#and there is likely not going to be another chance to get pre-graduate work in this area

[thriftdyke]

applying for internships (🤮) and so far I’ve gotten 2 responses… one is paid but I might have to work with children (yikes) and the other is for a church that does art stuff with a women’s prison (yippee) that is probably not paid…. if it comes down to deciding between being paid to work with a population I hate* or being exploited to work with a population I love I’m gonna have to have words with God

[starrrcane]

The Underworld Beneath Piltover chapter one:The surface

Summery: Sevika x nurse!reader who has graduated from a university in Piltover and has been stationed in the Undercity to provide services to those who cannot afford it, where she meets sevika.

Warning: none for this chapter. But eventual smut

Notes: this is my first multiple chapter fanfiction, if this does well I might actually write multiple parts. This takes place pre-act one season 1

Piltover had always been a city of stark contrasts—gleaming towers of progress, their glass facades reflecting an unyielding sun, while the Underbelly beneath it writhed in shadow. The bustle of innovation and intellect existed above, while violence, desperation, and survival ruled the depths below. But for you, freshly graduated from the prestigious medical university of Piltover, there was only one truth: the city was a place of opportunity. It was a chance to prove your worth, to be a part of something larger, something that would make your parents proud. That is, until your advisors handed you a peculiar assignment.

"Go to the Undercity," they had said, with a sort of dismissive finality. "We have an agreement with a businessman named Silco. He runs some operations down there, and you’ll be helping with whatever injuries his people get into."

Silco. A name you had heard whispered in huddled corners, spoken with a reverence that both intrigued and unsettled you. You had expected it to be just another simple job—work with the injured, make your rounds, keep the peace.

You were wrong.

---

The hum of the city above was a distant murmur as you stepped off the rickety elevator that took you into the depths of Zaun, the Underworld where little sunlight reached, and the air was thick with the smell of chemicals and oil. The people here lived in constant struggle—fighting for their survival, for any scrap of hope in a city that seemed to ignore them.

At first glance, the place was dark, chaotic, and a little terrifying, but the further you ventured, the more you realized it was a world of its own—raw, dangerous, but oddly familiar. A place where only the strongest survived, and in your case, the most skilled healer.

"Welcome to your new home," said a voice from behind you, cool and composed.

You turned to see a woman—tall, with dark hair, and an aura that radiated control and authority. Her eyes, however, were sharp, like knives. Sevika.

She was Silco’s right hand women. You had heard of her, of course, the enforcer, the one who kept things running smoothly in the shadows of Zaun. Her reputation preceded her: cold, efficient, and—at least from what you had gathered—somehow untouchable.

"Silco has assigned me to show you around," Sevika continued, her tone as neutral as ever, though there was a slight edge to it that suggested she wasn’t exactly thrilled by the task. "Don’t expect any luxury here. This isn’t Piltover."

Her eyes narrowed as she glanced at you, though there was no clear sign of animosity. Just... wariness. A wariness that somehow felt more personal than professional.

"I don’t need a tour," you said, trying to meet her gaze with equal intensity. You could handle this. You had been trained for this. "Just point me to where I’ll be staying."

"Right down the hall." Sevika gestured toward a door that was far less polished than what you were accustomed to, but you would make do. You had no choice.

"And I assume you’ll be living nearby," you added, though it was more of a statement than a question. You had heard about her proximity to Silco’s operations, and the way people spoke of her hinted at a strange, almost familial bond.

She paused, just for a second, before nodding. "Right next door."

The words hung between you, their meaning ambiguous, like a challenge in disguise.

Sevika turned on her heel and walked away, her heavy boots clicking against the steel floor. You followed her down the hallway, your mind racing. There was something about her—the way she carried herself, the way her eyes lingered for just a fraction of a second too long on your face—that made you uneasy. But there was more to it than that. There was an unspoken tension, a magnetic pull between you that you couldn't quite define.

---

Later that evening, in the solitude of your apartment, you began to unpack your things. The room was sparse, though functional—a bed, a small desk, a few shelves for supplies. You could almost hear the hum of the city outside, the pulse of it echoing in the walls. But it was quieter here than it had been in Piltover. The silence felt almost oppressive.

The window overlooking the dim streets of Zaun cast a pale light over your work, and for the first time, you allowed yourself to think about what you had gotten into. This was no ordinary assignment. Silco wasn’t just a businessman, as your advisors had suggested. He was a kingpin, a figure in the underworld of Zaun who controlled everything from crime to the very air they breathed. And you were here to heal his people—his *henchmen*, as some called them.

A knock at your door interrupted your thoughts.

You opened it to find Sevika standing in the hallway, her arms crossed over her chest, as if she were weighing whether or not to speak.

"I’ll be going on a supply run tonight," she said, her voice low. "We’re going to need you to patch up some of the boys once we get back. Nothing too severe, but... be ready."

You nodded, still uncertain about the woman who stood before you. She was cold, distant, and appeared to have no interest in making friends with you. But there was something about the way she stood, the way her gaze flicked over you with a strange intensity.

She was trying not to care.

"Sure. I’ll be ready," you replied, though you couldn’t help but notice the way her eyes lingered on you for a moment longer than necessary before she turned away.

"Good," Sevika said, her voice just a little softer than before. "Don’t get too comfortable. The Undercity has a way of breaking people."

And with that, she walked off down the hall, disappearing into the darkness of the night.

---

In the silence that followed, you couldn’t shake the feeling that something had shifted. Sevika was difficult to read, but you could feel the tension between you—subtle, unspoken, yet undeniable. She was trying her best not to like you, to keep her distance, to remain indifferent. But that was fine, you thought. You didn’t need her approval. You had your own mission.

Still, the more time you spent in the Underworld, the more you realized that there were some things—some people—that couldn’t be ignored.

And Sevika... Sevika was definitely one of them.

[stars-tonight]

hi! congrats on 100 followers!!! 🎉🥳 for the event could i do milkshakes and gossip pls? thank you! ^^

STUDY DATE (FT. SAKUSA KIYOOMI)

milkshake -> sakusa kiyoomi

gossip -> study date

synopsis: one would think sakusa kiyoomi would be decent at studying. pre-timeskip, pre-established relationship, fluff

word count: 610

“come on, ‘omi, you have to focus.” you gently tap your boyfriend’s homework, which is spread out--undone, mind you--across his desk. sakusa is mindlessly spinning his pencil around in his hand, staring out the window. he had asked you to come over to his house to help him study today. you had agreed, although you’re starting to think you definitely should’ve guessed beforehand that no homework would be done on sakusa’s part.

sakusa blinks as you bring him back down to earth. “huh? oh.” he scowls as he looks away from the window and back down at his papers. “i am focusing.”

you sigh, exasperated. he had been staring at his english worksheet for the past hour. you had already finished your chemistry lab and your history homework. you have to put your foot down. “if you don’t start focusing, i won’t come to your game tomorrow. and i know it’s an important one.” itachiyama is set to play fukurōdani, another huge powerhouse team from tokyo, tomorrow, for a spot at this year’s spring nationals tournament.

sakusa’s eyes snap over to you. “you can’t do that,” he complains. “you promised you’d come to all of my games. and we’re almost at the finals.”

if there was one thing you would never think you’d see sakusa kiyoomi do, it was puppy dog eyes. but the look he gives you right now might just count. “i’m not good at english,” he mutters. “and you’re not helping me anymore.”

you sigh again. “i gave you all of my vocab flashcards two weeks ago,” you say. “it’s your job to actually look at them. if you don’t look at them, of course you’re not going to learn anything, and of course you’re going to have trouble doing the homework.”

sakusa rolls his eyes. “japanese people don’t need to know english,” he insists. “i’m not planning on going abroad after high school. i’ll play for the japanese team. i’m not like wakatoshi-kun, he’s planning on going to europe.”

“ushijima-san is going to europe?” you set down your pencil and lean forward in interest. “to play volleyball?”

“he’s considering it,” sakusa says. “he told me he’s received some offers and is looking into a team in poland. but he’ll probably stay in japan for a few years after graduation before going abroad.”

“poland? can he even speak polish?”

“no. he’ll have to spend a few years learning.”

“see,” you say, “even ushijima-san is going to learn another language. and before you say that it’s for his career, you have to learn english for school. it’s similar. so focus. come on.” you tap his paper again.

he sighs roughly. “five more minutes,” he bargains. “tell me what you’re working on now.” he eyes your paper.

“statistics,” you say. “you know, normal distributions, standard deviations?” your eyes sparkle. “it’s one of my favorite subjects.”

sakusa definitely doesn’t know. but it’s a strategy to waste time and stall before you get on him again about doing his work. and you’re interested in it.

“oh, yeah?” he sets his pencil down. “read me some stats.”

that’s not exactly how it works, but you don’t tell him that. “hmm, let’s see. . .” you twirl your pencil around your fingers and tap your chin with it thoughtfully. “there’s a ten percent chance you’ll finish your homework on time, and a ninety percent chance you’ll get over twenty-five kills tomorrow, and a zero percent chance that i’ll miss your game. and. . .”

“and?” sakusa prompts.

you look at him slyly. “and a hundred percent chance that, even though you’re awful at studying and don’t know how to say ‘stupid’ in english, i love you.”

[slutforsilverfoxes]

Dinner and a Show

A/N: Ask and you shall receive, loves 🖤

English has always been your favorite subject. There’s something magical about the way twenty-six letters woven together in just the right combination can have a story coming to life, painting a picture behind your eyelids as your brain processes the lines on the page before you. It’s why you applied for graduate school as an English major.

But if your professor uses the phrase duality of man one more time, you might just blow your brains out.

You find yourself doodling random patterns in the corner of your notebook as your thoughts drift to a certain brooding brunette who would likely have much to say about Dostoevsky’s protagonist.

The unsub is a white male, twenty to thirty years old, with narcissistic personality disorder who struggles to reconcile his mediocre place in society with what he believes to be an above-average intelligence. 

Your phone buzzing on the desk beside you breaks you out of your reverie, and you flip it over to see a notification from your bank. A grin threatens to split your face in half as you open your messaging app and scroll down to AH 🖤.

Were your ears ringing? I was just thinking about you 😍

Before you have a chance to lock your phone, the speech bubble pops up and taunts you with its three flashing dots. It disappears, reappears, and then your phone buzzes once more.

I know you have class. Pay attention.

Says the guy who just distracted me with a nice little pre-weekend deposit

Is that your way of saying thank you, brat?

You feel a familiar heat prickling the back of your neck and take a quick look around to make sure your classmates are focused on the lecture. Hiding your phone in your lap, you hunt through recent pictures until you find a specific photo: a shot of your body from the neck down, clad in a lacy red set that barely counts as underwear. Attaching the image to your text, you shoot back a response.

No Daddy... THIS is 🥰

Shuffling from all around you alerts you to the fact that class has mercifully ended, and you stand to gather your things, slipping your phone into the back pocket of your jeans. You make plans to meet up with a classmate at a coffee shop on Sunday to peer edit each other’s final papers for the course, then start your trek to the parking lot. As you approach your car, your phone begins vibrating incessantly and you tuck it between your ear and shoulder after accepting the call. “House of Hotchner’s whores, how may I serve you today?”

You receive an exasperated sigh in response, but you can hear the grin behind it. “What if it wasn’t me on the other end, hm?”

Climbing into the driver’s seat, you give your phone a moment to connect to the Bluetooth system before firing back, “No one else calls me, old man.”

“This old man can easily revoke the allowance he just gave you.” He speaks in a low murmur, and you can’t help but wonder if he’s making this illicit call from his office.

“Wow,” you laugh warmly, “you just went from Daddy to Dad in record time.”

“Please, for both of our sakes, don’t ever say that again.” Another laugh punches out of you and you relent, “Deal.” Then, after a beat, “Are you still coming over tonight?”

He sighs again, this time with true remorse. “No, angel, I’m sorry. We just got a case out in LA.”

“Alright, go save the world, Mister Unit Chief,” you tease. “I’ll do the hard work of keeping you entertained while you’re gone.”

His voice drops even lower, now tinged with a gruffness that sends a bolt of heat through your body. “Thank you, Princess. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

“I know you will,” you purr, knowing that the longer wait will make your reunion all the more satisfying. “Be safe.”

“Always.” You go to hang up the phone but pause when you hear him take a breath. “Princess?”

“Hm?”

“Get something purple this time.”

_____

Several hours and a stupid amount of money to be spent in one shopping spree later, you trundle up the stairs to your second floor apartment, arms laden with shopping bags. You let yourself in before closing and locking the door behind you, then head down the hallway to drop your purchases off in your bedroom. After a luxurious bath to wash the grime of the week away, you pull on one of Aaron’s t-shirts from your steadily growing collection and are preparing to settle on the couch to peruse takeout options when a knock sounds at the door. As if on cue, your phone lights up on the nightstand with a text.

Dinner’s on me, angel. Sorry I’m not there to enjoy it with you.

A pleasant warmth settles in your bones at Aaron’s thoughtfulness, and you open the door to find a delivery from your favorite Vietnamese restaurant and a bottle of Moscato to accompany it. After getting comfortable with your dinner on the couch, you hunt through your rented movies for the Fifty Shades trilogy and press play before typing out a response.

Keep spoiling me like this and I won’t know how to act

You’re my Princess- You deserve to be spoiled.

A giggle bubbles out of you and you resist the urge to kick your feet like a teenager with a raging crush. Instead, you opt for a much more dignified reply.

Thank you Daddy 🥰

With twenty minutes remaining in the sequel, feeling emboldened by several glasses of wine and the content playing before you, you send another text to Aaron.

I can’t wait to show you what I spent all your hard earned money on today 😘

He has yet to answer by the time the credits are rolling and you recall that, much to your dismay, he’s three hours behind you and probably still at the local precinct. Deciding that you’ll read to pass the time, you finish off your wine and put your leftovers in the fridge before heading to your bedroom. You open up a video call on your laptop and send an invitation to join to Aaron, then settle back against your pillow with your latest novel.

A few chapters in, you recognize that trying to distract yourself is a feeble affair when your eyes gloss over the same paragraph several times in a row. Giving up on the book, you place it on your nightstand and let your hands wander your body just as Aaron’s would. Wearing his shirt has you cocooned in his distinct smell, and you can’t help but close your eyes and imagine he’s there with you, touching you, teasing you. Desperately wishing it was his large hands caressing your curves instead of your own, you gently cup your breasts and roll your nipples between your fingers, hips arching upward of their own accord in search of some friction. You ignore the budding heat between your thighs, continuing to play with your nipples and enjoying the way the soft fabric of Aaron’s shirt heightens every sensation. Before long, soft pants are falling past your lips and your panties are soaked with your arousal.

One hand comes down to grip the edge of Aaron’s shirt as the other dips beneath the band of your underwear. You take it slow, drawing languid circles around your core, and you can practically hear the low rumble of his voice against the shell of your ear, telling you that You haven’t earned it yet. Sliding your middle finger between your folds, you try to imagine it’s Aaron’s thick cock, right where you want it but not giving in. He loves to watch you fall apart before he’s even inside you, letting your slick gather along his cock, the tip nudging against your clit now and then. The very thought has a low whine building in your throat, and you brush the pad of your finger over your sensitive button to draw out the fantasy.

Unable and unwilling to deny yourself any longer, you hook your thumbs into your panties and shimmy them down your legs, kicking them off across the room. Your middle finger circles your nub once more, and then you ease two fingers into your core until your knuckles stop you from pressing any further. You whimper at the sensation, pleased with the fullness but frustrated it’s just not right, aching for Aaron to work his magic on your body. Letting out a determined huff, you clamp down on your bottom lip and begin working your fingers in and out of your pussy in earnest, your other hand coming down to collect your slick and spread it over your nub. You dig your heels into the mattress, raising your hips to try and mimic the angle of Aaron fucking into you, steadily increasing the speed of your fingers as pathetic little mewls fall past your parted lips. Your whines turn into full blown moans, and your cries are rising in pitch when you realize you’re no longer alone.

“Got tired of waiting for me, huh, Princess?”

Putting a pause on your self-care, you blink the haze of arousal out of your bleary eyes and find Aaron seated at a desk, presumably in his hotel room. His tie hangs loosely around his neck, the top two buttons of his crisp white button down undone and showing off a tantalizing sliver of chest. His mouth is set in a hard line in an attempt at disapproval, but even through the slightly grainy image you can spot the gleam in his smoldering eyes.

Using your foot to nudge the laptop between your legs, you give Aaron a clear view of your fingers resuming their path of easing in and out of your soaking wet pussy. You simper, “Just getting warmed up for you, Daddy.”

“What a good girl,” he breathes out, gaze locked on your core. “Turn towards me, let me see all of you.”

You obediently change positions, scooting your laptop back so he can see a majority of your body, and his breath hitches when he spots the shirt you have on. “Is that mine?”

