#anyway yeah i don't have a muse for it it made me laugh though

[misteradrianmonk]

hums

[arabaka]

ᰔ ̗̀➛ CHAPTER O3. BLOSSOMING.

₊˚ʚ ☁️ ₊˚ ♡ ﾟ. content warnings ⤸ sfw. reigen arataka x afab!reader. no cw but while this chapter is sfw, the story is generally not. 1.1k word count.

₊˚ʚ ☁️ ₊˚ ♡ ﾟ. author's note ⤸ chapter 3! sorry for taking so long, muse was dead but thanks to my beloveds, meg and @bulle-blackhole, i was able to break the curse and finish this! b also gave me the AMAZING idea that you'll see when you see reigen again and that honestly got me through the rest of the chapter lol.

CHAPTER ONE. | CHAPTER TWO. | TABLE OF CONTENTS.

“We should probably set some ground rules, right?” You murmur to his chest after a short while of being in his embrace. 

Admittedly, Reigen hadn’t thought about that. “Yeah… Probably.” Reigen croaks, his cheeks heating up to an obvious red as he hears himself. “Sorry, I’ve just…” 

The man looks away, ashamed, brown eyes looking anywhere but yours as his sheepishness shows in red hues blooming over his cheeks. Though he knows, there is no running from this, not from the very truth of the fact that…

”I’ve never been in a relationship.” His voice drops decibel by decibel with every word but the shame that drips off every word has no one to blame but himself. 

The “going home” club really was a foolish decision. 

You watch Reigen's throat tense with a barbed swallow, your heart beating with sympathy (but not pity) at the sight of it. He’s pensively pushing his fingers and his gaze is to the floor. The only noise bouncing off the walls is the nervous tap, tap, tap of his feet. If his words didn’t say it, his body language certainly does: the man is anxious. Reigen thought for so long that being self-made was enough for him, but as he’s confronted with his first relationship ever, he can’t help but think he’s falling short of what you need. What you deserve.

That’s when your hand comes over his, fingers curling in for a reassuring squeeze. The corners of your lips subtly curl, a tender smile appearing as you tell him, “That’s okay. Every relationship is different anyways… And I think we can both agree our situation is very different.”

We. Our.

Those two little words seem to snap him out of his stupor; after all, Reigen wouldn’t want to miss that smile of yours. 

His hand shifts, his fingers moving to lace with yours. Immediately, he gulps, “S-Sorry, my hands are kinda sweaty.” 

“That's okay. Some sweat never hurt anybody.” You assure him with a light laugh. “How about this…” You whisper as your other hand folds over his knuckles. “Let's revisit this tonight, in the meantime we can think about all of this and… Shower because I know I need one.”

The proposition is a relieving one, Reigen letting out a breath he didn't even know he was holding when you were done speaking. “I think that's a great idea.” He murmurs with a chuckle, eyes cast on your linked hands as he continues, “I really… Don't want to screw this up.” The man admits, unable to shake off the fear that everything will fall apart and it will be all his fault. He can fake it ‘til he makes it with everything else, everyone else in his life, but he would never do that with you.

He doesn't have to.

And when he hears you tell him that he won’t screw it up, that you won’t let him, with the sweetest smile, he believes you.

—

A few hours and many, many, Mobgle searches later, Reigen stands outside of your apartment door. He’s traded his suit for a more casual look, even tried parting his hair a different way… Until he saw his reflection in the nearby window and quickly rectified that mistake.

Just in time too because there you are, opening the door with a bigger smile on your face than the one you had this morning. “Reigen!” You chirp, extra excited to show him the bouquet of flowers you had bought for him earlier that day… Only to see the exact bouquet in his hands as well.

Pink roses line both arrangements but the real stars are the gerberas, their stark white petals standing out among the rosy leaves and bundles of baby’s breath. Both sets of flowers are the same, down to the pink cellophane wrap and white ribbon around the stems. 

Both of you blink in surprise at first, stunned to silence until an escaped snort from Reigen gets you both to start laughing. “What are the odds?” You ask after a giggle, wiping your eye of the single tear that came from the belly laugh. “Let me guess…”

You don’t have to, Reigen jumps on it seamlessly, “‘You can’t go wrong with roses and gerberas!’” 

“And let me guess…” You start again with a toothy grin, “He didn’t charge you for the baby’s breath either?”

“... What?”

–

You sit on the couch– yes, the same couch you two were shamelessly making out on like you were teenagers at the height of puberty less than 24-hours prior. Though this time, there isn’t any tension to cut through. No gulped swallows and nervous stirrings of the gut.

“We should say our first rule out loud at the same time.” You’re overeager, every cell in your body just itching to hammer out these details so you can kiss that stupid face of his again… 

Okay, you really just want to seal the deal so you can officially call Reigen Arataka your boyfriend.

Reigen exclaims with a sweat already running from his brow, “What if yours is way more serious than mine?!” 

“Aw, c’mooooon.” He’s still hesitating so you bring out the big guns… A pout and a stare that would put a kitten to shame.

Reigen’s face could not get redder. He can practically feel his heart ramming against his ribs just looking at you! “... Fine.” He clears his throat, trying to recover from the strike to the heart that was your expression. “You’re not gonna do that every time you need me to agree with you, right?” He asks after a beat, letting out a chuckle that makes the red glow on his cheeks even brighter somehow.

“I make no such promise.” You answer with a nod and a smug smile, your chin wrinkling from the silly expression. “Now, c’mon! One… Two… Three!”

“No PDA at work!” 

“We shouldn’t do anything at work!”

You both let out a sigh of relief. 

“Oh, good.” Reigen leans back on the couch, eyes closed briefly in contentment. “I’m glad we see eye-to-eye on this. But it’s not because I don’t want the others to know!” He’s now sat upright, needing you to see the honesty in his eyes because he would never want you to get the impression he wants to hide you for any reason.

Your hand on his knee soothes his worries, a touch he can already see himself craving. “Hey, hey, hey. Don’t get ahead of yourself. I knew what you meant but Reigen…” You smile at him tenderly, squeezing his leg as you assure him, “You don’t need to watch yourself around me, afraid you’ll make a mistake just because we’re going to be dating now.” Oh, how your cheekbones already tingle from how much the word “date” makes you giddy. 

“Right, right.” Reigen returns your affectionate smile, his hand coming to hold yours. The gesture is still foreign to his bones but god, it feels perfect. “Well, I’m sure we can handle ourselves at work.”

“Totally.”

“Totally.”

[skepsiss]

For the @steddiesummerexchange to @stevesjockstrap!

Batter Up: Chapter 4 of 5

Read [Chapter 1] [Chapter 2] [Chapter 3] [Chapter 4]

Rated: Explicit

Summary: This fluffy story is about Baseball Player Steve Harrington, meeting Rock Star Eddie Munson and the whirlwind 1-week romance turned committed relationship. They're instantly obsessed with one another, but neither knows how to take things to the next level. Enjoy Steve being a love-sick idiot! (The story turns explicit in Chapter 4, other chapters are all fluff).

The sexy chapter. I don't write smut without feelings in it though, so you know there is some sentimental stuff attached to their boys getting freaky. (And of course some comedy).

Read Chapter 4 below, or [read it on Ao3]

Thank you again to @thefreakandthehair for Beta reading.

Graphic made by me!

Eddie leaned over the centre console to kiss him, his hands bracing awkwardly against the door and the back of the chair. Steve shamelessly ran his hand up the back of Eddie’s neck, the keys to his car wrapped around his fingers. “We should… head inside,” Steve said against Eddie’s lips, already missing the methodical kiss. 

“Yeah, alright,” Eddie replied, but made no motion to move as he stayed pressed in close, so their noses could brush together. 

Steve had driven them back to his place from the batting cages. It wasn’t a long drive, and he knew no one was home. Well, he lived alone, but Robin wasn’t going to be around today. She knew he had a date. 

“Need me to help you with the door?” Steve teased gently, smiling, and anticipating another kiss. 

Eddie had kissed him more than a few times since they had gotten into his car, and he wasn’t going to complain about that. “Mmm…” Eddie mused, moved to rub his thumb over Steve’s lips. His gaze was flicking across Steve’s face, settling finally on his mouth. “Okay, big boy,”  Eddie huffed, biting his bottom lip and sitting back in his chair. “You can play chivalry with me.”

Steve sighed an awkward laugh, a bit taken aback by the sudden nickname. He didn’t dislike it, but it felt… degrading. Not in a bad way; Eddie’s tone was playful and flirtatious, but Steve just wasn’t sure what to make of it. He sort of liked being talked down to like that.

He got out of the car anyway, and pocketed his keys before walking around to open Eddie’s door for him. “Thanks,” Eddie quipped, offering Steve his hand as he stepped out. “You’re really milking this, huh?” Steve asked as he held Eddie’s fingers daintily and walked him into the house. 

“Not the only thing I’ll….” Eddie mumbled, and Steve strained to catch the rest of his sentence. Eddie just flashed him a grin and glanced around quickly before looking at Steve expectantly.

“No offense,” Eddie breathed, “but I don’t want a tour. You can show me your place later.”

Steve laughed earnestly this time, changing his grip so he was just holding Eddie’s hand instead of leading him like some kind of damsel. 

“Yeah, alright. No more beating around the bush.” Steve grinned, taking the cue in stride and walking them toward his bedroom.

He liked that Eddie was forward, actually. They’d been dancing around this all week, and now that they were finally able to be intimate, neither of them seemed willing to wait. He liked that. There was no guesswork on whether Eddie wanted to have sex or not, no games to play.

“You have a maid or something?” Eddie asked as Steve flicked on the lights to his room. “No?” Steve replied, obviously confused as he turned to look at Eddie. “Huh… you like things nice and clean, hmm?” Eddie questioned as he took a step forward and started to harmlessly push Steve back toward the bed. Steve moved willingly, finding a small thrill in being backed up across the room. The back of his knees hit the bed and he sat, more than pleased to have Eddie crawl into his lap and straddle him. “All things, or…” Eddie asked, looping his arms over Steve’s shoulders and leaning in.

“Not… all things,” Steve answered lamely, distracted by Eddie’s proximity as he watched his lips. He let his hands snake around Eddie’s middle, pulling him in closer. “That’s good,” Eddie breathed, ducking in, but not letting their lips touch. “I don’t think things would work out if that was the case. You want me to dirty you up a bit, sweetheart?” 

It was like a spell was being cast on him or something. Steve felt the world outside his room fall away as he focused on Eddie and pulled in those words. He had experienced women talking to him provocatively, and he liked a bit of that in bed, but there was something completely different about the way Eddie did it. He felt so… powerful, so dynamic, and Steve was aware that he felt compelled to say ‘yes’ to everything. “Yes…” Steve replied, feeling like he wasn’t allowed to close the distance between them. Eddie groaned a bit at his answer, and Steve felt his fingers along the hemline of his shirt. Steve moved without being asked, leaning back and raising his arms so Eddie could peel his shirt off. His hair frizzed up, but he didn’t have time to think about it as Eddie’s hands fell to him and he pressed in for a heated kiss. Just like it had been at the batting cage, Steve opened his mouth with a groan as Eddie fed his fingers through the hair on his chest and kissed him deeply. 

Eddie kissed like he was trying to lick the back of his throat and Steve pressed into it eagerly before twisting and tossing Eddie onto the bed. He gasped, but Steve was quick to kiss him again, crawling over top of him and moaning at the way Eddie pulled him in close. “Fuck, you’re strong,” Eddie gravelled, his voice low as he spread his legs for Steve to slot between. 

“And you’re—” Steve tried, getting interrupted by kisses. “Beautiful.” Eddie snorted at the compliment, and hit Steve hard in the shoulder. It was playful, but Steve couldn’t say he understood the reaction. “Man, shut up,” Eddie laughed, sounding charmed. “You’re so fucking corny. Fuck off.”

Steve chuckled a bit in reply, kissing the corner of Eddie’s mouth and down across his cheek. He liked that Eddie found him amusing, but he didn’t want him to think this was a joke. “I mean it… you know,” Steve sighed, kissing Eddie's ear. He noted that Eddie grew quiet, and his body started to arch incrementally upward. “You’re gorgeous.” Eddie groaned, and Steve took that as a good sign as he ducked toward Eddie’s neck and started to suck hickeys into his skin. “Y–you too, you know,” Eddie swallowed, twisting to expose more of his neck. “But I’m sure—I’m sure all the boys—tell you that.” “You’d be surprised,” Steve retorted easily, indulging in kissing Eddie’s skin. “You’re the first guy, actually…” Steve didn’t think much of his comment, more just pleased to be doing this finally with Eddie, as he ran a hand up Eddie’s side to expose his skin. He wanted to properly see those tattoos—count them—and maybe after they were done he’d ask all about them. Kiss every single one. God, Eddie was everything he had dreamed of. “What?” Eddie asked, not squirming away, but changing the atmosphere in the room completely with his deadpan question. “Huh?” Steve blinked, leaning back so he could look at Eddie properly. “Did you say… I’m the first guy?” Eddie asked, brows pinched in. “What do… what do you mean by that?”

Steve stared for a beat, feeling more like a fish than a man as he gaped. He wasn’t really sure how to answer that. What had he said? That Eddie was the first guy? Was that wrong for him to have commented on?

“That… what? Nothing, just… you’re the first guy to say that to me. I’ve never… honestly, I’ve never been in a situation like this with a guy before,” Steve replied genuinely, the confusion evident on his face. ”What?” Eddie asked again, sitting up a bit and forcing Steve to sit back. “What do you— you mean you’re an ass-virgin?” As soon as the words left his mouth, a flush spread across Eddie’s face, and he looked away from Steve. “God—uh, sorry—why did I say it like that? Jesus—I mean, uh…” Eddie waffled, his face growing redder by the minute. It was actually adorable, and Steve couldn’t help but chuckle at him. 

“Yeah, I’m an ass-virgin,” he teased, only feeling a small blow to his ego at the phrase. “But I’m uh, far from a virgin-virgin.” Eddie looked back at him, but kept his lips pressed together, mortified still but seemingly keeping it together. Sex was weird like that, and Steve had sex enough not to be overly embarrassed by slip ups like this. Hell, he sort of liked that they were being real about it from the get-go, and it gave him an opportunity to ask the real pressing question here. “Just so… we get it out of the way,” Steve swallowed, sitting back on his heels, “I get physicals a lot—real ones. So, uh, I know I’m clean.” Eddie blinked at him and then raised his hands in front of his chest, looking shocked that they were just talking about this. “Oh—yeah, me too. Yeah, I mean, I’m uh… I just got out of rehab. You have to go through a lot of doctors, and I haven’t… I’ve been checked since the last time I slept with anyone,” Eddie confessed, his body language awkward despite the fact that Steve could see something hard behind his eyes. 

It felt like Eddie was testing him or something. Like he was checking to see how Steve would react to being told that he was in rehab recently. Steve knew about Eddie’s rehab, but he appreciated that Eddie was willing to be so direct about something like that. “But, good to know I won’t get gonorrhoea when I suck your dick,” Eddie quipped. Okay, maybe a bit too direct. 

Steve blinked and looked away, not exactly sure how to respond to that. It was funny, right? Eddie was trying to alleviate the tension after such a serious conversation? But there was still the whole—

“Do you know how this works?” Eddie asked, his tone a bit softer. 

Steve looked back at him, putting together what he meant, slowly.

“Sex? Like, sex with a guy?” Steve asked. “Yeah, I know how… sex works. I’ve just never… actually done it. Just, uh, by myself.” Eddie’s eyes flicked up to him at that, and Steve watched something simmer there as Eddie stared. It was intimidating, but it evoked that same desire to just ‘say yes’ to everything. It was hot. 

“That’s good…” Eddie replied quietly, a controlled quality to his voice. “I’m out of practice there, so…” 

Silence fell over them, and Steve wasn’t really sure what to do. It felt like Eddie was asking him something, but he wasn’t totally sure. He had gone into this expecting to have sex—expecting Eddie to fuck him—but now he wasn’t sure if that was what Eddie wanted. So much for being forward.

“Do you want to… bottom?” Eddie asked as the silence continued, and Steve paused for a beat as those words sunk in. He had thought it was obvious, but now that he was considering it, he supposed it was strange that he had just assumed he was going to bottom. Why had he assumed that? Probably because he could screw women the same way he’d screw a guy, and he had done that enough to know that he liked it. But Eddie wasn’t a woman, so of course Steve wanted to experience ‘bottoming.’ That was…. Why was that his preference? 

“Yeah, unless you don’t want to…” Steve offered as a compromise, still keen on sleeping with Eddie even if he didn’t want to top. “No, no—” Eddie replied quickly, “I’ve been thinking about fucking you all week. I like it both ways, but your, uh… first time like this. Are you sure you want… me?”

Steve felt a punch to his chest at Eddie’s words, all of it settling over him like a shroud. Firstly, to hear Eddie say he wanted to fuck him, it was like Eddie was grabbing him by the dick and tormenting him. It was so fucking erotic—but then, he went and shied away from it because… because he didn’t feel like enough. It was like Eddie had a grip on his heart and his libido in a way that was making Steve feel delirious.

“Yeah—yes,” Steve said a bit too eagerly, getting back on his knees and crawling over the other. “Yes… yes, Eddie. I want you to fuck me.” Eddie looked bewildered by his approach, but he groaned deeply at the confession anyway and pulled Steve into a kiss. It felt romantic though, and Steve let himself get lost in the sensation as he leaned over Eddie. “Jesus Christ, Steve,” Eddie rumbled, “okay. Jesus… okay.” The contact was tender as Eddie held his cheeks and kissed him. Steve could swear that he really was going to fall in love if this continued. Eddie was being so gentle with him, but there was still so much passion behind his touch. Steve felt like he had been starved of this for a very long time. 

Eddie encouraged them to roll, and Steve moved with him without breaking the kiss. They were tangled together again almost instantly, and Steve couldn’t help his smug little laugh when Eddie reached around to grope his ass. “Don’t sound—too pleased… with yourself,” Eddie scolded, still kissing him through his words as he grabbed handfuls of Steve’s ass and kneaded. 

“I don’t know—-what you’re talking—about,” Steve taunted in turn, letting his own hands wander as he reached up Eddie’s back, and tangled his fingers into the other’s hair. It didn’t take long for Steve’s hands to venture to the waistband of Eddie’s jeans. He moved slowly as he popped the button on Eddie’s shorts and unzipped his fly. Eddie just groaned through the action and pressed in closer, his own touch dipping below the elastic waistband of Steve’s pants and boxers so he could grab his ass. 

Skin on skin. 

