#but they're dating so I'm kind of just a third wheel

[watarfallar]

since y'all like the incorrect quotes so much, here's some more!

Grian, on the phone: So no head? Grian: *Throws phone and breaks skateboard*

Bdubs: Do you love Grian? Scar: Yeah, I do. Bdubs: Etho! I told you I knew it! You owe me 100 bucks! Etho: We all love Grian. You should've asked if they were IN love with them. Scar: I thought that was implied. Etho: ... Bdubs: ... Scar, looking straight at Etho: Congrats Bdubs, you just won 100 bucks.

Bdubs: You know, Grian gives Scar flowers everyday, I wish you'd do that too. Etho: Okay. *Later* Etho: *gives Scar flowers* Scar: ??? Etho: I don't know, I'm confused as well.

Scar: What are you getting Etho for the holidays? Bdubs: I don't know. It's kind of hard buying a gift for your partner when they already got everything they could've ever wanted when they married you. So I'm not sure yet. Grian: I'm getting Etho a divorce lawyer.

Scar: *sees Etho and Bdubs together* Scar: They're cute. I would put them on a boat. Grian: You mean... you ship them?

Scar: Hey Etho, wanna third wheel on my date with Grian tomorrow? Etho: Sure. Scar: Bdubs! Wanna third wheel on my date with Grian tomorrow? Scar: Great! I've always wanted to go on a double date! Etho & Bdubs: ... Grian: Scar...

Bdubs: Why are your tongues purple? Grian: We had slushies. I had a blue one. Scar: I had a red one. Bdubs: oh. Bdubs: Bdubs: OH. Etho: Etho: You drank eachothers slushies?

Grian: I love you. Scar: I love you too. I've waited so long to hear you say that. *Grian and Scar kiss passionately* Etho, to Bdubs: You owe me 20 dollars.

Etho: I never said I was gonna get back together with them. But I was thinking, they're in town, would it be the worst thing in the world if I gave them a call? Scar: No. No, Etho, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. It would be the fourth worst thing. Number one: a super volcano. Number two: an asteroid hits the Earth. Number three: All the Evel Knievel movies are lost. Number four: Etho calls Bdubs. Number five: Grian gets eaten by a shark. Grian: I’m Grian, and I approve the order of that list.

*Trying to cheer Bdubs after a break up* Grian: You broke up with Etho for a reason. Bdubs: I know, I know. I’m just so tired of missing them. Tired of wondering why they haven’t called. Why haven’t they called? Scar: Maybe because you told them not to. Bdubs: What are you, the Memory Person?

Scar: I'm so happy, I could kiss you! Grian: Um...Neat. *later* Grian, lying face down on their bed: I said "Neat," Etho. Who the fuck says neat these days? It's not neat to say neat but I said it anyways because I'm fucking stupid. Etho, reading a book: Don't beat yourself up too much, Grian. Everyone gets nervous sometimes. Remember what I did when Bdubs confessed their love for me? Grian: Didn't you thank them? Etho: *closes the book and looks at the ceiling* I fucking thanked them.

Scar: *yawns* Grian: Yeah, being that pretty must be tiring. Scar: Then you must be exhuasted. Bdubs: Will you two shut up? Some of us are lonely.

Scar: Why doesn’t Grian find me sexy when I bite my lip? Etho: What do you look like when you bite your lip? Scar: *bites lip* Etho: ...Have you considered biting your bottom lip instead?

[bloodybreakupscene]

I had sent a request like yesterday- and AAA IM SO HAPPY TO SEE IT DONE ALREADY!! IT WAS SO CUTE >^<

I had another idea, cause my brain has been absolutely filled with different thoughts! Once again, earth 1610! Miles morales- but this time with a very well off partner who tends to spoil him alot. Like gift after gift, as soon as Miles is saying he likes or wants something- they're getting it for him!!

It's just something they really enjoy doing and they love seeing the smiles they get from Miles when he sees the gifts!!

-> 𝐇𝐔𝐒𝐇.

miles morales x reader

-> u like to buy ur cutie patootie bf miles expensive gifts and he's like aw :(

-> btw guys i do other characters LOL i kinda wanna try writing for hobie!! i've been trying to research british slang but i can't stop laughing (it's the AMERICAN 🤓🇺🇲🔥🔫 in me i swear)

you and your boyfriend miles were walking along the streets of brooklyn, occasionally stopping for snacks or to observe the stores placed amongst each other. you held his hand and he held yours. this was just another after school thing you two would do.

". . . and when i walked in he was wearing my shoes! like what the hell man." miles ranted, slightly shifting the story because if he told you what actually happened he'd reveal his identity as spiderman, and that wasn't a path he wanted to go down just yet.

"pfft, that's funny. you know, if it bothers you so much i could just buy you another pair of shoes." you reply, nonchalantly.

"huh? no way! that's your money, besides, you already bought me enough stuff."

"i gifted you stuff," you corrected, before joking once more, "you deserve it anyway! i mean, c'mon miles be grateful."

"i am grateful! i just feel bad, you know, they're all so expensive." he defends.

"name ONE gift that was expensive."

"the ohuhu marker set!"

it was miles' birthday and you were at his dorm for a small celebration, just the two of you [ ganke left because he didn't wanna third-wheel. ] so, you two were just sitting on the floor as he opened the carefully wrapped gift.

"so, how's being fifteen so far?" you make small talk, while a pit of happiness boils inside of you as you can't wait for his reaction to the gift you got him.

"totally fun. can't wait to do adult stuff." he laughs, and just as he finishes his sentence he sees a black bag with markers in them, specifically 216 markers. it was a set that cost roughly $170.00.

"oh my god!" he stands up, that's the reaction hoped for, "these are so cool." he rushes to pull you up, kissing you on your lips, holding a side of your face with his hand.

"how much were they?"

"don't worry! it's your birthday you deserve it." you pull him into your arms, embracing him.

"i looked it up when you left and they were almost $200!"

"you're worth more than $200 miles."

"aw," he leans his head on your shoulder as you both continue to walk down the street. "wait! what about that other time, when you got me a camera.”

it was summer time, you and miles walked into a random electronics store. as you both observed the different assortments of cameras, miles picked one of them up, a small, old digicam.

"my uncle used to have one of these." he says, as he moves the camera around in his hand to look at the many details on the camcorder. over the few months you've been dating, you noticed the admiration he had for his uncle, he even mentioned going down under the subway tracks to graffiti on the walls.

"do you wanna get it?"

"nah, it's $40. let's go get lunch, i'm starving."

"wait! but you like it right? i could get it for you, if you want."

"what! no way, i should be the one spoiling you." he wraps his arm around your waist.

you both eventually walked out the store, but later, for christmas that year, you gave it him as an early gift. miles felt like crying, not a sad cry, more like, 'i've never felt more appreciated in my life i love you so much' kind of cry. he couldn't stop hugging and kissing you that day.

"the camera was a gift for both of us." you rolled your eyes, "i just gave it to you to hold, indefinitely!"

miles gives you a look, "whatever, you know i'd love anything you give me, regardless of price."

[consoledacup]

Admittedly bending the double date theme to talk about another universal dating concept: the third wheel, a.k.a. Miss Eloise Bridgerton.

Eloise makes missteps this season, but so does Penelope, and so does Colin. This season does not shy away from all different types of love, and the love among the three of them is beautifully explored. Actually, one of my very favorite shots is Penelope fleeing the Osterly Ball steps with Eloise and Colin hot on her heels, depicting the actual love triangle of the season.

Eloise has been obsessing over Whistledown since the start of the series. She has been revering her power, time and again, to the actual author's face. It's honestly really sad that Eloise immediately accuses Penelope of capitalizing from her family's pain. Of course that wasn't the motivation behind Penelope starting the column, but Eloise is so incredibly hurt, she questions everything about her relationship with Penelope.

And then on top of that, Eloise is completely blindsided by the budding romance forming between her brother and estranged best friend. When Eloise first met Penelope, after Colin did of course, I'm sure she was thrilled to have a partner-in-crime to annoy her brother just like she did. Whenever she dragged Penelope away from Colin in the earlier seasons, she thought she was doing Penelope a favor.

Think about all the things Penelope didn't say. Eloise droned on and on about the injustice that women endured. And Penelope always agreed and added to the conversation without ever saying, "but actually marrying your brother would be my dream come true, and I've been in love with him for years." Eloise bulldozed their dynamic in the past, but it wasn't on her to figure out Penelope's hidden feelings.

Eloise is so intrigued and put off by Colin's new persona because he's immediately shining a light on hers. And she's perplexed to see Colin gaining all this new attention but only setting his sights on Penelope. And in the same breath, he's saying, boy, if I ever get my hands on Lady Whistledown...

She has tried her best to move on, and she's seeing her brother unravel right in front her. And she's seeing Penelope step into herself and gain attention and essentially show her that she never, ever wanted to be a spinster like Eloise professed they would be.

So my heart absolutely breaks for Eloise after she finds out they're engaged. In the hallway, Eloise is just like, what kind of long game is this, Lady Whistledown? She felt the ecstatic joy radiating from her brother and knew he had fallen in love, and good grief, what is she supposed to do now? Especially when Colin apologizes for keeping Eloise in the dark about his feelings with the air of, you just don't understand or you would've never let Penelope go.

All three of them have to confront their own mistakes and express their true feelings in order to find their way back to one another. I thought each scene with Colin and Penelope, Colin and Eloise, and Penelope and Eloise were perfectly placed and in line with their character. The angst of those relationships and friendships was not caused by hatred or a lack of respect, but rather an outpouring of love for each other. And the transformative love between Colin and Penelope inspired Eloise to examine her own life and finally take a chance, instead of just talking about taking one.

[hxneyfarm]

It’s not that Robin is bitter. She’s not. Really. Bitterness implies anger. She’s not angry. Not at all. She’s… okay, she’s jealous. Just a little bit. And that’s fine. That’s… well, it’s not expected, exactly, because nothing about this situation could have been predicted in the first place so there’s been nothing to expect. It’s not expected, but it makes sense. Who wouldn’t be jealous?

And, like, there’s something else, too. Something a little darker simmering just beneath the surface of her jealousy that Robin’s been having a hard time putting a name to. Not bitterness, though.

Maybe it's because Steve is hers. Yeah, platonic with a capital P, all of that, but he is hers. Back before Vecna, when he was trying to date every pretty girl who walked into the video store, that was different. Not a single one of those girls was a threat to what Robin and Steve have because that's on a different level.

This, though? Maybe Robin feels a little threatened.

Steve's beside her at the counter, his elbows on the glass surface of it as he leans forward to see his own reflection in the tiny compact he'd pulled from Robin's bag. He's clumsily dabbing her concealer on his neck to cover the red and purple marks that make him look more like the victim of a vampire than the love-drunk dweeb he actually is.

So, yeah. Robin's definitely a little bit jealous because where the hell is her great gay love affair, huh? How the hell did her dingus get his first gay kiss before she did? And how has he been able to seamlessly, unconditionally accept this part of himself when it had taken her years to come to terms with who she is?