You draw your bottom lip between your teeth, eyes fluttering shut as your middle finger circles your clit, and nod. “I hope you don’t- fuck- mind. Smells like you.”

“Whatever makes my little girl happy,” he says, and you nearly purr at the name. When you open your eyes again, you pout at the sight of him still in the same position. He picks up on your disappointment immediately and asks, “What is it?”

“Can you-” Your cheeks grow warm with a sudden shyness and you duck your head before softly requesting, “Wanna see you, Daddy.”

He raises one eyebrow at you, arms crossed, fixing you with that look. “Daddy’s right here for you to see. Use your words and tell me what you really want.”

A shudder races down your spine at his commanding tone coupled with your thumb brushing over your clit, and you suddenly find your voice. “What I really want is your fingers in my mouth and your fat cock in my pussy but-” A wanton moan interrupts your thought as your fingers curl against the perfect spot. “Right now I’d settle for just seeing your cock.”

“Was that so hard?”

You smirk at him as he rises from the desk and moves to the bed, settling in a reflection of your position with the laptop beside him. “Not as hard as you are right now.”

“Bold of you to assume, little one.” He laughs at how quickly you’ve adopted your brazen attitude, the sound rich and warm as it fills every corner of your bedroom.

“Tell me I’m wrong,” you challenge, slowly drawing your fingers out of your pussy.

You hear him unzip his work slacks, the familiar sound sending yet another bolt of heat to your core, before he growls out, “I can’t.”

“Oh fuck,” you breathe out, utterly mesmerized by the sight before you. Aaron is lazily fisting his rock hard cock, pausing to swipe his thumb over the head and gather the precum there before gliding his hand down to the base and gently squeezing until the vein on the underside is pulsing and your mouth is watering. Your body responds instinctively, walls clenching around nothing and desperate to be filled, your clit throbbing with need. Gathering the fresh wave of arousal dripping down your thighs, you press your fingers back into your hole and let out a frustrated cry. “It’s not enough.”

“Look at me,” Aaron says, his voice gentle but commanding, always in tune with what you need. You lift your gaze to meet his on the screen and he continues, “You’re not going to bed until we get you to cum, do you understand?”

You nod, and he praises you with a small smile. “Here’s what’s going to happen, Princess,” he begins, your eyes tracking his every movement as he slowly works his hand over his length. “You’re going to put three fingers in your mouth- go ahead, do it now,” he encourages, waiting for you to place your index, middle, and ring fingers in your mouth before continuing, “and get them nice and wet for me. Close your eyes and imagine they’re mine. Can you do that for me, baby girl?”

You close your eyes and mumble an affirmative around your fingers while your head drops into a nod, the taste of your own arousal bursting over your tongue as you swirl it around the digits. “Such a good girl,” Aaron coos, and you once again clench around nothing at the pride woven through his words. “You just love having my fingers in your mouth, don’t you?”

“Mhm,” you cry, the sound muffled by your digits as drool slips out between the corner where your lips meet.

“Now take your fingers out of your mouth and let me see those beautiful eyes.” You do as he says, eager to please, and Aaron lets out a ragged, “Fuck,” at the sight of your lust-blown pupils framed by delicate lashes. “Slide your fingers into that pretty little pussy all the way, then hold still for me. Just like when I’m fucking you, yeah, Princess?”

Your mouth drops open and you take a shuddering breath at the stretch. “Now what?”

“You’re going to watch me and do exactly what I do. Your fingers, my cock. Got it?” A slow grin spreads across your face and you nod eagerly, understanding his premise. He slides his fist up the length of his cock and you ease your fingers out of your pussy, perfectly matching his unhurried pace. “Good girl,” Aaron breathes out, “just like that.”

He slowly builds up to a steady rhythm, the sound of his fist repeatedly meeting his pelvis joining with your fingers pulsing in and out of your sopping cunt to form a depraved symphony. You watch your lover on the other side of the country, transfixed by the way his typical stoicism is dissolving before you into guttural moans and hedonistic cries of your name. He bites down on his lip, determined to not break eye contact with you as you both fight the urge to squeeze your eyes shut from pure pleasure. Aaron tugs his tie off and tosses it away, then hurriedly unbuttons his shirt, all the while working his fist over his length. Even in the dim lighting of his hotel room, you can see the sheen of sweat coating his skin, and saliva pools in your mouth at the thought of running your tongue over every delicious inch of him when he returns home. You tell him as much, in vivid detail, and he releases a low groan that reverberates throughout your room.

“I’m so close, Daddy,” you whine, and you see his pace beginning to falter as well.

“I know you are, Princess. Doing so well for me,” he pants, now squeezing the base of his cock on every downstroke. With Aaron, you always come first- in every sense of the word. “I need you to cum for me. Need you to clench that pretty pussy around my cock so I can fill you up. That’s what you want, isn’t it, baby?”

“Fuck yes,” you cry out, feeling your walls clamp down around your fingers in response to his words. “Gonna be a good girl for you, Daddy,” you babble, “always wanna be your good girl.” Your entire body tenses and your breath stutters in your throat just before the coil deep in your belly snaps and a desperate cry of Aaron’s name bounces off the walls of your bedroom. His moans grow louder and longer, his cock feverishly thrusting up into his hand until he finally gives in to his orgasm, thick ropes of cum coating his hand and stomach.

Lying back in bed to give yourself a few beats to calm your erratic breathing, you quip, “I don’t think I’ve ever been so jealous of a hand before.”

You hear Aaron’s warm laugh from a distance and then he’s filling your screen once more, now clean and fully sans clothing. “Trust me when I say the feeling is mutual.”

Propping yourself up on one elbow, you smile at the handsome man before you. “You know what my next purchase is gonna be?”

“Enlighten me.”

“A mold of your cock so I’m never without you.”

“Absolutely not,” he scoffs immediately. “Then you won’t need me anymore.”

“Of course I’ll still need you! Who else is going to fund my lavish lifestyle?”

He grunts, unenthused, the hint of a smile making his lips twitch. “Brat.”

You scrunch your nose in delight and grin at him. “Thank you for my little shopping spree today. And for tonight, of course.”

“My pleasure, angel,” he answers warmly. “Same time tomorrow, if our case continues on this trajectory.”

With a playful laugh, you tease, “You wish.”

He grows serious, mouth setting in a hard line. “I’m sorry, Princess, you mistook that for a question- it wasn’t.”

“Yes, sir, Mister Unit Chief,” you respond through a nervous giggle with a mock salute.

“That’s my girl,” he breaks into a soft smile once more. “Get yourself cleaned up, drink some water, and get a good night’s rest, okay?”

You nod obediently and blow him a kiss. “Goodnight, Aaron.”

“Goodnight, beautiful.” You go to exit the call, then stop when he calls your name, raising an eyebrow in question. “Save what you bought until I get home. I want to see you in my shirt again tomorrow.”

_____

Hotch taglist: @gothwifehotchner

[sichore]

I've been rattling around my own version of pre/earlyklok so here's what I've got so far:

Pickles has been chewed up and spat out by the industry after SnB, in ruin after faulty contracts made when he was too young to know what he was getting into. He's also extremely burned by not getting the residuals that he should have when he fucking made SnB what it was, and he's a struggling addict.

I don't know yet what all Magnus' deal is, but he never even made it that far and time is not on his side as far as the industry is concerned. So you've got a has-been and a would-be rock star meeting through the guy who would be Dethklok's first manager who think that hey, they could get something going here.

So you've got two guitarists, and maybe at some local joint, they hear a cover band, and holy shit this kid's got pipes. They approach Nathan and everyone gets drinks and he shares that he's always wanted a band (and deep down he knows that he has to have it), so fuck it, they're gonna make a band. And William's there too, I guess, because he's Nathan's buddy somehow, and they don't wanna waste energy on finding a bassist.

So they've got the start of a good thing but it's not quite there yet. None of the drummers they try have the right sound so finally Pickles is just like "fuck it, I'll do it" because he's had to do Sammy's parts so many times already, and... oh, hey, why the fuck is he bothering with the guitar again? This is where he belongs.

So now they gotta find another guitarist, and finding Skwisgaar is akin to finding a temple to a forgotten god. It's a crime that someone so talented should be regulated to rhythm guitar, but Pickles' last bit of money is fueling this, and Magnus has to have his way, so that's just how it goes.

And turns out Magnus' manager buddy who manages Skwisgaar seems a hell of a lot more competent than their current guy, so they got a new manager now. And it's rough, but it works. For a while.

Pickles runs himself ragged after Magnus is kicked out because it's all on him, this is his last shot and they've gotta make this work. And they give this scrawny kid from Norway a chance and he has Skwisgaar's approval, and then... everything starts to fall together.

Their growing fans become fanatic. People flock to them for work that borders on servitude, and money starts flowing in, and maybe now Pickles can relax a bit. Sure, the drugs may still kill him, but things are better now. He doesn't have to fight and scrape for what's rightfully his. He actually owns Dethklok this time along with the others, and life is... as good as it's gonna get.

And during all this, Nathan grows more confident in seeing his dream come true. No one knows when the shift happens, but he stops playing mediator and starts demanding things go this way and that way. Because it's his band.

And Pickles just lets him take over because sure, it's actually their band, but he's tired, man. He's just so tired of having to do things himself.

The rise of Dethklok happens over the span of 10-12 years, anywhere from 1994 to 2006. Snakes 'N' Barrels only lasted about 4-5 years and Pickles spent a handful of years remaking himself between gigs. Nathan and Murderface graduated high school in the late 80s/early 90s, and Toki is in his late 20s by the time the show starts.

[atlafan]

based off this blurb...

Why would someone ever want to be a lawyer? It’s three extra years of school, a ton of hard work and memorization, interning for no pay, and dealing with the politics of actually working at a firm. Growing up, there was a lot of pressure put on Blake to become something important. By important, her father meant someone of status in society. Apparently, doctors and lawyers are the only important people out there. Blake is squeamish, so becoming a doctor was not an option. So, her father pushed her into the lawyer  track.

In high school, Blake made sure to take advanced psychology, U.S. history, government, and public speaking courses. For undergrad, she went to Duke. She knew she would end up going to a law school in New England, so she wanted to get out and away for a bit. Besides that, Duke’s pre-law program is one of the best in the country. Blake couldn’t decide what law she wanted to practice, all she knew was that she couldn’t major in criminal justice. Her father told her to stay away from criminal law because, “there’s no money in it. If you’re going to break your back and work 80-hour weeks, at least make some money”.

So, she majored in business with a minor in pre-law. Most corporate high-paying firms deal with business and entertainment. Blake made sure to study public relations and media studies as well. Her father was pleased with her decisions. He was even more pleased when Blake was accepted into Harvard Law School. Three years of non-stop studying and hard work got her to be in the top ten of her graduating cohort. None of that really meant anything, though. Just because she was good at taking notes and applying her studies to cases didn’t mean she would excel at a firm. It didn’t mean she would excel in a boardroom. It didn’t mean shit.

Blake interned at a firm for two years while still in law school. That’s where she first met Harry. He was a junior associate at the time. He was one of the few associates that didn’t treat her like a secretary. It’s a man’s world. She knew that, of course, but it’s still annoying to live through it day after day. Harry never let his eyes wander, he never made lewd comments, and he certainly never crossed any lines that would warrant HR’s involvement. Harry had also gone to Harvard Law, so he was a great person to rant to about certain professors. Blake never minded working late if she was assigned to help Harry.

And of course she developed a crush on him, it would have been impossible not to. He’s funny and sweet and smart. He’s the total package. But Blake couldn’t take it further than friendship. There was a multitude of reasons why. She needed to stay focused. She didn’t have time for a relationship. Getting involved with an associate when you’re just an intern is a major no-no. And the biggest reason was that Harry was in a committed relationship. He was twenty-eight and engaged. He and his fiancé hadn’t set a date yet. He wanted to wait until he was bumped up to senior associate.

Blake never got the chance to find out when that wedding date was. When she entered her second year of interning, Harry had accepted a position at another law firm. He’d be a senior associate on the fast track to becoming a non-equity partner. He couldn’t pass that up. Blake thought of him often, but she didn’t think it would be appropriate for her to contact him just to see how he was. However, she did find it appropriate to contact him three months before her law school graduation when she was applying for firms and she saw that he had, in fact, become a non-equity partner at a firm she really wanted to work for. She had his personal email, so why not?

Harry remembered Blake…just barely. But he recognized her name and was happy to see that she had made it through law school. He told her about an upcoming networking opportunity the firm would be having – some sort of “Spring Mixer”. Just about everyone from the firm would be there, including human resources, and it was open to prospective associates. She’d just have to pay a small fee for a ticket. Harry told her he’d take care of that because he knows how broke law students are. He told her to put the money towards a nice outfit, and business cards with her contact information on them.

Blake was nervous for the event. She knew how to network, but the event itself was at a really exclusive, swanky club. She had to spend a lot of money on a proper cocktail dress. Her father insisted on her buying a pair of red bottoms as well. She thought it was excessive, but she also knows that first impressions are everything. Harry gave her his contact information so he could meet her at the entrance. She was relieved when she saw him. They shook hands, and he guided her inside. He pointed out various people she would want to talk to if she wanted one of the open junior associate positions.

“Just so you know, I think you’ll at least get an interview.” He told her after handing her a seltzer with lime. He had mentioned it’s best to make it look like you’re drinking at these events. “Diversity, equity, and inclusion are hot buzzwords right now. You’re a woman and you’re Jewish, so you’re the perfect diverse candidate.”

“I’m a white woman, that’s not exactly diverse.” She muttered.

“No, but a lot of these old shits will think so. They’ll think they’ve done their part to meet their quota. It sucks, and I’m not a fan of it, but it’s something you’ll want to play up right now to help yourself stand out.”

Blake understood what Harry was saying. It wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out. She worked her way around the room, speaking with various equity partners and management partners, giving out her business cards and making herself look good. She dropped Harry’s name a few times, which many people smiled at. Harry even told her she could use him as a reference for when she applied. She didn’t take that lightly. She didn’t take any of the night lightly.

When she got home that night, she immediately took out her blank cards, and wrote Harry a thank you. She wrote a number of thank you cards, but she made Harry’s much more personalized. These little things go a long way.

She applied to various law firms, but the only one she wanted to hear back from was Langley, West, Monroe, and Associates. That’s where Harry worked. And she wanted to work in their entertainment law division. It’s what she was most passionate about, but she also mentioned that she has expertise with business law as well.

Two weeks before graduating from Harvard Law, Blake got the call she had been waiting for. An interview. The interview led to a second interview, the second interview led to an offer, that offer led to negotiations, and the negotiations led to an acceptance of that offer.

Her father couldn’t have been more proud.

Blake and Harry work in the same division, often working on some of the same larger projects. Harry works one on one with quite a few sports agents. He helps the agents and the players go over their contracts. It’s simple stuff. He also does a lot of work with copyright and fair use laws, helping artists get their money, those sort of things. Blake usually helps with those. She loves getting to combine business and entertainment law. And thanks to all of her study skills over the years, her brain is like a search engine. She can whip out cases left and right to help her clients. The junior and senior associates usually all hang out together, some even live together. The only times Harry and Blake are at the same social gatherings is if there’s an event for the entire firm, or there’s business to be done. And since there’s always business to be done, neither of them have the time to talk about things in their personal lives when they’re working together. No, Blake saves those chats for her fellow associates over drinks and dinner. She’s made some good friends at the firm. She’s grateful.

{READ WHEN YOU'RE READY ON PATREON NOW}

[somethingusefulfromflorida]

I plan to go back to school next fall, so I have a little ovet fourteen months to master all seven subjects. I won't need two full months for algebra 1; cracking open the first chapter, it's all stuff like "here's what a plus sign means" and "variables look like letters, but they really stand for numbers!"

It won't hurt to brush up on factorization, but I think I can bang this one out in a week or two. All the better, because calculus kicked my ass in high school and it's not gonna be any easier now that I'm my own teacher. I passed it once (by the skin of my teeth), but have forgotten almost everything about it in the last decade, so I'll need the extra time to really get it down pat. I have to be able to derive and integrate in my sleep if I'm to stand half a chance at earning an astrophysics major. Astronomy would be slightly easier, but not by much, so I may as well go for gusto. The very first class astrophysics requires is calc 2, so I can't enroll until I'm 100% sure I know calc 1 forwards and backwards. Physics too, but physics and calc feel like two sides of the same coin, so I'll try to work on them at the same time (again, I managed to pull it off once, I'm sure I can do it again).

Chances are these Dummies books will be insufficient for me to grok all this math in one year, so I'll end up buying more textbooks, workbooks, study guides, SAT and AP prep, etc. I had plenty of cram sessions in my first go around at college, but nothing quite like this. This will be a herculean undertaking compared to the easy-A humanities program I coasted through originally. I had no motivation back then, no drive, no goal for "the real world" upon graduating. I went to college because it was expected of me, and I was told I needed it to get a good job. What I wasn't told is that not all majors are created equal; there's not a lot you can do with an English degree besides, well, teaching English. I just hope 14 months is enough time, because I would really prefer not to take another year off; 2024 is the ten year anniversary of when I started college the first time, so it would mean so much more to me if I started again that August rather than put it off until 2025.

