#does anyone else recognize this band???

[drippyantagonistsltd]

Photobook from Glamscure’s Shadowscapes CD/DVD set

[whenthegoldrays]

AU where Eun Gyeol meets Cheong-ah first?

[gothgoblinbabe]

Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You

(chapter 1/2)

(Logan Howlett x fem reader)

A/N: Yeah, the brain rot has reached a maximum and I've completely disregarded the consequences of a digital footprint! there's a couple descriptions of style of clothing/jewelry but you can imagine that as you please, also absolutely based off of "Babe Im Gonna Leave You" by Led Zeppelin bc idk somewhere in my delusions I think Logans a Zeppelin kinda guy and its what I've been listening to. For the sake of the plot, stick with me, you've got an imaginary ex bf and his random name I picked is gonna be Danny and he suuuucks real hard okay? okay and I need you to pretend dear lovely reader that you like led zeppelin if you don't 💔[holding your face ever so gently and smooching ur forehead] and I've seen only xmen origins, x-men, X2, and Deadpool x wolverine so pls pls forgive me if some stuff doesn't canonically fit. This is kind of cringe but I wrote too much of it to get rid of it just bare with me I beg of u and it was so long I had to split it into two parts

Summary: Meeting the infamous Wolverine got you roped into a liiiitle more than what you bargained for

Warnings: swearing, you have telekinesis and telepathy (cause that's cool, c'mon), mild angst, suggestive stuff kinda, mentions of cheating (Logan does not cheat on u I pinkie promise), Logan calls you kid but you're not actually a child lol, you're a good bit younger than him but also so is anyone else who isn't borderline immortal

Word Count: 4K

Pt 2!

[credit for text post dividers here and here]

There had been muttering here and there between the students at the academy that Wolverine was coming back after a few years on his own, confirmed when Marie recognized the motorcycle now parked in the driveway of the mansion.

"Logan!"

He was immediately wrapped into a hug by Marie at the door, dropping his bags to the floor.

"Hey, kid, miss me?"

"Maybe," she smiled sweetly, tucking the white strands of hair behind her ears.

"Long time no see, huh?" Ororo's voice interrupted from behind her, earning a hug from Logan.

"Any one else around?" he questioned, hoisting his bag up over his shoulder again.

"Scott and Jean are around here somewhere, Charles as well. Oh, and there's a couple new faces you haven't met," she responded, smiling at the way Marie's eyes lit up at the chance to mention what she had been meaning to tell Logan.

Marie gasped and said your name, grabbing Logan's arm in excitement, "you have got to meet her. She joined us a couple of months ago, I think you'll really like her. She's kind of been like...our you, when you've been gone."

He quirked an eyebrow at that, looking between the both of them for an explanation as to what that was supposed to mean.

"You'll see," Ororo chuckled lightly, "oh, you will see."

"She's here now, I think, you should go introduce yourself to her!"

Logan had swiftly caught onto Marie's adorable attempt to play cupid and gave her a nod, "maybe when I settle in, okay, kid?"

She nodded in agreement and both her and Ororo watched him walk off further down the corridor.

"How do you think it will go when they meet?" the later of the two asked earnestly once he was out of sight.

"Well," Marie paused for a moment, thinking, "they'll be inseparable or absolutely hate each other."

Ororo nodded in agreement almost immediately, holding in a small laugh.

Much later in the evening, Logan had been beckoned into the study along with Ororo, Marie, Bobby, you, Jean and Scott by Charles.

He had been the last to enter, eyes immediately settling on your unfamiliar frame stood next to Marie with your back against the wall. You had plenty of rings adorning your fingers and necklaces dangling in front of your chest in the same kind of fashion he'd seen in those magazines with the Harley biker girls. You looked a little like one of them too, in well fitting jeans adorned with a belt, a band shirt and some chunky boots, except you were very much real and not on glossy paper.

"Oh! Logan!" Marie exclaimed upon noticing his arrival, beckoning him over with her hand. That turned your attention to him and he felt like the wind may have been knocked out of him when your eyes met his. You were far prettier than any of the girls he'd seen in any magazine.

"This is her," Marie whispered to Logan when he approached and nudged his arm, referring to when she had told him about you earlier.

"This is Logan," Marie said to you, gesturing towards him and leaning a little closer to you to whisper something he wouldn't catch, "and he's single, by the way."

A grin was plastered on her face when she pulled away and you rolled your eyes, "Marie - "

"I know, I know, too soon, but I just thought that was very good information for you to know," she raised her hands and stepped away a little, still intent on watching how the two of you interact for the first time.

Logan extended a hand for you to shake and you did the same. Your hands were small in his and your skin soft to the touch. It was almost hard for him to drop your grip when he did, nervous that he'd hold it even a second too long.

Nervous. Women had rarely ever made him nervous in the hundred - something years he'd been alive, and yet he could feel his heart pounding in his ears when you ran your hands through your hair to push it out of your face.

"Nice to meet you," he finally spoke, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

This may have been a good opportunity to try out your powers a little, concentrate hard enough on the handsome stranger's face to know what exactly was playing out behind his staring gaze, but you resisted the urge to do what you considered a tad bit violating.

"Same here," you responded at last, averting your gaze for just a moment to avoid inadvertently doing exactly what you had just decided you wouldn't.

Marie and Ororo had studied the small interaction between the two of you - of course - waiting for something more to happen, only to be disappointed when the both of you nodded courtly and turned away from each other.

"Well, that's not good. He'd be on her like a dog already - " Ororo started under her breath.

"No, no, I just think..." Marie interrupted, narrowing her eyes between the two of you, "I think they just need to get to know each other."

"Honey..."

"I'm telling you, I just feel like they'd be good together, they just need a chance to get to know each other!"

"Do you really think she's ready to get with another guy?" Ororo nodded her head in your direction, lowering her voice, "after all that stuff Danny pulled?"

Marie grimaced at the mention of one of the professors names, shaking her head in mild disgust, "have you seen him lately? always coming up to her in the halls and stuff, it's sad - for him, I mean."

Before either of them could further debate the topic, Charles gained everyone's attention to discuss a series of tasks he'd assigned to you all. As he spoke, you only tuned in once you heard your name.

"You are the one I'd like to send out to complete that with Daniel."

"Could, uh, can I do it with someone else? or have him do it alone, or something?"

Logan caught the confused look Jean shot your way, tilting her head before she spoke, "You don't want to go with Danny? What happened, I thought the two of you -"

You cut her off with a sharp shake of your head, scowling, "uh-uh. Hell no. He...uh, I'll tell you about it later."

You had realized the sudden vulnerability you'd found yourself experiencing in a room full of eyes on you and cleared your throat, attempting to change the subject.

"I can hang back and keep an eye on the kids, I don't mind."

"They do love you," Ororo chimed in, "and we need someone to stay back to watch them anyway."

"They only like her so much because she allows them to break the rules," Scott remarked, earning a nudge in the arm from Jean.

You sighed, rolling your eyes, "Scott, the thing with the kids in your room was one time and it was an accident - "

"Was it? Because one of them wrote 'asshole' on my bathroom mirror with sharpie."

"They're kids, they do that kind of stuff!"

"was that really one of the kids?"

You tucked your lower lip under your teeth in an attempt to smother a laugh. Logan almost immediately did the same when you darted your eyes around the room in a guilty attempt to avoid eye contact.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me - " Scott started but Charles interrupted, holding up a hand.

"Alright, the both of you - enough. You," he continued, gesturing towards you, "may stay back with the children. Please do not allow them into anyone's personal quarters and I would advise you to hide the permanent markers for the time being, away from the children and perhaps yourself."

You nodded and hung your head low to hide the reappearing smile across your face. Logan stared inadvertently from then on, watching you twist your rings around your fingers and focusing on you intently when you spoke every now and then. When you were all dismissed by Charles and filed out of the room, you and Marie walked ahead of most of the group, almost out of ear shot.

Logan heard Jean's hushed voice behind him as she leaned into Scott, "so...what do you think happened? With Danny?"

"Who the hell is this Danny guy?" he finally asked, turning over his shoulder to interrogate the two of them.

"Well," Jean whispered your name, looking ahead to be sure you hadn't caught their conversation, "it's her boyfriend. Or was, I guess. They had a thing for awhile but they stopped hanging around each other all the sudden and she can't even stand to hear his name - she hasn't told me what it's about yet."

Logan simply hummed in acknowledgment, turning back ahead and finding his gaze caught on the sway of your hips as you walked.

"Oh no," he heard Ororo huff beside him, almost immediately following her gaze to see a guy he didn't recognize slip behind you and put an arm around your waist. Too far out of ear shot to hear the context, he watched you squirm out of the young mans grip and shake your head as you kept walking.

"Is it bad I want to get closer to hear what they're saying?" Ororo muttered, looking to the other three in her proximity.

"It's not our business," Jean reminded her.

"So, that's him?" Logan asked, gesturing to the guy still on your heels like a puppy.

"uh - huh," Ororo answered, frowning as she watched Danny make another pathetic attempt to put his arm around you.

When the two of you stopped at the far end of the hall and you told Marie it was okay to leave you, Logan, Ororo, Scott and Jean all turned the corner to the closest hallway.

"Oh, I know It's bad but I have got to know what lame excuse he's got this time," Ororo shook her head, stopping just around the corner to eavesdrop.

"Ororo - " Jean sighed, placing a gentle hand on her friend's arm, "come on."

"They're in the hallway! it's not like I'm standing outside a door," she reasoned, hushing them after so that the only voices hard were yours and Danny's.

"How many times do I have to tell you that I'm sorry - "

"Danny, many times do I have to tell you I don't care? Why won't you just leave me be?"

You sounded exasperated, your voice slightly muffled when you rubbed your face with your hands.

"What do you think he did?" Scott chimed in in a hushed town, now fully invested in the dialogue.

Logan was still stood there, though he wasn't too sure why. He could have and should have kept walking - let the three of them do their weird detective work - but instead found himself leaned against the wall with the rest of them.

"I love you, you know that, sweetheart, I - "

"ugh, don't call me that. You gross me the hell out, you know that?"

Both Jean and Ororo made almost the same shocked expression.

"oh, it has to be bad," Jean hissed, frowning at the venom in your tone.

"Tell me you're not still in love with me, you know you can't, we - " Danny's voice began again and yours cut him short with a sense of finality in your tone.

"Danny. I stopped being in love with you the day I walked in on you fucking another other girl."

Jean's hands flew to her mouth to muffle a shocked gasp. Scott stood with his arms crossed, his face in a grimace.

"ooh, that is bad," Ororo whispered just as a door slammed.

Logan furrowed his eyebrows, following everyone else as they continued their path down the hall again. This Danny kid had to be a real idiot.

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Weeks had passed and you shared small talk with Logan every now and then, sometimes making snarky comments here and there - though more often than not together and at Scott's expense. Funnily enough, the ability to piss Scott off so much made Logan like you even more. Maybe Marie was right, you kind of are like him.

You walked alongside him down the corridor one afternoon, intending to fulfill Ororo's request for the both of you to check in on some of the newer students.

"So, do you always do your hair like that?" you raised your eyebrows up at him, eyeing the peaks in his hair.

"Yeah. What, you don't like it?" He grinned, expecting you to make some smart remark about it.

"No, not that," you giggled, "it's like lil' cat ears, it's cute."

He looked down at you quizzically, stopping in his tracks.

"cat ears?"

"mm-hm. You're like a big kitty."

You bit down another giggle, reaching up boldly to touch his hair.

He gently swatted your hand away, still with a small grin on his face.

"Don't call me that."

"Big kitty?"

"Yes."

"Okay, kitty meow - meow."

He narrowed his eyes as you turned to continue walking in an attempt to hide the huge smile plastered on your cheeks that threatened to transform into a rather loud laugh.

"Uh-huh, whatever. You better not let anyone else hear you call me that," he huffed as he caught up to you rather easily.

As you were about to make another retort, your smile dropped at the sight of a familiar and unfriendly face that had come from around a corner.

"Christ," you squeezed your eyes shut in frustration, rubbing your forehead at the sight of your ex-boyfriend.

"Hey," Logan leaned down a little, nudging you gently, "I'm here, you're good. You're fine, don't worry about him. It's just us, alright? Walk past him like you don't even see him."

Though he'd be embarrassed to admit and absolutely deny it if anyone asked, he'd unfortunately (for himself) harbored a crush on you that only took a couple weeks to develop. He hadn't even really gotten the chance to know you yet, though that was precisely why he was glad about moments like these. He wanted to, even if he felt like a school kid with a playground crush.

You had simply nodded at his words, allowing him to place a gentle hand on your upper back to guide you down the hall with him. Even through the layer of a jacket and t-shirt, you could feel the warmth of his hand on you.

Logan remembered that moment in the hall on the first day you'd met, but never pestered you for details about what the hell went on before he got back. He figured when and if you wanted to tell him, that was up to you.

Keeping your eyes straight ahead, it took what felt like years to pass your ex-boyfriend. When you finally did, you let out a breath you didn't know you were holding, until his voice stopped you in your tracks.

"That's my shirt."

You whipped your head around, feeling Logan slip his arm a little further around you as a protective reflex.

"What?" you furrowed your eyebrows, looking down at your attire. The shirt, a tad oversized and well worn, was so familiar that you had completely forgotten it once did belong to him.

"I want it back," he spoke again, crossing his arms.

"Do you really want it back?"

You were beyond fed up with his pestering at this point, already having decided what may make the message clear.

"Yes."

"Okay. Fine."

You pulled away from Logan and slipped off your jacket, turning around to hand it to him. He gave you a confused look, hesitantly taking it out of your hands. In a matter of seconds, you turned back around and tugged the t-shirt up and over your head, tossing it directly at Danny's chest. You turned back and took your jacket from Logan's hands, zipping it far enough to cover your bra. In the few seconds you had stood facing him, he had done his best to keep his eyes away from your body and failed miserably, looking up after to see the asshole a few feet away already glaring at him.

"What, you're just gonna walk around like that? And what are you doing hanging out with him anyway, don't you know he - "

You groaned at the sound of Danny's voice again, gently tugging Logan by the hand in the opposite direction as you began to walk away, "yap, yap, yap - just shut the fuck up."

Logan couldn't help the smirk plastered across his face as you continued to walk, finally turning a corner. Before you could apologize to him for having to awkwardly stand witness to that, Scott's voice echoed from the stairway above you.

"Hey, Charles is looking for you two. He says he has something he needs you to take care of, he didn't say what."

"Thanks for the specifics, Scott," you replied sarcastically, "but we're supposed to check on - "

"I know," he interrupted, "I got Marie and Bobby to cover you. You're welcome, by the way."

You rolled your eyes and looked back to Logan, dreading what exactly it was Charles wanted from you.

That landed you where you were the next morning, heaving your bags into the back of Logan's truck.

"If we have to take the truck like two states over, can I at least drive?"

The plane being needed for another assignment that Jean, Scott and Ororo were assigned left the two of you with Logan's truck. You'd been asked to retrieve a rare mechanical piece needed for the construction of some new device; you'd only been half-listening when Charles started to explain the details, lost in thought after he'd mentioned it would require the two of you to sleep out overnight.

Man, that had made your chest feel tight. It had been almost physically painful trying to swallow down every tell that you really liked him for the past few weeks and now you had no choice than to be each others only company for nearly 2 days.

"Yeah, in your dreams, kid," Logan scoffed playfully and brought you back to reality, dangling the keys in his hand.