And yes, she absolutely feels threatened by this burgeoning thing between Steve and Eddie, of all people. Becuase the way Steve and Eddie get along, the way they're so in tune with each other, it's kind of similar to the way Robin and Steve get along. It makes Robin feel prickly, because those silent conversations those two have started having? Those belong to Robin.

What if she loses him to Eddie?

It's irrational, because Steve and Robin were separated at birth or something, and he would never, ever, ever abandon her and she knows it. Knowing doesn't silence her fears, though.

And that sucks, because Robin should be the most supportive cheerleader of a best friend, and she is happy for them, honestly.

But damn. Eddie's almost always around now, and that's fine, it's great, really. Because she likes Eddie, thinks he's great, thinks he's an awesome match for Steve. It's nice to have someone else like her around, someone who can commiserate with her anxiety about being queer in a little place like Hawkins.

Or, it would be nice, if Eddie and Steve could stop sucking face for, like, a minute and a half when it's just the three of them hanging out.

Robin has never third wheeled this hard in her life.

its just a little thing, but hi i'm going to start publishing stuff now i think

[auramgold]

On Acht and Romance

going into side order, from the september direct trailer where Acht was first revealed i remember the joke at the time clearly being "and now Marina's ex is here".

the way this line [image description in alt] was written was basically the only evidence for this kind of idea, when the theories were kind of "Marina's order tantrum is sucking people in from her past and the DLC will be about going through her memories", so ellipses in a line like this is basically all theory crafters on no info need to go for shipping.

i'm not one who's super into plot theory crafting, i know full well the tendency to theorize something that's cooler than what you actually get and being disappointed that the story didn't live up to your imagination. the things i was obsessed with in side order promotional material was the obvious bleached coral theme, the symbolism of coral ejecting it that which keeps it safe out of stress being mapped onto Marina, the idea of her pushing those she loves (and those that keep her colorful) away out of a spiral (and it does turn out that was basically exactly what the prologue was going for)

so the whole "Acht and Marina exes" thing was kinda just a joke to me, wasn't even on my radar as something they were actually going to lean into, frankly i was still scared nintendo was going to make them kill pearlina by sending Marina to superhell or smth and we'd end up with a splatoonified destiel meme

so when the DLC comes out and it is legitimately a "they knew each other since childhood" thing, and the running bit is Acht feeling awkward third-wheeling pearlina, and it's explicit in text that one of the reasons they're coming back after the DLC is over is to scope out Pearl as the girl who took down the NILS statue who is now dating Marina... it struck me as really interesting.

at first it was me keeping up the "Marina and Acht are exes" as a joke, but as i kept reading dialogue lines, it slowly became less of a joke, they were to some degree dating because opposite but complimentary autisms, and then drifting apart as Marina got pulled away on the big girl assignment with DJ Octavio, and then the despair of knowing Marina left without even saying goodbye to Acht... it fits well into that reading, it slowly became less of a joke to believe that

but the thing that really makes me think this is intentional subtext is the final Acht diary entry you get from clearing Eight's palette. through the rest of side order talking about Acht's backstory, it seemed like they were retconning the OE lore that Acht had gotten themself sanitized intentionally, losing themself so they could explore their music deeper. but in the final diary, where Acht directly says they drifted into the deepsea metro to fall into their music, because, and i quote

"Hey, Marina. You can guess the chaos your desertion caused. I ended up without much to do except make music. "

they fell into a depression spiral when their girlfriend deserted their society without so much as saying goodbye, falling into their music deep away from interacting with everyone else, to the point that, as the old lore implies, they chose to give up their identity to escape the depression, but sanitization so thoroughly did it that they forget even making the choice.

so when they get brought out of that haze back into being themself again, with the only the barest strung-together horrified memories of what happened in the half a decade interim gap in their life, only to find themself replaced by some inkling they don't know at all, of course they're gonna be awkward seeing the two flirting.

they put on a stoic face because that's clearly their coping mechanism within this damaged body they barely recognize, hiding their eyes behind their tinted glasses so they can't be seen beneath. but the only time they let themself be vulnerable, the only time their eyes can be seen, is when they charge out in the climax when the world is at stake, diving in to try to save Marina, leaving the elevator and its protection behind to help the only person they remember ever caring about.

it's why i don't really like the aroace reading that much, because i think this reading is even more tragic and fits into the themes. the world has changed, it can't go back to how it once was, you can't put the octolings back in the canyon bottle. Marina abandoned Acht to the point they got their identity destroyed willingly to escape the pain, and when Acht came back they were replaced by the inkling whose voice they remember even through the haze of sanitized memories.

the lingering effects of sanitization have changed how they relate to everything (i think there's a fair argument to be made for the idea that sanitization took their gender can't have shit in the deepsea metro), but Acht clearly still cares for Marina and still, the slightest bit, resents having to be reminded repeatedly every time pearlina flirts in front of them how they were replaced.

[penny00dreadful]

So... some of you may have noticed my fics have come to a screeching halt the last couple of months which is not like me and I am here to explain myself.

Babygirl, I have been preparing.

The end of this month is my 1 year anniversary of posting in this fandom, of posting any of my work online after not doing it for like fifteen fucking years and it has brought me so much incandescent joy, I decided I had to do something for it.

(I've also hit like... several milestones which is fucking insane like you all know I'm just some cranky bog witch, right??)

I have been working on my WIPs for over the last two months. All... holy mother of god... like nine of them???

Some of these have been completed, some I am still writing and some are mostly done.

So starting from my anniversary date, 23rd October, every second or third day, I'll be posting a chapter of something.

I have so much material built up this shit could go on until 2024

@hbyrde36 called it my own personal Penny00Dreadful BigBang... and yeah kinda! 😅

I wanted to do this to show just how much I love this community. Your kind words, your support, your unhinged ramblings, your obsessive love, your talent (for free??) it's all amazing it's so amazing and I wanted to explode forth with my love for it so I figured why the fuck not do this stupid idea??😅

All of these will be posted both to tumblr and AO3 so subscribe over there to keep updated or follow me here!

OH! And let me know if you wanna be tagged! If you wanna be tagged for a specific fic or for everything I'll add you, whatever you want.

You've made me so happy and so warm for the last year. The way I know if I'm having a bad day I just need to hop onto this side of tumblr and everything will be peaches and gravy again.

I love you guys so much. 😘🖤

Updated Schedule - (18th Feb 2024)

Fic list with blurbs below the cut, this will (roughly) be the order they're posted in:

Return of The King - COMPLETE

Steddie Vampire AU with a twist! Vampire Steve comes back after falling to the bats. There is two more chapters left and those chapters have been completed.

Comeuppance - COMPLETE

Dustin just wants Steve to be happy. So he tries to parent trap him with Nancy. Clearly they should be together. But Steve's heart doesn't even seem to be in it at all! How is he so bad at this? And Eddie is being less than helpful

Rookie Mistake - COMPLETE

My Steddie Established Relationship Spies AU oneshot that will have a multi-chapter prequel fic coming very soon after!

Eddie is "retired" and Steve has been injured on the job, so he's supposed to be taking it easy. How hard could a walk to the gas station be?

Before He Cheats - COMPLETE

Songfic! Carrie Underwood - Before He Cheats

I literally have no excuse for this one. The rotted brainworms were behind the steering wheel with this one.

One evening, Eddie gets a call from some guy named Steve dropping the news on him that his boyfriend has been cheating on him. With this Steve person and Steve had no idea up until that day.

And Eddie rarely takes that shit lying down.

Steddievember Smut - COMPLETE

No Nut November is here! One can play however he wants. The other just has to wait for December to roll around. I have no other words to describe what this will be, it does what it says on the tin. I blame the STWG discord server. Currently we're looking at four little ficlets for this.

Cat and Mouse - COMPLETE

The Steddie Spies AU Prequel! How they got together and the extreme ups and downs their enemies/rivals to lovers journey goes through. I had so much fun with this one.

And They Were Roommates! - COMPLETE

omg they were roommates.

Steve and Eddie don't hate each other exactly. They just... tolerate each other. But one night Eddie doesn't come home for hours. Long after he's supposed to and it's not like Steve is worried or anything... he's just... concerned for a fellow human being... that's all.

Through The Valley - IN PROGRESS

Post-Apocalyptic AU. Eddie, Dustin and Nancy have a nice little community of survivors outside of Hawkins that they take care of, surviving day to day. Everyone's a little broken, missing the rest of their Party just hoping that one day they'll find each other again.

Devotion

Dungeons and Dragons AU. Steve is the golden boy of the small town of Hawkins. Harrington in name and now a Paladin with his very own oath to hunt down the Bard, the witch Eddie Munson and bring him back to justice under High Priest Henry Creel.

[qprstobin]

Someone asked in the tags of my post for my Nicole headcanons so! This is... extremely mean girls trio heavy lmao, I see her as fourth piece of the puzzle. The DLC to a completed game.

Nicole is really fun for me to think about because she's a mover for some of the teens' drama but she doesn't just disappear after that scene, she's there the next day when they graffiti the movie theater. I don't think that she's as close to the mean girl trio as they are with each other, but she's definitely a lot closer to them than anyone else is.

She often got invited along on "double dates" with the trio. Normally when Steve wasn't dating anyone, but also sometimes even then because they enjoyed hanging out as a quartet that much.

Steve and Nicole never really dated, but they probably hooked up at least once. Nothing serious though. They have known each other for a while though because their parents do business together. So they're each other's standing dates for a lot of things.

Canon adjacently, I think they probably went to prom together. Nicole is the only one that Steve still talks too after the fight and blowout lmao.

Nicole often tags along to "save Steve from third wheeling" but I'm a Carol and Steve were friends first truther, so Tommy also ends up third wheeling a lot. So I think that Tommy kind of considers Nicole his best friend other than Steve. They hang out a lot on their own when Starol are wrapped up in Starol things.

@meangirlstobin suggested they go bowling together and are actually both really good at it.

Tommy and Nicole study together a lot too. Carol doesn't really care about school or studying, and Steve finds it boring and so only joins them when he needs to cram for a test.

Nicole has the most common sense of the group, and definitely is considered the most "normal" of the friend group.

@stregoniconiconii said she'd be the lawyer friend and honestly that's canon to me now. I think she's gonna go to school for law.

She's one of the school's main student photographers. (Jonathan definitely isn't doing that lmao) She puts more of her energy into yearbook, but does photography for the student newspaper as well.

She's not quite as into partying quite as much as the others, enjoys a quiet night at home way more. (Is probably a bit introverted - needs time to decompress from their crazy.) She does hang out with them sometimes but it's not an every weekend sort of deal.

She probably got invited to the Barb and Nancy party but decided to stay home because it was a weekday and she had shit to do.

[geminiartemis]

Rosie taught us that words are cheap, but actions speak the truth. And I totally agree with her, so I'm going to ignore Viv's words and trust the Vees' actions to tell me what their deal is.

And their actions in season one speak the truth loud and clear. 😌💅

Here's what I'm hearing:

- Vox and Val are fucking.

- They may not be "dating" in the traditional sense of the word, but there's definitely something going on. They're not just business partners or "really good friends".