I guess it doesn't matter in the end. If I'm not ready, I'm not ready. I can't force myself to start an extremely advanced program before I've mastered the pre-reqs. If I need to start later, so be it. As long as I'm consistently working towards my goal, it shouldn't matter how long it takes.

[melkyt]

Modern AU

Intern!Luffy, who works at the local college training under Ace before he can graduate with an EMT degree, trying to go into the field of fire rescue. So during the day he goes to class and at night, he gets those extra credits by being on call for any emergency.

He barely gets any sleep and is known as an absolutely feral cryptid on campus while also being kind cute. He is usually first on scene if there is a microwave mishap with some cup noodles.

Law is a pre-med student going for as many degrees as he can at once. He always runs around campus as though he is running out of time, and most people know to stay the fck out of his way. The only ones who ever hang out with him are Penguin, Shachi, and Bepo, and they do not go to the same college, either having a job or going to trade school. So they rarely hang out. Law will never admit it, but between all his studying in his room, he is lonely.

The only other person he has in his life is Cora. Officially, he is Law's foster uncle. unofficially, Cora has always been there for Law for any big events in his life. They are quite close, and Cora stops by any chance he gets to make sure Law is eating right. Since Cora doesn't have a job, due to his family name and not being able to get one due to his general lack of balance.

(I headcanon that Cora does have some sort of disability that causes vertigo and/or disrupts balance.)

Law at the end of a semester does really well on an exam, and Cora comes by to celebrate, despite Law's protests.

One thing leads to another, and a fire breaks out in Law's dorm. He gets Cora and himself out safely but runs in to get something that is important enough for him to risk his life. He gets trapped in the building, with no way to get out.

Luffy gets there fairly quickly with Ace, in time to stop Cora from going after Law.

Ace stays to do crowd control while Luffy scrambles up into the building to get to the control room so he can activate the secondary sprinkler system as the first ones did not seem to activate for one reason or another.

He manages to do it, and slowly, the fire is extinguished. Luffy then runs through the building until he finds Law, unconcious from inhaling too much smoke, clutching a picture that has his family on it. The only thing left of them.

Luffy carries Law out of the smoldering dorm rooms and lets Ace do all the vital checks, as he is not certified just yet. He could do it if need be if he wanted to risk his internship. If Ace wasn't there, he wouldn't hesitate.

While that's going on, Luffy talks to Cora, just chatting and taking thank you's.

Cora lets slip that Law doesn't have any friends, and that's why he came by to celebrate, but maybe he is being too much of a bother to Law.

Monkey *Every Needs Friends* Luffy is not about to let that slide.

Few days after the fire, Law is released from the hospital. Luffy, waiting for this moment, shows up at Law's door with food, walking in to Law's new dorm eoom, not yet decorated, as if he owns the place.

Law is too tired and hungry to kick him out. The food basket does have all of Law's favorites courtesy of Cora, who is all for the 'get Law to make friends' scheme.

Luffy does this every day or night if Law isn't around because of classes. He introduces Traffy to all of his friends and slowly gets him out of the nice safe shell Law has built.

Then it just happens, Law only remembers having a conversation about dating, but like Luffy barged in and said they were friends, one day that changed to boyfriends. Law found that he didn't mind.

He often thinks how glad he is that the fire happened and that he met Luffy, even years later when they graduate, move in together and work at the same hospital.

Law never considered himself a lucky man, but that night proved him wrong, as it let him find a place he could belong.

[floralseokjin]

⤑ 9 months to fall in love 22.

It seems like everyone around you is either already in love, or in the process of falling, and while normally you couldn’t give a damn, finding out the co-worker you’ve had a teensy crush on is dating someone else at the office seems to sucker punch you right in the gut. It’s stupid, and you’re irritated at yourself, but you can’t seem to shake out of the funk you’ve fallen face first in.

Feeling lonely and heartsore, and mad for no reason, during drinks with your best friend you spot a man at the bar. Tequila confident, you make your way over to the stranger, and successfully one thing leads to another. The next morning you leave before he’s woken up, feeling satisfied in one way, but still as discontented as ever. Telling yourself it was an inebriated mistake, you quickly try to forget about it.

Only, three weeks later that night comes back to haunt you – in a very unescapable way…

pairing; kim seokjin x f reader au/genre; unplanned pregnancy, strangers to lovers, slow burn, romance (dare I say romcom in places), smut, angst, (melo)drama, dual pov words; 5,057

warnings/includes (!) IT’S TIME! GLOB IS COMING!!!! 

⟶ ao3 link

*inspired by the manhwa ‘Positively Yours.’

note; The Astronaut is 1000% playing while they have their little slow dance during the party 🤧 Also, for visuals: here is the inspo for the photoshoot outfit and here’s inspo for the tux! 

↪︎ series index

SEASON THREE ⇤ previous | next ⇥

The next few weeks flew by. 

It took a while for you to stop feeling so shaken up by the accident, and even now, you still felt slightly nervous being inside a car. You knew you couldn’t let the irrational fear consume you, especially with your life soon to take on a new importance, so you tried hard to work past it, talking it through with your therapist during the online sessions you were still having. The collision had purely been an accident, a split-second mistake made by the other driver, a lapse in his judgment. You couldn’t give it the chance to control you. You were stronger than that. Plus, you had so many better things to concentrate on. Seokjin, your friends, your bettering relationship with your family. Your daughter. 

At first, being on maternity leave was jarring. You’d worked fulltime ever since you’d graduated university, so having countless days and days to yourself took some getting used to. Seokjin joked that you needed to make the most of it, because once Sarang got here you both wouldn’t know peace again. It was a strange thought, but not disagreeable. She might have been the surprise you’d never known you wanted, but you’d been practically ready and eager from the start. Seokjin, too. 

You busied yourself with some more decorating of the house at first. Minor decorating. You couldn’t do much, but dotting a few art pieces or photos around, placing a vase on an end table, and laying out a few rugs here and there didn’t use much energy. Until it did. It felt like you were getting heavier and heavier by the day, the weight of Glob weighing you down and warping your axis of balance. You tried your best to keep active, going into the centre of the city a couple of times, and when you couldn’t manage that – not that you managed it well pre-pregnancy – you settled on small walks around your new neighbourhood. Seokjin joined you in the evenings sometimes, but mostly on the weekend. He was still working himself silly ready for his paternity leave, which meant that you were both in bed by 9pm most nights. 

In fact, as well as going to bed early, you liked a nap in the middle of the day too, falling asleep on the couch, where you spent most of the day watching boxset upon boxset. You’d already completed a rewatch of one of your favourite shows, finding it even funnier than the first time a couple of years ago. Now, you were starting something new. A sitcom. You found laughing was the way to go in these trying times, but it also weakened your bladder even more. You’d also started playing BT21 – your bump was a great rest for the handheld console. You’d never been into gaming, but you were becoming mildly addicted slash emotionally unstable, crying at how cute all the animal characters were. 

On the weekends, you and Seokjin bulk cooked meals to freeze. What started off as a fun domesticated activity soon turned into a bind. The good news was that you now had enough food to last at least three months and had stocked up on enough dried goods to avoid starving during a zombie apocalypse. But hopefully that didn’t happen now that you were so close to giving birth. 

The nursery was complete, the beautiful crib the main feature. You kept finding any old excuse to step inside and gaze around – not that you needed an excuse. You spent quite a few hours organising and reorganising Sarang’s chest of drawers, folding and refolding all her little onesies and cute outfits. You made sure to dust and wipe down surfaces often, wanting everything to be squeaky clean for her arrival. Your hospital bag had long been packed, on countdown inside your bedroom. Before long, there wasn’t very long to wait at all! 

One of the worst things to deal with, now that you were in such a late stage of pregnancy, were the nights. Maybe that’s why you were napping so much in the day. No position was comfortable – and positions were limited in the first place. Your bump had reached its limits, you couldn’t go any bigger you were certain. You tried to help yourself by wedging pillows under your bump and between your legs to ease the pressure. It worked to a certain extent, but then leg cramps would set in and you had to move around, trying to get comfy all over again. Then you needed to pee, so it was back and forth to the bathroom. Then Sarang decided she wanted to wiggle. 

It was no wonder you were a little irritable these days, all things considered. Tonight, you and Seokjin had gone to bed not talking to one another after you’d snapped at him over making dinner. He’d come home later than usual to find you in the kitchen, instantly ordering you out. When you’d refused, the exasperated look on his face made you see red. You didn’t expect him to come home after a long day of work and start dinner immediately. You were pregnant, not decrepit, and making a simple stir fry wasn’t beyond the realms of possibility. 

You’d made the stupid stir fry in the end, and then the both of you had eaten in stony silence across from one another. You rarely argued, but you were both fans of the silent treatment when you did. Both stubborn too, it was impossible to know who would break first. As it were, Seokjin was the one to fold tonight. 

“____, what’s wrong?” he asked into the darkness, voice thick with sleep but prickled with concern. 

It wasn’t a surprise that you’d managed to wake him up. You’d already been to the bathroom twice, readjusted your pillows five times, and thrown your head back in frustration maybe ten. 

“Nothing,” you mumbled. Which was a lie. As well as being horrifically uncomfortable, you felt guilty for earlier, which was only marginally overshadowing your annoyance over Seokjin being able to sleep soundly while you tossed and turned. 

Seokjin shifted onto his side, one hand reaching for you and grazing your hip. “Can’t get to sleep?” 

“No.” Mortified, the word sobbed from you, and just like that you were crying. 

“Hey,” he said softly, gathering you in his arms as best he could. You were still uncomfortable but feeling him hold you made it better. “You’re okay.” He rubbed your back soothingly. 

“I’m being stupid,” you sniffed into his chest, getting his pyjama shirt wet. 

Moving your hair off your forehead, he kissed a spot he could reach. “You’re not. You’re tired and uncomfortable.” His palm felt really good stroking between your shoulder blades. “Close your eyes and think of something relaxing.”  

“All I have to think about is the impending horrors of childbirth.” 

Seokjin didn’t reply, probably realising there was nothing he could say to that. He’d seen the videos too. 

“I’m sorry about earlier,” you added.

“I’m sorry too,” he sighed softly. “I had a stressful day.” You hated that he was working so hard while simultaneously knowing you would be beyond happy and grateful once your daughter was born. You were ready to tag team Sarang’s first month in this world. 

“If you can’t sleep, neither will I,” Seokjin announced a few moments later. 

“Now you’re the one being stupid.” 

He barked a laugh, loud in the middle of the night. Then, fondly, “I love you.” 

You smiled against him. You would never get sick of hearing that. It was just three small words, but you knew Seokjin meant them deeply every time. And so did you. “I love you, too.”

A couple of weeks ago, Seokjin got the front page on one of the most well-known business magazines. You didn’t know who had been more excited, you or everyone else who adored him. Definitely not him anyway. Seokjin handled it with his usual Seokjin modesty, as if it wasn’t a big deal at all. You had a copy on your nightstand and another on the coffee table in the best living room. Yeonja even bought a copy for her coffee table, and Mari too! She messaged you a picture on the day it came out. Seokjin had a lot of fans. It was no wonder when you saw his photoshoot. Fashionable in his beige turtleneck and grey suit, he looked objectively handsome. There was no issue of being biased, your man seriously was that good looking! And wonderful. You’d read the part where they mentioned you and Sarang (not by name) in his interview at least a dozen times, and it never failed to put a massive grin on your face (and shed a tear or two.) Plus, reading the interviewer praise him made you inexplicably happy. 

Having taken up most of his twenties and half of his thirties, Alpaca Gaming Studios has been his life, but it’s time to concentrate on more personal matters. After falling in love earlier this year, there’s a baby on the way, and Seokjin is ready to gradually take a step back from work. “She’s the most amazing person I know,” he says about his partner, sounding smitten. “I want to spend as much time with my family as possible. I can’t wait to become a father.” He’s unable to fight the grin on his face. 

Staunchly private, he won’t reveal much about his relationship, but his beaming face is proof of how in love he is. His company still means the world to him, but he is very aware that it could shine just as hard without him – his words, not mine! I am inclined to disagree. AGS has obviously become what it is because of the man sat in front of me. Politely spoken and painfully modest, it seems almost impossible that he is CEO of one of the world’s most popular video game companies. Not to mention, Kim is quite unnervingly handsome. It’s practically unfair. He laughs when I tell him this, turning red. 

“Nothing like that,” he’s quick to correct, when I ask him if he plans on stepping down. Then jokes, “I’ll give everyone I know a heart attack if they read this. I can’t see myself stepping down any time soon.”  

It’s another one of his charms. To be serious and subsequently dilute it with a joke. Not everyone could pull it off, and Seokjin does so numerous times during this interview. His charisma is something else! 

“We’re a team at AGS, a family” he continues, “and they are way more talented than I could ever be.” He chuckles self-deprecatingly, somehow making it attractive. “I have no doubt that if I ever did decide to retire, they’d do just fine without me. There’s my second in command, after all.” 

He’s mentioned his secretary slash best friend Jung Hoseok numerous times throughout this interview and insists he wouldn’t be here now without him. In fact, he wouldn’t be here now without a number of people. It’s obvious that he genuinely believes that. There is nothing false about Kim Seokjin. His gratitude and humility are two more admirable qualities that make this man hard to judge or criticise. 

The mention of Seokjin stepping down from CEO one day had shocked you at first. Making plans for his month-long paternity leave was one thing, but to talk about gradually distancing himself from his role was something he’d never even mentioned. He was quick to reassure you that he wasn’t seriously thinking any of that, his mouth just had a habit of running away from him during nerve-wracking situations like a global magazine interview. It was true that he wanted to take more time for you and Sarang, not work such long hours, and to have stress-free weekends, but he wasn’t ready to leave everything he still loved so much. At least not right now. Who knows what the future holds, he told you. Maybe five years from now we’ll have Glob No.2 and I won’t want to step into the office ever again.

You liked thinking of the future these days. Of your future with him and Sarang…and Glob No.2. (But no No.3 like he’d also suggested!) Before the future never used to cross your mind, but you had so many new things to look forward to now. Your relationship, your baby, Yuna and Jimin’s wedding! Life was exciting and constantly changing, filled with things that had never crossed your mind this time last year. It was a great feeling, even when you struggled to stand on your feet for more than ten minutes right now…

As Seokjin’s 35th birthday was going to be overshadowed by Sarang’s arrival into this world, his parents insisted on celebrating early. It was a multitude of celebrations to tell the truth: Jin’s birthday, his interview, Sarang’s imminent arrival, the last hoorah before said arrival. 

Seokjin knew about it of course, he didn’t very much like surprises, and Mikyung had kept you updated every step of the way because you were too exhausted to help organise a thing. In fact, you were probably too exhausted to even attend the party. You were 39 weeks pregnant and hadn’t done much movement in over a week. You moved from the bedroom to the sofa, to the kitchen, to the sofa, to the bedroom again at the end of the day. It wasn’t a very fun existence, so with cutthroat determination, you were attending your man’s birthday party. Even if you sat down for most of the night and begged to go home by 8pm. 

Yuna did your hair and make-up, and even your nails. If the last few weeks of pregnancy had taught you anything, it was that you could get used to the kind of life where people did everything for you. You were due for a harsh reality check in ten days’ time, because your role was going to be well and truly reversed. You’d folded yourself into a grey velvet wrap dress, complete with chunky socks, before sliding your swollen feet into a trusty pair of Crocs – black this time. Fashion was the last thing on your mind at the moment, which was heart-breaking for the likes of you, but if you were being honest, it had taken a backseat a long time ago. 

The venue was stunning. Mikyung really had pulled out all the stops for her Seokjinie, the theme winter wonderland-esque in gold and creams. There was even an outdoor area decorated much the same, with the gazebo draped in string lights that twinkled in the dark. You wouldn’t be caught outside in mid-November weather, but each to their own. While the party was in the development stages, it had been a toss-up between a three-course meal or a buffet. In the end, down to a committee vote, buffet had won, which you were ecstatic about because you loved a good ol’ buffet. Jungkook was chuffed too and sat next to you munching on two plates piled high with every option available. 

The guest list wasn’t excessive, but it did include a few family members and friends you hadn’t met yet, and Seokjin introduced you to them with a very loving “this is my ____.” It made you beam and feel almost drunk, which you were most definitely not. Somewhere along the line you lost him, but you were in no condition to go and find him. Instead, you sat down at the corner table you’d nabbed for your own, and watched everyone having fun, amused and quietly laughing to yourself. It made you happy that there were so many people here celebrating Seokjin. 