You narrowed your eyes at the keyring he began to spin around his finger. In a split second, the jangle of the metal could be heard as you snatched them from his hand with only a focused thought.

You caught them in your raised palm and tilted your head, a terribly smug smile across your cheeks.

"Looks like my dreams came true, huh?" you teased, walking past a still mildly distraught Logan to get into the drivers side.

"If you dent it, I'll kill ya," he warned as he finally slid into the passenger seat, watching your every move as you started the engine and carefully reversed out of the garage.

"Uh-huh, sure," you retorted sarcastically, "I'm terrified of the kitty claws."

"What did I say about calling me that?"

"Calling you what?" you feigned ignorance, fumbling with the knob on the stereo to change the station as your eyes stayed glued to the road.

"And don't mess with everything, kid, you'll end up breaking something. She's on old girl, you gotta - "

"Dude," you interrupted, simultaneously cranking down your window and fishing a pair of sunglasses out of his center console, "I know how to drive, chill out."

"Dude," he mocked, "this truck is probably almost as old as you, you gotta be careful."

You rolled your eyes under the shades of the worn aviators you had slipped onto your nose, simply nodding and continuing to flip through stations.

"Pick one and stick with it, will you?"

"Ooh, is someone mad I got the keys?"

Before he could say something in response, you gasped at sound of the song playing on the station you had just switched to, twisting the knob almost as far as it could go.

Logan recognized the familiar thump of "babe I'm gonna leave you" by Led Zeppelin, furrowing his eyebrows when you began to nod your head and sing along.

"You like Led Zeppelin?" he nearly had to shout over the music, leaning in to you a little further.

"Yeah," you responded, reaching over to turn the music down just enough for you to hear each other and glancing at him momentarily, "How come you're looking at me like that?"

He unfurrowed his eyebrows and shrugged, keeping his gaze on the road ahead as he spoke, " just never pegged you for a Zeppelin kind of girl, I guess."

"No? What's that supposed to mean?"

You were smiling again and it was excruciatingly difficult for him not to stare when you looked so good in the spot he usually sat with his old sunglasses on.

"Didn't think you had good taste in music."

That made you giggle and you shook your head, turning the stereo back up to a booming volume.

He watched you tap your fingers on the steering wheel to the drums as you continued to drive, occasionally moving to push your windswept hair out of your face. The morning sun shining through your open window highlighted your features perfectly and Logan sighed without a thought, unheard over the music. Jesus, he had it bad.

You could feel his stare in your peripheral vision every time he looked to you and it felt far warmer than the sun beating down on you from the opposite direction. You truly rarely ever used your developing skill of telepathy, feeling it was only justified when absolutely necessary to obtain information, but his burning gaze nearly had you veering off the road at times and his prior answer to the question of why he was looking at you that way wasn't too convincing.

With a deep breath, already wondering if it was a mistake, you kept your eyes focused to the road but gradually concentrated on the man beside you. Sometimes people's thoughts would appear as inner dialogue, other times as imagined scenarios, daydreams or visuals. You were confused, then, when you only saw an image of yourself as you were now. If you concentrated too hard, your own thoughts would transfer to Logan's mind and it would be humiliatingly obvious that you had been poking around in his consciousness and so you tried to clear your mind and try again, assuming your own mind was too preoccupied with yourself to concentrate properly.

Still, you could only see the image of yourself driving from the perspective of the passengers seat, one hand on the wheel and the other in your hair as you propped your elbow on the door. This time, though, you could hear the accompanying echo of Logan's voice over the hum of the music you had tuned out.

Is her hair always like that? I like it that way. Pretty.

You swallowed hard, fidgeting with the hair that was between your fingers. It's a compliment - innocent enough, and undeniably kind of sweet. You felt guilty then for probing his thoughts and nearly shook yourself out of it, only to realize the image in Logan's mind was no longer of just your profile. He was thinking about your legs, thighs squished against the seat of the truck.

Fuck

You nearly choked on your own saliva, clearing your throat at the echo of his voice again and immediately withdrawing yourself from his mind.

"You okay?" Logan spoke aloud, putting a gentle hand on your upper arm.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," you lied, trying with every fiber of your being to just keep all focus on the road. You knew you shouldn't have done that. It was just a thought, though, nothing said aloud to change anything between the two of you, and so you pretended the best you could that you hadn't heard or seen a thing.

About eight hours, a handful of dad rock albums and a stop to switch seats later, you finally pulled into the parking lot of the nearest motel you had found didn't have a highlighted "no vacancy" sign.

"If there's fucking bed bugs in here, I will never let you hear the end of it," you warned from the passenger seat.

"I think you'd talk my ear off till the day I die anyway," he scoffed, shifting the truck into park and pulling the keys from the ignition.

"You won't die for another hundred-something years."

"Exactly my point, honey."

You rolled your eyes and slipped out of the truck as he did, pretending the nickname hadn't made your face burn. You both grabbed your belongings and once inside you looked around the small lobby as Logan checked you in, impressed with how surprisingly clean the place seemed to be.

"Hey, is that okay?"

Logan's voice took your attention from the painting on the wall you'd been inspecting and you raised your eyebrows.

"Huh?

"Uh, there's a room left but it's only got one bed."

Your face dropped and you looked between him and the poor kid behind the counter who already looked nervous as all hell.

"You're kidding."

"We can keep driving, but we've already been on the road all day and I don't think there's another place around here for a good few miles."

He was much more calm than you expected him to be and you exhaled, thinking of the literal pain in the ass caused by sitting in the car for so many hours.

"Ugh, fine."

A/N: I had to split this in two because it was so long but If anyone likes this at all I will post da other part cause I like spewing my brain rot on the internet <3

[lexirosewrites]

Because the break in slick Sunday, one that I completely understand, I thought I'd give an idea. I don't often write omega verse but I love slick Sunday so much.

A small idea based losely 50 first dates.

O!Steve who after one too many hits to the head loses his short term memory. He can go a couple days before he forgets and reverts back to before the accident but the record is only 4 days. He spends his days with Robin who takes care of him and documents everything she can for him. Everyday Steve relearns his life but one day he bumps into rockstar A!Eddie.

Their scents mash so well (whether scent mates are real or they just love each other's scents) that they fall in love then and there. But Steve knows he probably won't remember it the next day, so he tries to cram everything he can into that one day with Eddie. Eddie is so taken with his omega who is so outgoing and seems carefree. He doesn't know that it's because Steve wants all he can from Eddie before the alpha realizes it's too much work to deal with someone who'll never keep their memory of their love.

They share a passionate night together and Steve is grateful to wake up knowing this man. Eddie is more than happy to take Steve with him to his show and gives him backstage passes for him and Robin. The day is just as meaningful but Robin reminds him that it's better if he just tells the alpha than lead him on like this.

Steve is too selfless that he decides to cut their losses. He takes one final hot makeout session before telling Eddie he was gonna go home with Robin. Eddie's understanding, knowing he can't take over the omegas life.

Then he realizes he never got Steves number. But as creepy as it makes him feel, he does know where Steve lives from sleeping with him that first night. So he buys flowers and ends up Steve's doorstep. The omega opens up but he doesn't recognize Eddie. Not really, but the smell, the smell he recognizes. He lets Eddie in and sits him down at the table. He shows him the small video Robin made him to play for himself every morning that tells him about his condition and what year/how old he is.

Steve's scent is anxious as he apologizes and tells Eddie how he woke up with his scent in his nest but nothing else. That his scent makes Steve feel safe in a way he's never felt with anyone other than his pack. But that's when Robin comes down from her room and sighs at the sight of Eddie. She asks Steve to let them chat and Steve quietly goes up to his room, taking time to check in on the other videos his kids made to keep him up to date with their lives.

Eddie and Robin talk and Robin tells him that Steve knew he could never have Eddie and figured he would be too much if he told him. So he just decided to let him go live his life without an amnesiac holding him back. Robin tells him that it's okay and she will always be here for Steve. That he could go right now and no one would blame him. He's got a great life and Steve, Steve lives a quiet life with struggles everyday.

Eddie leaves confused and heartbroken. But after spending the day with the band and looking at the guys he grew up with. Who all found love, he knows that love isn't easy. So, the next day he returns and Steve greets him with no recollection of the past day. Eddie explains that he's an alpha that's been seeing Steve and he was hoping to talk to re-introduce himself to Steve. Steve is shocked and let's him in, having recognized the scent on his sheets. Robin's there and just as shocked as Steve but Eddie stays and shows that he cares.

He still has more tour but he starts making his own videos but his videos are always just him and band. But after tour is over, it's always of him and Steve, in love with each other. He writes music and performs his songs that will always be for Steve. And after a while Steve begins to go with and have adventures everyday. Documenting their live and sharing it with his pack.

And every single day, Eddie proves he loves this man and he always will

i’m gonna sob

[loves0phelia]

Country Girl

Summery: Eddie’s music career is getting to much, what happens when he takes a vacation to a small countryside town?

Words: 4,1k

Warnings: spelling mistakes, characters gets in underwear, mention of drinking alcohol.

A/N: this sucks but I haven’t written in 2 months sooo I hope you enjoy xx

“Are you kidding me?”

“No Eds, you're going to Spring Lake.” Gareth stood with his hands on his hips with a fatherlike glare fixated on his friend whom he almost didn't recognize nowadays. 

“Why would I be going in this shit hole? I am fine right where I am” He said the last bit of his sentence with a long tired sigh as he planted himself down on the beat-up couch in the trailer where all the costumes and concert essentials were stored. His eyes were bloodshot and his hair was greasy and sweaty sticking to his forehead. 

“You're not okay Eddie. We can't recognize you anymore. You need some time off, we all do. and it would be better if you got out of the city for the summer ” Eddie scoffed at this and rubbed his hand over his face.

“Ok. Who's we? And who put “we” in charge of me?” He laughed humorlessly and stood up from his seat with an accusatory finger pointed at Gareth's face.

“Julie, but we all agreed with her, Eddie. You can barely stand during our shows because you drank too much beforehand, even the press is talking about it! You're making it hard for all of us-”

“Shut up! Shut up!” His voice bounced on the metal walls and rang in Gareth's ears making him visibly cringe before he stormed out. 

As soon as he stepped out, the cameras started flashing and blinding him, capturing his angry features and red eyes. He couldn't wait to see the newspaper with the various headlines about him and his addictions.

He yanked open the limousine door that was initially the band's way of transport but he couldn't care less about how they would get to the hotel. He slides in, slamming it shut behind him. His eyes flashed with irritation as he leaned forward.

"To the hotel, and step on it, will you? I’ve already had enough shit today. No detours, no shortcuts—just get me there as fast as you can." He barked at the chauffeur.

Without caring for a response he slumped back against the seat, glaring out the window,

The drive was short, as requested. He was back at the hotel before anyone else. Still fuming with rage and decided to dial a number he only called for emergencies.

ring 

ring

ring

“Hello?” The man's voice was soothing in Eddie's ears. 

“Hey, Wayne.” An angry tear fell out of Eddie's eye.

“Eddie, boy do you know how late it is?” Eddie turned his head slightly to look at the clock that lay on the modern-looking bedside table.

“Sorry, I just- I need to talk to you” his throat contracted another tear threatening to fall from his brown doe eyes.

“What's wrong son?” Despite Wayne's strong and deep voice, the concern was clear.

“Julie and the band wants-” Once again his hand made its way into his hair, this time gripping angrily. “They want me to go to Spring Lake for the summer as if they can just send me away! Like- Like to get rid of me” he groaned into the receiver.

“Eddie listen to me” Wayne signed sadly for Eddie.

“What?” 

“I requested it to your manager, okay? I've seen you on TV and I can't even count on my fingers the number of times you've called me in the middle of the night while being drunk. You need a break, son” 

“No, no! I'm fine Wayne” Both of his knees started trembling as he couldn't help the tears from cascading down his cheeks. He felt lost and he couldn't find a way to return.

“You're not Eds. You need to find a way to get better, please listen to Julie when she comes to talk to you, goodnight, son. I love you” The phone pressed against Eddie's ear went flat as the line disconnected. 

He sat there, staring blankly ahead, his face drained of colour. He barely notices the tear that escapes now.

He was used to getting comments from Gareth and Jeff or the rest of the band but never from his uncle.

His chest felt heavy, making it hard to breathe. He wanted to scream, to do something, but nothing came. Instead, he remained still, unable to process everything the night unfolded. 

He felt disconnected as if the world was moving on without him, until a knock came to the door. His eyes which looked blankly at the carpet floor snapped to the hotel room door. He didn't bother to stand figuring out the person on the other side would get the message and leave him alone. 

Unfortunately, the door opened and Julie entered the room. 

“Did you talk to Wayne?” She asked, her voice sharp like a thorn. 

“I did”

“I should've told Gareth to keep his mouth shut about this, it wasn't his place to tell you. I'm your manager, I should be the one taking care of this mess” Her black leather boots stumped on the floor as she approached the bed he was sitting on.

“Wayne said you loved going to Spring Lake as a kid, that's why we thought it would be a great idea.” She added.

“Yeah trailer park, poor, didn't have a life Eddie loved going there, it was the only place where I wasn't freak because everything is disconnected there.” Julie’s eyes soften, her heart feeling sad at the mention of Ed's childhood. 

“I have a life now, I'm a rockstar, and I'm important to people” 

“But you're losing yourself in the process. You need to go back to your roots, and learn what's really important” Eddie sighed in defeat there was no denying it.

“Go to Spring Lake for a couple of weeks and if you hate it, come back. My niece has a cottage she can welcome you”

…

His fingers drummed impatiently on the armrest as the car slowed down to avoid a group of cyclists taking up the road.

"This is ridiculous," he muttered under his breath, glancing out the window at two horses casually munching on herbs. 

The car finally pulled up to a small cottage-looking house, it was small, probably only big enough for two bedrooms and one bathroom. It had a porch swing and a bunch of potted flowers. It was far from what he was used to now.  

The driver opened the door for him, his black combat boots crunched against the gravel. Eddie's expression was clearly stating that he’d rather be anywhere else.

"Let’s just get this over with," he sighed, and he walked towards the entrance of the house. As Marcus “driver” started unloading his luggage.

He raised his fist to connect it to do wooden door frame around the screen door but at the same time the door on the other side swung open as fast as a rush of wind

He wrinkled his nose slightly, the faint smell of fresh baked goods interfered with his overpriced cologne.

“Hi!” you said in a welcoming tone. Eddie was mesmerized by your sun-kissed skin glowing so naturally. Your beautiful hair, loosely tied back with a ribbon, cascaded down your shoulders. your overalls are dirty but charming with a simple floral pattern embroidered into the pockets.

Your face broke into a wide, genuine smile, your eyes crinkled at the corners with the kind of happiness that he wasn't used to seeing.

“It's so nice to see you, Eddie!,” You walked forward pushing the screen door that was separating you both to greet him, making Eddie step back a few feet almost tripping down the small stairs leading up to the porch.,

“I’m y/n. It’s so nice to have you here, I made some blueberry muffins and cinnamon rolls I didn't know which one you preferred… oh! I also have some lemon pie. come in!.”

He barely managed to suppress a groan. Of course, you would be cheerful and kind. Everyone in these small towns always was. Still, there was something about you that made him pause. Maybe it was the way your smile didn’t get flatter even as you faced his cold demeanour or the way your eyes sparkled as you spoke about the dessert you had made for him specifically. He shook off the thought, reminding himself that he was here out of obligation, not to make friends.