Eddie rolled his hips forward and Steve had a momentary spike of nerves as he felt the bulge in Eddie’s shorts press against his crotch. He wanted this, but he was suddenly struck with the fact that he was actually going to be touching another man’s dick, and his lack of experience squeezed at his confidence. But Eddie felt so eager as he pulled Steve in close and practically growled into his mouth. A possessive, needy quality to the sound that demanded attention. It felt like Eddie was obsessed with him, and Steve wasn’t sure if he had ever felt sexier. To be desired that much… to see and feel how turned on Eddie was from kissing alone was something else. Steve rolled his hips forward so they could grind, and he was rewarded with a gasp from Eddie before he was pulling Steve’s legs over his thigh so they could rut up against one another. The invitation was plain, and Steve didn’t pretend to be stoic as he moaned quietly into Eddie’s mouth, the two of them grinding like a couple of teenagers. “Mmm—you’re so… so…” Eddie mumbled, obviously distracted, as he tugged Steve’s pants over his ass so they caught on the underside and exposed him. “Fuck… look at you.” Eddie opened his eyes, and Steve let himself get overwhelmed by how stormy Eddie’s gaze was. His pupils were blown, and Steve felt more like prey than a lover. No one had ever looked at him like that before. “Hmm, fuck… don’t let me get ahead of myself,” Eddie mused, kissing him tenderly for a beat before pulling away. “Where… lube, man.” Steve swallowed, coming back to himself as he shifted up the bed. “Right, yeah,” he mumbled, crawling up the mattress and fishing around in his nightstand for lube and condoms. He tossed the condoms to the far side of the bed but held the bottle of lube out for Eddie as he moved up the mattress toward him. “Thanks, sweetheart,” Eddie muttered, smiling with hooded eyes before kissing Steve’s shoulder and up into the curve of his neck. “You tell me to stop… at any time, if you want…” Steve breathed a soft ‘okay’ and rolled onto his back, feeling utterly captivated by Eddie. There was this energy about him that was intoxicating, and Steve truly did feel like a virgin again. He was letting Eddie take the reins, and it felt natural to fall underneath him like this. It was almost animalistic, but at the same time he felt as if Eddie was treating him so tenderly. Like he was devoted to him. Affectionate beyond what someone who had known him for a week should feel. 

Eddie kissed in the crevice of Steve’s throat and Steve sighed as he felt the other starting to kiss down his chest and to his hips. Eddie was making these wayward, pleased noises as he descended, taking the hem of Steve’s pants down with him as he placed a kissed to his thigh and nipped gently at his skin.

It didn’t take much for Eddie to pull down his clothes, freeing Steve’s erection. He was already so turned on, and that only increased as Eddie hummed appreciatively at him.  “God… you’re prettier than I imagined,” Eddie husked, as he sat up a bit so he could lick a stripe up Steve’s cock, before sucking on just the head of his erection. Steve gasped at the forwardness, the compliment making him feel small and flattered all at once. Eddie was keeping such intense eye contact with him, too, Steve felt powerless despite the fact that he had more than one weight-class on Eddie. “So, you’ve… done this by yourself?” Eddie asked, his voice low as he released Steve’s cock and finished pulling his pants off. Steve swallowed, once again seeing that dark flash in Eddie’s eyes. He could place it now, though. Eddie thought it was hot, hearing that Steve had masturbated like this on his own. It felt dangerous, and alluring all at once. As if Steve was expected to perform, but all he had to do was be himself. Eddie was probably restraining himself from demanding too much of him, despite how hot-blooded the information made him.

“Yeah,” Steve answers, trying to sound confident and not at all overwhelmed by how intense Eddie’s gaze was. “Somewhat recently too…” Steve wasn’t a stranger to turning on his partners, but the way Eddie groaned at his reply and slunk back up to his face made his body feel tight. It felt like he was about to be devoured. “Jesus Christ, Steve,” Eddie crooned, kissing along his jaw and back to his lips. They indulged in another long, drawn out kiss as Steve felt Eddie moving above him. The familiar clicking noise of the lube bottle opening sounded, and Steve felt his heartbeat pick up. “Thinking about… me?” Eddie asked, opening his eyes, lips barely pressed to Steve’s. Steve sucked in a breath, feeling almost foreign in his own body. He had never been this worked up in his life. He had never experienced foreplay like this before. “Yeah,” Steve swallowed, his voice sounding quiet to his own ears as he watched Eddie’s eyes flutter shut at the confession. “God… I’ve wanted you since the second I saw you,” Eddie groaned, watching him again as Steve felt the cool, wet slick of Eddie’s fingers against his ass. Eddie played for a moment, just pressing and gliding his fingers against Steve’s asshole before carefully pushing one finger in. Steve sucked in another breath, the action throwing him because of the anticipation, not the sensation. He knew this kind of touch—though it was something else, having someone else’s finger in him. “You tell me…” Eddie mumbled, still staring at him, as if he didn’t want to miss a second of Steve’s reaction. “Tell me… if it’s too much.”

Steve heard Eddie swallow thick before he started pumping his finger in and out of him, the feeling making Steve close his eyes. “Baby?” Eddie asked, a second finger teasing the outside of his hole. “Tell me…” “Okay—” Steve said quickly, tightening and loosening his grip on Eddie’s shoulders. 

It wasn’t painful. He was familiar enough with this to take two fingers, but something about the way Eddie was treating him was building Steve’s overwhelm. He felt so vulnerable, and he wanted it so badly, that Eddie’s touch almost felt like a tease instead of release. Eddie stroked his insides and Steve gasped at the sensation, letting himself just focus on the feeling as Eddie started to work him open. It wasn’t just a means to an end though, as Eddie pressed up into his prostate and pulled a groan from Steve, causing him to hunch. When Eddie rubbed his prostate again, Steve gasped before opening his eyes. Eddie was staring so intently at him that Steve could hardly stand it. He pulled him into a kiss instead, and Eddie groaned into his mouth, the speed of his fingers increasing as he pumped them vigorously in and out. 

Steve couldn’t keep the kiss up as he started to keen into Eddie’s mouth, spreading his legs on instinct as he got lost to the sensation. “Tell me…” Steve heard Eddie mumble, and he shook his head quickly, not wanting this to stop for anything. “It’s good— it’s good!” Steve groaned loudly, arching into Eddie. “You sound so... fucking amazing,” Eddie gravelled, ducking to Steve’s neck and starting to leave painful hickeys along Steve’s skin. That only increased Steve’s pleasure, and he clutched at Eddie’s hair, feeling desperate for this to get to the next step. Eddie had to know that he wasn’t going to flinch away or clamp down on him by now. He needed Eddie to screw him. “I want to fuck you— so badly,” Eddie gasped against his skin, and Steve panted loudly in turn, trying his best to regain his thoughts.

“Fuck me—” Steve choked, feeling almost pathetic for losing it this quickly when Eddie had only been using his fingers. Eddie whined at his reply, biting his neck hard before swiftly pulling his hand away. Steve shuddered and panted heavily, letting himself fall against the mattress as Eddie sat up. He looked deadly towering over Steve, his hair cascading over his shoulders and hanging down like some kind of monster. His expression was dark, and his mouth was hanging open salaciously. It was like Steve was looking up at a painting of some kind of horror, sent from the depth to seduce men. He looked so good. Steve wanted to do anything for him.

Eddie peeled off his shirt and tossed it aside as Steve watched. They were making hard eye contact with one another at the anticipation of the moment before Steve’s attention dropped to Eddie’s waist. He pushed down his shorts slowly, the action obviously meant to be enticing, as he pulled his erection out and gave himself a few strokes. He wasn’t small by any means, and Steve felt his stomach clench at the idea that Eddie’s dick was about to be inside him. “You’re drinking me in like you’re dying, Stevie…” Eddie sighed, and Steve raised his attention back up to his face. “Sorry,” Steve said on instinct, which made Eddie laugh darkly. “No… I like it, baby,” Eddie mused, pulling his shorts off the rest of the way before crawling over Steve again. “You want me so badly, don’t you? Fingering yourself all week… thinking about me, and wanting me to put this inside you.” Steve felt Eddie press his cock against his stomach as he spoke, sliding his head against his skin, so Steve could feel how wet he was with pre-cum.

“I want to fuck you so good that you can’t even think about cumming without thinking about me,” Eddie breathed, leaning in for a tantalizingly gentle kiss. Steve wasn’t even sure if he was breathing as Eddie loomed over him, his attention completely enraptured. Nothing in the world existed beyond Eddie and the idea of having sex with him. Nothing mattered beyond this moment, and it felt as if Steve had never taken another lover before now. “You want me?” Eddie asked again, breathing against Steve’s mouth. “Yes–” Steve gasped, frozen to the spot. Eddie purred a pleased noise before kissing him and rolling his tongue into his mouth, letting the action languish before sitting up again. He must have grabbed a condom without Steve noticing because he was already pushing the rubber down over his cock. Even just the sight of that made Steve’s dick twitch as he watched Eddie lather himself with a generous amount of lube. “Same rules,” Eddie said softly, pressing his slick hand against Steve’s backside before shuffling forward. “Tell me if it’s too much.” There was no more waiting as Steve felt the heat of Eddie’s head press against his hole. His body strained for a moment before Eddie pushed in and Steve heaved a breath. It was slow, and it felt tight, but Eddie didn’t relent as he gradually pushed to the hilt. “Oh—fuck…” Steve whimpered, pushing up a bit in order to look between his legs. “Fuck…” Eddie touched his knees gingerly, and Steve spread his legs apart further as he felt Eddie pull back incrementally. He whined again at the action, but with each small push and pull, Steve could feel himself relaxing. “You’re so… fucking tight… baby,” Eddie groaned, and Steve finally looked up at Eddie’s face again to see how wonton his expression was. His mouth was open, eyes hooded, and Steve could see the delirious concentration on his face.

“I want to…” Eddie swallowed, and craned his neck toward the ceiling. “Fuck… I want to move… ah, Steve—fuck, I want to fuck you.” Eddie thrust in hard, and Steve shouted as the pain and pleasure erupted up his body. It was so much— he wanted Eddie to fuck him, but it was so much. Eddie seemed to be barely keeping it together as he went back to his shallow movements, his eyebrows pinched in tightly. “Fuck me—” Steve groaned, laying back and twisting a bit on the mattress. “Fuck me— actually— really fuck me.” Eddie growled again— low and dangerous— as he moved up the bed to crawl over Steve. He brushed the hair out of Steve’s face quickly, touching him as if he was revered. He snapped his hips again and Steve gasped, wrapping his arms around Eddie’s chest. He pulled Eddie into a kiss, and that seemed to say enough to the musician for him to actually start thrusting. Steve moaned and arched, his grip tightening on Eddie as he felt him drive into his body and press up hard against his prostate. It ripped a muffled yell from Steve as he continued to clutch at Eddie for dear life. “It good? It good, baby? Fuck, Steve,” Eddie was saying on repeat, his voice cut with his own whines of pleasure and the chasing of Steve’s tongue. As if that wasn’t enough, Steve felt Eddie’s hand move to his cock, pumping in time with his thrusts. Steve whined again, the overwhelm getting to him as he lost all semblance of rhythm and time. It was just Eddie and any frantic kiss he could get as his body flooded with pleasure. “I’m—” Steve heard Eddie say over the sound of their slapping skin and keening, his own mind on that edge of delirium. Eddie gasped loudly and Steve felt him thrust in hard, the sensation making him twist as Eddie’s hand slowed for a moment. He pulled away again, and Steve groaned at the loss of contact, before refocusing to watch Eddie. Eddie pressed up into his body again with his cock, pushing and maintaining firm pressure against his prostate as he started to jerk Steve off hastily. “You going to cum?” Eddie asked, sounding breathless as he continued to pump Steve’s erection. “Cum, Steve. Come on, sweetheart. Oh… Steve, you look so fucking gone. God—cum, baby. Cum.” Steve never stood a chance. He moaned and gasped, his voice pitching as he watched Eddie stroke him, the pleasure unmatched, before he came with a yell. His orgasm punched into him and shot up his chest, as Eddie groaned happily and continued to milk his cock. “That’s it, baby… oh… look at you,” Eddie cooed, panting heavily before leaning over him again. Steve felt like a wreck as he sucked in breath, his body spent as he let Eddie fall over him and kiss him into the pillows. He felt Eddie pull out slowly, and Steve groaned at the sensation before wrapping himself around Eddie once again and indulging in the adoring quality of their kiss. “Hmm… fuck, Steve,” Eddie whined, shifting so they could roll onto their sides and continue their affections. “Fuck… I don’t say this often, but, God… Steve. Fuck… I want to do that again.” Steve couldn’t help but breathe out a laugh, the ache already settling into his body as Eddie stroked his back sweetly. “Not… right now,” Steve mused, his heart somersaulting in his chest at how tenderly he was being treated. “No, of course not,” Eddie sighed, kissing the corner of his mouth. “No one recovers that fast their first time—I meant… I mean…” Steve sighed lightly, pulling back just enough so they could actually look at one another. Eddie’s face was a bit red from effort, and he had sweat sticking his hair to his temples, but he looked gorgeous. With big brown eyes, and a timid tilt to his brows that made him look more like a puppy, than a person. “Another date,” Steve offered as a fill in for Eddie’s lost statement. 

“Yeah, but…” Eddie waffled, looking ten years younger as he shied away from his comment.

“You meant that… you want to have sex again, another day… as if you were my… boyfriend?” Steve’s chest fluttered maddeningly as he spoke, his own wants and desires swirling around the room. Eddie sucked in a breath at that, and Steve watched as his gaze darted away. 

It struck fear into him for a moment, before Eddie was tucking under his chin, pressing in close. “I… I haven’t dated in a long time,” Eddie confessed, and Steve picked up the soothing pets to Eddie’s back. “But… I’d fucking… love to be your boyfriend.”  Read Chapter 5

[piastrinorris]

The Buffer

Pairing: Eddie Munson x gn!Reader (no gendered terms/pronouns)

Genre: fluff, tiny little smut mention at the end

Word count: 5k

Summary: Chrissy just wants to play wingwoman. If only the two people in question weren't so clueless.

A/N: Writing Chrissy is so fun. I hope I've done her justice.

Being friends with most of the school newspaper had its perks and its penalties. Pro: you get all the hot gossip before it hits the shelves of the school store. Con: whenever there is a big scoop and they have to work through their lunch break, yours becomes far more lonely. Usually you can find someone to sit with, but today you just so happen to prefer your own company.

Coincidentally, today is the day Chrissy Cunningham decides to sit at your table. "Hi!" she beams, setting her tray down, sitting down and then offering her hand out to you. "You don't mind if I sit here, right?"

Eyes narrowing, you take her hand warily. You've never heard anything bad about her, but you wonder why now, in your senior year, would she finally extend the olive branch? "You already made the trek all the way out here," you muse, and she giggles.

"Yeah, it's not my table but I thought, it's been a minute since we last talked and since your friends aren't here, I figured I could keep you company!" You can't get a read on her. She's the human equivalent of sunshine.

"That's sweet of you," you smile. "Yeah, it's the one downside of being on the outskirts of the school paper team," you shrug, and Chrissy nods in understanding. "Normally I'd find someone else to hang with, but I dunno, something told me to just sit here anyway."

Chrissy's eyes widen. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, if you need some alone time I totally get that, I'm so sorry I assumed -"

"It's fine," you hold your hand out with a reassuring smile. "I'm actually glad you joined me."

She gasps exaggeratedly, pressing her palm to her chest and putting on a voice, "Who, li'l ol' me?!" You laugh, and she joins you. "Well, I would offer for you to sit with more of us, but some of the other girls are…"

"Say no more, I know how a lot of cheerleaders feel about me," you roll your eyes. "Nah, usually I'll go and sit with, like, the theatre kids, or those Hellfire boys, if I need a good book to read, they'll know."

"Oh my god, can I tell you something so bad?" She asks you with wide eyes and a hand over her mouth.

You look from side to side. "Bad, like… Like, scandalous or -?"

"Oh, no! Not at all! This is about me," she giggles. "Did you know that, up until a few weeks ago, I had no idea that Eddie the Fr… The one who plays Dungeons and Dragons," she quickly corrects herself before leaning in to whisper to you, "I had no idea that was Edward Munson from middle school."

"Girl," your eyes widen as you lean back and she holds her cheeks, laughing silently. "You mean to tell me you couldn't tell that Edward the metalhead became Eddie the metalhead?!"

"He had buzzed hair, I don't know!" She presses her fingers to her temples as her face cringes. "When he started talking about his band, it all came flooding back, and I felt so bad!" Her face starts to soften, though. She rests her elbow on the table and sits her chin on the palm of her hand, her fingers curling against her cheekbone. "He's kinda cute now, wouldn't you say?"

Of course she'd say that as you were taking a sip of your drink. Taken aback, your breath catches at just the wrong moment and you start sputtering and coughing. She grimaces, though you can tell she's trying really hard not to laugh. When you finally catch your breath, you say, "Can't say I've noticed any difference." 

That's not technically a lie. You liked Eddie in his buzzed phase. You liked him in his half-grown-out phase. You even liked him in his irons-his-hair-straight phase, though you're grateful that it looks far healthier now that he keeps it curled. And sure, maybe your heart skips a beat or two when he calls you over personally to sit with you, or points to an empty spot next to him (provided one of his "baby sheep" hasn't taken it already). So there's never been a difference to whether or not you'd thought him cute. But if Chrissy Cunningham is into him? Any shot you might have had if you'd had the confidence to do something about it is definitely out of the window.

And so you come to your conclusion. Clearly, Chrissy has seen that you and him are still somewhat friends, and clearly she wants you to play wingman. It'll sting, sure, but it's not like you were planning on making a move anytime soon.

"You don't think he is?" she asks with a slight frown. You're perplexed. Do you chase her off his scent, would that make things too obvious? Or do you encourage it, and risk her questioning your enthusiasm? Either way, the risk is there, and at least now you can live vicariously through her.

You shrug, "I mean, I didn't say that, he's just… I dunno. He's always been Eddie," you allow yourself a small, wistful smile for a few seconds, which is cut short by Chrissy noticing something behind you.

"Oh my god, shh-shh, there he i- Eddie!" The tonal change from being so hushed when she started talking to yelling and waving by the end hurt your ears. 

Tray full of food in hand, he saunters over to you both. "Well, hello to you both," he balances the tray in one hand while doing a funny salute-bow motion with the other. "To what am I owed this pleasure?'

"Well, we were just catching up, since someone was sitting here all alone," Chrissy starts with a pout, and Eddie frowns, turning to you.

"Well, hey, you know there's always room for you with us, right? I know the boys tend to… Get excited and forget other people exist, but you just gotta be just as loud," he explains, his head shaking slightly.

