#don’t mind me posting this two days late. whoops

[magicicephoenix]

some @pillowspace whiteboard things!

[madlori]

Facebook Official

whoops my hand slipped and I banged out 1800 words of fix-it fic in like an hour. btw i think the Abby connection is dumb but I'm making it work.

Three years after reconciling with Buck, newly engaged to him, Tommy gets a phone call from a certain former dispatcher...who's just seen some interesting news via a Facebook Relationship Status post.

*****

(also on AO3)

To say that the phone call blindsided him would have been the understatement of the century.

He was just sitting at home watching the game, having a beer, minding his own business. Evan was on shift — must be a busy one, he’d only gotten two text messages all evening, one bitching about not having had time to eat dinner and the other about idiots who texted while driving.

His phone rang. Unknown number. Normally he wouldn’t have picked up, but with all the wedding preparations, a lot of vendors were calling. It was a little late to be making business calls, just after 8 pm, but he’d quickly learned that business norms meant little in the wedding planning business. “Hello?”

“Tommy?”

“Yes?” A woman’s voice. Familiar, but he couldn’t place it.

Pause “You’re marrying Buck??” A slightly hysterical note of disbelief entered the woman’s voice as she said the name.

And all at once, he knew who it was. Shit fuck motherfucker why didn’t we get ahead of this one.

“Abby. Um…”

“Evan Buckley? My ex-fiancé and my ex-boyfriend are marrying each other?”

“Small world, huh?” he said, going for levity.

“Buck’s not even gay!”

“No, he’s not. He’s bisexual.”

“I’m…okay. I’m sorry, it’s just…this is a lot of information to get all at once.”

“How did you even find out? Don’t you live in Phoenix?”

“Buck posted one of those relationship status things on Facebook.”

“Oh. I barely use Facebook.”

“Me either, but Buck does, and I hadn’t been on there in awhile, but I logged on and that was like the third post I saw!”

Tommy remembered the day Buck had made the post. They hadn’t really put their relationship on social media much - Buck posted photos of them on Instagram sometimes - and he hadn’t done one of those stupid relationship status things for them until they got engaged. They’d trawled their phones for the right pic, eventually settling on one taken at a 118 barbecue of them together, smiling, arms slung around waists. He hadn’t said so, but he’d gotten a little emotional over what Evan wrote on the post:

Evan Buckley is engaged to Tommy Kinard.

“It’s been a long road, but we made it. Can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with this man. He’s the best person I’ve ever known. I love you!”

“Well…I’m sorry that was an unpleasant surprise for you,” Tommy said, carefully.

She sighed. “I don’t know that it was…unpleasant. But a surprise, for sure. How do you even know Buck? How did you meet?”

“We’re both firefighters, it’s not that surprising that we could have met, is it?”

“No, I guess not.”

“And he was at my old firehouse. The one you refused to ever come to. But I guess you went when you were with him, didn’t you?”

“You never wanted me to meet your friends. I guess I found out why when you broke off our engagement.”

“I’m sorry, Abby. I know I said it then, but I’ll say it again now. I lied to myself, I lied to a lot of people. It took me almost trapping you in my lie, when you did not deserve that, to break me out of it.”

“I forgave you ages ago. We don’t have to go over all that again.”

“I met Evan…I guess it’s four years ago? We started dating not long after. I, um…was the first man he dated. I guess I made him realize some things about himself.”

“Just transforming lives everywhere you go, huh?” she said, a teasing note entering her voice. Tommy was happy to hear it.

“Yeah, well, I almost screwed it up. I broke up with him six months later. He was diving in headfirst, too fast, just all in and wanting to move in with me.”

“That sounds just like Buck.”

“I panicked and ended it before I could get in any deeper with him.”

“It was too late, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah. I was already in love with him.”

“He’s easy to love. Too easy,” she said, quietly. “But you got back together, obviously.”

“Took a little while. Almost a year. I dated a few guys, he dated a few people, but nothing stuck for either of us - I know now it’s because we were still hung up on each other. We have a friend in common and we’d hear about each other through him…but I didn’t really see him until we ended up on a major incident call together. I sustained a minor injury - just a scrape, really - and Hen from his house patched me up. I was sitting there on the ambulance deck, more or less left to myself, and he came waltzing up with that eyebrow raised like he knew all my secrets.” Abby chuckled, like she knew the exact expression he was describing. “He just said, are you done being fucking stupid yet?”

“And you were.”

“Yep. I was. He took me home that night and we’ve barely been apart since. Got engaged a year later.”

“You sound happy.”

“I am. I’m ecstatic. I can’t believe I got a second chance with him. I kicked myself for ending it like that, I don’t know what came over me.”

“I do. You thought you weren’t enough for him to want to keep you.”

He nodded. “Yeah.”

“That’s dumb.”

“That’s what he says.”

They sat there not speaking for what felt like a long time.

“Well…” Abby said. “I feel like I just unloaded on you out of the blue.”

“You kinda did,” he said, smiling.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have called.”

“I’m glad you did. You know…Evan and I didn’t realize we had you in common until our six month anniversary dinner. In fact, it was that revelation that sort of started us on the way to breaking up for awhile. But that’s been so long now and it hasn’t come up in a few years. I almost forgot about it.”

“Gee, thanks,” she said, her grin audible. “I’m glad you’re both happy. I have a lot of regret over Buck, how I left things with him. I assume he’s told you.”

“He has. If it helps, he doesn’t have any bad feelings towards you.”

“It does help. Thank you for that.” She sighed. “I’ll let you go. I just saw that Facebook post and spiralled a little bit.”

“Understandable.”

“Please tell Buck I say hello. And I wish you both so much happiness, Tommy.”

“Thank you. And I will.”

She hung up. Tommy stared at the phone for a moment, then opened his text message thread with Evan.

You’re not gonna believe what just happened.

*****

When Evan got home at 7 am, they had their usual two hours to share breakfast and maybe a quick fuck before Tommy had to be on shift himself. They tried to sync their schedules so their off days coincided, but it didn’t always work.

“Holy shit, why didn’t we get ahead of that one?” Evan said as he burst in the door, not even bothering with “hello.” His shoes and duffel went flying and he bustled into the kitchen where Tommy was mixing the pancake batter.

“Yeah, I had the same thought,” he said, leaning over to kiss him hello.

Evan went to the coffee pot. “I didn’t even think about it, that she might see.”

“Neither did I.”

“How’d she sound?”

“Really surprised at first. Incredulous, even? Like in the what-are-the-odds way.”

“Kinda like when I found out we’d both dated her.”

“Yeah, but you’re my himbo now,” Tommy said, smirking. “No, she was just shocked. I gave her the quick rundown, and she ended up congratulating us.”

“Did you tell her it’s her fault we broke up for a year?” Evan said, popping a strawberry into his mouth.

“I think the proper person to bear the fault is me.”

“And also me. Who asks someone to move in after six months? Before even saying ‘I love you?’ And when you had a house!”

“I say we blame Josh. He got you all juiced up with that damn Glee speech.” After they’d reconciled, Evan had given him chapter and verse on his mind-boggling thought processes on that last fateful day.

“He got me feeling guilty, is what he did. That I judged you for lying to Abby. Overcorrecting is one of my special gifts.”

“Yes, it is.”

“Well, while I’m overcorrecting…why don’t we invite her?”

Tommy looked up. “To our wedding?”

“Sure, why not? She can flip a coin whose side she sits on,” Evan said, grinning like the mischievous imp that he was.

“Evan, darling, love of my life, we are not inviting our ex to our wedding.”

He scrunched up his face. “Ew. ‘Our’ ex? Makes it sound like we were in a throuple.”

“Ew, indeed.”

He cocked his head. “I dunno, though. The thought’s kinda sexy.”

“Not to me! No vaginas anywhere near my bedroom. Kinsey 6, remember?”

“Of course, my apologies.”

Tommy looked at his innocent wide-eyed face for a few beats. “You’re still thinking about it, aren’t you?”

“Can I help it if the thought of two people I have found intensely attractive doing sexy things is appealing?”

“Can I help it if the thought of Chris Hemsworth going down on you has gotten me through some lonely nights?”

“Okay, I get the point. Shutting up now.” 

Tommy put a plate of pancakes in front of him. “Your shift okay?”

“Fine. Busy. I’m a bit wired. Do we have time for me to bounce on your dick for a bit before you have to head out?”

“For that, I’ll make time.” He sat down at the table at Evan’s side with his own pancakes. Evan slid a hand over and squeezed his thigh.

“Missed you, though,” he said, chewing.

“I always miss you when you’re on shift,” Tommy said.

Evan looked up at that, meeting his eyes. “Tommy, sometimes I miss you when you get up to get a beer.”

The simplicity, the sincerity of it made his chest tighten a little. He leaned forward, put his fingers under Evan’s chin and pulled him into a soft kiss, just like the first time. “I love you,” he whispered. 

“I love you, too.”

“And we are not inviting my ex-fiancee who is also your ex-girlfriend to our wedding.”

Evan grinned. “Deal.”

[leafofkudzu]

Happy Lunar New Year, everyone! Though it's not quite a snake per se, the Great Jungle Wurm sends its regards from over in Caledon Forest! It feels like it's been forever since we've been to a sylvari area, so how about we go pay it a visit, and then hang out with the Soundless over on the Weeping Isle? That's right: the first Saturday of a new month fast approaches, which mean it's time for another art party hosted by my guild, [VS] Verdant Shield!

A concept carried over from Final Fantasy XIV, art parties are in-game get-togethers for artists of all kinds to hang out, chat, and create together! For GW2 parties there’s more of an emphasis on hanging out and gathering references during the party itself, and then in the days/weeks following to work on your creations at your own pace and then post to the shared art party tag. We’ve used the same one (#VSArtParty) since the very beginning so you can go allll the way back and explore what people have made! The most important thing to keep in mind though is this: the ‘goal’ of an art party isn’t to be drawn, but to draw others, and share with the community!

Time and /squadjoin information is below the cut, but will also be posted again on the day of the party as squads go up!

Location Information:

The Weeping Isle is a nice and accessible open area, with lots of room for water activities too if anyone wants to bust out a skiff or two! Just head Southwest from Mabon Waypoint and you're there - no funny business needed! It may be in your best interest to turn down your NPC dialogue volume if you stay on land though...

Time & Squad Details:

As is customary, we’ll be having two parties - the first one on EU servers and the second on NA - with an hour break in between for those who may want to attend both!

The EU server party will begin at 9pm Central European Time (aka 3pm Eastern Standard Time or 4 hours before in-game reset). I’ll be hosting this one on my EU alt account, so please either /whisper or /squadjoin Aemryn of Noon for a taxi invite if you don’t end up on the right map!

The NA server party will begin 1 hour after the EU party’s official end, at 7pm Eastern Standard Time (aka 1am Central European Time or at in-game reset). I’ll be on my main account for this one and may switch ‘host’ characters a few times, but please /whisper or /squadjoin Brasyck for a taxi invite if you don’t see my customary white cat tag hanging around on your map!

Closing Words:

I do feel like I'm always apologizing for being late on these posts, but here I am doing it again: sorry for the delay! Expect me to reblog this a few times before the end of the week just to compensate for my weird posting time since this is also...uhhh.....1am for me as I post this? Whoops. Anyway!

Thank you so much to everyone who came out to the anniversary party last month, it was so much fun! Even with my procrastination I still hope to keep these monthly parties happening for as long as people are interested - after all, you guys are what make them special! Take care of yourselves, and I'll see you all this Saturday! ♥

[bearbunnycheetah]

🐆🐻✨CHAPTER 3: SUNNY SIDE OF THINGS✨🐻🐆

Note: Stuffs been going wild so I posted this WAYY later than I wanted, but I hope you guys still enjoy!

Percy reaches for her keys and opens the door, turning on the lights to her apartment. They flickered to life and illuminated the space. The sisters both looked inside, it was a pretty nice looking place all things considered. 

A small living room to the left with a tv, an open kitchen to the right, and what appears to be a mini hallway leading to three doors infront of them. Percy’s home had a nice dull blue wallpaper covering mostly everything. Molly looked at a clock on the wall, 10PM. Way past her bedtime at this point.

“You two need some rest, we can discuss the layout of my apartment and other things in the morning. Are you two sure you don’t wish to take my room for the night?”

“Sleeping in someone elses room is weird.” Lorelai said, crossing her arms as she looked around.

“Yeah, we can take the couch or the floor. We don’t really mind! I promise!” Molly smiled apologetically, Lori rolled her eyes.

Percy nods. “Alright, please go ahead and sit down. I will go ahead to get some pillows and blankets for you two.” She smiles at them, then leaves the room.

Molly waits for Percy to be completely gone, then lets out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. She sits down on the couch, then grabs her phone from her pocket. Molly opens the group chat she has with her friends, and starts typing.

—————

Molly: Hi guys, anyone still awake?

PHANTOM OF POTIONS PAST, GRIMLORD OF DARKNESS!: HIIII! Yes I am indeed awake >:]

Molly: Oh, hi Trixie! I’m assuming Feenie’s asleep cause it’s her bedtime?

PoPPGoD: Yeahh probably! Why are you up so late anyway? Did something happen?

Molly: Yeah, my dad got arrested.

PoPPGoD: WOOOOOOO! 

Molly: Trixie…

PoPPGoD: Oh whoops, sorry- what happened?

Molly: The cop that interviewed me a bit ago about the museum apparently found out about my situation and took me and Lori in. Currently in her apartment right now.

PoPPGoD: I dont trust them coppers… but as long as ur OK, im OK! >:D

Molly: Thanks Trixie… I’ll see if I can go more indepth on what happened tomorrow at school. I’m getting sleepy.

PoPPGoD: Oke, sweet dreams!

Molly: Night!

—————

Molly leans back into the sofa, then smiles. Hopefully she’ll be able to go to school tomorrow and talk to them.

“I’m back, apologies for the wait.” Percy walks in holding several pillows and blankets, all in mostly blues, yellows, and whites.

“Dibs on the couch!” Lorelai said, grabbing some pillows and immediately making herself comfortable. Her knight costume poofed out of existence in a flash of glitter into her normal outfit.