“Thanks,” he replied shortly, his tone cold as he glanced around the room, doing his best to avoid looking directly at you.

you didn’t seem bothered by his lack of enthusiasm. Instead, you clasped her hands together, your smile never fading.

“I’ve got your room all ready. there's a dresser and a fantastic view of the lake behind the house. I hope you’ll like it.”

He sighed, already regretting the trip, but nodded. “Sure. Lead the way.”

As you walked ahead of him, he couldn't help but notice the way your hips swayed gracefully. He quickly looked away, feeling annoyed at himself. He wasn’t here to admire the locals, least of all a girl who looked like she belonged in a summer daydream.

You led him up the narrow hallway, talking about various details about the house and the people in town, the kind of small talk that would usually make him roll his eyes. But today, for reasons he couldn’t quite explain, he found himself listening, even if he didn’t respond.

“Here, this is your room and mine is right there” You pointed to the door right next to ‘his’ 

He grunted a thanks, stepping inside and without saying a word he closed the door shut. He let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. You were beautiful, he admitted to himself, but in a way that was different from the women he was used to. Something was refreshing about you, something real.

But then he shook his head, pushing the thought away. It didn’t matter how beautiful you were. He was here for a few days at most, just to make his manager happy and then he’d be back to his world, far away from this little town and its infuriatingly sunny inhabitants. Still, as he threw himself onto the bed, he couldn’t quite get your smile out of his mind.

….

Eddie stirred beneath the soft blankets, blinking against the unwelcome brightness. He wasn’t used to waking up to the sound of birds chirping outside the window or the scent of fresh coffee wafting through the air. For a moment, he forgot where he was, his mind still groggy from sleep. The sheets were softer, crumb-free and smelled flowery.

Then it hit him—he was in your house in Spring Lake.  The day of his arrival felt like a dream, a bad dream. He groaned, rubbing a hand over his face as he sat up, his hair wild and eyes heavy with remaining sleep. This wasn’t how he usually started his day, and the unfamiliarity of it all only added to his irritation.

Just as he was about to pull himself out of bed, there was a soft knock on the door, followed by it creaking open. You peeked your head in and smiled as bright as ever. Who was this happy at… 8 am?

“Good morning! I hope you slept well,” You said, stepping into the room with a steaming mug of coffee in hand.

He mumbled a response “Morning.”

you handed him the mug, your fingers brushing against his as you did. “I made you some coffee. I thought you might need it. the trip was probably long, you forgot your suitcases outside, but don't worry I rolled them in for you last night” you reassured.

“Thanks,” he muttered, his voice rougher than usual. He took a sip. It was good coffee, surprisingly so. He gave you a nod of approval, which you seemed to appreciate before leaving the room and allowing him to get civil.

After a moment he joined you in the kitchen still looking grumpy “So,” you began “ You don’t exactly strike me as the countryside type so what are you doing here?.”

He raised an eyebrow at your directness.

“Julie didn't tell you?” he replied simply, taking another sip of coffee.

“She only said you already knew your way around town so I didn't need to play guide with you but you don't seem to be from here and I don't think I've seen you before,” you shrugged.

He let out a short, humourless laugh. “I used to come here every summer as a kid”

You tilted her head, studying him.  “Well, I hope you enjoy it as much as you did before.”

He frowned at that. “Enjoy it? What’s there to enjoy? I’m stuck in the middle of nowhere when I could be… I don't know. having fun?.”

“Maybe you can have fun here?” your voice was a little teasing as if in your head you had come up with a sudden plan.

“How?” 

…

“This is Carrot,” You said, patting the horse’s neck affectionately. “He's perfect for beginners”

Eddie arched an eyebrow, “I’m not a beginner,” he said gruffly, though the truth was, he had never been this close to a horse before, let alone ridden one. But he wasn’t about to let that show.

“Alright then, Mr. Experienced. Ready to get on?”

He took the reins with a nod, his grip a little tighter than necessary. He’d seen people ride horses in movies and on TV—how hard could it be? With a deep breath, he approached Carrot. 

“First, put your left foot in the stirrup,” you instructed, watching him closely. “Then swing your right leg over.”

“I know," he cut you off, determined to appear unbothered. For a moment, he hesitated, but he quickly shook it off and pushed himself up. His right leg swung over the saddle, and before he knew it, he was sitting on the horse. He landed with more force than he intended, and Carrot shifted beneath him, causing him to tense up.

“See? Easy,” But he forced himself to stay calm, straightening his posture and gripping the reins as if he knew exactly what he was doing.

“right… So you can race me then?” The corner of your lips lifted in a malicious smirk.

“Race you?” he tensed up again, shifting in the saddle as he tried to find a comfortable position. 

“mhm,”  you said, smoothly mounting your horse.

The horses began to move. Eddie's eyes widened slightly “Wait wait wait, can we take it slow… it's been a while, I just gotta warm up a little” he lied through his teeth.

“I thought you were experienced” You turned your head over your shoulder looking back at him as your horse galloped forward. “Just relax and let him guide you. There’s no rush.”

Relax? Easier said than done. But he wasn’t about to let you see him falter. So he squared his shoulders and  took a deep breath

After a few minutes of you both going slowly around the field, Eddie had finally gotten the hang of it. Or so he thought.

“How about we pick up the pace now? A little friendly race, maybe?” He said, his voice still trembling, clearly not being as confident as he wished to be.

“Alright, you’re on,” you replied. 

You flashed him another grin, then gently nudged your mare forward. Belle (your horse), sensing the challenge, picked up her pace too, and before you knew it, You and Eddie were both moving faster across the field. 

“Come on, Carrot!” he urged with a small proud smile, impressed at his skills, trying to keep up with you, who had already raced slightly ahead of him. 

For a moment, Eddie forgot all about his earlier discomfort. It was just him, the horse, and the open field ahead and for the first time in a while, he felt free.

But then, as he rounded a bend in the open field, Carrot suddenly swerved to avoid a rock hidden in the tall grass. The sudden movement caught him off guard, and before he could react, he felt himself slipping sideways in the saddle. 

The next thing he knew, his legs swinging over the horse’s back as he tumbled off in an awkward arc.

He hit the ground with a heavy thud, right in the middle of a large, muddy puddle. The cold, thick mud splattered everywhere, coating his clothes, face, and hair in a messy, sticky layer. For a second, he just lay there, stunned, staring up at the sky as the reality of what had just happened sank in.

“Oh my gosh Eddie, are you okay?” You jumped down your horse and rushed to his aid, slipping on your knees in the puddle to check for any injuries.

He sat up slowly, wiping mud from his face with a grimace. His once-pristine jacket was now a muddy mess, and his hair stuck out in odd angles, but as he looked up at you, concerned in your eyes, on your knees in the puddle, next to him, he couldn’t help it. A chuckle escaped him, followed by another, until he was laughing.

Your frown quickly turned upside down when you heard the laughter coming out of his mouth. Giggles quickly started bubbling in your throat as well.

“I warned you it wasn’t as easy as it looked,” you teased, grinning as you tried brushing some of the mud off his shoulder.

He let out a mock groan, half-grumpy, half-amused with the situation.

Despite the mud, the fall, and the bruised ego, he felt lighter than he had in days. There was something liberating about letting go, about laughing at himself and the situation, instead of trying to maintain the stoic facade he usually wore. 

”Let's get you cleaned up. I think you’ve had enough mud for one day.” You smiled and grabbed both his hands to help him up from the muddy water.

As you both walked back toward the cottage-like house, side by side, he realized something. For the first time since he’d arrived, he was having fun. And it was all thanks to you.

…

Ever since that day, you and Eddie have been enjoying each other's company.

Today the sun was glowing despite the dark clouds looming in the sky but knowing rain was to come you both decided to stay in the cottage instead of going out to the horse barn. and that's how you ended up standing on your tiptoes, trying to reach a bag of flour on the top shelf. 

Eddie watched you from the doorway with a mix of exasperation and amusement.

“Why don’t you just use a stool like a normal person?” He grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. You shot him a determined look, your lips curving into a playful smile.

“I’ve got it, don’t worry. I do this all the time.”

Eddie sighed, watching you struggle with the shelf that was clearly too high for you. You were nothing if not stubborn. Just as he was about to walk over and get the flour himself, you made a final, determined stretch—and knocked the bag off the shelf. It tumbled through the air, heading straight for your face.

“Oh, for crying out loud…” Eddie muttered, stepping forward with reflexes quicker than he cared to acknowledge. He caught the bag just before it hit you but not without consequence. 

The bag burst open on impact, sending a thick cloud of flour exploding into the air.

You blinked, momentarily stunned as the white powder rained down on the both of you. When the cloud settled, you were covered head to toe in flour, your long hair now dusted with white. Eddie wasn't much better, his dark hair and clothes now sprinkled with flour.

“Well… at least you caught it,” you murmured as you and Eddie stood unmoving

Eddie gave you a long, unimpressed look.

“Yeah, yeah,” he muttered, reaching up to wipe the flour off his face with a sigh. “You’re welcome.”

“Sorry, guess we're just bound to get dirty all the time” Your giggles broke free, your eyes sparkling with mischief.

Eddie rolled his eyes, but there was a tiny smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Don’t push it,” he replied, though his tone lacked the usual bite.               

“At least you look cute” Your hands brushed his cheek to remove some of the remaining flour from his face, even though only water would be able to remove the cloudy ingredient from your face. 

“I'm going to take a dip in the lake to clean up a bit before going in the shower, I don't want the flour to clog the drain, you coming?” Your boldness surprised you.

“uhh- ye- yes” You laughed under your breath at Eddie's flushed face before walking to the glass door leading to the wooden dock in the backyard of your house.

You reached the edge of the dock and kicked off your shoes. Eddie followed, his hands stuffed into his pockets but watching you intensely. But his gaze quickly left you when you started pulling away your dress leaving you in only your underwear.

“uhh,” Eddie scratched his head awkwardly, not sure where to look anymore.

“It's okay Eddie, you can look, it's just like a swimsuit” You brushed your hair over your shoulder and saw Eddie gulp. Once again a giggle escaped you but without further explanation, you jumped in the water. 

You emerged with a splash, your laughter bubbling up as you pushed your wet hair out of your face. you looked up at Eddie, who was still standing at the edge of the dock, staring down at you. 

“Come on, rockstar, that flour isn't gonna fly away!” you called back, your voice echoing across the lake. You floated on your back, arms outstretched.

For a moment, Eddie hesitated. But then, as he looked at you, carefree and glowing in the golden light, something in him shifted. Maybe it was the way you seemed to belong to this place or the way you had pulled him into your world without even trying. Or maybe it was just that he wanted to hold onto this feeling a little longer, to be a part of it.

With a resigned sigh, Eddie kicked off his shoes and pulled off his shirt, tossing it aside as well as his pants leaving him in only boxers. You watched, your heart skipping a beat as he moved closer to the edge. He paused for just a second, meeting your gaze.

Then, without another word, he jumped.

The water erupted around him as he plunged in, disappearing beneath the surface for a few seconds before he came back to the surface.

You swam closer, the distance between you closing. 

Eddie chuckled, his laughter rich and warm as he reached out to gently brush a strand of wet hair from your face. “You’re going to be the death of me, you know that?”

You grinned, your eyes locking onto his as she splashed him playfully. “You’re welcome,” you teased, before leaning in and pressing a quick, playful kiss to his cheek.

“y/n…” Eddie whispered, not even sure what he was going to say.

But before he could finish, you leaned in, your gaze dropping to his lips. For a split second, the world stood still. Then, in one fluid motion, you both closed the distance between you, his lips brushing softly against yours.

The kiss was gentle at first, tentative as if you were afraid he might pull away. But when Eddie responded, his lips moving against yours with equal softness, you deepened the kiss, and his hand came up to cup your cheek.

You felt a shiver run down your spine as your legs wrapped around his waist in the water, you melted into him, your arms wrapped around his neck for added support. The world around you seemed to disappear.

When you finally pulled away, both of you were breathless, your foreheads resting against each other as you tried to catch your breath. Eddie's heart was pounding so loudly he was sure you could hear it.

Eddie opened his eyes, his gaze locking onto yours. “I didn’t expect that,” he admitted, his voice low and rough.

you smiled, your fingers still tangled in his hair. “I’m glad I did it,” you whispered back, your heart swelling.

“Me too,” he said softly, pressing another light kiss to your forehead before pulling you further into his arms, holding you close.

“I think we should get out before we get all wrinkly” You laughed and he splashed more water onto your face before you started to swim away.

…

“Hey Julie, please tell the band I won't be back for a while…” He whispered into the phone as you slept beside him your hair all sprawled on the silk pillow where your head layed as he kissed you endlessly a couple of hours before.

“How long are you thinking?” she asked.

“Actually… I don't think I will come back at all”

[obaex]

untouchable - rafe cameron

summary: when a fight breaks out at midsummers, an unexpected ally reminds you who you are and whose you are

word count: 2k

a/n: set during season 1 midsummers. indulging in all my favorite things about soft + protective rafe ♡

It was the perfect summer night.

Stars twinkled overhead and the deck of the Island Club was awash in the warm glow of hundreds of string lights that swayed gently in the breeze coming off the ocean. The slow, sweet melody that the band was playing swirled through the air and mixed with the chatter and laughter that surrounded Midsummers.

Your arms wrapped around Rafe’s neck, cheek pressed to his as his arms embraced you, his hands resting on your lower back where his fingers traced small circles as you swayed back and forth. Your eyes fluttered closed as you relaxed into him. You could smell his expensive cologne, his signature scent that was so overwhelmingly him it clouded your head. At this distance, you could feel the heat coming off of his body, feel him hum happily against you as you ran your fingers through the hair at the base of his neck.

He shifted slightly, lowering his lips against your ear as he whispered, “You look beautiful tonight.” You smiled widely and laughed quietly as a blush rose to your cheeks. “I know I’ve said it about five times already, but I’m going to keep telling you, gorgeous. You’re the most beautiful girl here, and I’m damn lucky to be by your side. Tonight… always.” You pulled back to look at him, wanting to see his azure blue eyes sparkle, which they did, with love, with admiration, and with a hint of mischief as he took you in. He leaned down to kiss you, letting his lips linger just on top of yours, brushing them agonizingly close, but not letting them touch, teasing you as his lips curled into a smile against yours, knowing how much this drove you crazy, how much he drove you crazy before he relented; he was never one to deny you what you wanted. His lips worked against yours like no one was watching, warm and soft. He tasted sweet like champagne and your head was spinning. You had lost count of the number of times he had kissed you, but you never got tired of the way it made you feel, like you were floating. You nipped his lip lightly, playfully, and you could feel his hands grip the back of your dress as he tried to restrain himself. “Mmpf you have no idea what you do to me. I will throw you over my shoulder right now if you keep that up” he said between the kisses that you continued to press against his lips.

“I’ll just have to save it for later” you said slyly as you looked up at him with your doe eyes.

“I can have you in the car, to Tanneyhill, and in my bed in 15 minutes” he said seriously, even as his signature smirk rested on his lips, and you laughed. “11 actually, final estimate.”

“I’m having fun, Rafe, we can be patient.”

“Patience is not a strength of mine” he replied, chuckling. That much you knew well.

The band switched to a more upbeat song and people began shifting around the dance floor.

“Drink?” Rafe asked.

