He jumped and made another yelp sound. I smiled. I sat there for a moment just staring at him before I began to attack him. My hands began tickling his stomach as he laid on the ground laughing. He tried pulling my hands away, which he normally could if he wasn’t weak right now.

“This is called Karma, Kit!” I yelled. My hands were moving as fast as they could in an attempt to make him feel the pain that I had felt. Payback was especially needed in these times.

Kit couldn’t escape me. Even when he tried to slide up and crawl away, I grabbed onto his back and continued tickling him.

He gained his balance and stood up, but I was stubborn. Like a monkey, I gripped into his back, but I could no longer tickle him because all my strength was being used to hold on. Kit turned to look at me.

“Hi.” I said shyly. He rolled his eyes playfully as he slowly heads over to the couch, where I fell back onto. He sat next to me, wrapping an arm around me.

“Truce?” He asked, placing out a pinky. I looked at him before looking at his adoring eyes.

“Truce.” I interlocked fingers, leaning in to kiss him. He gladly kissed me, smiling in between. When we pulled away, we stared at the screen continuing to play Stranger Things.

“Damn we missed a lot.” Kit commented, grabbing the remote off the coffee table so that he could rewind it.

“That’s your fault.” I replied stubbornly, laying on his chest as I wrapped my arms around his torso.

“Don’t make me tickle you again.” He warned. I poked his stomach and he harshly breathed in.

“Don’t worry! This time I’m prepared”. I grinned into his chest.

“We called a truce!” He exclaimed. I looked up to him.

“Don’t threaten me, then.” I warned back at him, a loving smile on my face. He returned that smile until he pressed play on the show.

[gerrystamour]

here i have found some peace of mind [chapter seven]

Rated E | Steddie | Complete

[ FIRST ] [ PREVIOUS ]

[ MASTERPOST ]

The long-awaited date….the final chapter, yet a new beginning… Okay i'mma be SO FR right now, the amount of support i've received for this fic is UNBELIEVABLE and so overwhelming. I absolutely adore every single one of you who have made it this far. Thank you thank you thank you!!! CW: There is more smut in this chapter.

[ READ ON AO3 ]

here to stay until the day i die

By the time Steve got home, it was well past midnight. He hoped that Robin had gone to bed, but deep down he knew that hope was probably a waste of time. Looking up at their apartment from the street, he couldn’t see any lights on but Steve knew that didn’t mean anything.

Stepping into the pitch-black apartment and closing the door, Steve sighed heavily and said, “Robs, I know you’re not actually in bed and you’re just trying to startle me, so can we just skip that part?”

The lamp next to their old, frumpy armchair clicked on and Steve squinted at Robin’s stern face, though he could see the smile she was doing her best to smother. Crossing her arms, she asked, “Do you have any idea what time it is, young man? How worried I’ve been?”

“How long have you been sitting there?” he asked flatly, toeing off his shoes carefully. The wetness in Steve’s boxers stopped being sexy about halfway through the drive home and most movements reminded him just how sloppy Steve had left himself.

“Like two minutes. I was in bed and heard your car, hurried out here. Took out my shin on the coffee table ‘cos I didn’t wanna turn the lights on,” Robin admitted instantly, then looked him up and down. “That’s not your shirt.”

Steve looked down at Eddie’s shirt—it was a band t-shirt, he could tell that much, but there was no way he was going to be able to read the mess of lines that were allegedly letters that spelled something—and snorted. “Good observation skills, Robs,” he teased before shuffling awkwardly toward the hall.

“No, no, no, we’re actually talking about this Steve,” Robin hissed, jumping up to hurry after him. He snorted when he heard her hit the coffee table with a shin again. “Ow, oh my god, shit, shit, ow.”

Steve nearly made it to the bathroom before Robin recovered and managed to cut him off. “Robs—” Steve started, but Robin reached up as if to cover his mouth, which he quickly dodged with a blush.

“Nuh-uh, shush, you are not sneaking out of this conversation, you hear me?” Robin insisted, putting her hands on her hips. “We are talking about this, because best friends don’t let their platonic soulmates fuck rockstars without checking in with them at least.”

Raising an eyebrow at Robin, Steve said, “Fine, we’ll talk about it after I shower. I’m not having this conversation with the situation currently happening in my boxers right now.”

Robin’s eyebrows shot up on her forehead before she wrinkled her nose. “You didn’t even clean up?” she asked in a scandalized whisper.

“It was a heat of the moment thing,” Steve admitted with a hot blush. “It was really hot when I decided to do it.”

“Doesn’t feel too hot now, though,” Robin said with a snort and Steve rolled his eyes.

“No, it doesn’t, Robs. Can I go shower now?” He groaned, and she let him past but then moved as if to follow him into the bathroom.

It wasn’t uncommon for Robin to hang out while he showered, but again, Steve kind of wanted this time to himself. He wasn’t super keen on washing cum out of his pubes and probably even his chest hair while Robin was on the other side of the nearly transparent shower curtain.

“Can I just shower alone? Please?” Steve asked and Robin froze, searching his face for something.

“You okay?” she asked, brow furrowing when she didn’t seem to find what she expected to see.

“I’m fine, great even, I’m just—” Steve started, cutting himself off to scrub at his face briefly. “I would just like to wash up alone.”

Robin held up her hands in surrender, walking backward down the hall. “Alright, Dingus, you can shower alone,” she said magnanimously before detouring into Steve’s bedroom, pointing at him almost accusingly. “I’ll be waiting in here, though!”

“Alright, Robs, I’ll be there in like ten minutes,” Steve laughed and locked himself in the bathroom. Pulling out his phone, he saw he already had a few messages from Eddie and grinned.

Eds [sent at 00:35]: 💕💕💕lmk when u get home angel 💕💕💕 Eds [sent at 00:58]: u home yet??? 😘 miss u already 😔 Eds [sent at 01:10]: idk how i'm supposed to sleep wo u here 😔💔

Steve’s heart clenched at the last message, feeling breathless and dizzy. Letting out a slow breath, Steve typed out his response.

Steve [sent at 01:17]: home now. about to get grilled by robin. pray for me.

Putting down his phone, Steve stripped and quickly hopped into the shower, scrubbing his whole body down, flinching a bit as he found bruises and hickeys in odd places. There was already an ache settling into Steve’s inner thighs, one that he knew he would be feeling for a couple days.

When Steve got out of the shower, he checked his phone again for messages.

Eds [sent at 01:18]: 🙏🏻💖💖💖💖 Eds [sent at 01:23]: howre u feeling???? 👉🏻👈🏻 like abt tonite? u okay? 🥺 Eds [sent at 01:27]: is it too much to be saying i miss u bc i can dial it back

Steve frowned at the second and third message, bewildered by the turn in Eddie’s affectionate texts.

Steve [sent at 01:37]: i feel great babe, had the best time i promise and i definitely miss u too already. are u okay? Eds [sent at 01:38]: okay good 😅 Eds [sent at 01:38]: was just overthinking 🤡 Eds [sent at 01:38]: dont worry about it 🤗🥰 cant wait to see u tomorrow im gonna treat u so good rly put my rockstar money to good use 😤

Finally, Eddie’s texts returned to normal and Steve was smiling again.

Steve [sent at 01:39]: can’t wait eds. now i rly gotta go get grilled by robin

Wrapping his towel around his waist and scooping his clothes off the ground, Steve shuffled into his room to find Robin sprawled on his bed and reading one of his magazines.

“Took you long enough,” she complained, looking up when Steve threw his clothes into his hamper and grabbed boxers out of his dresser, putting them on before hanging his towel on a hook on his bedroom door.

“I was like twenty minutes,” Steve said with a roll of his eyes.

“Which is ten more than you said you would be,” Robin said with a sniff, sitting up and crossing her legs. “So. He said the b-word.”

Steve couldn’t believe how hot his face got just at the mention of Eddie calling him his boyfriend, or how quickly it did. Turning to his dresser quickly, Steve busied himself with digging the pajamas he wanted to wear out.

“Yeah,” Steve finally said with a one-shouldered shrug.

“So…?” Robin said, dragging the single syllable out questioningly. “You’re boyfriends?”

Steve put on a soft t-shirt and gray pair of sweatpants and turned around, shrugging again. “I don’t know. We’re going to talk about it tomorrow, on our date, I mean,” he replied, flopping face-first onto his bed next to Robin.

“Steve…” she started, and Steve groaned.

“Please don’t—”

He felt one of her fingers poke his head. “It’s my duty as your best friend to worry about you,” she said firmly. “So, he called you his boyfriend, then you didn’t talk about it, but then you fucked him?”

“Actually, Robin, he fucked me,” Steve said, propping himself on his elbows to give Robin one of his signature bitchy looks. She did not seem moved.

“Dingus, you know that’s worse for you,” Robin said, and Steve made a face.

“You make me sound like a virgin or something,” Steve complained, and Robin rolled her eyes.

“No, you’re romantic and a sap and have a sappy thing about having your business penetrated—”

“Don’t say that word,” Steve complained, grimacing.

“Don’t deflect!” Robin said, sighing explosively. “I really want this to work out for you, and for what it’s worth I think it will, just I’m also really anxious about it because I know you and I know you won’t take it well if he’s not serious.”

Steve’s expression softened and he reached over to take Robin’s hand gently in his. “I know, Robs, you’re right. I just—I’m pretty sure he’s serious, like, look at these,” Steve said as he sat up, pulling out his phone to show her the texts. Robin’s anxious expression relaxed as she read them and then she turned her annoyed glare on Steve.

“You really hit the guy with three full-stop sentences after he said he missed you, Dingus?” Robin asked flatly. “And you didn’t even react to him saying he missed you? Or that he can’t sleep without you?”

“What? I didn’t—” Steve went to defend himself, but looking at his phone and rereading the messages, he saw exactly what she was saying.

“Miss you already, I don’t know how I’m supposed to sleep without you.” “Home now. About to be grilled by Robin. Pray for me.”

“Oh, fuck, I did, didn’t I?” Steve groaned, covering his face with both hands and leaning his elbows on his knees.

“Somehow you brought it back around, though, so there’s that,” Robin said, the smirk obvious in her voice. Then she raised her eyebrows high, inclining her head toward Steve. “So, how was it?”

Steve sighed so dreamily that even Robin blushed. “Zero exaggeration, but it was literally the best sex I’ve ever had,” he said, flopping back onto his pillows.

“Mm, doubtful,” Robin said, sucking her teeth. “You’ve had sex with Nancy, and I know for a fact she’s—”

“Fine! Fine, the best sex I’ve had with another guy ever,” Steve conceded, and Robin nodded, pleased.

“So, tell me about everything,” Robin pushed, drumming her hands on Steve’s stomach. “Spare zero details.”

“You sure? I mean some of it involves gagging—” Steve started knowingly, laughing when Robin pulled a face.

“Yuck, okay, spare those details. The rest? Wanna know all of it,” she said.

Steve happily obliged even if Robin was dramatic about a few of the parts— “Your ass, Stephen?” “Hey, don’t knock it ‘til you try it—” “Uh, no thanks, I have a perfectly good pussy—” “So do I?” “That’s why I’m freaking out, what was the point—?”—and by the time he reached the end of his story, it was coming up on four in the morning.

“Okay, time for you to get out. I’m fucking exhausted,” Steve said after a bit and to his surprise, Robin got up practically immediately.

“I’m happy for you, Dingus,” she said, stooping to kiss the top of Steve’s head. “Good night.”

Steve snagged Robin’s wrist before she could stand back up and tugged her close enough for him to kiss her cheek. “Night, Robbie,” he said affectionately, meeting Robin’s eyes and seeing her fond expression.

When she finally left his room, Steve laid down and turned off his lamp, then looked at his phone again. Mulling over his texts with Eddie, thinking about how he wanted to express even a fraction of his feelings for Eddie to make up for his dumb response earlier.

Steve [sent at 03:38]: i miss you so much already, wish we could’ve spent the night together. p sure that would just make it worse, for me at least Steve [sent at 03:41]: tonight was amazing. literally one of the best nights of my life. can't wait to see you again. want to hold your hand again. Steve [sent at 03:42]: i'm going to bed now. good night eds

With that, Steve smiled and locked his phone, slipping under his blankets and cuddling up in all of his pillows, pretending he was holding Eddie as he drifted off to sleep.

❖

Steve wakes up to his cell phone vibrating under his arm and he groggily squints at the screen. He couldn’t make the blurry letters come into focus so he just answered.

“Hello…?” Steve said hoarsely, and he winced a bit at the soreness in his throat.

“Hey, sweetie, are we still on for brunch? Just checking because I remember you saying you were going to a concert last night,” came the cheerful voice of Melissa Harrington. With a little chuckle, she asked, “Did I wake you up?”

“Shit, yeah, but what time is it?” Steve asked, scrubbing his face and sitting up. The entire lower half of his body felt achy and sore, especially in his inner thighs and his crotch. For a brief moment while his brain still came back online, he was confused, but then the memories hit him like a freight train. His neck also hurt, but he was pretty sure that was just from sleeping weird.

“It’s just after ten,” she replied, and Steve jumped out of bed and stripped out of his pajamas. He was so glad he showered the night before.

“I’m so sorry, Mom, yeah we’re still on,” he said quickly, putting his phone on speaker so he could get dressed as quickly as possible.

Melissa huffed out a laugh. “We can reschedule—”

“No, Mom. We’ve had this scheduled, we’re meeting for brunch,” Steve said firmly, hurrying into the bathroom to brush his teeth, ignoring Robin’s indignant squawk from the shower when he turned the sink on.

“What the fuck, Dingus?” she shouted, poking her head around the shower curtain.

“Hi, Robin,” Melissa greeted, the phone still on speaker.

Robin blushed. “Hi, Mrs. Harrington,” she greeted back sheepishly while Steve brushed his teeth and fixed his hair blindly since the mirror was too foggy to see his reflection.

“Call me Melissa, sweetheart, please,” his mom insisted, and Robin cringed.

“Sorry, Mrs. Harrington, but Melissa is what I call my mom,” she retorted, just as she always did.

Richard and Melissa Buckley were interesting people who insisted that they treat their children as equals, so they raised their gaggle of kids to refer to them by their names, not as “mom” or “dad.” It was kind of weird, but it also conjured some funny images of toddlers trying to say Melissa or Richard, which Steve would sometimes do to cheer himself up. Unfortunately, this meant that somehow Robin got it in her head that she couldn’t refer to Steve’s mom by her first name at all.

“I don’t expect you to understand the intricacies of my mind,” Robin had said haughtily when Steve questioned her.

“Good, because I have absolutely stopped trying,” Steve had responded and had a pillow thrown at him for his sass.

“I’ll see you later, Bobbie,” Steve said, purposely waiting for Robin to return to her shower before rinsing his toothbrush, giggling maniacally at her squawk as he fled the bathroom.

“Is she ever going to loosen up around me?” Melissa sighed as Steve took his phone off of speaker.

“She has, Mom. She just calls you Mrs. Harrington,” he reassured her. “Okay, I’m gonna hang up now. I’ll meet you there, okay?”

“I’ll get us a table,” Melissa said pleasantly and hung up before Steve could say goodbye.

The drive to their favourite brunch restaurant was a short distance from his apartment, and normally Steve walked to it when he wasn’t so sore from getting fucked the night before and running late. Today, though, he sent an apology to Mother Nature as he did the five-minute drive and parked down one of the side streets.

Walking to the restaurant was a chore with the ache at the junction of his thighs, but Steve was pretty sure he made his gait look normal enough, especially as he approached the table his mother was sitting at.

Melissa was beautiful, Steve always thought she was. Especially in the last few years as she let herself age rather than hiding the advancing clock under hair dye, layers of make-up, and expensive Botox appointments. She had recently cut her hair short, saying she was just looking for a change after having long hair her whole life, so now the silver shot through it was obviously in the majority.

Steve loved to see her so relaxed, so easygoing and happy, even after they lost his dad.

At the table, she was looking over the menu, even though she ordered the same thing every time they had brunch, her expression amusingly thoughtful.

As Steve slipped into the chair in front of Melissa, she looked up with a smile that crinkled the corners of her eyes. There was a moment where her eyebrows shot up slightly while she looked Steve up and down. “Hi, Steve,” she said, her smile turning into a bit of a smirk as she returned to looking at her menu. “I already ordered yours, by the way. I told her I was still deciding.”

Steve snorted. “What’re you thinking?” he asked, just like he did every time, gesturing at the menu.

“I’m torn between the eggs benny and the turkey club,” Melissa lamented, pursing her lips with a huff. “Maybe I’ll get the turkey club this time.”

Steve knew she wouldn’t, she never actually changed her order, even if she debated for a whole thirty minutes.

Sure enough, when the server returned to take her order, Melissa requested the classic eggs benny and handed the menu back. Once the server walked away, Melissa turned her attention to Steve with a teasing look.

“You have a good night?” she asked, and Steve could feel his ears heat up. He hadn’t mentioned a word about Eddie to her, not wanting her to either discourage him or get too excited about it. Even now, he wanted to keep it close to his chest until he talked to Eddie later.

“Yeah! The concert was great, the crowd was really intense. I went with Will—you know him, the nice kid from front desk?” Steve said, nodding when Melissa smiled with recognition.

“He’s your boss’ son, right?” she asked after a moment, and there was a strange expression on her face, almost like concern.

“Yeah,” Steve confirmed, puzzled by her reaction but laughing through it. “The band that gifted me the tickets is actually one of his favourites, so I couldn’t not bring him with me.”

Melissa’s frown deepened. “Do you think workplace relationships are wise, Steve? Especially with your boss’ son—”

Steve’s jaw dropped and he leaned over the table, shaking his head frantically. “Whoa, Mom, I’m not—I’m not dating Will,” Steve practically hissed, eyes wide as he blushed and Melissa covered her face with both hands, laughing out loud for so long that other patrons were starting to look over.

“Thank God. Okay, I’m sorry, sweetie. I just saw the hickeys and you said you went with Will,” she explained, wiping the tears that had formed at the corner of her eyes carefully, dabbing as if she was wearing makeup like she used to. A thirty-plus year habit. “Your face when you realized what I was saying…”

Melissa was starting to giggle again, but Steve was still reeling over what she had said. “Hickeys?” he asked, baffled.

“Sweetheart,” Melissa said, almost pitying as she tried to contain her laughter. “Half of your neck looks like a toothless vampire tried really hard to get the goods.”

“Mom,” Steve gasped, slapping a hand over the sore side of his neck. With a groan, he covered his face with his free hand and propped his elbow on the table. “Oh my god.”

