#but I didn’t know if it was okay to tag the post with these other things as well. If not I’ll remove them asap!

[piper-2244]

the limit does not exist!

how spencer helps college!reader understand a little calculus and therefore understand how he loves her.

MDNI | smut word count: 1931 warnings & tags & stuff: fem reader, fingering, oral sex (f receiving), lil bit of overstim hehe, pure unbridled affection, LOVE, FLUFF, hugging, reader cries, this was in fact meant to be written for spence's birthday... sorry about that school is kicking my butt lets just pretend it's october! author's note: this one is for my folks who HATE their calculus class and want spencer reid to give them head instead <3 maybe this can help you romanticize it a bit. i think this is classified as self indulgent…like REALLY self indulgent… hah... anyway i hope you enjoy! let me know your thoughts if u have any, i loveeeee you!! have a great day my hands are shaking posting this smut is so scary!!!!!

You sat in bed, staring down your notebook, eyes narrowed. Limits stared back at you. You were just about at your own limit, if you were being honest. 

Your brain, however sharp and witty it may be, is absolutely not one designed for calculus. A literary analysis essay? Done in half an hour. In depth scientific research project? Easiest months of your life. But there’s something about finding the instantaneous rate of change of a curve at one point in time by finding the slope of a tangent line that hasn't clicked yet. 

A slew of other papers- notes, practice worksheets printed from obscure websites, and formulas- surround you, a sea of unfinished thoughts from the past month of the semester.

You bite on the end of your pen, the little hope you had for a good grade in this class slipping further and further away with each passing moment, like the last ember dying in the remains of a fire.

What you really wanted to be doing was celebrating Spencer’s birthday with him right now. A chocolate cake lay on the kitchen counter and pasta simmers on the stove, but you and your boyfriend had agreed to do a solid hour of work before the celebrations ensued.

You were never particularly strong willed when it came to following through on such agreements.

“Teach me calculus,” you say, a very impressive three minutes later, flopping down on the couch. Your head makes its way to its forever resting spot, Spencer’s lap. He raises his eyebrows slightly, thumb reaching out to trace over the slope of your nose. His eyes flit between you and the file to the side of him. 

“I thought we agreed on an hour.”

“Yeah. But it wouldn’t be a very productive hour if I didn’t know how to do what I have to do. And I missed you.” 

He sighs quietly, closing the file next to him. 

“What do you not understand?” You smile at that, loving how quickly you won.

“Related rates. Like, conceptually.” 

Spencer hums in response.

“It’s October. You’re not even supposed to know related rates yet.”

“Fine. Then let's open presents,” you respond, smiley. His eyebrows get impossibly higher, hand stroking your cheek delicately.

“No. I want our night to be a little more stress free when we celebrate, okay? How about you think about that lovely cake you made for me. What if I decided to squash it so that the diameter would get bigger, going from…let’s say, 20 centimeters to 26 centimeters in 3 seconds, and the height would get smal-”

“That wouldn't be nice. It took me like four hours,” you interrupt, grumbling. He cracks a smile.

“For the sake of the example, let's say I was an awful boyfriend and really wanted to ruin all the hard work you put in for me.”

You roll your eyes.

“Hey,” he says, hand moving down to touch your jaw softly. “Don’t do that. Don’t be difficult. I’m helping you.”

“Sorry. I guess I need you to zoom out a little. I don’t really get why I’m learning this as a whole.” Spencer’s eyes pore into yours, staring down at you adoringly for a small moment as he comes up with an answer.

“Calculus helps us begin to explain the unexplainable by harnessing what we can,” Spencer says simply. “Einstein once said that, ‘Pure mathematics is, in its way, the poetry of logical ideas,’ which makes it simple in practice, but I actually like to think about it as the opposite philosophically. Trying to find logic in the more poetic ideas.”

You cuddle deeper in his lap.

“Think he would agree with that?” you ask. “I do answer to Einstein before you, unfortunately.” Spencer bends down to kiss your hair.

“I think so. He also had a really nice quote where he remarked that, ‘Gravitation cannot be held responsible for people falling in love.’ He said, ‘How on earth can you explain in terms of chemistry and physics so important a biological phenomenon as first love? Put your hand on a stove for a minute and it seems like an hour. Sit with that special girl for an hour and it seems like a minute. That's relativity.’”

Spencer takes a deep breath.

“Math doesn’t explain how I love you. It can’t. But I love the fact that it tries to. It kinda makes you wanna learn it as best you can.”

You process that for a long second and nod. He keeps talking.

… 

Presents get opened, and cake gets eaten before dinner. Of course.

You’re now in bed, on top of the covers, forcing Spencer to give you a fashion show of the new sweater vest and tie you got him. He turns to you after putting it on, and you beam. 

“I really like it. You look great. Do you like it?” you ask. He nods, smiling back at you.

“I’m gonna wear it to work tomorrow.” 

You beckon for Spencer to come closer, sitting up in bed. Your hands go out to the tie, tugging at the knot softly. He stares down at you until eventually interrupting your motions with a slow kiss, hands cupping your face.

“You’re so pretty,” he mutters.

He pulls away and finishes what you started, folding the tie neatly and setting it in the drawer. Then comes the vest, and soon enough, he’s just in his boxers.

“You’re the pretty one,” you say quietly. “Come to bed.” He crawls on next to you, tugging you into his arms. “Happy birthday, Spence. I love you.” He dips his forehead to your shoulder.

“I love you.”

Before you know it, he’s shifted on top of you, moving down. Fast. You blink, hard, trying to rid your head of the hazy endorphins as you register what he’s doing.

“What? No, I was gonna do that. It’s your birthday. You don’t have to,” you protest.

“But I really, really want to, darling girl,” he murmurs back, kissing your knee and softly pushing it to the side.

You fluster and Spencer just looks at you, fingers tracing shapes on your waist, waiting for you to be ready. 

“Well. Um. Okay. If you insist. I can’t really deny the birthday boy.” Your voice is small, and a little giddy smile grows on your face. Of course Spencer Reid would want to give you head on his birthday. 

He smiles a little against the bare skin of your hip where your top meets your shorts. Then he meets your eyes. 

“You know you can, though, right?” he asks, voice a little more serious. You reach out to touch his hair softly. 

“Yeah. I know.”

Fingers hook your shorts, gently pulling them down. He presses a kiss to your thigh, and then he suddenly looks down at it. 

“Soft,” he murmurs, like he’s making a mental note. He presses another, and another, incrementally going closer and closer to your soaked through underwear. His eyebrows scrunch when he sees the wet spot. “All this from a few kisses?” 

