#does anyone else remember him from stuck in the middle

[tojikai]

Sundered (Alt. Ending): CRUSH

Pairing: Gojo x reader - Toji x reader (this part)

• Part 1  |  Part 2   | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Alt. Ending

Sundered+ (COMMISSION)

Genre: Angst

tags/cw: angst, babydaddy!gojo, babymomma!reader, motherhood, insecurities, arguments

word count: 5.8k

a/n: here it is! (it's late, sorry. not proofread too😭) im forever grateful to you all who waited and supported the sundered series and for supporting my other stories too. i cant do much but this means so much. ily.

If you never talk to him again, he will miss you forever.

“Do I not deserve it?” You asked him, almost flinching at your words when you promised yourself you’d never ask anyone that. Toji sighed, taking both of your hands and bringing them to his lips. “Not this. You deserve more than this. You deserve to be genuinely happy without sacrificing anything, without feeling spent.”

Your brows furrowed, trying to contain another flood of tears threatening to overflow from your already swollen eyes. Why does it always have to be so hard when it's you? When it was Satoru who tried to move on, he did with Naomi. You wouldn’t say it was a breeze for them but you just know it was never this hard.

Naomi and Satoru stayed together for a year, being the family you couldn’t give your child. And now you, you couldn’t even make it work with Toji. Why do you always have to feel stuck? Why does he refuse to take your hand and pull you out of this void that is slowly sucking you down?

Along with these thoughts, you felt a squeeze in your hand. “Y/N?” Toji called, “Y/N, it’s gonna be alright.”  No, it’s not, you thought. The roof of your mouth tastes bitter against your tongue; so bitter that it burns. “It’s not. But it’s alright. I just don’t want you to feel burdened with this, alright?” You reached up to his face, eyes wandering.

“I’m sorry.” You felt selfish. You felt so selfish for not thinking about how this void of yours could pull him down with you instead of him pulling you up. You felt so selfish for wanting him to keep hurting just so you could feel safe. “I’m sorry I dragged you into this, I didn’t realize it would be this hard on you too.” Your throat feels tight all of a sudden.

You stepped away from him, sniffing as you wiped your tears away. You couldn’t remember what else he said, you couldn't remember how you ended up in that room alone, crying as you clutched your chest, blaming yourself for wearing out such a good man.

You couldn’t remember, or more like you chose not to carve into your memory how that day ended. The only image you can see in your head is how he cuddled you to sleep, woke you up to eat with him and the kids, and went home. You remember him saying that they could always visit. And you hated yourself for doubting him.

Now you smooth out the bed, rearranging the pillows and gaslighting yourself that you’ve been the only one sleeping on it all this time just so it wouldn't feel so unfamiliar. You changed the sheets and prayed you wouldn’t wake up in the middle of the night, reaching for the man you love. 

And the fact that this wouldn’t be the first time that you would do so…

You remembered how you would wake up and break down at midnights during the first few months of your separation from Satoru, weeping as you ran to your daughter’s crib just to remind yourself to be stronger, locking your phone away to not call and embarrass yourself in front of him and his then-new girlfriend again.

You heard the sound of the video your daughter was watching as she sat on the bean bag in the corner of your room. “Mama, look it.” You heard her tiny footsteps tap the floor as she ran to you, holding the phone out. The screen flashed with Toji’s caller ID, “Thank you, baby.” You kissed her cheek as you picked her up to sit her on your lap. 

“Yeah?,” You answered, hearing a sigh from the other end. You pulled your toddler closer to you just as she started to move near the edge of the bed. You that your voice didn’t sound hoarse at all. You didn’t cry as hard as you did with Satoru, but it was painful enough that you had to pause some chores just so you could think of a solution to fix it. 

You doubted there was a fix and if there was, you felt like Toji would only be trying out of pity for you.

You’re tired of that. You don’t want people to feel sorry for you anymore. You feel like you’ve been nothing but pitiful every year of your life. Your dad gave up on you and your mother, your baby daddy gave up on your relationship with him and now you feel like you caused Toji to give up on you too. 

Your brows bumped together at the thoughts and you were quick to shake your head, hoping it would shed off the searing pain in your chest as well. You can't have self-pity when you have a child. You’re determined to be better for her. Your index finger found its place on your lips, listening to your ex’s voice.

“Just wanna know how you’re doing.�� You wanted to laugh, not to mock him but because you don’t really know how to explain how you feel to him. You decided to answer it from the surface, “I am okay, surprisingly.” You sniffed, hearing a sigh from the other end of the line and a tiny laugh from Megumi, probably watching something on his iPad. 

You would say it’s too early for him to call you, but this whole breakup isn’t even like the normal ones. You broke up for each other's well-being. Not because you fought, not because one of you cheated, not because you just started to hate each other. You broke up wanting only the best for each other.

“I know this is for the best.” You wanted to help Toji feel better about this decision. You could tell that there was guilt on his part. He probably feels like what he did was just an inch kinder than Satoru’s way of leaving you. That would eat him inside. The last thing Toji wants to do is shatter all your progress.

“I don’t feel the best about it.” There was no hint of amusement in his chuckle, no trace of smile in his words. You don’t even know if he meant to say he feels bad for doing this to you. You don’t want to assume that he’s not doing better away from you because you’re pretty sure he’s more relaxed now that he doesn’t have to worry about his girlfriend thinking of someone even when she’s with him. 

“Please, don’t dwell on it. I, uh, I have thought things through and it’s… it’s just getting kind of lighter for me.” You blinked away each tear that came with the lies that are flowing out of your tongue. It’s not getting any lighter. If anything, the crushing weight is still continuously pressing down on you and you know any time soon, you might break down in this phone call.

“I don’t know if I can trust your words…” Aside from the fact that it has only been a day, Toji thought back on your last conversation before you broke up. He’s well-aware of your tendencies to push all of your feelings aside  because you blame yourself for the fall of your relationship. You would probably shoulder all of this again, like you did with your separation from Satoru.

Toji isn’t all clean here but he doesn’t know how to get that to you. You can be very stubborn when it comes to these things especially when it concerns your past. It’s an unhealed part of you and Toji can’t help but feel like your previous arguments, his words to 

you and how he made you feel contributed to it rather than alleviate it.

“Toji, this isn't good for me. For us,” You’re not talking about your relationship with him but it’s about him contacting you. “I know that we’re still good, we broke up to save each other,” you laughed half-heartedly, “Our kids are friends, of course, we can’t just throw that away, but for now…” You took a deep breath.

“For now, let’s give each other space. I’m not mad at you, I could never hate you but, Toji, this isn’t helping me at all.” The crack in your voice sent a blow to Toji’s heart, “I…I want to be able to talk to you, see you and visit Megumi with Yui without feeling the guilt of letting something so good slip away so, please...” You took a deep, painful breath.

“Let’s just give each other some space. Just until I have picked myself up again.” You covered your mouth, desperate to turn away from your child who’s been starting to glance at you. Toji’s silence felt like it could squeeze you, like a soundless bubble getting smaller and smaller around you. 

“I’m sorry. I…I shouldn’t have called.” Of course, you’re not fine, Is he out of his mind? The voices in Toji’s head knocked sense into him as he realized what he did. How could he be so insensitive? Is it because he knows of his crimes, the source of his guilt and how he didn’t think it would affect him as much as it does now?

Now, even this breakup feels selfish. How could he just decide to leave when you’ve been trying so hard? He’s not different from your baby daddy—running away when they couldn’t handle the pressure, leaving you to clean up after the mess. Toji closed his eyes tight, clearing his head, begging himself to say the right words and make the correct decisions.

“I—I’m still here for you always, alright? Take care, Y/N. Kiss Yui good night for me.” He spoke slowly, fighting the loss in the empty space he’s staring at, absorbing your soft hums and apology as he continued, “I’m sorry.” I’m sorry, baby. It took every fiber in his baby not to say it like that. For your sake. And for him. 

If you never talk to him again, he will miss you forever.

You put the phone down, feeling your daughter’s head on your chest as she stared up at you. Your mother once said that children do not understand these things yet but they feel their parents’ pain when it happens. And just like that, it’s almost as if your baby girl can read you. Her eyes says that she wants to help but doesn’t know how because she doesn’t eve understand it.

“Mama sad?” Her voice was small, it’s amazing that even at her age she knows how to try and soothe you. She knows that this is not the time to be playful without even knowing the situation. All she knows is that her mother is sad and crying. “No, mama’s just tired.” You smiled at her and for the first time she seems hesitant to reciprocate it.

“Mama sleep.” She got suddenly, bouncing her way to the spot next to you as she gets into a curled sleeping position. She’s a smart child. You laid down next to her, cuddling her small frame for as long as she can sit still but it wasn’t long before she was playing again, forgetting about it all. She’s still a baby after all. But this kid right here is the one who will always pull you out of the waters.

You wished that you could forget and get over this as quickly as this baby does, You wished it would all just fly out of your mind, that you could just throw up all of the pain out of your heart. You wished that you could just dust off the broken pieces of your relationship from your clothes, that you could scrub away the pain in the shower and watch it flow down the drain.

—————————-

“Look, I know Yui’s always been our priority but if you need a bit of time for yourself, you know you can leave Yui with me.” Satoru came earlier than expected. You can tell that he’s trying to stay inside the ‘boundaries’ as he struggled to find the right words to say about your breakup with Toji.

“You should take a break from work, if you think that’s what you need, I will-“ You placed a hand on his arm, stopping him. Satoru doesn’t want to seem like he’s taking advantage of the situation, that’s the last thing he wants to do. As painful as it is to admit it, he knows that you love Toji. 

“Thanks. But it’s alright. We’re good, we’re just…not dating anymore.” You forced out a laugh, trying to make it better than how it really is. It’s clear to Satoru that you’re having a hard time. He could see it in your face, your eyes. Satoru remembered those times when he would do anything just to avoid looking at you and seeing how badly he broke you.

He was heartless for letting himself make you feel like that. He was stupid for letting you feel like that. 

“Thanks. But it’s alright. We’re good, we’re just…not dating anymore.” You let out a laugh, retracting your hand away as you reached for the towel to wipe your daughter’s food-stained cheek. “Megumi and Yui still play together, I mean they’re besties now, right?” Yui giggled at the mention of her friend.

As much as Satoru wants to have another chance with you, he just doesn’t think he would deserve it just like that. Also, he doesn’t think he can see you like this everyday. Now he wants to talk to Toji. If it’s because of his interactions with you then Satoru himself would volunteer to give the big guy the assurance he wants. 

It would be painful for Satoru but to see you so dull makes him want to give up his fight. If he even has some. His friends, mostly Shoko, already told him that he already lost all his chances. “You’re not a cat. You don’t get nine lives in this Satoru.” She would say and Suguru would quickly add “You used to have nine lives, actually. But you’re a dead man to her now.” It was playful but depressing talk but valid but…sad.

It was everything but playful to Satoru, no matter how much his friends tried to lighten up the delivery, it still felt like playing darts with his heart. Because he knows how much truth those words hold. He would smile and shake his head. His friends are never the ones to sugarcoat shit. 

After saying goodbye to  Y/N with his baby girl, Satoru can’t help but feel curious about your breakup. He’s almost a hundred percent sure that it’s Toji’s decision because of how you are right now. He doubts that you’d be the one to break it off. You’re a fighter, he knows that. He hates that you have to deal with these cowards of men who only know how to break.

But of course, Toji’s more deserving than him. That’s the bitter truth. Toji left for your good, while Satoru…just gave up on you back then. He will regret it for the rest of his life if he doesn’t get you back. 

Get you back. He felt like a villain, hoping that you were the first to initiate the split. That would give Satoru so much hope. Thinking about why you did it (if you did), taunts him into assuming that maybe you still have something with him. But this isn’t right. No. Satoru should be better than this. Your happiness comes first. Even if it’s not with him.

Satoru swallowed the rushing mix of emotions that fogged his mind as he drives. It felt like swallowing needles, allowing them to go straight to his cracking heart. It’s almost impossible now, huh, to get you back? Even when you’re single again, it still feels impossible. Why is he even imagining it?

Shaking his head, he successfully parked his car, clapping his hands as he looked at Yui through the rearview mirror. “Let’s go now, my heart~” He sing-songed and the toddler eagerly reached up to him. “Tomorrow we go back to Mama, alright? She’s kinda sad, isn’t she? We gotta rescue that!” Yui cheered with him, despite not understanding what her father was saying.

Satoru knows that he can’t meddle with your relationship with Toji, no matter how much it bothers him. The least he can do is try to brighten your mood. Without any ulterior motives, of course. This is a vulnerable time for you. He doesn’t think he can stomach trying to get in through those cracks in your heart because of your failed relationship. 

It’s not the right thing to do and that’s not what a good person who truly cares would do. He can only support you, but he doesn’t plan on taking advantage of this situation. 

—-------------------------------------------------

3 months later

It’s a blessing to be a mother. It’s hard too. Especially, when your daughter won’t allow you to have a break from your ex for more than three months. “Mama!” She screamed at the top of her lungs for the hundredth time that morning. “I just took your bag, let’s go.” You wished you could’ve taken a picture of her, standing as she held the door of her room open.

“You’re so big now, baby.” Her birthday’s in a few months and you feel like crying because it felt like you just gave birth to her yesterday and now she’s turning three. Time is a thief. You wonder if so much has changed with Toji’s life too. You wouldn’t be shocked if he’s got a new girlfriend. After all, Satoru only took a few weeks to find someone new when you broke up.

That fucking stings. You told yourself and if you weren’t holding your daughter’s hand and her bag you would physically clutch your chest. The thought of being so replaceable has been a constant in your mind since Satoru and Naomi. 

And if it happens with Toji again, you’d probably just close the table for love.  You drove to the park, a meeting place you chose for the kids. You don’t want to be in Toji’s house. You don’t think you can handle that yet. 

You wondered if you’d be greeted by some new lady with him, like how Satoru received you with Naomi’s head on his chest. What if they play with the kids instead and leave you out of place during the whole play date? Or what if they leave you to watch the kids while they get some snacks, taking their time to play couple while you wait?

What if— A knock on your window broke off your train of thoughts as you took in your surroundings. That’s right. You’ve been driving and now you’re at the part. And now Toji’s shading his eyes, his hand arched over his brows as he tried to see through your windows. “Gumi!” Yui squealed, kicking in her car seat as Megumi waved from the outside. 

Toji was holding him in one hand as his bag hang loosely on Toji’s shoulder. You rolled the windows down, gulping your anxiety as you thanked the heavens that none of the scenarios in your head came true. 

“You spaced out.” He chuckled a bit awkwardly as he smiled at you. There’s something new about him. Did he really glow up after leaving you? You almost frowned but you gave him a laugh, trying to think of an excuse as to why you’re sitting absentmindedly in your car a few minutes before meeting with your ex and his child.

“I was trying to remember if I locked our door.” You laughed, gathering your things as you stepped out. “Can I hold that for you?” Toji offered as you opened Yui’s door. You thanked him softly, trying your best to seem relaxed. You don’t know if you should be glad or worried that he’s being so cool.

It could be because he doesn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable or because he doesn’t really give two shits about your relationship with him that he doesn’t even feel uneasy meeting for the first time after you broke up. 

Or maybe because he’s already moved on to someone else, he just didn’t bring her with him because he’s a respectful man. You swore you heard a voice say it and it almost convinced you that it’s your brain that wants you dead. “Yui.” Megumi’s neck stretched as he looked over your shoulder for his best friend.

“Chill, man. Your long lost bestie will be free in a minute.” He still doesn’t fail to make you laugh. You put Yui down and watched the two kids adorably and messily hug. Now you’re glad that you taught them the importance of hugs. 

“It’s cute that they’re still comfortable with each other.” You commented, pulling at your clothes as you tried to distract yourself from checking your ex out. You’re thinking hard to figure out what changed with his look. Aside from his forehead showing as the wind played with his dark hair, 

“Let’s sit there, near the seesaw. They love that.” The kids were talking in a language only they understand, pointing at stuff before laughing as if it was the funniest thing they saw while to you, it looked like nothing. You would give everything to be a kid again. Just carefree and happy. But seeing your daughter makes you realize you wouldn’t have this any other way.

“How have you been?” He started as you sat down, hugging yourself as you looked ahead at the children. To be honest, you don’t know how to answer that. Do you tell him first that you miss him? Or do you tell him first that you got a clearer understanding of the holes in your relationship with him?

“I won’t deny that I missed you.” He chuckled leaning back. “But I did some reflecting.” He paused, glancing over to you, eyes traveling across your face. “A lot of reflecting actually.” He nodded, licking his lips. Right. That’s right, you thought, referring to his looks. Aside from his hair being longer, he looked…softer. You blinked away your thoughts, clearing your vision.

“I…I’m okay.” You don’t know how to tell him it could’ve been better if he was still with you. You wondered if your relationship problems would’ve been gone now if you didn’t break up. Would it have been better by now if you kept going? “I missed you, of course. But,” You laughed airily, “I’m getting better.”

You didn’t let your breakup with Toji affect you as a mother to Yui. But if you’re talking about yourself. You’re still trying. You have lived without Toji, of course, you can still keep going now. But your split felt like a crash from cloud nine. You’ve been so soaked with your happiness with him that when he left it felt like you were slowly getting drained and dry.

He walked you into a field of roses and when you returned to your old garden you realized how dull it was. Yui was your sunshine in those days under the dark clouds. She was a sunlight that went out of its way to bring a smile on your face. “It’ll get better.” You sighed, glancing at Toji and seeing the solemn look on his face. Does he feel sorry for you? Does he feel guilty for leaving so abruptly as your baby daddy did? Does he feel—

“It doesn’t feel any better for me at all.” Toji’s not one to hide the reality of his feelings from people he feels comfortable with. It melts your heart when you think about how he loosens up with you. It makes you feel special. Though, not special enough to fight for.

“It will. Soon.” You looked down. You know that it wasn’t his intention to make you feel as if you’re making him feel guilty for choosing his peace. But it still feels like it and you don’t know what to say anymore. I’m sorry? I’m sorry that you feel sorry for me? He nodded, smiling so softly. Charming, you thought. You feel sad for the people who don't get to see this. Yes, his smirk can make one feel things but this smile…

The day went by fast, Toji invited you to dinner since a restaurant was nearby but you politely declined. It’s not that you want to. It’s just that you have to. One thing that you learned from your heartbreak with Satoru is that the more that you see them, the deeper the shards cut. 

“My mom’s coming over for dinner. Maybe next time.” Your genuine smile contradicted the lie flowing out of your lips. It was so tempting when he looked like this, but you have to stand your ground. Next time. The two words reverberated inside Toji’s head and that was enough to push aside the disappointment he felt when you declined. 

“That’s alright. There’s always a next time.” It sounded as if he was reassuring himself, emphasizing that you’re fine with meeting him and Megumi again next time. This is enough for now. After all, he still has to reflect on a couple of things regarding your breakup. But everything always seems to be pointing him back to you. 

—————————

“Just call me when you’re ready to go, and I’ll pick you up.” Satoru’s words before he left you and Yui earlier started to get twisted inside Toji’s head. Now that Toji has let you go, Satoru’s just waiting for your go signal so he can pick you up again. He swallowed dryly, faking a smile when you looked back at him, laughing at whatever the kids did that he didn’t see.

Time flew by fast but that image of you leaning towards Satoru so that he could give his daughter a kiss as he said that to you has been stuck in Toji’s head all day. The kids were drinking juice with small towels around their shoulders. “I can, uh, I can just drive you home, you know? I mean, so that Satoru wouldn’t have to drive all the way here again.” He suggested, wiping off some of the water droplets in his son’s body.

“It’s alright, he’s already on his way anyway and he owes Yui a kitty cake that they didn’t get to buy last time.” You smiled at him, before asking to leave to give Yui a quick warm shower. Toji would’ve wanted to chat a bit more with you. Just spend more time with you. He couldn’t ask for so much of it now. It felt like it would be too much of an imposition for him to do so. 

After a couple of minutes, the doorbell rang and he placed Megumi on one of the rugs, reminding him to stay there so he won’t slip. He sighed, running to his gate, knowing that it would be Satoru and of course, since you’re still getting Yui ready, the polite thing to do is to let him sit and maybe, entertain your baby daddy a bit.