You giggle, "It's been fun, actually, just me and Chrissy here. She's real fun to be with." You didn't realise quite how much saying things like that would sting, but you're here now. Hopefully it'll get easier with time.

"You should come sit with us!" Chrissy pats the table at the spot next to you. You turn your gaze quickly to your own meal, poking at the parts you're yet to eat. You conveniently miss Eddie and Chrissy's silent conversation of eye flashes, tiny gestures and facial expressions.

Eventually Eddie caves and slides into the seat next to you. Chrissy waves her hand towards her, "No, no, come closer! I don't want to have to yell." Even when making her demands, she's adorable. He should be putty in her hands within seconds. Then your work will be done.

Eddie slides his chair over, so his leg barely grazes yours. If you lean even the slightest amount, you can feel the chain on his jeans press into you. "So, what hot topic are we catching up on, then?" he asks.

"I was -" Chrissy collapses into laughter, which makes both you and Eddie smile. There's that sting again. "I was just talking about yo- how I didn't know you were you from middle school!"

"I mean, can you believe." Eddie deadpans, looking at you while gesturing with his open palm to Chrissy.

"Even you said, didn't you!" Chrissy continues, now also talking to you. "You said even you knew he was the same guy from middle school, it was just me!"

You shake your head in disbelief. "I can't believe it's just the hair that fooled you! I remember you in middle school having to move your ponytail so you didn't sit on it! This doesn't even look half as long!" You gesture towards her hair, and she giggles even more.

"Yours doesn't seem to have changed much though," Eddie muses, mouth half-full of food as he points his fork at you. You hate that you don't even find that repulsive.

"Nah, I've pretty much looked the same since the age of six, just stretched out in certain places," you shake your head, to a chorus of laughter from the other two. "Except for the few months I was missing a chunk out of it because I tried to bleach that one part with toilet cleaner." The pair of them hiss through their teeth in sympathy.

"I can do you one better than that," Eddie smirks. "Though it's not my story, guy I met at the Hideout one time. He had tried to bleach his hair at home, was told to wrap it in plastic and heat it up. So he takes a grocery bag -"

Your hands fly up to your face in shock. "Not one that had a logo on it!" Eddie presses his lips together and nods.

Chrissy whines, "Oh, no! So did it transfer onto his -" Eddie interrupts with another nod. "Noooo!"

"I so wish I could have seen it," Eddie laughs. "In Chrissy's defence, though, I didn't think I was all that memorable," he glances over at you.

You shake your head. "I’ll never forget the day you dressed up as a Hobbit for Halloween wearing sneakers with hair taped to them," you laugh, and Chrissy looks at you wide-eyed.

"Sorry, what?! Where was I?!"

Eddie laughs behind his hand. "Oh god, I thought nobody had noticed that! So - I wanted to give the outfit my full devotion, which meant walking around barefooted with extra hair on my fe- You asked!" Eddie exclaims as Chrissy cringes. "But the teacher told me I couldn't not wear shoes, so I had to keep it canon somehow. God, that teacher sucked," he groans under his breath.

"Oh, yes. How terrible it must have been for you to get dress-coded," you deadpan, and Chrissy joins in, once again trying not to laugh.

"You poor thing, Eddie. Having to be told to put shoes on, so oppressive."

"You guys are really coming for my jugular, huh? Last time I join you two." Thankfully, his tone doesn't sound serious.

"Aww, but who else is gonna come bowling with us after school?" Chrissy pouts. You give her a wide-eyed stare and she simply bounces her eyebrows up and down at you in response.

Eddie blows air between his lips in a rasp. "I dunno, you drive a hard bargain..."

"I'll buy you a portion of loaded fries," you offer, clearly understanding your place as the buffer, the third wheel.

Eddie slaps the table, "Now I'm sold!"

He and Chrissy set up a time and a place and you simply nod quietly in agreement. It’s their date, after all. You’re just moral support until it’s your cue to leave them to it.

Once he’s finished with his food, he nods over at his usual table. “S’pose I should go see my herd. I guess I’ll see you later on this evening,” he smiles before leaving you to join his friends.

Chrissy grabs your wrist, looking all excited. “Isn’t this awesome?! I thought that’d give us time to go to the mall first - don't sweat it, I'll drive us - find something cute to wear, and then we can start the journey over to the bowling alley!”

You’re not sure why you have to dress cute, too, but you assume she doesn’t want to potentially appear overdressed, so at least if you’re there and he’s underdressed, he’s in the minority. You let her have her little makeover moment - as much as it all hurts to help Chrissy live your dream, she's just too nice to direct any ill will towards. 

When you meet up with Eddie, he has smartened up a little - he's wearing a plaid button-up, though you see his homemade Hellfire shirt peek out beneath it, and a leather jacket. He's absolutely beaming at the sight of you both - which if course he is, you're stood next to the most infectious smile in Hawkins. He greets you with the same motion he did in the cafeteria, “Long time no see,” he smirks. “Shall we?”

Eddie turns his nose up at swapping his Reeboks for “clown shoes”, while Chrissy notices that hers squeak if she slides her feet in just the right way and obsesses over it, trying to get a sound out of every step. 

Chrissy insists on "ladies first" as she writes her name without hesitation. She writes yours next, then Eddie's. It goes about the same as any other bowling game - though when you revel in getting the first strike, Chrissy pulls you in for a hug and practically throws you at Eddie to also hug him. 

He smells nicer than he does at school. You feel his laugh rumble in his chest, "Thank you? I'd put that down to Hawkins High smelling worse in general."

Shoot. You'd said that out loud. You play it off with a semi-awkward laugh and a, "Yeah, that's probably it!" 

Eddie gets the next strike, and Chrissy ushers you forward first to praise him. This tactic, admittedly, just genuinely puzzles you. Does she just want to be the most recent physical contact of his? But then why wouldn't she do the opposite when you got your first strike? None of it seems to make sense. Is this why she needs a wingman? Do you need to step in and intervene? You offer him a hug identical to the one he gave, and as much as you try to keep it as brief as possible, you can't help but linger just a little.

You try your best to not play your A-game, giving Chrissy the chance to try and impress Eddie all by herself, but she keeps hyping you up just as much, if not more. You try and play off like you're at least mildly disappointed, and Eddie ruffles your hair sympathetically. You glare at him and he chuckles, "C'mon, you promised me fries, didn't you?"

The three of you share the food between yourselves, Eddie eating the most, which he'd predicted and already "repaid" for by buying all your drinks. Chrissy excuses herself to the bathroom, and Eddie spots you eyeing a nearby claw machine. "You know there's a trick to those, right?"

Your brow furrows. "Isn't it, like, random? When the claw actually grips or whatever?"

Eddie taps his nose knowingly, "Trust me. C'mon," he gestures with his head and you follow him over to it. "Pick one."

You raise your eyebrows. "You're that confident?!" He nods, and you press your forehead to the glass as you choose, "That one. Teddy bear, black and curly hair."

"Just like me," Eddie smiles, taking a final loud slurp of his drink followed by an equally loud gasp. "Stand back, please." You comply, hopping back to watch over his shoulder as he explains his actions. "See, you're not wrong, but you can increase your chances, thanks to a handy little friend called physics. If we just keep, it, moving," he punctuates every pause with the press of a different button, aiming the claw so that it starts to swing, "so that it still wants to swing even as it comes up," his voice drawls a little slower as the claw descends, clutching your preferred toy in its grasp, "and then when it does," he pauses for effect to show you the claw swinging on its ascent, "gravity should keep it central enough as it swings back and forth that it should… Fall…" He extends each word until it drops into the shaft, where he extends his hands out proudly, "Right where you want it."

Your eyes are wide, fixated on where the best now sits. "And yet it's taken you how long to get a D grade?!"

He laughs, "Listen, if physics was taught through hotwiring cars and figuring out arcade game mechanics, I'd be running that class. Same as how I can count a 7d6 roll in seconds, but long division? When am I ever going to use that again, you know?"

“You’re a smart one, Mr Munson,” you smirk as he takes the bear out and hands it to you. Your breath hitches as you feel his fingers brush against yours, and you chide yourself for getting so flustered, not only over someone who a separate person has sought your help to set them up with, but over an action so basic.

Chrissy suddenly appears, bouncing between the two of you. “Ooh, what are we up to?” she asks in a delighted sing-song.

“Just showing off my mad skills," Eddie beams, leaning against the machine and holding his arms out to point at himself proudly.

Slightly dejected, you hand the bear over. "Yeah, look, he won this for you!"

Chrissy looks at Eddie with a face you can't quite read. Like she's questioning him. He returns the expression, and Chrissy shakes her head. "You hold onto it for now, come get another drink with me!" Less of an offer, more a warning as she takes your wrist and pulls you over to the vendor again. "So, talk me through this," she says when you're both definitely out of Eddie's earshot. "How could Eddie have won something for me when I wasn't even there?"

You shrug, "I dunno, but it seems to be going well, right? So, you want me to get out of you guys' hair now, or…?" After that brief contact, you're ready to go home and just scream into your pillow for all eternity.

"Why would - Oh! Oh. Oh, no," Chrissy goes on a whole journey of expression, from curiosity to surprise to realisation to bursting into a fit of giggles. "No, no, oh my god. Did you think that I was - that you were -?"

You look at her, totally lost. "I'm going to need you to please finish at least one of those sentences."

Chrissy holds back a snort of laughter before ordering just two drinks. "Oh god, you two are just precious little disasters, aren't you?" Your eyes narrow, and she holds your arm gently. "Okay, so I'm going to be the one to go, now, because my role here was to try and push the two of you together."

Chrissy's words echo in your head. So many thoughts consume you. She notices this and, after taking both drinks, guides you over to one of the designated booths for food, also waving Eddie over. He walks up to where you both sit, opting for sidling into your side. "Do I get to be filled in on whatever's going on here, or…?" Eddie asks, waving between the three of you.

"So, debrief time," Chrissy starts, placing her hands on the table. "Maybe I'm not the wingwoman I thought I was." Eddie's eyes go wide for a second before his expression becomes one of confusion. She continues, looking straight at him, "I, uh, accidentally led your date on to believe that I was the one who wanted to come here with you. So,” she slides the cups over to your side of the table, “I'm going to go now, you two finish these drinks and go play the one more game of bowling I already paid for, and I'll see you guys tomorrow, 'kay?" With one more slap of the table, Chrissy stands up, slides out of the booth and leaves.

Eddie sucks on his straw nervously while you play with the teddy bear sitting in your lap. You're the first one to break the silent tension, "So. Never thought to just, ask me out?"

Eddie chuckles humourlessly. "You live the life that I have, and matters of the heart become an unattainable luxury." You rest your head on his shoulder comfortingly. "Although," he smirks, "if you had just asked me out, I wouldn't have been caught longingly gazing at you from afar by Chrissy Cunningham, of all people."

You laugh, "Shut up," But Eddie shakes his head, his hair tickling your face in the process. He notices, and tucks it behind his ear.

"It's true! Since all cards are on the table, Chrissy caught me looking over at you last week, before your theatre friends caught you, and then next thing I knew, I'm being flagged down by the two of you, who are suddenly best pals," he crosses his fingers together.

"And… How long before that?" You ask tentatively.

Eddie shrugs his shoulder to gently jolt your head. "Nuh-uh, your turn first, I've already embarrassed myself enough." As you lift your head, you notice a flush of colour adorning his cheeks.

You, too, immediately turn red enough to blend in with the Coca-Cola sponsored furniture. "Um, well… We never really talked in middle school, but I remember thinking you were really cute, with your hair just growing out and the - the handwritten shirts you used to make, I always thought they were cool. I told my best friends at a slumber party, and they said you probably wouldn't even give me the time of day; I was younger and not skilled in any way to play in your band, so they told me you wouldn't care." Eddie's brow furrows, but he lets you continue. "Then, freshman year, I'd tried to join the school paper with my friends, but it was so not my scene. And I didn't know where else to go, but you just… Took me in, just like that. I told myself I wouldn't screw this up, that I'd only act on stuff if I knew it wasn't going to make things weird.  And now, ironically, here I am having the weirdest conversation of my life."

"So, good news about that, weird is kind of my thing," Eddie starts, amused. "You really liked me for that long, huh?" You nod, and he laughs. "So, whenever you would sit next to me on the bus, even when there were empty seats…"

You nod, cringing, "I thought that might be something, like the start of some kind of epic middle school love story, but you proved my friends right. You wouldn't even talk to me,” you shrug.

He smirks, "Because my freshly-teenaged brain had no idea how to approach the very first person he felt attracted to."

If this were a cartoon, there’d be steam blowing out from your ears, you’re that red. “Shut up,” you mutter with a shy smile, looking back down again at the toy in your lap.

“It’s true!” Eddie beams. “I just kinda thought that… I don’t even know,” he shakes his head. “I thought maybe you might be the one to bring up the fact that you would always sit next to me.”

“And I would always sit next to you in the hopes you would bring that up to me,” you giggle.

Eddie moves his knee to rest next to yours, “God, what a pair of idiots we were, huh.”

“Speak for yourself, I’m the one who didn’t even realise I was being set up on this date,” you admit sheepishly.

“I mean, there were moments today where I thought maybe I was the third wheel all along!” Eddie laughs. “So, I kinda get it.” He reaches over to gently poke at the bear. “Got a name for him yet?”

You hold it up onto the table. “Yeah, Teddy Munson, after his dad,” you gently nudge him with your shoulder and he laughs. “He’s got your hair.”

“Yeah, but he’s got his mom’s cuteness,” Eddie looks sideways at you, the smallest of smiles tugging at the corners of his lips.

Taken aback, you scoff, “Oh sure, now he’s smooth!”

Eddie’s loud laugh fills your ears, causing your smile to reach them, too. “Well, now he knows he’s got a shot. Better late than never, right?”

“In that case, you should know that I totally botched that last game on purpose,” you nod.

Eddie leans back in his seat, a cocky half-smile adorning his face as he looks at you with head cocked and an arm draped across the back of the booth seat. “Oh, yeah? Sure you did.”

“Sorry, remind me, uh, who was it that got the first strike? And then suddenly got way worse? How do you explain that?” you lean back to match his energy, the adrenaline of a half-lifelong crush finally being actively reciprocated charging you.

“I’d call that a fluke, but it’s okay. Whatever helps you sleep tonight,” Eddie’s arm reaches up to once again ruffle your hair. In doing so, he ends up at a closer proximity to you. Oh, you could just lean in a fraction and simply smooch his smug face clean off of him right there and then, but your competitiveness just gets the better of you.

“Fine. Chrissy said she bought us a game, right? Let’s go,” you gesture to the alleys, and he hops out of the booth by pushing himself up to perch his feet on the seat and then vaulting over the back. You clap at his acrobatics and he bows his signature bow at you, before offering his hand to help you out. You take it, carefully shuffling out of the booth while also holding the teddy to your chest, explaining softly, “I’m bearing precious cargo, here.”

Eddie snorts, “Bear-ing,” while pointing to him, and you roll your eyes. “C’mon, you love it,” he drawls as you jokingly start to walk towards the exit, but he tightens his grip on your hand and instead pulls you over to the counter. Apparently, Chrissy had already explained the situation to the girl who was working, having given her a brief description of who to look for.

You take on the responsibility of writing your names on the card beneath the projector, while Eddie drapes himself over you. With a laugh, you ask, "You good?"

"Who, me? Sorry, my presence isn't too distracting for you, is it?" 

"So is your tactic to annoy all your dates, or am I just the lucky one?" You ask with amusement.

"Oh, yeah. you mean the absolute hordes of people just lining up for a night with ol' Eddie, you're gonna have to beat them all off with a stick if you want a shot!" He yells sarcastically as he dramatically prances around you, making you laugh harder.

"Right, but I can't be your first date, surely?" You ask. You've never seen him with anyone, but you never know. Maybe he's more of a casual guy. Maybe even this is casual. Maybe, considering how wrong you were about Chrissy, you should stop making your own assumptions and wait for him to tell you.

He shrugs, "I've been on plenty of double dates where I've been the buffer-slash-distraction, but I've never really clicked with any of those. Let me put it this way - I bully the people I hold dear to me, and you're the only date I've bullied."

"I think there's a compliment in there somewhere," you pull a face, eyes darting around as you try to piece his sentence together. 

"Alright, hotshot, let's see what you got," Eddie smirks, patting your back.

"Ooh, he's a poet! Can I expect a Corroded Coffin song about me, soon?" You grin, picking out your preferred ball.

"Yeah, it's gonna be called Humble Pie, 'cause that's what you'll be eating soon," he pinches your nose between his index and middle knuckles before gesturing towards your lane. "The floor is yours."

Taking aim and bending low, you take the shot and nail it, watching all the pins fall with glee in your eyes. You swivel round to grin at Eddie, "See?"

"Yeah, yeah. Don't think I'm not onto your little distraction technique, bending that far just to bowl," Eddie raises his eyebrows.

You narrow your eyes, gesturing to the other lanes, “It’s a legitimate strategy, Eddie, look at everyone else.”

Eddie barely glances over at them before stepping towards you. “No, I think you’re definitely doing it on purpose.” He closes the gap between you, looking down as he drawls, “I’m onto you, kid.”

Yet again, you could just give into temptation, grab his face and kiss him. Let him think of nothing else for the rest of the game. But then, perhaps that’s his plan for you. Regardless of how the game goes, your flirting’s become a competition in itself now. And you’re going to win.

You do lean in. You watch his eyes flicker down, his lips twitch. And then you pinch his cheek, “Your turn, big boy.” You walk back to the bench, and take a little extra pride in the oooh you can hear as he blows a breath out while he watches you.

On every good shot you get, you gloat. On every bad shot you get, you completely avoid Eddie, despite him chasing you around to goad you. On every good shot of Eddie’s, you pull a sarcastic look at his celebrations. 

On a particularly bad shot of Eddie’s, you pout as you tease condescendingly, “Aww, could somebody not keep the ball out of the gutter? Poor thing.”

“Alright, now I am gonna have to stop you there, unless you want all this to go to waste,” Eddie points out with another drawl.

“And why would it go to waste?” you ask, folding your arms. “That’d only be the case if we both forfeited, which isn’t -”

Eddie stands close to you to murmur, “Keep that tone of voice up, and I’ll be forfeiting us both into the back of my truck, if you catch my drift.”

Normally an admission like this would render you floored, but you’re competition-fuelled-adrenaline-filled now. You narrow your eyes, “Using theoretical sex as a distraction technique, Munson? A low blow, even for you.”

“God, you are doing so many things for me right now,” he growls. “And I’d show you how non-theoretical that promise is but, uh, I think Gramps and the crew might have something to say,” he jerks his head over to the team of older bowlers in the lane next to you.

You bite your lip. “Loser of the game has to get the winner off?”