- They have an open relationship. Val can sleep with other people, and Vox can obsess over Alastor. There's no kink-shaming among them.

- Velvette has a queer-platonic dynamic with them, that's why it looks like she's third-wheeling, but no, it's deeper than that. Again, they're not just business partners or just friends.

- Velvette is closer to Vox than to Val, though.

- They're still evil, fucked up people, though. They manipulate one another, because that's just the kind of people they are.

- They don't label their relationship. It just is what it is.

(These are all true until proven otherwise by season two.)

[nowoyas]

(they all have) so much meaning - Midoriya Izuku/Reader (18+)

M.list - Ao3

A/N: ok so despite the spiderweb thing I actually did most of the writing for this BEFORE I watched across the spiderverse and veered clear into my government-mandated spider-man phase. I kind of want the tattoo, though.

(why yes, I DO default to The Front Bottoms lyrics every time I can't think of a good title for a fic. it's bc I'm right.)

Summary: It's your third date with your long-standing no-longer-crush, and Izuku just found out that you had a tattoo. You let him take a long look.

Warnings: public sex, oral (reader receiving), afab reader, reader has a tattoo, exhibitionism

Notes: Reader has a tattoo and established quirk. Yes, they're a literal emotional vampire. I can only write so much without vampires getting involved.

Word Count: 3600+

Midoriya Izuku is a pretty boy with sharp teeth and a brilliant mind. He does not possess the mind for what one would call a normal conversation, really, but you knew that long before agreeing to the first date, let alone the second.

By the end of date three, you’re honestly proud of him. I mean, neither of you got through the date without stuttering, which is fucking ridiculous given how long you’ve known each other, but compared to the first date’s rocky start, you both did a fantastic job! You completed the date with minimal stuttering between the two of you, and thanks to your quirk, you’re confident in saying both of you feel a fond sadness as he drives you home. You could have taken the train—planned on it, actually—but he’d insisted, and who were you to not say yes, if only to bask in his presence a little longer?

“I didn’t know you had a car,” you confess. You’re sitting on your hands, self-conscious for a myriad of reasons, least of all because having sat on your hands has left you hyperaware of how much thigh is visible in this skirt. “Is it new?”

Stupid question. It’s obviously new, and nice, too. Admittedly, you don’t know shit about cars, but you do know enough to be able to tell when one is nice. It’s shiny, for one, with a sleek, vintage look and classic black paint, and you don’t have to be a genius to know that any car with a convertible top is probably not super cheap. The seats, too, are luxurious—a dark, soft leather that caresses your legs quite nicely.

The trouble with leather is, again, directly correlated with how much thigh is exposed by this skirt. Being July, the world is hot and sticky, which means miniskirts, which means issues around gross men, windy days, and leather fucking car seats.

“It is, actually!” He lets out a nervous laugh. It’s strange to see him driving, strange to see scarred hands confidently turning the wheel. Izuku had asked if you wanted the top down, since it was a hot day, and nice out, and—

You had agreed with a nervous bubble of laughter. The novelty of it was a good draw. You’d heard “top down” from pretty lips and agreed without a second thought.

The thing about Midoriya Izuku is that, for all the years you’ve been friends—since entering high school, really—you have danced around one another like this.

Nervous laughter, words flowing so easily that they slip right past your filter or otherwise don’t make it to your lips. Honestly, you don’t need him to tell you that he didn’t mean to ask you on the first date when he did—he had the same affliction, where things were said too easily and then followed by the cringe. Hindsight is always 20/20, which meant that the moment he'd asked to take you out to a movie and let the word "date" slip, he was immediately running damage control, and you'd let "I'd like a date, actually" slip before you really realized the ramifications of it. So you had gone home to panic and squeal, and he had gone home to panic and squeal, and now here you were, three dates down with the rising star of the hero world, a title you did not begrudge him.

“Since when did you need a car with that quirk?” you tease. Right now, it’s easy. The nerves of being with someone who wants you instead of just likes you don’t strangle your throat.

“Well, I could have just carried you home, but I think that might draw too much attention?” The thoughtful look in his eye slides away to something else as he casts a glance your way, maybe a bit lower, and his face burns red before you. “Not to mention, um, it might not be advisable, um…”

You got the message. You shift a little in your seat in hopes that it’ll give the fabric cause to slide down a little bit. “Y-yeah, uh, maybe not. I’ll have to wear shorts underneath next time!”

Another glance at your thigh before the light turns green. You try not to think about the little surge in his emotions pressing insistently at you. His cheeks seem impossibly redder, and he turns his eyes to the road, ever dedicated to safe driving practices. “I-if you want! You looked really nice tonight, though! I mean it!”

It’s mildly amusing, watching him flounder like this. If you had less shame, you might revel in seeing his face go full strawberry just to pay you a compliment, especially after having fought a few villains alongside him and having seen that version of Izuku in action. He’s borderline unrecognizable like this, making still-nervous conversation and trying not to stare at your legs as he drives you home.

The fluttery, nervous energy between you is, if nothing else, good fuel for your quirk, and you catch it in the air and stock it away until the pair of you reach your destination.

“Thanks again.” You flash him your best smile as he parks, and you’re unsurprised to see him move to open your car door. Such a gentleman. “For driving me home, I mean. I would have made it home fine, but…”

“It’s not a problem at all! I wanted to.” He opens your door, offers you a hand, and once again, you regret the skirt.

In your defense, the skirt had passed the date check. It covers your ass, covers your tattoo when standing, and was cute enough to justify wearing out of the house!

It does not, however, pass the car check, which is what you discover as a movement to unstick your thighs from the seat also has the hem riding up far enough to show off your tattoo. You know, the one you didn’t tell anyone you got. The one whose location you picked because (and I quote) “if anyone I’m not actively sleeping with sees it, we have bigger problems than their opinions on my tattoo”. That tattoo. That someone you are not actively sleeping with (not yet, anyway) just got an eyeful of. Most of, at least.

He’s practically babbling, avoiding eye contact as he apologizes and helps you out of the car. “I-I didn’t know you got a tattoo.”

“Oh, uh, yeah! I did! I lost a bet with Mina and had to get something done, so I thought I’d go for something cute.” You nearly babble the words, refusing to meet his eyes.

“Cute” is not the word you had used to describe the design when you’d come up with it, and the bet you lost was really just a pretense so you had an excuse to get the tattoo anyway, but, you know. It’s the little things as far as word choice is concerned.

You rub the back of your neck. “It didn’t hurt as bad as I thought it would, actually. And the artist did a great job with it!”

“I didn’t get to see it really well, but I’m sure they did a really good job!”

“I mean, I could show you,” you reply, and there it is. Once again, your words beat your brain to the punch.

“I’d like to, if you’re comfortable with it!”

And there’s his burst of nervous energy, which, to be fair, hasn’t gone down a bit since you met at the restaurant earlier this evening, only climbed. You’ve learned that when you feel that particular spike of energy arc off him, it’s him doing the exact “say things you mean but don’t mean to say” thing you do. Small comforts, you suppose.

“Sure,” you manage, and then you’re lifting the hem of your skirt to show him the tattoo in all its glory.

Its design is that of a garter wrapping around your thigh, delicate lace forming spider webs in the “band” of the tattoo. It’s pretty, it’s possibly a bite too sexy, and it’s perhaps a bit too far up your thigh to be showing off in any way anyone would consider modest. In the dark of your poorly-lit driveway, Izuku seems to find himself crouching and leaning in to be able to properly inspect your inked thigh, and you feel a little surge of something wave off of him.

It’s not until you let that particular energy feed you and compare it to your own feelings that you realize he’s turned on. Part of it might be the position—the fire racing through your veins at lifting your skirt up partway for a pretty face crouching in front of you is likely matched by being the pretty face crouching before your date’s lifted skirt. Just as quick as it came, it’s replaced by a hot flush of shame, an emotion you know well.

That one, you don’t need to guess the source of. Izuku’s spent countless hours talking to you about the intricacies of your quirk over the years, and by now he’s more than aware that you feel every little surge of emotional energy around you, having given his permission to you to feed off of whatever he puts out.

When he lingers staring just a bit too long, you slowly lower your skirt and manage a nervous laugh. “So what do you think?”

“It’s a really well-done tattoo! I like the design, it’s very, uh—hot. I mean! Pretty! It’s pretty! I’m sorry, I don’t know why I said that, that was completely inappropriate and you probably don’t think of me that way and I swear I’m not the kind of guy who—“

“Izuku.” This time, there’s no nerves in your laughter. “Did you think I was platonically lifting my skirt for you?”

He freezes. You draw a blank from the air between you, and he stares, flush-faced and wide-eyed, at you. “Lift it all the way, then,” he breathes, and then comes the panic. “Oh my god. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, I’msosorry—“

You wish you could say that you had some cool, flirtatious response ready to go, some smooth line that would get you branded pick up artist extraordinaire, but you’re rendered entirely speechless. The thought that perhaps this is moving faster than normal relationships might flits past your brain as you grasp the sides of your skirt in two fists and lift it the rest of the way.

His frantic apologies die in his throat. For a moment, you think he dies, too—even his emotional signature is completely blank. He rests, half-crouched, green eyes cataloging the sight like he’s studying for a test. He sucks in an audible breath as he processes it and the heat of arousal floods back from him. You like to think it’s because of one detail you didn’t really expect to come up tonight:

Your tattoo matches your panties.

Izuku is surging attraction towards you in waves intense enough that you’re sure someone else must be able to feel them. There’s no one here to notice, though.

It is an eternity of him staring at your bare thighs, inked lace and real lace maybe two inches from touching, and then he is bringing calloused fingers up to hover just above the ink in your skin. “M-may I, uh—“

You try not to flinch when those same calloused fingers rest on plush flesh. He traces the lines of the tattoo almost reverently, eyes following his fingertips, occasionally flicking upwards just a bit, and you keep your eyes locked on his expression the entire time.

So focused on watching his face, you miss his fingers trailing inwards. You don’t miss them when they brush at the place your thighs kiss. Another little flinch, but this time he retreats to gauge your expression. “Is this okay?” he’s asking you. Your mind is tethered to the spot where his fingers rest on too-hot skin. “I-I don’t want to push too hard or assume anything, and—“

Your words are failing you, but you give a frantic nod. You’re not convinced you’ve ever been this turned on in your life, you’ve lost track of the feel of his emotions pressing against yours, and the only words coming to your mind at this point are: New kink. Score.

You think he thanks you as his fingers slide across your skin, but you can’t be too sure, because his fingers have left the tattoo to climb in agonizing slow motion up your thigh. They brush, rough and so, so gentle against the lace of your panties, and this time, you flinch properly, fabric slipping from your fingers to rest on his wrist.

The look Izuku gives you is uncharacteristic and nearly stern. “I want to see,” he says, gentle and sweet, as though he’s pleading with you to show him some innocent photo rather than to keep your skirt held up for his viewing pleasure.

Automatically, you’re lifting your skirt again, and he nods in appreciation. “If at any point you want me to stop, or slow down, or… any of that, tell me?”

“Mhm. I promise.”