“Oh, come on in. She’s just getting Yui ready.” His voice was almost monotonous, the nod of his head was another way to be a bit more ‘friendly’ to the guy. “You a fan of iced tea?” Toji cleared his throat with Satoru following behind him. Megumi was still on the rug, staring off into space. Toji can’t help but laugh when Satoru waved a hand at his face.

“Yui Dad.” He looked up, waving his small hand despite the blank look on his face. “He really looks like you.” Satoru commented, “Except his hair.” Toji placed a pitcher on the counter, pouring a glass for the man, something he didn’t think he would ever do. “I’m glad you and Y/N are doing better,” Toji spoke after a couple of minutes of silence. 

“Yeah,” Satoru nodded, holding Megumi’s hand as he tried to walk towards Toji. “We’re getting more used to this co-parenting thing. Figured out it was healthier for all of us when we’re not constantly arguing about something.” Toji doesn’t know if it’s right to say it but it already came out of his mouth before he realized it.

“The both of you single made it better, eh?” He didn’t mean it to start something with Satoru again, it’s just that that is the first thing that popped up in his head when he heard him. “Yes and No.” Satoru answered before he could even back it up with something lighthearted. “Me being single, yes. Because Naomi was basically a wedge, one cause of the problems that used to arise between us. And no, because no problem arises directly from you regarding those arguments.” He shrugged, taking a sip before continuing. 

“Actually, I don’t even know why you broke up with her, if I’m going to be frank I trusted you with my family already, why did you even left her?” He’s saying a lot more now than before. Definitely a healthier man. And he seems like he’s back to his real self now. Toji might even assume he’s drunk if only you didn’t mention that he doesn’t handle liquor well.

“I’m not trying to guilt-trip you, alright? I want you to love her because you truly love her, but come on, man, there’s no threat.” Yui definitely takes after her father. Very talkative, Toji thought. Inhaling, he gathered his thoughts and which aspect of what Satoru has said he should focus on, “I don’t know.” Was his short answer. 

“I mean… I was worried. I don’t know if she’s really over you. I don’t want her to keep hurting by my side.” It was quiet. Satoru didn’t speak, allowing Toji to continue. “Plus, I fear that she will forever feel like she just comes second to my wife. To be honest, I feel that with her too. With you being her first.” Toji felt surprised at his honesty. He just hopes that you won’t overhear this.

“You’re the present. I’m her past.” It felt bitter for Satoru to say, “I’m starting to accept that now. I’m just contented that I can be with my daughter and that I take care of them even from the sidelines.” 

But Satoru would forever wish it didn't have to be like that. 

“I’m not playing matchmaker. I just want what’s best for her. Even if it’s not me, Toji.” He stood up, sighing as he heard footsteps coming closer. You came in struggling to carry a barefoot, laughing little girl, a towel and her bag. “Dada!” She screamed with a smile as she tries to get away from you. “You’ll slip!” You warned her and Satoru quickly went closer to take her in his arms. 

Toji sat there for a minute more, processing the man’s words. The best for you. If he’s going to ask Satoru about it, he’d say that if he has to pick someone for Y/N, Toji will be a top candidate. Aside from the fact that he’s a good man who truly cares for her, he also easily understands your situation because he has a child of his own too.

It’s safe to say that right now, you’re the only man that Satoru feels is safe to leave his daughter and baby momma with. His past mistakes and horrible decisions put him in this place and the least that he could do to make it all up to you is support you and whatever makes you happy as long as it’s good for you and his child.

“We’ll be going now, thank you, Toji.” Only then has Toji realize that he’s been staring at the three of you now and his baby boy who’s trying to hug Yui as her father puts on her shoes. “Uh, yeah. Let me walk you guys out.” He licked his lips, blinking fast as he tried to snap himself back to reality. “Come on, Megs. After this, you take a bath, alright?” He picked him up, wrapping a towel around his body.

“Come again. Please.” Satoru laughed as the little boy waved, probably worried that it would take months for his little friend to come over again. “She’ll be back soon, bro. Chill.” That’s wild, Toji thought, He just called my son ‘bro’. Before you could even get on the other side of the car, Toji has made up his mind. “Uhm, Y/N.” You looked up at him, for some reason, eyes shining with what seemed to be…hope.

“Can we come over sometime?” Megumi’s little cheer made your smile wider, nodding at them, “Of course..” You felt like a teen, worried that you answered too quickly, “Anything for that ‘gumi smile.” You played it off cool but kept your eyes on Toji the whole time. 

You didn’t hear anything about what he and Satoru talked about. But it was nice to know that they’re starting to get along. Inside, Satoru was fixing his daughter’s things, somehow glad that he couldn’t hear whatever the of two of you were talking about because no matter how happy he is for you, he’d always break into smaller pieces each time he saw you smile and look at Toji like that.

He knows. Because you used to look at him like that. 

Albeit, crossed with pain and longing, you used to look at him with so much love. Overflowing. And then, along with the tears he caused. It felt like acid in his stomach, threatening to spill out of his mouth whenever he thought of what you went through because of him. But now you’re happy. 

He didn’t know that love would show him that some people are worth being pulverized for.  

The car door opened just as he pretended to find something inside the glove compartment and he swallowed the pang in his chest at the glow on your face. “Gumi, babye! Gumi, babye!” His child screams behind him, waving her hands back at her playmate. “You ready to go?” He asked you and you hummed, glee evident even in the small sound. 

With that, the two of you waved at Toji and Megumi, pulling out of their driveway. You smiled at the shared nods between Toji and Satoru before speeding down the road to the bakery where Satoru usually buy Yui’s cakes. Your mind kept going back to Toji. Maybe you’re being delusional but you can’t help but feel like he had to gather the courage to ask you that very last-minute question. 

He feels like a…high school crush. 

And maybe he’s being a high school crush because a week later, he shows up at your doorstep dressed like a heartthrob with a kid in oversized sunglasses and a bouquet of flowers in his hand.

PREV | Sundered+ (COMMISSION)

taglist: @forever-war @astral-hydromancy @witchbybirth @starshinedowo @coffee-on-a-rainyautumn @lost-lonnie @haitanifxn @dearsunaa @clairdelunaax @anxious-chick @tigerchaeee @gingerspicelattemix @tsukkisrightpinky @crowiechan @makimais @infinitemoonlight @iloveblogging2 @cloudsinthecosmos @uchiwife @bellaadonnas @lawlietily @lilxnvm @poopoobuttsy @yihona-san06 @luhvbot @sagekko @asbony @uhremmi

@kurookinnie @why-am-i-here-again-shitheads @galaxyfever @guenievresworld @y2kcy3brz @chocokaylarobin @hopeannalea @shizuuuuuuuu @tojirin @teapartyspilled @ackermendick @shadowarchon @vinkiesz @awkwardaardvarkforever @nvvacanesworld @wolffmaiden @underburningstars @rntrsuna @vampgguk @doulcha @creolequeen11210 @reosnagi

[revelboo]

Scavengers with a human pet feels so natural somehow, like it could have *actually* been a thing in the comics! The humor is perfect and the dysfunctional but well meaning dynamic is too charming for words 😭🖤

They’re trying, they’re just very bad at it

Lifeless Ordinary Pt 8

Scavengers x Reader

• “Misfire said Spinister could fix your head?” Growling at the soft words and the question there, Crankcase glances at where you’re walking around on the console next to him, arms outstretched like you’re walking on a wire. It’s still strange being able to understand you, but right then he wishes he couldn’t, venting roughly. Because you’re frowning up at him. Worrying over his injury like he’s a sparkling.

• “Would you let that lunatic poke around in your head?” He growls, using a servo to push you away from a button. Like he thinks you’re going to jump on them not knowing what any of them do. “It doesn’t bother me.” Uh huh. Neither does the occasional paralysis? You’ve seen him get stuck before, had thought he was just glaring at you not realizing he was literally unable to move until Krok had told you. And as gruff as he is, you suspect it does bother him. “Don’t look at me like that,” he adds, using a servo to turn your face away. It absolutely bothers him.

• Freezing when you reach up to catch his servo and just hang onto it, arms hugging him to keep him from pulling away. “Spinister…tries,” you say, resting your warm cheek against him and he doesn’t know what to do with your easy affection. How to respond. It’s not like he’s exactly accustomed to it, even the camaraderie of the other Scavengers is still so strange to him. Big eyes stare up at him pleadingly and scooping you up, he thrusts you at Fulcrum and heads to the back of the ship. Unable to deal with you.

• “Rude,” you mutter after Crankcase with a sigh as Fulcrum holds you out at arms length in his hands, looking around for someone else to pass you to before reluctantly setting you on his own console. “You could have backed me up.” Not that you’d expected him to. While he seems to like you, he’s also fidgety about touching you or holding you. Hands moving to not quite touch you when you sit on the edge of the console as though afraid you’ll fall.

• Venting softly, he eases his hands down and looks around for anyone else to take you. The feel of your insubstantial warmth in his servos always makes him feel like he’ll break you without meaning to. “He doesn’t like me already,” he mutters, wishing you’d get away from the edge. Trying to gently push you further up the console just makes you drape yourself against his servos with a choked sound that’s almost a laugh. Half tempted to shift his servos against your middle so you make the noise again, he flinches guiltily when Spinister enters the bridge and heads right for him and you.

• “Tiny,” he says, servos reaching and some of the snarling tension in his processor eases when you stand and let him pick you up to cradle against him. Running his servos affectionately over your hair and cheek. Before noticing Fulcrum and looking around. Trying to remember why he was looking for you. He was, right? You’re in his hands so he must have been.

• “Krok wants everyone in the galley,” Misfire calls out from the doorway, venting tiredly as Spinister just stares at him, the human cupped to his masked face. “Remember? He asked you to go get Fulcrum?” He prompts. Expression still confused, Spinister drifts in the right direction, cooing at you like a sparkling. Fulcrum rising to join them. “We got a job.”

Previous

Next

[stillness-in-green]

Some thoughts on The Discourse about the last BNHA cover

(Note: This Discourse was on Twitter. I don’t know how much of this may have been said here on Tumblr, so consider this either my contribution or just me reporting back on drama from other fronts.)

So, I saw a lot of back and forth over there between people who didn’t like the cover and people who did, and I spent a little while mulling it over. It seemed to me that the people who didn’t like it had a good point, but one they were not articulating particularly well, possibly thanks to the character limit and possibly also because the people talking about it tended to phrase their objections in sarcastic, consciously exaggerated terms because that’s the language months and months of dealing with the truly insufferable Horikoshi Defense Squad on Twitter primed them to use.

So what is the point?  Basically this: In going for the lazy/easy callback in both the cover design and Dai (plate-hair kid)'s role in the final chapter more generally, Horikoshi landed on an "everything comes full circle" ending when what the story desperately needed was an indicator of change.

We didn't need to know that a kid with low self-confidence and nothing to speak of in the quirk department can still become a Pro Hero if he[1] wants to.  We already knew that because it's what the whole story of BNHA was about!  Deku passing the torch/paying it forward is nice if all you care about is Deku's personal arc, but it's sheer reductiveness if you care about literally anything else.  If there was going to be a kid getting Deku's encouragement and help at the end, if that's the ending Hori was absolutely set on, it shouldn't have been the Deku Redux kid; it shouldn't have been the weak kid who has already been metaphorically proven capable of becoming a Hero.

1: And of course it would be a boy.

It should have been the troubled kid, the one from the bad family situation, the one who isn't sure whether he even believes in this Hero thing.  It should have been the kid who, if nothing about Hero Society had changed, would’ve been rejected by the whole corrupt system—in so many words, the Tenko Redux kid.  That's the one who we saw could not become a Hero under the previous system.  That's who we needed to demonstrate the system's improvement.

Instead, all we get is Deku helping himself.  And it fits, I guess, because “himself” is the only sort of person Deku ever wanted to save anyway—remember that in the very first chapter, Deku tells All Might that he wants to be a Hero because he was never “saved” as a kid and so he thinks saving is the coolest thing ever.  Implicitly, then, Deku wanted to be the kind of Hero who could have saved the kid he was, and that tendency to reserve his compassion for people he can recognize himself in—the crying children and the Hero wannabes—is consistent throughout the series.  Dai, then, simply becomes the very last of these examples, the chance for Deku to tell his middle school self that he, too, can be a great Hero.

And that’s quite a choice, isn’t it?  Take a second to consider the implications there. The metaphorical parallel Deku helps is his middle school self, not his childhood self—there’s no evidence that Dai was bullied on the same level young Izuku was, and we sure didn’t see anyone telling him to jump off a roof.  So, who does save those children, then, in this grand, improved version of Hero Society?  Does anyone?

Well, not really. Not that we’re shown. Indeed, the child who was the closest analogue to young Izuku—a weak and seemingly quirkless boy who stuck his neck out for other rejected children, who still stubbornly wanted to be a Hero despite a parent's disapproval—was Tenko, and Deku pointedly did not save him.

To be clear, I don’t mean that just in the sense that Deku failed to save the adult Tenko became, but even in the emotional sense that the series clearly wants me to believe Deku succeeded at, the saving of the boy's heart? I don’t think Deku even managed that.  Sure, he might have protected the echo of that child from a few memories, might have held his hands for a few exchanges of dialogue, but then the boy transformed back into the form of the Villain he'd become and was swallowed down the spiritual maw of the man from whom society failed to save Tenko to begin with! And what was Deku doing as this happened? Absolutely nothing but yelling impotently as he got blown backward and out of the mindscape.

Imagine that Deku had found some way to cheer up Izumi Kouta only for Muscular to kill the kid thirty seconds later.  No one would be saying, “I think Deku still saved him—his heart, anyway,” if Deku got Kouta to smile and admit that Heroes were actually pretty cool only to do nothing but scream helplessly as he watched Muscular pulverize Kouta���s ribcage with one gentle squeeze.[2]

2: Mind you, this comparison is flawed!  Unlike AFO’s vestige, Muscular doesn’t turn up to kill a child as a direct result of Deku’s own actions. Also unlike the events of the final battle, Deku doesn't jump up and personally administer the killing blow to the still-screaming victim, either.

It just leaves me thinking about some of the stuff @codenamesazanka has said about how the narrative treats Shigaraki and Deku helping him: not as something Deku has a duty to do, not something Hero Society on the whole owes Shigaraki (and all the other metaphorical expy/future Shigarakis), but rather a bonus, a nice extra, a demonstration to shine up Deku's Hero cred because he's making efforts no one else would bother with and that no one would reasonably expect him to make. It's not Deku’s job to save the Tenkos or the young Izukus of the world; apparently that just falls to society at large.

So then, what was the point of making Tenko/Tomura such an extreme case of someone who started in a similar place to Deku?  Why make him, also, a weak kid who was told he couldn't be a Hero, if you're not going to have Deku save him in the way no one saved Deku himself?

From where I'm sitting, the answer is, "It seemed like a good idea to Horikoshi at the time, but proved to be poorly thought out."  But if Deku failing to save his own closest childhood analogue was where the story was going the whole time, then Shigaraki should never have been used to parallel Deku to begin with.  It's just a damned waste of Shigaraki as a character, an insult to everything he represented, to use him for ~the parallels~ throughout the entirety of the story except the very beginning and the very end.

Anyway, Pro Heroes are bullshit and the ending should have been them being radically reconceived from the ground up with input from all the people they failed to save.  But again, if you have to still have Heroes-qua-Heroes at the end, and you have to have some stupid thematic echo because you as an author think callbacks are the single most compelling storytelling tool of all time, then everything we got on Dai should have been for Scissors-kun instead, and here I am very much including Dai's scene before the first war. An unsettling scene of a strange child with his mouth sewn shut, stuck in a straitjacket in a dark room should have been the last thing we saw before launching into the day of the raids, an apparent element for the future in the same way that so many future Villains were first shown in the wake of Stain's arrest.

See, Shigaraki’s own destructiveness is what ultimately frees Scissors-kun from the basement, “saving” this rejected, abused child in a way no Hero ever managed or even knew to try, just as Shigaraki brought light and a strange sort of hope to the lives of so many others whom Heroes failed.  However, Shigaraki couldn't carry his ambitions through to the end. He was never able to meet the kid he indirectly saved, never able to offer that appallingly abused victim an avenue for his signature brand of rough justice. Heroes stopped him from doing so. So then, who will help Scissors-kun?

If we’re to believe that the story's protagonist has made a real difference, that Deku and his classmates have changed the world for the better, then we don't need to see them helping a kid who we already know is going to turn out fine because “he” aleady did. We need to see them help the people that previously only Villains would have helped, picking up the torch they struck from Shigaraki’s hands.

So sure, keep the scene with Granny Evil and Scissors-kun if you must, to show that it’s not only Heroes but also the broader Hero Society that’s changed. After that, though, show Deku stepping in.  Show him taking an interest in this kid as a way to keep his promises—to Shigaraki, that the rejection and obliviousness that he sought to destroy have indeed been destroyed and will remain so, and to Spinner, that Deku will remember Shigaraki for the rest of his life. 

When Deku is older and in a position to give advice to a kid who’s floundering and uncertain of what to do with his life because of what people around him say about him, make that character echo the characters the old system failed to save, not the character who the entire story proved would do just fine.

For god's sake, ditch Deku Redux.

Now, I know the obvious rejoinder here: We can’t use Deku’s story to say that BNHA already showed us that Dai would be fine because Dai has a quirk where Deku did not, therefore Deku’s path would not be open to Dai.  To this, I would reply that neither Deku nor Dai specify that Dai wants/is able to be a top Hero, merely that he be the kind of Hero people can admire—which the story has also already proven true!

Ojiro got into UA with nothing but one (1) extra limb.

Manual has a perfectly middling quirk that turned out to be absolutely crucial in two different wars because it was the right quirk at the right time.

Wash’s quirk makes strong bubbles. 

Like, this list is not short.  Manifest Plates might or might not make Dai Hero Billboard material, but one of the major points of the endgame was the sublime and noble value of helping when you can, in the way that you can.  So to reiterate, we didn’t need that to be proven again in the epilogue.

If anything, going the route of retreading the same story makes the epilogue much worse! Not only do we not get to see how this society is helping the people the old society most profoundly failed—victims who fall through the cracks and become Villains—but in seeing yet another a weak kid being mocked for his heroic aspirations, we find that we’ve barely moved a step beyond the exact same place we started.

That’s the message Horikoshi chose to go with, for both the closing chapters of the story and the story’s final volume cover.  Truly, as art that summarizes the story goes, it’s a masterful choice!  And that's the whole problem. The cover of Volume 42 is a perfect illustration of the self-absorbed, cynical, cyclical nature of BNHA's endgame. Little wonder, then, that it's hated by the same people who hated said endgame.

[stevie-petey]

dibs

“Jinx!” Again, they say this at the same time. They both groan, and without any other words, they jump into an intense game of rock, paper, scissors.  “One, two, three!” Steve holds out a rock, Robin does as well, and the two teens almost strangle one another.  They try again, this time they both land on paper, and Robin throws her head back in frustration. “I’m not good at math, but this cannot be statistically possible.”

Summary: do the laws of dibs still apply if steve and robin see you at the same time ???

Rating: general, some swearing

Warnings: swearing, fem!reader, use of y/n

Words: 1.4k

Before you swing in: this is for my beloved val (@southelroy), and i was so excited to try my hand at writing robin and steve together <3 this is a very silly fic, not at all meant to be realistic or serious, and it isnt proofread so pls enjoy n beware !

-

According to the ancient rules of “dibs”, the first person who sees the desired one has the rightful claim of dibs. Anyone else present during this time must obey this sacred rule, respecting the fact that the other has laid claim first. It’s an old, ancient tradition, held up for centuries through faithful friendships. 

It’s a solid system, really.

Except Steve and Robin see you walk into Family Video on the same day, at the same time, together. 

You walk in, hair slightly wet from the rain and your eyes bright, and smile at the two of them shyly. Setting down your umbrella, you unbutton your raincoat and look around the store. “Sorry, is it okay if I hide out in here for a bit? My umbrella broke and I really don’t feel like catching a cold.”

Steve and Robin stare at you, wide eyed and in shock. They’ve never seen you before, they surely would’ve remembered your face if they had, and their brains short circuit simultaneously. 