“I’m sorry for laughing, Steve,” Melissa said, trying to sound sincere but he could hear her still trying to contain her laughter. “I would love to hear about… them. Whoever it was.”

Steve sighed and sat up. “Guess the cat’s out of the bag anyway,” he said, resigned and his mom frowned.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, Steve,” she reassured him, but there was hurt in her expression that she was doing her best to hide.

“I haven’t been hiding it from you—well, I mean, I have but not because of anything you did, Mom,” Steve quickly reassured her. “It’s just…I didn’t want you to get too excited or discourage me, and we have a proper date tonight. I was going to tell you about him after that, I promise.”

Melissa’s eyebrow had been slowly climbing her forehead as Steve talked until he finished, then she reached across the table to hold his hand. “Sweetheart, if you were clearly excited about this man, I would never discourage you,” she said warmly, looking at him imploringly and Steve knew she meant it.

However, Melissa Harrington, despite how much she had loosened up since Steve graduated high school, was still a pragmatic businesswoman, a “realist” as she called herself. She couldn’t help but do a risk analysis on almost everything anyone did if she was close enough to voice an opinion on it. Steve knew that she liked to present facts for people to consider with any big decisions that had big risks associated, and she genuinely thought she was being helpful.

It always came off as discouraging, though.

The server chose that moment to come back to their table with their food, and they were distracted with making small talk for a couple minutes.

When the server walked away, Steve took a deep breath. “His name is Eddie,” he said, chewing the inside of his cheek as he poured syrup over his French toast. He put the syrup down and looked at Melissa as she nodded encouragingly, lifting her orange juice to her lips to take a sip. With a grin, Steve added, “He’s the frontman of the band I saw last night.”

The noise Melissa made as she choked into her glass had multiple people turning to stare at them again. Steve had to work very hard to not laugh as Melissa put her glass down and mopped up her chin and cheeks, grumbling to herself.

“You did that on purpose,” she accused him lightly, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips as she took a deep breath. “Alright, the frontman of a famous… metal band? Yes?”

“Yeah, Corroded Coffin,” Steve confirmed, and when Melissa pulled out her phone, he panicked for a second. “Don’t google him.”

Melissa raised an eyebrow at Steve. “I will do as I please, Stephen,” she said sternly, and went back to looking at her phone. Steve knew the moment she found the same images he did by the way her eyebrows jumped. After a few moments, Melissa looked up at Steve with just her eyes and said, “He’s certainly handsome.”

“Yeah, he is,” Steve agreed in a dreamy tone.

Putting her phone away again, Melissa returned to eating. “You like him a lot?” she asked.

“Yes,” Steve said instantly, but dread was bubbling up in his gut. She was doing her analysis; he could tell by the way she was keeping her expression carefully neutral.

She hummed. “And he likes you?”

“Yes.” Steve put his fork down and chewed on his lip, refusing to look at Melissa.

“Do you want this to be serious?” she asked, and Steve was nodding as he stared at his French toast.

“Yes,” he answered verbally after a few moments.

“And does he?” Melissa’s tone was different with that question, enough so that Steve finally looked at her again. Her expression was soft, fond in her concern.

Thinking back to Eddie’s texts, Steve smiled at her and nodded. “Yeah, I think so. We’re talking about it tonight,” he replied.

“Okay,” Melissa said with a broad smile. “Tell me about him.”

Steve blinked at her for several moments before he said, “That’s it?”

Melissa frowned. “Yes? Now I want to hear about him,” she replied.

“You—when I started dating Nancy, you literally lectured me—” Steve started, and Melissa held up a hand.

“Whoa, there, Stephen. I did not lecture you, I just presented you with the red flags I saw and I ended up being right,” Melissa said, pointing at Steve, her eyebrows high. “I liked Nancy, I did, she just wasn’t right for you.”

“I was in love with her,” Steve insisted, and Melissa snorted.

“And when you talked about her, you didn’t light up even half as bright as you just did two minutes ago,” she said with a shrug, returning to her meal. Steve just gaped at her, completely at a loss of what to say to that. “Now, you can revisit your grudge against me for not being one hundred percent on board with Nancy Wheeler, or you could tell me about Eddie. Your choice, Steve.”

After a couple moments of digesting her words, Steve grinned and picked up his fork again, digging into his French toast and, quite frankly, talking his mom’s ear off about Eddie Munson.

As Steve’s brunch with his mom was coming to an end, his phone began to ring. It was weird enough to get a phone call out of the blue that Melissa didn’t mind when Steve checked his phone.

“Oh, it’s Eddie,” Steve said with a smile, glancing at his mom a bit nervously.

“Go ahead and answer, sweetie,” she said, taking out her own phone while Steve was busy.

“Hey, Eds,” he said happily as he answered.

“Hey, Stevie,” Eddie replied, but his tone was off, like he was about to deliver bad news and Steve’s stomach dropped.

“What’s up?” Steve asked, and out of the corner of his eye he could see his mother put her phone down and start paying attention.

Eddie sighed heavily on the other end. “I want you to know how much I don’t want to cancel, Stevie, like I really, really, really don’t and I’ve been trying to do everything in my power not to cancel—”

“Whoa, Eds, slow down. What’s going on?” Steve asked again, even as his eyes stung at the thought of not getting to see Eddie before he left.

“I overexerted my leg,” Eddie said in a voice that was almost mocking, and Steve leaned back in his chair with a quiet groan. After a bit, Eddie added, “Like, this past week has been the busiest, most demanding week of the tour so far between concerts and filming and shit, so it was bound to happen—”

“Last night didn’t help, though, did it?” Steve said, guilt twisting in his gut.

“Steve, don’t. I chose to do what we did last night just as much as you, so you better not be blaming yourself over there,” Eddie said firmly, and Steve chuckled sadly.

“Okay, fine, I’ll try not to. So, you’re not allowed to go out anymore?” Steve pressed and Eddie heaved a sigh.

“No, it’s not like I’m like… grounded, just…” Eddie trailed off a bit, like he was trying to find the words. “Right now, I’m not like, in pain. Well, not more pain than usual, I guess, but my leg is tired. I’ve had to use my crutches all fucking day, and basically if I want to be able to perform on Monday, I need to rest my stupid leg—”

“Don’t call it stupid,” Steve interrupted, startling a laugh out of Eddie.

“Fine, it’s not stupid, but I still have to rest my leg, and the plans I had for our date are not restful at all,” Eddie said, quickly adding, “That wasn’t an innuendo, by the way, I mean the plans I had involved a lot of walking, though I definitely also meant—”

“Eds,” Steve interjected before Eddie could go on a full ramble. “What if you just come over to my place? We can order in some take-out, watch a movie, keep it simple and quiet.”

There was a long pause. “What?” Eddie asked, as if he hadn’t even considered just hanging out at Steve’s apartment.

“Eds… did you actually think to cancel our date before asking to come over to my place?” Steve asked, and he could only muster a tone of fondness rather than annoyance.

“Well, kinda. I wanted to treat you, and you seemed excited, so I didn’t want to disappoint you, and yeah, I didn’t want to suggest something as lame as Netflix and chill,” Eddie said in a rush, pulling an actual laugh from Steve.

“Eds, I don’t care about the plans, that’s not even close to why I was excited. I just want to see you, that’s it,” Steve said earnestly, and when that statement was met with a long pause, he softly said, “Eds?”

“You’re not just saying that because you feel bad for me, right?” Eddie asked a bit stiffly, and Steve released a sad sigh, hating whoever taught him to assume that possibility before believing that Steve was being genuine.

“I’m saying it because I mean it, Eds. It was never about where you were taking me or what we were doing,” Steve insisted, his shoulders relaxing when Eddie laughed.

“How are you real, Steve?” Eddie murmured into the phone before sighing, happily that time. “What time should I come over, handsome?”

Steve grinned, rubbing his bottom lip as he considered the question. “How about six?”

“Sounds perfect, love,” Eddie hummed, winding Steve with the term of endearment all over again. “See you then,” he added.

“Yeah, see you then, Eds,” Steve agreed, a bit dazed as his mind spiraled around the pet name.

After hanging up, Steve looked back at Melissa to find her smiling at him, the expression almost cautious, but sincere.

“What?” he asked, getting self-conscious the longer she searched his face.

“Nothing, sweetie, just happy for you,” Melissa said, reaching across the table to hold Steve’s hand gently. “Your father would be, too.”

Steve blinked quickly, pulling his hand away to wipe his nose before clearing his throat. “I need to head home and clean up, figure out what I’m making for us to eat,” Steve said quickly, taking a deep breath.

“Thought you were ordering take-out?” Melissa said with a little smirk as she waved the server down for the check.

“Obviously I’m going to show off, Mom,” Steve said with a snort while he texted Eddie his address.

“That’s my boy,” she said proudly. Once their brunch was paid for, Melissa stood up and smiled down at Steve. “Well, let’s go. We’ve got an apartment to tidy and a dinner to plan.”

Steve raised an eyebrow as he stood and followed her out. “We?”

“I’m not busy today, so I’ll help you,” Melissa said, and at Steve’s narrowed eyes she held up her hands. “I’ll leave before he gets there! I promise! I’m not trying to ambush him.”

With a laugh, Steve nodded. “Okay, fine, you can come over and help. I’ll see you in a bit,” he said, grinning as he headed to his car.

❖

There were many things that Eddie generally was not, and one of those things was punctual. Getting him anywhere on time with anything less than an entire team of stage techs plus Chrissy Cunningham and a screaming crowd was nothing short of a miracle. So, when he made plans with Steve for six, he immediately showered and got changed, which left him with nothing to do for two hours.

He couldn’t even pace his hotel room to keep himself distracted, and if he turned on the TV, he would absolutely get too distracted and leave late. Eddie made it about an hour laying on his bed staring at the ceiling before he decided he would just leave early, give himself more than enough time to get there.

Sitting up, Eddie reached for his cane and paused, frowning. He hated using his crutches, but if Chrissy caught him not using them after he almost collapsed earlier when his knee buckled, she would actually ground him.

Grumbling to himself, Eddie picked his crutches up and made his way down to the hotel driveway, fumbling a bit with getting his phone out to call for a car with his crutches.

“Would you like assistance, sir?”

Eddie looked down at the redhead standing at the valet desk. Max, as he had come to learn her name to be. Her question was polite, but her tone was vaguely annoyed. He had seen her talk to other guests, so he knew she had it in her to give him the whole customer service schtick, she just chose not to. Eddie really liked that about her.

“Yeah, can you call me a town car?” he asked, and she sneered.

“I dunno, can I?” Max asked, rolling her eyes slightly as she started shifting through the papers on the desk. “You too good for a taxi or an Uber?”

“Absolutely,” Eddie said, pulling out his pack of cigarettes and lighting up while Max found the sheet she needed and picking up the receiver of the phone on her desk.

“I’m gonna need the address of where you’re going, genius,” Max said flatly, and Eddie laughed.

“Here,” he said, handing her the piece of paper he rewrote Steve’s address on.

Max eyed the paper before turning a very real glare on Eddie. “Why’re you going to Steve’s?” she asked, her tone suspicious.

Unsure of how much Steve would want Eddie divulging about their courtship, he just quirked an eyebrow with a sly smirk. “To play Scrabble, obviously. Why else would a hot-blooded faggot such as myself go to a man’s private residence?” he asked suggestively.

Max’s expression shuttered completely, and she hung up the receiver. “Oops, looks like I don’t have the phone number for the town cars. Tough luck,” Max said with a tight, fake smile.

“He invited me over,” Eddie said, dumbfounded at her sneer.

“Yeah, and Steve sucks at taking care of himself,” Max said, shrugging, smiling as another guest stepped out of the door and slid into a taxi waiting there.

“He’s a big boy and can make his own choices,” Eddie pushed and while the whole back-and-forth was a bit frustrating, it also brought a smile to his face. Steve thought he didn’t have any friends other than his roommate, yet here Max was, the meanest valet driver in the world, protecting his honour or something.

“Yeah, he is and he can. Doesn’t mean I have to be complicit,” Max replied flatly, crossing her arms and leaning on the desk to narrow her eyes at him. “If he wants your dick so bad, he can come pick you up, yeah?”

Finally, Eddie laughed and shook his head, shuffling closer to the valet desk and leaning over it. “Between you and me, little red, Steve and I have been talking for months. I’m happy you’re looking out for him, though,” he said, and Max’s expression was skeptical.

“You expect me to believe that?” Max asked with a scoff.

“I expect nothing of you, little red. Do you mind if I lean against your desk while I call myself a ride?” Eddie asked before she could come back with another snappy retort.

Gesturing grandly, Max said, “Knock yourself out, Munson.” She eyed him warily while he leaned on the desk to free up his hands, pulling out his phone and dialing for the car service.

When the town car pulled up, Max actually surprised Eddie when she came around the desk and opened the door for him.

“Thanks, little red—” he started, but she put her hand in front of him.

“You better be telling the truth, Munson, and you better be good to him, got it?” Max said, and Eddie actually felt a small thrill of fear go through him. “I will find you and take one of your kidneys if you’re lying.”

With that, Max gestured for Eddie to get into the car and shut the door behind him with a condescending wave.

Grabbing his side nervously, Eddie looked down at his phone and texted Steve.

Eddie [sent at 16:58]: 😨 little red is so fucking scary 😱😱😱😱 💞💓💞 [sent at 16:59]: what she do now? Eddie [sent at 17:01]: threatened 🔪 my kidney if i hurt u 😨😨😨 💞💓💞 [sent at 17:01]: jesus sorry shes rly intense sometimes i'll talk to her Eddie [sent at 17:02]: it was cute just rly scary 😨 fr fully believe she will actually take my kidney

Eddie put his phone away and focused on looking out the window, trying not to let his nerves get to him. It was starting to sink in that he was going to be spending the evening with Steve and not doing any of the flashy things he had planned to hopefully keep Steve’s interest in him past the sex. They were going to spend several hours together with nothing to distract Steve, nothing for Eddie to hide behind. He was going to ask Steve to be his boyfriend, and he couldn’t help the wave of anxiety that Steve would say no.

Arriving at Steve’s apartment by fifteen after five was not at all part of Eddie’s plans. This was way too early, but it wasn’t like he could just ask the driver to sit and idle for at least half an hour. Dealing with payment and thanking the driver, Eddie slid out and leaned against the building and lit another cigarette that he had no intention of actually smoking that much of.

Beside him, the door to the building opened and a woman stepped out, speaking on the phone with someone.

“I’ll be home shortly, I was just helping—yes, I know I said I would help with the launch, but I was needed here,” she was saying, and she glanced over at him with a polite smile before taking a couple more steps. Then she glanced at him again, looking a little longer as if recognizing him, and Eddie grimaced.

That was just what he needed, to be recognized by a fan outside the apartment of the guy he was pretty solidly in love with. Eddie was sure that would go over well.

“Reggie, shut up, I have to go,” she said, and with that she hung up the call and dialed another number. Opening the passenger door of a fancy car parked at the curb, she threw her purse onto the seat and said, “Yes, I know I just left— sweetie, shut up. Incoming.”

She rounded the car and met Eddie’s puzzled gaze and winked at him. “He’s here already,” the woman said into the phone, opening the door and getting in. “No, I didn’t say anything to—”

The rest of her sentence was cut off as she shut her door, and inside the car she was laughing as she hung up. Looking back over at Eddie, she waved one last time before pulling away and driving off down the road.

Within seconds, the door of the building opened again, and Steve stumbled out onto the sidewalk, looking over at Eddie with bewildered, wild eyes.

Eddie was blown away by just how handsome Steve was all over again, his hair artfully messy, his hazel eyes wide and crinkling at the corners with his crooked smile, the moles that painted a constellation across his skin. Letting his eyes travel down Steve’s neck, Eddie noted each hickey with a growing hunger that he had to shake himself out of.

“What are you doing here already?” Steve asked, and Eddie met his eyes again. Steve grimaced and added, “Sorry, I just—I wasn’t expecting you for like, forty-five more minutes.”

“Yeah, I got antsy sitting around the hotel room, and I guess I left too early. Was gonna just hang here for a while before coming up, but…” Eddie trailed off, gesturing to where the woman’s car had been parked.

“Yeah, sorry, that was my mom. I’m sorry for anything she said to you,” Steve said quickly, rubbing the back of his neck roughly as he laughed nervously.

Eddie grimaced that Steve’s mom’s first impression of him was loitering and smoking. “She didn’t say anything to me, baby,” he reassured Steve, twisting his fingers in the front of Steve’s sweater and pulling him close. With a soft smile, he leaned down and pressed a light kiss to Steve’s lips.

Steve sighed and opened under Eddie’s mouth, wrapping his arms loosely around Eddie’s neck. Just like that, Eddie felt his nerves settle as he groaned and deepened the kiss a bit more.

“Dinner,” Steve suddenly said, pulling back. “I have to put dinner back in the oven. C’mon, let’s go upstairs.”

“Oven? I thought we were ordering in,” Eddie said a bit dazed, snuffing out his cigarette and tossing it in a garbage bin. Rearranging his crutches, he followed Steve to the elevators, smiling fondly at the sheepish expression on Steve’s face.

“Yeah, well, I decided to make us dinner instead,” Steve said, sounding almost shy and Eddie couldn’t help but corner him in the elevator to kiss his blushing cheeks.

When the doors reopened, Eddie moved aside so Steve could lead the way into his place, and immediately the divine smell of tomato sauce, garlic, and onions washed over them when the door opened.

“Holy shit, babe,” Eddie groaned, sitting himself down on the couch so he could take his shoes off. “Smells amazing in here.”

“Thanks,” Steve said with a blush, then hurried into the kitchen. “You can stay there; I’ll be right back.”

Eddie took the few moments alone to look around, smiling at the cozy living room that had knick-knacks and picture frames on almost every shelf. The furniture in the room was all old, well-loved, worn but not worn-out. It reminded him of Uncle Wayne’s trailer, the way it felt like a home.

“I hope you don’t mind lasagna,” Steve said as he returned to the couch, sitting down next to Eddie with a charming smile. “It was the only thing I had all the ingredients for.”

“Lasagna’s perfect, Stevie,” Eddie said with a grin, leaning close to try and kiss Steve, but then he’s pulling away.

“You want something to drink?” Steve asked, and then moved as if to stand up and Eddie twisted a hand in the front of Steve’s sweater.

“How long does the lasagna have?” Eddie asked in a husky whisper.

“About thirty minutes, but—”

Eddie interrupted Steve with a kiss, licking into his sweet mouth and swallowing the soft sound he made. With a low groan, Eddie hauled the man into his lap, smiling against Steve’s lips when he immediately straddled his thighs. In no time at all, Steve’s fingers were in Eddie’s hair, twisting and holding him in place as Steve hungrily devoured his mouth.