“Deal.”

When Chrissy calls you up the next morning, you tell her of how you and Eddie kissed for the first time as a celebration of the result of that second match. You opt to leave out the part that took place inside the van, where Eddie came in his pants while moaning your name between your legs as he devoured you to your climax.

[cherrylng]

WOTP Dom Howard Interview [INROCK - Muse (October 2022)]

Unparalleled rock trio Muse release first new album in four years, Will of the People.

"We don't want to do a best-of album or a compilation because we're going to keep making new music."

Dominic Howard/Muse INTERVIEW: AI ANAZAWA

Muse have released their new album ‘Will of the People’, their first album in almost four years since ‘Simulation Theory’ (2018). The band has always been big on the soundscale, but this time they've pushed each of the songs to their full potential, making the rock songs harder and the ballads more dramatic, creating what might be described as the ‘strongest’ album yet. The album was self-produced without an external producer due to the Corona disaster, but as you would expect from a seasoned artist, he knows his identity and what he needs to do now. Dominic, who agreed to be interviewed by Zoom, was relaxing in the sunroom of his London home with his dog.

—I saw a picture of you at a recent festival where you were playing drums in a full face mask, is that a new image for the new album ‘Will of the People’? Dominic Howard (dr.): We start the show with ‘Will of the People’ and we also appear wearing the masks that the main characters and groups that appear on the album cover and video wear. It's the opening song.

—Oh, I thought it was hot in the summer (laughs). Dominic: (laughs). I can hardly see anything when I'm wearing that. I can barely see the drums in front of me, so I think Matt [Matthew Bellamy, vo. keys g.] and Chris [Wolstenholme, b.] have an even harder time. They'll be playing while trying to keep an eye on the fretboard. Plus, it's a full face, so it's hard to breathe. And there's a burning ‘Will of the People‘ logo right behind me, so my back is burning hot. But, you know, I'll do anything for rock‘n’roll (laughs).

“I was careful to avoid abstractions, and I was also very conscious of keeping it tight.”

—This album is especially Hard Rock, isn't it? A lot of albums made during the pandemic have been released one after another, but I have the impression that many of them are introspective because of the production environment, but this album is the complete opposite of that (laughs). Dominic: Yeah, it's a heavier, harder rock sound, less introspective… We were definitely working on some of it during the lockdown, though. I think everyone tended to be more introspective back then, and people were making music that sounded a bit more light-hearted, maybe not as bombastic as ours. Anyway, that kind of thing (introspective, light music) is not really our thing, it's more outward expression, more outlandish. Yeah, we haven't done an album as heavy as this one in a really long time.

—I read that you started this album as a response to a label proposal to release a best-of album, but why are you against the idea of ​​a greatest hits album in the first place? Dominic: Realistically speaking, best-of albums aren't what they used to be, are they? Nowadays, a person's top 10 favourite songs on Spotify are their best releases, right? Labels want to do best-of records because they want to promote the band, but we've always been against it because we feel like a best-of record is kind of the end of your career, you know (laughs). We don't want to do a best-of album or compilation because we're going to keep making new music. The labels might have come up with the idea in discussions to see if there was anything they could release during the pandemic, but we've always said no, let's make new material instead.

—I see. Matt describes the album as “best of new songs” and “a montage piece packed with the best of Muse.” Was that the band's goal or perception in the making of the album? Did you actually discuss such things? Dominic: Hahaha, we talk about it all the time. The whole time we were making it. But I don't think it was ever our concept. I'm sure Matt said that because we like the album that much and we think it's like our best album. I think he wanted to say that it's like a collection of the best parts of the band's old sound. It's got the heavy side, the pop side, the acoustic ballads like ‘Ghosts (How Can I Move On)’, it's got the best of what the band has always done. Well, whenever you're making an album, you always think: ‘This is the best album ever! Every song could be cut as a single!’ (laughs). I don't want to release it, or even finish it, unless I'm proud of it as an important representation of the band as it is now. In fact, we were very conscious of only including stuff that we felt was appropriate to be on the album. We didn't want to do anything too experimental… That's a bit of a misnomer. We were careful to avoid abstraction, to keep it to the point and concise, to know where to put the songs on the album, and to keep the production tight.

—There are only ten songs on the album. Do you have any regrets about not being able to keep it tighter on previous albums? Dominic: No, not really. When it's been a year or so since we put out an album, I do think ‘I should have done that’ or something like that, but I wouldn't really call it a regret. We've done some very experimental and abstract albums in the past, because that's what the album needed, especially the first three albums. The second album (2001's Origin of Symmetry) is longer and more experimental. I'm not saying that I want to get rid of that aspect of ourselves, I'm just saying that we've become more conscious of making tighter albums. And I've always wanted to make a 10-song album. We've had instrumental songs that made it 11 songs, so this time we decided to make an album of just 10 songs with songs on it (laughs).

—The content of the song this time is all very depressing, just a little bit… (laughs). Dominic: The lyrics (laughs)?

—Yeah. It's as realistic a fiction as you can get. Are these socio-political and environmental issues always something that comes up in the band? Or is this all about Matt's political views? Dominic: Mostly the latter (laughs). I think the surreal, political fictional world is where he's most comfortable writing. I guess it's easier to write about very personal things than to express them frankly. Of course there are parts of the album that touch on personal things, but I haven't done a lot of songs that are about personal things. Matt's style is to write about the emotions of what's going on in the world and apply them to an imaginary world. Naturally, we would talk about the topic and the direction we wanted the song to go in. But the music always comes first. Then the lyrics (by Matt) can take quite a while, but whatever idea it's based on, the three of us take it and put it into music, and eventually it's something we enjoy playing. The lyrics come after that, so it can be influenced by the vibe and feel of the song's source material.

—Oh, really? Dominic: So it's not the lyrics we talk about the most, it's the music (laughs).

—I see, the three of you live in different parts of the world. How did you make that music during the pandemic, especially during the lockdown? Dominic: It was tough. Especially in 2020, there were months when we couldn't do anything. But we still did things like exchange ideas virtually. Once we were able to get together, we started working in the studio in Los Angeles. Chris doesn't live over here, but we still had him come to LA, and when that wasn't possible, we continued working remotely. In the spring of 2021, we got together in London and we were able to work on it at Abbey Road [Studios]. It was a lot of work, but we found a way to work not only on music, but also on these things (Zoom interviews), and also on business, virtually, without having to move from place to place, didn't we? I think it's actually become more convenient for a lot of people.

—Did you produce this album yourselves because of the restrictions of the Corona Disaster? Or was it a reaction to the fact that your last album, ‘Simulation Theory’, involved a lot of producers? Dominic: It was probably both. It was a pandemic, so from the beginning Matt and I were in the studio alone, trying out different ideas, and we were comfortable with that. Then Aleks (von Korff), the engineer, joined us in the studio and the three of us were in what you might call a bubble (laughs). Of course we had to take coronavirus checks every now and then and be careful while working, but we got comfortable in that situation, and it felt different to invite other people in there. It would be a lot of work to bring someone else in. And we like production work too. We've always co-produced, even when we've had a producer, and we rather like the time-consuming, detailed work.

—Please tell me how did you decide to end the album on a hopeless note with ‘We Are Fucking Fucked’ (laughs)? Dominic: It's interesting to hear other people say the title of this song (laughs). It was the only song we had at the end of the album. If we'd put ‘Fucking Fucked’ anywhere else, it would have given the piece a weird vibe. It's a sarcastic, depressing type of song, after all (laughs). So I think it was right to put it at the end. At first I was thinking of putting ‘Verona’ at the end. That song has a fantastic, relaxed, outro-like feel to it. But I still think ‘Fucking Fucked’ is the right one.

—Which is your favourite song of the day? Dominic: It's hard to pick just one song, I feel bad for the others (laughs).

—Let's limit it to this morning's then (laughs). Dominic: Well, we've been playing ‘Kill or Be Killed’ live recently and it's a lot of fun to play live. Maybe there's a heaviness to it that we haven't ventured into before? It's pretty metal. And I really like ‘Won't Stand Down’. When we were working on the album, I was telling Matt that every song had to make the listener feel something, and we had to make the songs make us feel something, and he asked me what I meant, and I said that sometimes when we listen to our past albums… I actually listened to all our previous albums before we started making this album. Some of them were okay, some of them were a little bit terrible, but they still conveyed what we were feeling at the time. So I had a strong feeling that every song on this album had to make me feel something. ‘Kill or Be Killed‘, when you get into the chorus, it makes you feel it. I like everything else on the record apart from those two songs. And ‘Liberation’ is a lot of fun to play. We haven't done a piano song like that for a while. Is it reminiscent of ‘United States of Eurasia’ (2009's “The Resistance”)?

“What I really want to do is to go around to different sized venues here and there and stay in Japan for two or three weeks.”

—I also like ’You Make Me Feel Like It's Halloween’. And it touches on the serious issue of domestic violence. Dominic: Yes, it does. It's a very fun song, but the lyrics actually touch on emotional abuse in the home. It's the same with ‘Won't Stand Down’. We know people who have been through that, and it's a very real issue that sometimes people don't realise they're going through it. It's such a serious thing with a very pop sound.

—Will you be touring the world after a few shows in the UK in October? Dominic: Yeah, we'll play some smaller theatres in the UK in October and then maybe next year we'll tour overseas, including Japan. We really want to go to Japan. What I'd really like to do is spend two or three weeks in Japan, doing a few more shows here and there at different venues of different sizes. The last few times I've been here, I've been limited to a few cities due to time, schedule and production. Sometimes you have to sacrifice the creative side and the fun side of it.

—You have the authority to do what you really want to do, so by all means make it happen. Dominic: Well, yeah (laughs). Anyway, we'll find a time when it's possible and we'll try to fit it into the schedule.

—By the way, there is a sign of a dog from earlier. Dominic: This is Olive, a Boston terrier (he says, showing me the dog stretched out and relaxed in front of him). He's very clever. Where's Floyd? Maybe he's upstairs. They're both very clever.

—Who's going to look after them while you're away from home? Dominic: Actually, I tend to take them with me. Olive is just over a year old and I only got her last year, so she's not ready yet, but Floyd has been all over the place, he's been on a tour of America with me, he's been in Europe. He loves it. He's always happy to play with all kinds of people backstage. Olive likes people too. When the show is over, she jumps in the car and goes to the hotel with me, and every night when she gets into her new hotel room, she jumps up on the bed with great joy (laughs). So I take her with me when I can, otherwise I ask family or friends.

Recorded on 20th July, 2022 in London.

Translator’s Notes: If you’ve noticed it, then you might’ve wondered why the Japanese journalist and the article itself doesn’t use the words “Covid-19” and “pandemic” (other than Dom himself). As I’m not a Japanese native, I don’t fully know the answer either, but I did pay attention to Japanese news over the years to pick up on information. In Japan, the government and the people do know and use the word COVID-19, but unfortunately the name that COVID-19 took in Japan was this: 新型コロナウイルス感染症 / Shingata Coronavirus Kansenshou / new coronavirus infection.

As you can see, that is a whole mouthful that no one has the time to say all of that out loud -even including the word Covid-19 itself- so they shortened it to just using ‘コロナウイルス / Coronavirus’ and ‘コロナ / Corona’ instead.

So I got used to seeing that whenever an artist or celebrity in Japan was confirmed infected by Covid and had to cancel events, they just announce on their blogs and on X [formerly known as Twitter] that they got Corona. And some of these words became familiar to me as well.

コロナ禍 / Korona-ka = Corona Disaster / Covid-19 Pandemic コロナ緊急事態 / Korona kinkyuu jitai = Corona Emergency / Lockdown

BTW, I wasn't sure what Dom's other dog's name was. I know of Floyd, but I can't remember the second dog's name. Was it Olive or Oliver?

[mysecretlittlelibrary]

More Than Friends

Pairing: Matt Murdock x Reader

Word Count: 3.8k

Warnings: oral (f,m receiving, marking kinda, praise kink Matty, unprotected sex (wrap them joysticks okay), creampie, implied cockwarming

Genre: smut, some fluff

Summary: Somehow the fact that your roommate is daredevil isn't as big a secret as the way he feels about you

***

You whistle to yourself as you munch on your last slice of bacon and set your dish in the sink.

"Good morning." Your roommate Matt strolls into the kitchen.

"Morning." You hum back.

"What's for breakfast?" He asks.

"Well, I made myself waffles." You say.

"Wait what about me?"

"Oh was I supposed to make you breakfast too?" You joke with him.

"If you don't, I'll spend all day at work losing cases because all I can think about it is how empty my stomach is."

"First of all, settle down drama queen. I was joking. Secondly, what do you do when I'm not here Matthew?" You scoff picking up his plate off of the counter to place it in front of him.

"Starve until you get back." He says and you fix him with an incredulous look as he smiles cutely at you.

"You are so annoying." You roll your eyes.

"You've told me before."

"Clearly not often enough." You muse. "I'm supposed to believe you can fight crime but can't make your own food." You shake your head.

"That's an entirely different skillset sweetheart."

"Maybe you should make it applicable lest you starve." You shrug.

"You are evil, woman." Matt shakes his head with a chuckle.

"Aw? Did I hurt the devil's feelings? How ever will I go on?" You gasp dramatically. Matt laughs casually while you tug open the fridge to put something back.

"Hey can I have some orange juice please?" Matt asks. You grab the bottle and pour him a glass. "Thanks." He mutters when the cup hits the island.

"Just a heads up Matty I'm going out tonight so I'll see you when you get back from patrols later okay?" You tell him.

"Wait you'll be out until I get back from patrols?"

"If I'm out that late I'm probably not coming home tonight at all." You muse but the way Matt's brows knit together makes you kill your laughter. "No- I expect to be back before you finish patrolling but I won't be here when you get off work and I didn't want you to panic when you came home to an empty apartment." You say.

"I would not panic."

"You always panic."

"Well where are you going?"

"Just- out. Meeting someone for drinks."

"Someone? Who's someone?" There's something in Matt's tone that you can't pick out.

"No one you'd know Matty. I don't have to tell you everything I do." You laugh.

"I'm just curious. We're friends, it's not uncommon to take interest in your friends lives is it?"

"Why're you asking me that like you've never had a friend before." You chuckle.

"You're derailing the conversation."

"And you're going to be late." You say. Truthfully you just don't want to tell Matt the details of your date. You haven't thought of navigating dating while living with him and you're hesitant to go there with him for reasons you don't want to admit.

"Wait what time is it?" He asks you.

"Quarter to nine."

"Shit- why didn't you say something?" Matt hops out of his seat.

"You're usually very good at keeping time, I didn't realize my personal life would be so distracting." You joke. Matt huffs as he grabs his cane and briefcase.

"Look- if you won't tell me who you're going with at least make sure someone knows where you are and who you're with. For safety reasons."

"Yeah my girlfriends already know." You chuckle.

"Who knows?"

"I'm not telling you Matty. Stop being nosy and go to work before Foggy starts ringing." You tell him.

"Just- be careful." He grumbles, leaving your apartment.

"A more dramatic man has never existed." You chuckle. Less than a minute later your phone rings. You let out a huffed laugh when you check the caller ID. "Hello?"

"I heard that." You roommate sasses.

"Good!" You nod before hanging up the phone. "You hear everything all the time anyway." You muse to yourself though you're sure Matt heard that too, as if he has nothing better to do. You put Matt's empty dishes is the sink and finish getting ready for your own job. You leave out maybe fifteen minutes after Matt, hoping to have a good day and an even better night.

When you return from work, the apartment is empty. Which is totally normal, Matt has a tendency to work well into the night, usually until somebody drags him from the office or he hears a crime six blocks away. You change from your work clothes into the dress you've picked for tonight. It's a satin cami dress that cinches at your thigh on one side and drapes to your knee on the other. You pair it with a clutch and matching heels before heading back out of your apartment. You quickly flag down a cab and give the driver the restaurant address. 

The drive isn't long and when you walk into the restaurant you instantly see your date sitting at the bar. You're meeting with a guy you met at a cafe a couple of weeks ago.

"James! Hi! I hope I'm not late." You smile at him as you walk over.

"Hi. No no no, you're fine. I got here early actually." He stands to give you a quick hug. The two of you quickly fall into conversation, laughing over drinks and snacks for a couple of hours. Eventually, you decide to continue chatting while walking, not ready for the night to end exactly but ready for a change in scenery. You gasp and let out a short yell when you trip over a cracked sidewalk.

"Oh jeez, are you okay?" James chuckles helping you up.

"Yeah I'm-"

"Is this guy bothering you miss?" A deep voice behind you startles you. James puts himself between you and the red suited man you know as your roommate.

"Woah dude where did you come from?" James looks him up and down.

"Excuse me I asked the lady a question." Matt says.

"Do you know this guy?" James frowns at you.

"No!" You say at the same time Matt says,

"Yes." You glance at him quickly.

"I met him once. It's not like we actually know each other but, we've met." You explain.

"I was nearby and heard the scream. I wanted to make sure there wasn't any trouble."

"Well thank you for your concern but I just tripped. I'm not in any danger." You say. "But you will be if you don't get out of here." You add quietly enough that James doesn't catch it but you know Matt hears.

"As long as everything's okay, you guys be safe." Matt nods.

"Yeah man, have a good night." James says. Matt brushes passed him, practically bumping James's shoulder as he walks between you and you have to stop yourself from scoffing at his petty behaviour while he walks away without a word.

"Geez." You whisper.

"Who was that guy again?"

"The devil of Hell's Kitchen. They call him Daredevil. He's Hell's Kitchen's personal vigilante."

"What's his problem?" James muses with a confused frown.

"Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe the vigilante thing is getting to him." You shrug.

"You said you've met him before?"

"Yeah, just once."

"But you don't know him?"

"No one does I think. He wears the mask and by all accounts works alone. Ya know, lurking in the shadows. I don't think he's ever even seen during the day."

"Nobody told me when I moved here that there'd be vigilantes doing wellness checks." James jokes.

"To be fair I don't think that's standard practice." You laugh. There's a momentary lull in the conversation before James checks his watch.

"Oo, it's uh getting kinda late. Maybe be we should call it a night here?" He suggests almost awkwardly.

"Oh- uh sure. Yeah let's call it. I had a nice time." You tell him.

"Yeah- ditto. Did you- are you good getting home?" He asks.

"Yeah I live, just around the block. I'm alright. Thanks."

"Cool cool- I'll see you, then. Goodnight y/n." James says quickly. He squeezes your arm for just a moment before walking off. You're not sure from his pace but it almost feels like he's rushing off and you're not sure where the change came from. When you turn to cross the street you swear you catch a flash of red in one of the alleys that makes you suspect the reason for James's sudden anxiety.