When they don’t say anything, you cautiously walk up to the counter and laugh nervously. “Uh, hello? I can leave, if that’s what you’re trying to say.”

“No!” Steve shouts, panicked that the word “leave” has left your very pretty and pink mouth. When you flinch at his raised voice, he quickly clears his throat and lowers his voice. “I–uh, I mean… No, no. You can stay–please! I mean, if you don’t mind, ‘cause, ya know, it’s raining–”

“What my coworker here is trying to say is that you can definitely stay.” Robin interrupts, admiring the way the raindrops in your hair seem to form a halo. “In fact, why don’t you have a look around? We have plenty of movies.”

You smile at Robin, which she practically melts seeing. “Thanks, you guys are lifesavers. I’m here visiting my cousin, and he said I should stop by anyways.”

“What, do we know him?” Steve asks, finally finding his voice again. 

“His name is Dustin Henderson, if that helps. He’s a freshman at Hawkins, said he stops here sometimes–”

“Dustin Henderson is your cousin?” Steve and Robin say at the same time, completely taken aback. 

You laugh. “Ya know, I’ve gotten that a lot since being in Hawkins. I take it he’s well known?”

“Oh, he’s definitely well known.” Robin snorts, thinking about how many people would scream at the idea of more Hendersons running around the world. 

But if they’re anything like you, then Robin thinks she’d love to be invited to a Henderson family reunion. Immediately. 

“Well,” you smile again at the two teens, amused by their weird dynamic. You can see why Dustin likes them so much. “Since I’m stuck here for a while and I promised Dustin I’d get a movie, I’m gonna take a look around as suggested.”

You pause, now realizing you haven’t asked for their names, and you gasp. “I’m so sorry! What are your names? I feel horrible for not even asking.”

“You could never do any wrong,” Steve sighs dreamily, leaning against the counter in what he hopes is a cool looking pose. “I’m Steve, Steve Harrington.”

He sticks his hand out for you to shake, which you accept with a slight giggle. He’s odd, but incredibly endearing even if he’s currently standing against the counter like a middle-aged man. “I’m Y/N Henderson.” 

Robin, sensing what Steve is trying to do, hip checks the boy so that he falls onto the ground. “And I’m Robin Buckley, the better half of this duo.”

Like hell she’s going to allow him to flirt with you. 

Her declaration makes you laugh, even as poor Steve groans on the floor in pain. You wink at her, amused by her charm, and start to walk towards the movie aisles. “Oh, I believe that.”

Steve scrambles back up, and the second you’re out of earshot, he and Robin immediately shout at the same time, “Dibs!”

“Jinx!” Again, they say this at the same time. They both groan, and without any other words, they jump into an intense game of rock, paper, scissors. 

“One, two, three!” Steve holds out a rock, Robin does as well, and the two teens almost strangle one another. 

They try again, this time they both land on paper, and Robin throws her head back in frustration. “I’m not good at math, but this cannot be statistically possible.”

“Okay, let’s think about this.” Steve holds a finger up to indicate that he’s speaking, which Robin scoffs at. “I saw her first, so–”

“Uh, news flash, dingus: I saw her first.”

“Were you dropped as a child? I clearly saw her first–”

“Actually,” your voice causes both Robin and Steve to turn in horror, realizing too late that you’ve been standing behind them, listening in. “You both saw me at the same time, so I’m not sure how the rule of dibs applies here.”

“We…” Steve gapes at you, speechless. 

Robin is no better, her face burns horribly. “We think… You’re pretty?”

“Well, I gathered that much.” You laugh again, and the sound is enough for both Steve and Robin to forget all their worries and admire how delicate it is. Then, holding up two dvd’s, you place them on the counter. “I’ll take these, please.”

Robin looks down at your movie selection, seeing The Breakfast Club and The Outsiders, and her heart drops. “Just… Just these?”

“Mhm,” you nod, unsure why her demeanor has suddenly changed. “Is there something wrong with my movie selection?”

Steve looks at Robin and he knows immediately what’s wrong. She absolutely hates your taste in movies, which he’s ecstatic over. He lets out a whoop and first bumps the air. “Yes! She’s mine!”

“Shut up, you moron!” Robin screeches, embarrassed and infuriated. She cannot believe that this is happening to her right now, in front of a very pretty girl, no less. Closing her eyes, Robin takes a deep breath and turns to you. “Please excuse my friend, he’s allergic to pretty girls.”

“Hey, that’s not true–”

You cross your arms at Robin, an amused smile on your face. “What’s so wrong with my taste in movies?”

“Nothing!” When you raise your eyebrow at her, Robin accepts her fate and gives in. She knows she’s done for now. “It’s just… It’s incredibly bland.”

“I happen to think your taste is impeccable, Y/N.” Steve butts in, batting his eyelashes at you for added effect.

Robin watches, with pure disgust, as it works. Steve’s charm gets you to laugh once more, and you even lean closer to his side of the counter. You place a hand on his arm. “I’m honored to have you on my side, then.”

Stupid Harrington and his stupid male species. 

While you and Steve exchange gross lovey-dovey glances, Robin rings up your movie rentals with disdain. 

“That will be $5.25, please.” She mumbles, crestfallen. 

You tear your eyes away from Steve’s and notice the jealousy and hurt on Robin’s face. You frown, feeling bad for being the cause of this. She seems like a sweet girl, and Dustin spoke highly of her, so you know she’s someone special. Taking some cash out of your purse, you hand it to Robin and catch her eye. 

“Hey, listen to me real quick.” Robin looks up, despite not wanting to, but your eyes are too pretty not to look into. When you have her attention, you turn to Steve. “Can you give us a second?”

He looks bewildered. “What? Why?”

“If you leave now, I’ll give you my number.”

“Yes ma’am!” Steve hops over the counter and goes to sort some movies, leaving you alone with Robin. 

Once he’s gone, you lean in close to her. “I understand what you’re going through.”

Her eyes widen, terrified she’s been caught. “W–what? No, I think you’ve gotten this all wrong–”

“It’s okay,” you grab her hand, gently take it between yours. “We’re more alike than you may think, and while I’m flattered, you’re too young.”

Robin knows she should be devastated by this, but all she hears is, “So… Let’s say ten years from now, if you happen to visit Dustin again…”

You laugh, she’s got such a spark to her. “You’ll have to figure out the whole ‘dibs’ thing by then with Steve.”

“I saw you first!” Steve shouts from somewhere in the aisles, before a giant crash follows. A few seconds pass, and then, much quieter this time, he shouts, “I’m fine!”

-

⌑ writing masterlist

[mikaela-the-slut-expert]

The First Glance

Hua Cheng x M!Reader x Xie Lian

Honestly I'm just having a go at this and I'm technically writing about my OC. If people notice it that's good. if they don't well😔. So don't hate on me 🖤✨

Mentions of the reader having a veil and white hair, facial scars.

No one has requested any stories from me I wrote this for my own pleasure. So if you want something that isn't for an OC and is for a reader then come tell me and I'll write you something 😋

I keep editing the story cuz I keep forgetting details 😭✊ bear with me plz.

Míngqín means song bird it's Y/n's nickname

Previous part: Tea Shop

__________________________________________________

You've been by Xie Lian's side for a long time. You've been his guard for as long as you can remember, and a god under him for even longer. A very long time actually, so you'd like to think you know him well enough to predict his movements. Apparently not.

You're at Puqi shrine, cleaning the place up and fixing dinner for you and Xie Lian. You chose to stay while Xie Lian went and to go investigate a ghost groom who was kidnapping brides. It's since then turned dark and when Xie Lian turns up, there's another man with him. You weren't expecting Xie Lian to bring someone home with him, nor were you expecting the strange man to stay the night.

The strange man's name is actually San Lang, but you still think he's strange anyways. After scolding Xie Lian for bringing someone home without any warning you serve dinner at the makeshift table you came up with. You give San Lang yours, you don't really need to eat. You're a heaven official and being with Xie Lian has you used to it anyhow.

"Thank you for making dinner Míngqín, I wouldn't have minded making it myself", Xie Lian says. You cringe at the thought though. You wave a hand, "not necessary I've got it". You sit down and observe as they both eat. Xie Lian and San Lang chat about something but you aren't paying attention. You're staring at San Lang, it's strange how fast the man has clung himself to Xie Lian. You've never seen him before and yet he so easily acts as if he's known Xie Lian forever.

You look away, thoughts straying to the bed laying on the floor. If it can even be called that it's more like a mat. Are all three of you going to sleep on it? Your thoughts are quickly interrupted when you notice San Lang staring at you. He can't possibly see your face not with the veil you've hidden it behind, but the way he's staring at you makes it feel like he's trying to. It doesn't feel like anything bad or alarming, just unnerving. People don't look at you. They usually stray their eyes away, but San Lang does not.

You leave the table, and lie on the mat. Xie Lian and San Lang will eventually lay down too. You take the middle spot. It makes the most sense, you don't want Xie Lian to be in danger. He's always been kind and you don't want that to back fire on him. You figure it's most safe if you stay between San Lang and Xie Lian.

You are already 'asleep', you aren't of course but you're breathing and heartbeat all sound as if you are. You technically don't need sleep but it's still nice to rest sometimes. You can hear San Lang talk about the missing painting on the wall. There's not yet a painting of the God of Scraps, but Xie Lian ushers San Lang to go to sleep instead.

Xie Lian lies to your right, you can tell. After all you've been sleeping next to each other for years. San Lang lies to your left, leaving you stuck in the middle. It's uncomfortable. You aren't worried about your veil slipping off, it's yours to manipulate and you've long since mastered being able to make the veil comfortable on your face. It's the closeness that bothers you.

You haven't really been in anyone's company other than Xie Lian's. No one else tends to like you, not the officials and not ghosts. That's fine you don't like them either but this sudden presence is new and you've never liked touch in the first place. Touch is scary. It always has been since the fall of XianLe. It makes you want to puke. Xie Lian is the only exception to this, seeing as you've been around him your whole life.

It's not that repulsive actually. For whatever reason San Lang's closeness doesn't seem to make you want to hurl. His breath down the back of your neck however makes you nervous. If you weren't a ghost your heart would be beating fast. You can feel him staring holes into you but you play sleep anyways.

"You're not truly asleep are you?" You internally huff as San Lang asks. You didn't think you were bad at it. You ignore him and continue hoping he'll believe your lie. It's not until a shuffle on your right, and a harsh grip on your robes make you realize San Lang isn't talking to you.

"It's not like I was fake sleeping San Lang" you can feel Xie Lian sit up a bit. "You aren't asleep either" Xie Lian exclaims. You can't see of course your eyes are closed even behind the veil you're worried they'd see your eyes open.

"I was too busy staring at your assistant" his voice takes on a teasing tone. 'Assistant' is what Xie Lian had told San Lang you are. Xie Lian is supposed to be a priest for himself and your alias is to be Xie Lian's assistant. Of course it's not who you truly are. You're truly the God of Song and Xie Lian is truly the God of Scraps. San Lang wouldn't know that though.

Your stomach drops when you feel San Lang's hand start to tinker with your veil. You're about to give it all up to move away but a big clap happens right over your face. You suppose it's time to give it up for the night. You open your eyes, and look up at the clasped hands above you. Xie Lian's holding San Lang's, most likely trying to move his hand away.

"Ah I'm sorry we woke you Míngqín, San Lang just needed a blanket he was cold..." Xie Lian smiles down at you. You nod, "It's okay. Let's go back to sleep then." San Lang only laughs to himself and lies back down. You and Xie Lian lay back down too. The night eventually calms again.

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

When morning comes, you realize you fell asleep and when you get out of bed you see that Xie Lian and San Lang have already gotten out of bed. You get up as well and you change your veil. The veil is often changed, you don't like keeping the same design everyday. Some veils cover your whole face, and some veils leave your eyes unhidden. Today you choose a veil that only covers your nose and mouth.

You're ready to go outside until something in the corner of your eye stops you. A painting of Xie Lian back when he was Prince in XianLe..? Did San Lang really paint that? Now it's obvious San Lang isn't a mortal. No one would be able to paint it so accurately from 800 years ago.

You admire it for a minute and then go outside. San Lang and Xie Lian are standing by a cut wood pile. They both turn their heads toward you.

"Good morning Míngqín", "morning y/n". You nod back, noticing San Lang's hair is loose.

"Your hair will surely get caught if you don't put your hair up, San Lang" you haven't really spoken to San Lang the whole time since he's been here but you don't hate him. He did somehow make that painting after all. "Let me fix your hair San Lang" Xie Lian offers. He leads San Lang back inside to a bucket of water.

You know Xie Lian is checking if San Lang is a ghost, but San Lang looks like he is enjoying himself, "Are you just going to play with my hair gege?" Xie Lian is quick to get flustered and he puts San Lang's hair into a very messy braid. It looks messier than before.

You don't pay attention to the fact San Lang has started calling Xie Lian 'gege'. You snicker quietly at Xie Lian's flustered face, as he waves his hands telling San Lang he's all done with his hair. Xie Lian is not very good at doing hair, but San Lang looks happy with it. You don't bother offering to fix it.

"A-Lian it's your turn, come sit". You pat the stool. Xie Lian cooperates and you start combing through his hair. You've always brushed out Xie Lian's hair. He doesn't know how to get the knots out. Xie Lian used to just leave the knots there until you forced him to sit down one day so you could brush it out.

When you're finished brushing his hair you tie it up in his usual half bun-half down hairstyle. You step away from him and notice San Lang staring at you. It seems he's very good at staring.

"You should let gege do your hair as well y/n" you grunt and shake your head. No way you were letting Xie Lian put knots in your hair. You love him very much but you also love your hair.

"No it's alright" you wave a hand but San Lang insists. "I can fix your hair then. Gege did my hair, and you did Gege's. I'll do yours" he smiles. It sounds like generosity, but you've found whatever San Lang says sounds like teasing. You almost shake your head no, but San Lang looks like he really wants to indulge.

"I... Suppose" you hesitate. To fix your hair you would have to take off your veil and only Xie Lian has seen your face and even he hasn't seen it in so long. San Lang is very gentle when he removes your veil, as if he's touching something that will shatter. You cover your mouth with your sleeve. To hide the scars, you don't want them to be seen.

Your thoughts are interrupted by San Lang's fingers running through your hair. He combs it out gently. "Your hair is very beautiful y/n, has gege ever told you?" This flusters you, if you actually had the ability to blush then blood would have colored your cheeks. You have strange hair, it's long but it's white. It's always been like that but after ascending the officials were not your biggest fans. Especially since you stayed with Xie Lian. So they often make remarks about your appearance not that it bothers you.

"Thank you" you notice Xie Lian looking at you. You're eyes are the only thing that can be seen but he's still soaking up what you've hidden for the past hundreds of years before you hide it behind a veil again.

"How come this one hides his face?" San Lang asks as he does something with your hair. You don't know how to answer that so you redirect, "Does San Lang want to see it that bad?" He only laughs at this, and he moves into your field of vision. "I'm all finished. Gege take a look at y/n's hair is it nice?" You want to see what it looks like. You look into the bucket of water.

San Lang put your hair into a braid. He's tied your hair with a red ribbon, it must be San Lang's but you'll keep it. He gave it to you so it's only fair. You run your hands over the braid. Your hair hasn't been styled in a long time, there was never a reason to put it up after all. Your hair is usually left loose.

"it's very pretty San Lang. Míngqín why don't you keep the veil off?" Xie Lian cocks his head to the side. "Yes, there's no reason to hide your face." You furrow your brows, you could keep it off. You're just scared to have your scars out in the open. "... I'll think about it."

You hesitate, but you remove your hand from covering your mouth. To you, your face has been ruined. Your mouth has been slashed from a sword from a very long time ago. Scars line over your lips. You wished that they were pretty scars, with neat lines. They are not though. It's not so bad to show your face to San Lang and Xie Lian.

They stare at you, Xie Lian's look you can understand. You don't understand San Lang's look, he looks as if he's trying to soak up the details of your face too. As if your face is something he hasn't seen in such a long time. You've never met San Lang though...

Now that everyone's hair is fixed, San Lang is an exception to that - y/n giggles every time he sees it - , now they can start their morning. It's a good start to the day and Y/n thinks that San Lang has fit himself quite well into their routine.

Even though San Lang is a new addition to your group he makes it very easy to like him. Especially with how much he clings to Xie Lian's side, but San Lang also seems to be clinging to you too.

__________________________________________________

Criticism or comments plzzzz, I want to know if anyone enjoyed it or if there are ways I can make it better. I also want to know if people want to continue seeing the story! Also don't forget you can request me for stuff! 🖤✨

Maple Robes and Lace Veils

[its-time-to-write]

chapter 4

table of contents

we know the steps anyway

Jamie might have stretched the truth. He has an appointment, yes, but not a medical one, like. There’s enough doctors and shit on staff at Richmond. But no one there has fucking critical thinking or whatever, so he’s able to go early. He goes to the shops and doesn’t pray he remembers what you like, instead he prays that it hasn’t changed.

He gets recognized but he hopes the flowers in his hand don’t signal anything to the fans. If anyone asks he can just say they’re for his mum or something, it’s not totally fucking unrealistic, but his lying’s gotten progressively worse recently. Probably because he’s out of practice, but he doesn’t actually want to get back in practice, if you know what he means.

He also prays that your address is the same. You loved that house and he’d be surprised if you moved but it’s almost a year since he last saw you and much longer than that since you were actually together.

Maybe he should have become Catholic so he could say a proper Hail Mary. But he isn’t one, so instead he just hopes harder than he has in a while and knocks on the door. The doorbell’s taped off with a note that says, baby sleeping so he thinks he probably has the right house after all 

He hears footsteps, has the quickest panic attack known to man, then the door opens to reveal you.

Jamie has never wanted to make a baby more than this moment, if he’s being honest. He can tell you’re in the middle of work but the way it takes a split second too long to figure out what’s happening and the pen behind your ear. You look the same, but assured and he knows it’s because you don’t need him. He wants to unbutton your shirt and also tell you that he loves you more than he’s ever loved anyone in his whole entire life and he knows he’s a fucking idiot but his thoughts have never been good at finding their way to his mouth so instead he just says, “Hey,” and pulls the flowers from behind his back.

Jamie doesn’t miss the way your eyes widen in what he can only construe as fear at the sight of him. It subsides into wariness when he hands you the flowers, but he doesn’t like that the fear was there in the first place. He understands you want to be cautious, but fear?

That’s not good at all.

So he telegraphs all his movements as best he can. Shoulders down, hands at his sides and unclenched. He takes half a step back but asks, “Can we talk?” and watches you play a million outcomes in your head at once.

You don’t want to let him in, but Clare’s asleep in the living room. And the flowers are an indicator that he’s here for some positive reason so you step aside and say, “You can come to the kitchen.”

Jamie knows he’s on thin ice so he barely looks any other direction than straight to where you direct him. He doesn’t sit. He stands in the middle of the kitchen and awkwardly holds the flowers before you take them from him and set them on the counter. He opens his mouth to say something (he’s not quite sure what yet) and is saved by the baby crying in the other room. 

The baby. 

You sigh and go to get her and he scans the room as best he can for any indicator as to her name. He doesn’t see anything but photos stuck to the fridge. You come back into the room before he can move to look closer. 

“Her name’s Clare,” you say offhandedly. “You’re not on the birth certificate. You’ve always said you didn’t want to have kids, and I’m pretty fucking sure you wouldn’t want them with me. And-” you pause. Clare’s awake and staring right at your face. She really does look like Jamie.

“And,” you continue, “I didn’t really want you to come back just to fuck off again. Clare doesn’t deserve that. And you’ve been acting like a right fucking idiot all over national television, so.”

Jamie nods. “Makes sense.” 

You wait for him to say something else but he doesn’t, just looks so uncharacteristically lost that you sigh.

“You’re not here about custody, are you,” you. Jamie’s eyes widen.

“Fuckin’ hell, that’s what you thought this was about? I’m not- I wouldn’t- I’ve been to going therapy.”

You raise an eyebrow. That’s new. Maybe that’s what fucking Keeley Jones meant about decent. But he’s not getting off so fucking easy, if at all. 

“So what, you go to therapy a couple times and now you’re fixed? And you want a family? Or to apologize? You haven’t made it entirely clear why you’re here.”