“But- aw, fine...” Molly sighed in defeat, standing up from the couch.

Oh well, the floor is probably fine. Considering it’s Percy she probably keeps it pretty clean. Theres a rug too so maybe it’s a bit comfier..? It takes a few minutes for Molly to finally get to a comfortable enough position to lay down.

“Goodnight, you two.”

“Goodnight, Percy!”

“…Night.”

And with that, Percy turns off the lights and goes to her room. Immediately falling asleep when she lays down in bed. The noise of the city melting together into a cacophany of sounds that were oddly comforting, she’s probably gonna take a few days off from work to help the two adjust. 

Percy should wake up early tomorrow, her usual breakfast was just toast and some water but these two probably needed more food than that. Maybe something like cereal? No, far too sugary. She wasn’t even sure if she had anything like that. Toast, water, orange juice, eggs-

Wait, eggs?

There was a smell of something being cooked from the kitchen, Percy stirred and opened her eyes. Oh dear, it was morning already? She looks at her alarm clock. 5:40 AM. How peculiar, she gets up from her bed and puts on her slippers to investigate.

Percy walked into the living room, the pillows and blankets were folded neatly and placed on the coffee table. While the couch where Lorelai was sleeping had an… iridescent bubble in its place.

It clipped into the floor and couch as if it was a bugged model in a video game. She stared in utter confusion for a bit before a voice from the kitchen piped up.

“Morning Percy!” Molly said, holding a pan. Why was she making breakfast?

Percy flinched, completely forgetting that she got up to see who was awake this early. “Ah! Good morning to you too, Molly.” Percy turns to her and gestures to the bubble. “May I ask why your sister has turnt into a sphere?”

“Oh, it’s just an epithet thing.” Molly puts the pan in the sink. “Lorelai can make these things called ‘dream bubbles’ where she makes these fantasy worlds, sometimes she just sleep-inscribes.”

“I see… Why are you up so early?”

“Oh! Well… I wanted to repay you for letting us stay here so I thought I should make breakfast!” Molly points at the table. There was buttered toast and eggs, either boiled or sunnyside up. “We should probably go get groceries and stuff, there wasn’t a lot in your fridge to work with…”

“Noted. But thank you for this, Molly.” Percy goes to sit down, then picks up a boiled egg and inspects it closely. “So, about your sister…”

“Don’t worry, I can go wake her up.” Molly looks at the bubble for a second, then walks over to the couch.

Percy watches in curiosity, she knew Molly and Lorelai had epithets from their files. “DUMB” and “AUGMENT” respectively, but she’s never seen it in action. Percy watched as Molly knocked on the bubble for a few seconds, calling Lorelais name repeatedly to wake her up. After a few minutes she rolled her eyes, reaching her hand out as a small green glow appeared. 

Molly moved her hand closer to the iridescent surface and a hole appeared like a rift in the air. Slowly the gap grew bigger until it was about the size of Molly herself. She entered the bubble and the hole dissapeared along with her.

Percy decided to go and make some coffee while she waited since she still felt a bit tired from last night, more and more time passes and… POOF!

The detective turnt around, alarmed at the sudden sound. Then there stood a groggy Lorelai and a mildly upset Molly.

“Good morning, Lorelai!” Percy said, grabbing her drink without looking and returning to the small dining table. Honestly you probably couldn’t even consider it a dining table, more like a table for one that crammed three chairs.

“Yeah, morning.” Lorelai wiped away the fog from her eyes, then quietly went over to the table grabbing a plate. Molly followed.

“I decided to go ahead and work from home while you two get settled here.” Percy takes a sip of coffee. “Since you two have school I will be responsible for your education for the time being.”

“Me and Lorelai usually change between having to work and having to go to school. I attend school on odd days and she attends school on even ones so that means-” 

“You have to go to school and I get to stay here and relax!” Lorelai interrupts her and grins, Molly scowls at her.

Percy thinks for a second, she never thought the situation was this bad. Who on earth would let a child work instead of attend school!? Oh wait, Martin would. “I… suppose we can still use this system, even for just a few days as you two adjust.” She smiles. “And since I’m not very well acquainted with Miss Lorelai, then perhaps we can use this as a bonding opportunity!”

The three of them continue talking. Percy explaining the layout of the house, the chores, and potentially getting the two of them a room to share, more and more time passes till they all finish and go do their own thing.

Lorelai made another bubble in the corner of the living room, Percy did the dishes, and Molly got ready for school.

Molly already had her schoolwork in her backpack, so she had no need to go back to the emporium to retrieve her things. That was nice! She sat at the couch waiting, when Percys voice piped up.

“Are you ready for school?” Percy asked, walking up to Molly.

“Uh, yeah! Are you gonna drive me there?” 

“No need, your public school is conveniently just a short jog away from my apartment! If you count 20 minutes short, I mean.” The detective held up a metal lunchbox, it had the SJPD logo on the center, so that probably meant it belonged to Percy. “I’ve also taken the time to go ahead and make you some lunch.”

“Really..?” Molly walked up to the lunch box and grabbed it from Percys hand, staring at it. “Theres… Really no need to do that, I usually just ask my friends or buy some stuff at the cafeteria.”

“I personally do not think the cafeteria food they serve is enough for a childs daily diet.” Percy explains. “You can just think of it as a thank-you for making breakfast.” She smiled.

Molly stopped staring at the lunchbox realizing that was probably weird, then turns to Percy to smile at her too.

“Well then, I’ll go ahead and drop you off at school. I’m assuming your sister will be fine if I leave her for a few minutes?”

“She can last in bubbles for hours, she’ll be fine.” Molly explains.

And then the two of them leave the apartment. The streets here were much, much louder than Molly expected. She covers her ears as she walked, which Percy took note of. More time passes and Percy drops off Molly at school. 

Molly waved goodbye at her as she walked away when a sudden jingling bell sound grew closer and closer until-

“MOLLY!!!”

Phoenica Fleecity and Trixie Roughhouse hugged Molly as tight as they could, which was less bone-crushing and more soft and fluffy due to Feenie. “Trixie told me everything! We’re so glad you’re okay!”

“She did?” Oh right, Molly sent a message to the group chat. 

“Really happy that dad of yours is outta the picture now!” Trixie said, grinning.

“Haha, yeah. I am too…” Molly hugged them both back, the hug lasted for a few seconds before the bell rang.

“…How about I tell you guys everything when lunch comes around?” Molly asked.

“Oh sure! Stay safe Molly!” Phoenica smiled even harder then let go of both of them, walking off to her class.

“You do too…” 

“…So did Lorelai get arrested too?” Trixie piped up.

“Trixie!” She playfully shoved them with an elbow. “Don’t be like that!”

“Yeah yeah, I know! Just checkin!”

Note: MAKING THESE CUSTOM BACKGROUNDS WERE SO TIME CONSUMING. IT LITERALLY TOOK LONGER THAN THE ACTUAL CHAPTER ITSELF AND DELAYED IT FOR LIKE TWO WEEKS DEAR GOD. Hopefully now that this is out I can go back to answering asks for the characters and posting art too! Super proud of this one!

~Cherry

1ST CHAPTER | << PREV | NEXT >>

[goszixx]

Owe me

Notes: sooo I might not have edited this the best… whoops. Also sorry for the lack of posts I’m so busy :(

Warning: threesome, impact play kinda, teasing, no protection, thigh job, overstimulation.

What a mistake, though it wasn’t your fault. You were sober now, but drunk you always made bets you couldn’t keep. Gojo giggled to himself, his head falling on your shoulder while Geto stared at you blankly. Both their cheeks were flushed with intoxication, which meant taking them to the hotel was going to be a pain. “You gotta do one thing we want~” Gojo purred as his eyes started to close as the weight of his head hit you.

The shift of your body broke Geto from his trance. He looked over, watching as Gojo nuzzled into your side and practically purred into your neck. What a pain. His fingers teased the edge of your shirt as you whined about how hot his body was. It basically scortched you, contrasting with the cold winter air. Pushing up, you were able to get Gojo in your arms standing. He slumped over your body, his eyes trailing around the red booth the three of you were sitting in. Large hands grabbed the white haired man’s shoulders, causing his head to bob a bit.

His eyes fixated on you when lifted off, his back crashing against what seemed to be Geto’s firm chest. “We both won remember? Also I think it’s time to go back to the hotel, don’t you think y/n?”

Your head nodded immediately before you began to dig in your wallet for a tip to leave. Gojo slurred some words under his breath before Geto began his carry of a lifetime. “Y/n…” Gojo whispered once you guys stood at the front of the most expensive hotel in the city. Needless to say, Gojo went all out for this business trip since it was with his best friend and.. well you didn’t know what you were. His favorite co-worker?

Pretty. You thought when you saw the tall desk lady. She gave you a sweet smile, “Out late tonight?” This was your third day at the hotel yet you still can’t get over the way she looks at you. So flattering. Atleast that’s what you thought of her. Geto and Gojo stood quiet as you told the lady about what you did. She gave a quick wave bye after the small talk. Unnecessary small talk in Geto and Gojo’s eyes.

A permanent pout laid on Gojo’s lips, even after you laid sprawled out on your bed. “Jeez it’s freezing.” You yawned before curling into a ball. A large shirt and small shorts covered your body, as well as a pound of blankets.

“Well the heat isnt working. It’s so much colder in our room.” Geto uttered as he entered. The hotel room was split into three areas, two being bedrooms while the other was a living room. The raven’s hair was wet after his shower, the locks sprawled out since he didn’t feel the need to put it up.

Gojo sat on the edge of your bed with shorts and along sleeve shirt. His pout disappeared for a second when an idea popped in his mind. “Let’s share this bed. Enough body heat and we will stay warm.” You poked your head out of your covers to quickly shut down the idea, but the strong puppy eyes Gojo displayed were blinding. You turned your head away, “Fine.”

You didn’t even say the full word before Gojo climbed into your bed with a relaxed sigh. He tucked his entire body under your covers, shifting around to get himself comfortable.

You immediately wanted to take it back after seeing the cheeky smile on his face. His hands were clasped together with his head laying on top. Crystal eyes beamed at you triumphantly while Geto only stared. “Are you certain y/n? You know you could always say no.” He reassured, however what’s done is done. You knew for a fact Gojo wasn’t going to leave now that you’ve already said yes.

Giving a fake eye roll, you smiled, “It’s no problem .”

It was a problem, a very sticky one at that. Nightfall ran around and the heat between you and the two men didn’t seem to let up. From behind, you could feel Gojo’s puffy snores on the back of your head. He breathed into your hair, his hands poking at your back. You were in a permanent curve, causing your boobs to press against Geto’s back. You were certain he was asleep, but the discomfort was very apparent. The raven’s legs curved into your’s, making his legs tangled in.

So hot. It felt like you were in a sauna. Being trapped between two large sources of heat did not go how you expected. What made it worse was Gojo’s constant groaning. When drinking previously, the white haired man had a tendency to get verbal even in slumber. His voice hitches once and a while before softly escaping his lips.

For years you wondered what he could possibly be dreaming about but your starting to figure it out. A whine escaped his lips, hands pressing further in your back to poke you. Your chest pushed more into Geto’s back, this time feeling the raven grunt. It’s getting worse and you needed to put an end to it. Fearing your body would start to resemble the letter S soon, you pushed back against Gojo. His face pressed in your hair as your back began to straighten.

A sense of comfort began to gain back into your body until hard hands pulled at your hips. You jumped a bit out of fear, a small squeak leaving your lips as Gojo nuzzled his head into your hair. “Princess, please slow down. I’m sensitive enough all ready.”

The name had you flushed along with his words they rolled off his tongue in a purring manor, his drunk breath hovering over your neck now. His chest pressed on your back, his hands leaving to grab your hips. One hand strayed from your waist to curve under you, laying flat on your abdomen. “I’m sorry Gojo-“

“You should be.” Gojo cut off as he pushed you further into Suguru. You had to admit, the close proximity was arousing to say the least. Fingers played with the baggy material of your shirt. The other hand rubbed up and down your waist, teasing you by slightly pulling the helm of your shorts up and down. “You know what happens when I’m drunk princess…” The hands on you pulled your lower half closer, grinding the curve of your ass on his hard on. The bulge slid down the curve of your ass, causing Gojo to grunt in your ear. “Look what you did. Naughty princess.” Your coworker babbled as he moved his erection again.

Trapping your whine between your lips, you pulled your hands to your mouth. Whatever happens next, you had to make sure Suguru did not wake up. You got lucky today with Geto only being tipsy. Something of the sort has happened before, you dealing with both the men drunk. It ended with Geto fingering you under the table as Gojo moaned sweet nothings into your ear. When the raven gets horny, there’s nothing you can do to manage. “I’m sorry Gojo… but please keep it down.”

A small string of quiet floated in the room before Gojo shifted again. A hand left you as Gojo worked on removing his pants. He made quick work with his underwear as well before moving to do the same with you. “G-Gojo we can’t.” You whispered. The coworker stopped for a moment. One of his hands was still pressed on your stomach while the other was rubbing your thigh. The fingers ran up and down, each time slipping closer to your cunt. When a finger tip swiped over your clit, you buckled into his erection. “If you want me to stop, I can. But you already seem so ready for me.” He sighed into your neck.

The fingers moved again, this time passed the clit, they rubbed across your folds. Slithering back and forth until the wetness started to pool at his fingers. “Fuck… let me put it in.” He groaned, forehead pushing harder on your shoulder.

“N-No. Look we need to be quiet-“

“If I do it quietly… can we? Please princess.” The white haired man asked in between the kisses he laid on your shoulder. Fingers continued sliding against your folds, your inner thighs sticky with your sweat and arousal. You could say no, Gojo may beg and plead constantly but he doesn’t take offense when you shut him down. In this situation he’d probably pout for a minute and pass out.

“What if I just put it between your thighs? You do owe me one princess… from that bet.” He started as one of his hands trapped itself between your legs. He pried them open slightly before sliding his dick in slowly. The sweat on his forehead dripped down your neck, a curse whisping from his lips.

Your hands still were clasped around your mouth, eyes squeezed shut from the pleasure. His tip bumped against your clit sloppily, a pool of precum gathering between your folds. He held onto your hips and pulled you back to give you some movement. “Does t-this work for you princess?”