You blush, unable to respond. 

Spencer’s fingers hook a centimeter of your underwear. “These?” he checks.

“Yes, please,” you manage. He tugs them down, silently noticing the slickness of your sex, and exhales shakily.

“How many times on average does it take for a guy to call you pretty on a given day before you get annoyed?” he murmurs, soft smile playing on his face. You smile too, head cloudy from his words, but it immediately drops when his lips press directly against your pulsing clit, kissing it softly.

“Fuck,” you say (Spencer would argue moan) softly (loudly). You let out a content sigh, and he moves to suckle it, actions becoming less and less delicate. 

It’s not harsh, but incessant. Spencer knows what you can take. He knows exactly what you can take. You’re both quiet for a bit, save for your breathy moans. 

“Spencer,” you say softly, ripping you both out of your individually hazy and dirty and distracted minds. “You’re too far away.” He looks up to you, face parallel to your aching core, hair beautifully messy and mouth glistening.

After a second, he grabs your hips, gently pushing you up against the pillows so you’re propped up at a better angle. He then shifts his body up wordlessly so he’s more above you, dipping his head down to give you a soft kiss. You taste yourself, tongue darting out to lick your lips.

His hand takes over where his mouth was, sliding in between your folds with a practiced ease. Spencer looks down at you, eyes wide and flitting between yours, searching for a reaction.

You reach out and wrap your arms around him, holding him close. “Holy shit, I love you,” you murmur.

His fingers lightly graze your clit again before one slides into you. “Angel,” he breathes out, so quietly. “I love you too. This okay? Are you okay?”

You nod feverishly and lift your hips to meet his hand, always in a perpetual state of wanting more, to be closer. Your bodies are melded so close together, barely giving him room to push his hand into you. He doesn’t even bother to ask you to use your words or keep your hips down, like he might on a regular night.

He pulls his head back to watch as he pushes another finger into you, stretching you just a little. “There we go. You always feel like heaven around me.”

Your eyes flit up to his face as he says those words, now having a little more room to observe him. You focus on the slope of his nose and curve of his mouth. 

“You’re so perfect,” you say quietly, adoringly, before you even realize it was true.

You blink at that thought. Spencer Reid is perfect, despite whatever universal odds deeming that impossible.

Those graphs, those formulas, now laying discarded & crumpled on the ground. They click, a little bit. You understand why Albert Einstein wanted to spend his life developing theories of relativity.

This is how Spencer sees you? What he was talking about earlier?

This is how he sees you?

The thought is almost too much.

Spencer sees your face, and not knowing what's going on in your head, slides down his free hand from your cheek to your carotid, feeling your racing pulse. “Take a deep breath for me, okay? You're about to come, huh?”

You inhale and are met with peace. Then your orgasm hits you like a wave. You clench hard around his fingers, and he just watches it happen, fascinated. “Baby,” he coos softly at you.

It wasn’t just your sensitivity he’s currently maximizing on or the little kisses he dips down to leave on your neck that sealed the deal, but the very thought that you could be loved in a way that is so perfectly impossible.

You exhale breathily as Spencer pushes you through the last trails of your climax, fingers not caring one bit that you just had your world tilted on its axis. 

“Spencer. Ohmygodohmygodohmygod,” you say eventually, overstimulated.

“You’re okay. Did so good.” he murmurs, fingers slipping out of you. 

His thumb brushes your cheek, wiping away a tear you didn't even realize was dripping down.

“Don’t cry, you always cry. It’s my birthday. Don’t cry on my birthday,” he whispers soothingly, affection lacing his voice.

“I’m not.” 

Another one falls. 

You reach and press out that perpetual little slope between his eyebrows with your thumb, gentle, like you might break him. “I’m not crying.”

Spencer lets you lie.

[wheneverfeasible]

Ruin Me (part 5)

wc: 4k || rating: E || story summary: Steve shows up on Eddie’s doorstep with an offer he can’t refuse || chapter summary: Eddie refuses to let Steve leave without some proper aftercare. And maybe not at all. || tags: omegaverse, alpha!Eddie Munson, omega!Steve Harrington, intersex omegas, explicit content (see ao3 for full tags) || posted in full on ao3

See bottom for commentary

Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Previously…

Eddie wasn’t stupid. He knew that, even if he was interested in getting to know Steve more, there was no way that Steve would want anything more to do with Eddie after tonight. He had gotten what he wanted and Eddie…well, Eddie wasn’t stupid.

Sure, maybe his rants about forced conformity and biological slavery were enough to convince Steve he’d probably be safe enough with him, but Eddie knew the truth. What greater disappointment was there than having a Munson be the one to steal the precious golden boy’s virginity?

The super senior, drug dealing, trailer trash, poor excuse of an alpha Munson who had no hope for a future that didn’t include the bars of a cell or six feet underground.

Why would Steve ever want anything more to do with him after tonight?

As Eddie contemplated this depressing truth, Steve slipped into a small doze in his arms, though his purring never let up. A small smile curled at his plump lips, his face flushed and sweaty with their exertion, yet looking the most peaceful Eddie could ever recall it being. Content.

Steve looked content.

“What the fuck is wrong with you, Munson,” he whispered to himself. He sighed then, holding on to Steve even tighter, a pleased sound leaving the omega’s lips even in his light slumber.

Eventually, Eddie’s knot deflated.

As Eddie slipped out of Steve, he could feel the flood of both their releases beginning to seep out of the other boy, which also caused Steve to whine as he came back to awareness.

“Shh, precious, it’s okay,” Eddie murmured, gently easing Steve onto his back as he pressed small kisses along Steve’s shoulder, neck, and jaw. “Just relax. You did so good for me, sweetness.”

Steve’s nose crinkled into something resembling distaste. “Sticky,” he complained a touch petulantly, and Eddie couldn’t help but lean in to brush over Steve’s frowning lips with his own.

“I know, baby, I’m sorry.” He moved away briefly, grabbing the towel he’d discarded near the bed to gently begin wiping away the worst of their combined release. Steve whimpered a little at the rough feeling of the cloth against his sensitive bits, but Eddie tried to soothe him as best he could, pressing gentle kisses across Steve’s skin wherever he could reach.

“Fuck,” Steve groaned, bringing a hand up to cover his face as Eddie cleaned him up, though he then grimaced and lifted his hand to frown at it as he realized his face was also sticky from Eddie unintentionally rubbing his slick over him earlier.

