#bin and blu

[stargazer-sims]

Adventures With Bin and Blu

Bin: Look, I think that's our star.

Blu: I didn't know it'd be visible from here. Maybe we're not as far from home as we thought.

Bin: Anywhere is too far if you don't have a way to get there.

Blu: True.

Bin: Do you think they'll ever come back for us?

Blu: If you want the honest answer, no. I don't think they will. You're a thief and I'm an outcast. Now that they've gotten rid of us, I doubt they'll want us back. So, I think we're stuck here.

Bin: Not necessarily.

Blu: What do you mean, not necessarily?

Bin: Maybe I could steal a ship. A little one, just for the two of us.

Blu: On this technologically backward planet? Seriously?

Bin: Don't forget, there are Sixamish people here. They're highly advanced, a lot of them are rich, and they're obsessed with personal spacecraft.

Blu: They're also able to read minds, and they can freeze people with their freeze-rays. Do you want to be a punksicle?

Bin: *laughing* That's just a myth.

Blu: What if it isn't?

Bin: Then, maybe we are stuck here.

Blu: I'm sorry.

Bin: Why?

Blu: I broke you out of prison so you could be free, but then we got caught and now we're basically in another prison.

Bin: It's a pretty place to be trapped though, and you know, if I've gotta be stuck on a world with boring brownish aliens and barely functional tech, there's no one I'd rather be stuck with than you.

Blu: Look at that star. I wonder what kind of planets are orbiting that one?

Bin: If I ever do manage to steal a ship, maybe we can check it out.

Blu: I'd like that.

Bin: Why do I feel like there's a 'but' in there somewhere?

Blu: I'd love to travel the stars with you, but I think we need to figure out how we're going to live on this planet in the meantime. I'm not sure how long we can camp on the beach. What if the weather turns cold?

Bin: I'll keep you warm.

Blu: Not if you're cold too.

Bin: Yeah, you're right. We do need a plan. But, can we think about that tomorrow? I've never really looked at the sky since we got here, and I want to take in the view.

Blu: It is beautiful, isn't it? It's so much clearer than it is at home. So many stars... Perhaps I could get used to a view like this.

[koreandragon]

i'm gonna explode

[localtopegg]

Shoutout to the pals out there that we don’t talk often but I still love you dearly.

[kon-konk]

I feel like I might have hit a jackpot with my Crunchyroll blind box bargain stuff

I got Galaxy Angel X as a Blu-ray, You're Being Summoned, Azazel as a DVD (both of which seem to be pretty good, based on the ratings I've seen which are roughly in the 7/10 area) and Go! Go! Loser Ranger! Vol. 4 where the cover was put on inside out (the kind of shit I like to collect, fucked up printing stuff)

[koushirouizumi]

I'm sorry (not for saying this) but even the Kizuna set included that full color poster with all 12 main Chosen, and that was a new art too.

[angelicsentinel]

....i don't know who needs to know this but we had dvd players and also flatscreens in 2006

[jarate-pissman]

Silly Doodle of TF2 if they were dogs. I wanted their accessories to resemble their human counterparts, but it can be difficult because putting a dog into human clothes is hard to draw.

Scout: A Boston Terrier. A breed known for being lively and happy, it's friendly and open to strangers. Scout as a guard dog would show you where his owners keep the valuables if you give him even a crumb of attention. Also, they can be bug eyed and derpy at times.

Pyro: A Dalmatian. Duh. With a bag on their head that resembles pyro.

Soldier: Solly is an American Pitbull Terrier. The fact that it's a controversial breed makes it an even better fit! ABPTs were used in combat missions in WWI and II. In WWII they appeared often on war propaganda posters. One of the most well known ABPT was named Sgt Stubby in WWI, and he earned himself numerous medals. Stubby is probably the deciding factor. Soldier has an American flag bandana and his food bowl over his eyes. He smells faintly of rotten bbq ribs.

Heavy: An Ovcharka (Caucasian Shepherd) while originally the breed hailed from Georgia, the USSR pushed to have the breed standardized. The huge dog breed was originally bred for guarding purposes, and has a serious and protective nature. Perfect for guarding his medic. He greatly treasures his Sandvich, a stuffed squeaky toy from the bargain bin at the pet store.