“Yes, please” you replied.

He pressed another warm, sincere kiss to your lips. “Be right back, pretty girl” he said as he shifted towards the bar.

You scanned the party quickly, eyes landing on Rafe’s sister Sarah and you wandered over to keep her company. “Dare I ask where Topper is?” you said jokingly. She looked over at you and laughed, rolling her eyes. You two had a close relationship; in many ways you were like the older sister she never had, she confided in you more than anyone else, so you knew all about John B at this point. It didn’t surprise you that she had distanced herself from her boyfriend tonight, and it didn’t surprise you when John B’s best friend approached her, casually brandishing a note in her direction.

“I’ve got a uh note from Vlad” he said, eyeing her knowingly. She was grinning from ear to ear as she took it from him and began reading. JJ’s eyes shifted from her to you, recognizing you immediately.

“Future Mrs. Cameron? Lovely to see you here tonight” he said.

Your eyes narrowed slightly at the nickname, knowing he didn’t mean it as a compliment, but you nodded kindly at him in response.

“Aww, what, that’s all I get? Boyfriend won’t let you talk to me? I’m surprised he left your side for more than two minutes.”

Sarah’s head shot up at his mocking tone as she smacked him on the arm, “JJ” she said, “leave her alone.”

“What!” he said, throwing his hands up in mock surrender. “If I was dating the hottest girl on the island, I wouldn’t let her out of my sight either!”

You rolled your eyes.

“Seriously, sweetheart, when you get tired of the hair gel and inevitably mediocre sex, call me” he said, lifting his fingers to his ear like a phone.

“What? –” you started to say angrily, when JJ glanced over your shoulder, eyes widening as he began to take a couple of steps back.

You felt a warm hand slide around your waist as Rafe appeared by your side, eyes transfixed on the boy in front of him.

“What the fuck did you just say to her?” he said, his voice calm, his tone even, the control he had in the moment somehow more frightening than the alternative.

“Ya know, I’m on the clock right now, I should get back—” JJ said, pointing over his shoulder, quickly trying to backpedal.

“Nah, you know, I really want to know what you said to my girlfriend. I want to know why you thought you could talk to her, or even look at her for that matter?” Rafe continued, his hand slipping off your waist as he walked towards JJ, his imposing figure looming over him.

“My mistake” JJ said, holding his hands out in front of him “thought this was a free country for a second, but I’ll know better next time.”

Rafe laughed and you could tell there wasn’t an ounce of humor in it.

“Next time? Next time. Right, right… There’s not going to be a next time, Maybank. Stay the fuck away from her” he said, the threat lingering in the air, the dancefloor now quiet as people caught on to their argument.

JJ eyed Rafe carefully before nodding, and just as Rafe was ready to bury his anger for the sake of saving your night, just as he was ready to go back to dancing with you, maybe even convince you to leave early with him, JJ said, “But I mean, can you blame me? In a dress like that? She’s practically begging for it.”

Rafe lunged before anyone could grab him and several people near you screamed. He tackled JJ to the ground and landed three solid right-hooks to his face before security arrived and pulled them apart.

“This isn’t over, Maybank!” he shouted as JJ spit blood on the ground at Rafe’s feet, causing him to jerk in the grip of the security guard all over again.

“Sir,” security said, “please follow me” he said, escorting Rafe firmly off the dance floor as JJ was pulled in the opposite direction.

“What!?” Rafe said, “I’m a member here, he was harassing my girlfriend!”

“Sir, please, just follow me” he insisted.

Rafe’s eyes met yours quickly as he was ushered away, afraid that he had ruined your night. “M’sorry baby, m’so sorry” he said quickly.

You tried to reassure him, shaking your head, “It’s okay, Rafe.”

“I’ll be right back, I promise” he said.

You worked your bottom lip nervously back and forth with your teeth as you watched him go before you became all too aware of the silence that surrounded you. As you brought your attention back to the party, you realized nearly every set of eyes was on you, watching you after what had just occurred. You felt the heat of their critical gaze, as every person formed their own thoughts about Rafe, about you, as they whispered amongst themselves. You tried to hold your head high as your chin began to quiver.

“Don’t give them the satisfaction” said a quiet voice over your shoulder. You turned to see Rose walking up beside you, her eyes glaring at the people around you, daring them to say something, to you or to her. One by one as she met their eyes they turned back to their conversations.

You swallowed your emotions. You had never spent much time with Rose, but now you were overwhelmingly grateful for her company, her support. 

She turned her gaze on you as she took a sip of her champagne. “They’ll never understand” she said, “they think they do, but they don’t. They think they know everything” she paused, her eyes narrowing at a group of girls who were whispering nearby. They immediately stopped talking under her gaze and shuffled away. She returned her focus to you.

“They think we’re crazy, you and me. To be in love with men with such a capacity for anger, for violence. But what they fail to see is that these are the same men who won’t hesitate to do what needs to be done, for their families, for you, for me. They love and hate in equal measure. And nothing in this world compares to that kind of love, does it?” she asked, sipping her champagne again as she eyed you conspiratorially. You had never spent any time thinking about the fact that Rose Cameron might be the only person who knew exactly what it felt like to be you sometimes.

“Rafe is so much like his father,” she continued, “that’s why they’re always at each other’s throats, that’s why he’s the hardest on him. That’s also why I know exactly what’s going on in that boy’s mind when he looks at you…” she smiled, pausing. “You’ll find out soon enough that being Mrs. Cameron comes with a lot of attention, and a lot of perks” she added, winking. Your eyes widened in surprise as you glanced at her, did she know something you didn’t?

“If it isn’t blatantly obvious to them, it’s blatantly obvious to me that that boy would burn the world to the ground for you” she said shaking her head as she smiled. “Lucky girl” she whispered, pressing a kiss to your cheek as she walked away.

Her words took a moment to sink in, but then you realized how right she was.

With your head held high you made your way past the remaining onlookers, and inside the clubhouse. You followed the reverberating sounds of raised voices to find Rafe arguing vehemently with two security guards. All three turned to look at you as you approached them.

“M’am” said one of the guards, nodding politely.

“Baby…” Rafe said as he looked at you, apology written all over his face. You smiled warmly at him, taking his hand in your own before turning to the security guards.

“We’re leaving” you said resolutely. One of them looked like he wanted to argue with and you put a hand up to stop him, cutting him off before he could start.

“We’re leaving and you better believe you will be hearing from Ward Cameron about how his son, his family was treated on the night dedicated to recognizing his contributions to this community. About how you let a member of the staff harass me and then deigned to humiliate Rafe when he tried to help. And I’m fine by the way, thank you for asking. Oh wait, you didn’t ask, did you? Stellar performance tonight, gentlemen” you said.

With that, you tucked your arm into Rafe’s and the two of you walked confidently through the front doors.

When you had made it outside, Rafe turned to look at you, glancing briefly back inside then to you again. “Holy shit” he said, “where the hell did that come from?” he was smiling widely at you, practically glowing with admiration, “and why was it so fucking hot?”

You shrugged casually before turning to face him, a proud smirk on your lips as you gripped the lapels of his jacket. “Someone reminded me just how lucky I am to have you, Rafe Cameron” you said, pressing a sincere but passionate kiss to his lips before continuing, “It’s not that I needed the reminder… it’s more that I needed to remind myself who I am, what I am when I’m with you.”

“And that is…?” he asked, pulling your body flush against his, his lips hovering just over yours as his eyes twinkled.

“Untouchable” you whispered, pressing your lips to his and squealing when he scooped you into his arms and walked you to his truck.

taglist: @ietss, @gillybear17, @palmwinemami, @sweetestdesire, @softcoremaybank, @diary-of-jj, @m-indkiller, @one-sweet-gubler

[xoxoladyaz]

It Hits Different This Time, Part 2

Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Rock Star Eddie x Steve Harrington

TW: Mentions of alcohol, drug abuse

QUICK AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm so sorry that the last entry was so angst heavy, I promise this one provides some comfort! Eddie needed to take a big step here and he really, really does. Also, much love to everyone who commented, I've tagged you at the bottom of the post - let me know if anyone else would like to be notified of the next entry!

Part One / Part Two / Part Three / Part Four / Part Five

It was another five days before Steve heard from Eddie. Another five torturous days of radio silence, only this time, there wasn’t anything online. No new articles were popping up saying he’d been spotted somewhere, no new TikToks of him meeting fans on the street. The rest of the band was MIA too; Steve had thought about sending Jeff a text to check-in but ultimately decided to wait another couple days. Robin had been texting with Chrissy, after all, and if something bad had gone down, she would know.

When Eddie did finally call, it wasn’t from a number that Steve recognized.

“I’m getting a call from Malibu.”

“Holy shit!” Robin sat up on the other end of the couch and shot him a look. “Okay, just breathe dingus, okay? It’s going to be okay, I’ll be here the whole time.” She squeezed his ankle comfortingly. “You can do this.”

Steve accepted the call with shaky hands and brought his phone to his ear. “Hello?”

“Hey Steve.”

He shut his eyes and swallowed, trying to stop his voice from cracking. “Eddie.”

He heard Eddie let out a watery laugh across the line. “Do you, uh, have a minute?”

“Mmmm hmmm,” Steve hummed. He physically couldn’t get an actual word out. 

This was it. Eddie was leaving, he’d cheated, it was over – 

“I’m in rehab.”

Steve’s eyes shot open. “You’re what?”

Robin started rocking back and forth. “Turn it up!” She hissed, and Steve obliged, turning up his volume so she could just barely hear what was being said. (Was this a private conversation? Yes. Did Eddie know he’d probably immediately tell Robin everything? Also yes. 

Was this news big enough to warrant having Robin eavesdrop?

Absolutely yes.)

“Yeah, I’m, uh, at the Promises Treatment Center in Malibu,” Eddie continued. “We got back about five days ago and when I saw your note, I – 

“Look, Steve,” Eddie continued, and his voice was choked up, like he himself couldn’t speak, “I fucked up. I’ve fucked everything up. You are – you said in that note that you didn’t want me to give up on my dreams, and you’re right, making it big and getting famous for my music was my dream for literal years. Because I kept thinking “once I get a record out there,” “once I go on tour,” “once I win a Grammy,” “once I get a million dollars,” then I’d finally be happy. 

“But it turns out the only thing being famous has done is make me pretty fucking miserable,” Eddie let out a harsh laugh. “But I was so goddamn convinced that this was it, you know, that I’d accomplished my dreams so I must be happy that I started taking whatever I could get my fucking hands on to make me feel that way. The thing is drugs and the alcohol and the parties never made it fucking last. It just made every other second that I was in the public eye that much worse.

“But I’d still made it, you know? I felt like I didn’t deserve to feel this fucking miserable. And everyone back home was so fucking proud and I didn’t want to let them down - ” Eddie paused for a few moments to clear his throat before continuing. “I didn’t want to let you down. Because Eddie “The Freak” Munson didn’t deserve you, but maybe Eddie “The Rock Star” could.”

Steve can feel his own throat closing up and he can barely see Robin’s face, his eyes are watering that bad. “Baby,” he sobbed. “I wish you’d told me.”

“Me too,” Eddie sniffled across the line. “I didn’t though, I just kept self-medicating and ignoring it, because that’s always worked,” he huffed sarcastically. “But then - ” Eddie cut off again, and Steve can hear that he’s trying so hard to hold back his own sobs, “then I came home last week and realized that I’d missed our goddamn anniversary because I was too fucking high and that you were gone and I just – I called Jeff and I told him to get me on a plane out here because you – you, Steve Harrington, you are the best thing in my goddamn life. And the only dream I want to chase now is the one where we get married and adopt some kids and grow old together.”

“Eddie,” Steve sobbed out again, and he heard Eddie start to cry too, and then suddenly they were crying together, even from hundreds of miles away.

“So I’m gonna be here for the next six weeks,” Eddie finally continued, his voice still full of tears. “I’m, uh, meeting with a therapist for a few hours every day and working through my shit. I wanna be a guy who deserves good things, baby. I wanna be a guy who deserves you.”

“What – what about the band?” Steve sniffled, rubbing at his eyes. A handful of Kleenex appeared in front of him. Robin must have gotten up to grab them at some point. He shot her a thankful nod and patted at his eyes; Robin nodded back and did the same, her face flushed that bright shade of red that accompanied her own tears.

“Murray wrote a provision into our contract where if one of us checks into rehab, then the band is instantly put on a two-year, non-negotiable hiatus.”

“But – what about your momentum, the label kept talking about it?”

“The label can go fuck themselves” Eddie practically growled over the phone. “Who do you think hosted the party where I first got my hands on the hardcore stuff anyways?”

“Babe - ”

“Murray said he was going to look into some sort of contract termination so we can sign somewhere else. And even if we didn’t have that thing written into our contract, we probably would have gone on hiatus anyways, or worse. That – the last leg was rough. Gareth was just as fucked up as I was and Jeff was fucking pissed. He kept having to pull Gareth out of orgies and shit while babysitting Phil and I too.”

“Did,” Steve swallowed harshly, “did - ”

“No, baby, never,” Eddie declared quickly. “Even when I couldn’t fucking see straight, you were the only one I wanted to be with. I honestly don’t even know who we were partying with at the end there, the label sent them for some PR shit, I don’t know. It’s just another reason why we want out.”

“Oh,” Steve murmured, “okay. Good. Or, well, not good. You know.”

“Yeah, baby, I do,” Eddie replied softly. 

They sat in silence for a few moments, just listening to each other breathe. “I, uh,” Eddie started up again quietly, “I’m wearing the ring.”

“Yeah?” Steve found himself smiling despite the fresh tears welling up in his eyes.

“Yeah,” Eddie’s voice was just as choked up as before. “It’s perfect. You’re perfect.”

“Eddie - ”

“Look, I know, I know I hurt you so, so badly and I’m never going to fucking forgive myself for what I did, but I – you’re everything I want, baby. If I had to give up Corroded Coffin tomorrow for you, I would do it in a heartbeat. And I – I know I can’t expect for you to just, like, forgive me after the shit I pulled, but – will you be there, when I get out? Can I – I want to come home to you,” Eddie finished, and Steve could hear that he was crying again.

Steve looked over at Robin, who was wiping more tears out of her own eyes. They looked at each other for a few moments.

It might be crazy, but I think I want to say yes.

I don't blame you. I mean, this is one hell of an apology, especially from Mr. “I’ll Never Need to Go to Rehab Ever.”

Yeah. And I love him.

And you love him.

“I’ll be there,” Steve murmured reassuringly, and Eddie burst into a new wave of muffled sobs on the other end of the phone. “Just do what you need to do and come home when you’re ready, okay? I’ll be waiting for home.”

“At home?” Eddie’s voice broke on a whimper.

“At home. I’ll even clean the bathrooms and everything,” Steve joked, and Eddie let out a loud laugh despite the quiet sobs Steve could still hear. 

“Really? You’ll be there?”

“Yeah, Eddie. I’ll be there. We can get through this.”

“Together.”

“Together. Because I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone.”

“Fuck, Stevie,” Eddie let out an incredulous laugh again, “I love you so fucking much, baby. I’m going to marry the fuck out of you someday.”

“Save the sweet talk for when you get home, okay?” Steve could feel his heart settling in his chest, and whatever tears he’d had left to cry were all gone now. There was just the twinge of missing Eddie, but that would go away soon enough. “I’m so fucking proud of you, Eds.”