Jamie says, “I’m here because I miss you,” and you scoff. 

“No- shit, I mean- I’ve missed you for a long fucking time but my texts weren’t going through, so I figured you blocked me. And Madeline is fucking terrifying, babe. But I was looking for you the other night because I wanted to apologize. And see if you wanted to get back together,” he says, and you’re not entirely sure how to react.

“Right,” you say, “well, that’s not fucking happening. You dumped me after a year, called me a two in the morning five months later, so yes, I blocked you. And you should be fucking scared of Madeline because I had to forcibly restrain her from ruining your goddamn life despite the fact that I actually wanted her to go completely apeshit. I have more important things than some twenty-six year old footballer who’s only just now getting his life together when I’ve had it together since I was eight. I have a job and a baby, and I’m handling both in the house that I’ve owned since I was twenty-two because like I said before, Jamie Tartt, I’ve had my life together since I was fucking eight years old. I had the same damn childhood as you and yet I’m not the one who has only recently learned what the fuck empathy is.”

Your rant upsets Clare, who begins crying. “Shit,” you sigh. “I’m sorry, Bean. You hungry?” You glance at Jamie. “I’m going to sit on the couch.”

“Right. Yeah,” says Jamie as he follows you to the next room. He sits gingerly on the couch across from you and you sigh again. He’s relatively harmless, and you’re well-versed in what he looks like when he’s up to no good. You pat the spot next to you and he sits, still carefully, while you adjust Clare. It isn’t until you sit down that you realize how fucking tired you are.

“She’s so fucking small,” Jamie whispers. “How the fuck do you ever get anything done? I’d just be looking at her.”

You laugh, but it’s short and brittle. “Things need to get done Jamie. She’s hungry, she needs to be changed, I have work to do and I’ve got to eat, but I’m sick of ordering in so I try to meal prep as much as I can but I don’t ever sleep and I’m afraid of burning the house down, so most of the time I eat frozen dinners at four a.m. because she’s awake.” Jamie doesn’t say anything, just listens. He’s inched closer or maybe you have or maybe both, because your thighs are touching and it sends the same shivers up your leg that it did two years ago. “I’m tired all the time,” you whisper. “It’s like my bones are tired. I think Madeline’s the only one who has any idea what it’s like and she can only help so much. Besides, she’s it’s her last night in fucking Milan and I’m not about to be that mum friend who’s constantly making everything about her baby. It’s just so much work, Jamie. You have no idea.”

You shouldn’t, you know you shouldn’t but Madeline isn’t here and what she doesn’t know won’t kill her, so you rest your head on Jamie’s shoulder.

He freezes for a moment before tilting his face to touch the top of your head.

And you’re furious. It should have been like this before and as soon as it’s over your going to wish that it were like this more often. It’s a fantasy.

But you’ll indulge a little while longer before seriously considering moving somewhere else. Probably Chelsea if you’re being honest; it’s not too far away but it’ll give you the space you need to remind yourself that Jamie isn’t for you. He’s for someone else, someone like Keeley.

And anyway as soon as you want to let Madeline find you a man, you know you’ll have no shortage of options.

It’s not about that, though. It’s about the fact that you’ve been on your backup plan ever since Jamie left and you’d give anything to feel like you’re in control again.

Jamie murmurs, “I want to help,” and you shake your head slightly. 

“Don’t need money, my darling. I need someone to change her diaper at one in the morning.”

“That’s what I mean,” Jamie says and you chuckle.

“And when do you have time for that?” you ask. “Don’t you footballers have a strict sleep schedule? And you’d have to be here in the guest room because there’s no way I’m taking Clare to yours.”

Jamie shrugs and you sit up. “Don’t take this the wrong way love, but plenty of footballers ignore their sleep plan to fuck around. It’s got to be healthier and shit to take care of a kid, yeah?”

“No,” you say. “You can’t just show up and slip back into my life like that. I haven’t talked to you in almost a year and now you’re here on my couch, which is fine, but you can’t just come all the way back.”

Jamie frowns. “So what do I have to do?”

You shake your head. “That’s something for you to figure out without me.”

—

Jamie replays the whole thing from the time he gets back into his car to go home to the time he falls asleep. And then starts again when he wakes up and heads to the Dogtrack. The only person who looks at him twice is Higgins, although that may be more to Jamie’s choice of lime green sweatpants than his mental state.

He can’t get Clare’s face out of his head. He can’t get the feeling of your body on the couch next to him out of his system.

He wasn’t sure what he wanted when he returned to Richmond, he just knew he wanted something different. Maybe this is it.  

He’s so wrapped up in his thoughts that he knocks completely into Roy on his way to get his lunch.

“Fucking watch where you’re fucking going,” Roy grunts but Jamie barely acknowledges him.  

And that’s how Roy knows something is wrong because the little shit is never one to back down from an argument. But he’s Roy fucking Kent and the last thing he’s going to do is ask Tartt about his fucking feelings so he just walks away and forgets about it.

In hindsight, he thinks it probably would have provided some fucking context to what he’s seeing in front of him. 

A very apologetic Keeley Jones hangs on his arm while he watches some short brunette march into the locker room as if she owns it, grab Jamie by the ear, and start swearing at him.

No one seems to know what to do, probably in too much shock to stop Madeline from dragging Jamie (still by his ear) out of the room and presumably to the car park. 

Roy catches Beard’s eye, entirely by accident, who shrugs. Ted claps his hands and says something to the effect of, “Everyone’s made poor decisions when it comes to women, Sam go check on Jamie,” before following Roy and Beard to the coaches’ office. As soon as the door is firmly shut, Ted says, “What in the Sam Hill was that? I know Jamie’s ruffled a few feathers in his time, but I’ve never seen anything like that before, no sir.”

Everyone looks expectantly at Keeley. After all, she was the one chasing Madeline’s heels as she shouted, “God DAMN it Tartt, I’m going to fucking kill you!!” down the hall.

“Well you see,” Keeley begins, voice mousy, “I was in Milan where I met Madeline. We were chatting and we both found out we knew Jamie. And she’s friends with this girl who lives here in Richmond, and it turns out she and Jamie dated right before he was with me. I don’t know what he did but he did something awful while we were away because she got a text, said, “Fucking Tartt,” and then stepped out to take a phone call. She came straight here from the airport; I think her taxi’s still outside, actually.” She lifts one shoulder in a shrug. “I’m just surprised Jamie’s fucked something up again. He’s been doing so well recently.”

“Jamie has a kid,” Beard says like he can’t hold it in any more. He’s met with shocked silence until Ted says, “Well I’ll be. Jamie Tartt’s got a little tartlet,” and then everyone’s talking at once. Mainly, how does Beard know and what does that have to do with his arse getting hauled to the car park?

Ted’s just thankful this debacle happened at the end of the day, because the team can’t afford to miss any training with the Aston Villa game coming up. There’s a knock on the door, and Ted opens it to reveal Sam. 

“Jamie is going home with that angry young woman,” he says. 

Ted asks, “Should we be concerned?” and Sam shrugs. 

“He did not seem as though he needed rescuing,” he replies, and that makes sense. From what anyone could tell, it almost seemed as though Jamie felt like he deserved whatever Madeline was saying to him. As if he expected it. But no one has any more answers so they all just sort of disperse to their various homes. 

Keeley though, Keeley is so fucking curious she thinks she might explode. So as soon as she’s at Roy’s and seated on his sofa she opens her laptop and scrolls through Madeline’s entire fucking instagram to look for clues. It’s hard, what with all the brand deals and photo dumps, but Keeley’s a professional. She has a list of girls who occur in multiple photos throughout the years, checks off their socials, but comes up empty. 

Well, almost empty.

Half of Madeline’s friends are private, so those are Keeley’s top suspects, but there’s one friend whose photos switch from being full length to shoulders-up only about nine months ago. And there’s a selfie of Madeline in a hospital bed with this same friend buried in a photo dump from two and a half months ago with the caption, “she lived, bitch.” It’s focused on their faces and nothing else, but Keeley’s one hundred percent positive this is the girl.

Keeley spends the rest of the night on her computer scouring the internet for as much as she can possibly learn while Roy makes her tea and reads next to her.

next chapter

[starryeyedjanai]

counting the days till i'm coming home

steddie | explicit | read on ao3 chapter 1 | chapter 2

Eddie gets up properly after laying there for a little while, thoughts still firmly placed on Steve.

He doesn't know what it is about him—he’s only met him once, and briefly. But he can't get him off his mind.

He thinks about going back to the lake, but feels like that’d be weird and a little desperate—jerking off thinking about him is one thing, but showing up day after day hoping to get a glimpse of him feels pathetic.

He did say he’d be at the lake a lot this summer, but Eddie still doesn't end up going back to the lake for another two weeks.

He and his band practice in the meantime, with little else to do in Hawkins over the summer. There’s supposed to be a new mall being built, but it’s not opening until next year, so they’re all stuck doing the same shit they always do during the summer—going to band practice, going to Skull Rock to smoke if they don't want to cram into Eddie’s living room, hanging out at Gareth’s house to watch movies.

It’s all the same shit and Eddie can feel himself sinking and drowning in the mundanity of it. Nothing ever changes around here.

Maybe that’s why he goes back to the lake.

Maybe it’s because he’s dreamed of Steve every night since meeting him, that same cryptic I’ll find you repeating over and over and over until Eddie can't take it anymore.

So he finds himself at the edge of the lake again, in his swim trunks and a loose shirt, hoping to see Steve again.

It’s right after dusk, the sun just having set, so he doesn't know what he expects, if he expects Steve to still be here if he came here at all today.

But being out in the open during the day felt scarier than this, he thinks, as he lifts his shirt over his head and places it on the ground beside him.

There’s no one here—he can't hear the sound of anyone in the water, and he can barely see anything at all, the moon hidden by the clouds right now.

But Steve said he’d find him.

And somehow Eddie believes it.

Something deep inside him believes that if he dives into the water, Steve will hear it and come looking for him.

So he does.

The water is cold as he dives headfirst into the water. When he comes up, the sound of the water sloshing is loud in his ears, almost as loud as the blood rushing past his ears as he remembers the whispers about a lake monster.

Some part of him always believed it, even though he’s never seen it, even though it’s impossible. So his heart beating this fast betrays his nerves about it somehow being true.

But Steve was here, and Eddie’s assuming he didn't get gobbled up by a monster.

Now that he’s in the lake though, he doesn't know what to do.

He treads water for a minute before swimming further out. He’s never been the most confident swimmer, though he did start taking swimming lessons at his old middle school because they were mandatory, but he moved out here to live with his uncle in the middle of the school year, so his lessons were incomplete.

And here in Hawkins, there aren't really many places to swim with a supposedly monster filled lake being one of the only bodies of water around.

But he can tread water and keep himself above the surface so that’s all that matters, he supposes.

He stops in the center of the lake and wonders what the hell he’s doing.

Did he really think Steve would hear a splash in the water from whichever one of these houses is his parent’s lake house and come join him? Did he really think he’d lose his virginity tonight, out here in the water with no protection like an idiot?

He really didn't think this through.

And with the temperature dropping and no sun shining on him to keep him warm, goosebumps prickle across his skin as he treads water in the center of the lake.

This was such a stupid idea.

He starts back for the docks and gets about halfway before something wraps around his ankle and calf and yanks him under the surface of the water.

His scream is muffled by the water, but whatever’s grabbing him lets go and he surfaces, breathing heavy and whipping around to find the culprit.

Steve's head pops up in front of him and Eddie blows out a harsh breath before wading closer and smacking him on the shoulder.

“You asshole!” he says, his voice more shaky than he’d like to admit. He must have had both hands around his leg because it felt like something was snaking up his leg. His thoughts of the lake monster must have really spooked him.

“Sorry,” Steve says, but his smile says otherwise. “You were leaving and I didn't want you to go.”

“So you thought you’d pull me under the water like a maniac? Where did you even come from?” he asks, trying to get his heart hate under control.

Steve shrugs and says, “I told you I’m always here.”

Something niggles in the back of his mind, the same way it did when Steve said he’d find Eddie if he ever came into the water. The goosebumps return to his skin as the words wash over him.

“When you say you’re always here,” Eddie says in a slow voice, but he can't get any more words out because he realizes how stupid he sounds.

There’s no way.

Steve is so close now, and Eddie can see the way the moonlight reflects off his skin. There’s something eerie about it, the way it glitters almost.

Eddie wades backward, putting more space between them, trying to aim for casual as he kicks his feet, knowing Steve could out-swim him no contest.

“You told me about a monster in the lake,” Steve says and Eddie nods, captivated by the lull of Steve's voice.

“And you said nothing had ever happened when you were in the water,” Eddie says, his heart in his throat.

There’s no fucking way.

The smile on Steve's face feels wicked almost. Eddie's hands clench into fists under the water.

“I told you nothing happened to me,” Steve clarifies, wading closer again, until only a foot of distance is between them.

Eddie's eyes close as he lets out a shaky breath.

When he opens them, Steve hasn't moved any closer.

Eddie realizes he’s shaking.

“I’m not gonna hurt you,” Steve says, and the sound Eddie lets out is close to a sob.

“I don't know if I believe you,” Eddie says, trying to wrap his mind around the fact that somehow, inexplicably, the boy before him is a monster. Does he shapeshift into something else? Is he some kind of a humanoid that drags people under the lake and eats them? Every thought running through his head leads to him dying cold and alone save for the monster before him.

But the expression on Steve's face turns sad, his mouth turning down as he looks at Eddie.

Steve wades further back again, faster than humanly possible, putting distance between them. “I didn't mean to scare you,” he says and Eddie can barely hear it over the ripples of the water. “You can go if you want. I like you and I don't want you to be scared of me.”

Eddie doesn't know if this is part of his game—if he wants to chase Eddie before he kills him.

But he keeps his eyes on Steve as he wades backwards, closer to Rick’s dock where he jumped into the lake.

He doesn't come any closer, watching him with sad eyes as he pulls himself up awkwardly onto the dock, backwards so he doesn't have to look away.

He’s shivering as he pulls on his shirt, as he watches Steve watch him.

He only takes his eyes off him when he’s stumbling back onto the grass behind Rick’s house. He beelines it for his van and speeds the entire way home, putting more and more distance between him and Steve.

He feels every mile stretching between them.

His heart rate only goes down when he’s in his bed, after he’s showered and washed off all remnants of the lake off him.

His hair is wet against his pillow as he lays there and thinks about what just happened.

He doesn't know if Steve was just fucking with him, is the thing.

He could just be some guy who’s here for the summer and decided to have some fun at Eddie's expense.

Or—

He could be the lake monster everyone talks about.

He never told Steve that the monster supposedly pulls people under the water—they barely spoke at all when they first met.

But that’s exactly what Steve did—wrapped his hands around Eddie's leg and pulled him under the water.

He could have asked someone, he supposes.

But nothing about that felt fake.

And was it his hands? It didn’t feel like it in the moment.

The way the moonlight hit his skin felt wrong, the way he moved through the water felt wrong, whatever wrapped around his leg felt wrong.

The skin of his ankle and calf feels tender and hot now, as he lays there still shivering a little from the encounter.

When he falls asleep, much too late into the night, he dreams about Steve again.

[wayfayrr]

Copy and pasted This was a request from @yourlocaltreesimp and @sketchyspook as a continuation of self aware sky!! This man has my heart and soul <3 we've got two skies trying to come to terms with each other while reader is stuck in the middle <33 Btw if ever there's a one shot you'd ever like a continuation of I'll always be happy to write it if you drop a request <3 seeing as that's how this came to be in full, I had no intention to carry on with sky otherwise The first - second

[masterlist]

... “And why do you look just like me?”

This is so different to what happened the first time, he’s less emotive with his face still rigged to the model the way he’s moving seems far more stiff like he’s fighting against the game. The biggest difference though?

He’s petrified.And not of any one thing in particular every single thing is setting him off, from how my link is looking at him to even the feeling of his skin from what I can see. Link - the one on my side I mean - is hard to read, tensing up, gritting his teeth and looking at his other self like a threat. 

“Why are you both just looking at me like that - what - I - I - please I can’t handle anyone else keeping me in the dark - no one seems to remember my name - my real name- I don’t… this is all so… so”

Even his crying sounds similar to link’s - my link’s - oh I’ll need to come up with nicknames for them both now otherwise there won’t be an end to the confusion. Anyway it sounds similar, but far more broken, almost as if he’s having an existential crisis during his breakdown which, to be fair, is probably what is happening. One of us needs to explain everything to him and with links reaction? I think it’s going to be up to me.  With a quick glance at link telling him to stay out of this, moving to sit closer to the screen to talk to him face to face like a real person, all I have to do is hope that it goes well; that he doesn’t do anything rash.

“Link - I’ll explain whatever you want explained to you that I can with what I know, you just need to calm down enough to ask alright?”

That stopped the crying, his head jerkily moving so that his eyes can meet mine with each movement he makes becoming more fluid and natural. Each second that passes only seeming to bring him more alive all the while link behind me only seems to be getting more upset over it all. 

“I - I - Yeah… I can calm down, th-ank you..?”

“[name], you can call me that if you want or whatever you’re comfortable with.”

“Ri-ight then feather, what’s happening - why are you watching me? And why - why does he look like me?”

Anomaly, I think that’ll suit him, didn’t take kindly to me being called a nickname so quickly but he’s the one who wanted to play the game so badly so he’s got to suck it up. Besides it’s not like he’s got to shatter someone's worldview, hopes and life, that falls on me. I can comfort anomaly later on, when this is cleared up. 

“Link you, aren’t real. You’re the character the player controls to play through this game you’re in, we weren’t just watching you, he was controlling you.”

“...”

“As for why he looks like you? He is you, a version of you anyway.”

“One who managed to learn about it and get out on his own, guess that makes me your better self huh?”

Because that was the right thing to tell a version of yourself having a breakdown, he had the decency to at least look a little ashamed when I turned to look at him. Not that his remorse helps how replay seems to have gotten worse again, this time the sound of crying pairing with tears streaming down his digital face. Even if he isn’t the same link I’ve been living with, his tears still hurt far more than any wound. 

“So  none of it - nothing - I went through is real, I’m not real? This is all for nothing, Zelda's not, she isn’t real either, so she, I’ve been through so- You helped me through it all…”

“Link..?”

“He - I? - said he got out, I - so that means I can too right? You - You’re not going to put me through everything, through learning all of that and keep me trapped in here right? Please [name], feather, please don’t make me stay here.”

“So you can try to take the love I earned? [Name] you were right I should never have played it.”

Oh, he knows exactly the right way to word it to hurt replay as much as he possibly can, it’s like he feels some sickening joy at this version of himself sobbing his heart out and knowing he’s the cause of the pain. Replay’s face has nothing more than horror on it now, he’s more scared than earlier. Hopefully anomaly comes to his senses soon so he doesn’t traumatise him any more than he already has. 

“Link, can you go getmy first aid kit and some extra bandages? I think they’re in the bathroom.”

“Wait dove you’re not planning to - right?”

“I didn’t leave you stuck and come on, love. I know you don’t actually hate him.”

“I - sure, for you though, no other reason.”

He didn’t fight me back at all, proving my own point that he most likely just feels threatened when he has no reason to be. Maybe replay staying with us will even be good for him, I know he’s been struggling adapting to being real and not having anyone who he can really relate to; replay being a version of himself in a very similar spot should really help. 

“[name]... you told him not to play? W-were you scared of this - of me learning? Of me being an issue… is that why you told him not to?”

“It wasn’t about you coming to life persay, I said it as a joke about how he got out of the game. He broke something that was very expensive to replace and I was teasing him over it. I know he was just saying that to hurt you though, so don’t worry about it. I’m sure he’ll calm down if you give him some time.”

Arguably it feels more like I’m facetiming someone now, his movements are so life-like he’s just like a real person, just in time for him to show a shy smile. Was this what anomaly would’ve looked like if he wasn’t in such a rush to get out that he was on the verge of corrupting the data while he was still in it. It’s unnerving, but less so than when he shoved his hand through the screen without warning. 

“Besides I think I have a way to prevent you from breaking anything hopefully, my boyfriend’s just getting it set up. It shouldn’t take long but seeing as we have a bit of time… is there anything else you wanted to ask or do you wanna talk for a bit?”