"Oh you are so dead when you get home." You grit out, making your way back to your apartment. You don't even bother turning on the lights as you walk into your apartment. You toe off your shoes with a frustrated sigh and make your way to the bathroom, quickly taking off your makeup and getting in the shower. You're tempted to spend hours under the steaming hot water but you'd rather be done getting ready before Matt tries to sneak back in so eventually you get out, put on lotion, and throw on a large hoodie and shorts. You shuffle out of your room and into the kitchen intending to do the dishes. You don't even have to look to know Matt's back, the breeze from the window giving him away before you've seen him.

"You know, I never would have thought that after over a year we would need to have this kind of conversation about boundaries." You say.

"What are you talking about?" Matt asks.

"You and I both know that you didn't just stumble across me and James tonight. 'I was nearby and heard the scream' my ass. I tripped, you know I did. You were just looking for an excuse to be nosy after I told you it wasn't your business who I was going out with tonight."

"I wasn't being nosy."

"So what do you call crashing my date and scaring him off like a total weirdo?"

"I scared him off? If that halfwit can't protect you I definitely did you a favor."

"Matt it was a date not an interview for a bodyguard! I don't need him to protect me!" You huff out.

"I never said you needed him for anything. I know you don't, but Hell's Kitchen is dangerous. You never know what's lurking in the shadows."

"You mean besides my nosy ass roommate?"

"I'm being serious y/n."

"So am I! What made you think it was okay to crash my date tonight Matthew? That was totally out of line." You sigh. Matt is quiet for a long moment before he speaks again.

"I wasn't planning to. I was doing patrols and I heard your voice and- I just couldn't help myself. I was curious, you wouldn't tell me anything this morning."

"Honestly Matt the next time you decide to spy on me don't make your presence known." You roll your eyes. "I can't stop you from spying, your weird superhuman senses make it impossible, but at the very least, don't show up trying to play intimidation games. If the devil doesn't have more important things to do, let him rest." You say walking out of the kitchen, intent on going to your room. You can't change anything about the situation now, it's not worth fighting over it. When you pass by Matt he grabs your arm.

"I'm sorry I ruined your night. I didn't mean to I just- think you deserve better." He says quietly and in this moment he's glad only he can hear both your hearts, or you'd know how hard his is beating right now.

"I liked him Matt. He was nice." You say in defense of your date.

"Nice is the bare minimum. You can do better than the bare minimum." He grits out.

"You're very judgy for someone who doesn't date anyone ever." You scoff walking back around to the other side of the island.

"I don't go out with just anyone who winks at me."

"No you just sleep with them. That's so much better."

"Oh now who's judgy?"

"This is stupid Matt. Why are we fighting over this? I went on a date. You'd think I was working with one of the sickos you hunt down every night." You cross your arms.

"I just think you can do better." Matt shrugs.

"Dude you blindsided us in the middle of our first date. I haven't even decided if I'm going to see him again and now you are all in my ear giving your two cents like this is a wishing fountain."

"Don't." Matt says.

"What?"

"Don't see him again." Matt says caging you where you are with his arms on either side of you against the island.

"Why?" Your voice is suddenly so quiet you're sure anyone else wouldn't be able to hear you, but to Matt your voice is clear as ever.

"God what are you doing to me?" He breathes out dropping his head for a moment.

"Tell me, Matt. Why?"

"Because I love you, okay? I've been ignoring it for months. Willing it to go away but I can't get you out of my head. I can hear you and smell you all the time, at work, during my patrols- you're all I think about. And tonight, the idea of someone else getting to be with you the way I've been longing for- it's maddening. You are maddening. I love you and that's why you can't see him again."

"You love me?"

"Has it not been painfully obvious?"

"Look Matthew not everyone can hear someone's heart race when they walk into a room." You scoff and he laughs a bit.

"If you could you'd know my heart is beating so fast a medical professional would think it were about to burst."

"Right now?"

"Whenver I'm with you actually, but yes, right now." Matt nods. You place your hand on his cheek.

"You are incredibly confusing Matthew Murdock." You say quietly.

"I think I've been quite clear."

"I mean yeah now. After crashing my date and causing a fight. You could've led with this." You laugh.

"I didn't know how you'd react. I thought it wasn't worth the risk. I didn't want to ruin things. I'm only telling you now because I've managed to piss you off anyway. You're very important to me and I didn't want to lose you because of my feelings."

"Do you think you're losing me now?"

"I can't tell, you still haven't responded directly to my feelings." Matt says. You let what he said hang in the air for a moment before you react. Matt is very attractive, you've always known that and admittedly you've harbored a small crush on him for ages now you just never thought it'd amount to anything. You were comfortable enough with your dynamic that until now you hadn't considered changing that. You pull Matt's face close enough to yours to gently kiss him. His arms wrap around your waist tightly as he kisses you back. What started as something sweet quickly becomes fiery as Matt holds you against him. His hands travel down to your thighs and a gentle tap has you hopping up into his arms, your legs locking around his waist.

"If it wasn't obvious Matty I do reciprocate your feelings." You pull away long enough to tell him.

"Yeah. Got that." Matt adjusts enough to pull you into another kiss with a hand at the back of your neck. Matt walks down the hall with you in his arms, your tongue pushing and pulling against his. When you make it to his room, you hardly realize it, until Matt sets you down. "Every fiber of my being wants to fuck you into my mattress but I want you to know this is more than a quick lay for me so if it's too soon-" before Matt finishes is sentence you pull him towards you and kiss him again.

"If I thought you were just trying to fuck me and ruin our living dynamic we wouldn't be here right now Matt." You tell him.

"I just want you to know you mean more to me than that."

"I believe you Matty, stop thinking so hard." You say shoving him back onto his bed. He quickly sits up, his hands at your hips as he looks up at you.

"It's important to me that you know I-" you cut Matt off by pressing your lips to his.

"You're reckless and sometimes stupid but you're not a total fool. We live together and we like living together. It works for us. I don't think you'd ruin that just to get your dick wet." You tell him and your wording makes him chuckle.

"That sounds so crude." He huffs, placing kisses along your stomach.

"Play your cards right and it won't be the last crude thing you hear from me." You say. Matt finds the edge of your shorts and tugs them down with your underwear and you move back to step all the way out of them, his hands immedately pulling you back towards him once they're off.

"You've always had such a colorful vocabulary. Let's see how long before you're too blissed out to form a sentence." He hums, nipping lightly against your inner thigh.

"That's a big promise Matty." You let out a breathy laugh. He smirks up at you and shifts your legs to make room for his head between them.

"Feel free to scream sweetheart." He says and before you can offer a smart retort his tongue is diving between your folds. You let out a gasp, threading your fingers through his hair. His hands are firm at the back of your thighs as he eats you out. The way his tongue moves against your clit is languid but strong, slow strokes that tug deep at your core. He contrasts his heavy licks with thrusts of the wet muscle inside of you.

"Fuck that feels good." You pant out, tugging at his dark hair hard enough to make him groan. When Matt feels your legs tense under his grip, one hand joins his mouth between your legs. He slowly works you open with two fingers while his mouth focuses on your clit. With each thrust, his digits curl inside you in a way that tightens that coil of pleasure. His fingers move leisurely but in combination with the way his mouth sucks at your bundle of nerves when your orgasm hits all you can do is whine as pleasure crashes into you.

"God you taste amazing." Matt whispers as you tug at his hair to pull him away from you. You kiss him long enough that your lungs burn, savoring the taste of him and the way it mixes with you on his tongue. He tugs you onto the bed beside him and then stands, quickly stripping himself of the suit he hadn't yet taken off. You let your eyes travel freely down his frame, taking in every inch of exposed skin. With all your patching up post daredeviling you're quite familiar with shirtless Matt but this is the first time you're allowing yourself to shamelessly drink him in. "You're staring, aren't you?" Matt asks with a smile on his face that clearly shows his dimple.

"Of course I am. You're very hot." You tell him confidently.

"Am I?" He chuckles.

"Absolutely baby." You stand and with a hand at the back of his neck pull him into another kiss, your other hand roaming across his chest and abdomen. You enjoy the way you can feel his muscles react to your touch as you travel lower, eventually wrapping your fingers around his length. He immediately lets out a groan, breaking your kiss as you experiment stroking his dick. He's heavy and hot in your hand, precum leaking from the tip. Too soon Matt's hand closes around your wrist, pulling enough to make you release him.

"If you keep going I will cum in your hand, very quickly." He tells you.

"Maybe I want you to."

"I have other plans for tonight sweetheart." He tells you guiding you back towards his bed. When your legs hit the edge you allow yourself to fall back, watching as Matt crawls up after you. His lips are on yours again as he situates himself between your legs. You grab hold of him again, lining the head up with your entrance and Matt takes the hint, entering you with one sharp thrust that makes you both moan. Your breathing stutters at the way he stretches you and his hands squeeze your hips tightly as he relishes in the feel of your walls pulsing around him. Matt starts up a rhythm of sharp thrusts, hips slapping hard against yours. You pull him close to you with your arms around his neck, your back arching at the glide of him inside you. You moan a string of curses and drag your nails down his back harsh enough to make him hiss.

"Fuck- do that again." Matt grunts out against your neck. You trail your nails down again, harder this time and the action seems to pull at something inside him. His thrusts get harsher, deeper, intense enough to make you scream.

"God! That feels good." You groan.

"Yeah? You like the way my dick fills you?" Mattt huffs out.

"Yes! Fuck, yes!" You whine out, pulling his hair hard enough to yank his head back so you can see his face. You stroke his cheek gently.

"You're so gorgeous Matty." You whisper.

"W-what?" He lets out a breathless chuckle. Your words cause his hips to stutter but only for a second, and he grunts as he picks up the pace again.

"You're grogeous. Just, so pretty." You tell him. Matt huffs out another laugh and buries his face in your neck again, hoping to hide his shyness. You whimper as he litters your throat with licks and nibbles.

"You are something else y/n." He groans, trailing kisses down to your breast, trapping a nipple between his lips. His tongue against your nipple tugs at your insides making you moan and squirm against him.

"Don't tell me you're just now finding that out." You joke. He quickly bites down on your nipple in response and you hiss out at the sharp pain that he soothes with his tongue. Matt's hand reaches between you, fingers finding your clit with ease. He rubs tight circles against the bundle of nerves causing your whole body to tense up.

"You're close. I can tell. Let go sweetheart." Matt mutters against your skin. He continues to toy with your clit, throwing you over the edge quickly, your breath leaving you as your orgasm hits you.

"Holy fuck!" You gasp, struggling to catch your breath as Matt continues to fuck you through your release.

"S-shit you're squeezing me so tight." Matt grunts.

"You're close aren't you Matty? Cum for me baby. Fill my pussy up Matty, please." You moan into his ear, your fingers scratching at his back again.

"Fuck." He growls, his hips stuttering before they still against yours, heat flooding your insides as he buries his head in your chest. His arms wrap around you gently as he comes down. You rake your hands through his hair.

"Matty? Are you okay?" You ask softly.

"Fine. I just wanna lay here a minute if that's okay. Been a long night." He mutters.

"Busy in Hell's Kitchen?"

"It always is." He groans.

"Even when you're making time to stalk me on dates?" You joke.

"Next time I won't have to because I'll be the date."

"Are you asking me on a date Matthew?"

"Will you say yes?"

"If you ask maybe."

"Will you go on a date with me y/n?"

"Yes, I will. This is totally not how I saw today going."

"I dunno this is the best way I've ended a day in a long time." Matt shrugs and you laugh, kissing Matt's forehead after a moment. You're not really sure what it'll mean for you both going forward or how much things are going to change but for now, you're content laying in Matt's arms with his weight on your chest, listening to his breathing settle as he drifts off.

***

[cordyce]

hello ollie ollie…i picked “stop saying i’m jealous.  i’m not—  i just.  i don’t like having to share” from the prompt list and im thinking with either jake or joel !!! yiu can choose from the two kisses ur wrinkly brain

containing your–excitement? giddiness? thrill of finally having dirt that will weigh in your favor on a scuffed up scale? the specifics aren't important–is not easy. you're just catching your breath from dancing, something joel has opted out of doing in favor of playing a game of poker with his brother and a few others. so, really, if anything he's the reason for his own demise.

"a little birdie just dropped a message in my pretty little hands," you muse as you plop yourself across his lap. and he doesn't hesitate to snatch his arm around your waist so you don't fall backwards, but he doesn't look up from his cards.

a tell, if you've ever seen one.

"grimy, more like," he huffs, and it earns him a few chuckles around the table. not in the notion of poking fun at you, but because they, much like yourself, can see through his little puckered up facade.

(you bet it's because they've already gotten a grumbled out earful of it before you made your way over here. in fact, you'd put money on it. maybe the boys would let you borrow a few of their poker chips.)

"rude. anyways," you move right along, fingernails making work of scratching at the nape of your lover's neck. something like his achilles' heel per se. though you'd argue you're the entirety of his heel alone, regardless. "a little birdie told me you've got your panties in a wad over me. maybe stirred yourself a little bit jealous?"

this time, it's tommy who snorts out a laugh, placing his cards on the table and looking over to await his brother's response. joel's jaw ticks, the permanent crease between his brow deepening. you fight the urge to lean forward and kiss it.

"y'tell ellie to mind her own," he differs, placing his own cards down and sliding a single chip to the middle of the table, "and i ain't jealous."

"aht aht, i said birdie, not ellie. i won't incriminate my source," and out of the corner of your eye you can see said source listening in from the edge of the dancefloor herself. "and it's okay to be a little jealous. it just goes to show how much you love me."

he clenches his teeth. "i'm not."

"you sure are, and that's okay. i mean, jealousy is a totally normal feeling when seeing someone else dance with your partner. especially when it's someone like marcus. he's so good on his feet. did you see? the spin move he did with me? yeah, i'd probably be jealous too. in fact, i think i'd be so jealous that–"

"stop it," joel interjects, low voice cutting through in a way that sends shivers all the right places. you've done it; poked the bear until he roared. how uncouth of you. and joel wonders where ellie gets it. "stop saying i'm jealous.  i’m not—  i just.."

he takes a breath, tightens his grip on your waist and slides his free hand up and over your thighs that are draped over his legs. he levels you with a stern look, but it isn't mean, or callous, or overtly commandeering. it's grounding.

"i don’t like having to share."

and somebody else, a lesser person maybe, might find it hard not to shrink under his stare. but not you. no, you simply wind your arms a little tighter around his neck, lean in real close. you test the waters like you have no fear of drowning. and maybe you don't—not in the deep abyss that is joel.

"you wouldn't have to share me if you would simply come and dance."

honestly, it's meant to be just another tease. so maybe that's why a yelp squeaks out of you as joel stands up from his seat with zero hesitation, your weight being nothing to the arm he still has secured around you.

there's hoots and hollers from the poker table as joel whisks you off to the (previously forsworn and abhorred) dance floor, and ellie bubbles up a laugh and shout of her own as joel side steps a little awkwardly to the song they have playing. and you, well. you find that jealously is ironically a bit cute coating his worn and dejected features.

[acey-wacey]

For the Carnival Event, could I have a Lemonade snowcone for Jamil? If it's no bother, could it be about reader unknowingly upsetting Jamil by being a everything he wants (talented and loved by all).

Pairing - Jamil Viper x Reader

Prompt - "I don't know why I bother arguing anymore."

...

You gritted your teeth as you heard yet another whisper from over your shoulder. You whipped around to stare straight into a pair of gray eyes.

"That's not enough worm's wort."

"It's enough. I read the recipe," you huffed at Jamil, tired of all the nitpicking he did while you were trying to finish your potion. For some reason, he seemed to have a fascination with criticizing everything you did, especially in potions. "Go back to your own cauldron."

"I'm already finished." One corner of his mouth lifted in that smirk you had come to know and hate. "Crewel told me to help some of the other students and you are clearly in need of assistance."

Jamil side-eyed your cauldron with an amused look on his face.

"Listen here, you little-"

"It's boiling over, Y/N."

You whirled around to see that your potion was, in fact, boiling over and spilling onto the side of the cauldron. You cursed and spelled the fire lower. You wiped up the spills with a towel as the bubbles settled into a calm simmer. As soon as the panic was over, you glared at Jamil.

"I don't need your help," you spat, hoping he didn't notice the embarrassed flush in your cheeks.

"Your potion just boiled over," he mused, making your even more enraged. "Obviously, you do."

"Well, it wouldn't have boiled over if you hadn't distracted me!"

"A good alchemist can multitask!"

"Are you saying I'm bad at alchemy?"

Jamil huffed in exasperation, unable to continue the argument. He stretched his face with his hand on a deep inhale.

"I don't know why I bother arguing anymore," he mumbled into his hand, barely loud enough for you to hear. "You always have to be right about everything , don't you?"

It wasn't exactly an insult, but you felt insulted anyway.

"I'm not always right," you muttered, not sure how to continue fighting with him. "And I'm not bad at alchemy."

"Exactly! You aren't bad at anything!" Jamil exclaimed as loud as he could without drawing attention from the other students. "You're great in all of your classes, you're popular and nice and pretty and everyone loves you."

You guffawed at his last statement, choosing to ignore how him calling you "pretty" made your heart skip a beat.

"Not everyone loves me, obviously." You gestured to Jamil with a sweep of your hand, staring at him with a skeptical eyebrow raise. Jamil massaged the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, sighing at your obliviousness.

"Yeah, they do."

"You don't."

Jamil looked up from his hand to return the skeptical eyebrow raise you just gave him. It took you a moment to understand his look but but as soon as you realized, your eyes widened and you went so still that birds might have started perching on you.

"Oh."

Jamil laughed out of embarrassment and exasperation.

"Oh is right," he chuckled, though it was obviously forced and tense. The two of you remained silent for a few seconds, marinating uncomfortable in the tension you had created. "Are you going to say anything?"

"I don't know, there's so much," you chuckled nervously and squeezed your cheeks in your hand, remembering every time Jamil had insulted, mocked, or belittled you as well as every time he had complimented you with uncharacteristic fondness. "Why do you hate me then?"

"Look at you." You scoffed in response to his answer. "You're obnoxious, you're annoying, you talk too much, you don't have a concept of personal space. Honestly, you remind me of Kalim if he thought about anyone besides himself."

"And what makes you think I'm not just all self-absorbed too?"

"Because I know you and you care more about other people than yourself. Sevens, you were even so nice to me when we first met. Bet you wouldn't have loaned me your pencil if you knew you would turn out to loathe me."

"I don't loathe you," you whispered, staring straigh into Jamil's eyes, though he was desperately trying to avoid looking at you. "Quite the opposite actually."

His head snapped to look at you with confusion on his face.

"You mean to say..."

"Yes, you're the stupid one."