It drove Eddie insane, the way Steve would be sweet and soft under his hands, just to turn hungry and pushy, using his teeth and growling softly. It was almost as if the sounds were subconscious, like he didn’t even really mean to be making them at all, and Eddie happily accepted those noises against his tongue.

“No! Nuh-uh!”

The shrieking voice barely registered in Eddie’s hazy mind before a mist of cold water hit him directly on the side of the face.

“Robin! What the fuck?” Steve shouted as he leaped off Eddie’s lap to wrestle a spray bottle out of the hands of a woman Eddie had only really seen in pictures. He immediately recognized her as Steve’s best friend, and he grinned as Steve struggled to get her to give up the spray bottle.

Finally, Steve managed to get the bottle and shot a spray of water directly into her mouth when she opened it to yell at him. Choking a bit, Robin punched Steve in the arm.

When Robin recovered, she pointed at Steve, smacking the spray bottle away when he went to shoot her in the mouth again.

“No sex on the communal furniture, Stephen,” she scolded, then looked at Eddie with fire in her eyes. “I know exactly how you defiled that kitchenette and you’re not doing the same to my late Great Aunt Mildred’s loveseat, you hear me?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Eddie said quickly, eyes wide as Robin narrowed hers at him.

Then she nodded and smiled. “Alright, I’m going to be at Nancy’s and I’m absolutely not returning until tomorrow around dinner time, okay?” Robin said, not even waiting for them to respond before she put her shoes on and left out the front door, shouting a hurried goodbye.

Steve was still standing, breathing heavily from his wrestling match with Robin before laughing breathlessly down at Eddie. “Well, you heard her. Time to behave,” Steve said before walking into the kitchen to grab a couple beers and bring them back to the couch.

The evening went by slowly but comfortably, unhurried and sweet. The lasagna was perfect, and even if it wasn’t Eddie was sure he would still think it was because Steve made it. Eddie couldn’t remember a partner ever making him a meal before, and it took him a few moments to settle the emotions that bubbled up from that.

After they ate, they returned to the living room to watch a movie, some action flick that Eddie barely paid attention to the title of. When Steve reeled Eddie into his side, the chance of Eddie retaining any of the movie flew right out the window, especially when Steve lifted a hand to start scratching Eddie’s scalp lightly, absentmindedly.

Eddie was a weak man, and it wasn’t long before Eddie turned his head and tilted his lips up with a needy sound, coaxing Steve into another kiss. This kiss was kept slow, almost chaste as they felt each other, testing the boundaries of the moment. The moment Eddie tried to deepen the kiss, Steve pulled back with a chuckle.

“Remember our warning, Eds,” Steve teased, kissing Eddie’s lips with a quick peck.

“I’m sure there’s some non-communal furniture somewhere in this apartment we could move to,” Eddie hummed suggestively, and Steve laughed softly.

“I think there’s a conversation we need to have first,” Steve replied, and his voice was a bit shaky. Pulling back, Eddie searched Steve’s face.

“Alright,” Eddie said slowly, leaning away from Steve to give him some space.

Reaching over, Steve tangled their fingers together, stroking his thumb across the back of Eddie’s hand and the tenderness of the motion was nearly overwhelming.

“Last night, you called me your boyfriend,” Steve started, meeting Eddie’s gaze firmly, pinning him there. “Did you mean it?”

“Do you want me to mean it?” Eddie deflected, which made no sense. That is what he wanted, for them to be boyfriends, partners, together. Steve was asking him if he wanted that, and there he was putting it back on him.

“I want to know if you meant it,” Steve pushed earnestly. “How do you feel about me?”

Eddie took a deep breath, eyes flitting around Steve’s face. “I’m afraid to answer that question, Steve,” he confessed quietly, his heart pounding frantically in his chest.

“Why?” Steve asked, his own voice barely above a whisper.

Eddie laughed, almost a bit hysterically. “I’m afraid it’s going to scare you off,” he admitted, breaking their eye-contact to look down at their hands.

“I don’t think it will, Eds,” Steve said, sounding so hopeful and Eddie wished that made him braver, but it just made him more anxious. Like now the possibility of disappointing Steve was real now.

“Steve, I’ve never felt the way I do right now for anyone else,” Eddie said shakily, and it was almost like that was all he needed for the dam to break. “I don’t—I want to call you my boyfriend and mean it, I want to talk about you if interviewers bring you up, I want you to call me your boyfriend. I want to be with you.”

There was a long pause before Steve pressed close for a gentle but deep kiss, a hand sliding into Eddie’s hair to hold him in place.

Pulling away, Steve quietly said, “That’s what I want, too.”

Eddie laughed, incredulous and giddy. “Seriously? Me? Why?” he asked before he could stop himself.

“Because you’re funny, and talented, and you care about your friends so much, and you’re so fucking hot,” Steve rattled off quickly before taking a deep breath and finishing, “and I love you.”

Eddie gaped at Steve, feeling the air whoosh out of his lungs. “You love me?” he asked weakly, a smile tugging at his mouth.

“Yeah, Eds, I think I’ve been in love with you since I binged your YouTube channel,” Steve said, grinning broadly. “So what do you think about that?”

“I love you, too, Stevie. Been in love with you so long, and I think we need to move to non-communal furniture as soon as fucking possible,” Eddie babbled, reeling Steve into a desperate, hungry kiss.

Steve laughed against Eddie’s mouth, and the feel of it on his lips was divine. It wasn’t long before Steve’s hands found their way into Eddie’s hair, tangling the curls around his fingers and tugging, turning his head this way and that, licking his way into Eddie’s mouth. Eddie couldn’t help the way he shook as he let the man have his way with him, whimpering as he pressed their tongues together.

When Steve pulled away, Eddie tried to chase after his lips but was stopped by the fingers in his hair. “Steve,” he whined, pouting as he opened his eyes, and he glared at the soft grin on Steve’s lips.

“We should move this to my room, yeah?” Steve suggested with a raised eyebrow, and Eddie shivered and nodded.

“Y-yeah, definitely, your room,” Eddie gasped, swallowing thickly as he tried to calm down.

“You—do you want to walk there yourself, or I could carry you?” Steve asked, almost shyly. Like he was unsure if what he was asking was polite or not.

Normally, Eddie found it annoying when people asked him questions like that, but there was a part of him that knew that Steve was genuine and didn’t mean anything by it. He wasn’t assuming that Eddie needed help, and a part of Eddie knew he wouldn’t be upset if he turned down any help being offered.

“I’m kinda heavy,” Eddie said with a cheeky smile. “Denser than I look.”

“I can handle it,” Steve challenged, getting off the couch to stand over Eddie with a wicked smirk. It was one of the hottest things Eddie had ever seen, to be completely honest.

“Mm, now I want to see you try, gorgeous,” Eddie teased, lounging back on the couch and spreading his legs around Steve’s knees.

Grinning, Steve bent at the waist and grabbed Eddie’s legs just under his thighs. “Wrap your arms around my neck?” he requested, and Eddie acquiesced immediately, snagging Steve’s smirking lips in another hungry, demanding kiss.

With a low sound, Steve stood up as if Eddie weighed nothing, barely even grunting as his weight shifted forward against his chest. Eddie, however, shuddered as his hardening cock was rocked against Steve’s abdomen, his whole body on fire at the demonstration of strength and he had to pull away from the kiss.

“Oh, holy shit, Steve,” he gasped, burying his face into Steve’s throat to lay several biting kisses on the skin there, giving him all new marks around the ones he was given the night before.

Steve just chuckled, groaning softly as he walked down the hallway and into a bedroom. “Told you I could handle you,” Steve hummed before depositing Eddie onto the bed carefully and reaching for the buckle on his belt.

“That you did, Stevie,” Eddie laughed, and he reached down to take over removing his clothes, but Steve slapped his hands away. “Hey!”

“I’ll do it,” Steve said firmly as he began working on the fly, glaring up through his lashes at Eddie. “You just relax.”

Eddie’s brow furrowed at that, and with a grumble he moved to take his shirt off instead. Once again, Steve just smacked his hands away from the hem of his shirt. “Stevie, c’mon,” he complained, shaking as he watched Steve peel his pants off of his legs.

“Eds, we’re doing this my way this time, which means I’m taking my time with you,” Steve practically purred, propping himself on his hands over Eddie and smirking down at him.

There was something overwhelming about looking up at Steve in that moment, the way his hair was lit up by the light above him, like a halo or something cheesy like that, his eyes so soft and fond while his smirk was so pointed. Eddie felt breathless at the sight.

When Eddie didn’t answer immediately, Steve bent his arms and brought his mouth close to Eddies, but not nearly close enough for a kiss. When Eddie strained up for a kiss, Steve backed off. “Can you be a good boy? Be patient for me?”

Eddie shook at the question, and part of him wanted to cry that he couldn’t be patient, he just wasn’t built like that and never had been. But the thought of being a good boy for Steve had him desperately wanting to try. So he nodded frantically, reaching up to hold Steve’s face gently.

“Yes, Stevie, I can be good for you, I can be patient,” he practically whimpered, chewing the inside of his cheek to try and calm down just a little bit. He could make this work, he could do what Steve asked of him and he would do it so well.

“That’s what I thought, baby,” Steve hummed, lowering himself enough to kiss Eddie sweetly, almost chastely. Pulling back, he coaxed Eddie to sit up so he could remove his shirt and toss it somewhere in his room.

Shivering as Steve pulled back to stare at him hungrily, Eddie leaned back on his hands, giving him a pleading look as Steve checked him out.

“You’re so beautiful,” Steve sighed dreamily before pressing his fingertips into the center of Eddie’s chest, urging him to lay back down so he could pull his boxers down his hips.

Eddie was beside himself as he was bared, completely naked under Steve’s heated gaze while Steve was still fully dressed. There was a part of Eddie that wondered if Steve was planning to fuck him like that, wearing his jeans and sweater, and the thought had Eddie’s cock throbbing where it rested against his hip.

“God, this cock is so fucking perfect,” Steve moaned, dropping to his knees at the edge of the bed to lick a hard, demanding stripe up the length of Eddie’s cock and taking the head of it into his mouth.

Eddie jolted at the sudden heat around the head of his cock and his hands were tangled in Steve’s hair before he could stop himself. The moment he pushed, Steve pulled off and began to gently lap at the head. Sobbing, Eddie let go and screwed his eyes shut tightly, willing his body to relax and just take it. Sighing happily, Steve took Eddie back into his mouth, bobbing his head and sucking noisily, pulling all manner of wanton noises from Eddie.

Sprawled as he was across the bed, Eddie fisted his hands in the comforter, trying to refrain from thrusting up into Steve’s mouth just to feel him gag around him. It felt like torture, just lying there waiting for Steve to do something, to give him the okay to grab and pull and bite.

Sliding his mouth off Eddie’s cock with a wet pop of his lips, Steve smiled pleasantly. “How’re you feeling, baby?” he asked knowingly, and Eddie whimpered.

“Want you, want more, don’t wanna take my time,” Eddie complained, his bottom lip wobbling a bit.

“Mm, I’ll take your thoughts into consideration,” Steve hummed with a smirk, and Eddie knew that Steve was unmoved, not even bothered that Eddie was losing his mind already. “Right now, I’m going to suck your perfect, fat cock.”

Eddie nearly cheered when Steve lowered his mouth onto his dick again, but Steve’s attention was gentle, teasing, not even remotely enough to actually get him off. His cock just throbbed and pumped a thick glob of precum onto Steve’s tongue. With a thick groan, Steve took Eddie deep in his mouth and throat, sucking hard on the draw back and pulling what might have been a scream from Eddie’s throat.

With a shudder, Steve pulled all the way off Eddie’s cock and stood up, undoing his fly and pushing his jeans down his hips. When Eddie reached up to try and help him, Steve shook his head.

“Just lay there and relax,” Steve reminded him, and Eddie wanted to scream and cry and pitch a fit, but he wanted to be good like Steve asked. When Eddie forcibly relaxed against the comforter, Steve beamed at him. “Just like that, baby.”

Eddie let out a shaky sigh, stretching under Steve’s gaze, preening under the praise. This was doable, being good and letting Steve take his sweet time. It felt a bit like he was going to die if he wasn’t touched and sucked and fucked right this second, but he could live with that feeling forever if that meant Steve thought he was being good.

Once Steve was standing over him, completely naked and perfect, he got a thoughtful look on his face. “I don’t think I can take your cock again,” he confessed, cringing a bit. “I’m really sore down there today.”

“Fuck me,” Eddie said quickly, practically begged even, blushing darkly at Steve’s raised eyebrow. “Please, baby, I want you to fuck me.”

“Yeah? You want my cock, pretty boy?” Steve hummed, climbing onto the bed and straddling Eddie’s waist. The sensation of Steve’s wet cunt smearing slick across the soft skin of Eddie’s lower abdomen had Eddie shaking with his want.

“Yes,” Eddie sobbed, grabbing Steve’s hips just to ground himself, screwing his eyes shut and taking a deep breath. “Want your cock so bad, Stevie.”

“What’s the best position for you, sweetheart?” Steve asked, lowering a kiss to the tip of Eddie’s nose.

“What d’you mean?” Eddie asked breathlessly.

“I don’t want to hurt your leg,” Steve replied softly, and Eddie wanted to kiss him until he was breathless and shaking.

“Baby, love how thoughtful you are, but my leg hurts pretty much all the time,” Eddie said with a shrug, which was mostly true.

“Then how can I make it easier for you?” Steve pressed, kissing Eddie’s cheek. “How can I make love to you without adding to your pain?”

Eddie flushed. “Don’t get sappy on me,” he tried to tease, but it came out embarrassingly earnest and thick, like he was about to fucking cry.

“Sappy is my first language, my love,” Steve hummed, grinning at Eddie’s deep blush that reached his navel. “So gorgeous when you blush, sweetheart.”

“Shut up,” Eddie whined, covering his face.

“Never, but I’ll give you a bit of a break, I guess,” Steve sighed, kissing the backs of Eddie’s hands, right where Eddie’s lips would be if he wasn’t hiding his face. “You haven’t answered my question, Eds.”

“Just help me, like hold my leg up when I wrap it around your waist,” Eddie managed to murmur shakily.

“I can definitely do that for you, baby,” Steve sighed, sliding off Eddie and manhandling him further onto the bed in a show of strength that had Eddie’s cock throbbing. Seriously, how was he just realizing that Steve was strong like that?

Steve immediately dove in for a searching, hungry kiss. When Steve mouthed his way down Eddie’s chin and throat, pausing to suck a mark on the skin there, Eddie desperately grabbed for Steve. The other man dodged his hands and actually stopped the sinful attention with his lips and teeth, pulling a devastated sob from Eddie’s chest.

“Take what I give you and I keep going, Eds,” Steve hummed sweetly against the patch of skin just below Eddie’s ear before lifting his head to kiss his cheek softly. “Unless that’s too much for you right now. We can always work on your patience another time.”

Again, Eddie was tempted to say he couldn’t do it, that he needed Steve’s hands, and mouth, and cock so badly that making him wait was just fucking cruel. But he couldn’t stop thinking about being good, being Steve’s good boy. Eddie was never the one to be the good boy, even in past relationships where he was almost exclusively the more submissive one. It was something he never even considered wanting to be the good boy, mostly because he’d never had a partner suggest it. Tears stung the corners of his eyes, which he quickly blinked away, refusing to let them fall lest Steve stop everything completely.

“I wanna try,” Eddie said, and he hoped his voice wasn’t watery enough for Steve to get suspicious.

“Sweet boy,” Steve cooed, holding one of Eddie’s hands while he stretched across the bed to dig a bottle of lube out of the bedside table’s drawer.

The tenderness of that, not wanting to let go of Eddie for even the short seconds it would take to grab the lube, nearly broke Eddie’s resolve not to cry like a fucking baby. What the fuck was Steve playing at being like this when he was a horny demon the night before? How was it possible for one man to be so perfect, so sexy, so sweet, and somehow also Eddie’s?

Steve was situating himself between Eddie’s thighs when he managed to calm himself down, letting go of Eddie’s hand so he could slick his fingers. With a shaky whine, Eddie spread his legs wider for Steve, needy for his touch but trying to rein in his desperation so Steve didn’t slow down even more. Dropping down onto an elbow above Eddie, Steve captured his lips in a deep kiss, licking into his mouth at the same time a finger pushed inside him, the press steady and relentless. Eddie shook, even with the nearly clinical touch, his eyes rolling back as Steve began carefully fucking that digit in and out of him.

The touch stayed like that for what felt like forever while Steve kissed the breath from his lungs, the steady push in, pause, steady drag out, repeat. Eddie was shivering, ready to pull away from the kiss and beg, wanting to rock his hips to try and get that perfect fingertip against his prostate, to get something. But he was showing Steve that he could be good, that he could be patient, that he trusted Steve to give him what he wanted. With a shuddering moan, Eddie willed himself to relax on the bed beneath Steve, sighing as Steve hummed happily.

“Good boy,” Steve hummed and pressed a second finger into Eddie’s body.

Eddie let out a delighted, breathless laugh, reaching up to hold Steve’s face but when those perfect fingers paused before the next push inward, he hesitated. “Just wanna hold you, Stevie, promise,” he whimpered, and Steve shushed him gently.

“Of course, baby, you can hold me,” he said with a soft chuckle, and Eddie didn’t waste time before cupping Steve’s cheeks and tilting his mouth up into a sweet kiss.

“Thank you,” Eddie breathed, relaxing under Steve again. With a pleased groan, Steve rewarded Eddie with a third finger, the stretch testing Eddie’s hole in a way he hadn’t done in a while.

At Eddie’s slight hiss, Steve frowned and withdrew, hushing Eddie’s whining pleas for Steve to not stop, that he could take it, just wasn’t used to it, please. When Steve’s fingers returned, they were wetter, coated with more lube, and he pressed them back inside one at a time in three thrusts. It was much easier to adjust with the additional lube, and Eddie was so grateful to Steve. On one hand, the slight pain would have been very appreciated, but this… It was perfect, even if it too overwhelmed Eddie with something so similar to terror, he briefly considered calling a stop to all of it while he settled himself back the fuck down.

“How’re you doing, pretty boy?” Steve cooed, as if reading Eddie’s thoughts, and Eddie felt his heart rate settle just a bit.

Taking a deep breath, Eddie gradually relaxed into the bed and wrapped his arms loosely around Steve’s neck. “I’m good, I’m so good, Stevie,” he replied shakily, tipping his head back. “Just a lot.”