He seems flustered now, blushing red and everything, it’s kinda sweet more but does this me that he’s also. Be real with yourself [name] what are the odds that the same guy fell for you twice. Those would probably be higher wouldn’t they now I think on it. That look in his eye doesn’t make sense if he’s not as much as I hate to think it. It’s the same way anomaly looks at me, tamer yes but still has the same obsessive energy behind it, like he wants me to give him permission or he doesn’t understand why he feels like the way he does. Hopefully it won’t cause issues. He seemed to back away a little when I felt arms wrap around my shoulders, clearly someone wasn’t as pleased with how he was looking at me, while the other doesn’t like not having my attention. A nip at my ear was all I needed to turn back to him. 

“I hope you understand why I don’t like this, I love you far too much to consider losing you to another version of myself… but I did go and get the first aid kit like you asked. I don’t see why he needs it, can’t he just bring a potion with him or down a guardian potion beforehand?”

“Thanks love, I really appreciate it. You do have a point though, but still it’s better to prepare for the worst.”

“This isn't going to change anything between us, because I can’t lose you my player, just - just promise me that alright?”

“Of course link.”

Then the promise was sealed with a kiss to his cheek, tension leaving him instantly now that he knows his position as my partner isn’t at threat. Honestly it’s so cute how territorial he gets, nothing bad has ever happened and he’s the best partner you could ever want outside of that so really it’s not much of an issue. Other than that how many people can say their ‘fictional’ crush both reciprocates and gets possessive of them, it’s a very small number as far as I’m aware. Now all that’s left to do is for replay to break his way out. Replay’s already tearing up again.

“So then me what do I have to do to get out, and - and to throw away my past.”

“Break the screen, put your hand up against it and break the glass. I’ll be honest though, it will hurt a lot.”

“So I should take a potion right, to make it hurt less?”

“I didn’t take one, but if you feel you’ll need it. Go ahead, it’ll only prove you’re less than me.”

That final insult seemed to make replay steel himself, gripping a potion in his hand staring at it like it was what threatened him instead. He didn’t drink it though. Instead he opted to take his shield and use the pointed base to break through, faster and arguably much smarter than my beloved anomaly did, reaching out afterwards to pull himself out leaving my tv in a broken pile yet again but replay himself was left relatively unharmed in comparison. Was link really that desparate to be with me before? I can’t say that I’m not flattered by that, I only wish he took his own health into consideration. Now I’m simply stuck between the two of them staring at each other, I wonder how long it will take them to grow up and stop silently arguing.

[impishjesters]

Mafia Boss Jax x Reader

warning(s): gun mentioned, stalking mentioned, domestic/soft Jax, marriage mentioned note(s): Honestly couldn't really see much worth tagging, it's all just stuff you'd expect to see mentioned in a mafia/gang headcanon... A/N: So I saw a fanart thingie (and I've had it on the brain anyway) and it made me thirsty for some mafia boss Jax and I just... I might have to write up a one-shot (or series) at some point but this was enough to quench my thirst...temporarily. I can definitely see myself building a universe around this idea though. I'm excited as you can tell because I just kept fuckin' going in writing this out... Also feast upon domestic Jax in the latter half, I got mushy...

Jax is a tricky boss, it’s hard to get a solid read on him, as an enemy or an ally. He’s almost always sporting a grin, making it difficult to gauge unless you can tell those smiles apart. If he’s frowning? Ha.

He’s that fine middle ground of laid-back yet strict. His word is law, get shit done and do it right and he doesn’t particularly care about the rest.

This person needs to be killed, but before that, they need to be tortured for information. How you torture or kill them doesn’t matter, you get that information or else.

Rabbits are his motif design, not originally by choice but it stuck. Purple rabbit head, his signature grin, it’s childish—which is why it’s perfect, only idiots see that childish design and think “Oh this will be easy” and then it’s fuckin not.

Working for him means nobody is an exception to his little pranks and fuckery. Nothin’ too bad—not intentionally anyways. Bunch of wackos with guns, who thought they’d get trigger-happy when startled?

If you work for him, chances are he finds you a fun target for his mischief.

He might seem buddy buddy with you, but remember he’s your boss. Chances are you are acquaintances at best, not friends. At least for now—who knows?

If you’re dating him, well howdy hey aren’t you a pretty little thing on his arm?

Just kidding, regardless of whether you work under him or not you are given standard gun training as protection for yourself and him, but mainly yourself.

He does like it when you are his date for any events, though he’ll never say it. Jax is the type to bring up an event and do the whole shtick of “guess I’ll need to find a date” sorta guy.

Back on the topic of dating him and gun training—on the off chance you are dating and don’t know about his little crew and lifestyle… What the fuck’s wrong with you? Are you that blind? His position isn’t some well-kept secret, well not to anyone who knows anything.

Jax is pretty straightforward about it, except with his track record of joking there’s like a 97% chance you thought he was kidding when he said he’s a mafia boss. Ha, surprise.

Now if the two of you are dating, and you aren’t part of his little world then he does do his best to keep you out of it. This means that there are periods when you won’t see him, whether it’s because he’s busy or for safety reasons.

You aren’t safe from spam texts, calls, and video chats though. Nah, that’s all fair game to him baby.

Oh, you got work in the morning? Tough, he’ll stay on the phone/video with you until you pass out—he might go a step further and stay on the call for hours even if you are unconscious.

He does it for one of three reasons…

One, it gives him fuel to use whatever shit you say or do in your sleep to tease you with later.

Two, your company, albeit silent and unaware that you’re keeping him company, makes him feel less alone. Moments like this are often when he’s not working and at home, alone. Hearing you breathe, babble, and shuffle around on speaker has him feeling less alone in that big home of his.

Three, it gives him some piece of mind that you are okay, he can see and hear you, and no guns or glass are breaking to be heard. You’re safe. Moments like this are usually after stressful events, whether it’s a job gone wrong, someone injured, etc.

Those calls usually last through the night into the morning and you wake up and see the call still on or see him on the screen. He’s never told you about why some calls continue into the morning, or rather why he’s still awake when he should’ve been sleeping. Though it doesn’t take a genius to figure out it’s not just him being a stalker, but something more serious—if the oddly sweet tone he uses when telling you good morning and asking how you slept is anything to go by.

That said, Jax is not a morning person—even to you. Though if he’s awake before you or has yet to sleep, he’s oddly tender and domestic when it’s just the two of you.

“How’d ya sleep, angel? Dream of me? Nah, don’t answer that, I know ya did.”

“Hey sleepyhead, got ya coffee and breakfast ready. No, I didn’t put anything suspicious in it. I’m wounded doll, ya think I’d put in all that effort to make you breakfast just to ruin it?”

Okay so he’s still a little shit, but he’s got an unspoken soft spot for you.

Speaking of soft spots, if he’s truly down bad for you then that means you are his weakness. He can’t have those—no he’s not gonna kill ya Christ calm down—that means you’re at risk of getting hurt if word gets out.

So if the two of you aren’t at that level yet and are still living apart, he tries hard to keep his distance to keep the attention off you.

But if you are living together? You’re still at risk but he’s got his security measures, and bodyguards galore—even if you don’t live together he always has someone watching you—sure it’s a little creepy but just don’t think about it alright?

I said don’t think about it.

Jax does yet doesn’t understand the line of stalking. To him he’s keeping you safe, to you it’s likely an invasion of your privacy—but if you are anything like me then as long as there’s no malicious intent he can do his own thing. I dunno bout you but I’d rather him have eyes on me than something bad happen to me.

While living together it doesn’t take a genius to tell you that Jax visibly relaxes in your presence, especially when he comes home and gets into bed with you. He’s such a domestic sucker deep down, but you don’t need words to see that.

Overall, I feel like Jax wouldn’t date you if he didn’t have serious feelings for you. His lifestyle isn’t for everyone and he doesn’t open up to just anyone, it could take years before he finally allows himself to even ask you out on a date before considering more. But once the two of you are together he sees the two of you in for the long run, he’ll probably be upfront about it and say if you aren’t in this for the long run and potential marriage then he can’t do it.

Your Jax’s ride or die, please allow him to be yours too.

[rampagingfanfictioner14]

relativity falls, but... (Part 2)

Right. So Mabel runs away from home, and Dipper, feeling betrayed and angry, doesn't go after her. At least for a bit. He cares too much to just let Mabel wander around the streets by herself. Still, it's long enough for Mabel to tire and run into her old "friends" and ask them if she could crash at their place. She can't find it in herself to blame them for the argument between her and her brother when it was technically "her fault" --- toxic relationships at their finest.

The teens agree. They're riding in a car. Mabel climbs in and they tell her that they're taking her to their house. Exhausted from her argument, Mabel foolishly trusts them, and falls asleep in the back. The teens find this the perfect opportunity to mess with her, driving far away from Piedmont and stranding her in the middle of practically nowhere.

Back in their hometown, Dipper searches for Mabel when it becomes clear that she doesn't intend to return. It's morning now and he's getting worried. Their parents, though initially showing some semblance of concern, shrug off his fears and tell him that the girl would show up eventually. Having spent most of their lives arguing with each other and basically absorbed in their own selves (or proving the other wrong), the parents don't actually know their own children very well. They assume that Mabel is throwing a tantrum and will eventually crawl back home.

Dipper knows otherwise. If Mabel was going to return, she'd have done it by now.

He runs out into the streets and ditches school entirely, looking around and calling Mabel's name until his throat is raw and he can't even walk. He searches high and low, through all their favourite spots on the fields and even hitches a ride to the beach, but it's like she's vanished off the face of the planet. He returns home dejected and hurting, thinking that she's abandoned him forever. Why else would she not answer his calls? Maybe she's more selfish than he'd imagined. (Remember, she'd admitted to breaking his project and said several things that stuck with Dipper even now. She offered no good explanation as to why she'd done this, not wanting to "snitch" on the teenagers, placing all the blame on herself even though she never intended for them to do something that drastic).

He slams the door shut in their shared room and is forced to deal with the realization that Mabel had ditched him. Somewhere, somehow, during their years in high school, she'd... just stopped caring for him. After all, she clearly hated him enough to trash their only chance at escaping from Piedmont.

His head hurts. He doesn't know what to do. He'd always thought of Dipper and Mabel as a pair, together forever, through thick and thin. Not as individuals. Now that he's been separated from his other half, he flounders, feeling alone, betrayed, and hopelessly lost.

On the other side of the coin, Mabel wakes up next to a highway and realizes she has no idea where she is. She's cold and shivering, the weather dreary and raining. She stands and realizes that she's completely alone. She's scared. She calls out for her "friends", saying that this wasn't funny, and that they could come out now. Nothing happens. Several cars thunder by and not once does anyone stop to ask if this soaked, stranded seventeen-year-old kid is okay.

Mabel initially doesn't want to believe that the teens would do something like this to her, though she eventually realizes that deep down, she's always known that they weren't good people. She'd just been too trusting; blindly ignored all their obvious red flags, and now she's stuck in the middle of nowhere with nothing but the clothes on her back. And even those are now gross and soggy from the rain.

She wants to cry and sob, but she needs to get somewhere dry first. She walks and walks for miles, shivering and on the verge of breaking down completely, while simultaneously trying to absorb her new reality.

Eventually she comes across a city. There's a motel there with a guy that looks friendly enough, so she trusts him when he says that she could stay there for the night --- free of charge.

Mistake.

Let's just say, the streets are the absolute worst place to be a naïve, optimistic girl. Mabel quickly learns that night that nothing is free of charge, and runs away just in time, stumbling into a dark, secluded alleyway. This is probably when she breaks down, crying and sobbing and feeling generally hopeless.

More importantly, she feels so immensely guilty. Mabel as a character prides herself on "being a good person", and without a summer in Gravity Falls, a Grunkle Stan or the unicorns to teach her that morality is relative, she cracks under the strain of her spiralling thoughts.

She knows that everything is her fault, that she's an idiot who placed her trust in the wrong people, but she vows to never make that mistake again. She vows to make it up to Dipper, feeling some twisted sense of moral obligation not to show her face to him until she's proven herself to be a good person. A worthy person.

How does she do this when she's stuck on the streets? Who knows. Maybe she tries knitting sweaters for other homeless people or stray animals with what spare yarn she has stuffed into her pockets. Maybe she entertains people on the street by like, juggling or something.

Whatever she decides to do, she quickly realizes that it isn't enough. People don't take sweaters as currency. Juggling doesn't buy food or pay for clothes. No, Mabel needs money. Money that she doesn't have.

At first she tries the honest means. Trying to get a job, volunteering, even begging at some point --- remember, no summer with Grunkle Stan means that she still harbours that naïve notion that "lying is bad." So it's not an instant Mabel the Scam Artist moment.

But eventually she has to learn that it's every man for themselves out on the streets. She has no documentation, no records, nothing. As far as anyone knows, she's doesn't exist. So, the honest means are a no-go. Nobodies don't get employed. How can they, when they don't legally exist? The same goes for volunteering.

Begging may work a bit better, but the meagre profits she receives are not worth the degradation.

That's when she realizes that has to lie and cheat, because that's the only way she's going to survive. She starts off small. Learning to pickpocket, scrounge up money from the floor, maybe trying a few sleight-of-the-hand tricks to distract potential victims. Of course, this comes with it's challenges: Mabel may be naturally loud and distracting, but she's not a natural-born thief. As with any skill, she has to fail first to succeed. And it just so happens that she may have stolen from the wrong people.

So she moves. She hitches a ride on the bus and runs off before she needed to pay, sneaking into trains, hiding before the ticket master catches her. She gets off at the next city and starts all over again --- knitting sweaters, entertaining people with her large range of skills, and pickpocketing to keep herself alive. She realizes that "Mabel Pines" is far too conspicuous, that all her enemies know her by that name, and does the logical thing and starts using another one. And then another. And another.

May Evergreen.

Mary Birch.

Meryl "Kit" Pinefield.

She sheds names like a snake sheds its skin. The switches become a part of her regular routine: go to a city, lie, cheat, make enemies, run, change names. And repeat.

She keeps adding to her list of skills, keeps practicing her lying and her cheating, keeps track of her enemies --- although she's had her fair share of close calls.

She loses hope that she'll ever be a good person on the way, unfortunately, and instead starts thinking that maybe she could buy her way back into Dipper's life.

Money seemed to be the answer to everything in her world, after all.

Why wouldn't it be the answer to her broken relationship with her twin brother?

But it's a far flung hope. She doesn't truly believe it. The street life's hardened this naïve girl to the harsh realities of the world.

---She's still Mabel, though, and she makes just as many friends as she makes enemies. Some people appreciate her skills and others like her sweaters. Though she may not think that she's a good person anymore, she definitely is. She's kind and caring to those she encounters (though never trusting, never letting her guard down completely --- not anymore) and likes to give anything she has on her to help them out. Maybe some spare change, food, even the occasional packets of glitter to keep them happy. She doesn't like to call them friends, per se, she's not naïve enough to fall in that trap again. But maybe they're... acquaintances. Helpers to each other. Fellow broken teacups.

At some point she accidentally falls back into her old habits of trusting strangers far too much, perhaps out of a sense of cockiness or ego, thinking that she must've gotten over that by now; no one could trick her anymore.

Mistake.

To be fair, she isn't a Stan, so it's not right to compare their experiences and say that they're the same. But she's definitely gotten on the wrong end of a dangerous person/thing several times. Maybe she gets attacked with a knife while trying to get some sleep in some alleyway. Maybe she ends up on the business end of a gun whilst trying to escape some of the dangerous people she'd once made the mistake of stealing from. Maybe she gets out of the country for a while (to Mexico? Columbia? Idk) through some "folks" she knew, and realizes that the huge language barrier between her and the locals is very bad, because now she's in jail for a crime she had no clue she committed. (The "folks" ditch her after their bidding is done, leaving Mabel to stew in her losses as she hacks and claws her way out of the prison).

Heck, maybe it's just something else entirely.

After that particular instance (whichever one it was), she decides that it's too dangerous for her to look or act like a woman while on the run like this. It's just not safe. People try to take advantage of her far more when she appears and acts like a female. They try to overpower her, hurt her, because they know they have the upper hand, strength-wise.

(The 1970s weren't the best time to be a homeless woman, either).

So she dresses in big hoodies, jeans, covers her face up with scarves or beanies, and cuts off her long hair to look as threatening as possible, trying to scare off potential attackers by looking like a man. Her name changes start becoming more vague in gender, or sometimes even downright masculine:

Mika Oak.

Alex "8-Ball" Carter.

Mason Penny.

She only uses the name Mason on a particularly depressing day, simply out of instinct. She only realizes her mistake when people start referring to her with her brother's name, and quickly hauls away to another city and drops the act entirely.

It's far too painful to remember.

Mabel doesn't lead an easy life. Her convoluted sense of right and wrong throws her under the bus, making her think that she doesn't deserve to return home until she's a "good person", or has somehow earned her way back into Dipper's life (be that through money or otherwise).

More importantly--- Mabel, once an optimistic, trusting person, has to learn the hard way that trust is a valuable thing to give.

Trust no one. It only led to pain.

On her darkest days, she comforts herself with the fact that everything she's doing, it's for Dipper. She knows that she's a bad person, that she's probably never going to be worthy of going back, that she's probably going to die alone and nameless, but hey, at least Dipper's gonna be okay. She tells herself that he was fine, that he's probably flourishing without her, because he'd always been smart and that was all that mattered, in the end. (Kinda similar to the justifications that Ford made when he thought about Stan on the streets, just the other way around).

---

Meanwhile Dipper... Well, he's definitely not okay. His emotional wounds from being betrayed so personally slowly fester into a deep, lingering resentment. He doesn't know why Mabel did what she did, but it's stranded him in Piedmont and straight between his arguing parents: who've gotten even more intense with each other, now that Dipper's told them that their only daughter ran away from home.

But he can't just wallow in loneliness and betrayal forever. He has to move on at some point, so Dipper picks himself up and reluctantly goes to Backupsmore University. Where else could he go? His chances at West Coast Tech were ruined --- and hey, sure, maybe the whole deal with the machine was an accident, but why wouldn't Mabel tell him? Why did she drop the bombshell that it was all her fault, then refuse to explain?

After anguishing over the questions for a month or so, Dipper knows why now: she must've not cared. She must've wanted to hurt him.

He ignores the small part of his heart that protested against this notion --- protested against the rejection of his twin, because she's Mabel and she wouldn't do something like that.

Dipper... drops the nickname. It's too painful for him to refer to himself with it, when the person who used it most is now gone.

Mason throws himself into his studies at university, and of course, he's brilliant academically. He shoves any and all thoughts of his family deep into the back of his mind, focusing entirely on his goal: studying weirdness. Or anomalous phenomena, as his growingly scientific mind liked to say. With or without Mabel, as hard as it is for him to think of himself as a lone individual.

He meets his roommate, Soos Ramirez, and encounters a particularly bright girl from his engineering class named Candy Chiu. They regale Mason with tales from their hometown, Gravity Falls, and the sheer amount of strangeness in their stories is enough to convince Mason that after graduating, he needed go there and find out what exactly is going on. He's initially very hesitant to open up and trust them, still stinging from the pain of Mabel's "betrayal", but they do become good friends eventually.

(Sometimes during late night dorm talks or drunk confessions, Mason admits that he has a twin sister. He doesn't elaborate much, but it's enough for Soos and Candy to know not to prod).

(Other times, during holidays, Mason goes back to Piedmont. He tells himself he's only visiting his parents, but in reality he spends far more of his time outside the house, walking around their old childhood haunts, scouring the fields and the beach for anomalies Mabel. Not many show up, however).

(For some reason his brain just doesn't seem to accept the explanation he'd managed to come up with. It didn't want to believe Mabel was gone. Mason wanders his hometown for years during his breaks, trying to find his twin sister through some misguided sense of hope, but his efforts are fruitless).

Mason graduates with four PhDs and gets rewarded with a hefty grant to pursue his own research. He toys with the idea of indulging his childhood fantasy to find Atlantis, but as Soos and Candy prepare to leave for Oregon once more, he eventually just decides to follow them.

And it pays off.

Gravity Falls most certainly does not disappoint.