“Good,” he says, and it’s so dangerously close to what you really want to hear that you have to suppress a shudder.

Again his fingers brush the lace covering your sex, and this time, you don’t drop the skirt. You hold it tight, even as Izuku’s fingers press into the space between your thighs, and you find yourself leaning back against his car for support. When his other hand rests on your opposite knee and pushes outwards just a touch, you let your legs part in turn.

You have the sense he hasn’t done this much. You know he hasn’t, actually—you have on good authority that he has precious little experience in the romance department, and, having been more or less in love with him for several years now, you aren’t faring much better. Maybe that’s why it’s so electric when he presses an experimental line on the outside of your panties. Maybe that’s why the shame burns so hot when his fingertip comes away damp.

His voice comes out a whisper. He’s staring up at your face in awe. “Are you…”

You nod, squeezing your eyes shut tight. “This is, like… insanely hot. You’re insanely hot.”

“Good,” he breathes, and then he’s slipping his hand past the band of your panties and touching you directly.

You jump a little at the contact, biting your lip to keep from gasping out. One experimental finger dips into you, and you take it readily.

That same finger leaves you quickly, and then you feel him tentatively tugging down your panties. When you peek at him, you find big, green eyes silently asking your permission.

“Please,” you whisper.

The panties are dragged down to your ankles, and then he’s returning to you in full force, sliding a single finger in and out of your hole, curling it inside you as though he’s figuring out how you react to each motion. Before long, he’s adding a second finger, moving so slow it’s torture more than pleasure.

He’s experimenting. Learning.

Your stomach flutters at the thought—he was always a fast learner. Too late, you realize that, oh shit, he just felt that, and now he’s staring up at you with wide eyes and red-stained cheeks.

“More,” you plead. “Please, ‘Zuku.”

The name slips from your lips so easily you almost forget you’ve pushed to a new level with him. He doesn’t seem to mind, though, except that he stops and retreats again, to your whiny distress.

“Can you spread them for me?”

“My legs?”

He shakes his head. “I want to see everything.”

Oh.

You shift so you’re holding your skirt in the center, and then a hand slides down to spread your lips for his viewing pleasure. He hums in contentment, and you’re aware of a subtle shifting of his position, though you’re not sure why.

“Trust me?”

“Always.”

That’s the only trigger he needs—he doesn’t return to fingering you, but those hands, large and scarred and rough against your skin, wrap around behind you as he replaces fingers with his mouth.

First a tentative taste, then a starved lick like a man starved, and oh, he’s always been good with his mouth, hasn’t he? Rambling, mumbling, brilliant thoughts have nothing on the feeling of his tongue as it finally plunges into you, the starved way he eats you out.

He’s still experimenting with you, still playing with you, but the curiosity of it all steadily falls away as he lets his instincts take the lead. When he at last brushes your clit and you gasp and your knees buckle, he takes note. He holds you up with ease, eyes half-lidded as though he’s torn between losing himself in the act and watching your reactions as he goes.

Two arms holding you up turns to one effortless arm around your waist. You have no time to consider where the other’s gone—he’s plunging those thick, rough fingers into you all over again, sucking on your clit, and suddenly you’re immensely grateful for the arm around your waist, because there’s no chance in hell you’re standing on your own like this.

His motions approach frantic. He is moaning quietly into your pussy, losing himself in it, and you’re grasping desperately for anything to find purchase on and finding only the smooth body of the car.

It doesn’t take you long. Before either of you realize it, you’re quivering, legs going fully weak, biting down on your free hand to keep from moaning out as you cum on his tongue.

He does not stop. He pulls away, just a moment, and you’re aware that you’re moving, but your head’s gone fuzzy from the everything of it all, so it takes you extra time to realize that he’s laid you across the back seat and climbed on top of you, lips pressed against your own. He keeps breaking away to mumble apologies against your lips—I’m sorry, I wanted our first kiss to be romantic, I wanted all of this to be romantic but I’m—and you find the cognizance within yourself to swallow those apologies with another kiss. You taste salty on his lips.

He is melting into the kiss, pulling away somewhat less frantic than he had been, eyes studying your face.

You quirk a smile his way. “Is it too forward to tell you I think you’re hot?”

He huffs a little breath of laughter against your lips. “Only if it’s too forward for me to say the same.”

You giggle, wind your arms around his neck. “Not too forward, I’d say.”

His hand trails up your side, fingers toying with the edge of your shirt. You’re glad, also, for the choice to wear a button-down over a tank top. The decision had been risky, and it’s not like you picked this outfit for access, but you’re appreciating that access now. He’s not even seen you naked yet, but he’s looking over you beneath him reverently, trailing fingertips up and down your clothed side.

“I can’t believe how gorgeous you are,” he confesses in a murmur. And then: “I always thought you’d look pretty underneath me. You always looked pretty, of course! I just mean… wow.”

“I haven’t even taken my clothes off for you yet.”

“If you seriously think you need to take your clothes off for me to think you’re the hottest thing alive, I don’t even know what to tell you.”

“Oh come on. You’re exaggerating.”

He grinds his hips down into you, and oh fuck. Maybe he’s not. “Does that feel like exaggerating to you?”

It was barely a moment, but that little press of his hips to yours was enough to be sure of one thing: he’s big. Between the muscles and the package between his legs, you are well set to be split in half.

You welcome the opportunity.

“Mm, I’m not sure. Better do that again so I can check.”

Another drag of his lips against yours. Another roll of his hips against yours. This he grants  you eagerly, groaning into your mouth.

Something presses at you that’s not him and his devastatingly horny state.

You intake a breath, pull away, press a hand to his mouth. He gets the message, easily—someone is nearby. A neighbor, stepped outside for a moment. He takes the hint, presses his whole body against yours in an attempt to conceal himself from view.

When the presence leaves, and you’re sure you have the advantage of privacy again, you give him a little nod and peel your hand from his mouth.

A small smile, a small laugh. “I think we might have finally cleared the air between us.”

He tilts his head down at you with just a touch of mischief in his eyes. “I thought we were doing good.”

“We were! We were also an entire trainwreck.”

His cheeks tinge pink. “I-I was doing my best!”

“I know. We both were.” You ghost a kiss onto his nose. “We should head inside, though.”

“Inside?” he squeaks, as though it’s something scandalous.

“You do realize you just ate me out in the middle of the parking lot, right? I think you’re maybe at the point where I can invite you into my apartment.”

“Right. Yeah. Right.”

“You’ve been in my apartment before. You helped me move in!”

He whines, buries his face in your neck. “That was different!”

“Oh, poor ‘Zuku. But you know, if you come inside, I could return the favor…”

You’re not really sure what configuration of anything makes it happen, but one moment, you’re sprawled underneath him in the backseat of his car, the next, he has you in his arms bridal-style, as though you weigh nothing at all.

He takes the staircase one flight at a time. You don’t go back on your word.

Tags: @deeplightgarden @idonthaveanameideayet @dusstory @stxrrielle @snowymaltese @graywrites20

OKAY we are revamping the taglist. I've wiped it of all except recent requests just to quickly weed out inactive blogs.

If you'd like to be tagged, let me know by either replying, reblogging, or sending an ask letting me know what you'd like to be tagged in! (Eg. updates to this fic, all izuku fics, only nsfw fics, only sfw fics, all bnha fics, etc.) If at any point you'd like to be taken off the taglist, no hard feelings, just let me know!

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

Am I the asshole for telling my best friend I don't want to hang out with her + her partner or hear about her relationship drama anymore?

I live with my best friend. She started seeing her partner about 2-3 months ago, and it's been kind of non-stop drama since. Either they make me uncomfortable with excessive pda in the house (which I had to apologize and explain to her partner why I kept leaving the living room, because me not wanting to be around them while they do their foreplay made HER uncomfortable) or they get into arguments every other day. Which best friend will vent to me about, and vent she doesn't want to be around her partner anymore bc she doesn't like all the drama/her partner isn't listening to her etc etc. and then she turns around and will hang out with her partner right after, and says how sweet and nice everything is.

Sometimes the arguments are stupid stuff like they're both grumpy in the morning and lash out at each other, sometimes they do things that piss each other off, and a few times it's been about me, because her partner thinks I secretly want to date my best friend. It's all just really annoying and I'm pretty over the whirlwind of happy-fight-im done with this person-everything forgiven back to happy.

So I've told my best friend I don't really want to hang out when the two of them are together because I'm tired of being a constant third wheel and I'm also tired of being around/hearing about all their arguments. My best friend was not happy about this. She said I was being wack and acting weird, and that I'm making both her and her partner feel weird. I asked her to explain what exactly I was doing that was making things weird (genuinely don't understand) and she didn't or couldn't give me a solid answer.

I don't think I'm the asshole because why do I have to be subjected to this level of drama or get sexiled from my own damn living room, but I might be the asshole bc it would be good to be there for my best friend when she's dealing with her relationship issues, and I do want to be friends with her partner but best friend will kind of give me crap for trying to hang out with her partner if the two of them are in a spat.

[lacktastrophe]

Seeing the beginning of the latest chapter made me think of something regarding Confrontation. So far, only Lucy has suffered from recurring PTSD from that chapter while Daisy recalled enough to understand that Augustus was linked to Alejandro in some way. As far as what I can recall from memory, the trauma from Confrontation carried on in two characters. (1/2)

This one came in a few weeks ago and I hadn't really been on Tumblr in a while, sorry Anon. Between a bad headspace and distracted it's been hard to concentrate on BCB these last few weeks.

I feel like so far; it's just Lucy, so far. Daisy has been through some traumatic events through chapter's like "Love my Way" and "Confrontation" but I'm not ready to accept that it was ptsd back when she figured Augustus out, she dealt with that like a champ without appearing like there was negative consequence. But with the way appearances have been in this comic recently, she utterly could have some sort of behaviour pattern we're just thinking is part of her character. It's really hard right now to nail down if particular behaviour traits link back to Confrontation. I feel the only real way to tell for sure is to have the story hold a magnifying glass like in the current chapter.

But I think that's something we might see in future chapters, because if it could appear like the kids could get over an evening like Confrontation without much issue (as we saw at the end of that chapter), only for Lucy to find a trigger point years later, it really is a question if they too have similar trigger points that they have stepped on/will step on, or whether they have and it's become part of their character, because we've seen some interesting decisions from them from time to time.

But yeah, I really can't say for certain, i can only really speculate that maybe we had been? But there's very little hard evidence.

But I've wonderrred~

I honestly have been wondering if the characters have been dealing with some form of ptsd from that evening all this time, but it's not at all obvious and it's been going on unnoticed as if it's been part of their character, or even reinforcing particular traits we've already seen. With the way the story's written it's pretty hard to nail down something unless there's a point where there is a magnifying glass over it, some frames and actions might carry multiple meanings, or at least a deceptive one. We've needed to wait until Lucy had properly come back to really learn there had been consequences, so now if it's true for the others, it's time to link up behaviours.