Demoman: A one-eyed Scottish terrier with a sturdy body and a manly beard. My personal experience with Scotties as a dog groomer is that they are absolute assholes who are wary of strangers squeezing their ass glands. I'm pretty sure Demo would bite me too if I touched his asshole. Demo has a squeaky bouncy ball that resembles a sticky bomb, one eye, and a hat that looks like a beanie.

Engineer: An American Bulldog. Mainly this was influenced by their stocky body and their friendly personality. Bulldogs are also a very intelligent dog breed that possess high endurance, agility, and strength. American Bulldogs were bred with the intention that they would be a farm dog. I would have gone with the Blue Lacy, but it didn't feel very Engie, despite being the only breed outta Texas. Engineer dog has doggles.

Spy: A french bulldog. Both the French Bull Dog and the Boston Terrier both descended from the Bulldog, so in a way they are related. While a poodle would have fit Spy as well, Frenchies are pretty expensive in their own right, and the cost of their medical bills might as well cost 5 poodles. They're like the luxury bulldog, and I feel like the fact that Spy and Scout's breeds resemble each other makes it better. Since dogs don't usually wear balaclavas, Spy-dog got his face stuck in a pair of red/blu underwear and started wearing them ever since.

Medic: What dog is more demanding, bratty, and sadistic than a Pomeranian? Pomeranians are extroverted, lively, alert, and highly intelligent dogs of German origin. They can be aggressive to humans and dogs to try and prove themselves. They don't seem to realize how small they are, and somehow wind up ruling the house anyways, even if there are other dogs. I can just imagine Medic-dog commanding Heavy-dog, and Heavy-dog going along with whatever he says. Medic has tiny glasses and a stray hair curl.

Sniper: A dingo. Aloof, mysterious, and a bit scrawny for his size, he's an excellent hunter who can brave the scorching bush and all Australia has to offer.

[autolenaphilia]

Blu-ray DRM is really devilish. I use a program called makemkv to rip them, because there is no other way to play them on my laptop, and there are no legit linux options for blu-ray playback, you have to crack the drm to play them. The easiest solution is makemkv to rip the movies into files, it works out of the box.

But if the level of drm (aacs) on a particular blu-ray is higher than what Makemkv can handle, the disk will update the firmware on your drive to revoke access to makemkv, so it can't access any blu-rays.

"One famous “feature” of AACS is a so-called host revocation. It was designed to ensure that only “approved” software can use your drive. Every Blu-ray disc contains a file that has a list of host keys known to be used by "unauthorized" software. This list has a version number. The moment you insert the disc into your drive, the drive checks if the list is newer than the one it knows about, and if it is, the drive re-flashes itself (updates firmware)."

And that happened to me. It was a blu-ray of the 1972 Hammer horror movie Fear in the Night that did it. The one program that works with my blu-ray player now couldn't access any discs, including ones it had ripped before. And there are absolutely zero linux programs that are authorized to playback blu-ray discs.

I had to flash my drive's firmware to allow something called libredrive, which allows direct access to files and bypasses the aacs drm firmware.

And that was quite the journey. I had makemkv installed as a flatpak via my distro's software manager. and I needed to use the command line. Flatpaks are a great packaging format. but they are primarily for gui apps. So i had to build makemkv from source. And then I had to figure out the commandline for the firmware flashing tool included with makemkv, which was hard because the instructions linked flat out lie. There is no "flash" command for sdftools, there is only "rawflash", you have to read the thread carefully to find that out. This page helped. I had to download new patched libredrive firmware.

And finally i figured out the command I needed ""sdftool -d [drive name] rawflash main,enc -i [new firmware file name].bin. And now I can use my blu-ray drive again. It's now libredrive.

So much work to finally be able to use the drive I paid for, and the blu-ray discs I also paid for. I'm not running some major piracy operation, I just want to be able to watch movies I legally own on my laptop. And drm stopped me, and I had to break it.