“We just did, sweetheart, but give me a few minutes and I’m sure we can go again,” Eddie grinned with a small tease, leaning in to press a kiss to Steve’s inner thigh where his bite mark was now a purple-red.

Steve lazily swatted at Eddie’s shoulder, though he couldn’t hide the amused twitch to his lips. That blush that Eddie was quickly becoming obsessed with was back on his cheeks, however, as Eddie continued to gently clean Steve up as well as he could.

“Think you can stand up, baby? I would love to keep you in the bed, but I think we both need an actual shower,” he grinned, sliding up Steve’s body to hover over him.

He leaned down to press a quick kiss to his lips, telling himself he was allowed these actions until Steve was out his door and this thing between them was over. “Plus, I think we well and truly ruined this bedding.”

Steve groaned, though his blush spread farther at the soft kiss, making no move to push Eddie away. “I think you fucked my legs into jelly.”

A bright, proud grin spread across Eddie’s lips, causing Steve to snort and roll his eyes. Where earlier it had been bitchy, however, now it just looked fond.

“I guess I’ll just have to hold you up then, darling,” he drawled, leaning in to bury his face in the crook of Steve’s neck and inhaling his sex-sweat scent. “I’m going to get the water started,” he murmured, feeling that pleased warmth in his chest when Steve’s fingers tangled in his hair once more, holding him close. “I’ll be right back, Stevie.”

Steve swallowed thickly, nodding as he seemed to only reluctantly release Eddie. He watched him with his big brown eyes as Eddie just as reluctantly slid from the bed to try to coax some warm water out of the blasted shower. It was easier in the summer to get warm water, of course, as the sun heated the water tank exactly when you didn’t want it to.

He hoped the storm didn’t leave them with only something frigid. As willing as he was to boil water on the stove, as he’d had to do before even before living with Wayne, he doubted Steve would be willing to wait for it.

Which was just another example of why this thing here was for tonight only. Steve no doubt never had to wait for the water to heat up in any form, never had to worry about not having enough hot water, and certainly had a shower larger than a chessboard.

(Okay, the last was an exaggeration, but it would be a tight fit getting the both of them into the shower.)

Luck seemed to be on his side, however, as the water thankfully began heating after a brief, terrifying moment, causing a small whoop to leave Eddie before he could stop it as he pumped his fist to himself.

He briefly hoped Steve hadn’t heard him over the sound of the rushing water and the storm outside, no matter the thinness of the trailer walls. He’d rather not remind the other boy what an absolute fucking nerd he was when he was still playing at being the suave alpha Steve obviously expected him to be.

Uncaring about his nude state, he all but swaggered back into his room with a proud grin on his face despite himself at his victory over the water tap, stopping only when he caught sight of Steve again.

Steve wasn’t quite fully sitting up, but he had propped himself up on an elbow, his other hand lightly touching the bruise covering his mating gland. There was a faraway look on his face, though his expression was otherwise blank to how he felt about recent events. Eddie watched him for a moment before clearing his throat, feeling oddly nervous.

He tried to remind himself that this was Harrington, but a part of him knew that Steve had stopped being the bogeyman he’d always made him out to be the moment Steve revealed why he needed Eddie’s help.

And everything else after that.

Steve jumped slightly as he was pulled from his thoughts, his hand dropping to the bed once more. He blinked up at Eddie before offering a self-conscious smile. “Um…if you give me a moment, I can get into the shower and out of your hair.”

Eddie tried not to let Steve’s words affect him. That’s what this whole thing was, after all. A quick fuck and then never interacting again. After all, Steve was set to graduate soon and Eddie…yeah. It was becoming more and more apparent that he was about to become a super super senior.

Again, the realization that the two of them came from two totally different worlds was just a little too hard to ignore.

But Eddie was, if nothing else, good at pretending.

“And have you driving out in this mess of a storm?” he snorted, tossing a hand towards his bedroom window where the rattle of rain hitting the window was still highly evident. “I think not, Harrington. Plus, you look bone tired, sweetness,” he pointed out, because that much was true. Though Steve was looking more aware and less doped up on pheromones and sex, he looked exhausted.

“I can take care of myself, Munson,” Steve huffed back, but he was obviously too exhausted to get truly indignant. Eddie just softly snorted again and shook his head as he walked over to the bed and, with another squawk from Steve, lifted him up into a princess carry. “Eddie!”

“Don’t worry, princess,” he grinned as Steve’s arms automatically looped around his neck. “I promise to take good care of you. Now let’s take advantage of the water while it’s still warm.”

Eddie ignored any further protests from Steve as he carefully carried him into the small bathroom, only allowing him to take to his feet again to get inside the shower stall. He stepped in right after, hands firm on Steve’s bruised hips so his wobbling legs didn’t send him crashing, and while it was definitely cramped, he at least had enough space to first wash Steve and then himself. If just barely.

Though he could do without the disparaging look that Steve was giving his combination shampoo/conditioner/body wash. Not everyone had fancy hair care routines, okay? Steve tactfully kept his mouth shut, however, which Eddie counted as a blessing.

Despite his earlier protests too, Eddie could see the way Steve’s eyes began drooping as he leaned against the shower wall as Eddie bathed them, humming in what was almost a purr again while Eddie scrubbed the rainwater and sweat from his hair.

There was no way Eddie could let the guy leave like this, that was for certain.

After carefully washing the both of them—and trying not to think about how Steve smelled like him now, because he wasn’t some possessive knothead for an omega who wasn’t even his—Eddie grabbed two more towels and wrapped one around his own waist before draping another over Steve’s shoulders.

“Sit on the toilet lid for a moment while I get the bedding changed, okay, Stevie?” he murmured quietly, gently running the towel material over Steve to help dry him before helping him sit on the seat. He knew their towels weren’t the softest material anymore, not in their age, but he’d grabbed the softest one he could find for Steve.

Steve blinked up at him, a light flush dusting his cheeks again, making Eddie want to bite them. Or kiss them. He wasn’t certain anymore. They were basically the same thing, really. He reached out to gently stroke Steve’s warm cheek when Steve just kept staring at him, trying to offer a reassuring smile.

“Okay?” he repeated, needing to make certain that Steve was okay to be left alone for a moment.

Steve’s throat bobbed as he audibly swallowed, reminding Eddie that he needed to get him some water to drink as well. Maybe something to eat too, if Steve was awake enough to eat something.

“Okay,” Steve murmured quietly, almost a whisper.