But regarding deception, kind of like these frames! I had originally read this thinking the marks in Lucy's palms were a ptsd response from an earlier point where she had remembered being involved in a car crash when Sam, her older brother, drove her one time. But that doesn't make sense when you think about it, because ptsd happens when there's something there that elicits it -- they're far from his car and they've just been walking -- the ptsd response is originating from Paulo's presence.

I'm starting to wonder if Daisy's sudden exit from the events in Date Night might've have been something similar, that subtle behavioural pattern we are looking for. In all likelihood this page just exists that to show yet again Daisy was unable to find the means to confess or keep Paulo's attention. The last couple of chapters have been making a few running gags about how she has managed to become a bit of the third wheel between Paulo and David (or I guess the 5th wheel when they all stumbled upon James and Mike). But Daisy's sudden exit and the last page of that chapters makes me wonder if there might be something more going on.

C'mon Daisy, you used to be EVERYWHERE when you were pining over Mike, but you can't do the same for Paulo C'MON....

It's a pretty big stretch -- and we're alllllll very much aware of Daisy's self-esteem, self-confidence issues and her struggles when it comes to admitting her interest in Paulo when he's gone after so many other women. Having her dip in moments like these is something different. It's like the energy she usually exerts just...disappears, it's weird she can't exist in the same capacity she did to Mike like in the very early parts of the story too. Is it still there or did that just disappear into the wind? Because there is this sense of powerlessness in Daisy these days? Does it go back to that same night where she was similarly way out of her own league and unable to do anything?

And (and this is a fucking huuuuuge streeeeetch) but I keep thinking back to Double Down and wondering whether maybe Paulo making a second ditch attempt to try and appeal to Lucy made me wonder if something from Confrontation could be involved with his constant need to chase Lucy.

Paulo x Lucy died on 7/7/17 in everyone's favourite chapter After You where Paulo had finally been able to ask Lucy the question, and she pretty much destroyed him by telling him there was no love, she used him and frankly he never had a chance. After that chapter and in Double Down we thought they were very much done. We thought Paulo had moved on.

.....Christ, Paulo really doesn't know how much he's fucking up already. No wonder Lucy dug her claws into her palms.

A little later in the same chapter, we see a vain attempt by Paulo's to try and assure Lucy to get her to open up again, kind of like how he became a shoulder in...well, Another shoulder. This is made under the guise of hoping that Lucy will return to the lunch table and resume being a friend, but in later pages, while it's possible it was honest, when the question of relationships comes up, or at least the status, we start seeing a change.

What happens after is Paulo suddenly turning extremely petty and aggressively competitive.

It's not uncommon to see Paulo resorting to some childish shit like he would in an early chapter of BCB, but such flippant moment like this one where one moment Paulo appears grounded -- ready to move mountains in accommodating her and getting her to open up more like she did years ago -- only to suddenly shift into what feels like similar behaviour from middleschool -- where things are almost a game in getting the attraction and attention of Lucy particularly when there's a rival, like Mike, or Augustus in this case.

And this moment could well just be another case of -- another day, another occasion of Paulo being a fucking idiot. We're all very much aware of his image and him always resorting to faking for his insecurities and how he tends to belittles others he doesn't like. We've seen this before recently too in chapter's like Time Out just to maintain this idea, where Paulo is admonished by his peers for acting immaturely towards Abbey, and then later losing his cool against him. Things are looking pretty normal here!

But I'm wondering if we should this time? Getting slapped in the face sure would suck, but Volume 1 (or do I just say early Omnibus these days?) Paulo lived for it -- He's a strange creature that sees getting struck in the face worth it because the attention is the payoff. But it doesn't happen this time; it slaps him out of whatever's currently going on and we see a tantrum mixed in with some actual remorse. The tantrum is understandable, it's further reinforcement he just does not have a chance with her. However Paulo admitting how badly he fucked up this time around makes you wonder if there's something more going on than just this jealousy we perceive, where Augustus has filled in what would've been his place had he not severely fucked things up with her trust back in back and forth.

Paulo blames his pride for storming off but is his pride really the issue like he claims?

I feel like similarly with Paulo's antics, we also feel like we might be familiar with his pride. But there had been moments where Paulo's pride had been tested, and it's...different from what you'd expect. There are moments where how we think he would react, he doesn't?

I'd think it would be a pretty normal response for you to be pissed off if you found you were used by the person you thought was reciprocating your feelings. It's demoralizing and degrading thing, but in Paulo's case, despite how his pride might be at the forefront, it takes a backseat here especially when it's obvious he becomes offended.

...But nevermind why won't you be my girlfriend?

What absolutely kills me is that Paulo just wants off the ride from that point but doesn't ask why she doesn't want to. It's possible he is just too upset and wants off the ride but he's also okay with just being bullied into going to Daisy's party, almost like she's calling a favour. Paulo chooses a weird time to be accommodating, like thanks for destroying my heart Lucy but yes I'll do what you say.

He should definitely go to the party though, so thanks Lucy.

Paulo might end up just being a simp who can't stop cute girls from bullying him like we see at the end of that chapter. We've come to agree with this over years of the comic, it's what we expect. But where's the real limit for Paulo's pride here when it comes to girls and when he's gone through enough pain and humiliation?

And then we get to one of the more recent pages, and despite EVERYTHING that has happened to this man from this woman, he's like this.

HE STILL THINKS HE HAS A CHANCE? SHE BROKE YOUR HEART TWICE AND YOU'RE BACK FOR A THIRD?

I get Paulo is not giving up and trying his best to be accomodating, but how much abuse can the man keep taking? How can you be like this despite being used?

I have faith in Veronica's storytelling. If she can just whip out Lucy's recurring nightmare in our faces so suddenly and that explains all of Lucy's behaviour between December to the recent chapter, then I feel like there has got to be something else that's planned going on here with Paulo. I am still absolutely preparred for the day where he really just is this pushover simp, but every part of me is screaming that there might be something else going on here, because jesus christ, this man...

That leaves the question of what, then? You do have to wonder whether he really did get off scott-free after that evening like what it initially appeared, it's very easy for Paulo to push things to the back of his mind and fake things out as we've seen with most times in the past. But did his pride let this slide as easy as it appeared? It doesn't take much for Paulo taking offense when being slighted by women, like Tess when she thought Paulo couldn't reach the level she wanted in a relationship despite everything he tried. Would it have been just as easy for Paulo to move on from being mostly incapacitated from a barkphobia and a beat down. He showed a lot of bravado that night but it didn't amount to much, so, you really have to wonder.

After that evening is Paulo doing some magic work with Daisy explaining that everyone has particular strengths. I'm pretty sure this was enough to help her get over that evening, but it's all things amazing coming from him despite the beatdown he received, but we do have to wonder if he was able to take his own advice because man there are fights he just isn't capable of winning, Lucy is just one of them. Did he really come out scott-free too?

So I wonder if that's it. Paulo might be not be giving up on Lucy, and appearing accommodating because he does care and hurt to hear she attempted suicide. But maybe Paulo's unable to let go for another reason, the chance for a relationship with Lucy is just not going away and he needs that, but why can't he just move on despite all the bad she's admitted?

Could we link it back to Confrontation? Could it be that Lucy trying to protect them (or at least just Mike) rubbed off on him some way given his mother walked out on him and the next best support he has is Daisy, maybe Lucy is a stronger rolemodel? So he's willing to forgive that so long as he has that assurance, perhaps?

Thrill of the chase used to mean something else, but that term's come up again, and while it meant Paulo treating her like an achievement, you have to wonder if there's a different meaning this time.

Well, we can only speculate. I'm thinking similar to Daisy, if there is something going on here, it's very subtle and likely already become part of their character. it's going to be as long running and likely as subtle and it's causing Paulo's to go back to chasing Lucy around like he used to, at least it feels that way.

Sue's a bit of an unknown given she doesn't have as much screentime. But I had always wondered if her continued insistence at being/trying to be a leader (Helloooooo Critical Hit) is just more than just something she does given it was in Confrontation where we saw her initiating attempts to find a way home and, well trying to mitigate Alejandro and try to defend Paulo throughout the end of that chapter. We haven't really ever seen Sue involved in a subservient role (I'm assuming she is definitely running their little MMO game) so I really wonder if there's something there in making up for not being as effective a leader and wrangling everyone to work together like she could in Confrontation.

At the same time I'm honestly embracing a wildcard surprise like Sue's mother likely enrolled her in therapy and it just....mitigated the issue.

But yeah, I have no answers.

[noosayog]

[Seventh Wheeling] ft. Isagi and co.

wc: 1.5K

warnings/content: when Isagi's teammates crash your movie night, who's to say who's the third -- or seventh -- wheel. reader is shorter than Isagi

You weren't sure what to expect when Isagi invited you to watch a movie at his place. A part was hoping he was asking you on a date, but when you showed up at his door that Friday night, the grinning faces of his Blue Lock friends greeted you. You hear Isagi yelling at them to get out of the way. He pushes through the wall of athletes and greets you sheepishly.

"Hey, sorry," he begins. "They all kind of invited themselves over when I mentioned I had plans tonight."

"I was dragged here," the tallest, spikey haired one, who you later learn is named Barou, grunts.

You smile good-naturedly and wave off Isagi's concerns, introducing yourself to the boys. When they do the same, they're all familiar names you've heard from Isagi's stories. After introductions, they herd you into the living room where there's a couch, a loveseat, and table with snacks set up to face the TV screen. The group all begin to rush towards their desired seats. You're swept away as the boys shoulder their way to the couches.

In the midst of the chaos, you find yourself squashed between Isagi and the armrest of the loveseat with Nagi pushing his way to Isagi's other side.

"Nagi! This seat is only big enough for two people." Isagi scolds Nagi.

"I wanna sit next to you, though," Nagi responds lazily, further snuggling into his position and forcing Isagi to adjust and push his shoulders into yours.

"Sorry about Nagi," Isagi turns to you. "Are you good? Do you want to move?"

"No room anywhere else," Chigiri grins with a glint in his eye when he eyes the space between you and Isagi. He elbows some space where he's squished between the huge bodies of Barou, Kunigami, and Reo.

"I'll switch with you!" Reo calls out.

"You just wanna sit next to Nagi!"

"That's enough moving," Barou reprimands the group. "We'll never get started at this rate."

"I'm okay. Thanks," you reassure Isagi. "So what are we watching?" addressing the rest of the group.

"The Grudge," Chigiri grins evilly.

You swivel over to Isagi with wide eyes. "Wait, horror?"

"We can watch something else," he offers.

"No way," Kunigami says. "It took ages to decide already."

"You all weren't even invited!"

Ignoring him, Kunigami snatching the remote and hitting play. Isagi turns to you to apologize but you shake your head and steel your nerves to suffer through the movie.

As the intensity of the movie escalates, you find your fists clenching tighter and tighter into the armrest of the couch. When you suddenly hear a deep heaving breath near your ears, you jump a bit, only to realized it was Nagi snoring. Your body is trembling as you watch the others on the couch laughing and pointing at Nagi's slumped form. They all seem to be enjoying the experience, but Isagi pushes forward to block off your view of them.

"You good?"

You breathe out shakily and nod.

That's when a scream rings out from the TV and you let out a little screech.