“Too much?” Steve followed up, not quite pausing his movements but they still changed just enough that Eddie knew he was ready to.

“No, perfect,” Eddie confessed in a whisper, smiling up at Steve when he pulled back to meet his eyes.

Smiling crookedly in a way that had Eddie’s breath hitching in his chest, Steve stooped to plant a kiss on the tip of his nose. “Let me know if that changes, okay, baby?” he said and Eddie nodded, humming as Steve’s fingers began moving more determinedly.

There was something more deliberate to Steve’s movements, his fingers curling on every pull. Eddie realized what was happening exactly one second before Steve found his prostate, knocking a raspy, shattered sound from Eddie’s lips as he arched off the bed.

“Jesus, you’re fucking gorgeous, Eds,” Steve groaned, his voice rumbling in his chest and Eddie sobbed, eyelids fluttering as those perfect fingers focused on Eddie’s prostate.

Eddie writhed, trying to keep from thrusting down onto Steve’s fingers, not wanting him to pull away, but he was too caught up in the pleasure. His nerve-endings were on fire, eyes rolling back as he shuddered, and he couldn’t hold back the scream when Steve pressed his thumb against the piercings on his taint, squeezing his prostate from two sides. There was a moment that Eddie was certain that he would either come, black-out, or die if Steve kept up what he was doing, his breaths coming out in wet whimpers.

Just when he thought he was about to fly apart at the seams, Steve relented, and Eddie shook with the force of his sob that was equal parts relieved and devastated.

Steve shifted so he was up on his hand instead of his elbow, his dark eyes roving over Eddie’s body hungrily. Pausing as his gaze caught on Eddie’s cock, Steve groaned. “Look at how wet you are for me, babe,” he cooed, and Eddie looked down at himself as he panted with little sobs.

There was an absolute puddle of precum on his lower abdomen, connected to the tip of his cock by a chain that still oozed from the tip.

“Should clean this up,” Steve murmured thoughtfully, and Eddie’s eyes widened as he shook his head frantically. At Steve’s concerned expression, Eddie shook his head again, trying to get his words to work so he didn’t stop.

“Gonna come if you get that mouth anywhere fucking near my dick,” Eddie managed to gasp, and Steve raised an eyebrow.

“And if I want you to come now?” Steve asked, crooking his fingers in a way that threatened to touch his prostate, but didn’t quite do it.

Eddie frantically shook his head again. “Only wanna come with your cock inside me, please. You can try and make me come as many times as you want on your cock, but don’t wanna come like this,” Eddie babbled, screwing his eyes shut. “Please, wanna be good, but don’t wanna come like this.”

“You’re being perfect for me, baby,” Steve sighed happily, and his voice was closer which was Eddie’s only warning before Steve’s lips were against his cheek. “Telling me what you want so pretty and sweet is perfect.”

“Stevie, please, can you fuck me now?” Eddie whimpered, forcing his eyes open to meet Steve’s.

“Not going to fuck you, Eds,” Steve said cheekily as he spread his fingers a bit.

Eddie wanted to scream and cry, so ready to crawl off the bed and jerk off in the bathroom if he had to. “Steve, please,” Eddie begged instead, shuddering hard when Steve brushed past his sweet spot.

“I told you already, Eds, I’m making love to you tonight,” Steve hummed, and Eddie felt his entire face and chest heat up with his blush.

“Shut up,” Eddie said before he could stop himself and Steve chuckled.

“I’m not gonna get my cock until you ask for it properly, baby,” Steve pushed, and Eddie rolled his eyes, staring up at the ceiling.

“That’s not even a thing,” he grumbled, and Steve just laughed.

“Just humour me then,” Steve replied, collapsing onto his elbow again to mouth at Eddie’s throat. “Should be easy to say for me if it’s not a thing, yeah?”

Eddie bit his lips as the fingers inside him began moving again, slow and clinical, deliberately avoiding Eddie’s prostate. “Stevie,” Eddie whimpered, gasping when Steve’s fingers crooked into his prostate for a brief second.

“Yeah, Eds?” Steve prompted and Eddie whimpered again.

“Make love to me,” Eddie finally whispered, his face, ears, and neck hot as he waited for Steve to do something at his quiet request, as if he expected Steve to laugh at him or something mean.

But Steve just groaned and kissed the breath from Eddie’s lungs before he pulled away. “Stay put, just have to get the harness on,” Steve reassured Eddie as he slid off the bed and went to his dresser.

Eddie was grateful for the short break, tipping his head back against the bed and covering his eyes while he took a few deep breaths.

The bed rocked as Steve returned, and Eddie shivered as the man trailed his fingertips up his leg, starting at his ankle.

“Doing okay, Eds?” Steve asked softly, genuine in his concern and Eddie nodded, not yet ready to lower his hands and look at Steve. He was still preparing himself for Steve wearing a leather harness.

“I’m fine, perfect even, just trying not to go insane when I look at you in a minute,” Eddie breathed, grinning at Steve’s laugh.

“It’s not that hot,” Steve grumbled, and Eddie shook his head.

“I’ll be the judge of that when I’m brave enough to fuckin’ look,” he said, his cheeks hurting with his grin when he felt Steve lower himself to his elbows over him, their chests pressed flush together. When Steve began mouthing at his jaw and throat, Eddie groaned thickly and tipped his head back to allow him more room to work.

Immediately, Steve accepted the invitation, humming softly as he licked and nipped at the sensitive skin, working what would probably be half a dozen hickeys by the end of the night. Chrissy was going to have a fit when it was time to go on some press thing, or to film the stupid documentary thing. Eddie didn’t really care though, he wanted to be claimed, wanted to feel owned by Steve.

With a quiet whine, Eddie lowered his hands to just cradle Steve’s head, one hand in his hair while the other cupped the back of his neck. He was just holding Steve, not pushing or pulling him, not demanding anything, just grounding himself in that moment. It was driving him mad, the way Steve wasn’t doing anything really, just kissing and marking him up, not even touching his cock.

Then he felt the thick, slicked arch of a strap-on slide down the side of his sac, and he let out an embarrassingly loud whimper.

“Please, Stevie, please,” Eddie practically sobbed at the ceiling and when Steve pulled away to sit back up on his knees, Eddie made the mistake of looking at him.

Just as he had expected, Steve was practically some sort of God with his perfect, sun-kissed skin, spattering of moles and freckles across every inch of him, perfectly straight nose, and spectacular head of hair. Even after Eddie’s hands had been in it and sweat began dripping from the hairline, it looked fucking amazing, and Eddie was a bit jealous. He knew his own had to be frizzy by now with how hot and humid it was starting to feel in Steve’s bedroom.

Eddie’s eyes trailed down Steve’s body, taking the time he was finally given to actually look at him, to take in the whole sight of him. The thin, but visible scars on his chest that Eddie wanted to lick and kiss and bite, the hair that covered his chest and stomach, the soft pouch of his lower abdomen. And right at the crux of Steve’s thighs was a thick, long cock held on by a substantial leather harness.

Eddie was right to fear for his sanity because he felt as though he was going to either cry or fucking die if that cock didn’t split him in half in the next five minutes.

Steve was laughing again, a soft blush dusting his cheeks and Eddie realized he said all of that out loud.

“You’re being ridiculous, it isn’t even as thick as yours,” he grumbled, and as if to compare and prove his point, he slotted his cock next to Eddie’s. Steve added a little swivel of his hips at the last moment, which had Eddie arching off the bed and panting.

Looking down at their cocks pressed so close, Eddie wasn’t seeing as much of a difference as Steve apparently did, but he had to admit that Steve was apparently correct.

“So, what? Is this revenge or something for fucking your cunt so good that you can still feel me the next day? Gonna make me walk funny for different reasons?” Eddie asked as he tried to rein in his arousal, waggling his eyebrows at Steve’s deadpan glare.

Steve raised an eyebrow at him after a moment. “I can get a smaller one if you—”

“No! No, this is perfect, please, I want it,” Eddie said quickly, hooking his better leg around Steve’s waist even though he didn’t actually make a move to get off the bed.

At that, Steve just smiled, and it almost looked mean, but his eyes were too soft to sell it. “That’s what I thought,” he hummed as he grabbed the lube and reapplied another layer of slick to the length.

Eddie watched Steve closely, watched the way his hand worked the length of the dildo, the way he bit his lip as if he could feel it himself, as if it actually gave him pleasure. Maybe it did on some level, and maybe Eddie would be brave enough someday to ask Steve something so personal.

When Steve’s hazel eyes met his again, Eddie was about to beg him to just hurry up and fuck him, and he smirked knowingly, as if he could hear his thoughts. Or maybe Eddie was talking out loud again? He didn’t know or really care, because that was when Steve hooked an elbow under the knee of Eddie’s bad leg and leaned close.

Back bowing and ass lifting off the bed, Eddie let out a whimper as Steve scooted forward so his knees supported his lower back, the head of his cock nudging at the underside of Eddie’s sac. With a soft, desperate sound Eddie wrapped his other leg more firmly around Steve’s waist.

“I got you, baby,” Steve cooed sweetly, shifting his arm under Eddie’s leg so he could angle his cock down enough to push at the loose ring of Eddie’s hole.

The slight pressure, the way the tip was already spreading his hole even if Steve wasn’t yet pushing, had Eddie keening. He hadn’t been fucked in a while, a long while truly. He’d stopped fooling around with people after he realized how serious his feelings were becoming for Steve, but those few recent-ish times he had been the top.

But Steve, of course, was gentle as he slid inside, keeping the motion slow yet relentless. Eddie’s eyes rolled back as Steve finally bottomed out inside him, the thick weight of his cock settling in his core and lighting him on fire.

“You’re so fucking pretty, Eds,” Steve sighed, and Eddie felt his blush flare all over.

Forcing his eyes open, Eddie shook his head as he met Steve’ gaze. “Got me confused with you, sweetheart,” he managed to gasp out, his voice too shaky to sell the flirtation, but it got the bashful grin he was hoping for, nonetheless.

“This isn’t about me, right now,” Steve said, and then he pulled out a bit, just enough to pull a gasp from Eddie, and then pushed back in, just as gentle as the first thrust. It was amazing, setting off fireworks behind Eddie’s eyes and making him arch off the bed. But as the next handful of thrusts followed the same slow rhythm, it was quickly becoming not enough.

Well, if he was being honest and not dramatic, it was absolutely enough. More than enough because the angle Steve was thrusting in on was nudging his cock just perfectly past his prostate. But Eddie wanted it harder, faster, with more sweat and teeth and nails being dragged across skin. Something he was more accustomed to, a little better equipped to take.

Grunting, Eddie rocked his hips against Steve, hoping the man was done trying to make him take it slow.

With a soft tsk, Steve bottomed out roughly, his hips slapping against Eddie in a way that was so close to what he was trying to get that he couldn’t help the strangled cry that burst from his throat. But then Steve didn’t move, and his free hand wrapped around his hip to hold him still.

“Eds,” Steve scolded softly, sweetly even and Eddie wanted to throw a fit.

“Steve, I just want it harder, wanna feel you for days, make me feel it, please,” Eddie begged, shaking as his ass clenched around the cock buried deep inside him.

“I’m going to take care of you,” Steve promised softly, stroking the skin of Eddie’s hip with his thumb gently. “Do you trust me to take care of you?”

Eddie was nodding before he consciously registered the question in his mind.

“Will you be good and let me take care of you?” Steve asked in a low voice, his gaze intense when Eddie managed to meet it.

With another sob, Eddie nodded frantically, and Steve began to move again, a little bit faster and harder, but not the brutal, punishing pace Eddie was aiming for. Eddie fisted his hands into the comforter at his sides, just holding on as Steve fucked him, trying to be good for Steve and take what he was given.

Sucking his teeth, Steve readjusted his hold on Eddie’s bad leg, his hand now wrapped around and under the outside of his thigh. Then, his other hand pulled Eddie’s away from the comforter, laced their fingers together, then pressed Eddie’s hand into the mattress next to his head.

Eddie gasped at the gesture, turning his head to stare at their hands with wide eyes, and he barely noticed when Steve dropped onto his elbow above him. Then Steve craned his neck to coax Eddie into a kiss, his tongue greedy as it licked into Eddie’s mouth and for a moment Eddie’s mind went completely blank, nothing but bliss hovering over his mind. Especially since Steve was starting to fuck him harder.

Then Steve’s thumb stroked the side of Eddie’s hand at the same time he sighed a shaky “I love you” against Eddie’s tongue.

“Oh, fuck,” Eddie sobbed as tears sprung to his eyes and immediately began to fall, his words muffled around Steve’s tongue.

It was so much, being treated so gently, so sweetly, so lovingly. It was something Eddie had never experienced, even with partners he thought might have been The One in the past. Not a single person ever treated him like he was fragile, precious, loved, especially when it came to sex and now that he was getting just that, he could barely cope with the swell of emotions.

Steve pulled back to smile at him, but his expression dropped immediately at his tears, his hips stuttering to a stop. “Oh, shit, Eds—”

“Good tears!” Eddie gasped out, lifting his hand to wipe the tears off his cheeks, shaking his head when they were immediately replaced. “They’re good, very good, please don’t stop. I promise they’re good.”

“Eds—”

“Steve! I’m okay, I’m perfect, I promise. I wouldn’t lie about this, okay?” Eddie insisted desperately, tightening his leg around Steve’s waist. “Sometimes when I’m feeling a lot, I cry, and I’m only feeling good things.”

Steve smiled so gently down at Eddie at that, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. “And what are you feeling, baby?” he asked, his hips starting to move again.

Eddie let out a weak little sob, lips trembling against Steve’s. “Like I love you so much I’m scared of it,” he whispered, tipping his head back with a wet whine as Steve sped up.

“Go on, baby,” Steve groaned, pressing his lips to Eddie’s throat. “Tell me how you feel.”

“Like I’m precious,” Eddie continued, shaking as Steve’s cock just barely missed his prostate on each thrust. “Like I’m loved.”

Steve groaned thickly. “You are, Eds, you’re so precious and loved,” he murmured, speeding up. “Gonna make love to you until you actually believe it.”

Eddie sobbed, shuddering as the coil in his gut pulled taut, only Steve’s cock and the gentle rub of his stomach against his cock about to get him off. Of course, Steve heard the unspoken part of how he felt, that in spite of everything, Eddie didn’t think he deserved this, or that Eddie fully believed that Steve felt this way.

He was about to come while crying, because Steve was fucking him so gently while whispering about how precious and loved he is.

“Steve—” Eddie started to warn, his voice thick with his tears, but Steve interrupted him with a rough kiss.

Breaking away, Steve murmured, “I know, baby, come for me. You’re so perfect.” Then he changed the angle of his thrusts just so and Eddie was spilling between them with a shattered cry, sobbing breathlessly with each pulse of his cock.

When Eddie came back to himself, Steve was gently pulling out, and Eddie desperately had to touch him. He wanted to get him off and kiss him, to give him back even a fraction of the feeling Eddie was drowning in.

Eddie didn’t wait, just bucked his hips, and rolled Steve onto his side, reaching under the strap-on to tug on Steve’s dick. It was hurried, the angle was less than ideal, and Eddie was still shaking like a leaf and crying, but Steve moaned loudly all the same, whispered a soft “close, baby” against Eddie’s forehead. Then he tensed, letting out a guttural sound that Eddie felt more than he heard, and he slid a finger back into Steve’s cunt just to feel it pulse around it with his release.

As they caught their breath, Steve gave Eddie little kisses on his tear-streaked face, murmuring soft declarations and pushing him deeper into that happy, weeping state. Then Steve finally backed off a bit, just to get up and get a washcloth to clean their stomachs off and wipe the lube from between Eddie’s cheeks carefully.

Once they were a bit cleaned up, Steve flopped back onto the bed next to Eddie with a small smile.

Eddie yawned and said, “We’ve gotta stop having the best sex ever every time we fuck, Steve.”

Barking out a laugh, Steve shook his head. “That’s just quitter’s talk,” he teased, winking at Eddie. Then he turned a bit pensive before asking, “Spend the night?”

“I think that’s all I have in me tonight, Steve,” Eddie teased tiredly, and Steve shook his head.

“I just mean to sleep, Eds,” he said, rolling to wrap an arm around Eddie’s waist. “Spend your last night in Chicago in my bed? Please?”

Eddie shook as more tears sprung to his eyes, but he screwed them shut and nodded frantically, pressing close for a kiss. “Yeah, Stevie, I’ll stay,” Eddie hummed against Steve’s lips, wishing he could stay forever.

❖

When Steve woke up with a jolt, he was half-buried under the octopus sprawl of Eddie’s limbs with a mouthful of long, curly hair. It was sweaty and a bit uncomfortable, but Steve just smiled and reeled Eddie in tighter. Brushing that wild mane of hair back, Steve watched Eddie’s sleeping face closely, amazed he got to have this. A lazy Sunday morning with the love of his life sleeping soundly in his arms, in his bed.

With a happy sigh, Steve lowered his lips to Eddie’s forehead, adjusting them so Eddie was laying more on top of him so he could easily grab two handfuls of Eddie’s ass cheeks. He grinned at the happy little murmur against his collarbone and the way Eddie snuggled in tighter. Reaching over to grab his phone off the bedside table, Steve checked the time. They had a few hours before Eddie was due back at the hotel, so he wasn’t in a huge rush to get Eddie up.

Well, at least not up out of bed, Steve thought as he felt the shift of Eddie’s cock against his stomach, half-hard in his sleep. Just as he was about to wake Eddie up, he heard the tell-tale sound of a phone vibrating somewhere in his room. It was probably Eddie’s, still in the back pocket of his jeans that Steve left on the floor. Realizing that was likely the reason he woke up so suddenly, Steve sighed and waited for the phone to stop ringing. It did for a few seconds before starting up again, and a small jolt of dread shot through Steve.

Was their time together getting cut short? Did something come up? When he ignored it again, Steve sighed when Eddie’s phone stayed silent. Then Steve’s phone began vibrating on the table.

Sighing sadly, Steve picked up his phone again and eyed the unfamiliar number before answering.

“Hello, this is Steve?” he said, voice still rough with sleep before he cleared his throat.

“Jesus, finally, I’ve been trying to get hold of Eddie for like an hour,” Gareth’s voice came through the line, and Steve tensed.

“Is something wrong?” Steve asked, not sure he wanted the answer to that. On top of him, Eddie was stirring, his head lifting from Steve’s chest to frown at him. “And how do you have my number?”

“I have your number because Eddie gave it to me, in case I needed to get hold of him and something happened to his phone. And I don’t know if something’s wrong yet, that’s why I need to talk to Eddie,” Gareth replied vaguely.