After moaning those words, Gojo’s head felt like it was spinning. Dizziness clouded his mind as his tongue found your neck. He sucked on the skin lewdly before biting down. You twitched under him from the slight sting but melted when he started laying small kisses against the mark.

Again his hips snapped against yours, creating wet noises to echo around. You were scared Geto was going to wake up, but how could you focus on that when Gojo’s erection moved between your lower lips so well. He was going to leave your thighs messy. “You make me feel so good…” He cried, his eyes squeezed shut.

His voice grew with every thrust of his hips. “Pl-aying with you like this- ha-s-s me-“ He cut himself off with a sharp thrust of his hips, his tip hitting your clit. A smirk grew across his face from the moan you let out. “It has us all hot and bothered.”

You didn’t register Gojo’s words until it was too late. Geto’s body shifted, he turned to face you, looking at the scene before him. Drool streamed down your fucked out expression, your panties dangling by your ankles while Gojo’s dick fitted between your plush thighs. The white-haired man’s hands gripped your hips, his mouth attached to your neck to send your shocked body at ease. “Did you want to leave me out, y/n?”

“Ge-to I-“ You couldn’t help the whimper that came out from you. Geto waited for your response, watching the pinkish tip hit your stimulated clit over and over again. Words couldn’t come out of you faster, you wish they could, begged for them too.

Precum leaked from Gojo’s cock, his mind in a state of euphoria. Blush cluttered his cheeks from the naughty position, a sense of taboo washing over his body. One of his hands traced down to tease your clit, making your ass push back into him. Your eyes were clouded, tongue lolling out.

Panting, you spoke, “Pl-ease Geto. Touch me.”

The raven raised a brow, “Is that what you want, princess?”

“Yes.” You uttered without hesitation.

Your hips buckled back against Gojo when you felt his tip tease your hole. “Then can I put it in now.” He asked with a drunken stare. He licked his lips at the thought, his hands twitching on your body. “Yes. Pl-ease Gojo.”

His tip buried inside you while his eyes squeezed shut. He did it slowly to feel the way your sticky walls swallowed him whole. How they yearned and begged to be filled by him. “Ngh~ shi-t.” Gojo pushed out.

Dazed, your stare focused on Geto and how one of his fingers traveled to your tits. The nail scratched around the nipple before warm skin pulled at the bud. A moan broke through you when he repeated the action again. Twisting and pinching your sensitive breasts while Gojo plunged inside of you. Red and irritated, your flesh burned for his touch every second he’d leave it. He’d wait five seconds each time before pulling again, watching them bounce in front of his face.

What made you go crazy was when he slapped your clit, making a shiver run through your entire body. “Can you take it, princess? I know you can, after all you did make a bet.” A tear ran down your face from the pleasure, your mouth struggling to form a word much less a sentence.

Another slap, “I asked a question my love.” Geto mumbled, his eyes softening on your fucked out face

“Ye-s!” You pushed out. Feeling Gojo’s rhythm pick up. Another pull to your nipples, this time even harder. Geto watched in delight at your pretty mounds.

A pale hand came up from behind you to hold onto one of your breast, the squeeze had you light headed. “I’m going to cum inside of you princess. I-I can’t take it anymore ngh~”

Geto laid another slap on your clit. “Are you ready to cum for me? For u-s princess?” Gojo withers as his speed increased, his cock bumping into your sweet spot.

Your orgasm had you screaming, another tear running down your face from the two slaps Geto gave your clit in between. You pushed back against Gojo, helping you both ride out your orgasm. Panting, both of you slumped onto each other as cum leaked down your tangled legs.

A wicked smile coated Geto’s lips, “ready to please me now? Princess.”

[basu-shokikita]

Dethentines 2024 Day 7

Will you be my Valentine?

Picture me arriving to the finish line wheezing and dying, 'cause that's me right now. I don't know why I thought that finishing the entries on the very same day of posting was a good idea but that's what ended up happening. Never again, hopefully.

Either way, here's my last entry for Dethentines, aka the one that matters the most because it's for Valentine's Day so I made an extra effort and you get a whooping +2k words for today. It's Skwistok, obviously, but the rest of Dethklok get a pretty decent amount of participation because I wanted to go out with a bang. Or try to.

Also, I'm linking to this song for no reason.

Thank you so much for organizing Dethentines this year! I had lots of fun and I'm happy to have managed to participate in all days ✨ See you around~

“And then we does the things like-” Skwisgaar made a high pitched noise. “Like-” He made an explosion sound. “You gets?”

“Right, like-” Nathan made a deep growling noise. “And then-” A boing-like noise followed. “And then some more…”

“Ja!” Skwisgaar nodded enthusiastically. It was really easy to talk about music with Nathan, it’s like they read each other’s minds somehow. “We has to…”

Suddenly, Toki walked into the living room. He stopped right when he saw the two of them. Skwisgaar raised a hand to wave at him, a reluctant smile on his face. However, Toki only frowned in response and left.

“Uh-oh.” Nathan watched Toki’s silhouette slowly get smaller. “What did you do?”

“Eugh…” Skwisgaar let his arm drop on the couch. “He ams mads abouts Vals and Tines days.”

“Valentine’s Day?” Nathan repeated in confusion.

“Ja, he askeds if I wanteds to spends wif hims. Goes ons a dates togethors…dats stuff…”

Nathan waited a moment and, when Skwisgaar didn’t continue, he asked. “And what did you say?”

Skwisgaar winced a little. “I says it was fuckings stupids and jackoffs things whats we donts needs.”

“Woah!” Nathan sat back in shock. “Woah, Skwisgaar!”

“Whats? We ams alreadies togethers sorts of, okeys?” Skwisgaar shrugged. “And Valentines ams dildos” He mumbled. “ I don’ts gets it.”

“Yeah, but Toki likes that shit, remember? He’s, uh…” Nathan struggled to find a word that wouldn’t be offensive. “...Different.”

“Pfft.” Skwisgaar snorted. “Differents ams rights.”

“Besides…” Nathan’s eyes wandered to the living room. “I don’t think it’s that weird to want to do all romantic shit when you’re in love. Love might not be cool at all, but it is pretty brutal.”

Skwisgaar pouted, unable to refute Nathan on that. Discovering his feelings for Toki had been a pretty brutal experience. “I guess you ams rights.”

“You gotta apologize to him, dude.”

“Eugh.” Skwisgaar looked up to the ceiling, unable to find reasons against. 

–

They were having lunch and Toki was too busy finishing up his mountain of spaghetti to notice Skwisgaar had been staring at him for the past 5 minutes. It was late and there was nobody else in the kitchen but them. Well, besides the Klokateers.

Skwisgaar decided to make an attempt. “Toki?” He called him hesitantly.

Toki kept eating as if nothing had happened, slurping loudly and spreading cheese on the pasta like his life depended on it. Frankly, Skwisgaar wasn’t sure Toki had heard him or not.

“Toki?” He called him a second time.

Still nothing, Toki was gulping from his glass of water. “Mores, please!” He said, after slamming the glass on the table.

“Sire!” One Klokateer immediately appeared with a pitcher of water and filled Toki’s glass to the brim.

“Thank yous.” Toki said before he resumed eating.

“Tok-” Skwisgaar decided to cut the bullshit and sat on the seat next to Toki. There was a subtle acknowledgement, as Toki glanced to his side before returning his attention to his food. “Toki, listens.”  Skwisgaar said, gently placing his hand on Toki’s arm. 

Toki kept eating, completely unbothered.

Truth to be told, Skwisgaar wasn’t used to being this ignored, especially not by Toki, so he felt the discouragement in his gut. He cleared his throat. “Ams sorries about de other deis, okeis? I didn’ts…realize how imporkstants it ams was to yous, soes…”

“Dat was goods.” Toki said and Skwisgaar raised his eyes with expectation, but Toki was staring at his now empty dish and rubbing his belly.

He sighed. “Tokis, please, we can does what you wants. I won’ts complains, justs-”

Abruptly, Toki stood up and walked away without looking back. Skwisgaar buried his face in his hands in frustration.

He really fucked things up this time.

“Ye gotta mehk it up to him, dood.” Pickles suddenly spoke behind him and Skwisgaar almost did a somersault from shock.

“Eugh! Pickle!” He glanced at him, horrified. “Whens dids you get heres?”

Pickles grimaced like he was offended. “Dood, I’ve been here de whole time.”

“Huh…” Skwisgaar could not remember for the life of him seeing him here but , oh well. “Waits, what does you means makes it ups to him?” He squinted. “Whats does you knows?”

Pickles snorted, gesturing dismissively with one hand. “Nethan already told me ‘bout it. You broke Toki’s heart, didn’t ye?”

“Wells…” Skwisgaar winced. “I wouldn’ts…puts it like dats…”

“An apology just wahn’t do.” Pickles leaned into Skwisgaar’s ear. “Ye gotta surprise him yourself.” 

“What?” Skwisgaar turned to him in horror. “You means…?”

Smirking, Pickles nodded slowly at him. 

–

Skwisgaar looked at the door with preemptive regret. He was one second away from leaving and forgetting the whole thing. This was his dignity on the line now, nothing to joke about.

Toki’s face flashed in his mind and Skwisgaar closed his eyes in defeat. His breath hitched and his heart raced as he knocked on the door thrice.

It only took a few seconds for it to open, and behind it, a confused Murderface appeared. “Schkwisgaar? What do you want?”

“Is never thots I woulds says dis, Moidaface.” Skwisgaar was already short of breath. “But I needs yous helps.”

Murderface crossed his arms with a scowl. “Thisch better not be a prank.”

“I don’t has time for pranks.” Skwisgaar said as he made his way into Murderface’s room.

“Hey!”

Uncaring, he slammed the door behind him and Murderface gave him a stunned stare. “I needs yous helps now.”

Murderface looked him up and down, like he wasn’t sure what to make of Skwisgaar’s words. “Thisch ischn’t a gay thing, right?”

“Whats?” Skwisgaar was appalled. “N-well, it ams kinds of gays, actuallies.” He sighed. “You ams goods friends with Tokes, rights?”

“I guesch.” Murderface shrugged noncommittally which honestly irritated Skwisgaar but he decided to let it go.

“Does he, eugh…Does he talkeds about Valskentines with yous?”

“Oh,” Murderface rolled his eyes and turned around. “All the fucking time! Me and Schkwisgaar are going to do thisch! Me and Schkwisgaar are going do that! It’sch my firscht Valentinesch ever, Murderface! I’m scho exschited!” He made a disgusted noise. “Made me schick, really.”

The guilt piled up on the pit of Skwisgaar’s stomach. “Does you…remembers any specificks?”

“Uhh, he schaid it would be the firscht date ever for you guysch so he wanted to do everything…” He rested his back against his deck. “Firscht, have breakfascht in bed. Then, go to the petting szchoo to pet the catch. After that, walk in the park while holding handsch and eating…” He shuddered. “Hot dogsch. Then, planetarium vischit to look at the starchs. Then, go to the theater to watch a movie…and then dinner at a fanschy restaurant. He did schpare me the detailsch for the night after that, thank Chrischt.”

“Eugh…” Skwisgaar was impressed. “You shores remembers de hole thingks.”

“Well, he wouldn’t schut up about it!” Murderface defensively and opened the first drawer of his desk. “Look, he even made drawingsch of it!” At once, Murderface spread a bunch of drawings over the top of the desk.

One of the drawings had them petting cats, in another they were walking in the park with the hot dogs, looking at the stars, at a fancy restaurant…there were even some drawings of things Murderface hadn’t described, probably things Toki couldn’t fit into their schedule.

“Why does you has dese?” He asked.

Murderface blinked a couple of times before looking away. “We like drawing together, okay? And he alwaysch leavesch hisch drawingsch here. Idiot.”

“Rights.” Skwisgaar stood up. “I thinks I gots all I needs now, so I’m goingks-”

“Wait, what do I get in exchange?”

“Eugh…Toki’s unconskditionals loves?”

Murderface buffed. “Big deal.” Skwisgaar was walking to the other when he spoke again. “I know it’sch not any of my buschiness but…” Skwisgaar turned to look at him. “He kind of, really likesch you, scho…yeah.”

Unbelievable, even Murderface was lecturing him now. Skwisgaar couldn’t imagine sinking lower. “Rights. Thanks, Moidaface.”

“Whatever.”

Skwisgaar closed the door, a new determination finding its way inside him. 

–

“Whats ams dis?” Toki asked, upon finding a letter next to his plate during breakfast. It was a bronze envelope with a blood red seal. 

“Hm?” Pickles was stuffing oatmeal down his throat. “No idea, dood.”

Toki was skeptical, looking at Nathan and Murderface eat in silence. “Where ams Skwisgaar?”

Nathan, currently attacking a beef steak, replied. “Uhh, probably sleeping? Who knows. It’s Skwisgaar.”

Still not quite convinced, Toki ripped open the envelope and found a letter inside except there was nothing written in it. Just a red guitar vaguely shaped like a heart. “Alrights, who ams doings this? It amsnt funnies.” He asked with irritation. He wasn’t in the mood to get pranked on Valentine’s Day.

“It’sch probably schomething to do with playing the guitar.” Murderface blurted and the other two glared at him. “Or schomething.” He added to save face.

Toki squinted at his friends. “You guys amsnt collsudings togeders, ams you?”

“No.” All three of them said at the same time, which only made it more suspicious.

“We’re just eatin’ our breakfast here.” Pickles said.

“Yeah, why would we care about anything that ischn’t our breakfascht?”

“It’s not like today is a special day or anything.”

Toki got up from the table, unamused. He wasn’t going to bother with this, he would just get to the root of the problem and cut it off. Simple as that. 

“Skwisgaar.” He knocked on his door. “Ams not in de moods for dis okays? Soes just-” The door opened with a creak, revealing an empty bedroom. Toki looked inside, intrigued and found lit red candles melting on the floor. Upon closer inspection, he realized they were skull shaped. 

On the bed, there was a guitar made of red rose petals and a pile of Deaddy Bears in different brutal outfits laid in place of the pillows. The TV was showing ‘Love and Guts 4’ Toki’s favorite horror movie and, under it, there was a box of sugar-free chocolates with a note on them. 