"Sorry," you squeak. "I'm no good with horror flicks."

Isagi smile reassuringly. "It's okay," he says and you can feel his warm breath on your ears. He tentatively wraps an arm around your shoulder. "This okay?"

You can feel your pulse working double time in your veins, but you're not sure if it's from the jump scare or Isagi's touch. When another scream comes from the screen you turn your body away from the screen to push your face into Isagi's neck and he takes the hint by covering your ears with his hands, leaning forward to allow you to press your entire torso closer to his. Your eyes are shut so tightly you can see stars behind your lids. You're so focused on Isagi mumbling soothing reassurances into your covered ears, that you don't notice the rest of the group making kissy faces at Isagi and one by one retreating to who-knows-where.

Suddenly, Isagi's hands are gone and your cheeks are left cold.

"No!" you protest, clinging tightly to his shirt and pressing your shut eyes further into his chest.

"Hey, hey," he gently pries your fist off his shirt. "It's okay. Movie's done."

You open your eyes and realize that the TV screen is back to the selection page and all the previously occupied seats in the living room were vacant.

"Where… where did everyone go?" you ask, looking around in confusion.

"They all left to go watch the movie somewhere else because they felt bad after seeing how scared you were," Isagi says. "They're sorry. Me too. Sorry they're such a pushy bunch. They're good people, I promise."

"It's okay. I like them, really." you smile.

"And I'm sorry they ruined what was supposed to be our movie night."

Your heart, now calm, picks up its rate again.

"It's okay," you repeat, now self-conscious of how close you are and shifting backwards to push your back into the armrest.

At this, he frowns, but respond by moving back to give you some space. When he blinks away from you, he asks, "did you want me to walk you home?"

Wait, what just happened.

That's when you hear a cough in the back that sounds suspiciously like Chigiri saying, "stupid Isagi."

"Umm…" you look over Isagi's shoulder to see the group of large men huddled behind the kitchen counter, watching the two of you, shushing each other, and occasionally punching each other in the shoulder. You giggle. "What's going on here?" you address Isagi.

Isagi sighs and tell them to come out and join the two of you. They explain that they didn't realize Isagi was going to have company so invited themselves over to hang out only to find out Isagi was serious about having plans. Their apologetic expressions turn to smug ones when they explain that to make up for crashing your plans, they were going to set the two of you up, Reo chiming in that he didn't really care and only came because Nagi was coming and Barou once again claiming he was dragged here against his will.

The whole thing is just so silly that you burst out laughing. You reassure all of them that you really enjoyed meeting them and don’t mind at all hanging out again. With plans with get lunch altogether soon, you stand up, glancing at Isagi. "I would love for you to walk me home."

"Wait," Kunigami says. "We're all heading out, so you should stay and continue your plans." He emphasizes plans like it's another word.

"Nah," you smile. "Shall we go?" you say to Isagi.

You bid your goodbyes to the silly group of athletes and follow Isagi out the door.

On the way to your apartment, Isagi hangs a couple of steps behind you, uncharacteristically quiet. He remains that way the entire walk and when you arrive at your door, you turn around to see him looking at you with a dejected expression.

"What's wrong?" you ask.

"I'm just sorry, again, for ruining this," he gestures vaguely at air.

You cock your head to the side. "I meant it when I said I had fun tonight. You didn't ruin anything."

He sighs. "I meant for this to be date."

Your eyes widen. "That wasn't just your friends teasing?"

He shakes his head, shoulders hunched over in an admittedly adorable, puppy-like fashion.

You laugh a bit and move to cradle his face to meet your eyes. "So that was supposed to be a date?"

"Until it got crashed."

"Well, I don't think it was a waste. I got to meet your friends that you always talk about."

"They won't be my friends after this," he mumbles darkly.

"Aww, don’t say that. I'm friends with them too, now."

He scoffs.

"Hey," you say. He turns his attention back to you. "The night doesn't have to be over you know."

"What?"

"We could still go on a date now."

"Nothing is open now. Exception for maybe the convenience store, or an internet café, or…" he rambles.

"I could use a late night ramen," you offer.

He shuts up and nods seriously. "Okay, then. Let's go on a date."

Taking his offered hand, you surprise him by pulling him so that he's sandwiching you between his body and your front door. His hands come up by your head to steady himself and you smile up at him.

"By the way," you start cheekily. "It's true that I'm no good with horror, but I wouldn't have done that with just anyone."

"Oh," he responds distractedly, eyes darting down to your lips. "Can I?"

You like the silly part of Isagi that his friends bring out, but you also like the him that puts your wants and needs first. The way he makes you feel cared for.

"Well, this whole night has been a little out of order already, so what's another thing," you say breezily. With a burst of confidence, you lean in to meet him halfway.

The ramen shop was closed when the two of you arrive hand in hand but it's all the same when you pivot to the nearest convenience store with him. And well, it goes without saying, but the convenience store date is a success as well.

[hairstevington]

flowers and ink (part 3)

Eddie Munson x Steve Harrington

Summary: Eddie makes up an excuse to get closer to Steve, and it works...eventually! Part one, part two

Word count: 2.5K

Warnings: Tattoo Artist!Eddie/Florist!Steve, platonic soulmates Robin and Steve, Eddie thinks they're dating, miscommunication trope but it's resolved by the end, THEY ARE IDIOTS YOUR HONOR, Steve is a sweetheart, the fluffiest of fluff

A/N: This was originally supposed to be the "ending," but I might end up continuing it if people are interested in seeing where it goes - either here or on Ao3! Otherwise, I do have more Steddie content coming soon no matter what. At this point I'm in too deep to quit. Thanks all!

Eddie scanned the room in search of any sort of inspiration. 

“Sure, what’s up?” Steve asked, nonchalant. 

Flowers. There were just flowers everywhere. That’s all Eddie had to go on. Okay, flowers it is.

“So, this woman came by the other day and she wants this whole sleeve of flowers, right? But, like, I don’t do flowers very often. So I’m gonna practice drawing flowers a lot these next few weeks while I’m nailing down the design, and I guess I, uhhhh, was thinking maybe I could look around here and take some notes or something?”

Lies. All of it. LIES. 

“Yeah, that’s fine,” Steve said. “You can hang around here as long as you want. Or, until we close, anyway.”

“Which is in fifteen minutes,” Robin reminded her coworker. 

“Oh. Shit, yeah,” Steve chuckled. “You can hang around for fifteen minutes, then.” Eddie smiled and nodded. 

“I’ll take it.”

Then, of course, Eddie had to walk around and examine the flowers as if he actually gave a shit about them, which he didn’t. He was far more interested in the man behind the counter, but whatever. This would do. 

He had fifteen minutes to figure out what he was going to do at closing time. Maybe, if he played his cards right, he could get an invite to hang out with them after. Although, did he really want to be a third wheel? Was all of this just pathetic?

Probably. 

“Hold on, your hair is still a little messed up,” Steve said to Robin. They both giggled softly, and Eddie rolled his eyes. 

Definitely pathetic. Eddie drifted farther into the back so he couldn’t hear them whispering to each other anymore. 

Flowers were nice. Eddie didn’t have anything against them, he just wasn’t drawn to them like a lot of people seemed to be. They were a bit too pretty for his taste. Too delicate. He took a couple pictures (to really sell his bullshit cover story), and before he knew it, it was closing time. 

Eddie walked back up to the front to join Steve and Robin, ready to say the line he’d been preparing the last fourteen and a half minutes. Is it cool if I drop by tomorrow to keep looking around?

Steve spoke before Eddie could ask his question, stunning him momentarily. 

“Hey, so I was thinking if any more questions come up, you could just text me. You know, if you want.”

-

“Hold on, your hair is still a little messed up.”

“Oh my god, fix it!”

“I’m trying! Stay still!” 

Steve brushed through Robin’s hair with his fingers, smoothing down the strands that were sticking out. He caught her looking at him, then glancing in Eddie’s direction, then back at him. 

“Whatever you’re about to say, don’t,” Steve warned. 

“He came here for you,” she whispered to Steve. “With lotion!”

“We were just talking about it at the shop earlier,” Steve dismissed. “He probably is just making fun of me for using the wrong kind.”

“Don’t be an idiot,” Robin muttered. “He likes you.”

“Shh!” Steve’s eyes went wide. Eddie wasn’t that far away, even though they were speaking quietly. Suddenly, Steve remembered what he’d learned about Eddie, and that he hadn’t told Robin yet. “Okay, look. Maybe you’re right.”

“I am,” she insisted.

“Fine,” Steve conceded. “So, he told me that -” Steve stopped himself and looked around the room to double check that Eddie was as far from them as possible. He went the charade route anyway. 

Steve looked at her intensely until she was completely focused. He pointed vaguely in the direction of where Eddie went, and then used the same hand to flip his wrist downwards with an emphatic nod. Robin’s eyes went wide. 

“Shut up,” she said. “Confirmed?”

“Out, proud, and mentoring the youth,” Steve replied. “Oh, and Will Byers was there.”

“What?!” 

“Shh!” 

Robin collected herself again so she could resume whispering. 

“You need to ask him out.” Her voice was barely audible now. 

“I don’t know how.”

“You’ve done it a bazillion times, Dingus,” she reminded him. “What makes this any different?”

“I don’t know!” Steve admitted with a shrug. “He’s so much cooler and smarter than me, and it’s, like, really intimidating.”

“Steve, we have to work on your self confidence,” Robin sighed. 

“You tease me all the goddamn time, Buckley.”

“I’m allowed,” she said. “You’re not.” Steve rolled his eyes but accepted the feedback. 

“I’ll do it, okay?”

He knew he needed to sound casual about it, in case he was reading it wrong. Just because Eddie was gay didn’t mean he was interested. But! If they talked more, Steve could flirt a little and then know for sure. 

So, when Eddie came back at 5pm, Steve took the leap. 

“Hey, so I was thinking if any more questions come up, you could just text me.” Steve watched Eddie freeze, and Steve had no idea what to do with that. He backtracked immediately. “You know, if you want.”

“Yeah, sure,” Eddie responded after a few moments. Steve wasn’t sure how to read Eddie’s hesitation.

“Cool,” Steve responded. He could practically feel Robin’s judgment from a few feet away, even without looking at her. He snapped himself out of his trance and grabbed a pen and one of the Flowers for All business cards, then flipped it over on the counter to the blank side. 

“You could just -” Eddie said, holding his phone up. “Use this, you know.”

“Oh, duh,” Steve said, mentally kicking himself. He took Eddie’s phone and put his number in, then handed it back. “There you go.”

“Thanks,” Eddie responded. Steve figured if Eddie wasn’t interested, he just wouldn’t reach out. No harm done. “Have a good rest of your night, guys.”

“We will,” Robin answered, knowing that Steve was obviously incapable of acting normal. “Stop by any time, okay?”

“Okay, thanks,” Eddie repeated. He did a small wave and then left the store with nothing but the residual jingle from the bell above the door. 

Steve immediately slunk to the floor and sat against the wall. 

“Not one word,” he said. 

“That was painful.”

“That was three words.”