“Wha’s goin’on?” Eddie mumbled, lifting a hand to rub the crusties from the corners of his eyes while Steve held out his phone.

“It’s Gareth,” Steve explained, and Eddie’s sleepy expression became a bit more alert as he accepted the phone.

“Hey, Garebear—what?” Eddie was awake now, eyes wide as he rolled off Steve and sat up. “What do you mean—all over where? I can’t—we said no pictures—what do you mean they were taken before the VIP thing?”

Steve watched Eddie as he tried to piece together what was going on. When the man glanced at Steve with a grimace and a blush, he felt his stomach drop a bit. It had to do with him somehow, and it had something to do with pictures.

“Okay, listen Gareth, I’m just—I’m gonna put you on speaker, okay?” Eddie said, pulling Steve’s phone away from his ear to switch the call. “Repeat what you just said, Garebear.”

“Steve, you’ve gone kinda viral in the online communities for our fans,” Gareth said slowly, sighing heavily. “Like, with your face attached to it and everything. Fans took pictures of you and are posting about it and it’s actually trending in North America on Twitter…”

“What?” Steve asked shakily, his heart pounding quickly.

“Yeah, it’s—you guys should see it for yourself. Just wanted to give you both a head’s up,” Gareth said, his voice a bit tight. Then he added teasingly, “Since the cat’s out of the bag now, do I still need to conceal your identity in the Tour Diary video I’m editing?”

“Gareth, seriously?” Eddie asked flatly, and Gareth scoffed.

“What? I can’t ask?”

“Maybe not right now?” Eddie responded huffily and Steve shook his head.

“Gareth, we’ll call you back,” Steve said before immediately hanging up and going to Twitter.

Just as Gareth had said, there were three trending topics about him and Eddie; Eddie and Steve, #SteveMunson, and Steddie. From what Steve could tell, it had started with fans from the Chicago concert gushing about being the best show of the tour. Then about twenty hours ago, someone posted about wanting to be a fly on the wall of the “steddie fuckfest that had to be happening as they tweeted” and how they wished they knew what Steve looked like so they could draw it.

Someone had replied to the tweet saying they had been next to someone at the barrier that they were sure was Steve and had pictures. There was some back-and-forth until several pictures and a video were added to the thread and… yup, that was definitely Steve staring up at the stage, completely starstruck.

The video was the most telling, because it caught the moment he covered his mouth as the arena wailed his name, Will standing next to him with that fond, yet envious expression. Further down the thread, there was a video focused on his face as Eddie dedicated Dark Altar to him, and Steve was almost embarrassed at how blatantly hungry he looked.

There was arguing in the thread after that, someone freaking out about the person taking pictures of a stranger and posting them, but mostly it was people arguing over if that was enough proof.

Then the pictures of Steve sitting under Eddie’s arm during the VIP meet-and-greet appeared in the thread.

“I started snapping pics as soon as I came in bc I knew that had to be steve,” one of the posters said. They posted another picture, zoomed in and cropped to only include his face as he grinned with so much love in his eyes, and said, “this was right after eddie called him his bf!!!!!”

There was a lot more bickering and flailing, then someone added pictures of Jeff sitting in his lap while Steve held him, and the thread went crazy about it.

“Love to see steve knows whats up and cuddles jeff too!!!!” One of the posts said, then that thread devolved into appreciation for Jeff.

Then the fanart began showing up, which started tame enough with Eddie and Steve just holding hands, or hugging, or maybe giving each other a kiss. Then it got explicit, and Steve snorted.

“Kinda presumptuous of them,” Steve said, angling his phone without looking away to show Eddie a particularly detailed piece of art of himself with a huge cock while Eddie fucked him. At least, Steve assumed it was Eddie fucking him since all that was visible of the man behind him in the art were the hands holding his biceps in a bruising grip and a cock in his hole. It was definitely a position Steve would be happy to recreate with Eddie for real.

After that, there was nothing but pornographic art, and part of Steve felt kinda… pleased that they all assumed he was cis. But also a little annoyed because he wasn’t and a petty part of him wanted to say something about it. Stopping himself before he did something stupid, Steve finally closed the app and looked at Eddie.

Except Eddie wasn’t looking at him, he was sitting with his head tipped back and blinking rapidly up at the ceiling.

“Whoa, babe, what’s wrong?” Steve asked, dropping his phone and shifting so he was straddling Eddie’s lap, cupping his face in his hands and brushing tears away as Eddie blinked them loose.

“It’s—I just got you,” Eddie said thickly, shrugging. “Doesn’t seem fair.”

“Eds, I’m not going anywhere?” Steve said, absolutely bewildered at how the moment changed. Eddie finally met his eyes, his expression cautiously hopeful.

“You’re not?” he asked.

“Why would I?” Steve asked, frowning darkly. “You thought I would dump you over this? Has someone actually done that?”

“Kinda,” Eddie replied, taking a deep breath in and holding it. “You just said you weren’t ready for strangers to have pictures of you at the meet-and-greet and now here thousands of people are tweeting about you—”

“Eds, yes, I’ll admit I thought I’d get to be your anonymous boyfriend for a bit longer, but I’m—this doesn’t change how I feel about you,” Steve said earnestly, stroking his thumbs soothingly over Eddie’s cheekbones. “I love you. I couldn’t care less what they’re doing online.”

“Fuck, I love you, too,” Eddie sighed wrapping his arms around Steve and straining up into a slow, languid kiss the quickly turned heated.

Groaning, Steve shifted his hips closer to Eddie’s cock. “Kinda wanna recreate a few of those positions they drew me in,” he confessed, smirking at Eddie’s gasp before licking into his mouth hungrily.

A short while later, they laid next to each other, still catching their breath with their legs tangled together.

“What about Gareth’s question about hiding your identity in our videos?” Eddie asked after a minute, rolling onto his side and propping his head on his hand. Steve looked at him questioningly, thinking back and humming.

“I mean, like he said, the cat’s kinda out of the bag,” Steve said, shrugging before Eddie’s eyes widened and he snapped his fingers.

“I have an idea! We record a video to add to the Tour Diary thing!” he suggested excitedly, and Steve raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t think we’re allowed to post that kind of video on YouTube, Eds,” Steve deadpanned, and Eddie rolled his eyes.

“Not a video like that, you horny asshole, like a normal video. Maybe like, the interview bit we do?” Eddie suggested, and Steve grinned.

“That sounds perfect,” Steve hummed, and Eddie quickly crawled to the end of the bed to grab his phone off the floor.

❖

The next Tour Diary opened with the band goofing off on the bus and getting a shot of the Chicago skyline. There were little scenes interspersed of them filming the documentary, but mostly it was just them being best friends.

There were surprisingly few Cringefail Eddie videos, but the Steeeeve Spotting montage started with a video from the concert, with the whole arena wailing Steve’s name. Then it cut to the VIP meet-and-greet, with Steve and Eddie sitting on the couch together. Steve’s face was obscured by some kind of filter.

“So before anyone asks, I spent a whole hour yassifying Steve to hide his identity before I found out he’d already gone fucking viral on Twitter and TikTok, but then I apparently overwrote the original video file, so he’s staying yassified,” Gareth explained tiredly in a voice over.

The video goes through several other moments, including Grant and Chrissy each struggling to knit what looked like scarves, Gareth climbing the side of a building while Chrissy yelled at him, and Jeff raiding the candy in the lounge at Steve’s hotel.

Near the end, the video cut to a super close-up view of a deep blue comforter before the camera shifted away to focus on Steve.

He was lying in the bed, obviously at the very least shirtless, the comforter covering him from the waist down. Steve’s hair was wild and a touch damp with sweat, and hickeys littered the skin of his throat and chest. One of his fingers idly rubbed one of the long scars under his pecs, as if absently pointing at them (the motion had been deliberate and bitchy, and Eddie couldn’t help but kiss him about it after).

“Okay, first question, the masses are dying to know,” Eddie started, and Steve rolled his eyes playfully. “In a zombie apocalypse, what would be your weapon of choice?”

Steve frowned, laughing softly. “I dunno, a baseball bat?” he replied, and Eddie groaned.

“That’s so boring, Stevie, c’mon,” he pushed, and Steve rolled his eyes.

“Okay, fine, a baseball bat with nails in it,” he amended, and Eddie groaned in a completely different tone.

“Now, that’s way hotter. Excellent answer. Next question,” Eddie said, humming thoughtfully while Steve grinned at him beyond the camera. “Would you rather… fight one moose-sized raccoon, or a hundred raccoon-sized moose? Mooses? Meese?”

“Babe, I think you’re underestimating how big moose are—”

“I’m pretty sure the plural is meese, Steve.”

“It’s really not—”

“Answer the question, Steve!” Eddie interrupted and Steve laughed out loud.

“Fine… moose-sized raccoon?” he answered, trying to suppress his grin a bit.

Eddie hummed thoughtfully. “Inch-resting, okay, next question…” Eddie trailed off. “Okay, if I somehow switched bodies with your best friend, and the only way to get us switched back was to fuck one of us, who would you choose?”

“Babe, what the hell kind of question—I have to text Robbie and ask if that’s an okay question to answer first,” Steve said with a snort, and in the video, he picked up his phone and started texting someone.

The camera turned to face Eddie at an uncomfortably close and unflattering angle as he said, “Gareth, edit this out if she says no.”

When the camera turned back to Steve, he motioned for Eddie to continue. “Ask more questions while we wait for her to answer,” he insisted, and Eddie laughed.

“Okay… would you still love me if I was a worm?” he asked, and Steve’s expression turned so fond and adoring, if a bit baffled.

“Of course. I would give you your own personal compost bucket with all the best food waste,” Steve promised so sincerely, Eddie let out a bark of startled laughter.

“You’re ridiculous,” Eddie grumbled, and the camera got pressed into the comforter as he obviously bent over to kiss Steve noisily.

“Next question, would you rather pee a little every time you sneeze, or get a light nosebleed every time you flip a light switch?” Eddie asked as he straightened up and Steve groaned.

“What are these questions, Eds—?”

“This is literally the bit. This is literally what this bit is, Steve.”

“I’ve watched the bit! I know you know how to ask normal questions—”

“Answer the question, Steve!”

“Fine, I’d rather pee a little every time I sneeze!”

There’s a long bout of silence where Steve stared at Eddie behind the camera, his mouth fighting to smile as he tried to keep a severe frown, until they both burst into laughter. When they settled back down after a few seconds, Steve’s phone vibrated, and he glanced at it.

“Got the okay to answer that question; I’d fuck you,” Steve answered easily, and Eddie snorted.

“Wait, me as in my body, or me as in me in your best friend’s body?” Eddie asked, and Steve smirked.

“Next question,” Steve said, gesturing for Eddie when he didn’t right away.

“Fine… would you rather accidentally eat a worm or a toenail clipping?” Eddie asked, the pout obvious in his voice.

“Jesus, Eds, uhm… a worm,” Steve replied, and Eddie gasped dramatically.

“I thought you loved me! Even as a worm!” he cried dramatically, and Steve rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, ‘course I do, Eds. I already wanna eat you right up, so…” Steve trailed off, somehow both sincere and suggestive, and Eddie let out a weird sort of choking sound.

“Babe, you can’t just admit to being into vore on the—”

“God, shut up, Eds,” Steve moaned, covering his eyes as he laughed.

“Three more questions,” Eddie declared, and Steve took a deep breath and lowered his hands.

“What was your favourite part of the last three days?” Eddie asked, and Steve’s expression turned soft.

“I think it’s a tie between you saying you loved me and falling asleep with you in my arms,” Steve admitted, and Eddie let out a soft, surprised sound.

“Oh my god, okay, uhm,” Eddie stumbled, and Steve’s soft grin widened. “Okay, do you prefer cuddling or kissing?”

Steve frowned. “Can I say both?”

“Nope! Gotta choose one!” Eddie said cheerfully and Steve sighed.

“Cuddling,” he answered after a bit, and the camera jostled a lot before it was set up so that it was propped up on something and facing them as they snuggled in close to each other.

The camera didn’t stay facing them for long as it slid slowly until it was staring up at the ceiling.

“Last question,” Eddie said in a low voice that was immediately followed by a small gasp from Steve. “What is one of your biggest wishes?”

There was a long pause before Steve asked, “Real answer or funny answer?”

“Real,” Eddie insisted quickly, and Steve chuckled quietly.

“For you to move to Chicago after your tour,” Steve said softly, just barely loud enough for the mic to catch. There was a noticeable cut in the video, because when it came back, still staring at the ceiling, the natural lighting in the room had changed a lot.

“Okay, give me the funny answer now, loverboy,” Eddie said, sounding a bit breathless.

Steve could be heard laughing loudly, but it was muffled, as if his face was pressed into a pillow or something. “I just got that wish, too,” Steve said, and the video ended as he laughed under an onslaught of noisy, wet, smacking kisses.

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[sprite-writes]

all I want for christmas (is you)

Leonard “Bones” McCoy/Reader (Original Female Character)

Summary: McCoy finds himself wrapped up in the Enterprise annual gift exchange, and for some reason, this Christmas gift feels a hell of a lot more important than just a Christmas gift. 

Maybe it’s got something to do with who it’s for. 

Word Count: 6,463

A/N: guys I swear this was suppose to be a 2000 word drabble for the holidays but its a whole chapter now idk, I hope you enjoy! as always special thanks to @lightning-writes

“Lieutenant, is there a reason you haven’t drawn a name yet?” 

“I need to feel all the papers! That’s how you pick the best one– duh.” She swirls her hand around the bowl once more, rubbing the notes between her fingers. Spock stares patiently. 

“Is there a best one to be picked? My understanding of the secret Santa tradition was to be given a random partner.” 

“There sure is, and it’s... this one!” she says as she finally plucks the blue sticky note. “It was calling to me.” She unfolds the paper like it's about to self-destruct, and it reveals its neat loopy handwriting.  

 CMO McCoy 

She blinks. 

Oh. Leonard. 

She blinks again. 

It’s Leonard! 

She laughs to herself, and Spock raises an eyebrow. 

“I assume you’re happy with your choice?” 

Her heart beats a little quicker. “Oh, definitely.  I told you I had to feel all the papers.” She smiles and rocks on her heels. 

I’m Leonards's secret Santa!

Spock nods politely and returns the bowl back to himself.  “Thank you for your participation, Lieutenant. I hope your exchange goes well.” 

“You too, Spock! Merry Christmas.” 

She pats his shoulder and returns her gaze to the piece of paper. Spock makes his way back to his station when something settles in the pit of her stomach. 

Oh god, I’m Leonards's secret Santa.

-

“I’m not doing a gift exchange.” 

“Bones, hear me out.” 

“No.”

“All the other senior officers are doing it, Even Spock!” 

“And? Good for them.”  

Leonard doesn’t look up from his PADD, and Kirk fitfully shakes the bowl of papers. 

“What will it take for you to do this?” he pleads.  Leonard halts, his eyes narrowing, and his hands folding on his desk. 

“What are you offering?” 

When Kirk sighs, “I mean, whatever if it’s reasonable,” he knows he’s got Kirk right where he wants him. 

“You show up for your next two physicals, get up to date on your vaccines, stop flirting with Nurse Walker – then I’ll buy someone a candle or something.”

 Kirk glare,s but it does nothing to deter his friend. 

“ I think Walker really likes me—“ 

“Jim.” 

“Fine! Fine, you win, just pick a name.” 

The doctor rolls his eyes and plucks the first paper off the top of the pile. It’s yellow, and he hopes to god it doesn’t say Spock.

 It doesn’t; its pristine sharpie work stains the paper. 

Operations Manager A. Sunshine 

He stares and squints, all while Kirk watches him intently. A tight, nervous feeling begins to bloom in his chest. 

Sunshine. Christ. 

“Well?” Kirk prompts. Leonard folds the paper again and shoves it in his uniform pocket. 

“Yeah, I got it,” he waves Kirk off. “You can leave my office now. Not like I got patients to attend to or anything.” 

Kirk laughs, and it’s blindingly bright. 

“I’ll leave you to it, Bones. Remember - two weeks until the exchange!” 

Two weeks until the exchange. God help me. 

-

“Okay, what about a jacket? Or a sweater?” 

“Nyota, we wear a uniform every day. When is he gonna wear a sweater?” 

Sunshine paces back and forth on the sidewalk, chewing on her nails. They’re an hour into their recreational shore leave, with four stores under her belt, and she’s no closer to a gift. 

“You want my help or not?” Nyota crosses her arms and stops Sunshine in her path. 

“Sorry, I’m being mean, aren’t I?” She receives a pointed look. “I don’t mean to, I just really want this to be…”

“Perfect?” Nyota finishes.

 “Perfect?” Sunshine repeats the word, rolling it over in her mouth. “No, not exactly. I just want it to be…  right? I guess? I feel like there's an answer, and I’m just not seeing it.”

She sighs. The entire endeavor begins to feel a bit hopeless, and she wonders if she's doomed to just be the shittiest secret Santa the enterprise's annual gift exchange has ever seen. She imagines Leonard's face opening a sweater he’ll never wear, feigning appreciation, and her stomach flips. 

Nyota locks her arm with Sunshine’s and gives her all the seriousness she would a Starfleet mission. “If there's an answer on this starbase, we’re gonna find it.” 

“You think so?” 

She smiles, “Not a doubt in my mind.” 

-

“Bones, you can’t just get a woman makeup, you have to know her shade,” he plucks the tube of lipstick from Leonard's hands, whose eye twitches. 

“She wears this color every day, Kirk.” 

“She does?” He examines the tube. “Oh, yeah, I guess she does. Still shouldn't get it for her though, what if it’s not her brand?”

“Her brand?” 

Kirk looks at Leonard like he’s a child asking perpetually asking why. 

“Yes, Bones, her brand. This stuff is very elaborate.”

“Well, I don’t see you coming up with any bright ideas,” he hisses, shoving the lipstick back into its holder like it offended him. Kirk shrugs. 

Leonard wants to scream. From the moment he unwrapped that damn yellow paper he knew this would be a disaster. Why couldn't he have gotten Chapel? Or Sulu? Or Chekov? Or even Kirk? Instead, he gets Sunshine, who he can't bear to disappoint with the candle that's been sitting in his bedside drawer since two Christmases ago. She deserves more, a lot more… he just has no idea what more looks like. 

“This is impossible.” he concedes, his hope having run dry after four stores and three makeup departments. 

“It is not, we just need to get creative. I think you’re looking at this wrong, Bones,” Kirk begins to weave his way through the retail-maze. “You’ve got to think more… Sunshine. Not just some generic Christmas gift.” 