“Thanks, baby.” Eddie’s answer was soft now. “So I, uh, get a couple hours to call people every day from one of the site’s phones. Can I keep calling you?”

“Please,” Steve heard Eddie exhale in relief. “Every day sounds perfect.”

“Good, good. I’ll have to, uh, use some of my time to talk to Wayne, but the rest of it is yours, baby. And Gareth, Jeff threw him into a different center too. His check-in was much less voluntary though.”

“Shit,” Steve winced. “Is there anything Robin or I can do to help?”

“Take Jeff and Chrissy out to a nice dinner and use the Amex,” Eddie snorted, causing Steve to laugh.

“Consider it done.”

“Good." Steve heard the sound of another voice behind Eddie. Eddie replied something Steve couldn't understand, but it was in the affirmative. "Doc says my time is up for today. My, uh, talk with Wayne took up a lot of time,” Eddie returned, and his voice trembled as he spoke. “But I’ll call you tomorrow and I’ll see you in six weeks.”

“Yes you will.” Steve shut his eyes and imagined Eddie was standing right in front of him. Eddie with his riotous curls and holey graphic tees and tight jeans. Eddie with his rings on his fingers, with Steve’s ring on his finger. Eddie, standing across from him and smiling at him with that twinkle in his eye that had first caught Steve’s attention all those years ago. 

“I love you, Eds.”

“I love you too, sweetheart. I’ll see you on the other side.”

Tags List: @gregre369 @starman-jpg @skoomy-doompy @thequeenrainacorn @sleepyboosstuff @strawberrykore @paintsplatteredandimperfect @amoris-no-smut-allowed @steve-the-hairrington @iknewyouweremuggle @swimmingbirdrunningrock @sunfloweringstories @loverkasp @hyperfixationgoddess @steddie-as-they-go @zerokrox-blog @messrs-weasley @thelittleclare @lovelyscot

[nat-20s]

okay okay okay okay okay so at the end of The Runaway Bride Donna is still wearing the bio-damp wedding ring, right? I think she keeps it. I think at first it's just a sort of sentimental trinket- a reminder to keep traveling and explore the world and seek out the weird around her. And, well, it's a little thing, so might as well keep it on a necklace, right?

Then it comes with her on her adventures with Ten. And really it becomes less of a totem and more utilitarian. Both because of the actual bio-damp ability and because in their heart of hearts both Donna and Ten have a grifter's spirit and they WILL pretend to be married if convenient and/or funny.

Then she loses her memories. She doesn't even remember most of her failed wedding but her ring for that looked quite different and she was perfectly fine to pawn it for some quick cash. But this one. This one doesn't make sense. She asked around, of course she did, but no one around her has claimed this thing. It's just a plain gold band that happens to fit her like it was custom made, but that's not that weird, for a ring. She should sell it. She should give it away. She doesn't even need it, she has a real wedding ring now, given to her by the love of her life. Yet every time she thinks about getting rid of it, she feels a sharp pain in her chest and a tightness to her lungs, so instead she shoves it to the back of her jewelry box and tries not to think about yet another little mystery from her missing year.

14 comes into her life. Her memories come back with him. She doesn't actually remember the ring until Rose is going through her jewelry for something to wear to dinner tonight and Donna spots the chain out of the corner of her eye. She doesn't point it out, but after Rose has left she sort of. Starts wearing the necklace again. Just for her, not for anyone else, she tends to hide it under layers. The Doctor ends up spotting it. Of course he does. He looks a little stricken, recognizing it instantly, but she sends a pleading look that stops him from talking.

Rose and Shaun both talk to her about what The Doctor is to her. It feels a bit like pulling teeth, trying to explain where he fits, because best friend feels inadequate and brother isn't even close to right and she feels equally intense about The Doctor as she does about Shaun but she doesn't feel the same about them, they're different kinds of love and it's okay. They let her know it's okay. That she can have multiple people that are the loves of her life and they can be different but no lesser kinds of love and. Well. She starts wearing two wedding rings on her finger.

[ladykailitha]

Steddie brain strikes again!

This time with Steve as a former Survivor style competition winner (he auditioned on a dare from Robin) who sued the production company for defamation of character when the show came out and it was edited to make Steve appear mean and bitchy, when the reality was that everyone else in the cast said that he was kind, helpful, and just a joy to be around. And won. (Steve didn’t know it at the time, but Tommy was the reason he got on the show and had been expecting King Steve from high school and instead got Kind Steve and forced the edits [he got fired after the lawsuit]).

Eddie is a rockstar (of course) and head of Corroded Coffin. The band sells out stadiums but likes to do inimate venues like bars and clubs because it gives them a chance to interact with the their fans.

Steve is one of these fans. And goes to a bar concert dressed as he always does. Tight blue jeans and a polo. And he gets to the front of the line to have Eddie (it’s rare to get a signature from the rest of the band, they hate it) sign a vinyl of his favorite record the band did and Eddie greets him cheerfully, asks for his name. Steve refuses to give it because people might not recognize him any more they sure the hell recognize the name. So he just tells him to address it to Eddie’s biggest fan. Eddie does so but senses that some thing is off and asks what wrong. That’s when Steve tell him that he was told he was a fake fan and couldn’t be there for Corroded Coffin. That he must have wandered off the street or something.

Eddie tells him that he doesn’t care what his fans look like as long as they enjoy their music. And tells him to enjoy the show. Steve nods.

After the signing, Eddie goes back to the green room and talks about the polo guy only for Jeff to tell him who Steve is and Eddie is gutted. And completely understands now why he was so reluctant to give out his name. Gareth then tells him that he was pretty sure that Steve left as he didn’t see anyone like that when he went to go grab something from the tour bus.

Eddie is pissed. He goes out on stage and starts one of his rants. He’s famous for them. About how forced conformity works the other way, too. Just because a fan doesn’t look like a metalhead doesn’t mean they don’t enjoy the music. Besides there was no way for them to know why the fan had dressed that way. He could have come straight from work. He could have a home life that makes it hard for him to dress that way, whatever that may look like. Or that could be what the fan likes to wear.

Most of the fans are feeling properly chastised. But there was an asshole close to the front that calls out “Yeah what are you going to do about it?”

“This!” and Eddie walks off the stage.

The crowd is shocked. Eddie Munson just walked away from a concert. Something that had never happened before. Jeff steps up to the mic and says “I’m with him. Free refunds for everyone but that dude. I have your picture on my phone, don’t even try it.”

Then Gareth and Brian look at each and nod. They walk off stage too.

Eddie’s not an ass, he knows he just cost the bar owner a shit ton of money so he goes and finds out how much he’d lose and then cuts him a $5000 check to cover any damage if the crowd riots and they pack up and leave.

The next day Robin comes over screaming about the show Steve was supposed to go to last night. And shows him the video and he turns to her and tells her it’s about him. And tells her what happened last night.

And of course Eddie reaches out and they fall in love.

[marvelous-slut]

idk how i keep writing about our boy happy, like i have so many WIPs and two of them are chibs & juice, literally almost done and my brain said “but how about we write one for happy AND finish it all in one day.” like ?? idk guys he has a choke hold over me and i’m not even complaining i love his ass 🫶🏻 anyways here’s to my happy fans i hope y’all enjoy some smut. this also gets no title bc my brain ain’t working enough for that right now, so sorry xx

SMUT! 18+ ONLY my friends, if you’re younger than 18 please exit left! lots of smut, didn’t proof read

“we’re gonna head to the porn studio boys, gotta talk some business with Luann.” jax says, hoping on his bike. tig stands with happy as he throws his hands up.

“come on man, we’re standing right here and you’re just gonna rub that in our faces.?” jax smirks and straps his helmet on.

“never said you guys couldn’t tag along, i know how much the two of you like pussy.” tig needs to hear no more as he walks over to his bike and hops on. happy decides to join them as he does in-fact love pussy and he definitely loves porn.

_________

immediately when entering Luann’s porn studio, tig is gone. he’s looking around the studio, he’s looking at the half naked women strutting around, he finally stops when he sees a girl on girl scene being filmed. not even a fire could take his eyes off this action. happy follows, looking around himself. he sees spots Luann speaking with a familiar face.

“holy shit.” he mutters out, he recognizes your face and body from anywhere. he’d never admit he had a favorite porn star, he did enjoy most of what he watched, but you in fact got him off quicker and made him harder than any other woman he’d watched on screen. he swears he’s seen every film you’ve had, girl on girl, straight, threesomes, but his favorites were your solos. he notices the tight royal blue dress hugging your body and he feels himself growing harder. once he sees you break away from Luann he decides to take his chances. he watches you wrap a bottle of water around his your lips, he comes over and grabs a bottle as well.

“hey.” he says, feeling like he can hardly speak, you turn around and smile at him.

“hey.” you say back to him, noticing the leather that matches your new business partners SAMCRO. he stares at you for a moment, unsure of what else to say, you decide to break the silence. “cat got your tongue?” you ask him, he puts a head on the back of his head.

“uh. no. you just look familiar.” he says, happy doesn’t usually feel nervous around anyone especially women but he felt like he was meeting a big time celebrity which he guessed that was somewhat accurate.

“which movies your favorite baby?” you ask, running a hand down his leather. he smirks, looking you up and down.

“i prefer the solos.” you smile at him, usually the answer you got from men was girl on girl. you grab his hand, leading him to the back room where you and your girls got ready. thankfully most of them were sniffing around the SAMCRO members, giving them a good time. once the two of you were in the room, you kiss him on the lips roughly.

he runs a hand up to your ass and grasps it, before you know it you feel your back against the wall. you pull away from the kiss to help him take off his kutte, as he’s doing this he also sheds the shirt he wore under. you notice all the tattoos and his muscular body, feeling your body heat up. you’d slept with plenty of men and women, you would think being on camera would take some embarrassment away from off camera sex, but not with this man. at this moment you realize you didn’t even get his name.

you pull him by the waist band of his jeans and drop to the floor to your knees, undoing his belt and letting his jeans fall to the ground. once his boxers come off, your eyes grow and a loud “wow” leaves your lips. he smirks at hearing this, he would never not feel proud hearing about how big his dick was but he was ecstatic to hear it come from his favorite porn stars lips. he feels himself twitch as you wrap your lips around him. he’s met with a hand wrapping around him as well, even tho you were some what of an expert at the matter, you weren’t about to embarrass yourself a choke on this man. he notices your hair getting in the way and decides to hold it up for you, his fist wrapping tightly around it. you pull him out of your mouth, running your tongue from the base to his head. he moans out at this action, he pulls your hair as a signal to come up to him.

before you know it, you’re laying out on the couch. happy lifts your dress up, revealing that you have no panties on underneath.

“shit girl. no panties?” he asks, you pull the top of your dress down, revealing your breast. you feel your nipples become hard from the cold air.

“makes it easier for moments like these.” he grins, pulling you to the edge of the couch, he slides himself into you without warning. you let out a moan, you were already soaking wet. usually it took a little lube for the shoots, but this man did something that no one else had done in a long time. he’s thrusting slowly, but steady.

“god damn.” he mutters out, running his hand to your breast. “pussy is even better in person than then on camera. you know how many times i’ve fantasied about this?” he hears you let out the oh so familiar moans that before he’d only heard in porn. you lift your head up and grin.

“is it all you ever dreamed of?” you wrap your arms around his neck and pull him down to your face, kissing him sloppily and wiping away his sweat with your hand. he can feel the tops of your nails sticking into his neck. “shit. even better than that.” he says, thrusting himself into you harder than before. your moans mimicked what he has heard many times before, but it seemed more enjoyable this time around, much more authentic.

you wiggle yourself out of the corner of the couch and manage to get him to lay on his back, happy was taken back. he was used to doggy style or being in control in missionary, he couldn’t even remember the last time a woman rode him. you ease down onto his cock, “fuck.” he let’s out, he can’t believe what’s happening, it still doesn’t feel real. he feels like a teenage boy again fucking someone for the first time. you grind yourself on him, taking his hands and placing them on your hips to help guide you.

“how many times have you thought of this baby?” you ask, he digs his nails into the side of your hips, making you gasp in pleasure.

“you don’t even know.” you feel pressure building inside of you, ready to explode. “you sure do know how to work a man’s fucking cock.” the words send you over the edge, happy feels you clenching around him.

“oh my god!” you scream out, he watches your face, although he remembers plenty of the orgasms you’d had in your movies, he’d never seen one like this before. you continue riding him, finishing off your orgasm. you feel him go to push you off so he can cum himself, but you hold him down with your hands still grinding onto him.

“oh now, don’t think you didn’t do all that work to not get to cum inside of me.” you say, moving your hands to his face.

“fuck!” he let’s out, he releases into you and enjoys every second of it. no second thoughts. once the both of you have finished, you hop off him and grab the closest towel that had your initials printed onto it, specially made for you of course as you were one of Luann’s biggest earners. you throw one to happy as well, he stands up, cleaning himself off. you throw on a bright pink robe, throw your hair up into a bun and walk over to him.

“you know, i never did catch your name.”

“happy.” he says, you chuckle for a second until you realize he’s being serious.

“cute, i like it. we should do this again happy.” you say, grabbing your water and taking off to the restroom. he finished cleaning himself off and gives himself a pat on the back, realizing now he can have the real deal instead of his screen.

[ryttu3k]

"The question has never been: Can you build cities?

Ants do that.

The question has never been: Are you capable of considering your own existence and getting kind of depressed about it?

Any animal in captivity does that.

The question has never been: Can you use tools?

Crows do that. Otters do that. Apes do that. Good Lord, everybody does that.

The question has never been: Can you perform complex problem solving?

Dogs do that.

The question has never been: Can you experience love?

Nobody doesn’t.

The question has never been: Can you use language?

Parrots and dolphins and cuttlefish do that.

The question has never even been: Do you understand object permanence, can you recognize yourself in the mirror, do you bury your dead, do you bond emotionally with your young?

Elephants do all those things, and some humans definitely don’t.

The only question is this:

Do you have enough empathy and yearning and desperation to connect to others outside yourself and scream into the void in four-part harmony? Enough brainpower and fine motor control and aesthetic ideation to look at feathers and stones and stuff that comes out of a worm’s more unpleasant holes and see gowns, veils, platform heels? Enough sheer style and excess energy to do something that provides no direct, material benefit to your personal survival, that might even mark you out from the pack as shiny, glittery prey, to do it for no other reason than that it rocks?

Everything in the universe has rhythm. Everything pulses to a beat laid down by the Big Bang. Everything feels the drumline of creation from star to sex to song. But can you make that rhythm? In order to create a pop band, the whole apparatus of civilization must be up and running and tapping its toe to the beat. Electricity, poetry, mathematics, sound amplification, textiles, arena architecture, efficient mimetic exchange, dramaturgy, industry, marketing, the bureaucratic classes, cultural critics, audiovisual transmission, special effects, music theory, symbology, metaphor, transportation, banking, enough leisure and excess calories to do anything beyond hunt, all of it, everything.

Can everyone else trust that, if you must declare war and wipe out half a quadrant, you’ll at least write a sad song about it?

Yes?

Well, even that is not quite enough.

Are you kind enough, on your little planet, not to shut that rhythm down? Not to crush underfoot the singers of songs and tellers of tales and wearers of silk? Because it’s monsters who do that. Who extinguish art. Who burn books. Who ban music. Who yell at anyone with ears to turn off that racket. Who cannot see outside themselves clearly enough to sing their truth to the heavens. Do you have enough goodness in your world to let the music play?