This is why DRM is so bad, and anyone who uses it deserves all the piracy they are trying to stop with it. It's scummy to take someone's money and then interfere with their ability to use the copy of the products they own and paid for. It's such atrocious treatment of the customer that anyone who does it deserves to have their stuff pirated.

[elainafinds]

summer daze. gshade preset

i know i say this about every preset i put out but this is truly my favorite preset i've ever made. i've been using this as my personal gameplay preset for months now and finally perfected it enough to release. i hope you all love it as much as i do.

preset made using gshade version 4.2.2 (unsure if it is compatible with reshade).

INSTALLATION TUTORIAL: anything not mentioned in these videos i unfortunately can’t help with but this video shows how to install gshade + presets.

How to Make The Sims 4 Look Better! (GShade Install + Tutorial/Presets/Lighting Mods)

IMPORTANT: i use lighting mods/terrain overrides in my game. without those there is a chance your game may look different then mine. i will link all lighting mods/terrain overrides below.

sunblind, no blu, no glo, tech-hippie terrain override

TOGGLE KEYS: ADOF on/off (shift + 3)

FILE LOCATION: C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin Games\The Sims 4\Game\Bin\shade-presets\custom (origin users)

C:\Program Files\EA Games\The Sims 4\Game\Bin\gshade-presets\Custom (ea app users)

TOU: do not reupload and claim it as your own. do not use it as a base, tweak, it and try to claim it as your own. tweaking for personal use is completely fine. i hope you enjoy this preset. if you use it make sure to tag me so i can see 🤭

download (free)

@mmfinds @emilyccfinds @mandy-ccfinds @harperelya @maxismatchccworld @sssvitlanz

[stargazer-sims]

Bin & Blu

Just a couple of fugitives in love on a strange new world

[papil0nglegs]

What about the mercs with a fem SO that talks in brainrot sometimes? Would really want medic in there but it's up to you!

Mercs x Brainrot!Reader

A/n: WHY IS THE TF2 FANDOM SO OBSESSED WITH THIS IDEA? 😭 I SAW ANOTHER FIC ABT THIS AND TWO REQUESTS ASKING FOR THIS PLS

warnings: Brainrot.. a lot of images being used, it’s a shit post who cares tbh

Scout

He’s into it too

Guys it’s scout

“Scout ilysm ur so nonchalant <33”

“Thanks babe ^^ I know I’m pretty alpha”

(Oh btw the alpha thing isn’t a joke he unironically listens to alpha male podcasts)

In the middle of spy’s serious moments you’d both lip sync ‘you are my sunshine’ to each other when he’s not looking

“what the bloody hell are you guys doing..”

“…perhaps itz a coping mechanizm zince scout doesn’t have a father?”

Medic really had to take it there

The ‘fatherless child’ meme was a coping mechanism for him tho

“I’m a fatherless child, of course I have abandonment issues”

“Um babe? Idk if you should joke abt that 😚”

“Na it just makes me more sigma”

You guys love to fuck with the blu team sm with your shenanigans, esp sniper!!

Scout would have his bat and you would have whatever weapon you have with you and yell “skibidi” before jumping him

Here’s something he DEFINITELY didn’t learn from you 💯

creds to urwhouchoose2b on Tik tok

Engineer

He tries so hard to understand

Whenever you show him a meme he does the classic old person holding phone away from eyes thing

Yk the

“Ok so this is the ‘im nothing like y’all’ fish”

“alrighty, and this is..?”

“Oh that’s the Freddy five bear meme, see it’s funny cuz his name is actually ‘Freddy fazbear’ but they got his name wrong so like.. yeah”

“…I’m not sure what I’m ‘posed to say ‘bout this, but I think you belong in a looney bin”

Once he had a project that had the word “alpha” in it and he hated mentioning it to you cuz yk

“giggle”

“…what?”

“Skibidi alpha”

“What??”

Demo man

HE LOVES IT LMFAOO

he’s so energetic esp when he’s drunk so he’s happy to have someone he can share that energy with

Y’all know that “Scotland forever” meme

Well you screamed it after another victory as a joke, but when demo heard it he was confused but also excited?