Without really intending to, Eddie leaned down and brushed his lips over Steve’s forehead before releasing him and stepping back to head for the laundry cupboard. He could swear he could feel Steve’s eyes drilling into him as he walked away, but he refrained from turning back to check.

He wasn’t looking forward to braving the laundromat with sex stained sheets (again), but if the storm didn’t let up soon, he had a feeling that was going to be a necessity.

Especially since his only other set of sheets he had to use right now were his old Star Wars ones which…yeah, really fucking sexy those ones. Hopefully Steve was still too out of it that he didn’t pay attention to that.

Not that he normally cared what the normies thought of him, but…

He tried not to think about why he was trying to impress Steve Harrington of all people.

Once he dried off best he could and had his bed remade, Eddie then scooped up Steve’s clothes and carried them with him to the bathroom so he could drape them over the shower’s wall to try to dry them somewhat. He paused though, taking in the sight of Steve squirming a little on the toilet seat. He opened his mouth to ask if Steve was all right when he smelled it: arousal.

Eddie’s eyebrows shot up under his damp fringe. “Really, Steve?”

Steve huffed up at Eddie, though his cheeks were bright pink. “It’s your fault,” he grumbled.

Eddie pressed his fingertips to his chest with a shocked expression. “My fault? I wasn’t even in the room!”

“No, but you said it. That I’d feel the ache until I was wet for you again.”

“I—” Eddie stared at Steve with wide eyes, this time with his cheeks flushing a soft pink. Yes, he had said that, but he hadn’t really expected that to actually arouse Steve.

He cleared his throat, grabbing his still wet hair to cover part of his face as an almost shy smile took over his expression at the thought of Steve actually getting aroused by the memory of him. Of possibly even wanting him again. Him, specifically.

“Well. Anything I can do for you, big boy?” he teased once he’d collected his composure again, moving his hair from his face but still twirling a finger around it to give Steve an exaggerated saucy wink.

Steve bit his bottom lip as he stared up at Eddie, rolling it between his teeth until it was pink and plump again, before letting his gaze travel over Eddie’s still very much nude form, minus the towel hanging low on his hips. And then, much to Eddie’s amazement, the scent of subtle arousal heightened.

Did Steve actually…find Eddie attractive? Like…for real? Not just in a ‘we are currently having sex and you’re good at it’ sort of way?

Before Eddie could properly process that, Steve let out a large sigh. “As much as I might like to see what else you can do tonight,” he huffed, which turned into a yawn, “I’m beat. I should really head home now.”

Snapping out of his shock, Eddie shook a finger at Steve. “Nah uh uh, big boy. You’re in no condition to drive right now. Besides, it’s still raining and your clothes are wet. You’re not going anywhere, Harrington.”

Steve gave Eddie that look again, like he didn’t quite know what to make of him, all big eyed and beguiled. A soft smirk slowly settled over his lips. “Yeah? This a kidnapping, Munson?”

Eddie could only grin in response, finally moving to fully set aside Steve’s clothes to dry as much as possible before moving to pull Steve to his feet. “Maybe it is, sweetheart. I did just defile you.”

Steve flashed Eddie a smug smile. “Yeah you did.”

He sounded exceptionally proud of that fact. But then, Eddie figured that if the alternative was being mated to an alpha twice your age who didn’t care about your pleasure and only wanted you barefoot and pupped up, that Steve probably was feeling a little proud of going against his parents’ wishes.

If anything, Eddie was a little in awe of Steve’s bravery to do what he did. He didn’t know Eddie. Sure, he could listen to his tabletop rants every day of the week, but he’d have no idea what Eddie was like behind closed doors when told to ruin him. And Steve had done so with the expectation of being hurt.

Just how shitty was Steve’s home life to take such a risk?

And then all higher brain function left Eddie for a moment as Steve did something he’d never done before: he scented him.

Sure, Eddie had more or less scented Steve earlier, nuzzling into his neck and drawing in the rich musk of Steve’s natural scent and the tang of sex, but Steve had no reason to do it now.

Yet, when Eddie carefully pulled Steve back to his feet, Steve had stepped immediately into his space, wrapped his arms around him, and buried his nose into Eddie’s neck over his mating gland.

Eddie tensed for a moment, though he forced himself to relax when Steve made a distressed sound, his scent souring slightly. Sliding his hand into Steve’s hair to cradle his head against him, his other hand sliding up the smooth pane of Steve’s back, Eddie thought he had to be dreaming when Steve let out a small chirp and began nosing at his scent again.

Right. Eddie was letting this go on for too long, too far. Steve was still in that post-orgasm bliss after losing his virginity; there was no way he actually wanted anything like this with a Munson. He’d be mortified if he were of more present mind.

Well. He wouldn’t be doing this in the first place if he was of more present mind.

“C’mon, omega,” Eddie murmured quietly, despite himself, bending his knees slightly to scoop Steve back up into his arms. Which then led to Steve wrapping his arms around Eddie again and nuzzling more against him, causing Eddie to thickly swallow.

He tried to remind himself that this was just biology at play. An alpha taking an omega’s virginity was no laughing matter, especially not knotting them. Their pheromones were wreaking havoc on their senses, telling them that there was more to this than there actually was.

It didn’t help that Steve smelled even more like Eddie now with his shampoo and everything. It was biological conditioning. For the both of them. It wasn’t real. By the next time they saw each other, this single night of passion would be nothing but a story to tell.

Which Eddie supposed he got to have that. This night wouldn’t be a secret because Steve needed his deflowering known. Everyone would know that Eddie “The Freak” Munson had taken precious Steve Harrington’s virginity and left every other alpha that came sniffing around with sloppy seconds.

He knew that there would be alphas who didn’t care about the concept of virginity. He certainly didn’t, not really, no matter the role he played tonight. One day Steve would no doubt find an alpha worthy of him, and then these nights would belong to them. And Steve…hell, maybe Steve would remember this night fondly, though he doubted it would be because it was Eddie.

No, it would just be because of the way Eddie had made him feel.

“You smell weird,” Steve said with a small pout. “Bring back your other scent, I love it. Did you know you smell like chocolate? But like…dark chocolate,” he said dreamily.

Eddie didn’t know if he should be offended or not, but it did work to take his mind off things he couldn’t change. “Are you telling me I smell bitter?” he huffed. “And aren’t omegas the ones supposed to smell like candy and stuff?”

“No, you jerk,” Steve said with a roll of his eyes as Eddie finally brought him back into the bedroom, losing both towels in the process but that hardly mattered at the moment. “You smell…well, okay, yeah, a little sweet, but also…smoky and earthy. Kind of like molasses. Or cardamom. And like…“ A roll of thunder interrupted him, but it just caused him to grin. “Like how it smells right after it rains.”