Your brother was poking around what was left of the buffet, and your father and Yeonja were slow dancing together in the middle of the dancefloor. When the song changed abruptly, you watched them break apart awkwardly, unsure of how to continue. Your sister was sat on the opposite side of the room, on her phone, but occasionally you caught her glancing up and watching Hoseok who was now busting out some moves while Kang struggled to keep up. (Fun fact: Hoseok was a trained street dancer. You’d found out tonight.) Ah, not only was he way too old for her, but he was also gay. Maybe she’d realise both on her own, if not you’d let her down gently later. Jungkook was dancing with Haram. She was laughing as he spun her around. They both looked like they were having fun, which was nice to witness. It was a far cry from their behaviour at your dinner party all those weeks ago. 

Seokjin’s brother and wife were dancing with Taeoh and Jiu. His parents must be outside – crazy people. Namjoon and Yeeun were sat on a table; he whispered in her ear and made her giggle. Mari walked over, unintentionally interrupting them. Yuna and Jimin were nowhere to be seen. 

While deep in concentration, a figure suddenly leaned over you, blocking your view, and you looked up to see a joyful looking Seokjin. His face was flushed and his eyes shiny, but he wasn’t drunk. Now that you were close to the end, he refused to touch even a drop of alcohol. Just in case. 

He held out his hand. “Care to dance with me, my beautiful lady?” 

“How about a shuffle?” 

He chuckled. “I would want nothing more than to shuffle with you.” 

With a grin, you took his hand, and he helped your stiff body up. You needed to dance at least once, or just get on the dancefloor. Thankfully, the song changed as you got there, something slow and meaningful again. You looped your arms around his neck as he wrapped his around your waist and started to sway slowly. He looked hot in a tux. If you had the energy, you’d rough it up later tonight. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t be the case. 

“Happy early birthday,” you said, kissing him. 

One of Seokjin’s palms slid to your bump as he smiled against your mouth. He pulled back slightly. “I’m looking forward to my early gift.” 

“I love you, you know that, don’t you?” You didn’t know what it was, possibly the lyrics in the song you were dancing to, but the love you felt for him seemed to want to burst out of you. 

“I do know that,” he replied, his smile turning into a cheeky grin. “I love you more, though.” 

Laughing at how ridiculous he was, you gazed into one another’s eyes and continued to slow dance, Sarang in the middle. Even when the song shifted. Neither of you cared that you weren’t in time to the music. But before long, Yuna appeared at your side, tugging your arm. 

“I’m stealing your woman,” she told Seokjin, who knew not to put up too much of a fight. She dragged you into the centre of the room. “I’ve been waiting for you to get on the floor all night!” 

Well, she best make the most of it because she had exactly three more minutes before you gave out. You weren’t even moving your feet as she held your hands and moved your arms up and down, but you were both having fun, laughing and making noise. You span her around at one point, then felt a throb in your lower back. That was it. 

“Yuna, I can’t do anymore,” you shouted over the music, one hand clutching the offending area. 

“Party pooper!” she yelled, but she was grinning as she said it, kissing your cheek before you hobbled off, your feet killing you. 

You made your way back to your corner, flopping down on the chair with a groan. Seokjin had disappeared again, but you didn’t mind. You needed five. Unless your bladder decided it wanted to be emptied again. You’d spent enough of your time in the restroom already. As you were sending a silent prayer to your bladder, you felt a twinge low in your stomach. You didn’t think much of it as you’d been experiencing similar things for a few days anyway. At your last doctor’s appointment, it had been confirmed that your bump had dropped, and Dr. Choi had said you might start experiencing some aches and twinges here and there as labour drew closer. 

However, that twinge did feel a lot stronger, and your back was burning, but maybe it was because you’d been more active tonight than you had been for days – weeks even. As you shifted uncomfortably in your seat, your lower back continued to throb. Your pain was interrupted by Kang coming over. He was breathing hard and sweat was beading from his hairline. The chair scraped across the floor as he threw himself down. “Not feeling it either?” you asked through gritted teeth. 

“Hoseok doesn’t even know I’m gone,” he laughed weakly, then furrowed his brow when he took you in. “You okay?” 

“I think I’ve hit my limit tonight,” you admitted, rubbing the underside of your bump. Maybe you should go find Seokjin and tell him you were going home. He could stay here, you didn’t mind, and you didn’t want to ruin his night. You were sure your dad could take you back, he hadn’t been drinking either because he had to drive back to the hotel he, Yeonja and your siblings were staying at for the night. 

“Should I ask one of the waiting staff for some water?” Kang asked, sounding concerned. 

You shook your head. “I’m fine.” Then belatedly remembered your manners. “Thank you.” 

Kang didn’t look like he believed you. 

“THERE YOU ARE!” Hoseok’s screech of a voice made you both jump, and you winced. Shit, your back felt as if it was on fire. “Don’t think you can sneak away from me, lover,” he told Kang, pulling at his hands. “Come dance again!” He noticed you then. “Hey, ____!” Then noticed your expression, instantly worried. “What’s wrong?” 

You sucked in a breath. “Nothing.” 

“It’s not nothing,” Kang said. He leaned over, brows knitted together. “Are you sure you’re all right? You look like you’re in pain.” 

You felt another—something. “I just—it’s just twinges.” They both saw your grimace. This wasn’t just a twinge. It was going on for a little longer, something inside you clenching. Stomach muscles maybe, or something else… “I should find Seokjin.” You jumped up with a buoyancy you didn’t know you had anymore, panic and pain driving your body. 

“Maybe he stepped outside. Let me—” 

Kang stopped abruptly when the sound of liquid splashed on the floor. There wasn’t much of it, and it was a similar sound to when you had a mug of tea filled too full and some slid over the brim and onto the floor as you walked. Only it was coming from between your legs, so it wasn’t tea. And you weren’t holding a mug. 

“Is that…?” The colour drained from Hoseok’s face, which did nothing for your nerves. You stared wide-eyed at Kang. You needed him right now. He was a nurse. He could make sense of the situation. Had you peed yourself? It wouldn’t be the first time. 

“____, don’t panic,” Kang began calmly, “but I think you might be in labour.” 

“I can’t be.” You shook your head, adamant. Or maybe it was because you couldn’t be going into labour here. Surrounded by your family and friends and even some people you didn’t know. “I’m not due yet. My doctor said I might feel some—things but I—” 

“____, your waters have broken,” Kang interrupted. Firmer this time. 

“Oh God, not here.” You crumbled, heart starting to race ninety to the dozen.

“Sit back down,” he ordered softly, getting you back down into the chair. You felt damp between your legs and your socks felt slightly wet and gross. “Hoseok, go and find Jin – as discreetly as possible,” he added, looking around. 

Good. The last thing you wanted to do was gain attention. But for how long that would be possible, you had no idea. You were in labour in the middle of a party. 

“On it,” Hoseok nodded purposefully and disappearing. 

No sooner had he gone, Jungkook was appearing in his place. “What’s going on here?” He wiggled his eyebrows. “ ____, wanna dance?” 

“I don’t think she’s up to it right now,” Kang replied, his hand on your back. 

Jungkook’s eyes widened as he took you in, and got wider when he noticed the floor. “Oh shit. Are you having the baby?” 

“She’s in labour, yes,” Kang answered for you. 

“Where’s Jin?” 

“Hobi went to find him.” He tugged on Jungkook’s suit jacket. “Come here, crowd a little so people don’t realise what’s going on.” 

Obliging, he hid you from view, the front of his shoe in your amniotic fluid! You made a strangled noise, but he didn’t seem to care. “Are you okay?” he asked, and he sounded panicked. 

“Sort of,” you winced, moving a little because of your back. “I’m a little mortified if anything.” 

In truth, you couldn’t quite believe it was happening. Surely you would have realised earlier? And surely you should be in more pain? You mean, yes, you were in pain right now, but shouldn’t it be worse? Or maybe it just hadn’t kicked in properly yet. Oh God, the thought made you nervous. Your hand was shaking as you brought it over your mouth, breathing out slowly. 

“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” Jungkook insisted. “I guess Sarang wanted to be a part of the fun too.” 

You managed a smile, grateful he was trying to make a joke. “Fuck, I really hope she won’t be born right here right now.” 

“You have a good few hours yet,” Kang reassured, still rubbing your back. “Don’t worry—” 

“____!” Seokjin exclaimed, racing towards you, shoes skidding on the floor. There was nothing discreet about the father of your baby. Not that you cared right now, you just wanted him. 

You reached out for him in panic, gripping his hand as he got closer. “Seokjin, she’s coming!” 

Kang moved so Seokjin could take his seat. “This suddenly?” he asked, taking over rubbing your back. You knew what he was thinking. He’d only seen you twenty minutes ago. His eyes were wide, his breathing coming out in loud puffs. 

“My back’s been aching more than usual today,” you started babbling. “I didn’t realise at first, I just thought it was—” You stopped when you felt another tightening sensation and looked up at Kang. “Are these contractions?” 

He nodded. “You’ve probably been in latent labour for a few hours.” 

Seokjin let out a shaky sigh. “We need to get to the birthing centre.” 

“Call first,” Kang advised. “You might get there just to be sent home otherwise.” 

“But she’s in labour!” Jungkook cried, then immediately clamped is jaw shut. Kang looked around but there was no one near your corner. Most people were on the dancefloor or outside. 

“Let’s go somewhere quieter at least,” Seokjin said, stroking some of your hair. “Yeah?” he murmured, kissing your cheek. 

You nodded, thankful. You didn’t want to be inside here one second longer. “Where are our parents?” 

“They’re all sat in the gazebo. Jiu’s running around like Road Runner out there. She’s even tiring Taeoh out.” 

Despite the situation, that got a laugh out of you. Jiu was getting confident on her tiny, little feet now. She was turning into a terror. 

“I’ll go let them know. You go,” Hoseok said. 

Seokjin smiled. “Thanks, Hobi.” He helped you up carefully. “Come on, let’s get you in the car. I’ll call the centre from there.” Leaning on him, he kissed your temple. “You’re okay,” he murmured.

“I’m okay,” you confirmed, psyching yourself up more than anything. You could do this. You had this. 

Kang stayed behind to wait for Hoseok while Jungkook followed you both as you tried to make a quick and undiscovered exit. You made it out the room successfully before you remembered something – no wait, someone. You clutched Seokjin’s arm. “Wait, where’s Yuna? I need her.” You needed your best friend. 

Jungkook looked back into the party. “I’ll go find her.” 

It was cold outside, but it was nice. You felt as if you’d been boiling up inside. You sat in the passenger’s seat of Seokjin’s car with the door open as he crouched in front of you, stroking up and down your thighs. 

“____! Oh my God,” Yuna cried, bursting out of the building, Jimin and Kang at her heels. The latter had your coat. 

“Yuna, a bit quieter,” Seokjin hissed, standing up. 

“Sorry,” she panted, her handbag gripped in her fingers. “Oh my God.” She got down low on the floor, replacing Seokjin. “Glob is coming!”

“I’m aware.” You felt another twinge—no, contraction—and held yourself rigid. 

She fussed over you a minute while Seokjin paced behind her. Jimin and Kang were talking quietly among themselves. “Did your waters break?” she asked. They didn’t for some, and you’d both been wondering if it would happen for you. 

“Yes. Oh shit, the floor!” Your neck snapped up and you stared over at Kang. 

“Jungkook asked someone for a mop and bucket, don’t worry. He said it was champagne.” 

Before you could squawk in horror – although, you had to admit that was very sweet of him to do that for you to avoid mortification – Seokjin’s phone started ringing. As he moved closer to you, you heard his mom’s frantic voice, but couldn’t make anything out. 

“It’s fine, mom. Everything’s fine,” Seokjin told her evenly, shooting calmness through your veins. If he could stay in one piece, so could you. Maybe. 

“I’m going to call the centre to see if we can check in. I’ll call you when I know more, all right?” His mother responded with something and he chuckled. “I will, don’t worry… Tell Minsoo and Yeonja she’s doing okay, please… Thank you. I better go. Bye.” 

Seokjin immediately got up the contact for the birth centre but made sure to check on you before he hit call, even as Yuna buzzed between you both. You squeezed his hand, trying to stay calm despite everything. The time had finally come, you were going to have your baby.  

Written 2022 - 2023. Please refrain from posting my work elsewhere. No translations allowed. © floralseokjin 2023

[roanofarcc]

PROJECT SUNSHINE CHAPTER FORTY ONE → THE BABYSITTERS CLUB

summary: steve harrington x oc

when another product of Hawkins National Laboratory escaped a long-survived nightmare alongside her sister, she crashed into one unsuspecting teenage boy and dragged him deeper into the dark mysteries that made up their hometown.

word count. 4.0k || masterlist

warnings: cannon typical violence, child abuse, horror, gore, and depictions of mental illness. parts of this story were written pre-season 4 release. cannon divergence.

previous chapter ← → next chapter

The Byers household became the default meeting place for when the world threatened to end. It was where the party and company had regrouped to discuss the dark secrets of the universe and how they planned to stop them using board game logic and middle school book smarts. But, for once, Sunshine found herself inside the home for a reason completely unrelated to the Upside Down or the end of the world. 

The party had taken over the living room with a large banner that they all sat around, and a mess of Will’s art supplies. They worked on a ‘Welcome Home’ sign for their missing party member, who was due to return home the following day. Their loud voices and fits of laughter were a welcomed noise inside the home to everyone. 

Seated in the kitchen, Sunshine joined Nancy, Jonathan, and Joyce around the table with glasses of lemonade and cookies. The conversation she had with her parents the night before still rang in her ears. She was caught between feeling guilty for having to lie to them and knowing that lying was all she could do. It was a complicated line she was forced to walk, but it was something all of them had to do. Everyone besides Will and Jonathan had to lie to their parents about everything they had witnessed and been a part of in their small town. Despite that, everyone tried to resume their lives as normal, whatever that meant. 

“Hopper told you he got everything squared away for you and the kids to start school in the fall,” Joyce said. “Are you excited?” 

Hopper asked her if attending high school was something she wanted to do. The idea was daunting but also exciting. High school was another chance for her to experience the normalcy of life, even if it was only for one year. Everyone had helped her catch up with schooling, teaching her a wide range of things she missed out on inside the Lab. She wasn’t caught up, not completely, but Hopper and Dr. Owens managed to pull some strings and get her enrolled with a promise she’d graduate with a diploma that would set her up for whatever the future held.  

“Yeah, but I’m a little nervous,” she replied honestly. It was nice to have Joyce and Hopper in her life; they were the only adults in her life to who she didn’t have to lie to. 

Beside her, Nancy beamed and patted Sunshine’s hand that rested on the table. “Don’t be! You’ll have John and I with you.” 

She was also incredibly grateful that she wasn’t heading into high school all alone. Not only would she be in the same grade as Nancy and Jonathan, but also Robin and Tamera who she found nice company in. Along with all of them, the party would be starting as freshmen in the fall, including El, Luke, and Leia. If anything, Sunshine was heading into Hawkins High already knowing half of the student body. 

“Have you thought about your classes yet? Or what clubs you want to join?” Nancy asked, eagerly. “John and I are going to run the school paper. It’s not exactly a club people are fighting to join, so you’ll already have a spot on it if you want. Oh! And there’s drama club, art club, or-” Her rambling was cut off by a hand on her shoulder by Jonathan. 

He chuckled softly and said, “I think you’re stressing her out.” He must’ve noticed the wide-eyed look on Sunshine’s face as Nancy spoke. She hadn’t thought much about what actually occurred in school besides learning. Clubs and making new friends, it was a lot to take in for someone who had never experienced anything like that before. 

“Sorry,” Nancy sighed. “I’m just excited for you. It’s a big deal, starting high school, especially for only one year. Then, you know, you’ll graduate and get out of here, if you want. You can get a fresh start.” That was what Nancy wanted, a fresh start, but Sunshine didn’t know what she wanted. She had already been given one when she was reunited with her parents and reintroduced to Hawkins. 

However, the town itself made it hard to forget. A truly fresh start would mean Sunshine leaving, but she didn’t know if she was ready for that. Hawkins was a collection of her nightmares, but it was also where her friends and family were. The group of people whom she had stumbled into due to the luckiest twist of fate was so kind to her in ways she could never fully repay. They all looked out for her and her siblings. They gave them a home and showed them that not everyone in the world was a monster. Sunshine didn’t know if she could ever bear to part with them, but she also knew she didn’t want to stay in Hawkins forever. 

“If that’s something you want to do, leave here,” Joyce added. 

Sunshine toyed with the sun pendant of her necklace and sighed. “I think it’d like to leave here, eventually. After everything, I don’t think I can stay here forever, but I don’t know. I guess I’ve never really had a chance to think about the future before now.” 

Joyce nodded with a sad understanding. She reached out and gently squeezed Sunshine’s arm in a comforting gesture. “You have the rest of your life to think about the future, sweetheart. For now, just take each day at a time.”