Do you have soul?"

- Space Opera, by Catherynne M Valente

[cherrysfanfics-ily]

hi would you maybe write a jesse st. james reader fanfic where the reader is finn's sister and she's a really good singer, like better than rachel!

Here is your request! I hope you enjoy it, I had lots of fun writing it! It may be a more friendly type one-shot with some romantic aspects here and there, but if people want one I can do a part 2 with a more romantic take!! Genre: Fluff

Pairing: Jesse St. James x Fem! Reader

Word Count: 1825

(___’s POV)

I was sat in the choir room with the rest of the glee club the day after Rachel showed her ‘Run Joey Run’ film, with Finn on my left and, surprisingly, Jesse on my right and Rachel looking at the two of them with sad eyes on the opposite side of the room. “ Mom says she’s making alfredo with chicken tonight for dinner,” Finn spoke looking over at me, with a small smile. “ That is the best news to hear, I love her alfredo and chicken.” I smile back. “ Alright glee clubbers, does anyone else have a bad reputation song to share after Rachel’s yesterday?” Mr.Shue asked with a clap of his hands looking around at the rest of us hopefully. I quickly look around, seeing no one else wanting to go, so I raise my hand with a proud smile, “___! Come on up!” Mr.Shue said with a smile waving me up.

I stood from my chair and headed to the front, when I got there I turned to look at everyone seeing everyone watching me, and Rachel glaring at me crossing her arms. “ I’ll be honest I think a bad reputation does not equal a good reputation, I think it just means you’ll never truly have fans but haters,” I spoke looking around at everyone matching Rachel’s glare when I met her eyes, “ But I chose a song that may have a bad reputation but you just can’t help but get up and dance and sing along to.” I finished before I nodded at the band to start the music, and they started playing the instrumental to ‘Girlfriend’ by Avril Lavinge.

“ Hey, hey, you, you, I don't like your girlfriend. No way, no way, I think you need a new one. Hey, hey, you, you, I could be your girlfriend,” I sang starting to rock out to the drums and guitar, ” Hey, hey, you, you, I know that you like me. No way, no way, you know it's not a secret. Hey, hey, you, you, I want to be your girlfriend.” I sang a smirk on my face started to dance a bit, and watched as a few others recognized the song and started to dance in their seats a bit. 

“ You're so fine, I want you mine, you're so delicious, I think about you all the time, you're so addictive. Don't you know what I can do to make you feel alright?” I sang as I started to walk through everyone’s chairs circling Santana’s chair and doing a small shimmy back and forth with her before moving on. “ Don't pretend, I think you know I'm damn precious, and hell yeah, I'm the motherfuckin' princess. I can tell you like me too and you know I'm right.” I continued playfully leaning onto Kurt as he smiled at my antics. 

“ She's like so whatever, you could do so much better. I think we should get together now, and that's what everyone's talkin' about.” I sang standing back up properly before heading and playfully sitting on Mercedes's lap acting as if I was talking about someone with her, before heading back to the front and repeating the chorus. 

“ I can see the way, I see the way you look at me. and even when you look away, I know you think of me.  I know you talk about me all the time again and again.” I sang going and messing with Brittany’s head as if she might have thought of me, “ So come over here and tell me what I wanna hear. Better yet, make your girlfriend disappear, I don't wanna hear you say her name ever again.” I skipped over to Jesse and sat in his lap with a smile on my face, with him smiling back, just having lots of fun before getting up and heading back to the front again to sing the pre-chorus and chorus again. 

“ In a second, you'll be wrapped around my finger. 'Cause I can, 'cause I can do it better. There's no other, so when's it gonna sink in? She's so stupid, what the hell were you thinkin'?” I sang clapping to the beat, with the girls, excluding Rachel, joining me, standing to come to dance with me. “ In a second, you'll be wrapped around my finger. 'Cause I can, 'cause I can do it better. There's no other, so when's it gonna sink in? She's so stupid, what the hell were you thinkin'?” I continued with the guys joining the girls and me up at the front.

I went on to sing the rest of the song dancing with a few different people until Jesse and I started dancing with each other for the rest of the song. “ Hey, hey!” I finish with a huge smile on my face, as the others erupt into cheers having had lots of fun dancing and singing along. 

“ Great job ___! You gave a great example of the assignment, and got everyone up and moving along with you!” Mr.Shue said excitedly giving me a high five as we all returned to our seats, “ Alright. We have a couple of days left of the week, so if you have a song with a bad reputation then you are welcome to share it. I will see you all tomorrow.” Mr.Shue smiled at us heading to wipe off the whiteboard, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Rachel pop up and head over to Mr.Shue. I start to gather my things, putting them in my backpack. “ You ready to go?” I hear Finn ask as I grab my keys out of my bag. “ You go without me, I’m planning on heading into town for a while,” I told him hugging him, while he nodded and waved goodbye as he left. 

I finally finished putting my things in my bag and headed out of the room to my locker to drop off the books I didn’t need tonight and grab the ones I did need. I hear footsteps coming up to me before they stop and clear their throat causing me to turn to look who it is, only to see Jesse. “ Hey ___, that was a great song choice in there.” He complimented me with a smirk, causing me to smile and let out a small laugh turning back to my locker to finish what I was doing. “ Thank you, It’s a song I have on my playlist so it was an easy pick,” I told him, with a smile putting the last book away shutting my locker door, and turning back to look at him.

“ Well either way your voice was perfect for the song, and I enjoyed dancing with you.” Jesse smiled at me starting to lean on a nearby locker. “ I enjoyed dancing with you as well.” I smile back before I notice Rachel down the hallway watching Jesse and me, and I just roll my eyes and lean on my locker, “ Are you and Rachel still together? Or what happened after yesterday?” I ask him curiously. He turned his head to see Rachel watching us as well making her turn away from us and go, before turning back to look at me. “ No, I told her last night that what she did hurt me, with how she lied and used me.” He spoke shaking her head. 

“ I’m sorry you had to deal with that, should’ve warned you that she’s kind of selfish when it comes to glee club. She’s at least lucky that I haven’t talked to her about it yet.” I spoke leaning back against my locker a bit with a cross of my arms glaring at where Rachel just was. “ Yeah?” He questions raising one of his eyebrows. “ Yeah. She does these things to get her way, and not only did she use you and Puck, she used my brother.” I ranted a bit rolling my eyes. “ Well, you don’t have to worry about that since everyone has called her out for it,” Jesse stated with a small laugh.

I watched as he smiled and laughed, which brought a smile to my face, “ I’m heading into town to get some coffee and do a bit of shopping. Just have a fun time after the last few days, do you want to join me?” I ask standing straight again and adjusting my backpack. “ I’d love that honestly, it would be good to take a break.” He spoke, which made me smile a bit more. We both head to the front of the school and head towards my car. I unlock the doors as we get closer and head over to the driver seat, as Jess goes over to the passenger side. We both hop in and put our bags in the back seat so we have enough room up front before buckling in. I put the key in the ignition starting it up as I grabbed a CD case I had in the back, put it into the CD player, and started to play it. As I pull out the song I was left on last time starts to play, “ Great CD choice, and such a great song.” Jesse spoke looking over at me. 

“ I mean you can never go wrong with Gaga, and Judas is an amazing song of hers,” I responded looking over at him quickly before I looked back at the road stopping at a red light. I hear him laugh as I glance over at him to see his head thrown back against the seat before watching the lights. As the light turns green I continue down the road before I’m able to pull into the parking lot of Lima Bean, quickly finding a parking space to park in. After parking I turn the car off, Jesse and I both unbuckle and get out. I make sure to lock the door as we go to head in, with Jesse opening the door for me as I smile at him in thanks. We were quick to the counter ordering our drinks and paying before moving over out of the pay of other people. 

“ Listen ___, I want to thank you for being kind to me even if I didn’t truly deserve it. I also really appreciate you inviting me to hang out with you today. It means a lot more than you know.” Jesse spoke looking down at me with a smile. “ Of course, even if you were on the opposing team that doesn’t warrant being rude to you, and I can’t imagine how it felt for your girlfriend to triple-cast you for her wants and desires,” I told him with a smile, softly putting my hand on his shoulder. He smiles as he wraps an arm around my shoulder as our drinks are called. We go and grab them before heading out to continue with what we planned for the rest of the day.

[eclectiaa]

Note: Another piece that was posted on my old account. I've made a mid-year resolution to be more active and try to write one post a week. Wish me luck~!

OTOME HOLLYWOOD — Fem!Reader x Venti, Xiao, Childe, Zhongli, Kaeya, Diluc, Kazuha, Scaramouche, and Ayato

You’re a new manager at a talent agency. Inspired down this path after your next-door neighbor became a famous actor. You haven’t been able to interact with this big brother figure much due to his company’s restrictions. That’s partly why you’re motivated to help as many actors stay true to themselves as you can.

Who are the talents?

Venti is a haraguro actor and one of the firm’s top talents. He seems happy-go-lucky and universally liked. In reality, he’s got a ton of emotional issues that he pushes down through alcohol. You see this state early on when tasked with delivering something to his apartment that he left behind at work.

He totally drops the facade in front of you after that. In fact, he treats you pretty harshly.

His character arc involves a scandal about his alcoholism. He fights the rumors at first but eventually hits rock bottom. It’s only with your support that he has the courage to come clean at a press conference. He even gives rehab a shot. Essentially, you’re his rock.

In the epilogue, he becomes more honest with people. Thankfully, most of his fans rally behind him. He seems more relaxed. His attitude towards you even ends up becoming more tongue-in-cheek, though he’ll deny to the end that he’s totally head over heels for you. He’ll scare off anyone else that gets close though, so you’re stuck with him.

Xiao is a rising star who was scouted at an indie music festival. He’d just been helping out a friend by singing backup vocals in an alternative band. His true passion is music and he performs as an anonymous—always masked—underground rapper. Unfortunately, his manager thinks it’s “bad for his image” so he really keeps it on the down-low.

You see a lot of your childhood friend in him and try to help his musical talent be recognized.

His character arc involves him joining the music scene in earnest. His shitty manager eventually gets fired and the company decides to expand its specialties from acting to acting and music. It turns out his fans really love his ‘cool’ side too.

In the epilogue, he ‘slips up’ and mentions that he has someone he “really cares about” during a live interview. He doesn’t say it in so many words, but everyone can tell from his expression and tone that he means a significant other. Of course, he’s too oblivious to his own feelings. You realize that he means you because he mentions an activity that only you two do together. Of course, you think he means it platonically.

Until Kaeya mentions that “it must be love”. You and Xiao promptly stop functioning.

Childe is an actor with a playboy image. In a sense, this makes him Kazuha’s rival, so you’re quite weary with him from the beginning. He isn’t much of a playboy at all, but a misunderstanding—catching him in a compromising position with an actress—has you believing the rumors are true. In reality, the shitty manager currently assigned to him pushes this persona because he believes it makes Childe more marketable.

His character arc follows his frustration at people not taking him seriously as an actor. They only see him as a pretty face and he’s regularly assigned those roles. While it keeps him quite popular, he doesn’t feel fulfilled. You help him stand up to his manager. Rather, you stand up for him—giving him the warm fuzzies—and when his manager begins deriding you, Childe savagely tells them off.

This leads to a face-off between him and the company president, veteran actor Zhongli. They wager that Childe will audition for a role of his choosing. If he gets selected and does well, then he can rewrite his image. If he fails then he’ll stop complaining and let management have their way. He takes on a grittier role with some fight scenes. He started boxing in his youth and keeps up with it regularly. The new gig allows him to showcase his natural abilities.

Of course, he knocks it out of the park, even securing a best actor nomination. Though he doesn’t win this time, he’s more than honored his side of the bargain and is allowed more autonomy in choosing his roles. You’re assigned his new manager after his previous one is fired for trying to sabotage Childe’s efforts. In the epilogue, he realizes the need for a nuclear approach in confessing to you. You brush off his flirtations, still believing he’s like this with everyone. Naturally, in Childe fashion, it's either go big or go home. He delivers a sincere and up-front confession on live television. Zhongli and Kaeya are left with no small share of headaches, but of course, they approve. You’re a good match.

Who is in management?

Zhongli is the director of the company you work at. He started the company to help young actors in this harsh industry and, because he has a lot of clout, his business took off quite quickly. He never intended to stop acting, but work just kept piling up and it’s been quite a while since his last job. Leaving everything in the hands of the next generation worries him, as he fears they might not be ready and feels that it’s his responsibility. But he’s gotten so used to it that he thinks things are fine the way they are.

You meet him on your first day at the office when you go to the kitchen and find him at the table, sipping tea. You hum in appreciation at the rich aroma before you realise who exactly is sitting there and, when he lifts his head and your eyes lock, you freeze. 

Of course you know who he is. You’ve watched every single one of his movies, and he’s the main reason you chose this company to work at. He’s very stoic and elegant, and his penetrating stare makes you quite nervous. He just seems so hard to approach, as though he’s worlds away from you. So you just mumble a polite greeting and scurry away to the cupboards.

You fumble around the kitchen while you prepare your coffee, feeling his strong presence behind you, and you’re so distracted that you burn your hand. Hissing quietly, you go to the freezer to get an ice pack but, before you get there, someone grabs your hand gently. Zhongli looks straight into your eyes and tells you “Don’t” before dragging you to the sink to run water over your wound. He explains all the reasons why it’s better to simply apply cool water, but you can’t focus on his words because you’re too busy looking at him. He’s more beautiful in person than you ever thought possible and he’s just so close, and gentle, and he doesn’t seem to care that the cuffs of his suit are getting wet too.

After that, he starts waiting for you in the kitchen with a pot of tea for both of you and, before you realize it, that morning routine becomes the highlight of your day.

His character arc involves you helping him re-realize his passion for acting. You push him to do something for himself for a change and step back from his role at the company to reignite his career. His route unlocks after you play through all the other company members (and Kazuha’s) routes. On the replay, you have the option of being chosen as his manager and start going on movie sets and events with him. That’s when you see him interacting with Ningguang, a gorgeous actress with whom he co-stars in a movie. Intimidated by Ningguang, who you think is a much better fit for him, you start feeling inadequate by his side. Of course, there’s nothing actually between them, but you don’t realize this until the very end.

In the epilogue, Zhongli wins an award for best actor and, during his speech, he thanks you especially, looking at you softly while you melt at the table. When everyone is leaving, the paparazzi swarm both of you, asking questions as to what your relationship is. Zhongli ignores all of them and leads you to his limo, taking your hand and locking eyes with you—just like that first day—as he opens the door and inclines his head, saying “After you, my lady.”

You flush and climb in quickly with Zhongli close behind, the paparazzi going crazy with their camera flashes as you both leave.

Kaeya used to be Zhongli’s manager but is now the lead manager for the company and your direct boss. He’s an extrovert, and easy to get along with, but he also doesn’t seem to show his true self to many people, which gives him a mysterious air. Diluc is his stepbrother; they have a love-hate relationship where both of them care deeply for the other but would never admit it out loud. Kaeya loves to get on Diluc’s nerves and tease him, trying to make him break out of character. He does the same thing to you, flirting and teasing you all the time, but you don’t take him seriously because he’s that way to everyone. 