Rolling his eyes, Eddie carefully deposited Steve on the bed before moving over to where he kept some of his omega specific drugs. “So you’re saying I smell bitter and soggy. Great, thanks, got it.”

“Asshole,” Steve said with something Eddie almost wanted to call affection in his tone, looking down at the sheets he was settled into. “That’s not what I—oh sick! Star Wars!” he said brightly, causing Eddie to whip around to stare at him, not that he noticed.

“I just got into these movies, but they’re kickass. A buddy of mine introduced me to them recently. And I thought I had a messed up family,” Steve teased with a small snort and a grin.

Steve Harrington knew about Star Wars? Did Eddie somehow find himself in the goddamn Twilight Zone or something? There was no way that super mega popular jock Steve Harrington actually appreciated a science fantasy movie series like Star Wars.

Then again…Steve had been defying expectations left and right today already. It might just be possible that Steve Harrington was a secret nerd after all.

“Yeah?” Eddie asked, a small grin of his own overtaking his expression as he grabbed the necessary pill package and popped one out.

“Yeah, the teddy bear things are cute,” Steve grinned back, suppressing another yawn now that the excitement of the sheets was mellowing out.

Eddie needed only a moment to understand what Steve meant, feeling a warmth spread through his chest at Steve’s response. “Oh yeah, the Ewoks?” he clarified easily. There was no need to correct Steve or make him feel stupid about calling them teddy bears. They looked like teddy bears.

“I’m more of an Empire Strikes Back fan myself. The one with the ice planet, and Vader and Luke’s fight,” Eddie made his own clarification with a small shrug.

“Yeah, man, those lightsabers are awesome! Dustin and I are making a handshake with them,” Steve agreed with a small, fond smile. “Totally mind blown about him being his dad though.”

Shit. Steve really did know Star Wars. Though…who the fuck was Dustin???

Eddie swallowed back the possessive instincts of his inner alpha. It wasn’t like Steve was actually his or anything.

“Here, sweetheart,” he said, stepping back towards the bed to hold out the pill for Steve to take. “I’m gonna get you some water, then you need to take that since you’re not on birth control.” Eddie hesitated for a moment. “Which I can get for you, if you want. You wouldn’t be the first omega whose parents are assholes.”

Steve took the pill, though he looked up at Eddie with those wide eyes again, a small ‘o’ to his lips. He blinked and looked down at the pill in his hands, turning it between his fingers. “If my parents…well, I don’t know if I’ll be able to afford it after this,” he mumbled.

Oh.

Eddie paused as he experienced another paradigm shift about Steve Harrington.

He could make a quip. Could leeringly say that they could work something out, could give the pills a test run…but Steve looked a little too vulnerable in that moment, his shoulders hunching slightly, his eyes not meeting Eddie’s.

It was entirely possible he would think Eddie was serious, would demand Steve pay him back with his body, and he didn’t want that thought to pass through Steve’s head even for a second.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart,” he murmured, reaching out to curl Steve’s damp hair over his ear. He was sorry he didn’t own a blowdryer, he would have loved drying Steve’s hair for him. Maybe he should buy one. “Consider tonight payment enough. It’s not every day I get to have such a pretty omega in my bed offering up their virginity,” he lightly teased with a small grin.

Steve blinked up at Eddie at that, that by now familiar light dusting of pink on his cheeks making its reappearance. Who knew Steve blushed so easily? He gently grazed the back of his knuckles over the heated skin, Steve’s eyelids fluttering at the gesture. God, he really was pretty though, wasn’t he?

“I’ll be back with a cup of water for that,” Eddie said, dropping his hand and clearing his throat. He gave a faint grimace. “I do have to warn you, too. It might not be entirely pleasant afterwards, and it could trigger your heat a little sooner or even delay it. I can get you some heat suppressants too, but it may not work on this upcoming one.”

“My parents at least let me have suppressants,” Steve mumbled, dropping his own gaze. “Or they did, at least. Didn’t want to risk their whore omega son losing control,” he muttered bitterly.

Eddie swallowed back a growl at the thought of Steve’s parents. Fuck traditionalist bigots.

Unthinkingly, Eddie dropped another kiss to Steve’s forehead and then he was all but escaping his room to get Steve a glass of water. Fucking tap water, nothing filtered properly because he lived in a fucking trailer and Steve…Steve was used to the nicer things in life.

Which wasn’t Eddie.

“Christ, Munson, if your old man could see you now,” he muttered to himself, picturing the Munson Doctrine just flying out the window, as he filled up a glass. Not even a proper glass at that, either, but one of those novelty promotional things Wayne had gotten at McDonald’s with the purple guy on the front.

Whatever. It wasn’t like he could impress Steve even if he tried.

next (tba)

Author commentary:

First off, if you saw above with the little parts numbers, the total count is now 6, meaning there’s just one more part after this! It’s gonna be short and sweet, but it will be the final part of Ruin Me…though not the end of playing in this universe. 😉

I wanted it to be really important for Eddie to handle the aftercare of their coupling, just as it was important to him to get verbal consent from Steve before he continued anything.

Also, I am a firm believer that Eddie does not take care of his hair properly and I will die on that hill. He for sure uses the same shit for his hair that he uses for his ass. But don’t worry, Steve will eventually break him of that habit. However, I wanted his lack of proper care to also emphasize how much he wishes to take care of Steve.

Despite this originally supposed to be a one-time thing between them, Eddie is already feeling the desire for more. Which he’s trying to blame on biology, but we all know the truth, don’t we? Silly Eddie.

Also, the Star Wars sheets lmao. It was a spur of the moment decision when I wrote those sheets in, and then I couldn’t resist. Especially because I thought it would give Eddie another moment to realize that there was more to Steve than he ever thought possible.

The sheets in question:

Also, I feel like Eddie’s favorite would be ESB. (Mine is a tie between ESB and ROTJ btw. Vader was my first crush and he still remains one to this day.) Which, speaking of, it was likewise important for me to give Eddie that moment of not correcting or judging Steve for not knowing something well. It’s a favorite detail of mine in their relationship from canon.

I don’t want to get too much into Steve’s thought processes here because it will be covered in the sequel/companion piece, but he’s definitely starting this whole thing believing Eddie got what he wanted from him, but he’s likewise realizing there’s more to Eddie than he realized too. He may or may not be developing pesky little feelings of his own. (He totally is. And not just because he got a good dicking.)