That had been her philosophy since she escaped; one day at a time. But it became easy to get swept up in everything that accompanied freedom when it was all in front of her. Sunshine had gone from having every second of her life controlled to being able to live as her own person, not an extension of Dr. Brenner or anyone else in the Lab. There wasn’t a way to simply ease back into life, especially when that process continued to be interrupted by Demogorgons and impending doom looming over her head. As much as she wanted to embrace the normalcy of her new life, she was stuck feeling like she’d never truly escape the Upside Down, the visions Luke had pinned to his wall, and the persistent guilt of keeping secrets from the two people who deserved the truth more than anyone. 

“Hey guys!” Leia poked her head into the kitchen. “We’re all finished! Come check it out.” 

The kids all stood around the banner and observed their work, while Sunshine and the rest of the group from the kitchen joined them in the living room. Even with the storm of thoughts inside her head, she found herself smiling at the party’s art project. The banner was colorful and had a personal touch from each kid. 

“Dustin’s going to love it,” Sunshine said. 

Mike looked pointedly at all of the kids, with his hand clasped in El’s. The smile on his face made him look younger than he had the fall before when he was all pre-teen angst and heartbreak. He resumed his role as leader of the party. “Remember, even if Dustin radios tomorrow, we don’t answer. We can’t ruin the surprise.” 

“We’ll meet at Mike’s in the morning, right?” Lucas asked, earning a nod from the freckled-faced kid. 

As they solidified their plans for Dustin’s return from summer camp, the sound of crunching gravel sounded from outside. Hopper’s truck pulled into the driveway, ready to collect his children for the evening. The party started cleaning up their mess and packed their belongings. 

Hopper joined them inside, greeting the three teens and the party before he and Joyce retreated into the kitchen. The police chief was still in uniform, but he wore an easy-going expression. It was nice to see everyone so relaxed, and so happy. 

Sunshine sat on the couch and helped put all of Will’s markers back neatly inside their box, but most of her attention was on Joyce and Hopper as they spoke softly at the kitchen table over glasses of lemonade. Nancy plopped down beside her, also watching the two interact. She leaned close to Sunshine and whispered, “Jonathan said they used to be close in high school. I don’t think they ever dated, but I can totally see it happening now.” 

That surprised Sunshine. “Ms. Byers and Hopper? Really?” 

Nancy nodded. “Come on, look at them!” 

The two looked content and happy to be in each other's company without some dire situation at hand. Sunshine wanted to believe that was their new normal. The memory of what they’d been through would fade in each other’s company and they’d live the rest of their lives in comfortable stability. 

“How can you tell?” Sunshine asked Nancy. “How do you know anything is going on between them?” 

“I don’t know, you just can. In some people, it’s easy to see. It’s all in how they look at each other with a certain admiration. And it’s also how they listen to each other, like, really listen and not just pretend to. It’s all in their eyes.” 

Sunshine hung on Nancy’s words for a moment, before she followed Nancy’s line of sight that fell past Joyce and Hopper and onto where Jonathan washed dishes at the sink. “Like how you and Jonathan look at each other?” 

A blush crept across Nancy’s cheeks as she ducked her head slightly. “I’d like to think so.” 

She thought of the way Ivy and Three once looked at each other. There was something always unspoken but strong between them. They were only kids, but something was there. It was love, but it was more than that; it was something that Sunshine couldn’t put into words. It was something that happened between people who endured the same awful, terrible things together. The thing that bound them together was stronger than simple admiration or attraction, it was a shared experience that left you knowing you’d never be alone with that grief. Nancy and Jonathan had it carved into the palms of their hands in healed, wavy white scars. Joyce and Hopper had it in the etched worry lines on their worn faces. 

Sunshine’s gaze fell onto the healed-over scars that covered her tattooed wrist, and she was brought back to that night at the Byers last fall when her nail marks were carefully wrapped in gauze by Steve before she returned the favor hours later. He still had a few scars from two fights; one sat on his cheekbone and another through the edge of his eyebrow. 

It was all of the little things set into their skin that served as not only a reminder but also as a bond between them. Nancy had once said something about shared trauma and how that connected all of them to each other in ways of friendship and relationships. 

“Are you guys all ready to go?” Hopper called out to his three superpowered kids. Goodbyes were exchanged before the Hopper-Clan clamored out the front door and piled into the truck. Everyone else finished cleaning up. 

Once the living room was back in order, Max bumped Sunshine’s shoulder with her own, grabbing her attention. “We need a favor from our favorite babysitter.” The remaining members of the party surrounded her, each with a fake innocent look on all of their faces.

Sunshine eyed the group before she stopped on Mike and crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t know,” she said. “I think I may be too much of a stick in the mud to help you guys with any favors, right Mike?” 

A groan sounded from Lucas who then slapped Mike’s arm. “Dude, seriously?” 

“You’re not a stick in the mud, Mike’s just an idiot,” Max said. 

“Hey!” Mike objected, but his motivation to argue left as all of his friends glared at him. He slumped his shoulders in defeat and said, “Come on, I didn’t even mean it. You’re cool, I guess.” That time Will lightly hit Mike’s arm. “Fine! Fine. You are cool and I’m sorry.” 

Sunshine smiled, satisfied with the apology. She knew she’d give in either way, but she didn’t want to seem like such a pushover. “What kind of favor are we talking about?”

Lucas explained that they wanted to sneak into the movies and the only way to do that was through the service hallways that only employees had access to. The only person they knew well enough to allow them in was Steve, but he, apparently, was still mad at them for the last time they snuck into the movies and nearly got him fired. 

“What does that have to do with me?” Sunshine asked. 

“If you ask him for us, he’ll say yes,” Max explained, which Sunshine didn’t quite believe. But it was hard to say no to the pleading eyes of the party. 

“Fine,” she agreed. “But I’m not promising anything.” 

…

“Dingus! Your children are here!” Robin called out from the front counter as she opened the window that looked into the backroom. Steve let out a low groan and took the last bite of his sandwich. 

Across the table, Tamera raised her brows and paused reading her book, which was how she chose to spend her breaks. “Your children? Is there something you’re not telling me, Harrington?” 

“Ha ha,” he mocked. 

As he exited the backroom, a set of kids approached the counter, along with reinforcement. “Really, Sunshine? They roped you into their little schemes now?” 

Max scoffed. “It’s not a scheme. We’re simply saving our money.” 

“You’re going to get me fired,” Steve shot back. “Are you going to use all the money you saved to pay for the gas I use driving you shitheads around?”

“Dramatic much?” Max said, crossing her arms. 

Mike dinged the bell on the counter again, which made Robin’s face contort with a look that told Steve she was seconds away from throwing the bell at the kid. Along with his dinging, Mike said, “So, are you going to let us back there or not?” Beside him, Sunshine cleared her throat and looked at the kid with her eyebrows raised expectantly “Ugh fine. “Please.” 

It looked like it actually pained Mike to be nice to Steve. He wanted to laugh, but he refrained. Mike was nothing but overgrown limbs that he was still figuring out how to lug around, but he was nearly Steve’s height and had a girlfriend who could break limbs with a nod of her head. So, Steve sighed in defeat and wordlessly opened the back door before he ushered the kids into the service hallway. 

Their hushed whispers disappeared with them around a corner and Steve closed the door with a silent prayer that no one caught them or that they didn’t rat him out and get him fired. He hated his job, but he needed it or else his dad was going to hurt a lot more than Steve’s wrist. 

Sunshine had followed him into the back room and stole his seat at the table with Tamera, who had watched the whole interaction with curiosity. 

“I cannot believe you agreed to help them. I’m hurt,” Steve said to Sunshine, placing his hand over his heart as he faked wincing in pain. Tamera closed her book and rolled her eyes before she left to join Robin at the front. 

Sunshine shrugged. “They asked me for a favor, and you know how they get when they want something.” He knew exactly how persistent those kids were. It was hard to say no to them, no matter how annoying they could be. A part of it was guilt, Steve thought. He knew everything that happened was very far out of his control, but he still felt bad for the kids. They had lost a lot, especially Will and the three superpowered siblings. So, Steve felt like it was the least he could do to drive them to and from the arcade and let them sneak into the movie theater. 

“Yeah, I get it,” he said standing at the edge of the table. He tried to lean against it casually, but as he reached down to brace himself with his hand, a sharp pain shot up his arm, starting at his wrist. He pissed out in pain before he could bite his tongue. 

“What’s wrong?” Sunshine’s whole demeanor changed. She sat up straight in her chair and her golden eyes pooled with concern, but Steve tried to play it off. 

His wrist had hurt for the past day and a half, but it seemed to be lessening just slightly, until then. “Nothing. I just hurt my wrist yesterday.” It wasn’t a lie technically. He wasn’t the one who hurt his wrist, but she didn’t need to know that. Sunshine tended to worry about everyone, and he didn’t think he deserved her worry when she had other people, like her siblings to worry about. The bruises on his wrist weren’t bad compared to the only injuries he’d sustained from his two years of monster fighting and years of lectures from his dad.

Sunshine outstretched her hand across the table toward him. “Let me see.” He hesitated but ultimately gave in to her intense gaze. There was a certain look she got when someone close to her got hurt. He saw the same look on her face when Max wiped out on her skateboard and got a bloody nose. He saw it when El was recovering from closing the Gate. And he vividly remembered seeing it when she stood in front of him in the Byers bathroom after his fight with Billy Hargrove. 

With careful hands, Sunshine grasped his wrist and examined it with furrowed brows. The skin around his wrist was a slight twinge of green and blue, but he tried to cover it up the best he could with makeup he found stashed in his mom’s bathroom drawer. 

“How did you hurt it?” 

“I fell and tried to catch myself.” There had only been a handful of times that his dad had done something bad enough to leave a bruise or visible mark, but it used to be easy to lie his way out of questions about it. He used gym class or basketball as excuses, but all he had was his job at Scoops and it wasn’t exactly the most physical job so he was limited on what he could say and get away with. Yet, he tried to curb her worry. “It’s not a big deal. It’ll heal up in a few days and I’ll be good as new.” 

Sunshine shifted her gaze onto his face and stared at him for a moment. It made him feel exposed, like maybe she was reading his mind. Steve was pretty sure that was not a part of her superpower skill set, but he wasn’t positive. 

“You’re lying,” she said, simply. He was caught off guard and fumbled his response. 

“N-No. No, I’m not.” It was as if she saw straight through him, picking up the way he lied through his teeth. 

She sighed, “Steve.” 

He was desperate to shove the conversation in a different direction, anything to get the focus off of him. “Is that another one of your superpowers? Can you read people’s minds? Because let me tell you, that would change a lot of things.” Sunshine remained unwavering, not allowing him to switch gears. Steve swallowed thickly and held his hands in his lap, rubbing his thumb over the bruise on his opposite wrist. “Look, it doesn’t matter. I’m all good, promise.” 

“Was it Billy? Did he do something? Max said he’s been leaving her and party alone, but if he’s back to messing with you I’ll-”

Steve cut her off with a quick shake of his head. “No. It wasn’t Billy.” She seemed to relax slightly at that. Billy had, luckily, left all of them alone. Most importantly, he had left Max and Lucas alone. There was a lingering worry after that night that he would still try to hurt any one of the kids, and that thought made Steve feel ill; though, he was almost certain that even if the thought crossed Billy’s mind, Sunshine would make Billy regret it. 

“But it was someone, wasn’t it?” Sunshine pressed. She leaned her chest against the table, closer to him still with her hand outstretched, despite him having pulled his hand away. “Someone did that. Who? You can trust me.” Her voice softened at the end, which only pained Steve more. 

He trusted her more than he trusted himself most of the time. “I do, it’s just not a big deal and you don’t need to worry about me.” 

“Someone hurt you. I'm going to worry."

“It’s a little bruise. That’s it.” His wrist ached, but the wound went a lot deeper than that. He didn’t want to unpack his issues with his asshole of a dad with Sunshine. Plus, it didn’t seem fair. She had gone through hell and dealt with more assholes than Steve could imagine inside the Lab. He didn’t feel right complaining about his dad when it was nothing even close to what she’d been through.

A frown settled on her lips and his stomach twisted when she quietly said his name, again. He felt himself giving in, the words on the tip of his tongue. Sunshine was one of the few people in his life that he felt terrible lying to. Not even when he dated Nancy did he give in to her constant questions about his parents and their cold and distant ways. Steve would brush her off and Nancy wouldn’t press the issue further. But there was something about Sunshine that made Steve feel vulnerable. 

“My dad and I got into a little disagreement yesterday. He can get, uh, excited when he argues, and he grabbed my wrist a little too hard. But, like I said, it really doesn’t even hurt.” 

The look that settled across Sunshine’s face was hard to pinpoint exactly. It was something between confusion and anger. 

“Your dad hurt you?” 

Steve shook his head. “No. Not really.” 

“Your wrist is bruised. Your dad did that to you?”

“Sometimes dads like mine get angry. It happens.” It did, in his experience at least. He didn’t get dealt the best cards when it came to fathers, but he didn’t get the worst, either. 

“No. People who love you don’t hurt you.” 

“It’s complicated-”

“It’s not,” she cut in. Her narrowed gaze softened as she upturned her palm, holding her hand out to him as her way of offering comfort. The tattoo on her wrist peaked out from under the set of bracelets she wore, and he felt his stomach turn as she said, “Trust me. I know.” He grasped her hand and gave it a light squeeze. 

It wasn’t fair, he thought. She shouldn’t know what that was like. Their situations weren’t comparable. Steve still didn’t understand the full scope of Sunshine’s life at the Lab, but he knew a spat with his dad was nothing compared to what she went through. Yet, she acted as if it was, holding his hand tightly and rubbing her thumb across the top of his hand. 

“My dad can be an asshole sometimes, but he does love me.” Love was just a complicated thing in the Harrington household; it wasn’t something any of them were great at. “He’s just not the best at showing it. But I promise, it’s not a big deal. And if it was, you’d be the first to know, okay?” 

Sunshine didn’t look convinced. “Okay,” she said, quietly. “But if something happens again, just…just tell me.” 

“I will. Promise.” 

With their hands clasped together on the tabletop, Steve with his bruised wrist and Sunshine with her tattooed one, they sat in their feelings, unsure of what to make of them. The knots that had grown in his chest since his conversation with his dad didn’t feel like they were choking him anymore. And with his hand in Sunshine’s, his wrist ached a little less.

Tagged. @sattlersquarry , @leptitlu , @drunkengodsofslaughter

[jessicanjpa]

happy mother's day

It's Alice's first time baking with Esme! An excerpt from this 1957 one-shot. Esme POV.

"I'm home!" I called out from the garage. "And I could use some help!"

I heard Alice's delicate sigh three floors up. By the time I got around to the trunk and opened it, she had flitted to my side wearing a new striped yellow dress and a pitiful look of resignation. She stuck out her arms and I began filling them with bags of groceries.

"You don't really have to do this, you know," I teased her, scooping up the last four bags myself.

"I promised," she said, and her pout turned upward into the smile that was never very far away.

"You did! And it's a chance to learn something new. The older we get, the more we'll treasure opportunities like this."

"I suppose I will. But ugh! Why do you buy so much at the grocery store, and so many things that smell funny?"

We set the groceries down onto the kitchen counter all in a neat line. Alice rooted through the bags, her nose wrinkling more with each one. "I don't even know what this one is!" she complained, pulling out an enormous zucchini with two reluctant fingertips.

"A zucchini. It's a kind of squash. That's what we're baking," I reminded her. "Zucchini bread. And you know how important it is to keep up appearances, especially when we're new. Some of it does go to waste, but we end up donating a lot of it in the end."

We had enjoyed a good, long stay in Klamath Falls. Emmett had, unfortunately, had an accident near the middle of our time there. But it had been an easy cleanup, so it hadn't interrupted our stay. Edward had been able to earn his bachelor's in music performance and Rosalie had finished a degree in bio pre-med. Carlisle and I were fiercely proud of both of their achievements. And even though Emmett had drifted aimlessly between majors for his entire stay at Southern Oregon college, my mother-heart had nearly burst to see him come so far. He hadn't even been able to read when Carlisle had first changed him.

But six years was pushing it; the children hadn't really known what to do with themselves after graduation, knowing we wouldn't have much time left, and Carlisle was starting to get jokes at work about having found the fountain of youth. So after some traveling, we had ended up here in northern Michigan. Edward, Rosalie, and Emmett had just started high school again last week. Alice was torn; we had all hoped that she and Jasper would both be joining the others in school this time, but Jasper was still reluctant. The rest of us all thought he was ready. The only way our newest vegetarian was ever going to trust himself at school was to go and practice being at school. He was dragging his feet and he knew it, but it was his choice in the end. I just wished Alice would go ahead without him and enjoy herself.

My darling girl, full of sunshine! I busied myself getting the ingredients ready, smiling as I watched Alice take the groceries out of the bags, peering at each item as if it were from another planet. Out of all of us, she was the only one who had no memories of her human life—no memories whatsoever of things as commonplace as eating and preparing food. The whole concept was completely foreign to her, and until today she had skillfully avoided my every cajoling effort to join me in the kitchen. Everyone except her had taken at least one turn by now, even Emmett and Jasper. But I had won in the end.