"Hey, I..."

You were interrupted by a hard crack on the desk next to you. The both of you jumped at Professor Crewel glared daggers at you, whip in hand.

"If you two are going to flirt, I suggest you do it somewhere I don't have to see it."

"We weren't..."

"I couldn't care less. Get to work."

"Yes, sir."

[elliseleven]

So, I wrote this Patcap fic a while back (I've written *a lot* of Capvers since I started watching Ghosts so I thought it'd be good to change it up).

But I honestly don't think I'll properly finish it as it's been sitting in my Google docs for a while so I thought I could post it here.

It's a few scenes that are kind of stop-start rather than having proper transitions. I also haven't really beta read it so it's not my best but hope you enjoy anyway!

*******

Pat had planned this perfectly. 2001: A Space Odyssey had something for everyone. Despite that, there was one person who didn’t seem to be enjoying himself.

The Captain was watching the TV screen. However, he didn’t seem to be paying attention at all. 

After the film was over, Pat watched the Captain leave. He wondered what was wrong. Did he not like the film?

Pat decided to follow the Captain. He found himself outside the Captain’s room. Suddenly, he felt nervous. The Captain didn’t like his privacy to be invaded, but Pat didn’t want him to feel sad either.

The door was ajar, so Pat peeked his head round.

“Knock knock.”

The Captain jumped. He was sitting on the edge of his bed.

“What is it, Pat?” He tried to keep his voice level, but Pat could tell something was wrong.

“You alright, Cap? Did you not enjoy the film?”

“No, I did. It was wonderful. I’m just… tired. A lot happened today.”

Pat nodded. “Yeah, it was full on. Not anything we’re not used to though, eh?”

The Captain chuckled. “Quite right. I’d just… like to be left alone.”

Pat hesitated. It was clear that something was troubling the Captain, but he had never been one to open up easily. Maybe it was best to leave it alone. 

“Course,” he finally said.

He made to leave but turned back. He smiled to the Captain. “If there’s anything on your mind, you can talk to us, you know. Well…” he hesitated. “Some of us, at least.”

The Captain only nodded. He knew this to be a fact, of course, but he doubted he would take Pat up on that offer.

Pat nodded in return, leaving the Captain in peace.

Once he was sure Pat had left, the Captain let out a sigh. Perhaps it would do some good to talk about… what was troubling him. He had kept his secret for so long, but perhaps it was time for it to come to light.

*******

“Take your time, Cap.”

The Captain felt as if he was on the verge of a panic attack. He had never said this aloud before. However, Pat’s gentle gaze and hand on his shoulder helped him calm down.

“Where to start…” He mused. “Do you remember that day when Alison and Mike were digging up the garden?”

“Yes, definitely,” Pat sighed. “God knows how I managed to take charge of those lot.”

“You did a terrific job.”

Pat was taken aback. It was rare that the Captain gave compliments, especially to him. “Well, thanks, Cap. I try.”

“Yes, well…” He cleared his throat. “That day reminded me of my… past. Someone from my past, to be specific.”

“Right,” Pat nodded. “Was it someone from the army?”

The Captain very slowly began to tell Pat about his lieutenant and how close they had grown. How he had fallen in love…

Pat nodded along, not surprised in the slightest.

“That makes sense. A lot of sense, actually.” Pat said once the Captain had finished.

The Captain almost gave himself whiplash, turning to face Pat. “What do you mean by that?!”

Pat laughed. “Well, I mean, even a blind man would be able to see that you’re… a homosexual.”

When the Captain continued to stare, gobsmacked, Pat explained further. He hadn’t noticed every little thing, but the things he had noticed were blindingly obvious. 

The way he looked at attractive men: Adam the director, Toby Nightingale, Mike, that naked man from the party. 

“I didn’t think I was being so obvious,” the Captain muttered, unable to look Pat in the eye.

“I guess it’s not to everyone, but I noticed…”

If the Captain had been less nervous, he would have noticed Pat blushing.

“Right,” the Captain cleared his throat. “As long as you don’t tell the others.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it!” Pat patted the Captain gently on his shoulder. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

Pat stood up, and the Captain suddenly felt cold.

“I’ll leave you to it then.”

*******

“Hey, Cap?”

The Captain stopped walking and turned to face Pat.

“Yes?”

The way the Captain looked at him made him weak at the knees, but he stood strong. “I just wanted to have a chat, if that’s okay?”

The Captain nodded cautiously. He wondered, and partly worried, about what Pat wanted to tell him.

Pat looked behind him to check they were alone. “I… Um… Wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve felt this nervous.”

The Captain frowned. “You don’t need to be nervous around me, Patrick.”

Pat laughed. If only the Captain knew the irony in what he was saying. “How do I say this?”

Pat was stalling because he was nervous, of course, but there was another reason. 

He remembered how the Captain talked about Havers. The Captain had never been good at expressing his feelings, but it was clear how in love he had been. What if he still was? Pat wasn’t sure how he would take that.

Meanwhile, the Captain’s heart was racing. Pat rarely got nervous talking about what was on his mind. This must be important. What if…? No, the Captain berated himself. He had a wife, for goodness sake! He couldn’t be…

“I like you, Cap.”

The Captain narrowed his eyes in confusion. “Well, I would hope so, wouldn’t you?”

“No, Cap,” Pat said, even more serious now. “I like you. Not just as a friend.”

Finally, the penny dropped. The Captain stared.

Pat waited, but the Captain didn’t speak. He didn’t even move.

“Hello? Anyone home?” He clicked his fingers in front of the Captain’s face.

The Captain blinked and slowly found his voice. “S- Sorry, Pat. I just… didn’t expect you to say that. At all.”

“It’s okay,” Pat chuckled. “It came as a bit of a shock to me too. Nothing to do with you!” He added hastily before the Captain could jump to any conclusions. “I just always thought I liked women. Still do, of course, but I like men too? Not quite sure when that happened, if I’m honest.”

Pat continued to ramble, and the Captain smiled. The sense of relief that washed over him was immeasurable. He wouldn’t have guessed that Pat liked him, or was even like him at all.

“-always confused me when I watched films and found both the man and the woman attractive.”

The rambling was getting a little too much now for the Captain. “Pat.”

“I could never tell Carol though-”

“Pat!”

Pat suddenly stopped, looking up at the Captain. “Sorry. Was I talking too much?”

The Captain hesitated before realising he could be honest with him. “Yes. Just a bit.”

“Sorry…” he muttered. “It’s just the first time I’ve talked about this.”

The Captain nodded. “I understand. Do you feel better?”

“Yeah, I actually do, actually. How about you give it a try?”

The Captain hummed. “No, thank you.”

Pat nodded. “That’s fine.”

The two of them fell silent until Pat remembered something. “Hey, Cap? Before I told you this, I didn’t know how you would react.” 

Now that he was speaking out loud, he realised the Captain hadn’t actually said much of anything. 

“Why do you say that?”

*******

So it ends there but Pat's answer was going to be that he knew that Cap was still in love with Havers and he wasn't sure if Cap was ready to love anyone else. Cap ends up telling Pat that he will always love Havers but that doesn't mean he doesn't have the capability to love someone else ❤️

[swords-of-a-soilder]

The Healing Process

Chapter 10

Child of the Sky

Philza the young crow-hybrid felding awoke at the sound of and all too familiar voice calling for him. He peered down from his treehouse to observed the Goddess, much taller and wiser than the felding. She look around as he called from his attention, noting his absence.

Philza ran down to the ramp with quiet feet as he sunk up on Rose, effectively scaring her in the process. She grasp her chest as she caught her breath, laughing off the scare.

Philz circle her as he ran back and forth cheering in excitement, "Mom's home, mom's home, mom's home!" He repeated as he ran around.

"Ok ok, I'm back." She mused. The Goddess was a thing of beauty; wearing a crown of roses over her head and a strawberry dress, she had skin like chocolate and a strawberry blonde hair, she stood out among all the flowers in the Garden.

"You took forever!" Phil complained, "you said two weeks you were gone all month!"

"I know I know, I'm so sorry." She began, she rest her hand on his shoulder then scoot down to meet his level, "Father underestimated how much there was do." She informed.

Phil's eyes feel half lid at that information, clearly not Impressed therefore Rose decide on changing the topic, hoping they would avoid dewling on her absence.

She ran her finger though his hair with a raised eyebrow, "your hair change." She noted

"Yeah... you don't mind do you?" Phil inquired "Uncle has been looking after me while you were gone, it wasn't really on purpose."

"Not at all, blonde is a much better look on you anyways." She dismissed as she messed up his hair then got back to her feet.

"Oh you made more crows." She noted observing the crows on the structure of the treehouse

Phil fixed his hair as he observe the birds along side her, "well yeah I was lonely." He explained. "And you took much longer than You said you would!"

"Honey I have nothing against you making birds, it's just..." Rose allowed a lone crow to perch on her finger. "How are you even making this many?"

"It's easy, see!" Phil pick up some of the loss feathers of the ground the clasp his hands as he breath deeply; his wings ruffled up on their own before he even open his hands to relieve a crow felding in his hand. "There's four thousand, two hundred and thirty..three." he informed

"Dear I don't think you should make a crow everytime you're lonely, that's a lot of responsibility!" Rose attempt to explain.

"You have a bunch of hummingbirds!" Phil debated

"Those hummingbirds are three generations down, They mostly reproduced on their own." Rose informed, she then watched as Phil shoulders drop in annoyance, he let his hand fall as the felding took flight.

Rose release a sigh before Turing his face to her, "Child of the sky all I ask is you don't create life soly to cope, I promise I'll do better to get her on time okay?"

Phil eventually nod his head solely, however his mood change quickly as recolliion flashed in this eyes. "We can go to the Garden, let's have a picnic!"

"Of course, let's stop by the market on the way." Rose suggested

"Why, we already have lots of veggies and meat!"

"Well we could use some bread and fruit!"

"We have fruits growing on the tree, and uncle made lots of bread!" Phil insisted, he observed the Goddess tilt her vision, seemlingly deep in thought. "If you're looking for Auntie Sandy, she already left. She went to a royal meeting."

"Ah..I'm that transparent, am I?" Rose began, "very well, let's go!"

The two soon sit on top a plaid blanket with the picnic basket in the center. Rose watch with a mix of emotions as Phil chewed his steak.

"I don't know how you can stand to eat those things." She finally spoke.

"Meat ...? It's good!" Phil debated

"That's your uncle blood line speaking, not mine!"

Phil started down at his plate in misery, he could understand why Rose was a herbivore, but he couldn't say he was the same.

He needed that extra protein he couldn't just not eat meat, seriously he tried. "It's not my fault I'm a omnivore.."

Rose expression soften at Phil statement, the possibility that she was being too cruel bare face in her head. She released a sigh as she prepared to back track, "Darling, what I meant was "

"Goddess of Life!" Before Rose could finish she was interupped by the Ocean lord, a normally livingly fellow with Sea form hair and emerald eyes, was in a much different mood as he approached them.

With focus on his face he would spear a quick soft glance at Phil before falling back into his serious behaviour. "Your presence is required by the high council." He informed

"Couldn't the high council spear me the mercy?" She began, "I have just returned, I've hardly gotten to spend time with my Felding."

The Ocean Lord bow in a gesture of apology, "Forgive me my Highness, but your long absence makes your attendance all the more important."

Rose released a second sigh, before standing to her feet, she lightly dust her clothes before turning her attention to Phil, "apologizes my child, I won't be long, please stay in your domain."

"What, but you just got back!?" Phil insisted

"I know, and I am so sorry, I promise I will be back before you kno-"

"Why can't I come, I'm a god too!" Phil interupped

"No way little man, the council considers thou an abomination. They've been wanting to be rid of you for years, don't give them the opportunity."

"You don't think there's a better way you could say such?" Rose pleaded

"Ah yes, sorry my highness!"

"And stop calling me that, you know my name!"

"It's disrespectful, my father would strike me down if he hard me call thou Rose, Oh No I've said it!" He exclaimed as he covered his mouth.

Rose rolled her eyes at the information, "You now better than this Perseus, your father isn't as cruel as mine." Rose defended, she turn her attention back to Phil, "I'll be back soon, promise me you'll stay in your domain."

Phil started at the ground before sighing in defeat, "..okay.." he accepted.

Rose dismiss him with a pat on the head , then turned away to attend the meeting. Philza would soon miserable return to his domain, where he sat angrily in his tree house, many crows surround him.

The crows would jump from shoulder to shoulder or simply danced around him, insistant on putting the young God in a better mood, they were failing miserably.

"This isn't fair, she just got back!" He debated, "besides I should be involved in the meeting, I'm a god too!"

The crows shukled in annoyance, unsure how to improve his mood, Phil rolled his eyes at the notion. "Maybe I should just go, I have all right, I'm on of them!"

The crows quicky flock around him, vocalizing their disapproval but Phil seemed unbrotherd as he pushed himself upwards and made his way to exit his domain.

The crows would block the exit hopping to stop him, but we're only pushed out the way. "No, if you come I'll be caught!" He warned as he exit.

The crows seemed unsettled by this and thus followed from a distance. Phil would soon enter the passage of the gods, marble floors, vendors selling treats, colorfully banners and all stores of unworldly beings wondering around.

Men with lone necks, sheep with connecting horns being drag by massive woman with starslight eyes. It was a place that would make an unfamiliar being terrified.

Soon enough he'd come across the main hall, where he sneaked in so he could evesdrop on the meeting. He would hide at the entrance, listening to the statements made.

"Now Goddess surely you understand our concern." The host of the meeting, He Began.

He was a darker man, he body engulfed in flames, with patches of orange all over his skin, his eyes stared through the darkness of his way.

"My concern is that you're wrongfully accusing him of action he did not commit. " Rose debated

"No such thing!" She interrupted. "Your bother is the only one with the abilities to steal domains.

She was only slightly different to He, as she had many shields orbiting her. In addition to this, the flames that surrounded her was a much brighter Red.

"Oh I'm not sure of that."Rose began, "I could think of a few others who could."

"Becareful of your tongue!" Him interupped "don't fall to your brothers level, when our entire universe could fall apart!"

"Don't be ridiculous, there's no wa-" Rose cut herself off as she noticed the ground shaking everyone quickly noticed this as well.

Soon enough the celling started to crack, pillers fall to the ground, one of which almost knock Rose down. Philza in a panick ran out to her, however the floor beneath him spilt in uneven halves ristircing his ability to go further.

"Child!" He yelled, "your neglect to your domain has doomed us All!"

Phil continued to call for his mother, only to be met with with more chaos as more and more piller fall to the ground. The crows soon flew down, attempting to drag him away.

They attempts would go poorly as Phil refused to leave. "Philza!" He heard Rose call, as she finally came closer. "My hand, grab my hand!" She plead as she offer her hand to him.

Phil immediately reached his hand out, unfortunately the floor broke apart under his feet causing him to fall to his death.

Philza finally awoke In his current state, pulling himself out the water with his death grip on Forever's arms. immediately he buried his face on Forever's chest, snobbing as he proceed the reality.

Forever would do his best to offer comfort, stroking his back as he pulled his closer, Philza would melt into the touch.

[leviackermanscleaningbuddy]

okay i have a question for the pack, bear with me-

what do everyone's beds look like? now hear me out, i know this probably sounds silly but i have good questions!

what kind of bed do the omegas have? a king? custom made to be really big? since they all sleep together, do they sleep squished or hsve enough space to not have to cuddle all the time?

also, do they have lots of teddies and pillows and blankets, on the bed? if so who has the most?

it's the same questions for the other members of the pack, what type of bed, how is it when it comes to multiple people sleeping in the bed? what extra things do they usually keep on their bed -if they do- like teddies or extra pillows?

here's an additional question: who has the most teddies out of all the members? my guess is felix or jisung!

"I love this question." You say genuinely, glancing around at your pack mates. "Because I really think someone's room can tell you so much about who they are as a person."

"Absolutely." Chan nods in agreement. "My studio space tells a lot about who I am as a producer, and it's the same with my room, although it's more personal."

"So." You grin. "Get ready to learn a whole lot about us that you probably didn't need to know."

"Let's get it." Jisung claps his hands and rubs his palms together, voice excited, expression determined.

Chan glances to Jeongin. "Let's start with the omegas' room, yeah? Cause you guys share with the most members."

"Okay!" Felix agrees excitedly, and Jeongin grins wide, his eyes crinkling.

Both the omegas look to Hyunjin, who takes it as his sign to start them off.

"We have a king bed. It's the biggest bed in the house currently cause, you know." He shrugs with a smile. "Three of us."

"Gives us enough space to spread out if we want or need, but we usually sleep cuddled up anyway in the middle, so it's not utilized probably as often as it could be." Felix laughs.

"Hey, it's nice when we all gather for a cuddle pile or movie night though." You point out, and the omegas nod. "We always use your room as a central gathering point if we don't wanna come to the living room."

"Basically, the bed is just a free for all?" Jeongin muses, looking thoughtful. "We don't like split it into three sections or anything. Everyone can just kinda input and put their stuff wherever."

"Jinnie-hyung picked out most of our decor and bedding and stuff." Felix continues, nodding now. "Because he loves decorating and he's awesome at it."

"Not like you can see the bedspread anyway." Hyunjin snorts in amusement. "The bed is always piled so high with blankets and stuffies and pillows that I don't know why I even bothered."

"Felix does indeed have the most stuffies."

Felix raises his hand shyly and everyone coos at how cute he is.

Hyunjin continues. "As far as personal space, we have our own dressers and share the big walk in closet equally. Everybody kinda has their own space in their own corner of the room, the bed is the only central part with everyone's shit really."

"We do however," Felix points out. "Keep a tote of used clothes from all the other pack mates in the back of our closet, easily accessible, in case one of us feels the need to nest and the blankets and stuffies aren't getting the job done."

"Oh yeah." Jeongin nods. "That's come in handy a few times."

"Jinnie-hyung's dresser is just overflowing with miscellaneous art stuff and skin and hair products. Plus all of his perfumes."

"Lixie-hyung's is covered in more stuffies, and some cute little statues the other member's of the pack have brought him from various trips. He also can't even use his mirror because there's pictures of all of us literally plastered all over it."

"Cute." You hear Chan say under his breath beside you.

"And mine," Jeongin thinks for a minute. "Mine is just a catch all for any shit I don't know what to do with-stray papers, accessories, stuff like that."

"It's a nightmare." Hyunjin shudders, and Felix chuckles.

"You guys have a really nice ambiance in your room though." You add, glancing between the omegas. "Like you always have a candle lit and soft mood lighting and the little canopy over the bed with the twinkle lights."

"Yeah, it's cozy." Jisung nods.