Mason's immediately enraptured by its charm and its anomalies, beginning his investigations at once. He's so caught up in the excitement that, for once, he doesn't get upset at the thought of studying them all by himself. For over four years, he catalogues each and every one of his findings in a series of journals, engraving his birthmark into the dark blue covers: it only seemed right for an anomaly like that to be present in a book about anomalies, after all. He feels a deep sense of sadness when he realizes that it's been a long time since he'd seen the one who'd made him feel so special about having a constellation etched on his forehead.

Where was Mabel, anyway? Mason wonders in his darkest moments. Why did she leave? How is she doing? Is she well? And more morbidly: Is she... dead? Is she happy without him?

Sometimes he feels deeply depressed and alone. He's felt that way ever since Mabel left, but his research eventually pulls him out of that state and keeps him going. At some point he starts wondering where all these anomalies even came from. Clearly not from Earth --- science itself seemed to contradict the mere existence of the creatures he'd seen so far.

He hits a roadblock in that particular case. How could he puzzle out this answer?

(Remember, Mason isn't driven by a need to prove his greatness to the world (like Ford, cough cough); he's pretty content with his research so far. And besides, he's learnt the hard way that reaching for greatness only led to tragedy and loss. Sure, he still pushes himself far too hard, but in short, Mason isn't a Ford. He doesn't have the inflated ego, the desperate urge to be something great, or the all-consuming (and somewhat selfish) urge to be seen as a world-renowned hero, or a pioneer, and earn great power).

(Sure, he has his moments. He's not perfect. Sometimes he rants about the "greater good" or acts all self-righteous with stuff like "the road to hell is paved with good intentions". Other times he tries to play hero and despite everyone escaping mostly unscathed, he still places people in danger).

(But Mason's not an Icarus. If Ford has an ego, this guy has the exact opposite. Mabel's loss hit him very hard. The man's an anxiety-ridden, self-doubting mess of a person without his sister to calm/reassure him).

Back to the whole "finding the source of weirdness". Mason's not driven by ego or desire for deep respect and power in the scientific community. Well... maybe a little, but it's more like he's genuinely interested in the source of the world's weirdness, and his burning curiosity wouldn't let him rest until he figured out the answer.

He wanders into a set of unfamiliar caves and discovers paintings from the Native peoples etched on the walls.

He reads about a demon --- a strange triangle-shaped creature able to solve any problem. He finds it cool. Interesting, even, that this legend differed so greatly to the other First Nations stories he'd read. Maybe it had an inkling of truth to it, like most legends did.

Wouldn't hurt to try, right?

(Famous last words, lol).

Like the curious, impulsive idiot he is, Mason ignores the warnings and reads the inscription aloud (cough, like in Scary-oke, cough). He waits in tense silence, gripping his lantern tightly, his eyes flicking back and forth in anticipation and a small tinge of excitement.

Nothing happens.

A huff, and a brief head shake. Of course it didn't work; why would it? He's seen some strange things during his time in Gravity Falls, but something such as an omniscient, all-powerful triangle was a bit much to believe, even for a cryptozoologist like himself. Disappointed, Mason leaves the caves and takes a nap...

...And the weirdest thing shows up.

(...Now, this is where I'm a little unsure. Some iterations of Relativity Falls have Bill Cipher replaced with one or both of his parents (Scalene and Euclid), and others just swap the human characters around and leave the triangle dude as is).

(Now, I'll be honest with you. I don't want to keep Bill as is in my version of this. I've had a vague idea of him in my head, and it goes kinda like this: Imagine a Bill Cipher who, while destroying his dimension, destroyed a little more with it. Imagine a Bill Cipher with a poisonous, toxic green skin instead of a bright yellow, and a black eye with a glowing green slitted pupil. Imagine a Bill Cipher that took a little more from his father than just his hat. Basically, imagine a Euclid, but he's not Euclid, he's his son, but he can't seem to accept his identity and what he did as "Bill", so he steals his dead father's name as a defence mechanism to try and shield himself from his crushing shame).

(Idk. Not fully convinced yet. This one's kinda inching into "headcanon/alternate AU" territory and I do want to keep the general gist of relativity falls in this).

(But that's all for today, though, peeps :) I'm really happy that people are liking this! I'll probably post a final Part 3 tomorrow to cover the events of post-college Mason and post-Columbia Mabel, as well as flesh out my ideas for Euclid/Bill a little more).

Again, I repeat, this is just what I think of Relativity Falls. I don't own the idea, nor do I own the characters. Just a rambling human being with far too much free time to theorize over the lives of fictional characters.

Part 1 (prev)

Part 2.5(next)

[meli-writes]

Cupcakes

Shut off the lights. Count the float. Lock the front door, from the inside. Check the parking lot is clear. Lock the back door, from the outside. Go home and forget the shitty fucking day she just had—

“Uhh, hey?”

“What the fuck!?” Brooke screams. “Shit fuck.”

Her hand dives straight into the handbag, spiked to match her face because corporate hasn’t managed to send an inspector out here in three years, and her middle-aged boss thinks it ‘reminds him of his daughter.’

She’s still rifling through, for miniature mace or a non-existent switchblade, when the voice coughs and continues, “Could I—”

“You fucking left — earlier,” Brooke interrupts, dipping the toes of her coffee-stained sneakers into the bronze disc under the lamppost. She stares the not-quite stranger down, leaning on the twisting chrome of her bike, and sneers, “I saw you ride off earlier. The lot was clear.”

It had seemed like six dudes at the table. All heckling at each other, bumping leather-clad shoulders to fit into the booth. It was enough of a red flag for her to instinctively glance around, looking for anyone else unlucky enough to be closer. Of-fucking-course not.

And it wasn’t until she was standing there, plastered with an agonised smile that cracked the poison-frog make-up around her eyes, that she realised two of those shoulders were hers. Now the biker girl rolls them softly, but it’s still obvious how much bigger she is than her; and even if it’s lost on the clueless bitch, it’s not on her.

“And I did,” the biker admits. “But I also rode back a bit earlier. Didn’t realise you couldn’t see me but look, if you want me to leave again I can—”

“Fucking leave.”

“—I’m Chip, by the way,” she continues — stumbled inelegantly over the sudden, apparently unpredicted and obvious answer. “I wanted to apologise — for earlier.”

“And I want you to leave,” Brooke says; hand still stuck in the bag, and a snarl stuck pressing her cheeks up against her nose.

The biker girl — 'chip' — looks at her, crossed eyes peering through a messy thicket of poisonously-dyed hair that the internet says tells men to fuck off and never actually does. It at least seems to make Chip do it, pivoting her boot to flick up the bike's kickstand.

Brooke huffs to herself — at herself — for what she knows is a dumb idea, “Wait.”

“Do it,” she orders. “Apologise.”

“Ah. Shit. I uhh—” Chip the biker mutters, pulling on the creased edges of her jacket. “I’m— sorry?”

“For what?” Brooke presses.

“For like— when you were asking about desserts, and I said I wanted the uhh…”

Now Brooke doesn’t need to hear her say it — because it’s been looping in her head all fucking afternoon. But she does want to hear it, so she taps her foot and watches the full-head taller muscle-girl jump in time with it.

“I asked for four cupcakes. Two in the front.” Chip looks at her like she’s lost, like Chip didn’t remember exactly where the diner was so she could drive hours back through empty farmland to be here. “And two in back.”

Brooke doesn't let up on the sharply pointed directions, "Meaning?"

“That I wanted to see your tits and ass,” Chip admits, at least finishing quicker than Brooke can pour a new cup of hours-stale diner coffee.

Brooke hums for a spell, and then, “You’re a pig. You know that, right?”

“Yeah I—”

“Ha!” Brooke laughs, mouth curling to show the neat set of bedazzled, overdue braces, and watching Chip blush through chocolate-chip freckles.

“I just wanted to show off to my brothers. Fit in with them while still being,” Chip mutters while fumbling at a pride patch evidently torn-off and resewn a dozen times over, “me.”

“They’re assholes, okay,” she offers weakly, “but they accept me.”

“And for hanging out with them, trying to fit in with them, that makes you what?”

“Also an asshole.”

“Ding!” Brooke snaps her fingers, and lets the dozen-or-so beaded and paperclip-chain bracelets slip down her coffee-spill burn-spattered arm. “You done?” she asks.

“Yeah. That was it. Sorry,” Chip says and glances towards the lot exit and the moon peeking over the decades-rusted diner sign. “Maddy, yeah? It’s an empty road so if you wanna watch and make sure I’m gone before you leave yourself—”

“No.”

“Uhh…”

“It’s a fake name on the uniform. You know for assholes like you,” Brooke says, and enjoys letting Chip bake in the discomfort. After a few aching moments she offers a reprieve, “I’m Brooke. And you are a chauvinist, leatherdyke asshole.

But— if I had to go home right now, I’d be fingering myself all night to you.”

Chip chokes on the gum that’s been circling in her cheeks for the past hour, and nearly tips her bike over from stumbling back into it, and doesn’t get any words out before Brooke’s popped the buttons of the undersized, clashing, retro-teal diner shirt, and dropped it on the concrete to show off the black lace push-up underneath.

It’s not hiding anything. It’s not meant to.

“Cupcakes, you said?”

“Fuck,” Chip manages to muster at last, and sees her own breath in front of her. “W-wait. Isn’t it kinda cold out here?”

“Then give me your jacket, and keep my cupcakes warm with your hands,” Brooke says straightforwardly, and once Chip shakes the stupor she hangs the leather morass over Brooke’s shoulders and lets it swallow her except for the bare front; runs her hands up to squeeze fat tits together, slipping a hand under the band to massage the marks from wearing a fuck-me bra to a nowhere diner for work all-day.

Brooke herself is looking down Chip’s arms, taking the scuffs and scars from stupid brawls with drunk brothers and learning to ride after to keep up with them. She lets her own hand push into Chip’s crotch, smiles when she feels how hard Chip is.

“You were thinking about this too, weren’t you?” she asks.

“Y-you don’t mind that I’ve got one?”

“No,” Brooke snickers, and then pauses to correct. “No, not at all.”

She leans in closer, letting her breath fall in Chip’s ear, the lust pulsing through her stripping composure, “But you’ve been thinking about it between my cupcakes. Haven’t you?”

Chip’s entire self shakes, as if she came just from hearing it. “Yes!” she blurts out. “I-I mean— yeah, totally, that sounds hot.”

“Hmm. Be patient then,” Brooke says as she pulls back, running through the split in Chip’s top to claw at her back and rake a hand through home-clipped hair. “Wanted to apologise,” Brooke parrots. “Sure. Wanted to get rewarded more-like, for fucking trailer-park chivalry.”

Every part of the giant butch melts between her fingers, except for the one part she can see fighting and losing to her thick, leather pants. “We’ll get to you,” she tells it. “First though…”

“Ahh! Hold on—” Chip squeals, as Brooke flips her luridly-short skirt up and mounts Chip’s thigh. It doesn’t even feel like she’s wearing anything underneath, and Chip shakes herself as she thinks how close her uninvited hand came earlier today.

“Shush,” she’s told, and it’s easy to be quiet and listen to nothing but the tatted-up, college drop-out dream that’s fucking herself on Chip’s prostrated, shuddering thigh to the tune of the thud-thud in her chest.

“They’re riding leathers,” Brooke reminds. “They can get wet.”

---

(Masterpost)

[never-forget-viva-la-pluto]

HOUSE MD SPOILERS below the cut

I just LOVE the ending. I hate it, but I love it and I want to talk about why it was actually so fucking good.

Tbh I love that Wilson, not House, is the one diagnosed with cancer.

Like it would have been so easy to end on the tempting note of House's actions having consequences and his drug use wrecking his body to the point of precancerous conditions that manfiest into the death he craved and nearly saw several times in the series, but they didn't. They could have given the character who is too disabled to exercise and has a diet of drugs and alcohol the cancer, but they didnt.

They said, no, the one who eats well and exercises regularly gets cancer. The one who blow dries his hair every morning and never does drugs(except the times he was roofied by House) and takes care of himself is diagnosed with terminal cancer and there is nothing to be done.

Because that's how cancer is. You can be in the best physical and mental shape of anyone and still lose to cancer, and fast. Sometimes the guy who eats nothing but fast food and has never checked his bmi will be the one whose organs last longer than his friend who eats balanced meals everyday and never done a thing to harm his body. Because that's how cancer is.

Cancer doesn't spare you because you're supposed to be the Watson to his Sherlock. Cancer doesn't spare you because you're an oncologist. Cancer doesn't spare you because your friend is the one who does drug and youre clean. Cancer doesnt spare you because all your meals were homecooked and made with your body's health in mind.

In this story, Sherlock fakes his death so Watson won't have to die alone. Because even the best detective is rendered useless in the face of his best friend's cancer.

I love that the story stuck to its guns and shot Wilson in the dead center of his clavicle.

Because "Cancer is Boring".

For a show that never stops trying to one up itself every episode to come up with the most insane medical conditions, ending it with the patient being Wilson, and the prognosis being simple, boring cancer was the best choice I think they could have made even if I hated it.

Because I wanted Wilson to live, I wanted House to turn around and find some crazy thing that would mean he is okay and it never happened. Wilson was just going to die, because it's cancer.

Simple and boring, but heavy and painful. I wanted Wilson to live, just like everyone who has lost a loved one to cancer wanted them to live, for a doctor to find something else and make it all better, but that's not what cancer is.

And for it to end on that note, really solidified this show in my brain as one to be remembered. Because, despite everything in the series, all the metaphors to geniuses and God and brilliance and remarkable feats, this show is true to itself to ALWAYS cut House down to a broken man again.

He gets his old flame back, and he still loves her, but it won't take long for that to end bitterly.

He does experimental medication, it fixes his pain and he can do the thing he loves again(running/jogging) and he ends up broken in his bathtub pulling tumors from his leg and ultimately has to call someone to help him.

He gets goes to rehab, gets clean, and wins the love of the main female lead, but he falls off, he gets suicidal, he loses her, and then he goes to jail.

He helps people while in jail, then he gets out of jail, he fixes his relationship with his best friend, he helps people at his old job, his best and only friend is diagnosed with terminal cancer, he lands himself in a burning building while tripping hard and takes that chance to throw everything away for this friend who will only be with him a few more months.

At the beginning, middle, and end of the show it really says "God doesn't limp."

Dr. Gregory House is just a man.

[anastaaaaaaasia]

Tag, you're it

Modern!Aegon targaryen x reader

Warnings: NSWF, smut, abusive and toxic relationships, mention and use of drugs, mention and use of alcohol

The party didn't go as planned and neither did your relationship. Two years is a long enough time to get to know a person, fall hopelessly in love and cry disappointedly into your pillow all night long, desperately trying to drown out your sobs. Your relationship with Aegon was the fucking wheel of Samsara, it lifted you to the peak of bliss and crashed you to the ground, harder with each turn.

The golden, no, platinum boy was born with a diamond spoon in his teeth and the same attitude towards everyone around him. “A first-rate jerk,” that’s how your best friend Margaery described him. “First class fuckbody,” you retorted. Admitting to others that your relationship was falling apart at the seams like buildings on the day of the fall of Pompeii meant admitting first of all to yourself that you had seriously screwed up. Hopeless and powerful.

Looking at me through your window Boy, you had your eye out for a little

Possessing the character of your parents, you did not allow anyone to wipe their feet on you. No one… except him. Every time you found out from acquaintances, friends and ,damn, even from his brother, that his dick had been in another girl, you tearfully swore to yourself that you would break up with him, throw his things to hell, tear up his magazines and throw him out the door of yours apartment, but every time you lied and couldn’t stand it, you lied and again deceived only yourself.

You didn't believe in gods. If you believed in them, then for all the promises you would not be allowed not only into heaven, but also into hell. You chuckled every time you thought about it.

Your friend Robb, sweet Robb, he sincerely tried to help you. Screaming in your face that your relationship with Aegon is toxic. He was the first one who brought you to a psychologist. A nice woman in her forties said from session to session that it was toxic. You knew it. But knowing does not mean being aware. But you still plunged into this sticky and enveloping relationship, time after time. Because somewhere deep down in your soul you knew you were just as toxic as Aegon. A couple created in hell and married by Satan himself.

"I'll cut you up and make you dinner You've reached the end, you are the winner"

Every time you met Aegon in the early morning when he returned to your apartment. The smell of other women's perfume almost suffocated you, and the hickeys all over his neck definitely did not belong to you. You bit, and bit so that marks remained. But you only bit him, and unfortunately he bit not only you.

Someone else's woman's lip gloss stuck to his cheeks like bees were swarming for honey. It didn't wash off his expensive shirts and designer T-shirts. You will forever remember how you sat in the bathroom with his fucking shirt. You cried for hours, drying yourself with the same clothes, crying and laughing. It was all so absurd.

Little bit of poison in me I can taste your skin in my teeth

Everyone was right, it's all toxic. That day you broke the mirror that was hanging on the wall, you could have sworn that you saw his damn reflection and grin there. But you stopped, you broke the decanter, the figurines, everything that your hands could reach. You didn’t care, he wasn’t there. You were ready to bet your soul that he was now in another bathroom at the club, driving into another girl’s pussy.

This made you laugh harder, until you realised that you were choking on tears. While cleaning the battlefield you created in the apartment, you took a fragment of a mirror. You hated what you witnessed. There were traces of mascara running from the eyes to the middle of the cheeks, lips were bitten, in blood. And your eyes. They were red, but your natural eye colour had never looked so vibrant to you. You hated it and loved your reflection at the same time. You hated the one who brought you to this state. But you loved the fact that even in such a miserable state you looked like a goddess.

That same evening you bought a ticket and flew to your home country. This was a quick flight. That same evening, having thrown your suitcase into the apartment your parents bought for you, you went to a club with friends from your former school. After six tequila shots, you told your whole story. Margaery tried to comfort you, Robb hugged you and promised to beat up your boyfriend. But it didn't help. Your other former classmates, Theon and Ramsay, helped. They said they knew how to relieve the pain. That day you tried molly for the second time in your life. The little pill gave you unforgettable emotions, you danced on the bar counter, men whistled and applauded in your direction. But you didn't care. There was nothing on your mind.

You understood that this was not a solution. And when the next morning you woke up with a severe headache and vomited for half the day, you felt killed, unsteady and wretched for the first time. Help came from where you weren't expecting. From your ex. Viserys fucking Targaryen. He was like your current boyfriend's cousin or something. He held you while you cried all evening, he helped you open a bottle of martini and mixed cocktails. He reassured you and said everything you had heard before. You have to break up with Aegon, but he was the first person to whom you admitted that you couldn’t. You allowed your ex to see you weak, broken.

"I love it when I hear you breathing I hope to God you're never leaving"

That evening when you first admitted this to someone besides yourself, it worked better than psychologists. And so now, when you are sitting in Aegon's car and he is driving you with you after the party, you wait, and wait, and pray. You pray that he will lose his temper and say something that will allow you to leave him. You provoked him, screamed how you hated the fact that he fucked other whores, you hated the constant parties. And it happened.

“Get out, get the fuck out of the car,” he screamed and slammed his hands on the steering wheel of his car. You were a little taken aback.

Running through the parking lot He chased me and he wouldn't stop

“Are you fucking high?” It was a question that did not require an answer. You were one hundred percent sure that he was high. And to be honest, you were afraid of this Aegon.

"I'm tired of you!" Aegon yelled, his face contorted in rage as he grabbed your wrist and yanked you out of your seat.

“Fucking asshole,” you muttered into space. You should have felt victory, but you couldn’t forgive such an attitude towards yourself.

Grabbed my hand, pushed me down Took the words right out my mouth

Aegon yanked you and pulled you out of the car. Your legs were unsteady. High heels and short clothes made you feel vulnerable in the darkness of the deserted street. Aegon grabbed the collar of your dress and leaned it against the stone wall of the building. “Do you have any idea how annoying you are?” he screamed.

“Oh please enlighten me,” you snapped.

Aegon's face twisted with rage. “I was with you for two years and all you did was complain, give me orders and ruin my parties. You're a pain in the ass." Aegon looked down on you, “I should have kicked you out months ago.”