Kirk's words make their way around his head, and unfortunately, he has a great point. Perhaps, maybe, there is a tiny chance that he was carried away by the daunting expectation of what a holiday gift should be. The answer is staring him in the face now - he isn’t getting a Christmas gift, he is getting a Sunshine gift. This, he could work with. 

“You might be onto something, Jim.” He snaps his fingers. “With me–I’ve got an idea.” 

-

 Sunshine has always been partial to mint chocolate chip, and it's not like there's much of it in space. So, the cone in her hand is indeed a necessity and not a distraction. 

“No more pit stops after this,” Nyota says,  sweet yet stern, as she holds the door open for Sunshine. 

“I completely agree, so quit trying to get us sidetracked,” she quips and takes a long lick of her mint chip. 

Ever the patient one, Nyota rolls her eyes with a smile. “So sorry, Lieutenant. I'll try to stay on task.”

Sunshine laughs,  links their arms, and they walk down the strip. The impending sugar rush raises her spirits, and she is more than ready for the next bout of stores. 

“Okay, so I'm thinking we stop up here and try--”

“Oh, look, It's Jim and Leonard,” Nyota says casually, and nervousness shoots through Sunshine.

“It's what!?”  Sunshine hisses, her head shooting left and right for a store to dive into. It’s too late, Jim is already waving, and nudging Leonard, who does his polite little half-wave—awww.

“Shit, it’s too late, we were seen,” she sucks in a breath. “Okay, okay, act natural, Nyota. Don’t give anything away!” 

She lobs the rest of her ice cream in the nearest trash, straightens her clothes, and skirts backward until her back is against the nearest wall. She has just enough time to pull Nyota next to her and prop her foot against the wall before the pair approach—and just like that, she’s as natural as ever. 

“Hello boys,” she hums. She doesn’t even spare them a glance at first, choosing to stare at her nails, and be incredibly casual. She’s met with silence and the prickling feeling of someone  staring at her. 

They all are. 

“Er—hi, Sunshine,” Kirk says slowly, like it's a question. She inches her gaze away from her hand. Kirk has that crease between his brows that he gets when he’s thinking, and Leonards's arms are crossed over his chest, and suddenly this interaction is anything but natural. She plants her foot back on the ground. 

“Everythin’ alright?” Leonard asks, in his concerned doctor voice that she knows all too well. She prays the interaction is salvageable.

“Of course it is, everything is normal, as it usually is – right, Nyota?” She juts her elbow into her friend's side, who does not take the gesture kindly. With a hard glare, Nyota nods. 

“Just enjoying the day off,” she says tightly, and Sunshine envies her talent for socializing. 

There's a suffocatingly awkward pause, where Sunshine sweats and looks at anything other than Leonard – who, in turn, stares at her like he’s trying to solve a math problem. 

“Well, uh, we should get back to it, I guess,” Kirk breaks the silence, still confused as ever. 

“Yeah! Yeah, of course, us too,” she blurts, and pushes herself off of the wall, “Have fun! Be safe! See you at work!” And with that, she's locking her arm with Nyota once more and hauling ass away from the two. She walks so fast, they’re out of earshot in seconds. 

“You know that went terribly, right?” Nyota says flatly.

“I do, and I’m willing to take some of the blame.”

“Some?”

“Most of the blame, maybe,” Sunshine cringes. “It really was that bad, wasn’t it?” 

She knows the answer already, but instead of a hearty yes, Nyota bursts into laughter, and keeps laughing until Sunshine joins her. 

“It was terrible, awful,” she says, trying to catch her breath. “You’ve really got it bad, huh?” 

Sunshine giggles, and leans on her friend. “Ha, got what bad?”

Nyota pauses, curiously observing her friend's seriousness.  “Nothing. Here, I’ve heard good things about this store.” 

--

Leonard stares at Sunshine's back as she retreats, thinking about what the hell he just watched unfold.

“Any idea what that was?” Kirk asks, his head tilted so far, he could hurt his neck. 

“Not a damn clue.” 

--

Another hour passes, and Sunshine is close to hysterics, and the shopkeeper is hearing all about it. 

“So, I pick the name out of the bowl,” she brandishes the crumpled blue paper, “and I’m like, ‘oh, perfect’ because, like I said, we’re great friends, like super close, but now, I actually have to get the gift. And it’s impossible! Everything is too ordinary or not thoughtful enough or just useless! We’ve been at this for hours, and I’m at my wits end here.” Sunshine’s legs swing from her place perched on the countertop. 

“So, this friend of yours,” the assistant manager, Tina, begins, “he doesn’t have any hobbies? Or interests?” Customers pass, and Sunshine sighs.

“Hobbies? Not really. I mean, all we do is work, and he works a lot– did I mention he’s CMO? Yeah, I mean, he’s passionate about his work! He loves being a doctor, he acts all jaded about it, but he’s actually a huge softie, loves helping people.” She pauses and sucks in a breath, while Tina nods like she’s keeping up. “He doesn’t love doing it in space, though. That’s what he’s mostly jaded about. I mean, he did his dissertation in med school on deep space diseases, so it makes sense but –” 

“Well, where’s he from?” Tina interrupts. 

“Oh, he’s from Earth; I am too.” Sunshine points to Nyota, who is rifling through the cologne section in her stead, “So is my friend.” 

“You know, there’s a little earth-themed shop just around the corner…” 

This piques Sunshine’s interest, and it fills her with hope. 

“Earth-themed?” she repeats. Tina nods while she restocks the shelf behind the counter. 

“It’s an antique shop; they have trinkets from everywhere but mostly earth. Maybe you’ll find something there?” 

Sunshine grins, and she feels a weight being lifted off her chest. “Tina, you’re a godsend, thank you so much,” she hops off the counter with renewed vigor. “C’mon, Nyota! I think we’ve got our answer!” Nyota is halfway through the stack of samples in her hand when she’s rushed out of the store. She fleetingly wonders why she puts up with this. 

—

Leonard barely looks up from his PADD the entire way back to the ship. It takes Kirk, attached to his side, to weave him through crowds and assure no accidents or injuries. The enterprise is quiet upon arriving, and Kirk is ushered into Leonard's office.

“Alright! Game time, Bones, tell me whatcha got,” Kirk claps his hand on Leonard’s shoulder—it reminds him of a high school football coach. 

“Right, we’re gonna need to abuse your authority. “ 

“…for a Christmas gift?” 

Leonard rifles through his drawers. 

“Well, what else would it be for? Listen, go ask the head nurse–should be Nurse Bennet– tell her you need access to the medical imaging equipment, and grab the camera in Drawer B, got it?” 

“Uh, yeah, I guess?” 

Leonard shoos him out of the room. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he uses the moment of solitude to clear his head. 

He really hopes this isn't a stupid idea. 

—

In the antique store, Sunshine elects to not sit on any of the countertops. 

The entire place seems fragile to her, with shelves lined high with old-world things she didn't recognize and floors littered with boxes. It was eclectic, to say the least. To say the most, it was downright cramped. And tiny. 

Definitely no countertop sitting for her. 

Her eyes trail across the room, and she gets an odd nostalgic feeling, like she isn’t quite in space anymore. It feels like her mom's old house.  The feeling sweeps her up like a hug, and she almost forgets why she’s there as her eyes roam. Nyota recenters her with a nudge and points to the back of the store. 

“Hello!” Sunshine calls and catches the attention of the man behind the register. He’s older, with deep smile lines, and an overly large coat. He looks kind, she thinks. He waves in return for her hello. 

Nyota slips between two shelves, already scouring for ideas, while Sunshine approaches the shopkeep. 

“Somethin’ I can do for you?” he asks, his accent familiar, and strikes her with a sudden longing feeling. 

“If it's not too much trouble, I really need some help finding a gift for my friend,”she says, uncharacteristically beginning to feel shy. “And there's a bit of a story to it too, if you have the time.” 

He stares at her curiously, and she hopes she hasn't overstepped. 

“Sure.” He shrugs. 

He gestures for her to come around the counter, and she can see a wooden chair peeking from behind it. She accepts his invitation and makes herself comfortable in the old-looking wooden rocking chair. Dust flies from it when she sits.  He continues counting the register and waits for her to begin. 

“So,” she fiddles with the blue sticky note that has lost its stickiness, “I joined Starfleet like, a little over a year ago, and there's this Doctor…” 

—

The captain clears his throat and clears it again, running a hand through his hair because he’s just not sure what to say. 

“So, I gathered you both here for a reason, which is very important… but I also cannot provide much information about why it’s important - very… classified stuff,  but I assure you-” 

Leonard is too impatient for his own good, and he’s rolling his eyes and grumbling mere seconds into the captain's fake speech. 

“I’ll take it from here, Jim,” he interjects, “I can’t watch you flounder like a fish out of water anymore.”

The captain's patience wavers, but Leonard takes no mind to this. 

“Henly, Donavan, stand next to each other and smile. We’re doing a Starfleet scrapbook or something,” he says, voice filled to the brim with sarcasm. He brings the camera to his face, and the two girls look at one another with confused, pinched faces.

“We don't have all day, Ensigns,” he mumbles. Henley and Donavan turn their confused frowns into tentative smiles, and he snaps the picture. He throws a thumbs up their way. 

“Great. You’re dismissed.” Leonard turns around, sights set on their next stop already. Kirk, however, scrambles to leave this interaction on a politer note.

Kirk calls, “What he means is thank you so much for participating ladies, and you look great by the way, can’t wait for you to see the scrapbook!” but they were already retreating, whispering and giggling to one another.  He sighs. 

“So, now that I’ve abused my authority for the sake of a Christmas gift, do I get to know what the gift is?” he demands. 

“We’re not done abusing your authority, just so you’re aware,” Leonard says pointedly, “and fine, but we walk and talk.” 

That’s fine with Jim, he’ll walk wherever, talk to whoever,  if he finally gets to know what’s going on. 

“One year, for Pam and I’s anniversary, she got me this holoframe, piled high with a bunch of pictures of us. The thing’d flip through them all day, like a highlight reel while our marriage fell apart.” Leonard stays five steps ahead and doesn’t look back at Kirk. It’s an odd place to be vulnerable, the enterprise hallways, and Kirk has no idea how this fits into anything. 

“Okay…”

“I hated the damn thing. Not the sentimental type, but what you said, about getting a more, Sunshine gift, somethin’ clicked,” he snaps his fingers. “Can’t think of anything she likes more than the crew, and I’ll go out on a limb and say she’s the sentimental type.” 

Kirk pauses thoughtfully and suddenly feels touched by the gesture that isn't even for him. 

“So, we are making a Starfleet scrapbook? But of all Sunshine's favorite people?” 

“Do not go around saying we’re making a scrapbook like we’re a couple of grade schoolers.” 

Kirk catches up with his friend with a newfound dedication to this endeavor. 

“Sorry, holoframe,” he grins. 

—

Sunshine and Nyota are both perched behind the shop counter now. Sunshine slumped down into the rocking chair, Nyota rested on the arm of it. 

“...after I told Tina all of this, she sent me here and said maybe you could help—oh, well, actually, she never said that, I just sort of roped you into this on my own accord, sorry about that– but, on the way here, I wrote down this list of facts about Leonard to maybe help find him something?” She pulls out a crumpled receipt with sharpie on the back. 

“You brought…a list?” the shopkeep drawls, and it makes her blush. 

“Yeah it’s—I thought it might help,” she says sheepishly.

“She is very prepared,” Nyota supplies with a comforting pat on her shoulder.

“Alright, then let's see it.” He holds out his hand, and she lays the receipt flat on his palm. It feels like she's handing something over much more important than the record of her ice cream purchase, but she doesn't put her finger on why. 

She waits as the man reads, and she rocks in the chair. She thinks about what a whirlwind of a day it's been but still feels at ease. 

“He’s from Georgia?” the shopkeep finally says. She perks up. 

“Yeah! He’s, like, a country boy,” she cringes. “Well, like, he's from the country, he grew up on a farm, I just don't know what the actual word for it is.” 

Thankfully, the man just chuckles and doesn’t correct her. It's a win in her book. 

“He ever miss home?” he asks, eyes still on the paper. 

“Oh, only all the time,” she scoffs, “ he’s really not a fan of space.” She buzzes with excitement— she can tell he’s onto something. When he finally speaks, Sunshine has to restrain herself from leaping up and hugging him right there in the store. 

“Yeah, I think I got a few things he’d be interested in… Georgians ought to help each other out anyways.”

—

Three fake emergencies and six photos later, both men are exhausted. 

Leonard hopes no one enters the rec room for the next hour. He fears the image of him and the captain sprawled on the couch looking through photos of various crew members may be hard to explain. 

“Are we done now? Please tell me we’re done.” Kirk shifts, really he wiggles, to prop his feet on the chair beside him. Leonard fiddles with the camera as he replies. 

“Just waiting for Uhura to be back from shopping, and that should be it.” Kirk sighs and sinks lower into the couch. Since starting this whole thing, Leonard's anxiety has grown steadily, like a snowball rolling down a hill. Aside from the task of wrangling crew members, and then inventing explanations for his actions, the real challenge is convincing himself that this is even a good idea in the first place. He thinks about that tube of lipstick, and if it was her brand, and wishes this whole thing could be simpler. 

“Do you think Spock’s still mad?” Kirk asks, and Leonard barely hears it over his own thoughts. 

“He’s forgiven you for a lot worse, I wouldn't get too wound up about it,” he replies absently, hands still fidgeting. “Y’know, Jim, I appreciate you running all over hell's half acre for me. God knows you didn't have to.” 

“Bones, I have no idea what that means, but you’re welcome.” His friend smiles, and it quells some deep nervousness. “Totally gonna be worth it, anyway,” Kirk adds.

Leonard isn’t all that sure what he means, but still, he agrees.

“Yeah, I think it will.”  

 Leonard doesn't see the smirk on Kirk’s face, nor does he pick up on the mischievous cadence of his voice, or even the way they're on completely different pages. Kirk thinks perhaps that's for the best.

—

The gift sits on her desk for three days before she wraps it. 

She carefully maneuvers her work around it, avoiding touching the object like it was some precious gem. On occasion, her eyes would drift to it while she sits in her quarters, and her cheeks would heat without reason. She makes an effort not to think about it too much or get too excited, and to definitely not touch it. She finds lately that a bit of effort is required to get her mind off of many things related to the CMO, and it takes even more effort not to think about why that was. 

She wraps the gift on the day of the exchange—because it's the easiest way to avoid thinking about it.

—

Leonard gets the damn thing out of his sight as soon as possible. 

The gift had been finished – pictures uploaded, running on a ten-second loop – hidden away in a gift bag, out of sight out of mind. He is protecting his peace—leaving it out in the open will only restart the cycle of doubt in his head. So, he pulls doubles, up until the holiday party, if only just to get his goddamn mind off of this stupid exchange he shouldn’t have ever done in the first place—

He works until Chapel won't let him in the medbay anymore, and when she doesn't, he slots his time with other tasks. Hell, he even wonders if he should’ve gone back for the lipstick, the day after they leave the port. He goes as far as to bother Nyota about it, who waves him off and tells him she's sure Sunshine will love her gift—her reassurance helps more than he anticipated. 

He almost gets himself to forget the whole thing, lost in the medbay chaos, until he feels the scrap paper crushed in his pocket.

The gift stays hidden away until just a few minutes before he has to meet her, and his palms sweat when he picks it up. 

—

Lieutenant Jameson calls out the day of the holiday party— Dakitoan Flu. 

Without much choice, Sunshine takes his rounds. She doesn’t think she’s ever completed a task faster in her life. Complete is even a strong word—it's more like half-ass. She’s all too aware of how she’ll have to repeat most of the work again tomorrow, correcting her own mistakes. But she doesn't care. She’s been stressing out about this party for two entire weeks, she’d be damned if she misses it. 

When she does finally rush to the rec room, the blue-wrapped gift in hand, there are few people left, and her heart sinks a bit. 

There's a Christmas tree in the corner of the room, with only one present left beneath it, and a few red and green ribbons are strewn about. She spots Spock first, already wiping down tables and cleaning up the festivities. He catches her eye, and he must see how her posture is wound tight with nervousness—or her pink cheeks, or her frazzled hair, or the way she obviously ran here. Spock doesn’t quite smile, but his gaze softens in some way she doesn’t see often, and he nods toward a table in the far corner. She follows, and—

Oh! It’s Leonard!

Spock gets a double thumbs up for his help. 

Leonard sits with Jim, both of them with glasses of some dark liquid in hand. She wishes she could have had a drink before this. She smoothes down her hair before she approaches. 

Kirk notices her first and smiles — it reminds her how nice it is to have someone in her corner.

“Sunny! You made it!” He cheers. She grins back and lets it sink in, yeah I did make it, and the thing she’d been fussing over for weeks is finally coming to an end.   

 Leonard is much more reserved, he always is. He sees her, and his posture relaxes—he does that a lot. Almost like he’s holding his breath for some reason. 

“Captain, Doctor,” she greets the two, still catching her breath. “I’m sorry I missed the party, you have no idea how insane my shift has been —I mean, no idea, but it's over now, and I’m so glad I caught you guys.”  

“We had to convince Spock to leave the Christmas tree up until you got here, he’s been cleaning damn near since the party started,” Leonard tuts, and she laughs. 

“Aw, I’m glad he did…” She looks at the pine tree, which is bare of ornaments and lights, and raises her eyebrows. 

“Well, he sort of did,” Leonard amends. “It was a compromise.” 

“A compromise that leaves me with putting the decorations back in storage, so I’d call it more of a trade,” Kirk complains. 

“Master negotiator, huh?” she teases and has every intention of teasing him more, maybe even calling Christmas his new Kobayashi Maru, but she waits a beat too long.

“Anyways, Jim, don’t you think you should be getting to it?” Leonard says, as if the conversation didn’t just start. 

Jim doesn't say anything at first, just stares at Leonard while Leonard stares at him. It’s all very… intense, she thinks. They exchange pointed looks like they’re engaged in a silent conversation– actually, she’s pretty positive they are. Awkwardness begins to prick at her skin. 

“Is there something—”

“Wow, I didn't even notice the time, better get to it, just like you said,” he springs to his feet with alarming speed. 

“Oh, do you have to go?” she asks with disappointment.

“I do, duty calls, or something.” He holds her by the shoulders looking at her with enough intensity to make her squint. “Have fun,” he says meaningfully, and smiles, and then, he's gone, leaving with a friendly pat on her back. 

She hesitates a moment before taking Kirk's seat. 

“Is he…okay?” 

“That's a loaded question,” Leonard deadpans, and despite her confusion, she laughs. 