He’s the first one to welcome you to the company on your first day, showing you around to help you get acquainted. As you walk, you can’t help but notice how most of the female staff looks at him. But honestly, who can blame them? Kaeya is charming and, though he’s a bit of a joker, he’s quite considerate. He goes out of his way to check on you in your first weeks, giving you advice and even helping you deal with a nasty paparazzi that wouldn’t leave you alone. The way his arm wraps around your shoulders as he steers you away gives you a sense of comfort and safety, and you find yourself wondering what it would be like to be held in his arms. You dismiss the idea as quickly as it comes though, how could he ever be interested in you? Besides, he’s your boss; falling for him would be the perfect recipe for disaster. 

His arc involves him having to improve in order to become the new de-facto director when Zhongli goes back into acting, as well as helping him mend his relationship with Diluc. Kaeya picks up the slack left in Zhongli’s absence, but this increases his workload and you become his second in command, which comes as a huge surprise. You question his decision, but he says he trusts you, making your heart flutter. 

Working side by side, you start noticing how sometimes he looks at you when he thinks you’re not watching, and his casual touches become more frequent: brushing your hair out of your face when you come running after being late, sitting close to you as you both inspect a new contract, staying long hours in the office with you. You don’t get your hopes up though, he’s probably just joking, but you fear that he might discover how fast your heart beats whenever he comes close.

Kaeya, for his part, thinks that you have feelings for Kazuha—because he sees the way your face lights up whenever you talk about him—and doesn’t act on his feelings.

During all this time, you also get the chance to see Kaeya and Diluc together, and you find it hard to believe that two brothers can get along so badly. You see how much it affects Kaeya���though he tries to hide it—and from then on, you try to help by leaving them alone whenever you can and pushing Kaeya to be true to himself.

In the epilogue, Diluc gets tired of you two being so dumb and calls Kaeya self-sacrificing to a fault “when it really matters”. When Kaeya eventually finds out that you don’t have romantic feelings for Kazuha, he laughs and calls himself an idiot before confessing on the spot, catching you completely off-guard.

Diluc is a board member as well as the owner of a renowned winery. He starts working at the company after Kaeya calls him saying that he needs his help—a lie that Kaeya says in hopes to recover their relationship—and convinces him that it will be great publicity for his brand.

He looks like he’s always in a bad mood but, in reality, he just has a hard time dealing with his feelings. He used to be a bright boy, something that changed drastically with his father’s untimely death and being left as the sole heir of the Ragnvindr family. Because of this, the press is obsessed with publishing stories about him, and they are very disappointed every time he manages to successfully evade them. They don’t give up though and, because of the latest merger he has going on, he’s having a hard time with the way he’s being hounded. 

You meet him by accident one day when you’re going to work and bump into him a few blocks from there. He steadies you with firm hands on your arms, and you’re taken aback because you recall seeing him at the company—and also by how pretty he is. That’s when you hear a commotion behind you and see a few paparazzi’s approaching you quickly. Thinking he’s a new talent, and seeing his distressed face, you take his hand without thinking and rush towards the building.

“Are you ok?” is the first thing that comes out of your mouth when you’re both safe inside. You’re panting because of the effort, but he doesn’t have a single hair out of place. He asks why you did that and you just shrug, saying that it looked like he needed help. This takes him by surprise, he’s not used to people doing things without expecting something out of him, but your concern seems sincere. Realising that the press will probably camp outside the company from now on, waiting for him, he comes up with a plan and asks if you would become his liaison with the company while he lays low. When you tell him he should talk about that with his manager, he frowns and tells you who he really is, prompting your face to turn beet red.

His character arc involves helping him open up and reconnect with his emotions. After accepting his offer to work for him, you start meeting at various establishments that he owns and, between papers and coffee and yummy food, you get to know him and figure out the tiny changes in his moods. One of these establishments is a beautiful cafe at an estate, with tables set in a beautiful garden. He knows you like it, and you find it funny that you start meeting there more and more often. You just hope he didn’t realize how much you like to look at his hair when the sun shines from behind him.

You can tell he feels more comfortable around you. The constant frown on his face eases up whenever he sees you and you can’t help but wonder why it is that a small smile always grazes his lips whenever you smile. He even goes so far as to tell you a bit about his past, albeit in a way that tried to show he was over it. You can tell that he isn’t, though. 

Later on, he finds out that Kaeya lied to him about needing his help and they have a falling out. You know why Kaeya did that, and you try to explain it to Diluc. Unfortunately, that only makes everything worse, since Diluc thinks you’re taking Kaeya’s side, and therefore like him. It brings back memories from girls that dated him but ended up falling for his stepbrother because he acts nicer and seems easier to approach. Though Kaeya never dated girls that did Diluc dirty like that, and Diluc himself doesn’t care much for those types of people, he just doesn’t want that to be true for you. It hurts far more.

So he starts to avoid you.

Eventually, he and Kaeya make up and he finds out that there’s nothing between you two, but now he has no idea how to face you after treating you so coldly.

In the epilogue, Kaeya tricks Diluc into meeting at that special coffee shop. That’s when he bumps into you as you were delivering some papers at the estate. You’re both very awkward about it, and you curse Kaeya for telling you he would not be there. Not wanting to see Diluc being upset at you again, you nod in acknowledgement, push the folders into his hands, and dash out of the establishment.

Following after you, Diluc catches up in the garden and grabs you by the wrist to stop you. He has no idea what he wants to say, he just knows he doesn't want you to leave. So he starts by apologizing and telling you everything he values about you. Mostly professional things at first, but then he mentions how much he likes it when your twirl your hair between your fingers, or when you bite your lip when you’re focusing hard on something. He didn’t plan to say any of this, but he can’t stop himself and ends up accidentally confessing.

Who are the rivals?

Kazuha is your childhood friend—and a big brother figure, though only you think that way—who has a pristine image as an actor and works with a rival company. He was scouted at a shopping mall because of his good looks and mysterious presence, and he decided to give it a try so as to impress you. He’s very calm and nice on the outside but can be very harsh if something bad happens around you. He’s also a really good dancer—a skill that helped him land some big roles—, something that you know very well because he used to dance with you all the time when you were younger. That was a while ago, though. 

His arc follows his journey as he decides to finally act on his feelings for you, and he realizes how much he actually enjoys acting. During your years of friendship, he never said anything since you kept insisting on calling him big brother; though he held on to the hope that you would realize how good you could be for each other. You used to do everything together, after all.

Since he started working with this company though, the amount of time you spend together has reduced to practically zero. Even though he lives next door, you barely ever see his face anymore. He explained that his company’s restrictions are very strict, and they want to avoid any type of scandal that could ruin his image. Though he doesn’t say it, he’s also trying to protect you from the possible backlash from angry fans. And, just maybe, he thought you would finally realize your feelings for him if he put some distance between you two. Or, if everything else failed, he could find the time to forget about his own feelings.

But, after seeing you surrounded by other guys and interacting with other actors, he gets incredibly jealous. He especially dislikes Childe and the way he looks at you. He decides that maybe it’s time to push you a bit, since he’s not ready to let go yet, and starts getting bolder.

He starts meeting with you in secret, hiding from his pestering manager. You’re really happy about this at first, you got your friend back! And as you start to reconnect, you feel whole again. But, after a while, it starts to hurt how much he needs to hide you, or his cold demeanor whenever you’re in public. You have a huge fight when you confront him about this, claiming that you miss the old times with your big brother. Kazuha snaps at your words and, when you’re about to leave the room, he hugs you from behind. He can’t take it anymore; as he leans his head on your shoulder, he confesses that you were never a little sister to him.

In the epilogue, Kazuha takes you to the office and confronts his management about the rules, saying that he’ll be dating you from now on, no matter what they say.

Scaramouche is another actor from the rival company. He’s very competitive and has a mean guy image (not completely faked), but he’s still super popular since fans see him as the cool bad boy. Grumpy, and a bit prone to violence, he has no problem flipping the paparazzi off, which has resulted in more than a few front-page issues. Though, to no one’s surprise, this only helped increase his popularity. 

You meet him on set when you accompany Xiao on a movie they are both acting in. He thinks you’re there to serve him and asks you to get him drinks and food, no matter how many times you tell him you’re not his manager. He doesn’t care because “you’re getting stuff for that guy anyway—nods at Xiao who glares at him—, so you might as well get it for me”. You end up getting him a hot chocolate but, before giving it to him, you hold it at a distance and tell him that, next time he wants something, he can either ask his own manager or have the decency to at least ask nicely.

He just blinks, taking the drink in his hands with a dumbfounded expression, before watching you go. You’re the first one to stand up to him like that. People are usually too scared of him or falling over their own feet to please him. He got so used to it that he’s a bit spoiled now, and he’s impressed that you don’t take any of his shit.

His arc follows his journey to overcome his bad temper and anger issues. Working so closely with you, you help him realize his bad ways and, after a while, he starts trying because he wants you to see his good side as well. You think he only wants to be friends since he doesn’t seem to have many. On his part, he will never outright admit he wants to be close to you, since he’s mad at himself for enjoying this friendship with someone from a rival company. Even worse, his grumpy mood relaxes when he’s around you, something he tries to hide at all costs. But you can see through his aggressive front after you get to know him a bit more, and you start finding his attempts to hide this quite endearing.

He starts bringing you glasses of water when he notices you’re tired—pretending someone gave it to him and he doesn’t want it—or makes sure no one disturbs you when you’re nodding off while sitting on a chair. Usually by threatening every person that comes even a smidge close to you. He even defends you when you make a silly mistake and someone calls you incompetent, which has you melting inside. 

In the epilogue, on the last day of the shooting, he realizes he might not see you again, and he never even gave you his number. Scared of that possibility, he finds you in an empty corridor, grabs your hand and drags you into his trailer. Mostly because he prefers to have some privacy, but also he doesn’t want that emo looking guy to interrupt. He confesses his feelings for you there and, of course, you say yes.

Ayato is the new director of the rival company. He’s the type that always has a calm, warm smile on his face, and is renowned for his elegance and good manners. Surprisingly, he also has a silly side to him, and he loves playing pranks on his actors and friends. He can be very aggressive if his loved ones are treated poorly, and is the kind to deliver threats with a smile and win arguments using his smart brain rather than violence.

You meet him by accident one day when you are returning home and see Kazuha at his front door with a tall man, an expensive car parked next to them. You rush over to talk with your childhood friend who you haven’t seen in a while, but you’re surprised when this man gets in the way and asks you to please keep your distance. You tell him that’s your friend and you just want to talk to him, asking who does he think he is. Kazuha then clears his throat and introduces him as Kamisato Ayato, director of the company he works at. He explains that Ayato played a prank on him that didn’t end well and, though he wasn’t badly hurt or anything, Ayato offered to take him home personally.

When you find out he’s the director, you scold him for being so hard on Kazuha and setting all these ridiculous restrictions. Ayato tells you with a smile that if you’re Kazuha’s friend, then you should know how important his reputation is, and do what’s best for him. That’s a very thinly veiled warning if you ever heard one. Before you can stop yourself, you ignore Kazuha’s silent plea to stop and plow on, “So the best for your actors is to cut off all their ties?”

Ayato is taken aback by your way of seeing things, but you don’t give him a chance to say anything else as you glare both at him and Kazuha and storm inside your house.

His character arc involves helping him change the way his company works, allowing his actors to remain true to themselves. After that first meeting, he’s intrigued by you and your words and, a few days later, sends you a bouquet of flowers to the office with a note that says “I’m sorry I upset you the other day. I promise I want nothing but the best for the people under my care.”

You don’t believe him at first, but he keeps sending you flowers almost every day, with a different note each time, until he finally asks you out.

You refuse of course, but decide to pay him a visit at the office to ask him to stop sending you these ridiculous bouquets at your workplace. In there, you happen to see him with his little sister, overhearing her complaining about Ayato being such an overprotective brother. You decide to give him a chance to explain himself and that’s when you realise that he really is just trying to protect his company and loved ones from bad press, he’s just too overbearing to realise his methods are too much.

In the epilogue, Ayato goes to find you at your office, making a big show of bowing in reverence to you and kissing your knuckles. In front of all your co-workers. He vows then and there that he will not stop until he’s successfully stolen you to his side, seeing how much he needs your help. Kaeya, leaning on the door to his office, says that there’s no way anyone will allow that. Ayato just smiles, making your heart race at the promise hidden there.

[dichromaticdyke]

Analyzing Skwisgaar's Nightmare in "Dethlessons"

requested by @claudia-nomusaabara

hi. anyone else obsessed with grub toki?

let's get the context of this scene out of the way. toki has started going to get guitar lessons from dimneld selftcark, and nathan, pickles, and murderface have lied to skwisgaar and told him that those lessons have helped him improve. and we see that skwisgaar is not pleased with this situation.

the dream goes like this:

skwisgaar opens up his bedroom window from a deformed version of mordhaus. the whole scene is very post-apocalyptic and almost eldritch. looking at it visually, this is a world ruled by guitars. we see skwisgaar's explorer, toki's flying v, and even what appears to be dimneld's les paul.

there is a second skwisgaar. he is holding a deflated husk of toki's head. that thing is barely holding onto life, it is spurting out liquids. skwisgaar has a very neutral expression when looking at it. meanwhile, the original skwisgaar is trying to make a call while the other skwisgaar buries the toki head.

the other skwisgaar sees the dethklok helicopter fly overhead, and it fades to a shot of skwisgaar performing in front of a crowd--he is by himself, the rest of dethklok are not with him and he is not in his corpse paint. though the crowd is cheering for him, he can't play. his hands have become deformed stumps, and his guitar is made of flesh, a large gnawing mouth on the body.

we flash back to the original skwisgaar in the deformed mordhaus. he's still trying desperately make his call, but his hands have also become deformed. the skwisgaar that was burying the toki head is shocked. the toki head is no longer deflated and pathetic. it has started to grow out from the ground, taking on a more distinct floral shape. whereas before it looked like it was close to death, now it is fighting for life. (below/right screenshot was edited for less brightness/exposure).

the toki flower starts gnawing at the air, similar to the fleshy guitar that it flashes to briefly. then we change scenes to skwisgaar using a urinal in a public restroom. while pissing, he notices in the urinal an insect-like creature that has toki's signature fu manchu mustache. it is also pathetic and whimpering.

this is what sends skwisgaar falling down into the abyss. scene change. the two skwisgaars see a massive toki emerge. he is hulking, monstrous, his arms are two explorer guitars with mouths on the end.

the toki flower does...THIS???? the hulking toki makes a similar face, his eyes have also become mouths.

skwisgaar wakes up.

so, here are some themes i notice pretty quickly: 1) toki being seen as week/below skwisgaar, 2) growth, 3) hands, 4) mouths. taking this step by step:

1) skwisgaar sees himself as living in a world ruled by music. everything else is second to that. guitar rules his over his entire life. toki was someone he tried to nurture. we know from DSR that skwisgaar was the one who invited him into the band despite the fact that, for all intents and purposes, toki failed his audition--skwisgaar just saw something in him that no one else did. we also see from earlier in this episode that skwisgaar has no problem "teaching" toki, he just has a very particular way of doing it; an unhelpful way. he recognizes toki's talent, but he always will see him as being beneath him--or at least he always wants him beneath him, offering to help him grow because he knows he has the capacity and the raw talent for it, but refusing to help him in a way that would allow him to surpass him. skwisgaar is burying the husk of toki's head because it is nearly drained. there's not much left for him to give. but the other skwisgaar is trying desperately to call him, but he can't (or won't) hear these pleas. the other skwisgaar represents his knowledge of toki's ability. he's trying to warn his other self not to be dismissive of toki.

i also see the grub toki as representing toki when he first met skwisgaar. just a lost, pathetic kid who desperately needed anything to help him out. skwisgaar obviously saw something in him, but he was still so far beneath him. going from grub toki to skwisgaar falling down an abyss represents, in part, to me, the spiral that inviting this kid over would lead him down.