“I’m sorry that I didn’t want my boyfriend to kiss other sluts and find ways to get into their panties,” you replied, you remembered all the times he neglected you

“Am I that annoying because I want to have a good time at a party?” he shouted: “You are boring. I need fun." he continued, “Everyone is jealous because I have the best parties, I have the best girls, I have the best life… And I don’t want my girlfriend to interfere. You're no fun. Parties are more fun without you." "You're a bad girlfriend" he shouted

Can anybody hear me? I'm hidden under ground Can anybody hear me? Am I talking to myself?

“Our entire relationship, all I’ve done is support you, and I’m sorry if just being faithful is a really high price to pay for you,” it was true. All the times when his family was against him, you held him tightly and let him cry on your chest. It was your Aegon, but the man who looked at you with dilated pupils was unfamiliar to you. Aegon continued to argue at a primary school level, sometimes you tried not to laugh.

He looked at you with contempt: “Your only idea is to stop me from getting drunk, to stop me from kissing other girls. You want to control me. You're a control freak." He looked up and down

“Do you know what I see when I look at you?”

"Tell me"

A laugh escaped Aegon’s thin lips: “I see a nag. A boring nag who doesn’t allow me to live the way I want.” He spat on the floor next to you. “You're always complaining, always asking me why I drink, why I flirt with other girls…” He laughed again.

“Well, because you’re my damn boyfriend, you know when people in relationships don’t cheat, that’s the reason people invented relationships,” you were angry and already at your breaking point.

Aegon laughed, but his eyes were cold and hard: “I know you would want me to be faithful and look only at you. I tried this first. But your nagging made me unhappy. To experience life, I want to have fun. I won't be sorry if you don't like it. You don't matter."

“Then it’s better to break up, I won’t let someone like you gaslight me.” You finally said it. That phrase I thought about, fantasised about and feared.

Aegon raised an eyebrow, "Really?" he chuckled. “Then do it. Break up with me. But you won't do it." He said, grinning. “Why? Because deep down I know that you are crazy about me. You can't get enough of me”.

Saying, "tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it" He's saying, "tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it"

“You’re only wrong about one thing: I’m crazy about you. We’re breaking up,” you exclaimed with a smile. “It’s over, farewell Aegon,” you said and started to walk away. It felt like you had thrown off long-standing shackles, you were freed, you finally wanted to live.

Aegon grabbed your arm, stopping you. “You can't leave me. This is my job". He glared at you, “And how exactly are you going to walk home in that dress and those heels? And it's dark outside…"

“It’s not your problem, you’re not my boyfriend anymore.” Why did these words sound so sweet and melodious from your lips? You didn't know, but you were sure you would understand later.

He leaned towards your face, smelling of alcohol. "But I can't let you go into the dark."

"And why? I said dripping with sarcasm

He smirked, “Because I don’t want to risk anything happening to you. You are my responsibility,” he said, and deep down he thought: the longer I delay her coming home, the more she will miss me

“Not anymore,” you shouted and laughed for the first time from the lightness in your chest. This feeling inspired you. You continued on your way home, laughing periodically and raising your hands to the starry sky.

“Do you have any idea how dangerous it is there?” He said, looking at you. “What if you get lost? Or if something bad happens to you? What would I tell your father? I can't let you leave like this.” His tone became gentle as he added, “I care about you.”

“Well that sucks because I don’t care about you,” you gave him your middle finger and then licked it.

He stared at you, trying to keep his temper. His hands clenched into fists until his knuckles turned white. After a moment, he gave a sharp nod "Oh yeah? Well, do whatever you want." He said and turned away "You'll see, you little bitch, you'll come back".

You were indifferent to his words. You walked home with a smile from ear to ear, even the damn heels didn’t spoil your mood.You only heard the sharp slam of a car door and the sound of wheels that were taking your ex somewhere far away, somewhere where you wouldn’t care about him.

After 15 minutes of walking home, you were finally there. You kicked off your shoes and looked at yourself in the mirror. There stood a girl who was proud of herself. It was the only thing that mattered to you at the moment. Walking into the kitchen, you took out a bottle of whiskey. It has always been customary in your family to celebrate any victories, small or large. You uncorked the bottle and drank straight from your throat.

The idea immediately came to mind. You turned on your favourite playlist and turned the volume up to maximum. Dancing, you reached the bedroom and began to sort through things. You put all of his shirts, hoodies and other items of clothing into boxes when one box caught your attention. Lingerie from Victoria's Secrets. His gift for Valentine's Day. He always said that red suits you.

Your inner bitch woke up with new confidence and, tearing open the gift wrapping, you put on your underwear and took a selfie, which you posted on your Instagram. Compliments from friends poured in at breakneck speed, but you didn’t care. You danced drunkenly on the marble table in your living room, breaking away just to open the windows to ventilate the room.

Eenie meenie miny mo Get your lady by her toes

You didn’t even suspect that your ex’s car was parked under these very windows. Aegon gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles were as white as the first snow of winter. The notification of your new post brought him out of his trance. Your body, your lace lingerie, your smile. And all this without him. But you couldn’t really break up with him after two years, could you? Couldn't she? Right?

Something instantly switched in his head and he got out of the car. Anger, betrayal and adrenaline, all this was mixed in his head and that’s why he was now banging on your door.

You didn’t hear the knocks on the door, you didn’t hear him enter your apartment, and you definitely didn’t hear him sigh as he looked at you. You danced and moved your hips, laughed and drank even more from the already half-empty bottle.

“What the hell are you doing?” Aegon exclaimed after turning off the player.

“Shit,” you exclaimed in shock. With a careless movement of your hands, you spilled the remaining whiskey on yourself and the table. "What are you doing here?"

“Well, I came to make sure you were alright since you are my girlfriend.But I can see you are more than fine. You are better than ever” Aegon said sarcastically. He was angry and pitiful at the same time. "I guess you were just joking when you told me we broke up, weren't you?"

“No, I was extremely serious. Looks like the only one crying about the breakup is you,” you said mockingly. Alcohol gave you confidence and increased all your emotions significantly.

"I don't believe you for a second… You can't get over me, can you?" He leaned in to whisper into your ear "Be so honest for once and admit that you don't want to live without me" his hands lay on your hips, and his face was centimetres from your neck. No matter how wrong it was, you didn't pull away.

If she screams, don't let her go Eenie meenie miny mo

“I’m fucking living without you now Aegon, I can and I will,” you exclaimed. His hands squeezed you even tighter, in the mirror you could already see your reddened skin. You were sure that there would definitely be a couple of bruises.

"I don't believe you." He whispered, his breath on your neck. It had an effect on you that you didn't expect. You got goosebumps. This game can be played by two people. "You'll come crawling back. You'll beg forgiveness. That's what you always do."

“Then cry baby,” You whispered and bit his ear lightly, but with the confidence that the teeth marks would remain for a couple of days. “You fuck every girl at the university, that’s not what I wanted from a relationship,” you laughed.

That laugh triggered all his anger. "You know what? I think this breakup is permanent. You can have all your freedom. It's not like I really need you." He said, trying to sound nonchalant. But he was deeply upset, it showed in his voice and his eyes. He wanted you to run after him and confess your love for him.

“So this is the reason why you are squeezing my thighs? Because you don’t need me?” and after that you looked into his eyes. It was a mistake. Big and unforgivable. In a split second, you saw fire, hatred and desire in his eyes. There wasn't enough time for more.

His lips pressed against yours in a fiery kiss. The heat was dizzying, the moment he had been looking forward to for so long and the memory of the past two years came back at once. Your bodies were touching, and Aegon wanted more. The feelings of anger, insecurity, and jealousy were gone. His lips met yours again, and his hands were pulling your body close to him.

The next moment, your body was lying on the table where, minutes earlier, you had danced to celebrate the end of a toxic relationship. Your back felt sticky from the spilled whiskey, but that didn’t matter now. It looks like the wheel of samsara has begun another circle, but now you are at the peak of bliss. Looking at the chandelier, you thought that this couldn’t start again. It can't?

Aegon's mouth trailed down her neck, he kissed, nibbled, and sucked at your skin. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, a warm flood of sensations coursing through his body. He groaned as he took in your scent. He wanted to devour you… and you will gladly let him.

He knew all your bliss points. The neck was one of them. You flinched slightly as he bit your collarbone. And at that moment the brain lost control. You pressed your lips to his, biting his lips and gently licking the blood.

His mouth continued its journey down your body until it was close to your panties.

“Red suits you,” he said with a grin. You knew it and you hated yourself for it. He will always find his own way to you. The touch of the cold metal of his rings pulled you out of your thoughts and you realised that you were already lying naked in front of him on the table.

Your mother said to pick the very best girl And I am

As soon as Aegon saw your wet pussy glistening under the lights, he couldn't resist the urge to taste it. Drooling at the sight, he knelt down between your legs, positioning himself perfectly so that he could reach every inch of your pussy with his tongue. The sound of his eager slurping filled the room, mixed with the moans escaping your mouth as he lapped at your folds eagerly. At first you tried to bite your lip to hold back your moans, but you quickly realised that it was pointless.

"Ah… fuck…" He muttered under his breath, lost in the pleasure of tasting you. He pulled away momentarily to catch his breath before diving right back in, swirling his tongue around your entrance teasingly before pushing one finger inside of you slowly, testing your tightness.

Hearing your moan, Aegon's pace increased, his tongue working faster and harder as he savoured the taste of your juices flowing down his throat. He added another finger, pushing deeper into your wetness with each pass, feeling the tightness around his digits gradually giving way to accommodate his intrusion.

"There we go," he murmured, his voice rough and gravelly with desire. "Feel good, love?" He asked, looking up at you through half-lidded eyes as he continued to pleasure your pussy with his mouth.

With one last swift motion, he removed his fingers from your pussy and sucked your clit hard into his mouth, swirling his tongue around it vigorously while biting down lightly on the sensitive nub. But you wanted more, you needed more.

Aegon felt your hands start to work on his jeans, feeling a surge of excitement coursing through him as he watched you undoing them. He knew what this meant - you wanted him inside of you, and he couldn't wait any longer.

"I can't wait to be deep inside of you," he growled, standing up and pulling off his pants and boxers in one swift motion, revealing his fully erect cock standing proudly against his stomach.

In one swift movement, he kicked off his underwear and stepped out of them completely, leaving himself completely exposed for you to see. His cock throbbed with anticipation, ready to fill you up completely. "You want this big dick inside of you, don't you?"

Aegon grinned wickedly at your nod, knowing exactly what you wanted. He didn't waste any time, he immediately grabbed onto your hips and guided his throbbing member towards your waiting pussy. With one powerful thrust, he buried himself deep within your walls, filling you up completely. The sound of their entry echoed throughout the empty room, mixing with the sounds of their heavy breathing and the slap of flesh against flesh.

"Fuck" He groaned, his voice low and guttural as he began to fuck you roughly, driving himself into your depths over and over again. His hips moved in a relentless rhythm, pounding into you with force, his balls slapping against your thighs with each powerful stroke.

Aegon felt your pussy clinch around him tightly as you climaxed, his cock throbbing with each pulse of your orgasm. He loved seeing you come undone in front of him, knowing that he was the one who had brought you to such heights of pleasure. With a satisfied grunt, he increased the intensity of his thrusts, driving himself even deeper into you as he continued to pound away at your sensitive walls.

Feeling your release, Aegon's own climax began to build up in him, and with a final primal roar, he unloaded a hot stream of cum inside of you, filling your womb with his thick seed as he released wave after wave of pure ecstasy.

"Fuck, yes," he groaned, he gently pressed a kiss behind your ear and whispered, “Tag, you’re it.”

That night you came 4four times, he came three times. It was a small victory, but still a victory. you were right, the wheel of samsara has started spinning again and you just have to wait for a new blow. Aegon may have been the one who created this wheel, but now it is your turn to control it. you looked at his sleeping face on the pillow of your bed and carefully tucked a strand of his platinum hair behind his ear.

You whispered something that he will never know because it’s your time now, and you'll be ready to crush him with that wheel harder than he's ever done before.

“Tag, you’re it”

[ddarker-dreams]

ive been reading way too much romance manga lately and all of them seem to have a wardrobe malfunction scene and I MUST to ask.,. sr reader having a wardrobe malfunction ?? their reactions like “I do not see I do not perceive” but internally screaming. thoughts? ponderings? musings even??

WAIT HOLD ON !! YOUR BRAIN IS HUGE !! there is nothing i love more than shojo tropes... scarlet ribbons would pair so well with them omg... i need to look up a list and start writing them for funsies <3

reader here is fem!

[Scarlet Ribbons Index]

Giorno

Giorno is stuck in the middle of an intense moral dilemma. If it’s just the two of you, he’d rather not embarrass you by pointing it out; he’d use his Stand to pull down your skirt on the sly. He doesn’t want you to think he’s been ogling you and that’s how he happened to notice the malfunction. In the moment, he’s honestly so concerned about navigating this with decorum that he forgets to get flustered. It isn’t until later when he lays down for the night that the weight of the situation hits him. He feels like he’s disrespecting you somehow by letting his thoughts wander and does his best to think about anything else, takes a cold shower and everything. Almost loses it on the spot when your Stand gives him a knowing thumbs up the following day. 

Bruno

Bruno is similar to Giorno where he prioritizes not wanting to make you uncomfortable in any way. While he’s trying to figure out what to do, he’ll be damned if he lets anyone wander into your general vicinity. He radiates the most ominous aura to keep others at bay. He fights every instinct in his body not to stare and admire the skin he isn’t used to seeing. Bruno already feels guilty for harboring romantic feelings for you in the first place, seeing as you’re his subordinate. This definitely isn’t helping. You’re over there smiling and making jokes while he’s struggling to remember how to breathe. Ends up shedding his blazer and throwing it over your shoulders, unable to take the stress any longer. The end of one crisis ends up inadvertently causing another. Bruno learns that day that he really likes how his clothes look on you. 

Fugo

Fugo starts sputtering, trying (and failing) to string together a coherent sentence. He’s landed in this situation a few times ever since you started rooming together, summer being especially dangerous. He honestly has no idea what to do with himself when you’re walking around in a tank top and short shorts. Ends up getting mad at you and your stupidly attractive body, but is even more upset with himself for how easily it riles him up. It’s just a little bit of skin, why can’t he control himself? He’s above such boorish behavior! Probably. You’re none the wiser to his tribulations and assume he’s just glaring at you because you forgot to take the trash out or something. Will only inform you of the malfunction if you’re planning to go out — he’s not letting anyone else get treated to such a view. Fugo ends up having to pantomime the issue to you because his tongue simply will not form words. He cannot look you in the eyes for the next few days. 

Mista

Mista is uncertain if this is a blessing from God or a trial from the devil. He’s being allowed to view a little glimpse of heaven, yet the cost is steep; what if you catch onto his staring and piece everything together? You’d probably write him off as a creep. Then his chances with you would be ruined forever unless you got hit with a memory-erasing Stand. It’s unusual for him to be perturbed by anything, he’s normally so relaxed. He would be if this was happening with literally anyone else but you. Since you’re involved, he needs to use like, tact or whatever. It���s rough. Eventually, he brings you close with an arm around your shoulders and whispers what the problem is. He’ll eagerly offer to help in any way you need it. 

Narancia

He goes to cover his eyes with his hands... but then splays his fingers so he can still see. Only a peek. You’ll find out what’s going on the fastest with him. Narancia just can’t keep his thoughts inside his head when you’re involved. It’s difficult to tell who is the most embarrassed between the two of you. He’s apologizing, you’re apologizing, it’s developing into quite the scene. It doesn’t help that he swears to stab anyone who walks by to preserve your honor. You have to convince him to put the knife away while readjusting your traitorous outfit. After the heat of the moment has passed, he dejectedly asks if you hate him now. Please reassure him that he did nothing wrong or he’ll be sad for ages. 

Abbacchio

Surprisingly has the most composed response somehow? He knows how the rest of his team gets when they’re around you, it’s like the caveman part of their brain takes over. Abbacchio likes to think he’s better than that. He’ll call you over and calmly explain what the issue is. He doesn’t beat around the bush but he’s not crude either. If you’re out and it’s something you can’t fix right away, he’ll offer to go buy you a hoodie or whatever. It might be a little mean of him to admit, but it’s kinda cute watching you get flustered over the whole ordeal. Though he’s nice enough not to tease you about it in the moment, expect him to bring it up every now and then whenever you start pestering him too much. 

[burgendee69]

Frankly, Argo II should not have been their mode of transport. Not only does it make transport boring and uniteresting (when before it drove the plot forward a lot) it makes a lot of sideplots feel unnecessary? like we have a mission dedicated to finding supplies and then we have more random subplots which don't contribute to the plot and prolong the length of the books and reduces the tension because in the end they go to their own luxury rooms and state of the art technology rooms in a fucking flying ship??

That's just the ship because this makes leo so OP like this is not a struggle for him and it diminishes him as a charater which only gets worse as he discovers Archimedes' sphere which in the end disconnects him from the other characters and the plot because he magically comes up with the solution and ends up with all the pieces in his hands without anyone else's help b the time Gaia's battle comes around.

I don't think this is a problem with just his charcater either- Piper's charmspeak is so powerful it defies all of Rick's previously established rules, Hazel gains control of the mist for no reason while neglecting her actual powers which fulfilled the same purpose and Frank found out how to shapeshift but it's barely used because he has barely any plot significance.

They all seemingly have powers which are somehow even more OP than the big three kids while nerfing Percy's powers, blatantly writing Annabeth out and literally knocking Jason out of every fight to give the other fighters their spotlight.

IMO, the root cuase for this was that he trapped 7 incredibly poweful teenagers together forcing them to face the exact same conditions and therefore had to take out the experienced fighters so that the rest of the 7 would be relevant again. This literally would not matter is he had thought to spread out the seven and idk not had everyone experience the same plot on an OP boat and spend the majority of their time doing nothing?

The seven can still be main characters without ALL of them being on the quest. Hell have Gaia manipulate Percy when he doesn't have memories and coerce him to her side before he remembers his life, have Annabeth struggle with the pressure of being a leader during wartime and athena's quest, make Grover the one who tries to gather allies, stick Frank in the middle of roman politics while he tries to make peace, send Hazel of a desperate search for Nico and there you go! Leo, Piper and Jason are stuck trying to make their way to Greece because there's they're the only hope and get them to form an alliance at the end of the House of Hades so it drives the desperation and tension high as they all rush to save the world. and for Christ's sake let Blood of Olympus be at least half battle so Gaia and her children can be trated as an actual threat?

[malarkgirlypop]

MEDIC! Part 29 (Donald Malarkey x Fem!OC)

Listen when I say these characters have a mind of their own, I mean it. I was just chilling writing the start of the last episode and then all of a sudden boom, we kissing and shit. Like ah excuse me, this wasn't in my plan, what are we doing? But hey they deserved a we treat and I mean so do we. So this chapter is definitely rated, if you aren't over 18, back! Back, I say! 🤺

TW: sexy time lmao, long chapter

Based on the HBO show and the actors who portray the characters, not hate to anyone involved.

Tag list: @imusicaddict, anyone else please let me know.

We entered Bavaria in early May, and we had been tasked in capturing Berchtesgaden. It was a town high in the Alps, and was the symbolic home of the Nazi party. Apparently all of the important men of the party had houses there. Even though the man was dead, Hitler had ordered the SS to make it their last stand to keep the enemy out of their “sacred” town. 

I sighed, staring at the mass of boulders that blocked our way up the mountain, the hot sun beating down on my back. We had been stuck here for hours, waiting for someone with more artillery than we did, so we could blast our way through. 

I hummed a tune twirling a curl around my finger, trying to remember all of the words to the song I had stuck in my head. I couldn’t for the life of me remember the lyrics, only the melody played on and on in my mind.     

Lieb leaned against the wheel next to me smoking. “How long does it take for engineers to arrive?” I asked while shielding the sun from my eyes as I looked over to Lieb. 

“Who knows?” He said while taking a deep drag from his cigarette, blowing the smoke in my face. 

“Lieb!” I whined pushing him away as he chuckled. 

“Stop humming, you’re driving me insane.” He retorted, shoving me back. “You just keep repeating the same part over and over again. You’re just as bad as Web and his stupid quotes from his literature.” I gawked offended by his comment, no way I was as annoying as Web.  

“Ugh, rude!” I got up from my position, dusting the dirt off the back of my pants. Lieb grinned at me, knowing he had wound me up. 