“SCOTLAND FOREVAA”

“OH? ALRIGHT THEN, SCOTLAND FOREVER 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿”

cut to him butt chugging beers

Demo doesn’t get it but he has the spirit

He’ll be right there replicating the TikTok audios after taking the point

Dude is drunk 99% of the time so he’s never bothered to ask what any of this means, he’s just in it for the fun

Once you dragged him to the bathroom since he drake too many beers (shocker) but he didn’t want to do it in the toilet cuz he didn’t want to ‘hurt his dear skibidi’

“Cmon demo you have to puke it out!!”

“Noo, take me to the jawbox I don’t wanna hert me skibidi toilet”

“Oh god what have I done”

I think you rotted his brain a little too much

Spy

Don’t even get him started.

He’s so sick of your antics it’s not even funny

“Guys we all have to remember that it’s not about the money.. it’s about the skibidi.”

Passionately grabs spy’s shoulder

“How have you made it this far in life”

Unlike engie, he really doesn’t want to know about it

Especially during missions

“lol spy you’re so devious ASF”

“shhh, enough blabbering!!”

“You are not carti 😶‍🌫️😶‍🌫️❌‼️‼️‼️”

You make fun of him a bunch, he can’t think of a single moment where you took him seriously

“Y/n get off the cart!!”

“If we were in Fortnite I’d have higher ground + double pump.”

[cottoncandy-asks]

Hallo! Ich bin Dr. Jörg!

I am ein Assistant for both of ze Blu medic, mein Liebling….. aber… he doesn’t want me to be spreading all zis information to ze team so let’s keep it zat way, ja?

I know his name of course. I know everything about him!…. Vell not everyzing…

ANYVAYS! I have let him know zat we vill answer questions from you all for….. research purposes.. I suppose.

((OOC: this is an ask blog run by @joonliebe . This ask blog is solely for Fritz (Blu medic) and Dr. Jörg (my medic sona). Dr. Jörg is hyper obsessed Blu in an almost unhealthy way however he remains mostly professional. I am still doing my other ask blog of course but it’s a little more time consuming since they are drawn responses. My only rules are No harassment to me or anyone who asks on this blog, no overly suggestive asks, do not baby the characters, and don’t expect me to respond to questions right away because I will get overwhelmed. You may ask multiple questions just don’t spam the same questions. This is all my own personal scenario so please don’t take any of it too seriously. Do not take any medical advice seriously on here! If you do not like oc x cannon, lgbtq+, transgender people then do not interact. All my blogs are somewhat mature content but not straight up adult content so be aware of that!))



[little-pocket-medic]

Hallo! Ich bin Medic!

Er... Pocket Medic, eheh.

Due to a series of unfortunate events, I find myself razher... small. My current zheory is zhat zhe BLU team tambered vith zhe respawn machine- leaving me a meer 3 inches tall. How infuriating...

Vhile me und Engineer are dealing vith zhe problem, I have no choice but to remain zhis size. Engineer has made a habit of keeping me 'safely put up' to avoid injury. I do not plan to sit around und vait for him to finish- I shall find a vay to fit zhis myself...

(Tf2 Role-playing blog! Feel free to ask me stuff. Here are my rules:

Good!

• sfw asks

• nsfw asks

• jokes

• silly art

• heavymedic or other medic ship asks

• Personal questions for Medic

Bad!

• Any sort of Homophobia, Transphobia, etc.

• Any sort of Pedophilia/MAP/etc will not be tolerated- in fact, I will report you. I don't care what you call yourself.

• Insults to the Mod for any reason- criticism will be taken, however.

Have fun and be safe!!

( Run by @catbus1000 )

[mermaidchan05]

Vesuvia Weekly: Modern Date Nights

More bullet point headcanons! This time we get some date nights with my Apprentices and their love interests, modern-day style!

Nadia, Portia, and Chimalus: Movie Night

Or, more specifically, nostalgic movie night, as decided by Portia

Neither Nadia nor Chimalus exactly had ordinary childhoods. 