“So I have something-”

“Anyways, there's this-” 

Their sentences crash into each other,  and they both freeze. 

“You first,” she offers. He doesn’t say anything for a moment, just purses his lips and avoids eye contact. 

“Just—Don’t move, I’ll be right back,” he grits out and leaves her at the table. It's abrupt and leaves her wondering why this interaction is going like this. She wraps her arms around herself and waits. 

Behind her, he picks up the last present left under the tree, which has been waiting there for her all day.  Yellow bag with yellow paper stuffed inside.  He places it on the table, and sits back down, hands wringing together. She wants to ask what's got him so worked up. 

“I’m your secret… Christmas person or whatever the hell it is,” he grumbles and doesn’t meet her gaze. Not until he hears her stifle a giggle, which then bubbles into a laugh.  She doesn’t mean to, but the whole thing just comes together too perfectly for her to contain herself. 

“You’re my Secret Santa?” she asks, alight with excitement, and he nods at her slowly. 

“Yeah, if that’s the name—” He’s cut off with another laugh, and she eagerly puts her gift in front of him—blue paper with a blue bow. 

“Leonard, I’m your Secret Santa!” She beams, “We picked each other! What are the odds?”

He stares at her, then at the gift, and says quietly, bewildered, “What are the odds?” 

She doesn’t catch what he means, but she’s too excited to harp on it. 

“Well?” she prompts and inches the blue box towards him. “Are you gonna open it?” 

Curiously enough, she’s not nearly as nervous anymore. 

He blinks and shakes his head like he’s clearing his thoughts. “Yeah, yeah of course,” he says distractedly. 

He opens the box carefully, it's like he’s doing an operation. When he looks down at the gift, the gift, he pauses and gets this expression that Sunshine doesn’t think she's ever seen on him. 

“Len?” 

“Sunshine, is this…?” 

“It’s a postcard! From Georgia!” She grins, “A real one from Earth, It’s an antique.” She reaches over the table and taps on the glass of the frame in his hand. “See? There's a little stamp of authenticity. Isn’t that neat?”  

Neat. It’s about the neatest thing Leonard’s ever seen. 

She settles back in her seat. “I thought it might make you a little less homesick,” she adds, much quieter, as if the statement itself needed privacy. 

Leonard stares at the postcard. It's got a picture of a peach orchard, on a perfect summer day, he can tell by the blossoms that line the trees. Greetings from Georgia! it reads.  It looks like something he would have seen hanging in his Ma’s house. He thinks of the red door of his childhood home, and how the branches of his family's own peach tree framed it. The smell of his Ma’s cooking and the feeling of coming home— his chest fills with familiarity and longing. He stares for a while and doesn't say anything for even longer. 

He doesn’t realize he’s been silent until Sunshine clears her throat. It feels like he forgot he was on the Enterprise for a moment. 

“Sunshine this is…” Damn near perfect. “Nice. Thank you.” He says it and cringes. There's so many more feelings and thoughts under the surface. He wishes he could make a sentence out of them. But Sunshine, like she knows his inner thoughts, accepts the weak compliment like it's the best thing she's ever heard. 

“Aw, Leonard!” She tucks her hair behind her ear and flushes – or maybe it's the lighting. “I'm so  glad you like it. You have no idea the hell I put Nyota through to find it.” 

He’s not sure what Nyota had to do with it, and he doesn't ask either. “I’ll thank her too then,” he says weakly, but he definitely won’t. With a deep breath to quell his nerves, he pushes her gift toward her. 

“Your turn,” he says with bated breath. 

Being so wrapped up in her own Christmas shopping, she almost forgot she gets a gift too. She tears through the tissue paper with the same unrestrained excitement she had picking her secret Santa just a few weeks ago. 

“I still think it's so crazy we got each other, this makes the gift-giving thing like, ten times better,” she tells him. He nods curtly, and she can tell he’s wound tighter than a spring–or at least that’s how he would say it. 

“Relax, Len, I’ll like whatever’s in the bag– heck, I’d like it even if you gave me a rock.” 

She dives her hand into the bag, the tips of her fingers touching cool metal. At first, she has no idea what she’s looking at. A… little screen? A flat little screen with a cool blue border? She opens her mouth, a question on her tongue, when— 

“The power buttons on the side,” Leonard says. He doesn’t give her a chance to move, leaning over the table and clicking the button for her. 

The screen comes to life with a picture of Sulu and Chekov, both donning awkward thumbs up… and is that in Kirk’s room? She blinks, and it changes again, this time to Scotty and Keenser sitting among a mess of wires in engineering but smiling brightly nonetheless. Another second passes, and she's looking at Spock and Nyota, sitting beside each other in the rec room loveseat looking equally poised yet annoyed. Sunshine laughs before she can stop herself. 

“Len is this—?” The picture flickers again, and the sight of it stops Sunshine's words in their tracks. It's Leonard and Jim, on that same rec room loveseat. Jim’s practically beaming—face lit up and an arm looped tightly around Leonard’s shoulders. Leonard, shit. He’s got that soft and reserved smile on his face—like the one he has when he talks about home or his friends, where his eyes are just filled with this warm something. 

Sunshine’s face turns hot, and her chest becomes unbearably heavy with emotions. 

“Leonard, this is so fucking sweet—” She cuts herself off with a wet laugh, and she realizes she’s got tears in her eyes. 

Leonard, however, looks mortified, as he watches her face become red and tears fall down her cheeks. 

“Shit—Damn it, I’m sorry—You weren't supposed to cry!” he stutters in a panic. Sunshine laughs again and hiccups over it with a sob. 

“They’re happy tears, Len!” she insists, wiping her cheeks. “This… I think this is the nicest gift I've ever gotten.” She can’t bring herself to look away. The pictures are just the slightest bit grainy—like the camera her mom used to take pictures of her. The thought starts the waterworks all over again. 

“It is?” 

She sniffles, scrubbing her tears with her sleeve. As Sunshine traces the edges of the frame, and watches the photos loop again, she knows for certain this is the sweetest, most thoughtful gift she's ever gotten. She thinks about how curious it is that it's from someone she’s known only a year—a coworker, no less. 

Then, she thinks, maybe, it's not all that curious at all. 

“We should do this every year,” she tells him. She’s positive, actually, that, as much of a headache as this exchange has been, she would do it again in a heartbeat. 

“Secret Santa?”

“Yeah, but not so…secret next time, and… just us, maybe.” 

She doesn’t look at him when she says it, for both their sakes. 

“Sure,” he says, and she can hear the tightness in his voice. “I’ll try not to make you cry next time.” 

She laughs, “No, do it! It’s more fun that way. Maybe I’ll make you cry.” 

“Uh-huh.” 

He seems less nervous now, like his smile is coming a bit easier. 

“We should get going before Spock sticks us with the rest of the cleaning,” he says, gathering the discarded paper from the table, “and I know you had a long day, Jameson told me you covered for him.” 

She doesn’t want to leave, but she knows he’s right. She wonders if he feels the same pull to stay.

“Yeah, but it’s fine,” she tries to say casually.  She leaves her chair as he does. “You know me, I don't mind.” 

“Doesn’t make it a good thing, you pull about as many doubles as—”

“As you?” she interrupts cheekily, and he rolls his eyes with a smile. 

“Yeah, as me.” 

The paper goes in the trash, and they’re left with nothing to do but bid each other goodnight. It’s the last thing she wants to do. 

“Thank you again, Len. The pictures—It’s perfect. I love it.” She tries not to cry again, mostly for his sake. 

“No problem, and you too,” he tells her simply. His cheeks are still tinged pink, and seeing him hold the present she labored over in his hands, with all that warmth in his eyes, it's almost more than she can stand. 

Fuck it. She thinks to herself, and before her nerves can stop her, she wraps her arms around Leonard's neck. It's an awkward angle, and she has to pull him down to her height a bit—and she’s still got the frame in her hand and everything. As far as hugs go, it's not great, but in other ways, it's perfect. Leonard doesn’t react for a moment, but finally, his arms encircle her waist, after a fair bit of hesitation. 

It’s really nice, she thinks. 

“No, really, thank you,” she says into his shoulder. The fabric of his uniform is soft, and she can smell his apple shampoo. 

“You too, Sunshine,” he mutters. The sincerity in his voice feels nearly tangible. Leonard pats her back, maybe because he feels awkward or maybe because it's time for the hug to end; either way, she lets him go. 

“Have a good night,” he says, and he can't quite meet her eyes. 

“Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow,” she answers softly.

They share a long parting glance, as they head in opposite directions to their quarters. 

Unbeknownst to the pair, their senior officers are perched just around the corner. 

“...and he knew her shade, Spock. The exact shade of lipstick she wears. He was so… dedicated to the whole thing. I half-thought he might give her a candle or a necklace or something but this?” 

Spock nods thoughtfully. “She treated the exchange with similar enthusiasm, from what Nyota has told me.” 

“You’re a genius for setting this thing up,” Kirk shakes his head, “even if I did have to copy Sunshine’s signature on 20 different sticky notes.” 

“Well, it was your influence that caused me to—”

Kirk waves him off. 

“You don’t have to justify it, Spock. Hell, everyone can see how bad they’ve got it for each other. Can’t blame you for wanting to move it along.” 

“Indeed they do, Captain.”

[hiddenwritingsintheworld]

Cruel Summer Ch. 3

Donations | Thoughts & Feelings | Cruel Summer Series (Coming Soon) | Chapter 2

You threw the paper on the coffee table, as you grabbed your cup of coffee and walked toward the windows to look out over the city. You thought about Chris and Ali…how could you continue to talk to them? Nice headline of ‘Old Friends or New Flame? Is Chris Evans Who Y/F/N Y/L/N keeps singing about?’ You played old memories over in your mind, taking a drink of the hot coffee, you didn’t hear the door open.’ “Cute photo…funny enough when you two were fucking the media never got a glimpse of you….but now he’s engaged to this bimbo and you’re all over Page Six.” You whipped around at the sound of her voice. “Scar?!” You gawked at her as she stood by the door with her arms crossed. 

You practically threw the coffee cup down on the table and rushed over, embracing her in a big hug. “Oh my god, it’s so good to see you!!” Tears brimmed your eyes as you whispered against her shoulder. “Of course kid, I wasn’t gonna sit around waiting for a call when these photos dropped online last night.” Scarlet said as you groaned, rolling your eyes. “I warned her of this happening, just FYI.” Megan said, taking a drink of her coffee. Scarlet raised an eyebrow looking back at you. “You’re supposed to listen to your management team…not ignore their advice.” she said with a smirk, “I know, I realized it was a mistake when I was sitting there at dinner.” you checked the time and stretched. “I gotta head out to the stadium, wanna come with me?” you smiled as she grinned. “Of course, think I flew halfway across the United States to just see you for two minutes? What’s wrong with you?” you both laughed as you headed out for your final show in Boston. 

As the Show started and you sang, danced around, just having the time of your life as usual, you spotted Scarlet, Chris and Ali all in the VIP tent smiling and dancing along to the song. You were having the time of your life honestly, you were laughing with the back up dancers and in a very good mood. Scar watched before hearing Ali tell Chris she would be back. “So, what are you really doing here Chris?” Scar asked as he looked at her. “She was happy with you gone…her life has skyrocketed since everything happened” He sighed looking back at the stage as you were changing. “I thought we could be friends, we had a great dinner last night.” he said as Scar held back a laugh. “Friends? Are you fucking stupid?” She snapped, keeping an eye on the fans around the VIP tent. “You leave her alone, you knew she was in love with you. Are you deaf? Listen to the fucking music your teenage girlfriend loves so much. Wonder what she’d say if she knew you used to fuck Y/N when you were lonely,” Scar whispered to him. 

She might have been angry with Chris, but she’d be damned if she let your secret spill, the media would have a field day with it. 

Chris went to speak when Ali gripped his arm, “Thank God I didn’t miss the surprise songs!!” She squealed as you stood at the Mic watching everyone cheer. You wore a blue glittery outfit with a blue dress on over it and blue sparkly boots. Chris smirked to himself, blue had always been a good color on you. He remembered when you used to spend the night, the large blue crew neck of his you’d throw on when you got cold. He still had that sweatshirt…and it still smelt like you, but that smell was fading, he kept the shirt in a box, hidden away in his closet. He’d put it there when Ali had tried to wear it once. 

You were talking to the crowd, admitting that you were having the best time tonight, laughing softly as the crowd cheered louder. “Oh, well tonight I have two very special surprise songs!” you grinned as the crowd cheered. You walked over sitting down at the piano and began to play, as the melody flowed the crowd screamed and clapped. You looked up from the keys and began to sing into the mic. 

Once the flight had flown

With the wilt of the rose

I slept all alone

You still wouldn't go

Let's fast forward to three hundred takeout coffees later

I see your profile and your smile on unsuspecting waiters

You dream of my mouth before it called you a lying traitor

You search in every maiden's bed for something greater

Baby, was it over

When she laid down on your couch?

Was it over when he unbuttoned my blouse?

"Come here, " I whispered in your ear

In your dream as you passed out, baby

Was it over then?

And is it over now?

Chris stared in wonderment at the stage, at you. You were asking him if the two of you were really over now. You sang with such emotion, he wondered..in that moment, if for you, did you think you two were truly over?

When you lost control

Red blood, white snow

Blue dress on a boat

Your new girl is my clone

And did you think I didn't see you?

There were flashing lights

At least I had the decency

To keep my nights out of sight

Only rumors 'bout my hips and thighs

And my whispered sighs

Oh, Lord, I think about

Jumping off of very tall somethings

Just to see you come running

And say the one thing I've been wanting

But no

Let's fast forward to three hundred awkward blind dates later

If she's got blue eyes, I will surmise that you'll probably date her

You dream of my mouth before it called you a lying traitor

You search in every model's bed for something greater

Scar watched you, her heart breaking for you, you’d never truly get over him would you? What was it about him that drew you in? She glanced at Chris, the color draining from her face. “No,” she whispered loud enough for him to hear. He glanced at her, his eyes saying everything he felt. “This song is so sad,” Ali yelled out to the two of them over the music and crowd, “It's not my favorite, let’s take some pictures!” She pushed her way between the two of them, to start taking photos, but Chris looked back at the stage, seeing you looking directly at the Tent, or at him, he wasn’t sure. 

Baby, was it over

When she laid down on your couch?

Was it over when he unbuttoned my blouse?

"Come here, " I whispered in your ear

In your dream as you passed out, baby

Was it over then?

And is it over now?

Think I didn't see you?

There were flashing lights

At least I had the decency

To keep my nights out of sight

Only rumors 'bout my hips and thighs

And my whispered sighs

Oh, Lord, I think about

Jumping off of very tall somethings

Just to see you come running

And say the one thing I've been wanting

But no

Let's fast forward to three hundred takeout coffees later

(Flashing lights) I was hoping you'd be there

And say the one thing (oh, Lord) I've been wanting (oh, Lord)

But no

Ali turned away from Scar and smiled at Chris, “Don't let me forget, I have a wedding invitation for Y/N!” she grinned as Scarlet whipped her head in his direction glaring, but Chris was staring at you, watching as you smiled and waved to everyone, he glanced back at Ali before looking back at you again, taking a swig of beer he smiled softly, “Wouldn't dream of letting you forget that,” 

You grinned at the crowd drawing a heart with your hands at them before getting up and grabbing your guitar, moving over to the microphone. You strummed a few notes on the guitar before the crowd cried out with excitement. 

It only hurts this much right now

Was what I was thinking the whole time

Breathe in, breathe through

Breathe deep, breathe out

I'll be getting over you my whole life

You know how scared I am of elevators

Never trust it if it rises fast

It can't last

Uh oh, I'm falling in love

Oh no, I'm falling in love again

Oh, I'm falling in love

I thought the plane was going down

How'd you turn it right around

Chris glanced at Ali who was chatting with another guest in the VIP tent, he was starting to realize that maybe she wasn’t the one he should be with, but he couldn’t let his image be damaged by dumping the sweet, innocent girl next door for the old co-star he reconnected with while she rose to be the top selling popstar of the world. He wanted to reconnect with you though. He had to. 

“You’re not inviting her to your wedding. Do you hear me?” Scarlett grabbed his arm and said into his ear. “You’re never speaking to her again after tonight. Or Ill tell Ali everything.” she threatened him. Chris squared his shoulders at the threat, “the fuck you will. You don’t control Y/N, or me, or Ali. If I want to rekindle mine and Y/N friendship, I will, and that business is between me and Y/N, no one else.” he said back. 

It only feels this raw right now

Lost in the labyrinth of my mind

Break up, break free, break through, break down

You would break your back to make me break a smile

You know how much I hate that everybody just expects me to bounce back

Just like that

Uh oh, I'm falling in love

Oh no, I'm falling in love again

Oh, I'm falling in love

I thought the plane was going down

How'd you turn it right around

Scarlet glared down at him, “She’s in a good place, she doesn’t need you fucking that up for her. You only bring her heartbreak and pain. Why can’t you just be happy with your little girlfriend over there?” Scar asked as Chris pulled his arm away. “I’m perfectly fine navigating my life Scarlett and I don't need you telling me who I can and cannot associate with!” he snapped. It happened in a second, the flash, turning to see a fan staring at them, their cell phone just below their face, another flash going off, before she disappeared into the crowd. 

Uh oh, I'm falling in love

Oh no, I'm falling in love again

Oh, I'm falling in love

I thought the plane was going down

How'd you turn it right around

Uh oh, I'm falling in love

Oh no, I'm falling in love again

Oh, I'm falling in love

I thought the plane was going down

How'd you turn it right around

Uh oh, I'm falling in love

Oh no, I'm falling in love again

Oh, I'm falling in love

I thought the plane was going down

How'd you turn it right around

You ended the song smiling as everyone clapped, looking over at the VIP Tent, Chris was smiling at you clapping and whistling, Scarlett was looking at you with disappointment, and Ali was off taking selfies with someone in the back. You set your guitar down and did a small bow, before turning and diving into the stage. 

“Security couldn’t find the girl who snapped the photos of us,” Scarlett said walking back over to Chris. “I’ve already texted my manager to warn her what's going to be coming out” he sighed, running a hand over his face before walking away to talk to Ali. 

The final event of the show left you grinning and laughing with friends on stage, Chris was talking to Ali and keeping his distance from Scarlett. She knew he was pissed at her, but she planned on telling you the same thing the moment she saw you backstage. Do not engage with him anymore and just let them get married and do not go to the wedding. 

You laughed at something a dancer did, before bringing the mic back up to your lips. 

“Sapphire tears on my face

Sadness became my whole sky

But some guy said my aura's moonstone

Just 'cause he was high

And we're dancin' all night

And you can try to change my mind

But you might have to wait in line

What's a girl gonna do?