“Stop smirking!” I nudged his leg with my boot. “Take it back!” I crossed my arms over my chest, giving him my best pissed off face. 

“You’re not as annoying as Web.” Joe held his hands up in surrender. I laughed, smiling down at Lieb, who grinned back at me. 

“What about me?” Web startled me as he snuck up from behind. My eyes grew wide, plastering a smile on my face. 

“Web you need to stop sneaking up on me, seriously.” I burst out laughing, fortunately he hadn’t heard what we were talking about. 

I loved Web, he was so sweet, but his endless love for literature got very tiring. Somehow the conversation with him always ended in his love of books and all things written. Half the time I had no clue what he was talking about, I would nod and smile adding in, “Oh that’s so interesting.” But I wasn’t listening by that point anymore. 

“We were just talking about how long it would take the engineers to arrive.” I skipped over the most recent conversation we had, I didn’t want to hurt the poor man's feelings.  

“I think they are going to try something right now. Everyone is getting tired of waiting.” Web pointed to the pile of rocks that blocked the road. 

I peaked my head over the truck to catch a glimpse of two soldiers standing in the middle of the road with one of the bazooka's we had with us. I covered my ears just in time to muffle the explosion that blasted into the debris.

“I don’t think that will work.” I huffed, it had hardly made a dent in the huge pile. 

“No, but that does look fun.” Web grinned admiring the massive explosion. 

“Yeah!” Lieb launched to his feet. “Web, we should go help.” Web and Joe excitedly nodded at each other racing off to the front of the road.

“Ok, bye.” I said to the pair's back as they enthusiastically scurried away.  

I slumped down again, the same song still stuck in my head. 

“Aw, Em.” A large hand reached down and ruffled my hair. I looked up to find Bull standing over me. 

“They ditched me, for explosives. Can you believe that?” I asked in astonishment. 

A wry grin formed on Bull’s lips, he tilted his head to the side with a hearty chuckle. “I can’t say I am, little lady.” He said in his thick country accent. 

“No you’re right. I’m not shocked.” I laughed, shaking my head. 

I looked over to find Web and Lieb stacking grenades on the landslide of rocks. They sprinted back to where the two other soldiers stood still with the bazooka. Their grin’s were child-like as they ran back. 

Bull and I watched them, laughing at how excited they all seemed to be. Was it really that much fun blowing things up? 

They didn’t wait long, firing the rocket right into the pile of explosives the pair had set. The ground shook, as the booming echoed around the mountains. But still the pile of rocks seemed to remain the same, at least they were having fun. It was nice to see genuine smiles on their faces. 

“Easy!” Speirs yelled from the front of the trucks. “Let’s move out!” Spiers grinned widely with a skip in his step as he made his way back through the parked vehicles. 

“Are we not waiting for the engineers anymore?” I leaned over to Bull. 

“Guess not.” Bull smiled. “We better get moving, come on.” He took me by the crook of my arm, leading the way behind Speirs who was getting together all of Easy so that we could leave. 

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

“It’s so quiet.” I whispered to Don as we walked. He nodded in agreement before turning back to the task at hand. 

Easy Company tiptoed silently down the empty streets, the group had found an alternative route up the mountain. We had been told to be on guard, and to expect the unexpected. 

So the soldiers walked through the streets with their weapons drawn, readying themselves for whatever was waiting for us.   

The town was eerily still, white flags hung from the windows of the houses we passed. The town appeared empty, there was no one present. The deserted village sent shivers up my back. Something that should be so busy and bustling with life now sat forlorn and abandoned.

Still I couldn’t deny that the place was beautiful even in its abandonment. The houses looked cosy and quaint as the tall mountains loomed over the small village. 

My eyes darted from one place to another, taking in all the sights that laid before me. A large red banner caught my attention. 

“Jesus.” I muttered to myself, eyes practically bulging out of my head as I took in the large swastika that covered the building in front of us. 

It was strange to see a symbol that meant peace and well-being have such a sinister feeling now attached to it. 

“Well, they really weren’t hiding it were they.” Grant said from beside me as we both gawked at banner’s. 

“Nope.” I agreed with the man. 

We made our way inside the big building that had ‘​​Berchtesgadener hof’ proudly displayed over the entrance. 

“Was it a hotel?” I leaned over to whisper to Don as we walked inside what appeared to be the foyer. 

“I think so.” Don confirmed. 

Like the town the hotel was just as quiet, no guests seemed to be staying or staff either.

I shied away from the brass sculpture of Hitler, that was prominently displayed in the middle of one of the rooms we walked through as we continued to search the building.  

A clanging made me jump from my skin, we rounded the corner to find a lone clerk being held at gunpoint by Lew. His eyes darted from Nixon to the rather large book that sat on the desk. 

“Looks like a guest book.” I said loudly, glancing over to Lew who nodded his head. 

“Everyone who was anyone signed into this hotel. And now we have all the dates and names of anyone who ever supported Hitler in his plans.” Lew said as he flicked through the book. 

“Guess there are staff after all.” I mused, watching the clerk scamper away.

************************************ 

Don and I walked around together forgetting the mission at hand, being too caught up in the lavish hotel. 

“Should we sneak into one of the rooms? See if the bath works?” Don asked suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows at me. 

“Donald!” I giggled at the man giving him a whack. “No, well. No, we couldn’t. Well.” I debated the very enticing idea. 

“Oh come on! Speirs is probably out there now stealing all the silverware.” Don grinned at me, his fingers finding the nook of my arm to bring me along in his mischief. 

“Fine! We will look, quickly.” I added but not putting up much of a fight as Don dragged me down one of the halls.      

We pried open one of the doors, standing in the entrance way admiring the room. In the middle of the room sat a giant four poster bed. The duvet looked elegant, satin and lace coverings, with large fluffy pillows adorning the head. Across the room a tall window opened up, looking over the alps that surrounded the town. 

Don and I moved further into the room, finding our way into the bathroom, which seemed to be even bigger than the master suite. A white clawfoot bathtub stood proudly in the middle of the space. 

The far side of the room was taken up by a vanity that covered the width of the wall, with large basins that you could bathe in, if you so wished. 

“Fucking hell.” I uttered, completely in awe of it all. 

“Yup!” Don nodded as we looked over all of the interior. Even the ceilings were beautiful, fluffy white clouds and the bluest sky had been painted onto the roof of the bathroom. Gold accents of branches and leaves vined out into the sky. Everywhere my eyes could see the room was filled with exquisite details. 

“It’s stunning.” I couldn’t pick my jaw off the floor. 

“Eh, it’s alright. I’ve seen better.” Don shrugged, not seeming impressed with the glamour. 

“What?! When?” I asked in disbelief. 

“I have, truly.” I shook my head scoffing at him. 

“When?” I eyed him suspiciously. 

“Well.” Don started slowly making his way over to me. His stride was confident, freezing me in place. I sucked in a breath as he drew near, suddenly it wasn’t funny anymore. The look in his eyes sent the butterflies in my stomach into a frenzy. 

“There’s you.” Don had moved closer to me, my back pressed into the cold marble basin. My breath hitched in my throat as he leaned even further into me. 

We weren’t even touching yet, but the way Don took up the space had me stunned into silence. 

“You’ve gone all quiet on me.” He teased, deliberately placing his hands either side of my body, caging me into him.   

Goosebumps rose on my skin, I felt my cheeks flush. How had he turned this around so quickly?

“Emily?” My full name dripped off his tongue, as he smirked at me tilting his head ever so slightly. He knew what he was doing to me. 

I swallowed, trying to find my voice again. 

“What are you doing?” I asked softly, scared if I raised my voice too much it would disturb whatever was happening. 

“Nothing.” Don breathed, leaning further forward. “Is there something you want me to do?” His whispers tickled my neck. I hid away the sensitive skin, turning to meet his gaze. 

My heart pounded in my ears as our eyes locked. His stare was full of want, I almost melted into a puddle right then. 

“Stop teasing me.” I pleaded. The tension was overwhelming but exhilarating at the same time. It felt as if I was a raw nerve, the slightest of touch would set me on fire. 

“Oh my love, I’m not teasing.” Don smiled, but it wasn’t his normal smile. There was another intention behind it. I gasped as his hand cupped my cheek gently tracing over my jawline, it was only a slight brush but I found myself leaning into his palm. He didn’t give me the satisfaction, stealing away the brief contact. 

I glared at the man. Don was clearly teasing me. 

“Don.” I protested, trying to find his hand to bring back up to my face. But instead he found me first, holding my wrist still. 

I tried again with my free hand but it was no use Don had me pinned. 

I groaned in frustration. 

“You’re teasing me.” I whined, huffing. 

My annoyance didn’t seem to deter Don from his antics. He moved forward his mouth inches away from my ear. 

“You have to ask nicely.” Don’s lips brushed over the sensitive skin of my jaw. I suppressed a moan by trapping my lip between my teeth. 

“Please. Donald Malarkey, you have me. Now do something about it.” I challenged him. 

A smile formed on his lips but I only saw it for a split second before his lips crashed into mine. I sighed into the kiss as his hands cupped my face pulling me closer to him. My hands roamed around his body, tracing anything I could get my hands on. I didn’t realise how much tension had built from our last kiss, but I needed him so badly it hurt. 

Don swiftly lifted me up, sitting me on the edge of the basin as we continued to kiss. I opened my mouth as our tongues swirled together. It was an addiction, I couldn’t get enough. I needed him closer. I grabbed at the fabric that impeded me from Don. 

I tugged off his jacket, too busy kissing him to see where I threw it. Don’s hand’s did the same pulling the material from my arms tossing the item to the side. I gasped as he pulled me forward, sliding me to the very edge of the bench. Don pressed himself to me, even with pants on I could feel everything. 

“Off, I need this off!” I said breathlessly, pulling at his collar. I helped him tug off the t-shirt, admiring his body lovingly. I raked my fingers down his chest, sliding my hand below his belt. Don shuddered seemingly immobilised as I palmed his front. 

Don snatched my wrist, a wry grin forming on his features, “We have plenty of time for that later.” 

A pout formed on my lips. He moved forward kissing me gently. Unlike before he savoured the kiss. Don’s lips moved over my face, gently placing kisses at the corners of my lips, by the creases of my eyes, my temples and cheeks. His touch was so soft but everytime he moved to a different spot I could still feel the last caress. 

I captured his face in my hands, my thumbs tracing over his features. With each movement I kissed him gently. 

I sighed in pleasure as Don’s hands found the small of my back pulling me even closer. 

“Take it off.” I begged, needing the fabric that separated us to be removed. Don’s finger’s found the hem of my shirt, slowly dragging it up my body. I arched into him, enjoying the feeling of his fingertips brushing on my skin. 

Don threw my top to the side, I didn’t have the patience to be admired just yet, still sporting a bra. I brought his hands around my back to the clasp. 

He made quick work of the fastening. I felt it loosen from my back as he pulled the straps over my shoulders and down my arms.  

I sat half naked watching Don take me in. He blew out a breath, shaking his head slightly. 

“Fucking hell. And you’re all mine.” Don said to himself, I giggled at him. 

“Donald, stop gawking and kiss me.” I said my tone was playful. But I didn’t need to tell him twice. He moved forward pressing us together, his fingers dragged down my exposed back sending shivers up my spine. 

Don’s head dipped down to my neck slowly trailing his lips down my skin. I leaned back enjoying the feeling of his tongue swirling down my body. I gasped when his mouth latched onto the soft flesh of my chest. 

Don’s lips nipped and sucked, finding his way down to my erect nipple. His other hand massaging my other breast as he assaulted my nipple with his mouth. I leaned my head back, mouth open in pleasure, moans and gasps fell from my lips in hasty succession. 

He moved to my other breast giving it the same treatment as the previous. I panted and bucked against him, the feeling of his kisses and hands sending me spiralling. 

“Fuck! Holy fuck.” I groaned watching him enjoy me. The wetness between my legs somehow grew more. I pulled his face back up to mine, needing his lips on my own again. 

My hands snaked down to his pants, trying my best to undo his belt while not being able to see. It was harder than I thought, after a while of fumbling around I finally pulled away to glance down at what I was doing. 

“Desperate?” Donald asked, smirking. I didn’t even deny it, breathlessly nodding my head while still trying to yank the belt from his pants. 

“I have waited far too long for a belt to put a stop to it.” I groaned, still failing at the simple job. 

“You’ve waited, oh my love, you don’t know the half of it.” Donald’s hands found mine, taking over the task. I watched him easily pull the belt free and remove it from his trousers. Don undid the button, loosening them around his hips. I greedily licked my lips moving my hands to his waistband tugging them down. I bit my lip, a shy smile formed on my mouth. 

I couldn’t wait any longer, my own hands unbuttoning my pants and trying my best to shimmy them down while still being perched on the counter. 

“So impatient!” Don tutted, his arms lifting me so I could successfully pull down my clothing. 

I kicked off the green cargo pants, leaving us both in just our underwear. I giggled, somehow the innocent looking in the rooms had gotten out of hand. 

Don kissed me again, his fingers lazily dragging around my body and into my hair. I did the same, tangling my fingers in his and pulling gently. A low moan left his lips as he moved his mouth over mine. The electricity between us was almost palpable, with every touch and sound I could feel the lustful energy flowing through my body. 

I yelped in surprise as Don lifted me so easily from the basin. I didn’t look where he was taking us too busy assaulting his face and neck with kisses. 

We landed gently on the decadent bed, but Don and I were too enraptured in each other to truly appreciate the comfort of the soft mattress and the silk sheets against our skin. 

Don ran his fingers down my side, teasingly stopping around the hem of my underwear. He pulled it back, snapping the waistband against my skin. In the same movement Don dipped his head down, trailing soft kisses down my skin and stopping near my collarbone to nip at the sensitive skin.  

His hand slipped down between my thighs, caressing around my hips. I rocked back, eyes closed in pleasure. I couldn’t stifle the loud moans that fell from my lips. 

I could feel his smirk as he placed more feverish kisses around my navel, his hands roaming around my thighs never quite landing where I needed them too. Don was making me beg for it. 

Don’s touch continued down towards my hips, his lips finding the right spots to make me squirm and bite my lip in desperation. 

“Don.” I pleaded through my pants.  

“Yes my love?” He said with a smirk, as his kisses wandered down, his touch still tantalising and teasing. I could feel Don’s breath against my core, as he continued to run his fingers along my inner thighs.

“Stop teasing me!” I whined. 

Don chuckled at my pleading, looking up at me with a devilish smile. I watched as he bit my inner thigh gently in response. 

“Beg for it.” He said in a low husky voice that was filled with desire. 

“Please Donald, make me feel alive!” I begged, feeling so vulnerable in his arms. 

“I love you.” Don said before he pulled my underwear from my body, taking his time admiring me placing sweet kisses to the soft skin between my legs. I groaned as his mouth found my core, his hot tongue swirling over my bud of nerves. 

I cried out in pleasure as he feasted on me, I gripped onto his hair hanging on for dear life as he shook me to my core. I trembled in ecstasy as Don’s tongue dipped inside of me.   

Don seemed to enjoy seeing me come undone, moaning against my core. His fingers slipped inside of me pulling in and out with force. 

I threw my head back screaming into my free hand that covered my mouth. I arched and bucked against his every move. Don’s free hand pinned me to the bed to stop me from escaping the overwhelming feeling that rippled throughout my body. 

He sucked and nipped at my sensitive core as he worked his fingers in and out of my entrance. 

Bright colours swarmed my vision as I shook, I had reached my climax. I held onto Don, the only thing that seemed to be grounding me to reality. It felt as if I had left my body, floating above the scene that was playing before me. Don did not stop his movements, riding out the orgasm as long as he could. 

My breath left me as I writhed under his touch, I didn’t think that it could last long, but I was still overcome by my euphoric satisfaction.    

Finally he let me come down, pulling away from my core. I caught my breath, eyes still closed trying to come back to the real world, rather than the cloud I was floating on. 

“I think you were trying to kill me.” I panted as Don moved back up to kiss me gently on my lips. 

“What’s more alive than being nearly half dead?” Don chuckled as he lay against me, his fingers tangling into my hair and pulling me towards him. He rested his forehead against mine, our breaths mixing together as we enjoyed the quiet moment. 

I closed my eyes enjoying the simple sounds, his soft breaths fanning on my face, and the quiet heartbeat that pulsed against my own chest. I kissed him again, I kissed him like I would never see him again. 

My hands travelled down his torso, it was my turn to show him how much I loved him. I palmed his hard cock through his underwear. Don groaned into my mouth, keeping his eyes squeezed shut. 

I trailed my kisses down his neck, chest and stomach. Don sighed in pleasure, lying his head back against the bed. Every touch under his hands and the feeling of his skin on mine, I felt the love and desire he had for me, I wanted him to feel the same as I kissed him. I wanted to make him want me more than ever.  

I let my tongue drag down his hips, swirling over the sensitive skin. I needed to drive him insane with desire, like he had me only moments before. 

Tugging down his briefs his hard cock sprung free. I tossed the item of clothing to the side. I bit my lip taking in his size, how he had hidden that from me I had no idea. I wrapped my hand around the base stroking my thumb gently up the shaft. Don shuddered under my grip, groaning huskily. 

Don propped himself up on his elbows and I started slowly moving my hand up and down his length. I licked my lips desperately wanting to taste him. 

“Jesus christ Emily, you’re going to be the death of me.” Don muttered a mix of shock and pleasure on his face. 

I grinned. I continued to stare at him as I moved forward, my tongue darting out to swirl around his tip. His cock twitched in my hand, Don looked as if he was going to pass out. 

“Now who’s teasing?” He leaned forward brushing a curl out of my face. I wrapped my lips around him sucking. Donald inhaled sharply tensing under my touch. I moved further down, bringing more of him into my mouth. Don’s breaths grew uneven as I continued. 

I bobbed my head up and down, taking as much of him as I could into my throat. My hand still gripped the base of his cock moving as I sucked and licked. 

“Oh god!” Donald moaned watching me with lust filled eyes. 

I pulled back sucking in air as I continued to massage his cock with my hand. Don gripped onto the bed sheets panting heavily. His fingers weaved into my hair, gripping just as tightly as he was the fabric under him. I continued my assault, my pace becoming faster. 

“Don’t stop my love.” He begged, he was almost to his limit. I did as he asked, continuing my rhythm. 

“I’m going to cum!” Don whined pulling back from me, but I held his hips steady, looking up at him through my lashes. I wanted to taste him like he tasted me. I didn’t stop, bobbing my head and sucking. I felt his body jolt under me, hot liquid filled my mouth as I watched Don’s eyes roll back in his head.      

“Em.” Don breathed, sitting up from his position and moving down to where I knelt between his legs. His hands cupped my face peppering my skin with light kisses. Don pulled me up to him, as we laid back down against the bed, limbs tangled and bodies entwined. A moment of pure serenity as we embraced each other, basking in the warmth of one another. 

“I love you.” I whispered as we gazed into each other’s eyes. 

“I love you.” Don lips brushed against my skin. 

“Guys we’re leaving!” The door burst open as Babe and George sauntered into the room. Both Don and I screamed in surprise, scrambling to hide ourselves. Don dove over me, covering my body with his. His ass out in the wind for all to see. George and Babe’s eyes bulged seeing their friends bare butt pointing right in their direction. 

“Get out!!” Don screeched, as I hid beneath him trying to contain my fit of giggles.

“Oh my god!” George gasped covering his mouth as Babe stared wide eyed at us. 

“Guys get the fuck out, right now!!” Don demanded the men leave. But it still didn’t work, the pair didn’t budge. 

“What is going on here?” George asked through bouts of laughter he shared with Babe. 

Don grabbed the nearest pillow chucking at the heads of the two men who were crying with laughter. 

“OUT!” Don yelled, but he was trying not to laugh as well. I wrapped my arms around his waist keeping him close to me. Don was the only thing keeping my naked body out of sight of the pair of idiots who howled with laughter in the still wide open door. 

“Fine, we will go. But it’s going to cost you.” George waggled his finger at us as he hauled the still hysterical Babe out of the room. The door clicked shut, as it did so both Don and I sighed in relief. 

“You didn’t lock the door!” I playfully smacked his chest as he grinned down at me. 

“Neither did you!” But we couldn’t stop our own giggles from escaping our lips.

---------------------------------

Chapter 30