(Both for somewhat different reasons) 

They’re both aware of a lot of the movies that were popular when they grew up, and other “childhood” things, but they didn’t really get a chance to experience them. 

Portia, on the other hand, knows all the “kid’s stuff,” and unironically loves a lot of it. 

So she’s made it her mission to introduce her two loves to everything she can. 

It’s tough with Nadia’s very packed schedule, but Portia is an expert at finding time for important things. 

And as far as she’s concerned, this is of the utmost importance.

So the trio sets aside one weekend every month at lest to snuggle on the couch, make the coziest snack foods, and binge as many "children's movies" as they possibly can. 

Portia not only knows what all the best streaming platforms are, but also knows exactly how to get bargain-bin price DVDs and Blu Rays of the best movies. 

The trio has gone through almost the entire Disney catalog by now. And most of the Pixar movies. 

Portia, of course, has thrown in a few other classics.

Everyone was crying over The Last Unicorn. 

And heaven help them once they discover Bluey. 

Nadia sometimes isn’t the best person to watch movies with. Her analytical mind picks them apart and predicts twists.

But Portia’s seen everything she shows them, so she doesn’t really mind

And she giggles whenever Nadia gets something wrong... with extra giggles when Nadia actually predicts the story correctly. 

Also, Chimalus is able to mellow Nadia out a bit. Chimalus is an artist, so when they’re watching anything animated, they love pointing out all the little details that help make movies something you feel more than think about. 

Every single one of these date nights has ended in all three of them passed out on the couch in a snuggly tangle. 

(Side note: Nadia has an in-home movie theater and you cannot convince me otherwise. Yes, they could absolutely hold Nostalgic Movie Night there. No, they do not. They always opt for Portia’s Super Comfy Couch TM) 

Asra and Meleia: Convention Weekends

Two words: Couple cosplays. 

Asra is an artist. And they are an absolute aficionado of the most obscure games and movies and anime series you have ever heard of. 

Meleia loves sewing, and she’s a giant kid at heart. 

And since they both love collecting cute little trinkets, conventions are their jam. 

The two of them will absolutely spend way too much time planning out The Perfect Outfits. 

And yes, if it’s a longer convention, they will have a cosplay for every single day. 

Sometimes multiple per day. 

They're also both very good at taking care of each other.

Whenever Meleia has a more in-depth costume, like something with a ton of layers or a huge full skirt or a very intricate wig, Asra is the best hype person/cosplay care person. 

He’s got the full Mom Bag of anything that Meleia might need at any given moment, be it a little electric fan or a drink with all kinds of electrolytes or a makeup patch job or a wig brush or sewing supplies for an actual patch job. 

And Asra’s an expert at finding a cool and quiet spot to just sit back and recharge. 

The only two things Meleia really needs to be careful of when it comes to watching over Asra is making sure he doesn’t spend the entire shopping budget in one place, and that she doesn’t lose him when he finds a little corner to nap in. 

(Is Asra supposed to be napping in that corner? Up for debate) 

But in the end, the two of them have a wonderful time wandering around in their fun outfits and buying all the things and doing the silly arcade games that can only be found at conventions. 

They will pass out in the hotel afterwards. And Asra will sleep for almost a day straight once they get home. 

But it’s always worth it. 

Julian and Damian: Musical Magic

Julian and Damian have a lot of interests in common, but they truly bonded over their shared love of music. 

And we all know Julian adores drama. 

So a date night between Julian and Damian sometimes boils down to “which Broadway show can we get a ticket for this weekend?” 

The road trip to the theater is part of the date, too. 

These two can and will do an entire two-man production of Hadestown while en route to the theater and you cannot convince me otherwise. 

And when it isn’t Broadway Night, any kind of date is almost guaranteed to have some kind of music. 

A trip to their favorite coffee shop which showcases local bands, karaoke night (either at home or out at a specific spot, each with varying degrees of drinks), or, of course, the classic “going out dancing” 

Honestly, there’s just a lot of dancing involved, even if the two of them didn’t plan it. 

And when in doubt, nothing beats a gentle evening alone, where they make their own music. 