A diamond's gotta shine

Best believe I'm still bejeweled

When I walk in the room

I can still make the whole place shimmer (shimmer)

And when I meet the band

They ask, "Do you have a man?"

I can still say, "I don't remember"

Familiarity breeds contempt

Don't put me in the basement

When I want the penthouse of your heart

Diamonds in my eyes

I polish up real (nice), I polish up real nice

And we're dancin' all night

And you can try to change my mind

But you might have to wait in line

What's a girl gonna do? What's a girl gonna do?

I polish up nice

Best believe I'm still bejeweled

When I walk in the room

I can still make the whole place shimmer”

You grin as the song comes to a close, bowing to the crowd, Scarlett texted your manager that she was going to head back to your hotel room so you two could talk. What a mistake that would end up being. 

You went backstage getting ready to go back to the hotel room, when a squeal surprised you. Ali grinned rushing up to you again, “oh my god the show was amazing tonight. Ugh! I'm loving this for you!!” she grinned, motioning to your outfit. You smiled nodding, “Thanks Ali, I’m glad you were able to make it to the final show tonight!” you faked excitement, which Chris could clearly see, as Ali reached in her purse. “Of course! But we have a gift for you! We wanted to invite you to our wedding next month!” She held out the white and gold envelope, your smile dropping as you glanced at him before smiling at Ali. It felt like everything moved in slow motion, but it took less than a second for it all to happen. “Oh! Wow, thank you so much, I’ll definitely have to check my schedule though because with the tou-” you were interrupted by Ali, “Nope! You’re not touring next month, in fact….Chris and I would LOVE it if you’d come spend the week and a half leading up to the wedding with us in our Beach house! Please! We can’t take no for an answer.” She gave you the worst case of puppy dog eyes you’d ever seen. 

Chris gave you a small, soft smile. “It’d mean a lot to me as well as to Ali…” You looked between the two of them, eyes darting back and forth, “Um, I definitely need to check on a few things, but if I can’t spend that week and a half with you guys, I’ll try my hardest to be at the wedding okay?” you smiled before Megan walked up to you. 

“Y/N, we gotta go. Schedule to keep and all." She kept it short and to the point, not making eye contact with Ali or Chris. You smiled, “Guys, I gotta go but I’ll see you around! Thanks so much for coming out and seeing me!” you put both hands up to your mouth and blew them kisses before turning and darting off with Megan as two of your guards followed close behind you. 

When you closed the door to your hotel suite, you leaned back against it, finally letting everything just roll off, the exhaustion that took over made you want to go limp but you knew better. You still needed to eat dinner, shower, and unwind. 

You rehearsed your vocals while showering, harmonizing and just going over your surprise songs for the next weekend shows, standing in the steaming hot shower trying to clear your head, praying you could forget about Chris again one day. When you got out, you threw on your black silk pajama pants with a short sleeved button down silk top. Lined in white with white buttons. Your phone chimed as you walked over to the couch, your dinner being delivered shortly, chinese, your favorite. 

Glancing down at it, the name on the screen caused you to stop in your tracks. 

Hems Worthy <3 : “Hey popstar, you able to talk? I need a friend.

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[emocka]

For @micheya , I was listening to Lindsey Stirling Carol of the bells for this.

Ok you werent a ghost. You were just a normal person. You had somehow managed to climb tenshukaku. Every night you climbed the building. Facing where liyue was you danced.

You gave several guards a fright, one a literal heart attack.

'There a ghost! I swear I saw it dancing on the outer wall.'

'Ribbons surrounding the ghost!'

'It died during the archon war.'

You rolled your eyes. Seriously all it took was some logic. It was you. You dancing.

Dancing for kazuha, dancing for his safe return.

'Hey, yn!' You looked at yoimiya.

'Yes?' You turned to face her.

'Have you heard the stories?' She asked.

'I've heard.' You smiled. 'I'm the ghost.'

'Quit joking. It's real!' She laughed.

You sighed.

'Ribbons dancing in the wind, ghosts can't carry physical things yoimiya besides' you gestured to the large ribbon on your back, the ones on your wrists.

'So?' She was confused.

'Oh boy.' You sighed one more time before you began to dance.

The ribbons flowed in the wind as your twirled around. She watched as you continued.

'Why do you dance on the building then?' She asked as you stopped.

'Just to bring in good luck for the land. Inazuma needs some luck.' You began. 'With the vision hunt decree inazuma needs it more than ever.'

She nodded raising an eyebrow.

'NOT for kazuha?' She questioned.

'Who him? Nah. Still hate him' there was small blush on your cheeks.

'Riiight' She smirked. 'Come on. I wanna show you a new firework I made.'

You watched as the girl took off running. You did the same catching up to her.

----

You were spotted once more dancing in the moonlight. Two guards watched. You were a silhouette in the moon. One more guard came to watch.

'I wonder why it only dances. How come it doesn't haunt anyone.'

'They say it the ghost of a God who died in the archon war.'

'Really? I wonder what god.'

'Probably God of the moon.'

'Intersting.'

The guards went quiet, watching as you danced more. Suddenly the wind kicked up. The ribbons flowed around you, your hair flowing in the wind. You bowed before disappearing into the night.

----

Well into the distance kazuha stared at the moon. He was sitting on the railings of the boat. In the sleeve of his kimono was a letter. Kazuha pulled out the letter. Glancing around he began to read it.

It was a letter from you. He smiled as he read it. You explained how everyone was doing, skipping over the fighting part, what been going lately, ect ect.

He carefully folded the letter, putting it back in the sleeve of his kimono.

'Dove' He began 'I know it's bad. But you'll be in my arms soon.'

----

You sat at docks watching the ships come and go. Waving at people, greeting kids. You smiled as a cat approached. It jumped on the crate your were sitting on. Stretching it curled up next to you. You began to scratch its head. Turning to face it you sat criss cross giving the cat your full attention. You continued to scratch its head, listening to it purr.

Earlier you had received a letter from kazuha. A captain of a boat had approached you handing a letter out. You took it dropping mora in his hands.

'Hey' you whispered 'is it true you guys have nine lives?'

You giggled at your own question. Really why ask? You just liked the thought. It helped ease your thought on the death of melon, your senior cat.

Suddenly the wind picked up. You winced keeping quiet. All you heard was a small yes. Looking back at the cat it disappeared.

'Oh.' You gave a sad smile.

Hopping off the crate you walked away from the docks unaware of a shadow looking at you.

That night you were dancing. You were on the roof of your own home watching as Sara and her forces head off.

You heard thunder, lightning splitting the sky it eight different directions. The sky got darker. You looked down at the ground spotting someone.

They beckoned you forward. You smiled dropping from the building.

----

'Y/n?' Sara looked at you, but signora took her out.

You were laying on the floor hands tied,eyes closed. You weren't knocked out. You could hear everything around you. You heard the conversation.

You replayed an earlier conversion.

----

'You know why right?' Thw person asked.

'To show why I'm not suffering' you said quietly. 'To clear kazuhas name.'

'Good. In two days I'll becoming by to get you.' The person said.

You nodded.

---

So you set the plan in motion Turing yourself in. The Raiden Shogun wanting to punish you.

Your thought were cut when you heard the traveler voice. The next words out of their mouth made you fear.

Suddenly you felt your self being dragged. It hurt.

The Raiden shogun had dragged you away from the fight.

'You still need to be punished.' She said. 'I can not risk you getting hurt.'

You whimpered at the burning pain. She dropped you on the floor a sense of relief on whatever was burning.

The room started getting colder, you could hear la signora talking, ice shattering, maniacal laughter bouncing off the walls.

Suddenly the room got hot. You heard fire crackling. The floor started getting warmer. You heard a sword clash against something.

Then silence. Footsteps receded towards the traveler and signora. Signora screaming no, screaming about the tsarista. Then silence.

A few minutes later you heard the words.

'I'll allow you to leave tenshukaku.' She said.

Plan in motion.

All you had to do was wait patiently. Yae miko would come get you. Yoy watched as the Raiden shogun disappeared. The door opened quietly. The pink hair kitsune poking her head inside.

'Are you ready?' She asked approaching you quickly. 'Why do you have a rug burn on your back?'

'The almighty shogun' you mumbled. 'Got dragged across the floor becuaee of the traveler and signora fighting. She didn't want me harmed.'

You sat up rubbing your wrists. They were slightly bruised, and sore.

'This plan better work. She going to execute me of it fails.' You said.

'It won't I promise.' She said 'Come. We have a plan to complete.'

You nodded following the kitsune.

-----

'Already? Your cutting it quiet close you know.'

The traveler looked at yae miko behind her was you. You were approaching them holding out something.

'Yae miko? What are they doing here?' The Raiden pointed at you.

'This is y/n. The first vision you took away was them.' Yae miko said. 'But for odd reason their personality remained the same. Even after taking their vision away.'

The two women looked at you. The traveler back on their feet.

You gave yae miko one last look before taking your leave. The trio watched as you disappear.

You were met with the sounds of weapons clashing, soliders from both sides shouting orders, screaming.

You saw blood everywhere. You stopped by one solider. Kneeling next to them you heard their words asking for help as you put pressure on his wound.

'It'll be over. Keep quiet.' You said to him. 'It'll be over soon.'

As the words left your mouth the rain stopped. Lighting ceased. Suddenly you felt a surge of power. One you haven't felt in a year. One that felt refreshing.

'Ah they did it.' Yoy said as a gaint wave came crashing over tenshukaku.

It flooded the area washing away the blood healing the wounded. The solider shoulder healing. You got up walking away as another waved followed repeating the process.

Kazuha looked up as a third wave came over the building.

'This feels familiar' He smiled.

'Its y/n's healing ability' Gorou said as the wave came down.

The water was gentle, warm. The boys looked as a otter made of water approached. You came into view. Looking around you spotted a familiar red orange streak. The owner turned and looked at you.

Everything went silent, as you launched yourself off the stair towards him. Gorou turning around as your lips crashed into kazuha. He wrapped his arms around you. Kazuha accepted the kiss tightening his arms around you waist. You pulled away needing air after a minute.

'Kazuha' you cried.

'Yes dear I'm here.' He said hugging you. 'I'm here.'

-----

'You are a little troublemaker.'kazuha laughed as you explained the nickname. 'Don't climb the building anymore.'

'OK ok.' You giggled.

'So have you decide' He asked.

'I decided long ago.' You replied hoping off the wall. 'I'll go with you where ever the wing leads.'

Kazuha smiled doing the same. You held out your hydro vision as he held up a white laced ribbon. Lacing the ribbon through the vision, he tied it to your neck.

'Y/n. Tell me why you didn't act different when your vision was taken.' He said looking at you.

'Easy. You and dance.' You said.

Kazuha smiled.

'Shall we dance then?' He asked holding his hand out.

'We shall.' You smiled.

The two danced next to the sea as the sun set, the ribbons whipping around them.

[calierez]

Ice Skating

"Everything's going to be okay, right?" Leo had been doing nothing but trying to calm his girlfriend down since morning, though he couldn’t quite understand why she was so nervous—there really wasn’t anything to worry about.

With Christmas approaching soon, a new ice rink had opened near the center of Indianapolis. Not many people knew about it yet, so it was relatively quiet, something Leo and Calypso had to take advantage of.

"I’ve never stood on these in my life," the brunette complained as she tied her pure white skates. Her hands shook as she made the last knot and stood up on the unfamiliar footwear. She nearly lost her balance but quickly extended her arms and barely managed to stay on her feet.

Leo smiled at her proudly. "See, that's the first step to success."

"Save the philosophical crap, Valdez!"

She tossed her caramel-colored braid over her shoulder and exhaled as she finally steadied herself on the skates. She was relieved she hadn’t fallen yet. Not just because she hated falling, but also because she absolutely did not want to embarrass herself in front of her boyfriend. She had been living in the mortal world for just under a year, getting acquainted with many new things, but she was starting to feel extremely self-conscious. Calypso wondered how long it would take before Leo lost patience with her.

She was staring at the ground, but when she heard a creaking sound, she looked up just in time to face him. The brunette placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, his expression somewhat worried. "It’s going to be okay, alright?" She wanted to push his hand away. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks, and she didn’t doubt for a second that she must look like a chili pepper to him now. She looked down at the ground again.

"Where are your skates?" she asked, frowning at him.

"In the bag."

"Then put them on," she crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a slightly annoyed look. Surely he wasn’t planning to leave her to do this alone, was he?

Leo looked reluctant, clearly not eager to do so. It had been a long time since he last stood on skates, and many times it hadn’t gone well. Growing up in Houston, where it was constantly warm, getting to an ice rink was a rare opportunity, and when he was a bit older, he occasionally went skating with his school. A memory flashed through his mind of his first high school, where he went skating with Piper and Jason. Jason. Leo blinked sadly. Even that wasn’t a real memory. He really hated Hera for messing with his mind like that.

Calypso noticed his expression and hobbled closer to him, placing her hand on his chest. The young man had grown a lot recently, so she could no longer tease him about being short. She had to tilt her head to look into his eyes. She placed her hand on his cheek and gently stroked it. "I’m not going anywhere without you."

He smirked. "No?"

"No."

"What if it starts melting under me, huh?" he raised an eyebrow at her, curious about what she would say. "It definitely won’t. You're not that hot," she smiled so sweetly that her eyes sparkled. Those beautiful brown eyes. Oh God, how he loved them. How he loved her. She turned her back to him and crouched down by the bench, reaching for the bag and pulling out a pair of black leather skates.

"Be careful," Leo reminded her, as he was quite worried that she might accidentally cut herself on the blades. She motioned for him to sit down. "You’re not actually going to put them on for me, are you?" he laughed as he plopped down on the wooden bench, and she gave him a strange look. "Why not?"

He smirked. "Okay, Mom," Valdez teased her, earning himself a poke in the side. He yelped, but he noticed how the former goddess tried to hide her smile while tying his left skate. He absolutely loved making her laugh. Under any circumstances. "You little idiot," she murmured with a smile. "Whoever isn’t funny lives in vain," he shrugged. She sighed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, and moved on to his right foot, finishing it just as quickly as the first one.

When Calypso tied the lace, she stood up, proud of herself for staying so balanced on her skates. She held out her hand to her boyfriend. Leo took it and let her help him up. The skates felt strange, but not painfully so, so he figured it was fine. The feeling of putting them on for the first time at the ice rink came back to him.

Calypso saw the familiar melancholy in his eyes and knew it all too well.

His cheeks warmed slightly, and a swarm of butterflies exploded in his stomach as he realized how close he was to his beautiful girlfriend. He lowered his head to get a little closer to the brunette. Their noses almost touched. Calypso smiled and then pulled back, saying, "So, shall we go?"

He wasn’t sure whether to feel disappointed, but he brushed it off and squeezed her hand, not letting go since she’d helped him to his feet. She led him to the ice rink, where a pleasant, soft music wafted along with the noise of other people.

She expected the ice to be slippery and for her foot to slide as soon as she took a step, but that didn’t happen. Instead, she stayed in place, getting used to the new environment. Leo’s warm hand gave her comfort and even courage. Thanks to him being there, she didn’t feel like giving up.

She lifted her chin to glance at him through her lashes. Leo slowly stepped onto the ice and held his ground just as well as she did. He let go of her, and the brunette’s eyes widened in panic as she quickly grabbed onto the barrier, which was less than a meter away. She held on tightly with both hands while watching Leo start to skate. She admired how well he managed and felt a pang of discomfort under her ribs. She wanted to give him some time to get used to the ice and remember how to skate, but she was also afraid he might abandon her. She tried to move her foot, but she felt the blades under her feet sliding strangely across the ice and clung even more tightly to the barrier.

"Sunshine!"

She turned at the sound of his cheerful voice. He was grinning mischievously at her from his spot in the middle of the rink. It looked like he’d already gotten the hang of his skates and had learned to move on them again. People swirled around him, either by themselves or with their loved ones and children. She wished they could skate like that too. But she could barely take a step.

"Come on, Cal!" he shouted to her, waving. She closed her eyes tightly, hesitating whether to let go or not. Why had she never learned to skate during her long, divine life? Why had it never occurred to her? She cursed herself for it, but now she had no choice but to learn. Calypso held onto the barrier with one hand, placing one foot in front of the other. She didn’t have the courage to move more yet and wanted to get used to the surface under her feet like this.

"You're doing great, sweetheart!" She heard her boyfriend’s voice as he skated over to her. He looked so natural. And she felt a bit annoyed with him. "You told me you didn’t know how to skate."

"No, no," he argued. "I said I hadn’t done it in a long time," he smirked.

"What’s the difference?"

"Running out of arguments?"

"You’re an idiot," that was the only thing he understood because, in the next moment, Calypso started cursing in Minoan, and Leo couldn’t understand a word.

He smiled. She always did that when she felt cornered. He gently took her hand. "Let go," he advised, and to his surprise, she listened. He took her other hand and tried to guide her. "You have to do it like this." He moved his feet in a way that made it clear what he wanted her to do. "Kind of push off," he explained. She tried to mimic the movement. "You push off with one foot, glide, and push off with the other. It’s nothing."

"I’d say it’s a lot," she mumbled sulkily, but she did exactly what Leo wanted her to do. "See?" praised Hephaestus’s son as soon as he noticed. It always brought him immense joy when Cal learned something new, whether it was from him or someone else. "Now try it on your own."

As soon as he said it, she looked at him desperately, uncertain if she could manage it alone.

He offered her a reassuring smile and skated backward almost to the center of the rink so he could still see her. Don’t be afraid, he mouthed to her. She hated it when he did that. She had just found her balance, and he was already pushing her like this. She inhaled through her nose and then exhaled. Alright, she told herself. There’s definitely nothing hard about this—just push, glide, push.

She took a better position and moved her push-off foot back, which shifted her slightly forward. It wasn’t much, but it was definitely some progress. She did the same with the other foot and smiled. She lifted her head and found her boyfriend with her eyes. "Leo! I’m skating!" she screamed at him, ecstatic.

"Good job!" Leo praised her, his heart nearly skipping a beat as he watched her. He was so proud of her. But then, suddenly, he lost his balance and flopped onto the ice. Damn gravity, he cursed inwardly.

Calypso miraculously managed to skate over to him and plopped down beside him, grinning like the sun.

"Hey, looks like you did it," he said.

"Seems like it," she replied.

The girl leaned in and gently kissed him on the lips. In that moment, Leo realized he was warming up. He could slowly feel the ice beneath him starting to melt, but right now, he didn't care if he ended up with a wet backside because it was totally worth it.