Also, the McDonald’s glasses in question, with the one Eddie grabbed being the Grimace one:

But by the gods, Eddie wants to impress Steve so badly. Wants to be a good option for an alpha. To the point of getting jealous of someone who, though he doesn’t know it yet, is a middle school nerd lmaooo

~

If anyone in the permanent tag list would like to be excluded from this fic’s parts, please let me know and I’ll remove you for this fic only!

Hostage Hotties:

@derythcorvinus @katyawriteswhump @honeii-puff @scoops-aboy86 @dotdot-wierdlife @everywherenothere @bumblebeecuttlefishes

As well, temporary tags for this fic only are also still open if anyone else is interested in my bts author commentary.

Temporary fic tags:

@amerikanskaya-krassavitsa @estrellami-1

[the-bi-space-ace]

First Hugs - Part 1 - Wrecker

Hi all! Since I really needed some comfort (and it seems like many others need it right now too) this will be my first post for Echo-vember. I've decided to post one Echo-focused fic each week of November revolving around the first time Echo hugs each of the batch and at the end of the month I'll post every part to Ao3. If you want to be tagged when I post these fics let me know <3

Thank you @renton6echo for coming up with the concept of Echo-vember. I'm excited for it <3

Summary: The first time Echo hugs Wrecker

Word Count: 1,021

Their mission had gone off without a hitch. It was the first of many, Echo hoped, as they boarded the Marauder to embark on whatever was next for the group. He could barely keep up with how fast everything was moving. One mission after another, no planet longer than a few days, so much to learn he was racing just not to fall behind. Rest days were far and few between. He slept even less with Clones Force 99 than he did when he was a 501st ARC. Even when he did it was always surrounded by people just as he liked it, constantly listening to the sounds of snores and chatter and even breathing. That was okay with Echo. He didn’t have too much time to think in between rushing into battle and his new squad was about as chaotic as he expected. They were nearly yelling over each other in the excited rush that followed their mission. It was swift, simple, but they’d run into the need for an explosion and that got all of their blood pumping. Who would’ve thought, the squad of excitable commandos liked when things went boom. He was busy smiling at them, ignoring the need to make a plan, set a path, move on, while they pushed each other around and chattered. 

“That was awesome!” Wrecker whooped as he whipped his helmet off, letting it clatter to the floor. A wide smile stretched across his face, skin flushed with excitement. He shoved Echo’s shoulder. “Who knew you could do something like that?!” Right. Echo tried to bite back the grin but he was fighting a losing battle. He’d been on top of a walker, helping plant explosives while the rest of them distracted enemies for him and the big guy. Apparently using his grappling hook to swing off the side of it, wrapping its legs together, and tucking into a roll as he dismounted wasn’t just a common method everyone used. When he’d knocked the walker over he yelled at Wrecker to run, close enough that their backs heated while the explosion went off behind them. Echo wasn’t sure why it was particularly exciting but it may have been the domino effect of explosions that detonated throughout the battlefield that made them all so giddy. 

Something about fire. It just really made all of them bouncier. 

Echo shrugged, attempting nonchalance. “Had to learn something from all of that ARC training.” It was the first time he’d truly felt confident with the batch. They’d only known each other for a few weeks, spent even less time in the field, and he’d fumbled a few plays - understandable - but he’d let it hurt his ego a bit too much. All those racing thoughts and unease had wriggled its way into his mind. A win was nice. It reminded him who he was. A time when they thought he fit in was even better. The batch was so tight he started to think infiltrating their ranks was impossible. 

Maybe he just hadn’t given them enough time. 

Wrecker laughed - bright and jovial - nudging Echo again, this time hard enough that he bumped into Hunter who steadied him with a grin. “You can say that again! We make a great team.” In a move that almost knocked all the air out of his lungs Wrecker swept his arms around Echo’s waist, lifting him up into the air. The shock came first along with a surprised noise from the back of his throat - not a squeak, thank you very much - as the big guy hugged him. His feet dangled in the air while Wrecker swayed him back and forth. 

This was the first time any of them had hugged him. For a brief moment it was like being doused in freezing cold water but the warmth radiating off of Wrecker made every bone in his body relax. Hugs certainly hadn’t been at the top of his list of priorities - he hadn’t really thought about it - but he found himself smiling regardless. Wrecker was a tactile guy, mostly shoving and throwing his arm around the others, but hugs weren’t out of the question. Echo just hadn’t realized that Wrecker would ever want to hug him with his metal and attitude and newness to the squad so he’d not yet attempted to get physically closer to any of them yet. At least Wrecker was the easiest to befriend, so quick to invite Echo to join him in their down time and offer him space. It felt nice to be treated like a part of things. He couldn’t really hug him back, not with his arms pinned to the side as they were, but he did chuckle, awkwardly patting Wrecker’s side.

“Any time, big guy. Maybe next time we can make it a few more yards away from the explosion before it goes off.” The light scold was taken lightheartedly with a laugh. Wrecker squeezed him tight one last time then put him down, holding onto his shoulder to keep him steady while he regained his footing. The smile stuck to his face so bad he almost had to hide it behind his hand. Something as simple as a hug and he was taken down, reduced to silence, watching dutifully as the rest of them kept getting under each other's skin. Lucky was a word he would use, he supposed. It may seem simple but the worry that his new squad wouldn’t feel comfortable enough to be tactile with him was slowly ebbing away, flickering to the back of his mind even for the moment. His hand itched to do the same things the rest of them seemed so comfortable with - shoving, ruffling hair, hugs - but he wasn’t quite there yet. Wasn’t ready to be the initiator for tactile forms of affection. Wrecker had opened the door, allowed in some form of familiarity he hadn’t quite realized he missed so much. There was still learning, sure, but hope bloomed in his chest at the thought that this could be more than a squad, more than a team, but something closer to his heart altogether.

[ohbuggy]

She’s just a girl~

[phoenixmetaphor]

next >>>

oct 1 - aqua ring

man why does the aqua ring gotta look like… that.

… i am trying something new this october, which is to just.. focus on one au. which isn’t to say every piece will be in the same au, but just that instead of agonizing over prompts, i can just keep developing one idea.

i am also doing a new au. i’m too invested in most of the others to do rushed drawtober pieces for them 🤣

so here we goooooooooooo.

see the tags if you want to know vaguely where this is going. we’ll talk more about it later.

(btw, i am DEFINITELY not doing comics every day all month. i am not doing comics every piece nor am i doing them every day. i mean… let’s be real, it’s me, we’re doing good if you get like…. 4 pieces out of me in october.)