Damian takes out his guitar. Julian takes out his violin. 

And the two of them just let the music speak for them. 

[cheebuss]

the only reason blu spy is such an unpopular babygirl is because people just dont understand his care requirements. he is an EXOTIC SPECIES, he gets abandoned after being put in too small enclosures and not given enrichment and acting out

fr fr it breaks my heart! People are just unaware of how much of a commitment adopting BLU Spy is when they take him on. Please everyone, I beg of you to do your research before adopting on impulse!! The cost of his upkeep is high and he needs constant enrichment (brown-paper cigarettes + vintage red wine + classical literature) and the appropriate enclosures (smoking lounges + art museums + modern gothic interiors.)

I found him abandoned in the bin because he acted out :( heartbreaking... please do better everyone,,, (pictured: me giving him a bath)

[neonponders]

For @chrisbitchtree​ !! 💋🍦

Thank you so much for donating to Harringrove for Turkey AND thank you so much for your patience, omg lol

Read on ao3 here ~

• • •

“When should we tell them?”

“We don’t,” Heather answered. The hard candy of her lollipop clattered against her teeth as she moved it from one cheek to the other with her tongue.

Robin blinked softly, following it before she remembered what they were talking about. “Steve’s my friend. I’m not leaving him to the whims of Billy Hargrove.”

“You’re nicer than me,” Heather disregarded.

“I thought you and Billy were friends.”

Heather looked at her over the rims of her sunglasses. “Where are you going with this?”

Robin looked back at the boringly empty Scoops Ahoy parlor. Slow days were a blessing and a curse. “You’re just in it for the show. I was too, back when I thought Steve was a total lady killer.”

Heather snorted. “I knew Steve was a sweetie way before you did. Don’t worry. Once the ruffled alpha feathers finally relax, they’ll see each other for what they are.”

“Disgustingly horny for each other?”

“Two alphas wanting to bone each other’s brains out isn’t disgusting…so long as they keep it out of my work hours. I don’t care where they get nasty, just stay the hell away from the pool. Draining and cleaning is a nightmare.”

Robin smirked and offered, “If it takes less than a month, I’ll trade jobs with you for a day.”

Heather looked at her, silently processing the offer. “You really think it’ll take them that long to be in each other’s pants?”

“Steve’s sweet but Hargrove only has so many strikes until he’s out of Harrington’s good graces.”

“Yeah but…hormones? The nose knows?”

Robin snorted. “I’ve seen first hand that Steve is predictably clueless and weirdly smart when I least expect it.”

Heather sighed an agreeing sound. “Billy surprises me too. He turns up his jean hems and irons them down.”

“You’re surprised he’s a diva? With that car?” Robin teased. “Have you seen his hair?”

Heather countered, “For a guy who’s trying to have all the peacock feathers of a war-prized veteran, he’s…soft.”

“I’m gonna need you to elaborate on that.”

So Heather did: “Usually it’s the girls who are supposed to teach the kids’ swimming lessons. Don’t get me started on that—”

“Regardless of second gender?”

“It’s old world bullshit,” Heather fumed and continued, “but it’s Billy. Billy’s the best one with the kids.”

Robin adjusted her position in the seat. It was going to be a real bummer whenever someone came in wanting ice cream, but for now, she enjoyed her extended break. “Steve’s the same. I never would have assumed he even liked kids, but the only people who ever visit him are next semester’s freshmen.”

Heather perked up. “The ones Billy’s sister is friends with?”

“Max,” Robin informed. “They’re all fine, I guess. In an…obnoxious freshman way. Max is the most tolerable of the bunch.”

“And she spends more time here than at the pool…” Heather contemplated aloud.

Robin felt inclined to correct, “She spends more time in the theater. Steve lets them into the R-rated films through the staff hallways.”

Heather dropped the stick of her lollipop into an ice cream cup and concluded, “A late night mall date sounds like just the thing.”

Robin stood up and disposed of the cup in the trash bin as she refuted, “I’m not friends with Billy’s sister, and the idea of recruiting a kid so her brother can screw my coworker gives me a bad taste.”