"It's almost Mother's Day," I said to her last Tuesday. "And there's something I really would love; let's see if you can figure it out without any hints."

That was all it took; Alice couldn't resist a challenge for her visions. She loved stretching her gift like this, especially where shopping and surprises were concerned. She eagerly plunged into the silent world of pictures that swirled around inside her head, visiting department store after department store and flipping catalog pages, all without moving a muscle. It took her three days to figure it out.

"Esme!" she pouted, bursting in on me as I was painting that third afternoon. "That's not even a real present!"

"It is to me," I said, opening my arms for her reluctant hug. "You know I've always wanted to bake something with you." She made a face, but she also promised to follow through.

"Hand me the whisk, would you, dear?" I asked her now. She dug through the drawer of mysterious cooking implements, zoning out for a moment, no doubt to peek ahead and see what a whisk even looked like. I donned my favorite apron and tossed another one to her.

"I'll beat the eggs and oil and sugar if you'll peel and grate the zucchini," I offered.

"Gladly," she said, peering with distaste into my bowl. "I will never understand why humans like to scramble up animal embryos. Isn't that... kind of gross?"

"It is when you put it that way," I laughed. "I can't say it appeals to me either, not anymore."

Alice was concentrating, trying to figure out how to peel the zucchini. She was holding the peeler steady and drawing the vegetable back and forth along it instead of the other way around.

"Try the opposite way," I suggested gently. "You hold whatever you're peeling still and draw the peeler downwards, away from you. Then lift it up and start at the top again." She nodded and tried again, sticking her tongue out in concentration. Her pressure wasn't quite right and she ended up peeling away a good half of the zucchini itself, but I adored her effort. I laid three more down for her to do.

"You know I like to bake for various local things now and then," I explained, whisking the oil into the eggs and sugar at superspeed. "Hospital fundraisers, the children's ward, sometimes an event or two at whatever school you all are attending... Good. Now you're going to grate the zucchini right into this mixture." I demonstrated first this time.

"I'm sure they appreciate the gesture," she said, "but you and Carlisle give gobs of money to those things anyway. Wouldn't store-bought cookies or bread be just as good?"

"Heavens, no! They aren't baked with love when those industrial machines do the work. And it makes me feel good, too. It feels like I'm actually participating in a way that feels familiar and human. Baking was a way I showed love to people in my first life, so I kept on doing it in my second, even when I wasn't ready to go out at all. It's a shame I can't enjoy the food myself, but it's still special."

"You used to volunteer at Carlisle's hospitals, didn't you?" Alice asked.

"Now and then, yes. But it's been a long time." I hesitated for a second. "I've been thinking of a new adventure lately—going back to school."

"Really? You would pose as a college student?" She looked doubtful.

"I would be a college student," I laughed. "Why, do you think I look too old? I might need a little help from you and Rosalie..."

That perked her right up. We started chattering about ways we could make me look younger: hairstyles, makeup, styles of clothing and jewelry and shoes and purses, even ways I could talk differently. Alice got so focused on our brainstorming that her grating went faster and faster until her fingertips accidentally smushed the grater's holes in on themselves and she had a big mush of zucchini pulp on the other side. She put everything down and scowled at it.

"I don't think I'm going to be good at this," she said with a sigh, picking at the grater with her fingernails to make the holes right again. "For all I know, I've never done any of it before."

"It's all right," I assured her. I moved on to the dry ingredients in my own bowl. "We're so... perfect at so many things that I find it can be refreshing to not be so good at something, or to at least be so new at something that we can make mistakes. I bought several. Just try again." She took another zucchini, moving more carefully this time. She was concentrating so hard her tongue was sticking out the corner of her mouth again. She was so adorable; I couldn't resist. I snapped a picture before she could change her pose. She didn't even notice. Everyone had grown used to my clicking shutter by now.

Jasper had quietly joined us a moment ago. He was leaning against the kitchen door frame with his arms folded, watching Alice with the most tender, thoughtful smile. He caught my attention behind her back and twisted that naughty little corner-grin of his, the one he got whenever he was about to prank Emmett somehow. He pounced and grabbed her from behind, making her scream.

"I'm sorry!" he laughed, letting her go and dodging the half-grated zucchini she tried to slap him with. "It was just too easy—I could tell you were too immersed in your, uh..."—he gestured toward the mixing bowl vaguely—"for visions, and the stink was strong enough for a good stealth operation... what?" he added, narrowing his eyes.

"Nothing," Alice said sweetly, turning back to stir the putrid green mixture. "Just thinking of how I'll get you back."

"It was worth it," he promised, wrapping his arms around her again, this time for a peck on the cheek.

"Hmm," was all she said. Her eyes were absent, scanning the future. I picked up the camera again, just in case.

"I think you'd better get out while the getting's good," I told Jasper. "Unless you'd like to help out too?"

He held his hands up in surrender. "No thanks. I've already served my time. Emmett and I are going out to whip up some dinner of our own."

"You ready?" Emmett called out, just coming down the stairs. Alice whipped around and flicked a heaping spoonful of zucchini mush, hard, straight at Jasper's face. Jasper ducked just in time for the missile to fly over his head... straight into Emmett's open mouth.

I laughed and took the picture just as Emmett's eyes bulged out in horror. He spewed it all out, and it just happened to time perfectly with when Jasper stood back up, so he got a faceful as well. He swiped furiously at the mess and his mouth, and I got one more picture to commemorate the moment when my newest son tasted human food for the very first time. He looked like he was actually going to vomit, and he sounded like it too. He finally rushed over to the sink and flushed it all out with water, leaving a bright green trail everywhere he stepped. Alice was serenely stirring the batter, humming to herself.

"Was it still worth it?" she asked innocently.

"No," Jasper said, shuddering one last time. "It was not. Real funny, Emmett."

"You're blaming me?!" Emmett practically yelled. He was wiping his mouth out with my brand new kitchen towel. I sighed and took it from him, dropping it in the trash; I had learned the hard way never to put venom in the washing machine.

"I guess not," Jasper sighed, growling playfully at Alice as he passed instead of giving her a goodbye kiss. Emmett relaxed and turned to go, but Jasper flew up behind him and punched him so hard in the gut that a dribble of venom and old blood gushed out of his mouth. Emmett grabbed Jasper and roared and yanked the back of Jasper's shirt over his head before he could struggle out of Emmett's bear-sized grip.

"Take it outside," I warned them. I grabbed another towel and rushed to get the blood and venom before the dining room floor could start dissolving.

"NOW!" I shouted as they tumbled blindly into the sofa, knocking it askew by several feet. It took them a minute, still snarling and struggling to get a grip on each other, but they got out the back patio door without causing any further carnage. I caught the floor lamp as it fell, an inch before it hit the ground.

"Those two, I swear," I said, dropping the towel into the trash with the other one. "And you saw that whole thing, didn't you?"

"Who, me?" Alice said, stirring furiously.

[emeraldspiral]

Thinking about how so far in Invader Zim the only members of Irken society we've seen have been members of the military, fast food workers, and scientists. I headcanon that there are no artists on Irk and all creative work is done by AI, but I like to think that there are civilian Irkens who do other jobs besides working in the military or feeding or supplying the military. I imagine they probably have big corporations that make the snack food Irkens love, their vehicles, communication devices and other infrastructure, their TVs and couches and other everyday items needed for leisure and entertainment, etc... And Irkens absolutely would have a celebrity culture surrounding the CEOs of these companies. Like, everyone idolizes them and hangs onto their every word hoping their success will rub off on them. And since extreme selfishness is so ingrained in their culture, Irkens don't even have to pretend to think these are good people. They know all about and applaud the exploitation of underpaid workers, price gouging customers, and every other shady business practice meant to maximize the CEO's profits at the expense of everyone else. They don't think that makes you evil, they think it makes you smart. But they also kinda only think being greedy and exploitative makes you smart because they think if you're rich, powerful, and successful you must be smart and therefore everything you do is smart. But these guys aren't smart at all. They're basically all indistinguishable from Red and Purple. Literally every CEO is an Almighty Tallest-lite, running their companies the exact same way Red and Purple run the entire Empire. Because the Control Brains love their brainless figureheads.

Irkens are told that if they work hard to prove themselves, they can advance to any station, even overcoming the barriers of height discrimination. But the reality is that the Control Brains have the ability to control for height through genetic selection in the cloning process and hormone control throughout a developing Irken's life. So they can pick and choose who's going to be tall and receive Tallness Privilege and be automatically granted opportunities shorter Irkens have to fight tooth and nail for, only to still be denied no matter what, reinforcing the idea that being taller means being inherently better. So while tall Irkens don't get the benefit of inherited wealth since their are no families on Irk, they do get pre-selected by the system to go through special training sims for business and leadership elites and receive massive grants for free upon graduation to start-up or buy into a business. And of course they also receive bailouts aplenty whenever they run their businesses into the ground. Because don't they deserve another chance to buy their way into and fuck up another company? They are Tall after all. Meanwhile, the lower Irken classes have to save their monies for decades just to open up a hot-dog stand, or try to take out a loan, which most will be denied flat-out if they aren't tall enough. If they can get a loan the interest will be insanely high and investors will expect a return on investment within an unreasonably short period, making it all but impossible for new small businesses to succeed and grow, further reinforcing the notion that smaller Irkens are just too stupid to run businesses.

Also, because Irkens are so greedy and have no families to leave inheritance to it's traditional for rich Irkens to arrange for their monies to be burned so that nobody can access their wealth. Because they don't want any inferior Irkens getting their hands on one cent of their money that they earned because they were smarter, taller, and better than everyone else. There are rumors of certain eccentric Irken billionaires who buried their money in a secret location, or in a tomb full of death traps, or used near-impossible to hack encryption software to lock their funds behind a digital wall, so that their wealth might still be accessible to someone clever enough to prove their worth. But whenever someone manages find these alleged treasure hoards, it always turns out to be a cruel prank by the billionaire before they died. Their money was burnt all along.

[khloecanread]

one more thing about being a barista

summary - there are many things Nico loves about being a barista.

cw: mostly none, use of Y/N, grammar errors, might be a little silly or cringey

barista x gn!reader, 1.8k words

a/n: hi everyone!! this is my first time posting on tumblr of something that is my own, so i am very excited and a little nervous hehe. this also may or may not be based off of my friend, but i'd never tell you that... anyways, i hope you enjoy!!

ू♡ ࿔ ۪ू♡ ࿔ ۪ू♡ ࿔ ۪

Since becoming a barista 2 years ago, Nico has found many things he loves about his job.  

It was a learning curve at first, but once he got the hang of it, he started to see the joy that being a barista brought to his life. There’s the familiarity of what each drink needs and the satisfaction of completing every order with his best efforts, or the routine of preparing drinks that makes it easy to get into a steady rhythm of work. Then there is also the other end of the spectrum, where someone will come in with something unique that he’s never made before, ready to take on the challenge of creating their order exactly to the customer’s liking.   

Nico has also found that a drink can often tell a lot about the person who is ordering. Caramel frappes are usually ordered by young, pre-teen girls, cold brew dudes are like the cool uncles/cousins we all wish we had, iced chai lattes are down to earth people, and anything with matcha are immediate green flags. But no matter the order, Nico puts his all into creating his drinks because that’s just how he is. Ask any of his coworkers and they’ll praise him for his work ethic, for always doing his job with his best efforts. Nico also likes to think that he pours a little bit of his own love into every drink that he makes, crafting each one meticulously. It’s one more thing he enjoys about being a barista – if a single drink can brighten someone’s day, he’ll make sure it’s perfect for them.  

So that’s what Nico found himself doing, like any other day at his job. It was getting close to rush hour, so he was relishing the lack of chaos in the cafe while he could. He was cleaning up around his station when the bell rang, notifying that someone walked in. His coworker was already making a drink, so he said over his shoulder, “I’ll be with you in just a minute.”  

He finished up and walked over to the register, preparing the kiosk to take the next order. He greeted the customer, saying the usual, “Hello, welcome to Starbucks. What can I get started for you today?” At “today,” he finally looked up at you and suddenly found his eyes going a little wide.  

- 

You started looking for a job a couple of months ago, trying to make money while you were finishing college and not be so greatly indebted before you graduated. You applied everywhere you thought you were fit to work – only for you to be turned down in almost every store.  

Right when you were coming to terms with spending your entire life trying to pay off your loans, one manager called you back saying that you might get a chance to work at their store. You went back to interview with them, and you were hired on the spot! You do think they were a little bit desperate because they had to let one of their employees go on short notice. Apparently, it was something about how workers within the mall should never meddle with each other (Isa, your coworker, said the previous employee slept with another worker from a different store and they got caught. Yikers!).  

Nevertheless, you secured a job that you thought was enjoyable. It paid well and you had a schedule that worked around your classes. Your coworkers were kind to you, and they never failed to keep you entertained with the mall lore that was around before you arrived. You quickly warmed up to them and now consider them to be people you’re quite close with. And though retail can be draining sometimes, you thought that you were sufficient when it came to dealing with customers and providing them with your service. Overall, you were grateful that you got the job and even more grateful that you’ve met new people you could call friends.  

It’s been about a month and a half since you first started, and you finally felt comfortable enough to go outside of the store and explore the mall. Your manager was keen on not letting some form of “meddling” happen again, but everyone believed that enough time has passed for you guys to leave during your break and go grab some food or a quick drink.  

You decided to go for a drink, preferably coffee. It’s always right before when school ends do professors decided to dump hellfire on you and keep you up late at night to complete all their projects and assignments! You never appreciated that fact but it’s something you couldn’t change. 

 So you walked to Starbucks, the cafe not being as busy as you usually see it. You were happy it wasn’t very full because ordering already gave you enough anxiety by itself. Add a full line of people behind you that were desperate to get caffeine in their veins, and you were a complete stuttering mess. 

The bell rang as you opened the door, and you were immediately greeted with soft conversation and the smell of coffee beans. The soft lightning made the environment even better, giving off a cozy and safe atmosphere within the cafe. Maybe Starbucks isn’t so bad when there aren’t people trying to kill each other for a drink, you thought to yourself. 

You heard the barista say that he’ll be with you in a moment, and you took that extra time to yourself to look at the menu and memorize your order. You found it a little funny how you were able to work in a retail store and interact with all sorts of people but get so nervous when having to order a drink. You just don’t want to inconvenience anyone, and you never know what to say when they ask you what kind of milk you wa- 

“Hello, welcome to Starbucks, what can I get started for you today?” the barista asked, interrupting your thoughts.   

“Oh, uh- hi. I’ll take a Brown Sugar Iced Shaken Espresso,” you replied a little too quietly for your liking. “Please,” you added with a smile.  

You waited for some response, but the barista just looked back at you with wide eyes. 

- 

Nico likes to think that he’s seen his fair share of beautiful people in his life. Not that he goes around claiming so, but many people stop by the cafe, and he’s certainly found some of them attractive.  

But he was sure you took that title out of all of them.  

Beautiful wasn’t a fair word for him, you looked to be much more than that. It was like someone knocked him in a stupor and left him in need to find his wits again. He doesn’t know what it was, call it his allergies or his lack of sleep, but Nico was confident that you had stolen the air right out of his lungs. 

He looked at you some more and he saw the way your smile made your eyes crinkle around the corners, or the way your hair just seems to lay perfectly around your face. How your voice seems to sound like a soft melody he could listen to forever, only drawing him further in his trance. He wishes to hear your voice again and-  

Wait. He heard your voice?  

Oh.  

That’s when he realizes that you’ve spoken. And that he was staring.  

How embarrassing.  

“I- I’m sorry, could you repeat that for me?” Nico let out a nervous chuckle.  

“Oh no, don’t be sorry, that’s completely my fault,” you replied, reciprocating the energy back with an awkward laugh. “I’m not very good at this y’know, I usually just get whatever I see first on the menu, haha. But don’t worry, I know what I want this time. Uhm, I’d like a Brown Sugar Iced Shaken Espresso, please.” You smiled at him again and Nico somehow felt his knees go a little weak, but he was sure to not lose his senses this time and entered the order into the kiosk.  

“And what kind of milk would you like to add to that?” Nico made sure to smile too because he was pretty sure he’s been looking a little stupid these past couple of minutes. 

That’s when he noticed your smile faltering a bit. You looked down at your fidgeting hands, then you looked back up at the menu, trying to figure what goddamn milk you should put in your drink. You were hoping he wasn’t going to ask, but that was a silly wish because they always ask. It was then that Nico decided to step in to help, taking note how you seemed a little nervous to be ordering. 

“Oat milk is a popular choice amongst customers! It’s good for making coffee creamier and it’s vegan friendly as well,” he offered. 

You felt a grateful smile grow on your face as you replied, “Yes, I’ll take that. Thank you.”  