“You didn’t ask him out!”

“Yeah, well I’m getting there! I got his number, didn’t I?”

“Barely!” she replied with a laugh. “But he’s totally into you. I can tell.”

“Oh yeah? How?”

“Because he came here with lotion and then stuck around to look at flowers when the internet exists,” Robin explained. 

Huh. She has a point.

“Fair enough,” Steve sighed. “I guess now we just wait and see if you’re right.”

-

Eddie was obviously going to text Steve, but he had no idea what to say. He really dug himself into a hole with the flower research thing. 

Also, what the fuck was that about? What flower-related questions could Eddie possibly have? Why would Eddie text Steve for flower advice when the internet exists? What does flower advice even mean? He typed out his first draft -

Hi, it’s Eddie. Thanks for helping me out :) 

Ok, boring. He tried again. 

Hi, it’s Eddie. Texting so you have my number too

Could be better. 

What’s your favorite flower?

Oh god! No! Delete! Delete!

This was hopeless.

-

“He hasn’t texted yet,” Steve whined.

“It’s only been three hours,” Robin replied. 

They were doing their post-shift hang out, like usual. They had some stupid reality TV show on in the background that both of them hated but for some reason loved watching together. 

“It’s felt like twelve,” Steve groaned, throwing his head back against the couch. 

“It’s felt like a hundred for me, with you constantly complaining about it,” Robin responded, shoving him lightly. 

“Hey, this was your doing, alright?” Steve shot back, smirking. “He’s not interested, and that’s okay.” He was trying to convince himself more than anything. 

“Patience, grasshopper,” Robin assured him. “Don’t lose hope yet.”

Steve’s phone buzzed on the table. They both lunged for it, desperately checking the notification. 

A text from an unknown number. 

Am I allowed to ask you questions that aren’t about flowers?

“Robin, I love you.”

-

Sure, what do you wanna know? 🙂

Okay, now we’re getting somewhere. Eddie sat down and pondered what question he should ask first. 

Why frog and toad?

Eddie was far more comfortable talking about tattoos. Steve responded -

Just seemed right, I guess.

Ugh, okay. Eddie forgot he sucked at texting. 

Do you regret it?

He waited a minute or two until his phone lit up again. 

No, not at all. We love it. 

Eddie sighed. He didn’t know what to say next. 

I’m not good at the text thing

Steve’s response showed up moments later. 

Guess you’ll have to come visit us again then ;) 

Okay, well that works.

-

Eddie showed up the next day on one of his breaks, pretended to look at some more flowers as if they’d changed from the day before, and then struck up a conversation with Steve about tattoos. Then, he dropped by on another break a few days later, skipping the flower part completely and jumping straight into talking about music. 

“So, how’s the flower design going?” Steve asked after their discussion died down. 

“It’s good,” Eddie said. “I’m just not really a flowers guy, is all.” Steve gasped and pretended to be shocked. 

“You? Not into flowers??” Eddie chuckled. “I didn’t think I was either, but I actually love it here. Maybe if you keep coming by you’ll change your tune.”

“Yeahhhh, I’m not so sure about that,” Eddie replied. 

“Oh, I am,” Steve challenged playfully. “There’s a flower for everyone - that’s literally why this place is called Flowers for All.”

“Oh god,” Eddie teased. “This isn’t gonna become a thing where you try to get me to like flowers, is it?” Steve smirked and bent down so his forearms rested on the counter. 

“Hey, man. You got me into tattoos, I’m just returning the favor.”

Eddie rolled his eyes. Yeah, it was cute, but he knew that it was a doomed mission. 

Steve tried anyway. Each day, when Eddie showed up for work, a new flower was left at the front door. 

First, it was a daisy. 

Steve: Well?

Eddie: It's pretty. I'm not a huge fan of yellow tho

Steve: Noted

On day two, a carnation.

Eddie: are you trying to take me to prom?

Steve: maybe (just kidding we missed it)

Eddie: lmao

Then, there was a succulent. 

Eddie: I actually really like this one

Steve: Success!

Eddie thought that would be the end of it. But then, on the fourth day, a gardenia was at the door. 

Eddie: more???

Steve: are you a flower guy yet?

Eddie: No, but I’m running out of room on my desk

Steve: Better get another desk then

At this point, Eddie thought for sure Steve was messing with him. Maybe that’s all this ever was. Robin kept saying over and over how bored they were at work, and Eddie was their current source of entertainment. 

He gave the flowers to Bob - except the succulent, for obvious reasons. Eddie named him Sonic.

On day 5, Eddie found a red rose dipped in black ink on his desk. Bob had apparently already let Steve in to set it up. Eddie would have groaned in frustration, except the stupid thing was actually extremely badass. Like, he thought it was so cool he was sad it was going to wilt eventually.

Fuck. This had to stop. 

Eddie marched into Flowers for All, rose in hand, ready to tell Steve that he didn’t just want to be some project for the happy couple. 

“Heyyy, look who’s here!” Steve greeted him as he walked in. Steve’s face fell when he noticed Eddie holding the rose. “Uh-oh, you hated this one so much you’re returning it? I really thought -”

“I didn’t hate it, I love it. It's - I mean, it's perfect.”

“Okay,” Steve said, hopping off the counter. “So, why do you look angry at me?”

“Are you guys making fun of me or something?” Eddie asked. No time for small talk. No beating around the bush. They’d been tip-toeing around this for over a week now. 

“What?” Steve asked, genuinely shocked. “Dude, no. I - shit, okay. No, I’m not making fun of you, I’m trying to flirt with you. Guess I’ve lost my touch.” Steve put a hand to the back of his neck and grimaced nervously. 

“Flirt with me?” Now Eddie was the shocked one. “So, you’re not dating Robin?”

Steve burst out laughing.

“Robin? My platonic lesbian best friend Robin?”

Eddie’s head was spinning. 

“Platonic?” he echoed. “After the way you two tumbled out of the back room all flustered and shit the first time I came in?”

“That’s absolutely not what you think it was,” Steve said. 

“Then what was it?”

“It was - okay, well first of all, I was flustered because you came in. And Robin and I were back there because her hair somehow got tangled in a watering can and she needed my help.”

It sounded like a lie, but it would have been the most random lie ever created.

“Jesus, how did that even happen?” Eddie wondered, amused.

“Robin has zero coordination,” Steve responded. “It’s part of her charm.” Eddie nodded, processing all of this.

“Okay, so you’re not dating Robin,” he said.

“No.”

“And you’ve been flirting with me.”

“Yes.”

“Completely genuinely, like not as a joke?” Steve chuckled.

“Eddie, I tipped you like a full day's worth of pay for our tattoo,” he reminded him. “If I was joking, I’d have to be stupidly committed to the bit.”

Okay, well that was…fair.

“Oh,” Eddie replied. Wow. I really am an idiot.

“Yeah,” Steve said. There was a moment where they both just kinda stared at each other, and then Eddie broke the silence.

“You do realize I’ve been flirting with you too, right?” he asked. Steve just stared at him blankly. “Okay, from the way you’re looking at me I’m gonna go with no on that one.”

“I mean, I was hoping you were-”

“I am.”

“Great.”

“Cool.”

“So, we should go out then.”

“Yeah, that seems like a logical next step.”

They smiled at each other, basking in the absurdity, and then suddenly a piercing voice came from Steve’s phone on the counter.

“FINALLY.”

“Wait, is that Robin?” Eddie asked, pointing at the phone.

“Oh, yeah,” Steve responded. “I was talking to her when you came in.”

Eddie shook his head and laughed.

Well, at least they were both idiots.

(part 4)

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[frazzledsoul]

It's generally left out in the annals of bad behavior/infidelity in the Gilmore Girls canon, but I just want to review the details of Lorelai's "situationship" with Twilight Dad in season 3 when she is in the midst of lecturing Jess and Rory on proper boyfriend/girlfriend etiquette.

Lorelai meets Alex (aka Twilight Dad) on 3.11, which aired on January 21. She and Alex are third wheels when Sookie meets up with an old friend and accidentally sets up a date with him (this takes place during the episode where Rory and Paris fence and have intense sexual tension). I think he asks her out during this episode.

One week later, on 3.12 (airing on February 28) Lorelai and Alex have a coffee date. They discuss the coffee shop he's opening and his two kids who he shares custody with his ex. He suggests a fishing date, and Lorelai ropes Luke into teaching her how to fish. Bear in mind that she has known Luke has crushed on her for the better part of two years.

Anyway, after this incident, Luke decides to give up on Lorelai and asks Nicole out.

The next episode is 3.13, which is the flashback episode. It airs on February 4. This is Luke and Nicole's first date. Nicole definitely does not spend the night.

3.14 airs on February 11. This is Swan Song, where Lorelai is antsy about Rory and Jess possibly fucking, he gets beaked in the eye by the ghost of Shane, they fight, and at the end of the episode Alexis makes a way too realistic moan into Milo's mouth and Rory goes home and tells Lorelai that she's totally going to do Jess at some point.

So Alex and Lorelai have been going out for three weeks, and they decide to go away together with Sookie and Jackson. Sounds kind of serious. It's also mentioned in this episode that in the one week he's been dating Nicole Luke has been on a bunch of overnight trips to New York and seen a bunch of Broadway plays with his girlfriend. I guess we're supposed to assume there's a time jump here because there's no way he did all that within a week.

I'll also point out here that even though Luke mentions he interrupts Rory and Jess every ten minutes so they don't get around to having sex, if he's also making overnight trips to New York they're probably being left alone in the apartment at night quite a bit. Pair that with the offscreen "movie nights" we hear about later and yeah, uh, I think we can figure out what is taking place because no way is that going on in Lorelai's house unless it's also happening while she's out with Alex.

3.15 is February 18, the hockey episode. Jess doesn't call Rory to arrange a date and Lorelai lectures him on his terrible boyfriend behavior. Then he shows up with hickey tickets (and then some!) and I'm guessing Rory's virginity became fairly technical in the car afterwards.

3.16 is the episode where Paris is rejected from Harvard, which airs on February 25. Lorelai is delighted to know that Rory has not actually had sex and that she has "the good kid". She also makes out with Max and then tells Rory all about it and when Rory asks about poor Twilight Dad, Lorelai says "I don't know." I'm thinking you really should not be giving lectures on morality and proper relationship etiquette, hon. Also two weeks ago the relationship was serious enough to include an overnight weekend, but now it doesn't matter? Huh.

So let's skip ahead to Keg. Max, which is three episodes and two months later, which airs on April 25. I'm assuming there actually was a time jump between Luke and Nicole's first date and the swan episode and these episodes actually took place much closer together than they aired, as there's a lot of stuff going on with Luke finding out Jess is skipping school, steals his car to force him to go, and Jess finally being told he isn't graduating that seems like it would take place much closer in time. Anyway, it seems that Lorelai concludes that her relationship with Twilight Dad is over, because "it's become more intermittent". Does she call him and ask them if their relationship is over? I think we all know the answer to that one. Lorelai tries to push herself on Max after he says no and acts like she's the one that's been affronted when he shoves a table between them. I think there was supposed to be a parallel between Lorelai and Jess crossing boundaries in this episode, although I'm not sure why Lorelai did what she did for any reason other than she felt like it.