“Okay, prudish,” Heather scoffed. “What to you suggest?”

Robin smirked as she rotated to lean back against the glass, refrigerated case. “I’m so glad you asked.”

• • •

Steve sighed heavily, blunt fingertips scratching his neck as he mentally willed customers to keep walking past Scoops Ahoy. For some reason, all of Hawkins had him on their radar, and where was Robin to witness his ability to draw people into the store?

Steve needed to get laid. Between the internal itch of his body and him fidgeting near his glands, his throat was slowly becoming a red beacon. A dark blue, stupid sailor costume was not doing him favors in concealing it. And it was just his luck that he had to work solo on such a busy day—

“Wow. Do you want a cream for that rash?”

He frowned at none other, than Robin approaching the counter. Dressed in casual clothes, she pointed her stoic glare at him, but he’d developed a skill at reading her.

“You hate this place way too much to be here on your day off. What gives?”

She leaned on the counter with all the familiarity of someone used to being on the other side of it. “Word on the street is that Billy Hargrove is in the parking lot.”

Steve stared at her, visibly processing that until countered, “Robin. That’s not a rumor. You just saw him on the street on your way in here.”

“Whatever. Are you gonna make a move, or what?”

“Oh? A move?” His brows flew up towards the white sailor’s cap on his head. “Like the other move you suggested where I use the community pool’s gymnasium?”

“I didn’t know you could get ring worm from the gym,” Robin defended.

“No, I wouldn’t expect a band geek to know that.”

“You don’t need to go for my throat. At least it got you and Billy talking.”

“Yeah, because it was so thrilling for our first somewhat polite conversation to be him teasing me about the rancid gym. And he was right.”

Robin pursed her lips to the side and recalled one of Heather’s tactics. “Well he gave you nail polish for that, didn’t he?”

Steve’s eyes narrowed on her. “Buckley. I always knew band geeks can’t keep secrets—”

“The hell does that mean?” she recoiled.

“It means someone told him I needed to suffocate some ringworm on my skin!” Steve paused as his eyes darted over her. Steve might’ve been oblivious to her preferences until she spilled about Tammy Thompson, but damn it, that had been the key to a lock that was Steve figuring her out forevermore.

“Heather. You and Heather—!”

“They work together!” she shushed. “I had the best resource to help you with your dead end crush—”

“I am never a dead end,” he huffed. “Tammy Muppet Thompson is a dead end.”

“Okay,” she drawled in a hiss.

“Nothing stays at band camp! You squealed to Heather!”

“Why would I have supported your crush on Hargrove if I didn’t know you had a chance?”

That brought Steve up short. “You know he likes me?”

Robin’s dark blue eyes went wide. “Where did that get lost? Was it how he salivates around you so much that his tongue wags? That he brings you ice pops from the pool despite you working in an ice cream parlor? He behaves like it’s Florida or California, walking in here wearing only his swim shorts!”

“It’s hotter than hell outside, half the town is shirtless. Maybe if you’d told Heather to tell Billy that my favorite flavor isn’t cherry, I would’ve been impressed.”

“We’re always out of maraschinos because you eat them,” Robin countered. “What’s your favorite flavor?”

A deeper voice answered, “Caramel apple.”

Steve’s red neck blossomed up through his cheeks as Robin froze. Steve recovered faster, “You did say he was outside.”

“I thought we had time,” she bit out. “He takes so long to go anywhere, letting people look at him.”

“Are you two a package deal? Because I’ll need to read the fine print,” Billy remarked as he approached and placed two wrapped ice lollies on the counter.

Robin glanced at the green apple flavor boasting caramel sauce inside before she asked, “How long have you been here?”

“Long enough for all your customers and half the GAP to hear about you meddling in my sex life, thanks. Heather’s shifts for the rest of the month depend on how fast you can run.”

Instead of leaving, Robin smirked at him. “How about I take the rest of this shift, and you take the dingus to the pharmacy.”