[throwawayasoiafaccount]

Why do you think the tides have slightly turned from "Elia deserves better than Rhaegar" to shipping her and Rhaegar together? Like what is the psychology behind these people because I've seen some of them like/reblog anti Rhaegar posts while also shipping Rhaegar x Elia at the same time.

hey anon! my thoughts are a bit messy, but i’ve done my best to explain them coherently :)

so, rhaegar was the best man anyone could have when elia was alive, and most people want the best for their favs. he was considered the most handsome, didn’t have a bad personality, and he was crown prince—meaning elia was almost queen, which is often seen as the greatest role a woman can have. the narrative also treats rhaegar as a beautiful, tragic, haunting figure, and elia actually had this very aesthetically pleasing man all to herself at one point! she was married to him, had children with him, and her life was so close to perfect! but rhaegar just had to go and ruin it. 😠

for many elia stans, if rhaegar hadn’t fallen in love with another woman (they want him to have been a completely different character), then everything would’ve been perfect, and elia would’ve had the best, most desirable life. however, that’s not what happened—elia met a very tragic end, and as a result, these stans feel double the bitterness. because of this bitterness, they blame rhaegar for everything (even though it’s not logical to do so), but he’s just too ‘perfect’ to let go of. so, for years these stans have made rhaegar revolve around elia, filling his tag with posts about her out of bitterness. so, i do believe that this obsession with rhaegar x elia has always been there, but i think it’s become a more favorable stance on the elia stan side of the fandom because of a mix of reasons.

plus, rhaegar is one of the few canon relationships we know elia had, since she’s not much of a character. because of this, and the fact that most people don’t like to stray too far from canon, most elia stans are forced to focus on rhaegar, which has created an echo chamber. basically, if a sentiment about elia and rhaegar’s relationship becomes popular, then the whole elia stan side of the fandom will likely regurgitate the sentiment. (also, this desire to stick close to canon is likely why the elia x arthur ship was so popular. while it’s a total crack ship, it had good aesthetics, and since elia and arthur at least knew each other, it allowed the stans to create their perfect fanfiction whilst sticking it to rhaegar. but remember, elia was actually married to rhaegar and had children with him, so while arthur is cool, rhaegar was always ‘top dog,’ meaning arthur would never be able to match up to rhaegar to most elia stans. also, the arthur x elia crack ship is likely her second most popular ship, which just shows how little elia stans have to work with, so they’re always forced to eventually return back to rhaegar for a lot of things.)

however, even if the elia x rhaegar ship gains more popularity, these stans will never stop hating rhaegar because he wasn’t ‘perfect’—and he wasn’t perfect because he didn’t love elia. plus, rhaegar loving another woman and supposedly kidnapping her is what began the war that led to elia’s tragic death. that’s bitterness times 1000. and while i don’t actually blame rhaegar for the war, i do think that this is how an elia stan sees it. i also don’t view rhaegar’s complex relationship with elia as a bad thing—it’s actually a very realistic take on an arranged marriage between two decent people. but most elia stans will never be able to get over the fact that they almost had everything, which is why many have it out for lyanna, as they consider her a thief who ruined their ‘perfection.’

tbh, that might be why so many elia stans are so obsessed with the idea that rhaegar only got with lyanna because of the prophecy—they don’t want to believe that rhaegar actually loved a different woman and not their perfect self insert elia. that’s a bit mean of me… but i don’t know what else one would call the ‘elia’ elia stans have created.

now that i’ve laid all those thoughts out, i’ll try to explain why the tides seem to be turning… i think it may have something to do with the ‘targaryens are all evil and bad’ sentiment losing popularity. i think this shift has occurred due to a mix of factors, such as years of fandom fights and fandom cycles leading to the targs being more liked now than before. it helps that canon doesn’t actually condemn the targs/favors them quite a bit, and the influx of new targ fans from HOTD has also contributed. this combination of reasons seems to have shifted the way the mainstream fandom discusses all the targaryen characters, including rhaegar. so, with this shift, it’s only natural that some elia stans/elia x rhaegar shippers—who’ve always been there—are using this opportunity to push their agenda. while these stans still hate rhaegar and see him as the bad guy, they just can’t let go of him. and as the mainstream fandom moves away from the anti targaryen sentiment, these smaller corners of the fandom, which tend to be echo chambers, are also affected, which has therefore led to a rise in rhaegar x elia shippers and the ‘shifting tide’ that you’ve also noticed.

[sol-draws-sometimes]

Maybe it’s my fear of not being believed but I literally can’t do comedy where the other person isn’t being believed. Straight up, at first I would get stressed when the Human Centipede clip was going around. Like, do you know how terrifying it is to be in a wild ass date where you think you’re in danger and the waiter notices but has they have to open their mouth so now you have lie. Or the Elmo Rocko memes like, OF COURSE ELMO’S DISTRESSED! I WOULD BE TOO! LIKE EVERYONE IS TELLING YOU THIS ROCK IS REAL WHEN IT’S NOT(and like yah I’m sure there’s nuance to the situation but like COME ON).

Or Bibi from La Familia Peluche, I remember liking the show as kid and I still do but like, fuck man, the borderline emotional abuse than girl goes through IS WILD. LIKE EVERYONE FUCKING TELLING YOU THAT YOU’RE NOT NORMAL AND FEELING LIKE YOU’RE GOING CRAZY. I remember rewatching La Familia Peluche in Highschool and like fuck man, that period episode. Or to this day I remember the scene where they were serving food and she started to eat first and her family chastised her so she stops but then they make her feel back cause she already started so now she just continue to eat it and like I’ve literally been in a similar situation. And for those who haven’t watched the show, the whole shitck is that this is an absurd world where everyone works on a different level and Bibi’s the only who reacts normally to our eyes(the comedic straight man to alot of the jokes), which leads to the iconic line “Bibi porque no eres una niña normal”(Bibi why aren’t you a normal girl) that is said in every episode. Which from a dramatic irony perspective that we the audience know she’s the only normal person, makes it a funny joke, but if you think about it too hard, it’s so fucking sad, I just can’t help but not fully enjoy the show cause I just constantly feel bad for her.

Fuck even watching HALF LIFE VR BUT THE AI IS SELF AWARE FUCKS WITH ME! Like yes I very much enjoy the series! But, most of the time I’m just feeling bad for Gordon, like fuck man, I’d react the same way, wouldn’t you. Like ESPECIALLY BENRY! MAN DID HE STRESS ME OUT! I genuinely felt so bad for Gordon!