Nico asked you if you would like anything else and when he completed your order, he was sure to make your drink with extra care. More care than he already does. And it wasn’t because you were insanely attractive (although he did think you were and he wasn’t afraid to admit it), but because of how you seemed a little timid while ordering. Nico’s heart goes out to those kinds of people because he used to be a shy person himself when he was younger. He knows how it can feel when asking for something, let alone to a stranger, and he felt proud of you for going up and doing something that might’ve been out of your comfort zone.  

Maybe he should’ve felt more concerned about his feelings for you when you’re literally a stranger he’s likely to never see again, but he’s just going to ignore that and call it his compassion. You can never go wrong with a little compassion for others, especially when it comes to being a barista.  

“Brown Sugar Iced Espresso for Y/N!” Nico called out. He had to look for you a little in the cafe because rush hour was just starting. He felt a little protective of you for some reason and wanted to make sure you were okay, when he saw you out of the corner of his eyes. 

As you went up to grab your drink, you replied, “Thanks Jericho, I really appreciate it!” You thought you saw a little blush creep up on the barista’s face, but you didn’t think anything more of it as you walked back to the store.  

Nico was a little confused as to how you knew his name, but he then realized that he decided to wear his nametag this morning. He was glad that he did because if he didn’t, he may have never known how his name sounded on your lips. And as Nico watched you leave; he was once again filled with pride to have the title of his job. It’s just one more thing he enjoys about being a barista – the beautiful customers and the way they leave him blushing. 

ू♡ ࿔ ۪ू♡ ࿔ ۪ू♡ ࿔ ۪

[emmyfairy]

The Concert Eddie Munson x Reader

Eddie Munson did not think of you as a friend. 

Not in a bad way, you were always civil to one another and whatnot, but your paths did not often cross socially. 

You had a few shared classes when you were both in high school, but while he stayed after for Hellfire, you had stayed for book club. 

Same solar system, different planets. 

Once he had finally graduated and gotten a job at the new music store in town, he was pleasantly surprised to see you cross his path more often. 

You were a frequent costumer, buying records and tapes, often from the sale bin which he could relate to, and if he snuck in his employee discount what was the hurt? 

Eddie was glad the two of you were growing into acquaintances, having multiple mutual friends helped, and Eddie hoped- into friends. 

He always knew you were the quiet type, rarely raising your hand in class, and even now, shy greetings whenever you see him in the shop or the grocery store, or at the library you worked at when he just had to reread The Silmarillion. 

But, it was getting better. He couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face whenever he thought about it, how much more open you were getting with him- and him with you. You never made him feel judged, he really liked spending time with you. More than he let himself admit. 

The blossoming friendship he thought was forming began to cloud with doubt one Wednesday morning as he watched you make your way into the shop, and up to the counter he was leaning behind. 

“Hey sweetheart.”

“Morning Eddie.”

You didn’t look at him when you greeted him, and while it gave him a chance to admire your chosen outfit for the day and the way the sunlight helped you glow, he didn’t like the nervous twirling of your hands. 

Narrowing his eyes at you and pushing himself off of the wall he encroached you, 

“Everything all right sweetheart? We got a new shipment of Queen, you wanna take a look?” 

Your eyes were darting around, weight shifting from one foot to the other, still not looking at him and damn Eddie hated it. A sinking feeling started to pit in his stomach. 

Were you mad at him? Did he do something wrong? Say something wrong? Did he-

You finally spoke up, cutting off his thoughts, 

“I have some tickets to a show…”

Trailing off you seemed to be digging for some courage, 

“They’re to Iron Maiden, I really want to go. I loved that tape you made me but I can’t go on my own. And-and I know you like them so I was wondering if you wanted to go with me? Together? Ya’know if you’re not busy or,”

It was Eddie’s turn to cut you off, 

“Dammit princess you had me scared there.”

He sighs out in overly dramatic relief, leaning back and placing a hand over his chest,

“Of course I’ll go with you, don’t know what you’re so nervous about. I love Iron Maiden and I love y- hanging out with you.”

Good save idiot

The relieved smile that spreads across your face makes his heart skip a few beats, mouth drying, 

“Really? That’s great Eddie! The venue is a bit far, I’ll pay for gas but I was hoping…”

“I’ll drive sweetheart no issue there, and don’t worry your little head about gas.”

He knew you got nervous driving in unfamiliar areas, and he’d drive you to the end of the earth if you asked. 

Afterwards, having given him the needed information and whatnot the two of you had listened to the new records the store had recently gotten in. 

Eddie watched you, head bobbing along, internally cursing every customer that came in and interrupted your time together. 

He couldn’t wait for the concert. 

Eddie Munson didn’t do nervous, at least that’s what he was chanting to himself in his head. In reality the boy had changed outfits all of thirty times, attempted to tame his frazzled hair, and cleaned his boots off to the best of his ability. 

So, not his usual pre-concert routine. 

He was on his way to your house, his stomach threatening to drop out of his ass the entire ride. 

Why the hell am I so fucking nervous? 

Oh, he knew why, he just wouldn’t admit it. 

Eddie was planning on going up to your door all gentlemanly, but as soon as he had pulled up, you were bounding down the pathway towards his van. 

Thankful that he had left the windows open a few hours to get rid of as much of the smoke and fumes as he could, he watched as you paused before the door. Gently tugging it open and peering up at him. 

“Hi.”

God damn it you’re so fucking cute. 

Eddie cleared his throat, cheeks betraying him and pinking,

“Ready sweetheart?”

You climbed into his passenger seat, 

A throne for m’lady, he thought. 

“Yup!”

Here we go.

Thanks for reading! Feel free to reblog and comment! Part 2? 🤔

[bard-llama]

ATLA WiP List

Yeah, it's not Wednesday. Sue me - Wednesdays have actually become a really bad day for me to write/share works in progress. So idk I'm just gonna do it whenever, I guess?

Anyway, every once in a while, I like to make lists of all my too-many WiPs, so that's what this is. Under a cut, because the list is gonna be super long.

So for context, I have 3 categories my WiP docs (fic series, long fic, and fic collection) and within those, have a mix of shippy and gen fics. So I'll break this list out by type and then gen vs Zukaang vs other.

Also, apparently tumblr won't let you do nested bullets anymore??????? wtf tumblr. Everyday, you get less and less usable.

Fic Series

All have at least one story in the series published on AO3.

Gen (2)

Balance (current fic: Earth and Air)

Accidental Shaman Zuko (current fic(s): An Equal and Opposite Reaction, Two Avatars on a Road Trip)

Zukaang (4)

Two Lovers, Forbidden from One Another (current fic: As the Breeze Shapes the Dunes)

Seduction of the Innocent (current fic(s): Book 1: Seduction of the Innocent, Book 2: Fables and Reflections, Book 3: untitled fic where worlds collide)

Ba Sing Se Boyfriends (current fic(s): Facing the Dragon (of the West), Chillin' in Ba Sing Se, untitled fic where they investigate the Dai Li)

Justice, Served Cold with a Side of Vengenace (current fic: The Unlearning of Fear (And the Acceptance of Love))

Long Fics

These fics got long enough to graduate to their own document, but are (probably) not a series.

Gen (4)

Zuko's Odyssey (pre-canon, mostly planning, few words - intended to be a mishmash of atla with The Odyssey)

Helping Hands (chronic pain fic where Zuko gets his hands stomped on by Zhao at Pohuai and has to work with Aang to escape)

A Second Chance at Family (time travel fic where Azula's lightning 'kills' Zuko and sends him back to mid-s1)

Thrice Cursed, Once Broken (post-canon au sorta - Zuko becomes Fire Lord after being imprisoned on the Day of Black Sun)

Zukaang (6)

Once Upon a Dream (soulmate dreamsharing au where Zuko has always dreamed of the cold and dark of Aang's iceberg)

Damned by a Look (s1 soulmate au where the Fire Lord authorizes the arrest of the Avatar's soulmate. Zuko ends up in Zhao's brig during the Northern Invasion when the Ocean possesses Aang and forces him to kill the invading soldiers)

(Going) Down and Out in Ba Sing Se (s2 au where Zuko chooses Aang in the finale and then has to deal with the aftermath)

The Fire Lord and the Avatar (s2 au where Zuko joins Aang early, unpublished)

Dragon Mama Zuko (s3 au where Zuko gets pregnant via dragon, so much written but not fucking ch 2 ugh)

Action, Inaction, and Consequences (post-canon fic where war criminals are put on trial)

Other (4)

The First Reaction to Truth is Hated (pre-canon, Aang & Kuzon & Bumi, Aang & Gyatso left the Southern Air Temple the day before Sozin's Comet. They survived, but now have to deal with the aftermath)

Hope for the Future (late s3 au, Zutaraang, Aang dreams of a future with Zuko and Katara. When Zuko shows up the next day, he's inclined to trust)

A Seat at the Table (post-canon, Zutaraang eventually, fic about recognizing sovereign powers outside the 4 nations)

A Royal Heir (post-canon fic, Zutaraang, Zuko needs a legitimate heir)

Fic Collections

AKA I have waaaaaay too many WiPs for them all to get their own document.

Gen (55)

Agni's Little Flame (unpublished, spirits aren't supposed to play favorites, but they kinda do)

Unyielding (unpublished, never give up without a fight)

Zuko Collects Strays (unpublished, post-canon)

Zuko adapts other bending techniques (unpublished, Zuko accidentally uses an airbending move while firebending, then realizes there's potential in it)

Fire Control (unpublished, it takes a lot of control not to let fire burn wildly)

Those Who Tell Stories Rule the World (storyteller Zuko)

The Consequences of Breaking the Rules (late s3 au, Zuko is scared of messing up and getting punished by the Gaang)

Nightmares (unpublished, Katara is uncomfortable with Zuko's vocal nightmares. It's hard to hate someone when they're suffering.)

Being a Master Means Understanding That You Know Nothing (actually, this might be ready to publish????)

Healing Fire (unpublished, Zuko is in denial about his 'heat technique' actually healing people)

Sibling Rulers (unpublished, Azula and Zuko as Co-Rulers)

Azula and Her Brother (unpublished, Azula character study)

Breathing Fire (unpublished, tho ch 1 might be ready for publishing, Zuko's crew's reaction to this brat breathing fire all over the place)

Katara hating on Zuko (unpublished, set in the Western Air Temple, it's easy to hate Zuko until she learns more about him)

Zhao's Retribution (Zhao heavily injures Zuko, who is rescued by survivors of the 41st, who happen to follow Jeong Jeong. Aang, Katara, and Sokka still walk into Jeong Jeong's camp without noticing)

Viva la Resistance (unpublished, Zhao ends up regretting stealing Zuko's crew)

Aang in the Iceberg: Dreams (unpublished, while frozen, Aang exists in a dream world. Eventually, Zuko joins him)

Aang in the Iceberg: Angst Coma Time Travel (unpublished, when Zuko has his angst coma freakout in s2, he wakes up in the iceberg with Aang)

Punishment (unpublished, the Gaang is horrified when Zuko approaches them at the Western Air Temple, prepared for his punishment)

Muzzled (unpublished, Zhao welds a muzzle onto Zuko's face. The Gaang is horrified when they find him)

The Long Road to Recovery (unpublished, rejected by the Gaang in late s3, Zuko ends up imprisoned and tortured by the EK and the FN. After the war is over, he's found)

Trusted with a weapon (unpublished, Zuko realizes the Gaang trusts him when they aren't bothered at him sparring with Suki with his swords)

Gaang Established Routines (unpublished, the Gaang's domestic dynamic)

The Tournament of Kingship (post-canon, Bumi dies and Omashu's King has to be chosen thru a tournament. Naturally, Toph has to claim the title of Greatest Earthbender in the World)

Actions Speak Louder Than Words (unpublished, s3 Zuko apologizes to the Gaang thru acts of service/thoughtful gifts)

Spontaneous Combustion (unpublished, s2 au where Zuko stumbles upon a mystery in Ba Sing Se when people seemingly catch on fire out of nowhere)

Early s3 AU (unpublished, goes AU in the Sparky Sparky Boom Man episode and Zuko asks the Gaang to stop his Father, who just revealed his plans for the comet)

Choosing Nonviolence: Aang sees Zuko’s Scars (unpublished, Aang's vows of pacifism are challenged with every scar Zuko unveils. Zuko does not understand why he holds strong anyway.)

Choosing Nonviolence: What is Forgiveness? (unpublished, Zuko does not understand how Aang can refuse to kill Ozai)

Ozai is annoyed when his useless son befriends a blind EK noble (unpublished, pre-canon)

Truth Serum (unpublished, during The Chase, a pollen infects them and makes them tell the truth)

De-Aged Zuko (unpublished, s1 au where a spirit curses Zuko and the Gaang does not know what to think)

Flower language (unpublished, Zuko fucks up when he unknowingly burns Aang's friendship offering (a flower crown))

Working Together/Mission Fic (unpublished, s1 au where Zuko and Aang are captured by slavers and have to escape, along with the other kids who have been snatched)

Zuko becomes Fire Lord at 13 AU (unpublished, Zuko fights back in the Agni Kai. This changes everything.)

Toph joins S1 (unpublished, s1 au with bonus Toph, who utterly destroys the pirates Zuko is working with)

A Scarred Foundation (Zuko's badly scarred enough that he hides the worst of it with makeup)

Gifts (unpublished, late s3 fic, each culture views birthdays differently. Air Nomads don't track them, but they're very important on Kyoshi Island)

Katara POV Zuko tortured by Fire Lord (unpublished, in a world where everything went wrong, Katara is forced to admit that Zuko probably is, in fact, on their side - for all the good it does him now)

Ozai finds out Zuko joined the Avatar (unpublished, Ozai is so fucking annoyed with this damned brat getting in his way)

Kanna (unpublished, character study)

Gyatso runs away with Aang (unpublished, series au in which Gyatso gets frozen with Aang and wakes up 100 years later to Sokka and Katara)

Dad Convo (unpublished, Zuko has a few questions for Hakoda)

Shaking it up down south (unpublished, the South Pole has an issue with sexism. This turns out to be a problem in a post-war world where the women kept the tribe running while the men were away)

Something to Live For (unpublished, sometimes when you're in so much pain that it's hard to survive, you just need something to live for)

Earthbender Zuko (unpublished, don't have much, but wanna try to write the trope)

Avatar Zuko (unpublished, likewise, don't have much)

Getting Zuko to Sleep (unpublished, involves forced cuddles)

Keeping the Avatar Alive (unpublished, Zuko is maybe slightly obsessive about protecting Aang. He can't let his fuckup be the reason Aang dies. (Again.))

Self-Harming Zuko (unpublished, why does getting hurt as the Blue Spirit feel right?)

Haunted Toy (unpublished, after Lu Ten's death, Zuko discovers that a toy Lu Ten gave him appears to be haunted by Lu Ten)

Animal Transformation (unpublished, Zuko gets to be a finch hawk that the gaang takes care of in s1)

Time Travel Zuko 2: Electric Boogaloo (unpublished, future!Zuko comes back to s1 to tell Zuko all the shit no one ever said about how Ozai was fucking wrong)

Toph and Zuko’s Life-Changing Field Trip (unpublished, Toph is invited home by her parents and brings the Fire Lord. Turns out, her parents are trying to marry her off and now all the other suitors think they're competing with the Fire Lord. Zuko dgaf.)

Crossdressing Gaang (unpublished, post-canon, a convo about fancy clothes leads to the Gaang playing around with wearing the dresses Zuko's staff stock the wardrobes in their unused private rooms with. (They all pile onto Zuko's bed on the regular))

Oops, we've hit the character limit for this section oops.

Gen Part 2 (30)

Nerd Lords (unpublished, Zuko and Kuei meet when Zuko breaks into the royal library and accidentally end up becoming friends)

Fight Club (unpublished, Zuko has a talent for finding the underground fighting rings as they travel across the EK)

Instinctive Bending (unpublished, Zuko struggles to move the way his teachers tell him he should to bend. But when he doesn't think about it and just moves, his katas aren't right, but they work.)

Southern Water Tribe – why are there so many more men than women? (unpublished, AKA Llama messed up the math and decided to make plot out of it)

Drugged Zuko Rescue (unpublished, s2, Zuko gets caught by the Dai Li and drugged to high hell. He's pretty sure he's hallucinating the Avatar and the Water Tribe boy rescuing him)

Reputation (unpublished, pre-s1, Zuko's reputation is actually pretty positive amongst Earth Kingdomers. He pays a fair price for his supplies, he does odd jobs/investigates weird goings-on, he occasionally tracks down bounties, etc. Unless you happen to be impeding his search for the Avatar, the Prince is usually not bad to have come around town. Then the Avatar reappears.)