"Speaking of," Chan motions to the beta now. "Why don't you and Minnie go next, Sung?"

Jisung claps his hands and grins. "Cool. Beta Bros. Let's go."

Seungmin rolls his eyes.

"We have a queen bed, which is also what all the alphas' have in their rooms too. Basically gives us enough space for visitors and each other without feeling squished."

"Our room is dark, modern, sleek." Seungmin adds, and Jisung nods his head in agreement. "I don't like a lot of clutter, so the decor we do have is limited and purposeful."

"Yep." Jisung agrees again, before grinning. "Though my half of the room-"

Seungmin shakes his head in horror. "It's a pigsty. I can't even look at it."

"It's not that bad."

"It really is."

"We have a lot of books, because Seungmin is a nerd, and I love anime and comics." Jisung continues, ignoring the other beta now, even as he rolls his eyes once more. "Channie-hyung and Binnie-hyung built us modern, custom bookshelves a few years ago that line pretty much all the walls."

"We also have a lot of recessed lighting above the bed so that we can read at night without straining our eyes."

"Ooh, ooh!" Jisung gets excited again. "We also have snacks in the night stands, just in case, and I have a giant bean bag chair filled with soft cozy blankets and my KAWS stuffed animal collection. Perfect reading nook."

"And of course-" Jisung looks smug now. "We've got those cool remote controlled LED lights all along the ceiling that match to music and can be changed to any color. Usually red." He winks at Seungmin, who flips him off.

"I'll go next." You offer, once it's clear the betas' are done, and everyone looks to you. You shrug. "I don't know if I have a clear style really, but my bedroom is very minimalistic. I have some reading shelves and a desk area and it's all light natural woods and calming colors. I don't really keep anything on my bed, besides a few throw pillows and an extra blanket at the foot. The only thing I really collect is house plants, I have a bunch hanging from a corner of the ceiling, right above the desk, and a bunch in the bathroom and last year, the boys gave me a little plant shelf to sit in front of my big window, and I've slowly been filling that up too."

"Incense." Chan points out, glancing at you, and you nod.

"Oh yeah. I really like smells? So I burn incense quite a bit for different occasions and have a bunch of candles all over for different moods."

"Tell them about the wall above your desk." Jisung says gleefully, and you sigh, already feeling yourself blush.

"God, but it's embarrassing."

"It's cute." Chan reassures you, reaching out to cover your hand with his own.

"Fine." You sigh and roll your eyes. "The wall above my desk is covered in a kind of wallpaper that I designed myself. It has all of the members' scents listed out in their individual, complex chemical compounds in script. It's like nerdy and personal and fun at the same time."

"My turn." Changbin announces, throwing his arm over the back of the couch behind Seungmin. "My room is industrial. Lot of exposed metals in the decor, dark colors, low lighting. I like it to feel relaxing when I get home from school or work or the gym."

"I taught him the word industrial." Hyunjin points out proudly, and Changbin chuckles.

"Yeah, you did." He considers. "I have a work corner, that's like a mini studio at home for me to write and work on stuff when I have the time or inspiration? It's separated from the rest of the room by like this metal grate wall and the space is really cool. It's probably my favorite place to hang out by myself."

"He looks neat." You point out, and Changbin shoots you a glare. "But don't look in his closet cause he just shoves all his mess in there and it's a warzone."

"Oooh, he also has this really cool expensive sound machine!" Felix adds excitedly. "And he hides it in the corner behind this like little desk, room fountain thing, and so his room just always sounds like running water or rain or something else soothing."

"Yeah, I love having noise in there all the time, even when I sleep. Helps me focus."

"My room is Scandinavian, which I also learned from Hyunjin." Chan winks at the omega, who gives him a big grin and a thumbs up. "It's dark, exposed woods and metals and very simple. I love the look of wrought iron and untreated wood and so I've used that a lot in my shelves and bed frame and personal style."

"His closet is a black hole though." You chuckle, and Chan looks at you in betrayal. You shrug. "Not that it's a bad thing. It's exceptionally organized, just all one color."

"And he's a huge sap. He keeps every picture and every letter or note every member of the pack has ever given him in a drawer by his bed." Minho rolls his eyes and once again, Chan looks betrayed.

"It's cute." You bump his side and he rolls his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah." He goes on. "I also have a mini studio space in my room, but it's in a little loft area above the main room, above my bed. There's like a wooden ladder that goes up there and a wood and iron railing and it's super nice to just go up there when I need to work at home or clear my head."

"As far as my room goes-" Minho shrugs blankly. "A room is a room, a bed is a bed. I like my things put away where they go and everything kept simple."

"Hear, hear." Changbin nods, and Minho sighs.

"I allow two exceptions to this rule when it comes to my room. One," He holds up a finger sternly. "Recipe books. I keep an entire corner shelf for them. And two," He holds up a second finger. "Pictures of my cats that my parent's send me monthly. I frame all the new ones when they get here and add them to the gallery wall across from the bed."

"It's huge." Jisung nods reverently. "I've never seen so many cat pictures in my life."

"I also-" Minho adds. "-allow two orchids to inhabit the space of my windowsill. They're good for prosperity."

"Plus they're pretty." Jeongin chirps helpfully, and Minho sighs, but rustles the baby's hair regardless.

"Yes, they are very pretty."

"You have that little glass plant terrarium in your bathroom that holds your super old bonsai tree too." You point out, and Minho nods.

"Yes. Because I enjoy taking care of something so fickle, yet knowing that in the end, it will ultimately outlive me."

"Deep." Jisung nods appreciatively. "Is now a bad time to tell you that I used your little spray bottle to slick my hair the other day?"

"-My bonsai mister?"

"Is that what it was? Oops."

Hyunjin grins wickedly as Minho glares at his moonmate murderously.

"Looks like your bonsai tree is not only gonna outlive you, hyung, but now it's gonna way outlive Jisung too."

********************************************************************************

Keep scrolling to see example pictures of the pack members' individual room styles! 😘

Chan

(Y/N)

Minho

Changbin

Omegas

Betas

[lostusagis]

@jiraipink asked:

💪 Namida watching two rabbits~!

Send '💪' For the sending muse to catch the receiving muse working out. Add '+ Reverse' for the roles to be reversed.

On occasion, Kagura would tag along during Kamui's travels. That's usually when she trained the most with him, since there was a lot more opportunities rather than the period when he visited her on earth. Kamui really enjoyed having her around, plus Namida was with them too which was even better for him. Although, currently he was focusing on training Kagura. Having been doing strength training with her.

The sounds of struggling could be heard from the training area Kamui had on his ship, since Kagura was having trouble lifting with the weight lifting.

''How much does this crap weigh? I usually don't have so much trouble with this stuff.'' She'd ask while her brother observed her,

''2,000lbs ~♪'' Kamui was so nonchalant and cheery over it.

''Are you serious?''

''You're a Yato, this should be a piece of cake for you.'' Kamui went ahead and took the weight from her, more easily lifting it up than her.

''See? Maybe stop hanging with your friends and that princess so much and do more training when I'm not around.'' He'd say with a laugh,

''S...Shut up.'' She actually got embarrassed for a moment, ''I'm not like you, obsessed with being strong that I feel the need to train 24/7. What, trying to impress Namida?''

''Are you expecting that to fluster me? Nice try.'' He'd only look at her with amusement, ''Namida already thinks I'm strong and amazing, I don't need to impress her. ♡'' There was a proudness he'd give off when saying that, as his ahoge just waves a little happily.

Kagura just groans in annoyance, and proceeds to kick him. ''You get on my nerves. Just hurry up and give it back.'' Kagura went back on the bench, and Kamui was about to hand it back to her but his ahoge would be at attention like a sensor which led to it slipping which made Kagura collapse on the ground since she hadn't gotten comfortable with how much it weighed yet.

''Oh, sorry. Are you okay?'' He lifted it off of her, and Kagura looked extremely pissed off when glaring up at him. Kamui just smiled as if nothing happened. ''I got distracted.''

''Yeah, yeah. I knew it the minute I realized she came in.'' Kagura just huffed, ''Go hang out with your girlfriend. That's what you want, right?''

Kamui quirked a brow, ''What are you talking about? I promised to help you out first.'' He usually didn't break promises he made with Kagura, and he knew he could hang out with Namida anytime anyway. Kagura seemed to think otherwise, or maybe she was just frustrated again. He just sighed tossing the weight aside before making his way to Namida.

''Naaaamida ♡'' He'd say her name with that overjoyed cheery voice of his, ''I'm really happy to see you.'' Kamui took her hands in his, stroking them gently with his thumbs.

''Do you wanna watch while I train my sister? She's been feeling kind of insecure about her abilities lately so I'm trying to help with that. It might be a while though, so you're free to leave whenever you want. I just thought it'd be nice to have you around for a little bit. Seeing your face always makes my day a hundred times better.'' He'd give her a gentle smile before leaning in to whisper into her ear.

''I know you're a huge pervert, so I'm sure you'd enjoy seeing me like that anyway. Maybe later, instead of a picture you can stare at the actual thing. Without sunglasses.'' Kamui was just messing with her, but it was an offer he'd follow through with if she wanted it. He was kind of obsessed with that type of attention from her.

Kagura hadn't actually heard any of their conversation but just looking at them was enough to irritate her. At least, it didn't seem like Kamui would ditch her to hang out with his precious Namida. She'd see Kamui come over holding her hand, and just sighed. Arms crossed over her torso, ''Kamui, can we continue?''

Kamui let go of Namida's hand, then fishing in his pocket for a remote. ''Yeah, actually, I thought of a way that'll motivate you more.'' When he clicked a button on the remote, the middle of the floor opened up and a robot resembling Okita came out.

Kagura gave it the most disgusted look which Kamui found hilarious, definitely a purchase that was well worth it.''

''There's this guy on earth who apparently makes robots, so I paid him to make this for whenever I trained you. It even has voice lines and everything.''

Kamui clicked another button that made the robot talk, sounding exactly like Okita himself. ''Ugly. Ugly. Ugly. Ugly.'' It would repeat, which led to Kagura grabbing the weight she was having trouble lifting, and yelled while throwing it at the robot.

''Hahahaha, I guess anger just increases a person's strength!'' Kamui would say while clapping, ''Good job, I do have more though.'' He clicked a button on the remote again that summoned more Okita bots. Then he'd turn to Namida while Kagura violently beat another robot with every bit of anger in her body.

''You hate the guy too right? You should let out pent up anger you have towards him like her, it's at least better than being around the actual person. Since, well, if he did anything to upset you again, I'll break every single bone in his body like before.'' He sounded so cheerful that it made his words all the more unsettling despite them being well intended.

[fitrahgolden]

WEARY MEMORY: 7 - FOUND A PHOTO OF YOU

Kit: I'm sorry I haven't reached out this week. 

>> I understand if you need space.

>> But we do need to talk about it.

Kit: I know.

Kit: Can you meet me somewhere for lunch? My schedule is open today.

>> Yeah, of course.

>> I could just come to yours if you're home.

Kit: Anthony. 

>> What? 

Kit: Terrible idea, considering, don't you think?

>> I can keep my hands to myself. Can you say the same?

Kit: Bullshit.

>> Someone's cocky.

Kit: Well, someone shouldn't have a problem meeting in public if someone doesn't have any ulterior motives.

>> …

>> I can't think of anything clever.

Kit: Shocking. A public meeting, then.

—

Anthony got to the café first, standing when he saw Kate approach the table. A hug was their typical greeting, and that's what Kate went for. But Anthony added a kiss on her cheek, evidently surprising her and causing her to falter as she backed away from him.

“Sorry,” he said, running a hand through his hair as they sat down. “Um, I clearly don't know what the fuck to do.”

“It's OK. It was nice. Or, it would have been, if I had known what the fuck to do.”

They shared an awkward laugh.

“Um,” Kate started, “What did you mean, exactly, by all the things you said on Saturday? I just… I don't want to assume or misunderstand. This is too important.”

Anthony nodded and cleared his throat. He'd been struggling all week with exactly what he wanted to happen, how he expected it to happen. How to explain it all.

“I think we should get married.”

Or, I could just say that.

Kate's eyes widened.

“Is that…? That's what I was trying to say, when I said we made a mistake. Did that not…? Are you surprised?”

Kate shook her head. “It’s just… Just hearing you say it like that. As if it's that simple.”

“What do you mean?” Anthony furrowed his brow.

“Well, there are a lot of steps to take before marriage is back on the table, don't you think?”

“Of course. I mean, I don't know about ‘a lot,’ but I know we'd need to decide how to tell the kids and everyone else, what to do about the townhouse–”

“No, Anthony. I'm saying that we can't jump straight to getting married. You have to know that.”

“Right,” Anthony said, feeling foolish. Kate, of course, seemed to read him perfectly. She reached across the table and put a hand on top of his. 

“Please, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying it can't happen, but… Look, whether it was a mistake or not, we got divorced for a reason. Things were bad, Anthony. We were bitter. And aimless. We were…just so sad.”

“I remember,” he said quietly.

“We are in such a better place now. And, who knows? Maybe we would have gotten there anyway if we stayed together. But… We can't take anything for granted. We absolutely cannot fuck this up.”

Anthony rubbed his thumb against Kate's hand. “Yeah. Of course you're right. So, are we, I don't know, dating?”

“Something like that,” she mused. “Exploring, maybe? I don't think we can really date properly until we tell the kids, and we should definitely hold off on that.”

“Yeah, for sure.”

They sat in silence for a while, both thinking. They ordered some food, and when the server walked away, Anthony spoke. 

“I guess we should get back into couple’s therapy.” 

“Yes, absolutely,” Kate agreed. “Not the same guy as last time, though.”

“Right. Last time we went to that guy, we got divorced.”

Kate laughed, and followed Anthony’s lead when he intertwined their fingers on the table.

“I was just… I don't know, Kit. I guess I was hoping there was a way for this to not feel messy.”

“Well, we made the mess. Can't change that now.”

“You're right,” Anthony shrugged. “So, step one…”

“...book a therapist.”

Anthony rubbed his chin. “Hmm, maybe we call that step one A.”

Kate chuckled as she bit into her chocolate croissant. “Why?”

“Because there's a one B. I hope there is, anyway.”

“And what would that be?”

“Well, what about what happened on Saturday?”

“That's…” Kate narrowed her eyes at him, “what we've been talking about this whole time, isn't it?

“We haven't gotten to one very important detail,” Anthony said as he looked her up and down, smirking.

“Ah.” Kate sat back.

“Is that on the table?”

“I thought you didn't want messy.”

“You just said the mess was unavoidable.”

“So, might as well? Is that what you're saying?” Kate was smiling, but there was something else behind it.

“Kit…” He leaned forward, taking her hand again. “I'm not taking you for granted. Or seeing you as some kind of convenience. I mean, shit, it seems to me like it would be pretty damn inconvenient for the time being, finding time to be together. But I want to. Do you?”

He flashed her a smile he couldn't suppress. Kate rolled her eyes, but Anthony reckoned it was because the answer to his question was yes.

“Perhaps I do…” she conceded.

Anthony waggled his eyebrows over his mug of chai.

“Nevermind, I definitely don’t.”

“I’m not allowed to be happy that my wife wants me?” he asked smugly before taking a sip, enjoying the way Kate’s pupils dilated a bit when he called her that.

“I’m not your wife,” she countered weakly.

“Eh, technically. We’ll see how much longer that’s the case.” 

—

In the weeks between that lunch and their trip to Scotland, part one A of their reconciliation plan was completed with relative ease. Of course, booking a therapist was easier than actually speaking with one. The first two sessions had Kate and Anthony recounting everything that had happened in their lives, together and apart, that they felt brought them to this point. Those sessions were a slog. They’d known they were going to have to do it, but there appeared to have been no way to prepare for going through all of that again. Kate and Anthony didn't speak much in the days following those sessions.

Mercifully, their holiday came up soon after, a much needed break for both of them, even more so than they had anticipated back when the trip had been booked.

All in all, by the time they got to their vacation house, Kate and Anthony had indulged in only a few stolen kisses and just one proper snog since the night of Edmund's birthday party.

—

“Anthony Sharma-Bridgerton, you did not pick the bedroom directly across from mine.”

After an afternoon flight, dinner out, and settling into the house, bedtime came early, and no one was complaining. The kids picked their rooms with relatively little bloodshed, and Anthony had been strangely evasive about which room he'd wanted. Now, Kate knew why.

“Oh, but I did.” He looked unfairly handsome, leaning back against his door, his smile shamelessly self-satisfied.

“Really subtle.”

“I just think–”

“Lower your voice!” Kate hissed in a whisper, looking towards where the kids’ room were, admittedly moderately far away. But Anthony was all too keen to get closer to Kate, stepping across the hall to the threshold of her room. Kate tried to keep her face neutral as he crowded her, putting a hand up on the wall next to her head.

“I just think,” he started again, “that we should take advantage of the fact that we're sleeping under the same roof this week. It'd be way riskier if I had to tiptoe across the house to get to you, wouldn't it?”

Kate scoffed, armed with her best poker face. “You're being awfully presumptive. Have I said I even want you to ‘get to me?’”

“Point taken.” He leaned in and ghosted his lips over hers. “Would you like that, Kit?” he whispered. “Come on. Let's make the most of this holiday, hm?”

Kate almost kissed him. Almost. And she enjoyed the thinly veiled frustration that washed over Anthony’s face when she moved away from him. She backed into her room a few steps, and cocked her head to the side. “Are you proposing a holiday fling with the woman with whom you share three children?”

Anthony’s face fell into something more serious, something darker, as he followed Kate into her room. He put his hand on the doorknob, and looked at her in question. She nodded, biting her lip as Anthony softly closed and locked the door behind him.

“You're more than just the mother of my kids to me, Kit.” He walked up to her and put his hands on her cheeks. “I mean, you are that, and that's fucking amazing, but…” He kissed her, slow and consuming. He pulled away, and Kate leaned toward him as he did, chasing his lips, but he resumed speaking, his eyes boring into hers. “That's not all I see when I look at you.”

“And, no, I don't want a fling,” he laughed, unbuttoning her shirt, doing the same with his own once hers was on the floor. “I want everything.” A kiss to her throat. “All of you.” Her sternum. “All the time.” Each breast, his breath gliding over her nipples.

Then, Anthony retraced his path until he was looking into Kate's eyes again. “We had it, we gave up on it, and then we lied to ourselves for over three years about it being the best thing for everyone. I refuse to fail us like that again, and I won’t let you do it, either.” His eyes flicked down to her lips, and he licked his own. “But if a fling is what you're offering, we can definitely start there.”

The next thing Kate knew, she was being hauled onto the bed.