Meets me wheres we first kiss

Toki’s eyes widened upon reading. Did he mean….?

–

He couldn’t help it, he was supposed to be mad but he couldn’t help running towards the location, excitement drumming inside his chest. What was he expecting? What was going to happen? What had Skwisgaar planned?

When he reached the double-door, he found it only marginally open so he grabbed the knob to reveal the inside. 

Skwisgaar was sitting on a stool inside Murderface’s closet, guitar in his hand. He seemed to have been caught off guard because he made a surprised noise when he saw Toki.

Toki tried to catch his breath. “Skwisga-”

Abruptly, Skwisgaar started playing the guitar. First the E, then the G sharp minor, then the C sharp minor, then the A. Then he played the whole sequence again. 

“Does you wanna be mines girls-boyfriends…” He sang unsurely. “We’lls walks to the cemeteries and alls kiss you agains…And makes ours dead friends blushks…We ams getting marrieds right dere on de seens…” He inhaled shakily. “Does you wants to be mines best friends? Yous can drives me crazies alls over agains…And alls bores you death oooh, doesn’ts matters when we ams in love. Rights?” He smiled at a speechless Toki.

Then the guitar got heavier, but Skwisgaar’s eyes were still on Toki. “Does you wanna be mines boyfriends?” He continued. "Does you wanna be mine boyfriends? Does you wanna be mines- Does you wanna be mines?” He stood up and kept playing, now closing the distance between them as he finished up the song. When it ended, he had essentially backed Toki against the wall.

Skwisgaar’s expression softened, the confidence from playing was fading into reluctance. “Ams sorries about everythings, Toki. I didn’ts realize how impskortants dis was to yous. Lets me makes it up to yous. Is calleds reservations fors a restaurants and bookeds de movies and plansetariums, ands the pettings zoo has spots fors us and-” Impulsively, Toki locked their lips together and Skwisgaar lost the trail of his thoughts.

“It ams okay, Skwisgaar.” He said when he pulled away. “I just thoughts you didnts…” He shook his head, smiling. “Doesn’ts matters.” Giggling, he laced their fingers together. “Soes, boysfriend?”

Skwisgaar felt his face heat up from embarrassment. “Dats- Dats what de songs-” He stopped babbling and his face turned solemn instead. “Eugh, ja.” With a heavy swallow, he asked. “Does you wants to be mines boysfriends, Toki?”

Toki’s smile was like a thousand beams directed at once at Skwisgaar. “Ja, I wants to bes your boyfriend, Skwisgaar.”

Smiling back, Skwisgaar brought Toki closer to him. “Cans I kiss mines boyfriends now?”

“You cans.” Toki said, the happiness leaking from his face.

As they wrapped around each other, Skwisgaar felt only slightly bad for the mess they were about to do in Murderface’s closet.

But only slightly.

–

“Well, it sure sounds like they’re havin’ fun.” Pickles commented, ear to the closet door. 

“Now who’sch gonna clean after them!” Murderface complained. “My closchet isch gonna be dischguschting!”

“Murderface, you don’t even clean your own room.” Nathan countered, already looking tired. 

“Yeah, well, neither do you!”

“Yeah, ‘cause we’re fucking rich. Just call a Klokateer to get it done.”

“I guesch!”

The closet door banged so loudly that all three of them jolted.

“Okei!” Pickles clasped his hands together. “Who wants t' get wasted to feel less miserable on Valentine’s Day!”

“Me!” Nathan and Murderface replied in unison. 

“Let’s leave the lovebirds, then.” Pickles made an example as he walked away from the closet and the two soon followed him.

“Fuck Valentine’sch Day!” Murderface said.

“Yeah, it’s capitalism brutality, and not the kind that benefits us.” Nathan agreed.

“It’s stoopid as hell, like whoa! I’m in love! Big deal!” Pickles threw his hands into the air.

“Yeah.”

“Totally.”

They smiled at each other. Seriously, fuck Valentine’s Day. 

[certifiedlovergirlsstuff]

valentine

pairing: steve harrington x reader

WC: 1.9K

warnings: cursing, some suggestive stuff, a little nightmare sequence that involves punching and blood mentions. should be it!

summary: you blinked and suddenly, you had a valentine. ❤️

A/N: a late v-day post, i guess. inspired by the lovely Laufey song. much love to @alecmores for proofreading 💗💗💗

it cut off some of the ending when read on mobile 😒 but it’s looking completely fine on computer. just an fyi

masterlist

I’ve rejected affection for years and years. Now I have it and damn it, it’s kind of weird.

Out of your twenty-one years of living on this planet, this is the first year you have a relationship and it’s simultaneously the greatest feeling in the world while also making you want to run away. But you can’t find it in yourself to run, not from him.

Steve. Steve Harrington is your boyfriend. 

You feel like you need to pinch yourself every time he looks your way and throws a smile meant for you, or feel the furnace heat of his fingers grasping your hips before pulling you into a kiss, sweet or searing.

He tells me I’m pretty.

The two of you are just laying in his bed on a lazy saturday morning, with no hurry to be anywhere, facing each other as you practically share his pillow causing your noses to bump with a simple shift. The blanket covers both of you from the waist down, your top half open to the slight chill dancing through the room.

Steve's shirtless and you're wearing an oversized shirt you found at a garage sale, one that goes to rest at the top of your thighs, but right now it’s bunched up high, allowing Steve to toy with the elastic of your underwear and drag his knuckles over your exposed waist. Legs tangled together, your cold feet pushing into Steve’s calf causing a gasp of shock from the boy which pulled a heartfelt giggle from your lips.

“You’re the prettiest girl I’ve ever laid my eyes on.” A hand instantly moves to tuck loose strands behind your ear.

You don’t say anything, you can’t. Not when he’s looking at you like that. Soft eyes that twinkle, an easy smile that displays his stunning smile lines, his freckles, and moles that mark his face and body that you smother with thousands of kisses when given the opportunity. How his bed head of hair is curled and twisted this way and that, the ends tucking and touching his ear lobe and neck or even his jaw.

You don’t know how to respond to the sudden compliment, you haven’t received much in your years. So as you memorize him, you instantly say the words back to him, in your own way, of course.

“You’re quite pretty yourself, Steve Harrington. Very nice on the eyes.” A finger trailed his nose and down to his jaw.

A deep rumble from his chest filled you with a warmth that pushed away the February chill. You weren’t sure if you should’ve called him that. Most guys don’t like the word "pretty" being used when complimenting them, most like strong or handsome, pretty to them seems weak when it isn’t towards a girl. But when you looked at Steve he was all those to you, but pretty will be the one to always come to mind when you look at him, especially in moments like these. Intimate and away from prying eyes.

With every passing moment, I surprise myself.

You’re usually scared of guys, whether it be in a general sense or a relationship kinda sense. You’ve been on dates, didn’t like the guy and stopped talking with him or you liked him and went on a few dates but those ended up fizzling out as well.

But Steve Harrington made you feel scared, but the good kind of scared. The roller coaster adrenaline scare, where you’re whooping and hollering at the top of your lungs. Clinging to the metal bars for dear life worried you’ll fly away, but they're holding you securely in their grasp.

Steve constantly made you smile and laugh, scream out of slight fear or extreme pleasure. He held you in firm hugs, his chin digging into your scalp as he slowly swayed your bodies. He made you feel safe and loved.

Loved. You’ve fallen in love with him after just a year. Now you were scared.

What if he’s the last one I kiss? What if he’s the only one I’ll ever miss? Maybe I should run, I’m only twenty-one.

You began to panic. There was no real reason to panic, but you're an overthinker, constantly making useless scenarios in your fast-paced mind, thinking the worst of peaceful times. It’s a terrible flaw, but one you can’t push away no matter how much you try.

‘What if he gets bored of me? What if he thinks I’m clingy? What would he do if I told him I love him?’

Evil thoughts that would creep up in the time of silence.

You stared at nothing while you sat behind the counter at Family Video, body unconsciously swiveling the rolling chair from side to side. Steve and Robin are out on the floor putting away new releases and returning stock, their friendly banter becoming white noise to your ears as more corruptive thoughts came to mind and cramp every single space in your brain.

Your fingers pick at your nail beds, you don’t even feel the pricks of pain or feel the little trickles of blood pooling to the top. Only when you feel someone else’s hands pulling yours apart into their hold do you snap from your trance.

“Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” Steve's melodic voice rings in your ears.

“Huh?” Not too sure what he means.

His eyes are focused on your hands, pulling each finger in his eye line and then bringing a kiss to each nail. It made you flush at the sudden display of affection.

“I was calling for you,” another kiss, “and you didn’t answer so I came here,” kiss, “and your eyes were just wide and you were picking at your nails. I thought you stopped that.”

‘Great now you disappointed him’ ‘Probably thinks you’re a liar’

You bit your bottom lip, “got lost in my thoughts. That’s all.” A shrug of your shoulders.

He still held your hands, fingers laced together and his thumb ran atop your knuckles. He was warm and comfortable, it pushed the negative thoughts away just a bit.

Then he crouched down, hands placed on your knees and head tilted to look up at you with your small bit of height. His head tilted and swayed, trying to find your eyes that you wanted to hide away from him, he could always find what was wrong in the end.

“Sweetheart,” he sighed, “I’m not gonna make you tell me what’s wrong, or I won’t act like a mind reader, cause I’m not-“ “Beg to differ on certain days.” You interrupted.

He breathed a laugh, “if you believe so. But I just want you to know you can talk to me if something is bothering you, especially if it’s about me. Cause I don’t want you to think the wrong thing.” He squeezed your knees.

You looked at Steve, held his eye contact, and said, “I really like you, Steve Harrington.” The closest thing to I love you right now.

He smiled wide, “I really like you too, sweetheart.”

I’ve lost all control of my heartbeat now.

He said the words. He said the words.

“I love you, (Y/n).”

It felt like all the air left your lungs and now you probably looked like a fish out of water, mouth opening and closing. Trying to process everything that just happened while also trying to find the words for a proper response.

“(Y/n)? You okay?” He has a firm hold on your biceps.

Your own hands are also holding his biceps, eyes dancing across his face. You wanted to memorize this moment, the way he looked in the overhead lighting of the grocery store where you were buying snacks for a night in.

He just had to say the words that rocked your heart in the freaking grocery store!

“Sweetheart, say something, please. You’re scaring me a bit,” a chuckle but you knew he was concerned.

“Uh,” you blinked a few times, “really caught me off guard with that.”

The both of you chuckled, you from the absurdity of the moment and Steve from your comment. But it felt so perfect, a special moment to remember for the future.

When I hear I love you, now I’ve got someone to lose.

You tried fighting back, you desperately tried with all the strength you could muster into your bones. You yanked hard against the metal cuffs, the skin on your wrist starting to sting from the breakage. You tried kicking with your legs, but it was no use, you weren’t close enough to hit anything or anyone.

You could only stare and scream as you thrash. Watching helplessly as the soldier beats Steve down with his knuckles. How his skin breaks and bleeds, the loud cracks of his nose breaking causing blood to spill from his nostrils.

“Stop! Stop! Please! We’re telling the truth!” You tried to plead with them.

They just laughed and continued the harassment. Steve always being the hero, making sure they don’t lay a finger on you, causing him to be the center of their attention and attacks.

When the soldier got tired from throwing punches, he gripped Steve’s neck tight. You could slowly see the blood leaving his face, the air not making its way to his brain. His feet scrambled against the floor to find some purchase.

In what seemed to be his final moments, he looks at you.

“Steve!” You cried as you blotted upward from the bed.

Your chest heaved with heavy breaths and sweat formed at your temple while your back and chest were sticky with perspiration. A hand touched your chest to feel your heart as you pushed sticky strands from your face.

‘Just a nightmare’ ‘It was just a terrible nightmare’

“(Y/n)?” A scratchy voice was heard through the darkness of the bedroom.

“Steve, sorry.”

You felt him sit up, his hand rubbing circles to your back along your sleep shirt. He laid his head on your shoulder and placed his free appendage on your thigh.

“Was it a nightmare? Cause usually if it's dreams, there’s a different way we go about things.” He tried for a laugh and you gave him one. “There we go,” he sighed.

“Can you just hold me?” You whispered. An unspoken ‘I love you’

“Always, sweetheart.” ‘I love you too’

The first one to ever like me back. I’m seconds away from a heart attack.

“You know you are my first boyfriend, like ever.” You randomly blurt one day in Steve’s kitchen.

“No way, I find that hard to believe.” He called over his shoulder as he worked on breakfast.

“Oh!” You hop onto his counters, “and what makes you think that? Do enlighten me.”

He didn’t say anything quickly, so just as you were about to say something, he spoke up, “because you’re… you. Anyone would be lucky to be with you.”

He said the words so easily like they were the most obvious answer to your question. He was trying to give you a heart attack with how sugary sweet he is.

“Like I can’t believe I get to call you mine. Every day I wake up and remember I’m dating you and it makes my day one hundred percent better already. And knowing I get to call you or see you throughout the day, it keeps me from going insane during the boring or terrible moments.”

You were speechless. Steve caused every word and thought to leave your mouth and brain, all you could say was, “I love you.”

I blinked and suddenly, I had a valentine.

[starrylothcat]

Unspoken

🔥NSFW🔥Crosshair x Female!Reader One - Shot

Summary: You and Crosshair struggle with feelings as your stress relief agreement becomes more than anticipated. 2500 words.

Warnings: NSFW, 18+. Minors DNI. Kinda angsty. Unprotected consensual sex. Brief mention of wound and blood, not detailed. Reader is a doctor but it doesn’t really matter at all for the plot.

Author’s Note: I wanted to post this last week, but then re-wrote the entire thing. Whoops. Haha. It was supposed to just be shameless smut, but then I accidentally added ~feelings. This is my first time writing smut, trying to get the hang of it. 😘

For all the Crosshair girlies, I hope you enjoy. We love our emotionally unwell sniper. I’m an absolute sucker for soft Crosshair. Please let me know what you think! ❤️❌

You laid back on your bed and let out a large sigh. This is a little pathetic, _____ you thought to yourself, staring at the ceiling. You were waiting. For him. It was late, and the only sound in your small room beside your sigh was the Kamino rain hammering against the window across from your bed.