2) the fact that forms of toki grow not once, but twice. we have the head husk growing into the flower, representing that, even when skwisgaar seemingly gives up on toki, that's not going to stop him from growing. you could even argue that skwisgaar is holding him back from growing, and i do agree with that to an extent (skwisgaar is too afraid of failure and no longer being number one that he doesn't think of how he's hurting toki, he's just one-track mind).

"oh but mj you said pathetic forms of toki grow twice in this dream? only the toki head husk grows." you sweet summer child. you babe wrapped in swaddling cloth. what do you think the grub toki is? and i don't mean literally, because i don't know what the fuck cursed larva specimen he is. but remember what i said? the initial shot of the toki flower flashes to the deformed guitar before flashing to grub toki. they're all connected!!!! we also see grub toki right before hulking toki emerges, and hulking toki has the deformed guitar as hands. it is my correct theory that grub toki was a thirtsy little flower that was watered by skwisgaar's pee and became hulking toki. the flashes between flower toki and hulking toki with similar faces also reinforces the idea that they're similar creatures that skwisgaar had given up on but had used skwisgaar's degradation and dismissal to their advantage and to surpass him.

3) the biggest threat skwisgaar could have, outside of toki surpassing him, is something happening to his hands. you can't fuck up a guitarist's hands, that's kind of their whole thing. I WROTE A FIC ABOUT IT. skwisgaar's hands get fucked up here in two different scenarios: when actually playing, which makes sense as his biggest fear, but also when he's trying to contact himself about toki. he's not just scared about toki surpassing him. he's very much aware about how his own insecurities about the scenario could paralyze him from playing. he gets in his own head a lot (most notably during his fight with toki in "bookklok"), and so if he feels like he's not number one anymore, he's scared that he can't play at all--or if he can, it's not worth it because he's not the best. and then, his deformed hands also keep him from calling himself. he struggles with communication as it is, but the insecurity is wearing on him so much to make his terrible communication skills even worse. the hulking toki also has his hands replaced with explorers. NOT flying v's. while skwisgaar's hands and playing is at risk of being destroyed forever, according to his greatest fear, toki's will only be greatly improved, and having the explorers is reminiscent of the symbolic role of lead guitarist. toki doesn't need his flying v anymore--he has skwisgaar's guitar, he has his role in the band.

4) though so many of these cursed objects have mouths, this dream is completely dialogue-less. once again, we see that skwisgaar is struggling to actually speak to toki. and toki isn't interested in talking to him either. hell, toki doesn't even see what skwisgaar is struggling with, what he's so afraid of. husk toki doesn't have eyes. flower toki's eyes are replaced with flower buds. grub toki's eyes are black and empty. and hulking toki's eyes are replaced with mouths. toki does not want to look at skwisgaar, does not want to see in him what he also has so much of--insecurity about his guitar playing, just reflected back at him.

and the mouths. they just gnaw at nothing. they're trying to devour skwisgaar. hulking toki's eyes are mouths because he isn't interested in seeing him--he only wants to consume him, to rip him apart and take everything away from him.

TL;DR--skwisgaar's biggest fear is toki becoming better at him than guitar. he's regretting inviting him in, and all he can imagine is toki taking his role away from him, chewing him up, spitting him out, leaving him with nothing. but there's also a part of him that knows that this was partially his fault--that he always knew that toki had this potential. he blames himself, partially, but he's so insecure now and terrified of toki's potential that all he can do is imagine toki as delighting in this scenario.

toki was just a little larva when skwisgaar invited him into the band. he gave him just enough to help him grow, but he also did it in such a dismissive way. but the larva still grew, and it's a butterfly that's going to rip skwisgaar's hands clean off.

[ultimate-shipper-trash-blog]

Pt. 4

She's in the back of the car. Steve and Robin in the front seat and Dustin placed next to her. His eyes searing a hole in the side of her head. It's uncomfortably quiet.

"Wow this is weird right guys? I mean does anyone know what's going on? I sure don't hahaha. Though she did talk to me first so maybe I know more than you guys. So-"

"Rob. Enough ok?" Steve interrupts "let's wait till we get to Wheelers for the full interrogation"

The silence is back.

Dustin pokes a bony finger into her side.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"I don't know I was trying to see if you'd explode or something! We haven't dealt with this before!"

"Henderson stop it!"

"It's called the scientific method Steven! Ever heard of it?!?!"

"I swear to god I will turn this car around so fast-"

Lydia's giggles stop them in their track.

"Sorry it's just...nice to see..."

The car pulls into the driveway of the house she used to spend Thanksgivings in. Her parents would only come to Hawkins for holidays to see the rest of the party.

She sees a couple of cars she recognizes from old photos, a few cars, a beat up van.

She is led through the house with the other three surrounding her, maybe to stop her from running. When she starts the descend down the stairs to the basement she hears loud familiar chatter.

They're all there. Everyone. Way younger than she knows them but family all the same. They stare at her and all chatter stops.

"What the fuck?" Mike asks.

"Mike!"

"What!? It's weird! Was anyone else not expecting a person to come down the stairs? I mean did anyone take Steve's code red of 'help woman in wedding dress ran away from me' seriously I mean it's Steve It's not like he has the best luck with women." He says in a monotone voice.

This starts a new wave of arguments either defending or agreeing with the statement.

"That's enough!" Nancy shouts. She points at Lydia, "sit!"

Lydia sits down as fast as she can. Nancy's tone familiar to her through all the years she helped raise her.

"Explain." She looks dangerous. Lydia knows she keeps weapons around. She hopes she doesn't have to see them through first hand experience.

"I can't. I don't know what I'm allowed to say...I've seen too many movies."

"What does that mean?" Will's voice chimes in from the side.

"I was taken away from my family," she starts to tear up again. "God I can't stop crying today can't I haha" she shows them a watery smile. "I believe I was sent here to prevent a tragedy from occurring and to help you finally defeat Vecna."

A gasp is heard ringing around the room. More yelling happens and she starts to disassociate.

"Hey," a soft voice rings out. She comes back to the present to be face to face with the eyes she's longed to see the most. Eddie has a hand on her shoulder, in his other hand he has a pile of clothes.

"I thought you might want to change out of that dress yeah? I stopped at home and grabbed some of my old clothes. Super worn in super comfy." She chokes back a sob. "I don't know what that reaction was for earlier and I couldn't imagine what you've been through so I thought this could be like a peace offering."

She sends a smile his way and nods.

"I'll go change," she heads up the stairs without being told where to go and comes back down in a band tee and some old sweatpants. Her guitar pick necklace is visible and she feels at home.

She heads back down and stops before she's fully visible listening to their gossip.

"I'm just saying it's weird she knew where to go."

"What like she's been spying on us and decided to memorize the floorplan of the house? You're so stupid."

"She told me she was from the future."

"Right and we're just gonna believe her?"

She clears her throat. All the attention being brought back to her. Eddie gives her a smile.

"You put her in those? She looks like you." Steve says judgement clear in his tone.

"It's not my fault you don't know fashion Harrington."

"Yeah Harrington," Lydia repeats back. Grin wide on her face. "This is peak fashion."

"While I'm loving this bonding," Robin interrupts. "Can we actual start discussing now? I feel like my bones are gonna pop out of my skin soon."

"Ok!" Lydia claps her hands together. "Where to begin."

She fills them on everything that's happened since she landed on the couch fielding questions here and there.

"So you were at your wedding?" She gets a little sad at this question.

"Yeah I wonder if they even know I'm missing. I wonder if times stopped. If they're looking for me. God I miss him."

Dustin has a confused frown on his face. "Well you came to us...so are we in your future?"

She smiles at that, "if I'm able to tell you. Yeah most of you are."

His frown turns into a wide grin, "oh my god are you marrying one of us?! You asked for steve right after you came here that must be it! I can finally stop pushing you towards Robin since it obviously worked!"

She gags. She can't help it.

"I'm sorry that's just so ridiculous." She's giggling now. Steve sends her a confused look back but shrugs his shoulders in understanding.

"I feel the same way, it's like since I met you I felt like I had to protect you, like you were one of the kids."

She grins brightly at him. "Thank you, I take that as an honor."

She continues filling them in on everything she knows about the Upside Down. Everything she remembers hearing about their plan and everything that went wrong. There's one detail she's leaving out.

"You feel like us," Eleven states. She looks around at everyone else. "She feels like the party."

Lydia looks at El in fear. Scared she'll say what she's so desperate for them not to find out. "Do you know?"

"I will have to take a closer look."

-----

They're sitting in the middle of the room together, everyone else scattered in a circle surrounding them.

"Ok, think of your past."

Lydia is plunged into a darkness she's never experienced before. The floor has water all over it. She doesn't like it. She turns around in search of El.

"I see it. I see what you are hiding. It will be ok."

She's brought back to the present.

"I know how to defeat Henry."

Lydia is filled with a sense of dread. If it all goes wrong she can't live through it again.

"In 1990 I am born." She starts off with. "In 1995 Vecna strikes again. I'm from 2015."

"Wait," Dustin interrupts. "So we beat him? We win?. Then what are we fixing?"

She turns pale.

"You are my family...you all had a hand in raising me. There are...casualties in this battle." She chokes a little on the last word.

The room gets silent.

"Right." Nancy is the first to speak. "Well that won't happen this time." Her tone is serious. "Let's make a plan."

----

Lydia is placed in Nancy's room while the others discuss what they could change. She's sitting on her bed flipping through whatever book is closest to her when there's a knock on the door.

"Come in" she says quietly.

Eddie sneaks in, it's the quietest she's seen him in a long time.

"It's me right?" His eyes look doubtful. "That's why you can't look at me, you're seeing a ghost."

"I-I can't say anything you know that."

"Well that answers my question-"

"No you don't understand! I care about you too much to mess anything up! I don't understand the butterfly effect at all!"

"Why!" He's screaming now. "Why do you care about me!?!!!"

"I can't"

"Tell me!"

"Because you're my father Eddie!" She says it like it's bitter in her mouth. "Are you happy now? I probably just sealed everyone's doom. I'm going for a walk." She storms past him, unable to see his pale shocked face.

She walks right into a body.

"Woah hey," Steve is holding onto her shoulders. "What's going on where are you going?"

"I'm going for a walk."

"Not by yourself you're not."

"Why you don't trust me not to run away again!" She's yelling now.

"What? I just- we don't even know you."

She huffs at that. "Exactly, you don't know me and you don't trust me. So let me go!"

Whatever frozen state Eddie was in seems to have worn off.

"Lydia!" He screams, getting closer to her. "Wait!"

"Ok you want to go with me go with me just get me out of here." She grips Steve's arm and pulls him out the door.

-----

AN: Yay father daughter bonding next chapter!!!!! Fun fact: my dad and I only got to bond while taking neighborhood walks or sitting in cars together.

Who says I can't post two chapters in one day! I had a lot of ideas 😇😈

Don't forget to interact I LIVE for it :)

Tag list: @tinyplanet95

[reqxxyt]

talent i never knew

pairings: charles l. x f!reader

warnings: none just max being adorable :)

masterlist requests are open!

[unedited]

_________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐

I grew up around music. Since I was born, my mother would play music for all to hear but not many paid attention so she kept it to herself and her kids. I learned how to play the guitar when I was 10, writing my own music with small vocals but I never allowed anyone to hear. 

My mom tried to get me into the choir group for high school but I refused and settled for the band group pretending to be a beginner. I started to take piano lessons and I began to fall in love with the instrument, the more I played the more comfortable I got with allowing people to hear, starting with my mom too now my close family at small parties. 

I met Charles in my last semester of college and began as friends before he asked me out and we’ve now been dating for half a year. After all these months, I’ve hidden my musical hobbies trying my best to keep them to myself only allowing myself to hum to music on the radio if listening to any. But now, I would introduce him to the family that will never stop talking about my ‘raw talent’ that is being wasted on pursuing a journalism career. 

“Nervous?” the smooth voice walked over to where I had been getting ready in the bathroom, I glanced at him through the mirror seeing him with a small smile. I only shook my head, wondering if I should bring it up before someone else does but I decided not to. 

“I feel as though I should be asking you that” I teased him and he gave me a kiss on the cheek, 

“A little but it will be fine once I adjust to it” he said before leaving the bathroom to get his shoes. I let out a sigh still debating but I dropped it, maybe this will be a pleasant surprise. 

later

“Mija, it’s been too long” My cheeks were pinched and I only laughed it off before greeting my aunt, not forgetting to introduce Charles. He gave everyone the same introduction with a gentle smile and those who wanted a hug were respectful and followed me inside the house still not spotting my mom. 

I heard a squeal and immediately recognized it as my little sister ran towards us giving me a loose hug before running towards Charles embracing him in the tightest hug I’ve seen her give anyone. I smiled at the sight but remembered why I came in here in the first place. I walked into the kitchen and spotted my mom cutting some cilantro and onion. 

“Hola mami” I greeted and she gave me a small smile as I kissed her cheek. Charles greeted her with a side hug offering to help out but of course she refused. 

“Y/n when are you going to show us your new song” my aunt barged in and I immediately froze into place not daring to glance at Charles but could already feel his confused stare, knowing how his eyebrows would furrow and his eyes would narrow not liking the feeling of being excluded but didn’t say anything. 

“Not finished” I shrugged, finally taking in the courage to look over at Charles. 

“The piano is right over in the living room. Give us a sneak peek” my aunt pleaded, I clenched my jaw ready to refuse before my mom encouraged me practically pushing me to sit on the piano. 

Again, I didn’t dare look at anyone as my hand landed on the keys. Before I heard another encouraging chant from my aunt and mom, I pressed on the first set of keys allowing my hands to roam to their designated places whisper singing the lyrics barely audible to a regular audience but considering the only other people in the room were my mom, aunt, and Charles my vocals shined through the room not allowing a sound to interrupt them. 

I finally finished what I had written and let out a breath feeling my chest tighten before I felt a hand on my shoulder, giving me a tight squeeze and sensing the tension in my body. I looked up and saw his usual smile but with glinted eyes, showing encouragement and support. My shoulders relaxed and I gave him a small smile, feeling safe. 

“That was absolutely gorgeous” my aunt complimented, running to give me a tight hug and having to shove Charles out of the way. I giggled at the compliment feeling heat rush to my face. 

I gave my thanks and the rest of the night was spent eating food while Charles kept asking questions about my musical past. I told him everything, feeling the most comfortable and safe near him. The questions didn’t stop after the party, asking me if we should get a piano and I denied knowing how expensive they can be. 

The piano arrived the following week, already built after a tiring day at work. 

“Charles I can’t possibly accept this,” I said shaking my head knowing inside I wanted to play my heart out, using every key imaginable. 

“It’s too late, there is no return policy,” he said and my jaw dropped. “Kidding, your only price is writing a song dedicated to me” 

“That will be all I will be writing” I mumbled as I sat down pressing the first key, feeling the vibration first before hearing it a millisecond later. My heart twirled and flipped, walking back to Charles giving him the greediest kiss as he deepened it. 

I’ll write the song later. I thought to myself as he lifted me up and walked us to out shared bedroom.