—

Anthony could easily have been convinced he was dreaming, that his mind had gone back to a time when he was at his happiest, his most settled. It happened more times than he could possibly count since Kaveri was born, when it felt like he and Kate were well and truly drowning, and taking the kids with them. He'd dream about entire days, full of details, from back when they’d thought they had finally found their footing in life.

But after several blinks, Anthony readily accepted that this was indeed happening. He was waking up in bed with Kate. They were on their sides, facing each other. His arms were around her. Her head was buried in his chest. Her hair was tickling his chin. There'd been no fitful bouts of intermittent sleep. Kate hadn't passed out in the nursery after crying for hours. Their night had been blissful. It'd been easy. They could have these nights back, as a feature of their everyday lives. He was sure of it.

“You stayed,” Kate said, her voice a rough whisper.

“Of course, I stayed, Kit.” Anthony tightened his embrace. 

Kate fought to get her arms free so she could wrap them around his neck. “Good morning,” she yawned into his neck. 

“I think I can make it better.” Anthony kneaded Kate’s bum, and encouraged her to place her leg up to his hip.

“Too late,” she murmured, though she let him roll her onto her back, releasing a content hum as he settled between her legs. 

“Too late? The sun is just now rising, Kit.”

“Exactly.” She sounded more awake now. “It's getting light out. One of them could be up at any minute.”

Anthony laughed. “Have we not always prided ourselves on having kids who don’t wake up at the crack of dawn? We used to take advantage of that fact all the time. Do I need to remind you how?” He started to kiss his way under the covers, but Kate grabbed at his shoulders.

“No, no,” she whined. “You need to go to your room.”

Anthony sighed and crawled back up until they were face to face. “OK.” He gave her a quick kiss. “You're sure?”

“Well, it's not at all what I want, but yes, I’m sure. We just need to be careful, OK? If it's not annoying, we aren't being careful enough.” She pulled his face down for another kiss. 

“OK,” he pressed against her mouth.

It took about seven more minutes, but Anthony did eventually leave Kate's bed, and was well settled into his own by the time he heard the sounds of their kids emerging from their rooms. 

—

[canonically-a-genloser]

"straight out of a novella"

i hate writing titles i hate writing

Paislie slowly opened the door, cursing the way it creaked. Not that it mattered terribly, none of the Showfall escapees still living in the house were light sleepers except for-

"Hey."

-Randy.

"Hi," Paislie said, shuffling to the couch to shed their platform boots. "How were the kids?"

The brunette let out a chuckle at the recollection of Paislie's four siblings. "About as easy to handle as you."

"Oh."

"Nah. They're good," he assured Paislie. "You have a good time?"

Paislie blushed as a smile grew, realizing he'd noticed their mussed dress, undone hair and flushed cheeks- not to mention the lipstick stain on their cheek that still remained.

"Oh, a really good time."

"Shh," Paislie laughed, leaning back on the couch.

"It's alright," Randy grinned in reply. "I worked at a bar, that's the only reason I know. I get it."

He leaned forward, folding his hands in his lap. "So tell me about her, come on."

A high-pitched giggle came from Paislie.

"She bought us a couple rounds, I bought us a couple more. We danced for a bit, and holy French pressed fuck, she knows how to dance. She's so beautiful," Paislie said, a faraway look planting itself in their eyes as they daydreamed in the direction of the carpet.

"How many drinks did you have?"

"Dunno. Five? Maybe."

Randy sighed, though the smile on his face didn't leave. Paislie's friends had probably had them mix drinks as a joke too, knowing he would be fine in the end.

"You don't do anything by halves, do ya."

" 'S okay. Not my first time," Paislie slurred out, and the older of the two nodded.

"I know. Still." He picked up the empty plastic trash can in the room that nobody used anyway. "Need this?"

Paislie laughed, pushing his hand down. "No."

Randy couldn't be bothered hiding a gentle scoff. "Yeah, you do." He put it beside Paislie as a compromise. "I'm glad you had fun."

"Got her number, too," Paislie smiled, laying down on the couch. "Dunno how. She's awesome." They said a few more things Randy couldn't understand, and he shook his head.

Drunk Paislie was decidedly similar to a cat with catnip, he mused.

"Alright, c'mon, tiger. Still up to walking?"

"Nuh uh."

Randy paused. "You alright there until the morning, then?"

"I'm gonna take a nap here," Paislie informed him after a second of thinking, flopping onto their stomach and cuddling into the pillow beside the armrest.

"Okay," he surrendered. "I'll find you a blanket, then."

"M'kay."

He'd barely made it down the hall when the sound of a harsh and very productive cough finally fulfilled his expectations.

Returning with the previously sought blanket and a few towels just in case, he found Paislie somehow more limply draped over the couch. The now-vomit-filled trash bin fortunately managed to contain the contents of whatever drinks Paislie had probably thrown back without a second thought.

"Fuck. Yeah, I did needa throw up," they murmured.

Randy couldn't help the quiet laugh that escaped him. "I told you, kid, I've seen this a million times over. Go ahead and sleep."

Paislie's eyes were predictably closed before he'd finished his sentence.

Which meant the only thing left for Randy to do was find a landfill or perhaps a large forest to dispose of the trash bin at.

Maria wouldn't miss it, seeing as how she'd left it at his and Henrik's house.

Probably.

[silversiren1101]

💎💎💎 for giliys?

[I was hoping for this you have no idea]

"First, I suppose I should ask who put you up to this." Minovae smirks. "Everyone that knows Giliys has their own, strong, opinion on him, and it wouldn't be wrong to say they're probably more similar than not. Was it Theo? I know he worries about anything jeopardizing his healing relationship with Regill, and I can easily see him agonizing over the respective spouses not getting along."

She chuckles, and shakes her head.

"You know there's something to be said about Derenges and their chosen partners being so very unlike them! Still, he needn't worry. Against everything that says I shouldn't, I actually like Giliys. Or, well", her brows furrow. "It's hard to describe. I like him, but also I don't. He's abrasive beyond words and somehow more aggressive and angry than a vrock, but he's also... kind. He's generous, too. Just look at him with his and Theo's kids! Actually, he's so many contradictions folded on top of each other because of the things he's gone through, and it would be so very wrong and hypocritical of me to condemn him for what he had to do to survive it all."

A sense of sadness pulls down her smile and dims the light in her eyes. "He... the things that make him up at his very core are the same ones that make up any other good soul. His sense of right and wrong is amongst the strongest I've ever seen, and it's a crime that such an innately just and bright person has been shaped into what he is now. Society failed him. So many people failed him. His justice has been turned into retribution, all his goodness twisted to be in the name of survival."

"You know", she continues, "I truly, genuinely think he would've made for a knight the likes Avistan has never seen had he not been crushed and pushed to the breaking point like he had. It's just...", she sighs, "It doesn't excuse some of the things he's done, and I admit I might have executed him myself if I had caught him mid-act of some of them, but he's trying. I see it. It might only be because of Theo but that doesn't diminish that he's trying to make amends. I see it, and I see where he's come from and I see the frayed pieces there of what could have been and I see what could still be..."

She hums, low and mellow, musing further on it. "So yeah, he's awful and mean and has done some truly heinous things and yet I would say in full honesty that I would trust him with my life. I'd trust him with my family, too. Even if we didn't know each other, if we weren't 'family' as tenuous as that word is, if he saw me fall protecting Jess and I begged him with my last breath, in my unmistakable Hellknight armor and he just the nearest person I locked eyes with, to take my daughter and get here out of there, I know he would."

A sharp, dry laugh cuts through her thoughts. "Actually, Giliys might be the greatest Hellknight there never was. He definitely would've been an incredible paladin, though I'm not sure which god he would've pledged himself to, and none of them deserve him anyway. I'm under no impression that he might kill me for saying that if he finds out, though", she smiles sheepishly.

"I'm under no impression at all that he doesn't hate me, period, make no mistake of that. I'm everything he despises, and I know it. I'm a proud Hellknight, and one who joined to escape the horrible life I had because of what I am. He sees me as a traitor in that sense, another 'slave who picked up the whip themselves.' And the thing is? I can't blame him. I can't blame him at all. He's the exact person I became a Hellknight to protect and advocate for and yet... here he is... as he is. We didn't help him."

[cherrylng]

Matthew Bellamy exclusive interview - Muse [INROCK (December 2018)]

Matthew Bellamy exclusive interview

Muse's latest album 'Simulation Theory' is out now

"It's got a very colourful sound and it's a progression towards a brighter version of Muse."

Matthew Bellamy / Muse INTERVIEW : P.G. BRUNELLI / INROCK L→R Matthew Bellamy (vo./keys./g.), Dominic Howard (dr.), Chris Wolstenholme (b.)

Fantasy has become reality and simulation technology is now part of our lives. The most frightening part of this is that we can no longer distinguish between reality and fantasy. Matthew Bellamy has spotted this and has created Muse's new album, Simulation Theory, their 8th album. Matthew has had a lot of trouble in his personal life, but this has not made his life darker, nor did it in any way influence this album. To begin with, Muse albums have never been straightforward and normal, and this one is no different. This album is also very deep and contains self-analysis and analyses things from many different angles.

Muse has stepped out of the confines of the UK and become one of the world's leading rock artists. So little time was allocated to Japan for the release of 'Simulation Theory', and as a result, INROCK was the only one allowed to cover the event.

'Thought Contagion' is a song about US news and US President Trump, and about other people hijacking your thoughts, but isn't that the same situation in every country, not just the US? Matthew Bellamy (vo./keys./g.): Yeah, I think so. But this song, although it's about the news, has nothing to do with Trump. I don't know why it seems to be misinterpreted. It's actually a song based on the ethics of Richard Dawkins (animal behaviourist). It's about how human thoughts and beliefs are like genes, capable of dividing and replicating. In fact, he also coined the term 'meme' (Meme. A humorous parody of a photo or video that is spread via the internet), which you see a lot on social networking sites. The internet has changed its meaning, though. The term was originally coined to explain that our thoughts behave like genes and expand. In other words, the human brain has the ability to change even the truth into something else. That's what this song is about.

Do you miss the '80s? Matthew: No, I don't really feel that way…

But didn't you once cite the '80s as "the era that had the biggest impact on you"? I mean, technology wasn't as advanced as it is now, but… Matthew: Ah, so you asked if I miss the '80s. If that's the case, the '80s certainly had a big influence on me, and I think that's reflected in this album. I've also been re-discovering some of my childhood influences while making this record. I think the strongest influence on a newly formed band or an artist at the beginning of their career is their teenage years. In our case, it was rock music. I also developed a big interest in classical music in my late teens, so that's part of it, but anyway, I think the first 15 years or so of this band has been based on those teenage influences. But as you can tell by listening to our early songs, there was always an artificial sound somewhere. Like the use of synthesisers. With this album we wanted to go back to that kind of sound. I was heavily influenced by horror film soundtracks as a kid, and that kind of '80s sound is definitely a big influence on this album. It's a reflection of the influences I had before I formed the band.

Dom (Dominic Howard, dr.) spoke to me a few days ago about the music video, but can I ask you one thing about the video for 'Pressure'? Did you always dream of playing guitar while rolling around on stage like Michael J. Fox? (An act from the film Back to the Future) Matthew: Hahaha! I guess you could say that (laughs). I don't really remember. I think I was about seven years old when that film was released.

Yeah, that film was released in '85, so you were born in '78, so you must have been seven years old then. Matthew: The most memorable images you see when you're a kid stick in your head for a long time as an adult, and I think my first guitar player was Michael J. Fox in that film. I think that image came back to me subconsciously as I was re-discovering my childhood influences. Anyway, I had a lot of fun shooting that video.

"Maybe the characters in the game are a lot more intelligent than we think, maybe they'll become conscious and emotional in time…"

There are other influences like 'Gremlins' and various '80s films? That car that appears a few times is also reminiscent of the DeLorean. Matthew: That car is a Lamborghini. It does have a DeLorean look to it. Thanks for noticing all the little details. I played quite a few VR (Virtual Reality) games while I was working on this album, and through them I discovered that not only can you go to different worlds, but you can also go to different times. You can visit places that existed in the past. I've recently been playing a game called Star Trek: Bridge Crew, which is a lot of fun because you get to spend time on a spaceship in the '70s. It's a very strange feeling to be in the 'future' as people imagined it back then. I like that kind of lost time. It's not connected to the present, but it's somehow connected to the past or the future. I like to create experiences where you don't know which era you're in.

You've released eight albums so far, and this is the first time your faces have been on the cover. Is this design also inspired by the gaming world? Matthew: Yeah, the jackets are very much inspired by the game. The idea of being trapped inside the game world is one of the themes of the album. You gradually realise that you've become your own digital avatar and you try to escape from this game world or programme that's trapping you. It might be a very strange idea, but when you play a game for a long time, you start to think about that kind of thing. I think that maybe the characters in the game are a lot more intelligent than we think, and maybe they'll eventually become conscious and have feelings. That's a very strange feeling, don't you think? An artificial intelligence that one day discovers that it was created by humans, but it's trapped inside the game world and can't escape anywhere. Maybe that's an idea that has a connection to our human lives. I think we all have that feeling of being trapped in a programme at times.

"I'm strongly attracted to the feeling of not knowing which era you're in."

Kyle Lambert, who designed the jacket (pictured above), also did the artwork for Stranger Things and designed the jacket for the super deluxe edition (2CD + 2 analogue records + box set including hardcover book, art prints etc). Paul Schipper has done artwork for Star Wars and Marvel films, how important was it for you to work with people involved in the world of film and television? Matthew: It was incredibly important. It's great to work with people who have experience in creating virtual worlds. It's the same with the videos. Making all the videos with Lance Drake [video director], I think we were able to create a certain world. It's the first time for us to make all the videos with the same director, but we like it a lot. It allows us to build a deeper relationship with each other, and when you do four or five videos together, you start to think about the connections between each video, and you can pay attention to the details. Like what kind of connections you want to make and how you want to develop the ideas. That's why the visual world is very important on this album. In the past we weren't so much into the videos, we only focused on the music, but with this album we've really tried to focus on the visual side of it as well.

Just one more question about the video - is 'Dig Down' inspired by Max Headroom (a CG character created in the '80s as a virtual presenter for TV shows)? Matthew: Yeah, exactly. That's where the whole idea of merging the virtual world that the album is about with the future world that we all used to imagine came from. Max Headroom was the first virtual presenter, but it was only on film, someone was actually playing as him. But at the time, the idea of having a CG character as a presenter was still very interesting. I'm very much attracted to that kind of future that people used to imagine. In the early science fiction films, they often depicted a future world where artificial intelligence and robots would appear and rule the world, but we actually live in such a time now, which I think is very interesting.

As far as the sound is concerned, you seem to have combined a lot of different elements at random, without setting any limits? Some are quite electronic, some are quite rock, some are acoustic like 'Something Human' and some are mellow like 'The Void'. Matthew: I think we live in a time where we are inspired by multiple different art forms. Even in our day-to-day lives, we're influenced by a lot of different things, and as a result, we can easily go in a lot of different directions. It used to be taboo to do something retro, but now we've moved past that. We don't feel the need to stick to one idea or one genre anymore. Nowadays, listeners listen to a lot of different genres, and there are a lot of artists who fuse everything from hip-hop to urban, dance, modern rock - and create new genres and styles of music. But by fusing different genres, sounds, and styles from different eras, as I mentioned earlier, you get the feeling that you don't know which era you're in, and as I said before, I'm strongly attracted to that kind of thing.

You collaborated with the UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) Bruin Marching Band on another version of 'Pressure' on the Super Deluxe version, where did that idea come from? Matthew: There are a lot of synthesisers and electronic sounds on the eleven songs on the album, and the sound concept of the album was to blend that with an organic sound, and the Super Deluxe version is very organic, plus a lot of extra stuff. We wanted to include eleven organic, stripped-down versions of the songs (ten are actually on the Super Deluxe version). The result is that some of the songs are acoustic, some are piano-only, and all of them are very simple, except for 'Pressure', where we were like, "How the hell can we do this?" I was struggling with that one… It's a very up-tempo song, so I didn't think it could be done with just acoustic guitar. Then the idea of using a brass band came to me. There's actually a bit of that in the original. So I thought it would be great if a brass band could play on it, and I immediately thought of the UCLA brass band. They've actually performed Muse songs at halftime of college football games in the past. I saw the video on YouTube and thought it was great. Incidentally, they performed a medley of Muse songs including 'MK Ultra', 'United States of Eurasia', 'Resistance' and 'Knights of Cydonia' at halftime of a game against the University of Southern California in 2010, and again in 2013 when they performed 'Unnatural Selection' after a game against the University of California, Berkeley.

'Dig Down' is also an acoustic gospel version, which is totally different from the original concept, isn't it? Matthew: Yeah, that song is totally different from the original. The original is the most electronic song on the album, with a lot of synthesisers. If the original is more artificial and manufactured, the other version is all organic and natural sounding. If you listen to the other version, you can hear how the songs on the album were written. It's before all kinds of sounds were added.

What made you feel the need to make a super deluxe version? Matthew: I like expressing myself through music. That's my favourite part of the job. I think it all fits together and it all flows well as a piece of work, even though each song is a completely different version. The way albums are made nowadays is completely different from the way they used to be. There's a completely different concept. Because it's digital music, there's no limit to the number of songs you can have, you can have 50 songs on it, you can have eight songs on it. We came up with different versions of each song when we were making this album, but in this day and age we didn't want to put a limit on the number of songs, so we didn't feel the need to reject them.

You wanted to move away from the heavier, darker vibe of your previous album, 'Drones', didn't you? However, the album's content is not lightweight either, is it? 'Propaganda' is a very dangerous song, and 'Break It To Me' is so dark, it doesn't sound that different from 'Drones'. Matthew: There are definitely some darker themes, and I think they will continue to be present on future albums. But I think there's a big difference between the last album and this one in terms of style and atmosphere. 'Drones' was a very dark album, and the show was very dark as well. We wore black every night. Everything was black. Of course this album still has elements from the last one, but I think it's more colourful in terms of the sound. There's always been a dark element in Muse's music and I don't think it's going to change. Still, this album is quite bright for Muse. Anyway, we've moved towards a brighter version of Muse. The tour will definitely be more fun too.

Translator’s Note: This interview took so much of my time to read through each and every line in Japanese to get it right. Why? Because for some reason, the text gets printed in weird ways that it ends up missing a small yet very important thing: the ‘ー’. It’s a long vowel mark, usually only used in katakana. That missing long vowel mark can mess up the translating software so much, as it affects not only the word, but also entire sentences.

To put it simply, without that long vowel mark, there’s a VERY big difference between “ダーク (dark)” and “ダク (dork)”. And a VERY big difference between “'Drones' was a very dark album” and “'Drones' was a very dorky album”.