You had…a thing…with the sniper. It started off as purely transactional to blow off steam. He annoyed the kark out of you, sure. But you couldn’t deny you had feelings for him. And you guessed he liked you too in a way, since he kind of started this. He was the one to kiss you first, after all.

You smirked to yourself at the memory.

After months of back and forth, biting comments and eye rolls, resisting your medical care, it all boiled over. You don’t even remember what you were arguing about, but you do remember his lips suddenly on yours. Messy, fervid. You gladly accepted.

It was an intense night of passion, releasing all the pent up tension you had for one another that had been building ever since he first stalked in to your medical office on Kamino.

After, you both knew once was not enough. You initially agreed no label, no attachment, if this were to continue. What are we, Jedi? You thought bitterly. It just made it easier, or so you thought at the beginning.

At first, your couplings were wordless and intense. Just two people desperate to feel something during the war. It was for him to forget the day’s mission and for you to forget the thoughts of sending men off to their deaths.

He was unrelenting and vigorous, and you didn’t mind.

After, when you laid next to each other, gasping for breath and covered in sweat, he would leave without a word. Once again, you were fine with it.

At first.

Slowly, feelings began to swirl in your chest. You knew you shouldn’t, but it was getting increasingly more difficult.

Especially since Crosshair was starting to make it more difficult. Sometimes, he’d lay next to you longer afterward. Sometimes, his kisses would be softer, catching you off guard from his usual fiery lips on yours, especially if he had been gone on a longer than usual mission. Or, when he would be getting dressed, he’d mention a few things about his next detail with his brothers. He was a man of few words, so when he spoke, you listened.

You caught your own words in your throat a few times, almost asking him to stay. Instead, you’d just bid him a good night. He’d nod with a grunt, his intense gaze lingering for a moment, before disappearing through your doorway. Sure, he challenged you at every turn, but you began to see past his immense walls he had built around himself. You picked away at them when you could, when he let you. You could see a man desperate for connection far beneath his sometimes glacial exterior. You would give that to him, if he let you.

But he was like a wild animal. Any sudden movement could scare him away forever. You’d rather continue what you had than ruin it by trying to make it more than it was. The problem was, you did want more. But did he?

You sighed again, turning on your side. Rain continued to pelt the small window in your quarters. You knew he’d be knocking at your door soon.

The white, sterile halls of Kamino were empty, except for Crosshair who stood in front of your door, his hand raised, prepared to knock. He was here for his debrief with you. He had just returned from a particularly rough mission, and was here to get lost in you. Your ritual that began as just stress relief was turning in to something more, and deep down he knew it. He considered not knocking, and sulking back to bed. Maybe it was time to cut this off. It was getting harder for him to stomp down the new feelings he was experiencing, and it frustrated him. Scared him, even.

He had sought women in the past for sex, but it was always brief. Never any feelings. No interest in any sort of relationship whatsoever. He couldn’t even remember their faces, and never saw them again after. But you. You were different, and he hated how he caught himself thinking of you. Longing for you when he was in his bunk at night, far off on a mission. Or how when he returned, he looked forward to when he could slip away from his brothers and feel your lips on his. Crosshair knew you wanted him to stay some nights, but the thought of getting any closer meant more feelings, more longing. More hurt.

He was waiting, no expecting, for the day you finally had enough of him. The night that he knocks on your door and you don’t answer, proving to himself he was destined to be unwanted. But that hasn’t happened.

He tightened his jaw and clenched the fist that was still raised to knock. He chewed on his toothpick for a moment before bringing his knuckles quickly to your door.

Three fast knocks at your office door brought you back to the moment. It was him. You stood up from your bed, adjusting your hair in your reflection of the small window. Like he even cares. You thought, knowing the second he steps through the door how your hair looks will be the least of his or your concerns. You walked out of your bedroom that connected to your office. You composed yourself for a second and opened the door. Crosshair silently stepped in.

Before the door was fully closed behind him, he had his lips on yours. He quickly pinned you against a nearby wall, his mouth devouring you in a desperate, intense kiss.

He lifted both of your legs, pressing even closer to you as you locked your ankles around his waist, wedging you against the wall. You let out a quiet moan as his codpiece pressed wonderfully between your legs, where heat was pooling, embarrassed by how quickly he could turn you on. He growled as you bucked against him, your hands flying up to grip the back of his head, digging in to his silver locks. He tore away from your lips and gave you a dark, heated look. “This desperate for me, hm?” and began sucking and biting down your neck, which elicited another moan from your mouth. You could feel his iron grip on your thighs tighten even more as he lavished your collarbone. That’s when you noticed a gash on his head, still fresh from the mission he just returned from. “Your head…” you gasped as he was bringing his lips back to yours. “Don’t worry about it.” He growled and pulled away from you, his pupils blown with lust. “Bed, now.” You tried to protest but he carried you across the room to your small bedroom. He unceremoniously dropped you on the bed as he began to strip his armor. “Crosshair wait,” you sat up on your elbows looking at the wound on his head, near his ear. “Let me see that.” He was now in his blacks, staring down at you, his arousal painfully obvious. Don’t. Worry. About. It.” His voice was deep and husky, laced with desire. Crosshair was on you again, tugging your tunic off your torso. His eyes widened a little, realizing you had no bra on. “You really are desperate for me, doc.” A small smirk tugged at his lips as he latched on to one of your nipples, causing you to throw your head back in pleasure.

You wanted respond to him, to say the only reason your bra was off was because it was the end of the day. But maybe it was also for him, knowing he would find you tonight.

But any thoughts left your head as he brought up a free hand to massage and pinch your other breast as he relentlessly nipped and sucked at the other. “I don’t know…” you gasped, your mind spinning. “You seem pretty desperate for me, too.” Crosshair suddenly stopped his attention to your chest and shot a look at you, and if looks could kill, you’d definitely be dead.

Before you could think of another smart remark, your pants and panties were off, and Crosshair’s head was between your legs. He gripped the flesh of your thighs and pulled them open. “Enough talking.” Crosshair’s hot breath spread across the inside of your legs, causing goosebumps to prickle up your body. Crosshair brought his face closer to your already wet heat, and ran his tongue painfully slow across your folds.

You gripped the sheets and arched off the bed. “C-Cross…” you almost shouted as pleasure shot up your spine, any thoughts in your head now fully gone. Another thing he hated himself for: he relished how his name sounded when it left your lips. He wished he could hear it every night.

He gave you a quick look from between your thighs, and then continued to torture you with his slow pace. How could you not fall in love with someone who made you feel like this?

Satisfied with your moans, Crosshair picked up his pace. You could feel your release building in your lower belly. “I…I’m…” you panted, unable to form any coherent thoughts as you reached your peak. Though sometimes he could be unreadable, cold even, he was not selfish in the bedroom whatsoever. He always made sure you came first, so there was somewhat of a gentleman buried deep inside him.

Crosshair’s tongue swirled around your clit, finally bringing you over the edge with just his mouth. At this point, he knew exactly how your body worked. You cried out his name as your body convulsed, your legs turning to jelly, white hot pleasure flooding your senses. His gloved fingers dug wonderfully in to your soft thighs, leaving small marks. He continued to lap you up, even as you came down from your high. “That’s my girl” he rumbled as he removed himself from between your legs, wiping your slick off his chin. That was another thing that was happening. Your nights of passion were becoming more vocal. Mumbling passionate praises to one another, no longer wordless. Am I your girl?

“Crosshair, please, I need you. Now.” You begged. You didn’t care if you actually sounded desperate now. You wanted him to know how much you truly wanted him.

He removed himself from between your thighs, and stripped himself of his blacks, his eyes never leaving yours.

You suddenly felt vulnerable, his gaze piercing straight through you. Your heart thudded as he climbed on top of you, his hard manhood pressing against your opening. You wrapped your legs around his waist, pulling him closer to you.

Crosshair hovered over you for a moment, his arms caging you in, and looked like he wanted to say something. Instead, he kissed you again, but this time it was softer. You still didn’t know what this meant, but you happily played along. You brought your hands to his head, gently brushing over his scalp. He gave a small moan, a moan you hadn’t heard before. You continued your soft touch to his head, hoping to pull another moan from him, and you accidentally grazed the wound you were still worried about. He winced and brought his lips away from yours, like he suddenly realized what he was doing, stopping himself. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to-“

Crosshair came back to his senses, his eyes dark. He suddenly and roughly took both of your hands and pinned them above your head. He couldn’t be soft. He couldn’t let himself get too attached. He almost slipped. He looked at you, your face flushed, your hair fanned out across your pillow, your naked chest heaving with desire. You were beautiful. But he couldn’t say it out loud. He wanted you to be his, and only his. But he didn’t know how to tell you. Or if he even could.

“Turn over.” He grunted, releasing your wrists and quickly turning you over on your stomach in one motion. Before you could say anything more, he was gripping your unbearably soft hips and pulled your pelvis up, entering you in one thrust. You gripped your bed sheets as he began a brutal pace, the only sound in the room being his body slapping against yours and your gasping moans. He was hitting a deeper and deeper spot with each thrust, your vision almost going white. You knew what he was doing, he couldn’t bear look you in the eyes in this moment. He had almost cracked. And you were okay with it, savoring his louder and louder grunts as he was nearing his peak. You couldn’t look at him in the eye right now, either. You were afraid you’d say something you might regret. Stay. I care. Let me in. Please. Words that Crosshair wanted to hear, but didn’t think he deserved.

Your knuckles were white, you nails digging in to your palms through the sheets you were grasping. Crosshair’s hips began to stutter, he wasn’t able to hold back anymore. His hands released your hips and he brought his torso down on to your back, his arms propping him up on either side of your head, his hands near yours that were gripping the sheets.

In a moment of pure vulnerability, his body reacted instinctually. His senses where overloaded with you and all the feelings that came with you. The good feelings, the frustrated feelings. The feelings he couldn’t process. He moved his hand and grabbed yours that was knuckling the sheets. You were so lost in pleasure you barely noticed, but immediately released the sheets and his fingers laced with yours.

The feeling of his weight in top of you, the sudden action of his hand holding yours brought you over the edge. The sound of your second orgasm filled his ears, your pussy clenching around him causing him to fall over the brink. Crosshair came deep inside you, his body trembling. You heard him utter your name as he pressed his weight on top of you momentarily, coming down from his own intense high, your hands still entwined. This action said more than he ever had.

You both laid there for a moment.

Or minutes.

You couldn’t tell.

You could feel his labored breath on your neck, his head resting next to yours. His hand was still on yours, and you dared not move. Finally, he sat up, his hand sliding off. He laid next to you on his back and you turned on your side, looking at him. You wanted to say something. You wanted him to say something. This was more than just sex now. It was out in the open. You decided to take the leap, and say what you’ve wanted to for a long time. “Crosshair…” you whispered. “Don’t leave.”He slightly turned his head and his eyes met yours. You slowly placed a hand on his chest, tracing a small line down his pectoral. Please. He began to sit up, and your heart sank, panicked this was the end, that you both had taken it too far. He had shown you a side of him that absolutely no one had seen, and you were worried he’d be gone for good, severing this before the feelings really took hold. Finally, he spoke. “Well, are you going to patch up my head? Unless you want me bleeding all over your sheets the entire night.” The entire night?

You smiled softly, trying not to show too much excitement in your expression to his admission. “I don’t mind. The sheets are already dirty.” He huffed, but still not getting out of your bed. “Some doctor you are.”

You could see the faintest trace of a smirk pulling at the side of his lips. You got up to quickly grab a bacta patch from your med kit. When you returned to your room, Crosshair was laying down again, his arms crossed on his chest. You tended to his wound as he laid there, accepting your gentle touch. After, you laid down next to him. You were still waiting for him to suddenly pop up and run out the door, changing his mind. But he stayed.

You woke up the next morning, and Crosshair was already gone. His side of the bed was perfectly made, the pillow neatly placed, the sheets tucked in on the side. It was like no one was ever there. But you remembered sometime in the early morning the ghost of a kiss on your temple, your name being uttered. You remember reaching out, brushing your hand against his as he turned to leave. All the unspoken words were now loud and clear. You were his. He was yours.

Author’s note: Thanks for reading! Tagged as requested, the lovely @wanderer-six ❤️

[kriegermeanswarrior11]

Original anon here—you’re correct that the current theory is Janelly Farias. At first it seemed like another crazy L Chat rumor, but after noticing the following things, I began to put more stock in the theory.

**There is no definitive proof and they could simply be friends. Just wanted to share this for others.

- Sometime in mid Feb - JF and her gf breakup and JF and Ali cover the Gold Cup together on CBS. Ali follows Janelly on IG around this time, but it looks like Janelly had been following Ali previously.

- During the Gold Cup, JF is seen wearing a rainbow friendship bracelet that says “ur gay” on it. People on L Chat mentioned that her friend made it for her months ago for the Taylor Swift concert. You can find a closeup of the photo under her Pride featured stories section on IG.

- Mid March - Ali’s style shifts back to more of her normal style. It seems like she knows exactly who her target audience is with her outfits. Less “for the male gaze,” if you will. Same with her nails. 👀 [This isn’t necessarily proof she’s dating JF, just that lately it looks like she’s trying to attract a woman more so than a man]

- Around March 20-21, Ali begins following JF’s good friend Renata Masciarelli on IG. Supposedly RM and JF are in NYC during this time. Rumors about RM and Ali dating begin on L Chat, but they don’t really stick. Regardless, it is a bit of an odd follow. The theory, which is later (somewhat) confirmed, is that Ali spent time with RM and JF while they were in NY.

- Mar 24th - Ali does the MSG interview with Sue Bird and she’s wearing a new rainbow friendship bracelet. This seems to be the first appearance of the new bracelet. Since this date, the bracelet has made multiple appearances and in one of the latest photos from Ali’s trip to Spain, you can confirm that it is the identical “ur gay” bracelet that JF was wearing during the Gold Cup and the months previously.