Billy’s features flattened as he looked Steve over, not having considered him to be ill. He found the source quickly enough, sharp blue eyes riveted to his throat while Steve otherwise handed Robin his Ahoy sailor’s cap. However, she grasped it and frisbee-tossed it through the back room window.

“Screw company policy.”

“Oh-ho, look at you,” Steve sassed, shimmying his way around the counter.

They had to pass each other as she took over his shift, and her features pinched into a grimace. “You smell like a BLT. With pickles on the side.”

“My favorite,” Billy crooned, almost too quiet to hear.

A wave of heat swept over Steve, causing Robin’s eyes to roll while Billy’s nostrils widened. “God, get out of here before someone thinks we have salted caramel as a topping. You’re disgusting.”

“Maybe if you spent your time with Heather gossiping less and getting laid more, you’d sing a sweeter tone,” Steve finished, ice lollies in hand as he waved Billy through the staff door to the back room.

Billy’s composure lasted about as long as it took them to walk through another door to the hallways networking the back of the mall, and for the two of them to glance at each other. Billy’s hand slid over Steve’s lumbar, feeling his fellow alpha jump a little as the heat of his hand seeped through the sailor uniform. “Outside, pretty boy. You might lose your job if your scent lingers like that.”

“Why do you talk like that?” Steve blurted, shoving open the door to the outside. Hawkins was hotter than ever, and the lollies dripped condensation through his grip.

“Like what?” Billy countered, in the same husky tone as he let Steve back him up against the conveniently parked, maroon BMW. A good thing, indeed, that he’d worn a shirt today; the hot metal made him reach for one of the ice pops in Steve’s hand.

“Like you’re growling but shy.”

Billy pulled the wrapping apart to expose the green pop with murky innards promising caramel sauce. Instead of answering directly, he knocked his leg against Steve’s. The natural humidity on their skin made them stick, just for an instant, deliciously together. Billy liked the friction of their leg hair together. “And why’s it taken you this long to stand up to me?”

“I’ve always stood up to you. I just didn’t realize you liked being courted like this—that’s insane.”

Billy had bitten right through the corner of the green lolly that was threatening to melt into slush any second. His head tipped backward, a fast gesture to spare his teeth from the cold chunk in his mouth. “It’s ninety-eight degrees, Harrington, and we haven’t even reached today’s high yet.”

“You’re telling me,” Steve said as he raised the other lolly to the back of his neck. Billy’s tongue moved around his mouth, eyes resting way too long on Steve’s crimson neck. The poor guy was clearly in the cusp of a rut in the thick of July. It was a damn shame, for Billy’s cool fingertips found the edge of an inflamed gland and Steve vocally sighed at the tickling relief.

“You might actually need an ointment for this.”

Steve huffed and shoved the lolly—now ice pack—underneath the hair on his neck. “I get sweat rashes in the summer. This hair comes with a price that my glands pay.”

“Uh huh,” Billy purred, watching Steve’s mouth connect with the top of his ice cream and how his cheeks hollowed while he sucked the caramel out. A thread of sauce followed Steve up before he licked his lips—

Billy chased after it, licking sugar off of Steve’s lips between their kiss before Steve pushed his sweet tongue into Billy’s mouth. Billy’s fingertips found Steve’s chin and cheekbone, holding him in place while he switched sides. Their noses bumped together and Billy smiled against Steve’s overeager pursuit of his mouth. Getting teeth instead of lips made Steve complain, “Do I really smell like a BLT?”

Those doe eyes looked huge across the distance of their breath. Billy shamelessly gripped the red knot of the Scoops Ahoy ascot and pulled Steve’s uniform off his skin so Billy could press his nose against a collarbone. In his other hand, green apple juice dripped over his hand.

“Not yet, at least. You busy this weekend?”

The artificial highlights in Steve’s hair beamed in the summer sun as a dopey smile lifted his tired face. “I sure hope so. You mean with you, right?”

Billy nodded his head toward the car behind him. “We’ll take my car, before the heat takes you out.”

“What’s wrong my car?”

“I can’t drive home smelling you.”

Billy watching Steve’s throat move as he swallowed. “Yeah. Yeah, sure.”