I really feel someone who behaves in this manner should not be lecturing her teenage daughter or her boyfriend about what a real relationship looks like, nor should she be evaluating who or who isn't "the good kid" based on what she's been doing. It appears Alex was just cheated on and dropped without explanation as the relationship was getting serious. Rory was fully aware of what was happening and further got the message that it is okay to do this sort of thing if an ex boyfriend enters the picture because if he was yours first, it's okay to cheat with him whenever you feel like it. I'm sure that's not something she's going to take to heart or anything.

Anyway, fair well Twilight Dad. I'm sure you'll have more interesting adventures in the PNW from now on.

[teamrocket9]

I've been binging Pitch Meeting videos so now I have to write a pitch meeting for one of my fics, sorry, that's how my brain works.

*A prince to forget a princess Pitch Meeting*

ao3: so you have a fanfic for me?

me: yes sir I do. It's called "A prince to forget a princess".

ao3: oooh and what's that about?

me: well this is a Mario Movie fic, and in that movie it was established that Bowser is in love with princess Peach, right? So I kinda have to make him get over her.

ao3: i get it, and who's going to be this prince Bowser falls for in the fic?

me: Luigi

ao3: but Luigi is not a prince

me: oh I know

ao3: but then why the title?

me: because I like how it sounds

ao3: well okay then

me: so anyway this starts some time after the movie ended and Mario and Peach are dating now. And Luigi is very happy for them but he's also like "huh I better find more friends if I don't want to be third wheeling all the time"

ao3: understandable. So who does he talk to?

me: Bowser

ao3: the monster that threw him into a cage and almost killed him? Why would Luigi do that?

me: because I ship them

ao3: that works

me: so Bowser is in jail and he's very bored and lonely so he tells Luigi to keep coming to see him and that's how they'll end up spending time together. And then one day Daisy is going to show up!

ao3: she's from the games!!

me: she is sir. And she's Luigi's most obvious love interest so we're going to mention how they'd make a good couple but then it's going to be revealed that Daisy is actually a lesbian here.

ao3: nice. So we're going to have a lesbian character as the main character's best friend just to support him but never to be the main character herself, I hope that's not like a trend or anything

me: yeah me too

ao3: so what else is going to happen?

me: well Bowser is going to escape the prison!

ao3: oh no

me: and he's going to kidnap Luigi!

ao3: oh no, i bet it's going to be difficult for Luigi to escape from Bowser

me: actually it's going to be super easy, barely an inconvenience

ao3: oh really?

me: yeah, Bowser is just going to release him immediately

ao3: why?

me: well because he wants to be good now. You see he's already paid his time in jail so he's going to improve as a person and be better now

ao3: but why would he want that? I mean, it didn't seem like the Mushroom Kingdom had any kind of reintegration program, they just shoved him in a tiny cage without even a bathroom and left him there to rot, I feel like Bowser would want to get revenge

me: listen sir I'm gonna need you to get all the way off of my back about that

ao3: oh sorry let me get off of that thing

me: thank you. So all these kingdom leaders start asking Bowser for compensations for the war he started, and they're all going to communicate with Bowser only through Luigi as an ambassador

ao3: why?

me: because I need the fanfic to happen. So then one of the things Peach asks him for is to stop pursuing her in marriage, she's done, she wants him to leave her alone

ao3: understandable

me: yeah but Bowser is going to be very sad about it so Luigi is going to smooch him!

ao3: wait what

me: yeah they're going to fully make out over Bowser's piano

ao3: oh my god. Isn't this still the monster that tried to kill him? Why would Luigi do that?

me: well you see, I saw the movie trailer and it completely changed the chemistry of my brain forever so now I can't ever be convinced that they're not at least a little horny for each other

ao3: oh okay, that makes sense

me: yeah yeah yeah. And then Luigi's going to decide to keep that a secret because it was probably just a one time thing

ao3: i'm guessing it's not a one time thing

me: it's not. And then Daisy is going to find out by randomly commenting how crazy it would be if Luigi and Bowser kissed and Luigi is going to get so flustered that he's going to give it away

ao3: but why would she say that out of nowhere?

me: because i wanted her to know. So now she knows and she's going to constantly fluster Luigi with her inappropriate questions

ao3: oh wow wow wow. Wow.

me: But then one day Luigi is going to have some flashbacks about that time he almost died and Bowser's going to be worried about him and care for him and make Luigi feel better

ao3: aaawwww

me: yeah but Mario is going to worry because Luigi's not coming back but he promised Luigi he'd trust him and in the end that only makes Luigi appreciate his brother more so that's a cute moment between them

ao3: that's cute

me: it is but Luigi is going to feel guilty about Mario worrying about him while he's having a great time kissing Bowser so he's going to tell Mario the truth

ao3: uh oh, how's Mario going to react to that?

me: off screen

ao3: huh, you think that's the best move? Don't you think the readers will be disappointed?

me: maybe. But I've already written three other fics in which Mario finds out about Luigi and Bowser so I just don't feel like doing it again

ao3: oh I get it, sounds like work

me: yeah yeah yeah

ao3: okay so anything else happens?

me: oh yeah actually remember the penguins from the movie? They're still mad with Bowser because he stole their Power Star and they want another one

ao3: but I imagine getting a Power Star for them is going to be very difficult

me: actually, it's going to be super easy, barely an inconvenience

ao3: oh really?

me: yeah, Daisy just finds one

ao3: oh okay

me: and then Bowser is like "okay I gave away all these compensations and even a Power Star so everyone better get off of my back already" and Luigi's like "yeah it's over you're a good guy now"

ao3: well great!

me: yeah so Bowser and Luigi are going to sleep together

ao3: oh my god, wait, is this rated E?

me: this is rated E sir

ao3: you almost fooled me with all the fluff and wacky adventure stuff but this was horny all along

me: it was horny all along, yeah yeah yeah. So they're gonna have a very detailed smut scene

ao3: oh wow wow wow. Wow. Well, that was a fun fanfic...

me: actually it's not done yet

ao3: it's not?

me: no, you see, cause just because some people sleep together it doesn't mean they're in a relationship so now I have to make them get into a relationship together

ao3: oh and how are you going to do that?

me: by changing the entire genre of the fic

ao3: wait what

me: now Peach invites all the kingdom leaders to a Tennis Tournament to celebrate the new peace

ao3: oh so this is a spokon now?

me: yeah because I freaking love spokon

ao3: well okay then

me: so Luigi and Bowser are going to spend more time together, and Mario and Peach are going to start forgiving Bowser...

ao3: this feels draggy

me: also Daisy is going to hook up with Rosalina

ao3: yeah that might as well happen

me: and then Luigi is going to realize he has feelings for Bowser!

ao3: oooh finally, and what's he going to do about that?

me: nothing, because the next day Bowser is going to see Mario and Peach kissing

ao3: oh wow that came out of nowhere

me: actually there was a chapter about their first kiss, they're kind of a side ship here

ao3: oh okay

me: so anyway Bowser's going to be confused because he should be furious with Mario but he's not, and you know what he's going to realize?

ao3: that he's not actually in love with Peach?

me: that he's not actually in love with Peach! And he never really was, because he didn't know her, he just thought she was pretty and fell in love with an idea of her. But do you know who he actually spent time getting to know for real?

ao3: Luigi?

me: Luigi! So he realizes he's in love with Luigi actually

ao3: oh wow wow wow. Wow

me: yeah I'm an amazing writer

ao3: it's not bad. So what's Bowser going to do about these newly discovered feelings?

me: oh you know, what any reasonable person would do. Just propose to Luigi right away in front of all the tournament guests

ao3: oh my god

me: and Luigi tells him they should date first and that's it, everyone lives happily ever after. So what do you think?

ao3: well I think it's a cute fic with a consistent plot, and the movie just came out, so as long as you finish it before the hype dies away it will do very well

me: no problem, sir, I will absolutely finish this soon

*Completion status: fanfic completed in October 2024*

[nilolol30]

Mei x reader

"Finally! Todays date day is gonna be the best one yet!" Mei shouts as she parked her motorbike it took your soul to catch up with your body with how much she was speeding "If we don't get arrested..." Mei only giggled as she deactivated both of your helmets and you both hop off the bike.

"Wouldn't be the first time buut anyway let's commence our first arcade date!" Mei pulled you close to take multiple selfies then you both walk Infront of the arcade sign and take a picture Mei posting it on her socials then you both start to actually walk inside "So what games do you wanna play?" She asked shoving her phone back in her pocket.

"Eh why not walk around the place and stop by at whatever we feel like playing? Honestly you and Mk come here more than I have" Mei insisted on paying for both yours and hers passes since shes been a loyal member she gets pretty good discounts.

"True I was gonna bring you with me and him last time but I thought he'd feel bad for third wheeling but thank goodness I didn't since it was a clone and turned all party crazy" Mei shutters thinking back to 'Porty mk.'

You both started wondering the arcade ducking into some games that interested you both there was a motorcycle racing game that Mei immediately dragged you down begging you to race her unfortunately she is well versed in gaming and riding so of course she won but it was still fun then you both jumped into a photo booth taking two photo sessions so you both can keep the photo strips.

"Ooh! A claw machine! Did I tell you I am amazing at claw machines~" Mei strolled over to the machine giving a playful wink "Really? Thought you always tell everyone they're scam" laughing you lean over her shoulder to peak at what kind of prizes are inside it a green bunny caught your eye Mei noticing smirks pulling out some tokens.

"Well I'm infact a champ at scamming scams~ and I'm totally getting you a fluffy friend!" Mei immediately went into ultra claw machine focus mode trying her best to get the right angle obviously doing her best to get the green bunny.

"And just like that ah boom~" with her eyes closed she pushed the button smiling expecting to hear the automated congratulations but unfortunately the claw didn't hold onto the bunny and dropped it causing a game over Mei getting over her shock laughed a bit "Ha obviously just a fluke give me a sec-" and so the cycle of Mei shoving tokens into the machine and her slowly growing annoyance began "You know Mei you don't have to win we can just get a prize from the-" "Never! I'm totally getting you that damn rabbit if it's the last thing I do!" It's almost like you can see a green fire radiating from her.

Finally when it looks like the claw is holding onto the bunny you both watch as it slowly takes it to the flap "I swear if it doesn't get in I'll punch this thing" Mei mumbled her face pressed against the glass "Yeah let's not set off alarms" then the claw let go and the bunny fell through the slot Mei rushed to pull it out and yelled out in victory.

"Yes! I did it! I'm the best girlfriend everrr!!" She held out the stuffed toy to you smiling "Here you go~" it's almost like she didn't want to murder the creator of those machines second ago you take the bunny and kissed her on the cheek.

"Of course you're the best girlfriend the best girlfriend in the world" you can hear Mei let out a small internal squeal pulling you into a hug "okay let's continue this date let playy...Oh oh that game!" You two go off to play nearly all the games the arcade has to offer the both of you agreed to keep away from any more claw machines for a bit.