April 13 - someone on L Chat shares some of Ali’s recent IG quote likes. They seem to have taken on a more positive, romantic tone than her likes in previous months.

- “It’s the person you never saw coming that will change your life.” IG @3amthoughts9

- “ You deserve a calm love with someone who is good for your mental health and nervous system. Someone who is your safe space, your best friend, and brings peace to your soul during stressful times.” IG @selflovehealer

Two in particular (which, ironically, JF also liked):

- “Being attracted to someone’s voice is a real thing btw” from IG @queensdiarry

- “Good sense of humor, dirty mind and beautiful heart. Deadly combination.” From IG @love.quotes

- Mid April, an anon comes on L Chat and says the following: “All the trolls that had Ali turning her back on the LGBTQ+ community. That she wanted a man. And now she is actually dating a woman. Whoops, did I say that? 😂”

- A day later, people on L Chat post: “Ali is dating Janelly Farias. Mexican soccer player.” and “They’ve been seen around NYC on more than one occasion when JF was in town.” (Can’t confirm if this is true or not, but it would make sense given the timing of JF being in NYC and Ali beginning to wear the bracelet)

- At some point between Feb 24th and mid April, JF unfollowed Ashlyn on instagram and unliked her notes app statement post. I happened to take a screenshot of likes on Ashlyn’s notes app statement back on Feb 24th when I was explaining the divorce drama to a friend and Janelly had clearly liked the post, as well as older posts on Ashlyn’s account. When the JF/Ali rumors started in mid April, I remembered Janelly’s name being on that list and I was like, “there’s no way she and Ali are dating if she supports the ex.” So, I went to Ashlyn’s profile and noticed the unfollow and the unlike. That seems like a definite choice to me. Even close friends such as HAO and Lori haven’t unliked the original post, even though they are clearly supportive of only Ali now.

- During my deep dive, I also noticed that Makeup Alex and Janelly started following each other and liking each other’s IG posts in late March. This is interesting because Alex didn’t do Ali’s makeup for the Gold Cup, the CBS makeup team did.

- Mid April - JF was on The Courageous Podcast and she talked briefly about her recent breakup towards the end of the podcast, there’s a short clip on her IG. In the short clip, she mentions having a phone conversation with the woman she’s dating about changing people’s opinions through education [the question was about trolls, death threats, and such]. I think given the online trolling lately both JF and Ali have been receiving, it would make sense that they might have a conversation like that.

So, to summarize, they could be new friends, but the bracelet and the unfollowing of AH are the biggest things that make me think it could be something more.

I noticed Alex's (mua) likes too...👀

I'm sure that if is true, we will have some more tangible "proof" when Ali is ready.

[princecosmosanon]

i read hearts on the mend a few days ago and it has fully consumed my mind oh my god...

i'm gonna need sokka to get a hug or two (or a hundred) as soon as possible😭 so good though i do love some angst <3

I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed all I’ve posted of Hearts on the Mend so far! I really can’t put into words how gratified I am when I receive comments here or on the fic itself.

It probably looks like I don’t appreciate the fic comments as much but it’s more like I have a mental block that tells me I can’t respond to comments until I post the next chapter and hnnnnngh that’s been A While. 😬 whoops.

You’re right! Sokka deserves a hug! He’s gonna get one soon, too, but not from the person he wants it from the most! But still! He gets hugs! And snugs! And love! Just platonic for now.

Thank you again for reading. I hope I can get the next chapter up sometime soon. I really can’t make promises because I have so much eating my time lately (work, cleaning, social obligations, etc.) and I just have the hardest time sitting down at my computer when my brain feels I should be doing something else. *sigh* but anyway, thank you again for commenting! I appreciate your continued support!

[chilling-seavey]

Dreamland (ln4) - Part One

↳ A/N Big thank you to @starlightiing for taking the time to talk this out with me & mega thank you to @norrussell for being my un-official beta reader and hyping this new universe up 🤭

↳ [Very Loosely] Inspired By: 'Heat Waves' by Glass Animals

↳ Summary: As a flunking university student in dreary Bristol, Lando is sure there’s another life waiting for him elsewhere. A life that he can only dream of living with the girl with a million dollar career, verified instagram, and a stunning smile that he swears was created for him. But maybe those dreams stray no farther than his phone screen.

↳ Pairings: Fanboy Lando Norris x Famous!Author!Fem!Reader (NO use of y/n), University Student Lando x Internet Friend George x Internet Friend Alex

↳ Word Count: 6.8k

↳ Warnings: 18+, male masturbation, he humps his bed a little (whoops), dirty talk (stemming from his imagination and his inner most desires), Lando's so incredibly down bad for a girl who doesn't know he exists

In the large university classroom, Lando tapped the end of his pencil against the edge of his calculator, his thick textbook open and his notebook page resting on top of it, blank. At the head of the large lecture hall, his professor was walking through the lecture on the overhead projector, showing step by step instructions for their task that day. As an accounting student, Lando might have at least feigned a bit of interest in the lesson on revenues and expenses but his eyes were nearly glazed over, his mind lost in thought, and his page far behind his peers. 

His mind only ever drifted to one thing when his interest wasn’t being immediately taken and that was you. You didn’t know it - in fact, you didn’t even know who Lando was - but he spent his daydreams letting his mind wander to various instances with you that he could only pray would be real some day. That day in particular, he was thinking about how sunny and warm it probably was in Monte Carlo for you compared to the late-winter rain that was pelting Bristol in that very same moment. The rain on the windows caused the professor’s voice to nearly be drowned out despite the fact that he spoke loudly to try and speak over it. Lando was too far past bored to bother trying to listen harder. 

As his classmates worked diligently around him, Lando slouched back in his chair near the back of the classroom and glanced down at his phone that was lying face up on the table beside his textbook. As if meant to be, the screen lit up with a silent Instagram notification indicating that you had just posted. 

His heart did a little leap and he glanced over casually to his professor still lecturing as he slid his phone off the table and held it in his lap to peek. Your birthdate was his passcode - two digit month and two digit date - and he tapped on Instagram from his home screen that was wallpapered with a selfie of yours (a picture he used to tell strangers whom he wouldn’t see again that you were his girlfriend…long distance of course). Your post was at the top of his feed and before his eyes even processed the image, he double tapped to like it. The little white heart appeared in the middle of the post, right over your chest, and then disappeared. 

“Mr Norris.” 

His head snapped up from his lap before he could graze your post with even a sliver of as much attention as you deserved, only to see his professor staring at him from the front of the lecture hall with a displeased expression and his arms crossed over his chest. A few students turned to look at Lando. He locked his phone and slid it shyly into his pocket. 

“Mr Norris, I certainly don’t think your current GPA is permitting you to take the risk of slacking off on your phone in my class, now is it?” 

Lando swallowed thickly as everyone was staring at him and a few of the other students chuckled to themselves at the professor’s diss. 

“No. Sorry.” Lando answered softly. 

“Manners and respect, Mr Norris.”

“No…s-sir.” Lando forced out, physically shifting in his chair at the discomfort it brought him to follow the strange order of his professor to call him sir as a form of respect. Of course, Lando would never outright admit why it made him uncomfortable. He certainly wouldn’t want to face the embarrassment of admitting how he secretly savoured that title for your lips only, how he fantasized of you calling him that and only you. Having to refer to his sixty-something male professor as such left a nasty taste in Lando’s mouth. 

Without the distraction of his phone, Lando was stuck spending the rest of the class dooling on his notebook paper to make it seem like he was working. He might have been a twenty-year-old adult but he still found himself pulling the tip of his pencil along the lined paper to form the curve of your silhouette that had been engraved in his mind since you posted that beach picture back in the summer. His bottom lip was captured between his teeth as he distracted his mind from the post he had yet to appreciate by sketching his pencil lightly to form the curve of your breasts. He erased his messy sketch before anyone could peek over his shoulder. 

The three hour class was far too excruciating even if he only had to endure half of it wondering about your post he had yet to see. It was driving him crazy in near suspense. The moment the class was dismissed, Lando rushed to put his textbook in his backpack and nearly shoved himself between the crowd of classmates taking their sweet time descending the stairs in the lecture hall towards the exit. 

The university hallway was a relief of cool air and Lando hiked his backpack higher on his one shoulder as he stopped just around the corner out of the classroom door and he pulled his phone from his pocket. He ignored his dozens of missed messages and went right back to your profile and opened your new post. 

At only the first glance his teeth were sinking into his bottom lip and he slouched his shoulder against the nearby wall with a deep exhale, eyes unblinking as he admired the pixels that made up the image of you on his screen. Additional images from a magazine photoshoot, you were wearing nothing but an oversized white button up shirt, the collar pulled open and unbuttoned near the top to show your collarbones, and your lips were painted in a glossy red. Naturally cut hair fell in a purposefully messy hair sprayed style around your shoulders and the direct stare you held to the camera with your very light makeup dusting your eyes had Lando’s chest clenching. He had to physically hold a hand to his heart for a moment as he swiped through the three similar images you posted, each with a near perfected lustful stare with your lips just slightly parted and your hands hiding your chest from the slightly see-through material of the white shirt. 

Quiet among the bustling university hallway, Lando breathed out a soft, “Jesus.”

He turned to rest back against the wall properly and he brought both hands to his phone to bring it a little closer to his face to really stare. He licked his lips habitually and then opened the comments on the post. He liked a few from your just-as-well-known friends and ignored the ones from other fans that would just make him cringe and he started to compose his own comment. 

landonorris: holy shit you’re so beautiful 🧡

When he posted his comment he scrolled back to the picture and zoomed in to take in every single part of you that he could before he was opening his messages. Lando didn’t have too many friends in university but he didn’t mind because he had a good few internet friends instead who honestly were so much better than ‘physical’ friends. They understood and accepted Lando’s little love sick crush on you and nothing felt better than that. 

alex_albon: MATE DID YOU SEE alex_albon: LANDO!!!!! alex_albon: DUDE SHES HOT alex_albon: COME GET YOUR GIRL alex_albon: LANDO alex_albon: LAN ARE YOU STILL ALIVE???

Lando could hardly hold back his grin right in the middle of the hallway as he quickly responded to his closest friend. 

landonorris: MATE IM NOT OKAY landonorris: I had to wait through my entire class until I could look properly omfg landonorris: She’s literally so fucking stunning oh my GODJHFHFJ landonorris: Minemineminemine 🤤 alex_albon: YES I KNOW OMG alex_albon: YOURS alex_albon: GO GET HER landonorris: God I wish she wasn’t so fucking far away UGJGEBHRG this is UNFAIR 😩 alex_albon: Finish your degree and then go have BABIES 🤪 landonorris: HAHAHAH MATE omfg relax!! alex_albon: Hey you said it first, I’m just being a supportive best friend

Lando swiped out of their dms only to return to your post and he couldn’t hide his smitten grin as he admired you. Alex wasn’t wrong because Lando often thought about a future with you; having babies with you, living in Monte Carlo with you, and following you around the world on your book tours. He was adamant that he was going to make that happen one way or another. He was going to have you fall in love with him just as he had with you. 

alex_albon: Wow leave me on seen okay landonorris: Sorry sorry sorry I was a little busy staring at a certain someone alex_albon: Don’t drool on your phone mateeee 😉😉

Lando had met Alex online only a year prior through his online blog he kept about you. He had wracked up a good following by posting little journal entries and sketches and a few short concepts here and there and, of course, posting your pictures like it was his day job to run an update account. Alex wasn’t as much of a fan of yours as Lando was but from the moment they first messaged, they hit it off and became close through the distant connections of the internet. With Lando in Bristol and Alex in London, they weren’t too far spread but they had yet to meet and that probably wouldn’t happen for a while since neither had the money nor means to make a trip cross-country. Their daily messages certainly made up for the distance. 

Lando had one more unread message in his Instagram dms and he left the thread with Alex to choose a song, slide in his AirPods, and tend to the next waiting friend as he started to walk back towards his dorm.

georgerussell63: Oh wow she always posts when you’re in class huh georgerussell63: Blimey she looks stunning in this post too geeeeez georgerussell63: Ugh mums calling me for supper but I’ll be back georgerussell63: Message me when you’re free!!!

George was the farthest away from Bristol in King's Lynn right on the opposite coast of the country. Just like with Alex, George and Lando met through his blog and became close quickly too. Lando was sure there were no two more supportive friends than Alex and George and their daily reassurances that someday you were going to love him back honestly was the one thing keeping Lando going. 

Lando navigated the busy university hallways with ease while he typed his excited reply to his other close internet friend, tuned out from the world by his curated playlist and wandering mind.

landonorris: Mate I KNOW I’m literally not okay pfjfjfkjng landonorris: It's like she KNOWS I’m busy omg but how can I be mad at her landonorris: LOOK at her landonorris: Like plz ruin my life???? 🤤

The rain that came down hard onto the Bristol university campus didn’t phase Lando as he tucked the hood of his sweater up over his head and hurried down the pathways back to the dormitories. He clutched his phone in the front pocket of his hoodie as if the lingering memory of your image would somehow be left behind in the downpour on his walk home. Like hell he was going to let you go that easily. 

The dry lobby of the residence building had him sighing in relief from the rain and he pulled off his hood as he fished his key card from his pocket. With a swipe to the interior doors, he was permitted into the elevator lobby and he smacked the call button a few times impatiently as he brought your Instagram back up on his phone. Safe from class and passing students, Lando let his thoughts drift to less of just she’s beautiful and more of I wish she wasn’t covering herself up. 

When the elevator dinged and the doors slid open, Lando stepped in without a look up and pressed his floor button out of complete muscle memory, all without taking his eyes off your images. He zoomed in again as he slumped against the back wall of the elevator and his lip was captured by his teeth again as your lightly manicured hands covered your breasts from the camera but the fair material of the white button up shirt had him able to see the slightest colouration of your nipple in the second image. His finger moved the zoomed in picture so he could see more of you and his eyes greedily soaked up the way the shirt hung loose around your thighs and rose up almost to your hips with how you were professionally positioned. 

His thoughts were turning dirtier faster and he nearly hurried down the hallway to his room to have some privacy. Lando closed the suite door behind him and glanced into his roommates room only to find it empty before he was dropping his backpack to the floor just inside his own room. He had never been more thankful for his roommate to have later classes and despite the fact he was alone in their shared suite, Lando still closed his bedroom door behind him just in case. 