Silence (unpublished, Aang gets to enjoy my discomfort with silence)

Hidden Communities (unpublished, what if all the endangered peoples/creatures were hiding out together? AKA the Sun Warriors' Island has some surprises)

Jeong Jeong (unpublished, character study)

Gyatso adopting Aang (unpublished, Gyatso's POV of hearing baby!Aang laugh and immediately knowing this child is meant to be his.)

Crooked World (unpublished, Zuko has always known his world was different than the ones he read about)

Fire, Water, and Government (Know Nothing of Mercy) (Pirate Zuko AU)

Time Loop/Loop Zoop (unpublished, Zuko gets stuck in a time loop during s1 that always ends with his ship blowing up/him dying)

Southern Water Tribe Mixed Children (unpublished, Ten years after the end of the war, the Southern Water Tribe is rocked with controversy as tribesmen who left the fleet during the war petition to return with their mixed blood families.)

Brother (unpublished, Azula has a different understanding of what family means than the Gaang does)

The Truth About the Air Army (unpublished, Zuko reads through the libraries at the Air Temples and discovers the truth of who the Air Nomads were. After becoming Fire Lord, he decides that everyone needs to learn that truth)

Blue Spirit Reveal (unpublished, after the Ember Island Players, Sokka asks about the Blue Spirit that saved Aang in the play)

Post-canon Iroh and Zuko (unpublished, Zuko feels guilty for feeling abandoned when Iroh leaves for Ba Sing Se just after Zuko gets crowned)

Jet Redemption (unpublished, post-canon au where post-war negotiations end up taking place in Gaipan, which is about halfway between Ba Sing Se and Caldera City. Meanwhile, a certain someone has gone through a journey of his own. Earning trust back will take some serious work)

Aang being worthy of power (unpublished, Zuko's research taught him clearly how powerful the Avatar is. Like, frighteningly powerful. And yet, Aang uses that power with caution and delicacy. Zuko reflects on how much control it must take to actively avoid doing harm)

Ursa finds Zuko in his banishment (unpublished, okay this actually has nothing written, but I'm counting it bc it'll be fun)

The Power Behind the Throne (post-canon, Zuko has to deal with people thinking Iroh is controlling things behind the scenes)

Balance (unpublished, set during the Western Air Temple, when The Duke asks what balance actually means, they discover that Zuko's a giant nerd whose research has given him Opinions on this.)

“Come with me.” (unpublished, s1 au where Aang brings an injured Blue Spirit back to camp with him. Zuko is too concussed to protest overly much)

Attacking a surrendered opponent (unpublished, the Gaang discovers that Zuko believes that surrender just leaves one open for the next attack. Then they realize that for him, it always has. Not just with Ozai - but with Katara at the Western Air Temple, too)

Joo Dee (unpublished, Zuko attends Ba Sing Se University, which means he has a Joo Dee tail from the moment he enters the Middle Ring. People avoid him because of it, and Zuko just wants someone to talk over his lessons with. So one day, he decides to actually try chatting with her)

Mid-s3 Dreamsharing (unpublished, Zuko is plagued with nightmares while back at the palace. The spirits decide that he needs the help of those whose destiny is tied to his to figure out where he stands. Only the Gaang doesn't actually know that it's Zuko they're helping as they move through a dreamscape adventure)

Dark Water Spirit Curse (unpublished, AKA Llama nerded out over the deep sea interpretation of dark water and tried to do something with that. Therefore, Zuko is bioluminscent now lmao)

How Zuko Became a Radical Socialist (unpublished, AKA Llama vents about for-profit healthcare via Zuko in Ba Sing Se)

Blue Spirit puts out fires (unpublished, pre-canon au where Zuko tries not to use firebending when out as the Blue Spirit. When he is forced to, he never creates his own flames, he just extinguishes others. This leads to rumors about the Blue Spirit's ability to put out a bender's fire. The sensible firebenders are frightened by this prospect)

Zukaang (44)

Rope Burns (unpublished, Aang reflecting on rope burns and when they hurt and when they don't)

Blue Spirit Tagalong (Zuko ends up haunted by the Blue Spirit)

Relationship Reveal (unpublished, post-canon with Zukaang in a secret relationship - until they get careless and get caught by Zuko's advisors)

I'm Your Fire, Your Desire (s3 au where Zukaang get together at the Western Air Temple, now with a bonus PWP set in the future)

Shirtless Sparring (unpublished, wrestling pwp)

Return to Pohuai (unpublished, pwp Blue Spirit roleplay)

Our Love Become a Funeral Pyre (unpublished, Zuko is Kuzon reincarnated and dreams of Kuzon's life with Aang before the comet)

Gay Bar (unpublished, s2 au where they each unknowingly patronize the same gay bar in Ba Sing Se)

Airbender Blow Jobs (unpublished, pwp)

Fluffy Zukaang (unpublished, s3 fluff)

“My heart feels like it’s dancing when I look at you.” (unpublished, post-canon, Zuko is very dense about his emotions)

Aang Approaching Zuko Morning After (unpublished, s2 au where Aang stops by the teashop)

Rose Petals and Candlelight (unpublished, Aang spoils Zuko with t-rated intimacy)

Treasure (unpublished, on the 3rd anniversary of Zuko's crowning, Aang gifts him a black pearl that he found the first time Zuko took them diving)

"I'm in love with your voice" (unpublished, set during the s1 finale when they're snowed in in a cave and end up having to talk)

First Kiss/First Time (unpublished, when Zuko kisses him, Aang freaks out - and runs to the South Pole. Fire Lady Mai is the one to come beat some sense into him)

Pao’s Teashop Office Sex (unpublished, s2 pwp)

Body Swap (unpublished, s2 au in which Aang and Zuko switch bodies. Aang is not prepared for Zuko's pain - or his retail experience. Might be gen, might not)

Can't Take My Eyes Off of You (Aang likes the way Zuko watches him intently)

Sexytimes - Voyeurism (unpublished pwp, Aang ties Zuko up and makes him watch him touch himself)

Gossip (unpublished, Aang is excited about getting together with Zuko and has to tell someone. Toph is safest.)

Temporarily Genderbent Aang picks up Zuko (unpublished post-canon pwp)

Blue Spirit x Avatar Aang (unpublished, the Fire Nation is a little too invested in the potential relationship between the Blue Spirit and the Avatar, and where the Fire Lord fits in)

“We need to stop dancing around it. All it does is hurt us both!” (unpublished, Aang thinks he's dreaming and kisses Zuko at the North Pole - only it turns out to be real and neither know how to deal with that in the aftermath)

Identity Porn (unpublished, Aang does not know who the Blue Spirit is, but that doesn't stop him from flirting extensively)

“I can’t stop thinking about you. When I wake up, when I’m about to fall asleep…” (unpublished, Aang doesn't know what to think when Zuko confesses without even realizing what he's confessing)

Soulmate Potential (unpublished, people don't have a predestined soulmate. Some people click more easily than others, but the potential is there with anyone. Including one's enemy.)

Ba Sing Se AU (unpublished, this was SUPPOSED to be a setup to write Zuko's POV of Same Side Sex, because mostly it's been Aang's POV when I've done it so far, but uh... setup takes a lot of work and it grows a life of its own. So now we have Aang and Zuko dating pre-s2 finale and the ripple effects of that. Also, might end up Zutaraang)

Dream Sex (unpublished, pre-canon, aged up Zuko dreams about the Avatar having their way with him.)

Author Zuko: Blue Spirit/Avatar Aang (unpublished, Aang is not excited to hear that a new play is coming out about the Avatar and the Blue Spirit. He is unaware that Zuko secretly wrote the play)

Author Zuko: Zuko writes about the Fire Lord and Avatar’s Bond Thru Time (unpublished, Zuko's a fucking nerd who uses primary sources to back up his pet thesis that his destiny is tied to Aang's)

Cheering Up on a Bad Day (unpublished, Aang pines and tries to lighten Zuko's mood after a rough day as Fire Lord)

Masked Affection (s2 au where the Blue Spirit and Aang end up in a secret relationship. When Aang finds a badly injured Blue Spirit, the lines between Zuko and the mask begin to blur)

Post-Canon Hanahaki AU (unpublished, Zuko starts coughing up strange flowers and is in denial about what it could mean)

Gaang in Ba Sing Se with Aang trying to befriend Zuko without telling them who ‘Li’ is (unpublished, Aang explores the Lower Ring by taking Zuko on 'dates'. He tells the Gaang about it, but neglects to mention who 'Li' really is)

Freudian Nightmares (porn with plot, Aang dreams about Zuko, then gets the chance to experience him in reality)

Depression and Executive Dysfunction (unpublished, set in s3 but goes au in s2, Zuko and Aang had a secret relationship in Ba Sing Se - and Zuko chose Azula anyway. He regrets it, but even once he joins the Gaang, he knows he'll never be able to make up for that. The despair of knowing he can never recover what they once had makes it hard to try some days. Aang just wants to help)

Marking: Scandalized Sokka/Fuck “Aang must be protected” bullshit (unpublished, Aang enjoys getting marked up by his lover. The rest of the Gaang is a bit scandalized and it breaks their brains a little when Aang bluntly says he likes the marks)

Facefucking (unpublished, post-canon pwp, Zuko needs a break from being Fire Lord and wants to not think for a while. Surrendering to Aang's control is a good way to make that happen)

Dreamsharing, but it’s all sex (unpublished, au where Zuko has wet dreams about the Avatar even before he actually finds them. Somehow this is supposed to involve them sharing dreams. I don't really know how)

Destined to Love You/You’re the One I’ve Been Searching For (unpublished, Zuko has been overly obsessed with the Avatar for a long time. It's totally normal for him to care a little too much about Aang's opinion. It doesn't mean anything)

Sauna (unpublished, post-canon pwp where Aang convinces Zuko to take a break from ruling to soak in the sauna)

How tf is Li dating the Avatar? A teashop customer perspective (unpublished, an aspiring fangirl/writer in Ba Sing Se speculates on how exactly the surly teashop server managed to become the Avatar's boyfriend)

Artist!Zuko (unpublished, Zuko likes to doodle. His obsession with the Avatar means that they are often his muse - and once he finds Aang, he fixates hard)

Other (23)

What's Yours is Mine (unpublished, the Gaang cause waves when they wear pieces of Zuko's wardrobe. The gossip is hilarious.)

Come to the Good Side, We Have Cookies (sorta gen???? the Gaang kidnaps Zuko to try to befriend him. Zuko is not amused.)

Oviposition PWP (unpublished, Zuko gets railed by dragons)

Reading Lips (Gaang/Zuko, the Gaang all take an opportunity to kiss Zuko, but fail to ever actually talk to him about it)

To Weave a Tangled Web (Aang suggests that Zuko marry Kuei as a step towards their vision for the future. He forgets monogamy is a thing and fails to actually talk about what that means)

Zuko blows Aang while Katara watches (unpublished, Zutaraang(ish) pwp)

Commitment to Balance (Aang/Zuko/Katara/Toph, "Let's get married. For balance.")

Zuko navigating 10 (billion) relationships (unpublished, Zuko as the fandom bicycle lmao)

Zutaraang PWP (unpublished, sparring porn)

Zutaraang Lap Sex (unpublished pwp)

Aang loves his friends (unpublished, idk might be gen, might be full Gaang. Aang just loves his family.)

Katara and Aang decide to pursue Zuko (unpublished, post-canon, Aang approaches Katara to talk about polyamory)

Everyone is in love with Zuko: He catches a clue (unpublished, full Gaang/Zuko as fandom bicycle, Zuko realizes he's in love with his friends and is worried about what his wife will think. His wife thinks "fucking finally!")

I Still Dream About You (Are You Lonely For Me Too?) (Gaang/Zuko, unpublished, the Gaang shared one drunken, half-remembered night ages ago. It still haunts them.)

Sparring for who gets to take Aang (unpublished, Zutaraang pwp)

An Arrangement for World Peace (unpublished, Toph/Zuko, Marriage alliances are as old as time. Why not take advantage of that?)

Fuck Buddies (unpublished, Toph/Zuko, s3 aged up au)

Mai/Zuko/Toph – Post-Canon Fire Nation Trio (unpublished pwp that might grow plot)

The Southern Waterbending Line (unpublished, Kataang/Zutaraang, Aang and Katara both want to revive their people's bending disciplines, but there's no guarantee their children will be benders. Questioning how bending is passed down leads to learning more about Gran Gran Kanna's past)

Zuko is not in touch with his emotions (unpublished, Gaang/Zuko, Mai sits Zuko down for a therapy session with Ty Lee to help him realize that his friends are in love with him)

Aang as a sexual being/Fuck “Aang is so innocent and pure” (unpublished, AKA Llama gets annoyed at fandom's infantilization of Aang. Aang may be young, but he still grew up in a culture that believed in open and unashamed access to information, including info about sexuality)

Masturbation is normal and healthy (unpublished, Gaang/Aang, au where Aang is the one who teaches the Gaang about masturbation)

Attempt at omegaverse (unpublished, Gaang/Zuko probably, hopefully a pwp but it might grow plot)

Total WiPs: 172 🤯🤯🤯

[bunbeeplays]

The Lemon Legacy: Generation 1, Chapter 93 - Bumps and Biscuits

Ophelia's well into her second trimester, and she's feeling a bit drained.

Ophelia: You are wearing me out, baby girl… But hey, I think I rock this baby bump, don't you?

Xander and Ophelia cuddle before bed when something dawns on them.

Ophelia: We haven't even talked about a name.

Xander: Oh yeah. I keep calling her Muffin in my head, but I don't think she'd love putting that as her legal name on job applications.

Ophelia: We could name her after your mom.

Xander: That's really sweet, babe, but there's a good chance this kid is going to come out with your complexion and I think naming a little white blonde girl Lakshmi is going to look more insulting than honoring.

Ophelia: Fair.

Ophelia: I did have another name in mind, in the back of my head…

Ophelia tells Xander the name and explains the reasoning behind it. Xander seems on board.

Xander: That's a beautiful name.

Ophelia: We can think up a few more options.

Xander: No no, I love that one.

Well, that's one less thing to cross off their list. Tomorrow is the start of Ophelia's third trimester, so they're going to add the finishing touches to the nursery. Pretty soon, their lives will change forever, but right now, they're enjoying this experience together.

The nursery is finished. They maybe went a little overboard with toys for someone that won't be able to play with them for a while, but you only have your first baby once.

Ophelia can't help but sit in the rocking chair and wonder what their little one is going to be like when she gets here. Is she going to be cautious, wiggly, sunny, calm? And what's she going to be like when she's not an infant? Guess that's the fun part, isn't it?

One thing Ophelia does know about her daughter is that she's got one hell of a leg. Pregnancy isn't all lollipops and rainbows.

Ophelia: I love you so much already, kid, but I'm not going to be sad to not have you treating my organs like a soccer ball anymore.

Travis and Becca gifted the future parents a few baby books, so Ophelia decides to read to the baby.

Ophelia: The boy wanted to play with the horsies, but the mean business man wouldn't let him if the boy didn't pay $40. "That's a bit steep for just horses," said the boy.

Ophelia: Do you think our baby will be smart?

Xander: Sure. I did okay in school. And weren't you valedictorian?

Ophelia: I didn't go to graduation after getting kicked out, I think the salutatorian took my place. To be honest, this is the first book I've read since then.

Xander: If our girl grows up anything like her mommy, then she's going to be great all around.

Ophelia: Let's hope the klepto trait isn't genetic.

Xander: If it is, we know how to help her.

Xander kisses the side of his wife's head as she continues to read. Not much longer!

During lunch, Ophelia hits her third trimester. The baby kicks her once again, but this time it just feels kind of funny.

Ophelia: Hey, settle down in there! Do you want Mommy to have a bladder failure?

Marshmallow needs some attention. Not that she'd ever admit it or anything.

Ophelia: Poor baby, Mommy and Daddy have been so busy, haven't they? Maybe you need a little kitty playmate to keep you company.

Marshmallow: an underling? excellent idea, mother.

Ophelia: Sheesh, look at how big I am, Marshie. I'm about to pop!

Marshmallow: are you making yourself appear larger to scare off prey, mother?

Ophelia uses her time before the baby arrives to work on completing her first original song. When she can't sleep because of how much she's aching, she uses the time to slam out some more lyrics. Ophelia's never been one to just sit around and wait for something to happen.

Ophelia didn't get the best sleep last night, but it was enough. She has a craving for sausage gravy and biscuits, so she gets out all the ingredients, only for something to interrupt her.

Ophelia: Uh, Xander? I think my water just broke.

Xander instantly goes into pre-parental panic mode.

Xander: Oh Watcher, okay, we've got this. I'll go get changed, grab the bag-

Ophelia: Aww man, I really wanted biscuits.

Xander: You're in labor and you're thinking about biscuits?!

Ophelia: I can multitask!

As Xander runs upstairs to grab some stuff to take to the hospital, Ophelia pulls some leftover fruit out of the fridge so she doesn't starve to death. It's no biscuit, but it'll do.

Eat up, Feefs! It's go time!