And then this slides into how I can’t enjoy alot of comedy(especially cringe humor) cause even though I understand the joke and think it funny on paper, I just end up feeling too bad for the character to actually enjoy. And it’s awful because I’ll STILL watch the shows because I’m invested in the characters not the humor if that makes sense??? (Oh, Community/The Office, the hate love relationship I have with you).

Anyway, yes I’m so fun to watch comedy with, I literally can’t be in the same room from some scenes. And yes, all my favorite characters follow the Only Sane Man trope, why’d you ask?

[cowboyinternist]

sheriff sam getting misgendered in good morning nightvale moodboard

[the-first-spinjitzu-master]

Hello

What’s the best episode of fraggle rock in your opinion?

Hi!!!!!!

So sorry, I have no idea how long this AAM has been sitting in my inbox!

Hmmmm… there are a ton of them that I rank in my personal favorites, and I could answer this according to that list, or from an objective angle based on overall writing and thematic traits.

Objectively, I’d say the best episode is “Change of Address”, as it’s the full circle moment that the series has been building up to- not to mention that I get CHILLS every time “Magic be With You” starts playing in that haunting choral arrangement. It’s impacted me so much, and maybe it sounds odd to anyone else, but it was the song I sung to my newborn niece to soothe her the first time I met her, and it worked. Overall if’s just a beautiful episode, and I’m always teary afterwards.

Other strong contenders based on objective reasons are “The Day the Music Died”, “Gone But Not Forgotten”, and possibly “River of Life” (?). I give RoL a hesitant nod because it’s so somber that I’ve only been able to watch it twice- and I’ve seen the entire series otherwise so many times I couldn’t even guess, maybe upwards of 30-40 full views? Probably more, honestly, since it’s been my favorite companion since I was a tiny kid.

In terms of my favorites though, I have a long list! It doesn’t have huge overbearing weight in the story, but “Capture the Moon” has always been one of my biggest comfort episodes, as have “Boober’s Dream”, “Red’s Blue Dragon”, and “Wembley’s Flight”. Oh, and “A Brush with Jealousy”!! Man, the song from that one… “show me the light in a butterfly’s eye/and show me the dreams of the earth and the sky”… ahh.. so pretty.. I just feel refreshed upon hearing it. :)

Capture the Moon is where the foundation for my two main Fraggle OCs comes from (and weirdly enough, I came up with them due to a very specific Fraggle dream I had as a little kid, so that’s probably why they’re so dear to me! Hah!)

I also (hot take, I know!) do have a couple episodes I don’t actually care for that much. Of course, I love them all, but I do definitely have some least favorites. (I have never really liked “The Great Radish Famine”. I can’t place why, but it’s 1000% near the bottom of my list, LOL!)

Anyway, you asked a short question, and I totally blathered on for way too long! I’m not sure if I gave a very satisfactory answer 😅 I do suppose I could be more specific and take a more analytical approach if you’d like!! There are several ways to answer this specific question, HAH! Please feel free to ask more!!!! :0

[dreamyprinx]

I bring to you, actual art but it’s me trying to replicate my friend @spaceshmuck’s art style

✧ reblogs are appreciated ✧ | ♡ buy me a kofi ♡ | ☾ commission info ☽

[trash-bin-ary]

:( both of my phone chargers hardly work, please charger how do i need to hold you to start the charging up

[saturdaymournings]

NEW USERNAME STEPCHILD????

Yeahhhh !! Not the best circumstances but I’m being brave and it feels fitting because it’s named after one of the wholesome little small joys of my life :) I also feel like it’s fitting to the energy I’m going for right now since trying to get rid of that constant feeling of underlying guilt in favour of like. Not feeling that lol. It’s been going pretty well I got my shit together most of the time :3

[seven-thewanderer]

…I kinda wish I could just.

mentally transfer all the info of my Strayed!Au telepathically to my device & to yall

[leonardalphachurch]

ε-gamma is so funny. gary is all like, oh i’m going to be gay and evil and torture the alpha again and try to take over the galaxy and fall in love with a man with a mustache and ε-gamma is literally like bro i am just s i am just sitting here

[waterberry-strawmelon]

heyo!! I’m yelling out into the void for some quick friendship/communication advice for anyone who might be able to help!

Lately I’ve been struggling to positively interact with a friend of mine because it feels like anytime I say something, she feels the need to insert her own dissenting opinion or to “correct” me on a subjective thing.

I know this friend thinks very literally, and she’s mentioned a few times in passing jokes that she thinks she’s autistic, so as an allistic person I don’t want to be rude by not prioritizing her perspective. But at the same time, since every conversation i have with her ends up including her correcting me on something I don’t need correcting on—whether it’s A) something I actually already know, B) a detail that to me feels minute and thus nitpicky and irrelevant to correct because my point was still clear, or C) something that’s entirely subjective, like if I make a passing joke and say, “Lol, that’s us!” And she replies, “Ehhh, not really, actually.”

She will often undercut what I’m saying by plainly and bluntly disagreeing with it, and to me it feels like she can only have things her way and she needs to have the last word. BUT I’m hoping that’s not how she actually feels or intends for this to be coming off, and that’s largely just my personal perception of it.

From what I can tell, I think she struggles a lot with basic empathy, in the sense that she is very focused internally on herself and does not think to look at things from anyone else’s perspective. (And just to be clear, I mean this in an entirely neutral way, because she is compassionate and sympathetic, and lacking empathy doesn’t mean you can’t be a kind person.)

So from someone who is overly-empathetic and somewhat emotionally sensitive (I’m learning not to take things personally, but it’s still easy for me to feel hurt or upset about little things), does anyone have any advice about this? I guess I don’t know for sure if she’d say she has low empathy, but it feels likely that she does, because otherwise that would mean she’s doing all these things on purpose, knowing that it sounds rude.

The longer I go without telling her that this behavior upsets me, the more I stew in it, and it makes it very difficult to hang out with her because I end up very irritable. And that’s not fair to her, since I’m not communicating what the problem is. But I also don’t want to hurt her feelings, because maybe she just thinks she’s doing a favor by correcting me, as she sees it. idk. let me know if this makes sense! Shoot me a DM if you have any advice/the space to chat about it.

TLDR; any advice for communicating kindly with a low-empathy friend to let them know I’m feeling hurt and irritated by the frequency of some of these habits?

[remma-demma]

Ffxvi asks the brave question: (big bad villain monologue)

What if Emet-Selch was yucky disgusting instead of hot old man.