His room wasn’t much different than that of any other twenty-year-old college boy with a bit of mess around the corners - clothes tossed aside and stray papers littering his desk - but on the shelf of his closet he had lined up in pristine condition, your few published novels in date release order. Lando never once called himself a reader and in fact he had always hated English in school, but when he came across a promo video on social media about your recent release, he became a little intrigued. He was more intrigued by you at first and he spent one night scrolling through your verified social media feeds before he ended up adding your debut novel to his Amazon shopping cart in a sleep deprived, curious, heart-eyed rush at 3:00 in the morning. 

He would proudly admit that yours were the only books he had voluntarily read since he was a kid. 

Finally back in the comfort of his own room, Lando pulled off his rain soaked hoodie and tossed it into his laundry pile in the corner of his closet and flicked on his bedside light. The rain outside caused the sky to turn dark far too quickly for mid-afternoon, but Lando couldn’t be bothered to close his blinds before he was flopping stomach first across his double bed to spend the next however long admiring your complete existence shamelessly. 

He literally felt warm all over when he looked at you, his heart always squeezed so tightly in his chest until he could feel each thudding beat that he swore was only ever just for you. You drove him crazy and you didn’t even know it. 

Lando blindly kicked off his muddy sneakers from his feet dangling off the end of his bed with his gaze captured all on your image. Having admired your body in the elevator, he took to your face now, making sure to give every pixel its deserved share of attention. Despite it being a magazine shoot, you only wore limited makeup so the focus was all on your red painted lips but your eyes that were lined with thin eyeliner and magnifying mascara had his attention all over you regardless. He swore you were staring at him like you knew what he wanted from you, like you knew what you were doing, and he could only stare right back. 

He shifted on his bed with a small hum as the admiration of your beauty was going right to his crotch but he barely paid any mind to anything else as he focused all on your lips. Lando’s mind was whirling with so many thoughts as his gaze lingered on your glossy red lips that were parted just so and looked nothing less than fucking irresistable. 

A message popped down from the top of Lando’s screen in the middle of his admiration session.

alex_albon: What r u up to?

Lando tapped it to open their messaging thread and he typed his momentary string of thoughts without second guessing, always able to word vomit into his friends’ dms without fear of being shamed for a single word.

landonorris: I want her to suck my dick alex_albon: DAMN okay I see what you’re up to alex_albon: Just dreaming about your wife haha landonorris: No mate you don’t understand landonorris: I literally want those perfect red lips around my dick landonorris: I fucking crave it landonorris: And I want to kiss her literally all over and worship her body and grab her tits and smack her ass and I want to make her moan my name landonorris: And I want to cum all over her face while she’s looking up at me like in that pic giving me those fucking eyes alex_albon: Oh my God mate 😦 pffhjffjfj you're down bad landonorris: FUCK ME THIS ISNT FAIR alex_albon: I know!!! She’d be fucking stupid to not want you Lan alex_albon: You’re literally made for each other landonorris: PLZ I want her so bad it's not funny landonorris: She’s so fucking pretty landonorris: I want to knock her up mate alex_albon: Only if I can be the godfather landonorris: Maybe we’ll have twins so you and George can share the honour lol alex_albon: Honestly I’m down landonorris: Literally just looking at her gets me so fucking horny it will NOT be hard to make twins first try ngl alex_albon: LMAO 😏 landonorris: Haha okay it’s raining here and I just got back to my dorm so imma shower brb alex_albon: Yeah okay go enjoy that 😏 landonorris: Lol stfu landonorris: 🧡

Maybe his friends kind of knew him too well but Lando didn’t want to let on too much so he played Alex’s teasing off before closing their messages and returning to your post. He screenshotted all three images and then held himself up on his forearm with his phone in hand as his other hand slid down to unbuckle his belt. He shifted onto his side just enough to take his belt off and then pop the buttons on his black jeans before pushing them down his legs and he flailed his ankles a little to get his pants to drop to the floor with his discarded shoes. Now in only his underwear and his t-shirt, Lando rolled back onto his stomach fully with a small sigh. 

He could feel himself getting a little hard by only the thoughts rushing through his mind - and by the sight of your new pictures of course - and he kept them going as he turned back to his phone. The screenshots of your post were in his camera roll and he opened them up to crop out the instagram banners and comments so it was only you taking up his screen. He smiled at the sight of you in the dim sultry lighting of the photoshoot studio you were in and the crisp warm light that lit you up like an angel. 

The second image was his favourite of your post between the teasing little slip of your breast behind the fair shirt and the way your eyes were a bit wider, more innocent and sultry, and he could nearly see the line of your panties with how the shirt was slightly raised at the bottom. He imagined them to be as red as your lipstick and lacey and tiny…imagining that peeking up the bottom of the oversized shirt you wore would give him a greedy view of your soft hips cradling the red lace that barely covered anything. 

Lando was nearly staring at his phone like he was staring right into your eyes right beside him, nothing but adoration spread through his eyes and the blush of growing lust staining his cheeks in pink. He barely noticed how he was grinding down slightly against his bed, his body swirling in slow precise motions, dreaming for the touch of your soft hand. 

The very same hands that covered your breasts in the images you posted, resting gently against your chest to keep yourself decent - you were a modest artist after all, thank you. He just knew you’d be so soft, that you’d touch him in all the right places, tease him with the sight of your body meant just for him. He had never been with anyone before which was another thing he would have hated to admit to anyone, but he knew more than ever that he wanted to give it up to you. He wanted you to be his first for everything that he had yet to check off…he wanted you to be the first woman he ever had in his arms and ever had in his bed. He just knew you would treat him right.

That concept was only solidified by the third book of yours that he had read, engrossed in the pages, illuminated by the light beside his bed back at home, as he was privy to the filthiest, hottest, most intricately detailed sex scene he had ever read. Well, the only one he had ever read. Lando didn’t know it was even possible to publish something so risky but the knowledge that you equipped into your writing only proved his concept that you would be the best partner he could ever have. 

With a swipe from the top of his screen, he put his phone on do not disturb to prevent any notifications from popping up while he was trying to have a moment alone with you. He cradled your picture on his phone in both hands as he let the lust work for him, shamelessly grinding against his bed without breaking his gaze from your body, your face, your everything. He couldn’t nearly feel the warmth of your skin right next to him and the plush feeling of one of your thighs nudged between his legs. There was nothing he craved more than the friction of your body on his and his imagination thrived at the concept of having you underneath him, just like that in the picture with your light makeup and plush red lips, wearing his shirt. 

Lando just wished he could kiss you too, staining his lips with your lipstick and how you would leave a trail down his neck in your wake. He zoomed in on your picture some more and set his phone down on the sheets between his forearms, staring right into your captured eyes as he pulled his body back and forth against his bed and his hands wrapped around the edge of the mattress. He moaned breathily at the friction and rolled his hips into his sheets strongly, taking his bottom lip between his teeth slightly, dreaming it to be you he was grinding against. 

The ache between his legs was growing and his cheeks only flushed more as he grew harder at the simple pleasure of the sheets against his clothed cock and the image of you beneath him. With a soft exhale, Lando propped himself up a bit with one hand flat to the mattress so he was on a bit of an angle and he glanced down his body as his hips ground in strong precise curling thrusts against the bed. 

He breathed your name into his room as he looked back down at your picture, soaking in your nearly lustful gaze staring right back at him. He moaned lightly as his hips started to move faster and he was nearly humping his bed in overwhelming pleasure, fingers gripping onto the edge of the sheets. 

“Fuck, okay,” Lando huffed out as he forced himself to stop quickly, groaning at the sudden halt of that sweet friction. He slid his hands underneath him and pushed himself onto his knees, sitting back on his heels, and took a second to stare down at the bulge in his underwear. It physically ached and he just wanted you to touch it for him. He wanted you to see how hard he could get for you.

The image of you standing at the side of his bed in front of him in only that white button up and nothing else had him quickly pulling off his shirt and tossing it to the floor and then shuffling out of his underwear. Left completely naked, Lando only dreamt of you staring at him, and his eyes gravitated to that picture again just to remind himself of how fucking stunning you were to him. It would be an honour to have you. 

“Want you to suck my dick.” he whispered into the air as he faintly traced the head of his dick with his fingers, “Wanna feel that pretty mouth, baby.” 

If you created stories, he was going to create stories. The filthiest imaginative little stories of everything he wanted to do to you, for only you to (hopefully) be privy to one day. He leaned over slightly and tugged open the drawer of his nightstand and fished around for the small clear bottle he had hidden in the back. He had no experience but he figured if he were to replicate your mouth as realistically as he could, he would need to make it as wet as possible. It wasn’t the first time he had gotten himself off to the thought of you and the small bottle of lube that he kept hidden away was of no thanks to the spiciest, hottest scenes in your romance novels. He may have been a raging virgin but he was no stranger to touch. 

There had never been one time that he jerked off and didn’t think of you. It was always you. He could only imagine you crawling slowly towards him across his bed in only that white shirt and your tiny red panties as he poured a generous glob of lube into his hand before tossing the bottle haphazardly across the bed sheets. Still sitting back on his heels, Lando spread his thighs apart slightly and smeared the lube in his right hand to warm it up a bit before he was staring down at your picture in front of him and he wrapped his hand around his dick. 

Lando sunk his teeth into his bottom lip with a small groan and slid his hand up the shaft of his cock slowly, savouring the soaking wet feeling from his palm. He thought of you between his legs, draped on your stomach with his shirt riding up your back so he could see the curve of your ass in those tiny lace panties and spank you as he wanted, all while you could take his dick in your warm, wet mouth. He could imagine it so well that his eyes literally fluttered as he exhaled strongly on the downstroke of his hand, dreaming about the lube being your spit instead. He wanted it so badly he was burning for it. 

“Yeah, baby.” he breathed out, “Suck it.” 

He moved his hand in steady strokes up and down his dick as if trying to mimic what he could only imagine your mouth would feel like. The lube smeared messily in his palm, between his fingers, and dripped down the length of his cock as he worked himself slowly but he was all too addicted to the disgusting wet squelch that it filled the room with. His breathing was heavy and his light grip he kept up pulled soft moans from his chest. 

Your name fell from his lips again in a breathy whimper and he slid his hand up higher to pull little twisting strokes right around the head of his cock, his thighs physically flinching at the sensation. His head fell back with a groan and he moved his hand faster right there. 

“Yeah.” he whimpered out, naturally starting to thrust up into his own touch a little, “Yes, yes, yeah, baby, fuck-” 

But he slowed it down to make it last, choking out a soft cry as he dragged his hand down in long slow strokes to ease the rising pressure again and he lolled his head to the side as he peered down at your picture again resting up on his bed sheets. His breaths fell heavier and as his impatient desperation grew, he had to move to a better position. 

The images in his mind followed the shift as he grabbed his phone with his left hand and could almost vividly picture you climbing on top of him as he draped himself backwards against his pillows. He craved to touch every inch of your skin for real but his imagination did him temporary justice as he pictured you unbuttoning his shirt to drape it open and give him a greedy view of your bare breasts and beautiful body. Lando bit his bottom lip again as he gave himself a few more lingering seconds of soaking up every inch of your picture in his phone before he was making a fist and lowering it down onto the tip of his dick so he could imagine what it would feel like to truly slip inside your cunt. 

“Oh, God, baby.” Lando whimpered at the tight squeeze of his lubed up hand, not tearing his eyes away from your image for even a second, “Shit, you feel so good.” 

But if he shut his eyes, it almost felt so real; like you were truly there in his dorm room and bouncing on his dick. The image was so vivid in his mind to the point that he could see the bounce of your breasts and the mess of your hair and the smudge of your fair makeup, your tiny lace panties simply pushed to the side. The sound of his hand on himself was easily enough replicated and he sped it up a little more with a lingering groan, his head tossed back against his pillow. 

Lando’s breathy praise was spoken to no one, “Good girl. Fuck- good girl, baby, just like that.”

He took one last look at your picture on his phone before he had to drop it to reach out and grab his thigh with a strangled whimper. He knew your face better than anything so resorting to just his imagination wasn’t a difficult task and he did so gladly. Being alone, there wasn’t too much of a need to be quiet but Lando tended to anyway, only letting out the smallest little whimpers and moans between his shallow breaths as the pleasure drew through his veins. 

The craving for you was so intense Lando felt almost dizzy and he fabricated you taking his whole cock deep inside you over, and over, and over, faster and faster. He choked out a little moan as his hand sped up and his head tossed back sharply against the pillows as his nails raked up his thigh in overwhelm. 

“Fuuuck-” 

Lando’s hand flew to his hair and he grabbed a tight handful as his hips started bucking up into his hand slightly, his moans only getting louder and he could nearly hear yours too, he swore. He just wished he could get his hands on you to grab your hips and fuck up into you or to grab your breasts and watched your face fall into pleasure. He dreamt of what your pussy felt like when you would cum around him, definitely knowing that his hand would never compare no matter how hard he tried to attempt to replicate it. 

“Oh God.” he squeaked out, his voice tightening in strain as he grew closer. His jaw clenched as he raised his head up to watch his lubed up hand get faster as the tip of his aching cock leaked for orgasm, groaning through his teeth, “Yes, baby, don’t fuckin’ stop.” 

Lando’s brain was flooded with your face, your body, every single one of his favourite pictures of you making up this never ending flow of stunning brilliance that he wanted to absolutely take advantage of in the best way. If you were anything like your writing, you knew how to fuck and Lando wanted all of it. Most importantly, he wanted you. 

Faint sweat was forming at his hairline as he fucked up into his hand that was feverishly stroking his cock, his chest rising and falling in anticipation as he gripped the back of his hair and spread his legs a little wider. His moans were getting more pathetic, more desperate, more pleading and he couldn’t stop picturing you on top of him. 

“Shit, I’m gonna cum,” he squeaked out quickly, “Lemmy cum inside you. Please, let me cum inside you.”

He fell silent for a second, only rasping out a ‘yes’ and your name, and his hand worked him right into orgasm. His mouth fell open and his head dropped back against the pillows as a little dribble of white spurted gently from his tip and fell onto his hand followed by a second. He stroked himself slower, really pulling and twisting to get more out as his hips ground up and a good shot streaked right up his faint abs. 

“Yes.” he breathed through his teeth, slowing right down, and his breath froze in his chest for a second as more leaked from his tip and he could feel his cock physically pulsing in his hand. Lando bit down on his bottom lip as he moaned out of his orgasm. “Mm, fuck.” 

He took a second to steady his breathing a little - and to imagine you falling onto the bed beside him and swallowing him up in pleasurable blissed out tired kisses - and then he reached over to his night stand to grab a tissue from the box. He wiped off his hand and then grabbed another to clean up the few streaks across his stomach and the tip of his dick before throwing them into the small garbage bin beside his bed. With a little pleased smile and a soft sigh, Lando rolled over to grab his underwear from the ground and pulled them on as he got off his bed. 

When he glanced back over his shoulder at the wrinkled sheets, he could only see your picture still on his phone as the true shape of your body laying there watching him get up, your cheeks flushed and hair a mess and shirt left unbuttoned to expose your chest to him. And you’d smile at him so adoringly that it honestly made his heart flutter and he wished he could really see you leaking with his cum right onto his duvet. 

In his underwear, Lando slipped out of his room into the silent suite that was still missing his roommate and helped himself to the bathroom sink to wash his hands. He took one last look in the mirror, brushing his hand over his once styled hair, and then returned to his room and closed the door behind him. 

Lando smiled at your picture that was still on his phone screen when he returned and he sat back down on his bed and slouched back against the headboard as he closed the photos app and removed do not disturb from settings. Instagram popped up with two notifications and Lando’s guess was correct that it was his two friends waiting for him. Since he hadn’t been able to properly talk to George yet since he was eating, he opened his messages first. 

georgerussell63: I’m back! georgerussell63: She just left you a little treat for after class lmao georgerussell63: I’m surprised I didn’t come back to spicy messages from you georgerussell63: Who are you and what have you done with Lando? georgerussell63: Haha

Then, a few minutes later, his friend’s casual banter shifted into the kind of messages Lando dreaded to read. 

georgerussell63: Mate, wait did you see? :/ georgerussell63: Wait probably not because I know you have him blocked georgerussell63: Do you want to know? georgerussell63: Idk where you are but I’ll just tell you anyway georgerussell63: It’s HIS shirt that she’s wearing :/ georgerussell63: Hello??

Lando’s eyebrows furrowed for a moment and he shifted in place at the sudden feeling of a sharp blade piercing his chest ached his heart. He rubbed his hand over his chest and then worded a simple response.

landonorris: What the fuck

He swiped out of his conversation with George and opened Alex’s to see similar messages waiting for him. 

alex_albon: Oh my God mate alex_albon: Ok warning now, you’re not going to like this alex_albon: She reposted HIS story on hers alex_albon: He was at the photoshoot and it’s his shirt she’s wearing in the post alex_albon: I’m literally so angry for you alex_albon: Lando? alex_albon: Hope you didn’t drown

Lando didn’t know what to say other than a repeat of,

landonorris: What the fuck

It had been a few months since you had publicly announced that you were dating some random influencer guy that Lando had barely heard about. Another thing he’d never admit? That he cried four times that day over it. It was a part of you that he should have been supportive of knowing that if you were happy then he should be happy, but it honestly just made him feel like trash, like some irrelevant stupid fanboy, and completely hopeless in love. In fact, to put it truthfully, Lando loathed the sight of your boyfriend. He loathed the sound of his name. He never would dream to hate another human being but your boyfriend pushed him pretty damn close to that. 

Lando just knew you could do so much better. 

You could do so much better with him. 

georgerussell63: I’m so sorry mate alex_albon: I’m so sorry buddy alex_albon: I will literally fight this man for you

Lando suddenly felt so dirty but not in the way that he had planned as the concept of having been staring at you in his shirt and jerking off to you in his shirt suddenly made him want to throw up. Cheeks pink with anger, Lando did the only thing he could honestly do in that moment: rant to his best friends in their group chat. 

landonorris: You’ve got to be fucking kidding me landonorris: Why is he literally everywhere landonorris: Why is he all over her all the fucking time??? landonorris: Does he not have a job??? landonorris: Can I not have one nice thing?? landonorris: These were her best pictures yet and he fucking ruined them landonorris: Why is she wearing his shirt in a photoshoot? landonorris: WHY WAS HE EVEN THERE?? georgerussell63: This is so fucked alex_albon: I’m literally pissed off too alex_albon: I couldn’t even tell you what this man's job is georgerussell63: Don’t worry Lan you’re gonna get to her some day and she’s going to fall all over you 🤍 georgerussell63: You’re literally perfect for each other she just doesn’t know you yet alex_albon: But she will!! georgerussell63: Hell yeah she will alex_albon: He may be someone she’s in love with now but you’re gonna be the one she’s in love with forever georgerussell63: Oof Albono spitting facts 🔥 landonorris: Like what does he have that’s so great landonorris: He’s brunette?? landonorris: Oh wow nice georgerussell63: Is now the time to mention that so are you? landonorris: Whatever mate I’m desperate landonorris: It fucking hurts and I hate that it hurts georgerussell63: It’s gonna make you stronger georgerussell63: Like Kelly Clarkson said lol alex_albon: You’re gonna be so strong it’ll be like WWE level gains up in here 💪🏼💪🏼 georgerussell63: She’s gonna be all over those guns mate georgerussell63: Unbelievably sexy 🥵 landonorris: Omfg guys 😂😂 alex_albon: Ripping through shirts kind of strong georgerussell63: Absolutely demolishing weak boyfriends kind of strong landonorris: Might go to shake his hand like a gentleman and -oops sorry didn’t mean to break your arm mate georgerussell63: PFFFF LMFAO alex_albon: HAHA dkm omggg georgerussell63: 1000% alex_albon: Plus you can race and what kind of girl doesn’t literally swoon over a guy that can race fast cars landonorris: Bro barely landonorris: Talking about not even getting past F4 is not the way to impress a girl georgerussell63: Fuck F4 mate alex_albon: What do they know about talent georgerussell63: Yeah and you’ve got serious skill georgerussell63: Fly to Monaco and drive circles around that woman alex_albon: And bring us too!! georgerussell63: That’s a given

Lando smiled lightly to himself and slid farther down on his bed as his friends eased his conscious like it was their day jobs. His heart beat for you, that was undeniable, and there was a second of any day that went by where he wasn’t thinking about how to get to you. 

landonorris: Next book tour idc I’m lining up at 4am to meet her landonorris: I bet she smells so good alex_albon: Siiiimp georgerussell63: Just please don’t say that to her face

PART TWO

Tag list: @brettlorenzi3

♡ None of the original writing on this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.

[heyiwrotesomethings]

First time requesting- because it always freaking closes when I even try lol.

Anyway I don't know if you had a prompt/request yet witha girl with the hanahaki Disease, and yes I've read your recent post. I'd also like it too have a good ending sooo.

I was going to ask you, when you can create either an Asa Mitaka (yoru?) x Female Reader. where Asa has the Disease right but listen she's jealous before she want's too confess to the reader but sees that reader has been hanging around with yoshida lately and you know that how she develops the Disease.. and get's really sick, so that Yoru has too take over too get asa to confess to the reader who's currently hanging with Yoshida..

The reason being is that the reader is Yoshida's co-worker also as a private devil hunter..So Yoru understanding the new information then tells the reader that (Asa) likes her and then disappears (go back?), so that Asa can properly confess.

That's it I really want it to be an happy ending. But if you're not comfortable with the character who can change it :)))

Petals

Asa Mitaka (and Yoru too kinda) x She/Her Reader

A/N: Writing for these two was so fun. Probably too fun because Yn doesn’t get very much time to shine, whoops. I’m not sure if the scars and eye pattern that show up when Yoru is in charge is just for the reader’s tracking benefit or if it’s a physical thing that all the other characters can also notice, but I decided it was the former because if the other characters can see the change, it would be weird for no one to bring it up. Thanks for the request, hope you like it! Word Count: 1,736

“Pathetic, I couldn’t have possessed someone more pitiful.”

“Shut up.”

“How long do you think we can survive like this? Why are you so stubborn?”

“I told you to shut up. I don’t know.”

Asa spat another petal into the toilet, wiping the blood from her lips with the back of her quivering hand. She flushed the toilet and shuffled out of the stall to the nearest sink, washing the blood from her hands and lips.

Feeling a little faint, she gripped the edges of the sink and closed her eyes, breathing in deeply. After taking a few breaths, she opened her eyes, finding her sickly pale reflection staring back at her. Asa blinked sluggishly. In that brief time, her unblemished reflection had morphed into a scarred, visibly annoyed version of herself.

“Go to her. Tell her now, or I will.” Yoru warned.

“You will do no such thing!” Asa spat, her fingers curled tightly over the rim of the sink.

“You know how this disease works. Will you really allow yourself to die without even trying? Is your sense of self-preservation really so weak?” Yoru snarled.

“It doesn’t matter.” Asa swallowed thickly, “She’s already with that private devil hunter guy. They hangout all the time now,” her grip on the sink caused it to crack beneath her finger tips but she paid it no mind, too busy recalling where it all went wrong.

“I was going to tell her… I was, but then that whole thing with Bucky happened and then the Class President and you invading my body. And then there was what happened with Yuko too. All while my life was becoming fucked, Yoshida Hirofumi used that time to steal my chance with (Y/n) away.”

“Spare me,” Yoru rolled her spiraled irises, “Humans are fickle. Even if she is with him, that doesn’t really mean anything. And if she doesn’t want to leave him, who cares. We just kill this Yoshida guy and she will be single again. She could be yours by the end of the day.”

“Why do you even care anyway?” Asa grumbled. She was in no mood to try to explain to a devil why everything she had just said was not only stupid, but also laughably insane.

“Because this is my body now too. I rather not go back to hell in such a depressingly dull manner. Besides, if she grew to love you, she’d make a very powerful weapon.”

“Yoru!” Asa hissed through gritted teeth.

“Not saying it has to be her,” Yoru groaned, crossing her arms, “but if you ever found yourself getting bored of her…”

“I’m done talking to you. I have to get back to class. I’ve been gone long enough as is.”

Asa pushed away from the sink on wobbly legs and exited the bathroom just as the clock tower chimed, signaling the end of classes. Damn it, had she really been in the bathroom all hour? She slunk against the wall as she walked through the sea of bodies making their way to their extracurricular activities and cleaning duties. Though she was sure it was pretty evident to her teacher that she appeared ill, she still didn’t want to run into him and suffer through an interrogation about her deteriorating health.

Asa was tired. Her throat burned and her chest was unbearably sore so she was going to head straight home to mope in her bed. Yoru would no doubt be pissed that she was going another day without looking for a suitable weapon, but she quite frankly didn’t care at the moment.

She froze at the top of the stairs before descending, having heard a familiar laugh that caused something to tighten around her lungs. She saw (Y/n) coming up from the opposite direction, Yoshida smiling by her side. Of course.

Asa clenched her jaw, ready to stare daggers into the boy, but then she had been spotted.

“Hey Asa, always good to see you,” (Y/n) called with a friendly smile as she continued to ascend the stairs, “How have you been?”

“F-fine.” Asa could hear Yoru scoff. “How are you?”

“Pretty good. It’s a shame we aren’t in the same class this year. I‘ve missed you.”

Asa’s vocal chords might as well have been ripped out of her throat, but before the silence could last too long, Yoru yanked her into the metaphorical backseat.

“I’ve missed you too,” Yoru spoke with as much fondness as she could muster, “we should do something together soon. Maybe this weekend?”

“Yoru— don’t embarrass me I swear to god—!”

“I’d love to. I really would, but I’m busy this weekend.” Asa took at least a little comfort in seeing that (Y/n) looked genuinely disappointed. “Can I take a rain check?”

“Of course,” Yoru nodded, “It doesn’t have to be on the weekend either. Any day of the week, I’ll be there.”

“Yoruuuu,” Asa blushed, “You are being weird!”

Fortunately (Y/n) seemed to take the words in stride and her smile brightened, she opened her mouth to say something else, but then Yoshida put a hand on her shoulder.

“I don’t want to rush you, but we should keep moving if we’re going to make it to the meeting on time.” He said, the kind way he looked down at (Y/n) was enough to make both Asa and Yoru want to bare their teeth.

“Oh, right! Talk to you later Asa!”

“Later…” Yoru smiled tightly as the pair passed them by and continued on to the next set of stairs to take them to the next floor above.

“We need a plan.” Yoru said as she picked up Asa’s previous task of walking down the stairs. “I can already feel those damn flowers crawling up again.”

“I hate this. I hate him.” Asa fumed.

“I want to cut his hands off.” Yoru agreed.

“I’m not cutting off anyone’s hands.” Asa groaned.

“If you don’t confess soon, there will be hand cutting and so much more whether you like it or not.”

***

Another week of suffering had gone by, leaving Asa and Yoru feeling so much weaker. They didn’t even go to school on Monday, or the next couple days to follow. Asa seemed pretty content to wallow in her apartment, leaving bloody flower petals in her wake, but Yoru had had enough. On Friday morning, after it became apparent that Asa wasn’t going to leave her bed, Yoru commandeered the body and got ready to go to school despite all of Asa’s protests.

They arrived bright and early, Asa pleading with Yoru to just let it go before she made a fool out of them both and then inevitably died with a mouthful of flowers. Yoru paid her no mind, instead scanning the campus.

She caught sight of (Y/n) near the bike racks, scowling when she saw that Yoshida was still glued to her side. She could feel Asa’s negative emotions bubbling as well, quite possibly responsible for her own growing discontent.

“Yoru, turn around right now!” Asa demanded.

“Unless you have the strength to take back control, which I know you don’t, I will do as I please. Be grateful I’m going through the trouble of helping you with your insipid little teenage romance at all instead of simply killing you and taking your body as my own. It would make my life so much easier.”

It really made Asa wonder why Yoru hadn’t done just that and killed her when the disease began, or even before that since she hadn’t made any progress on finding out who Chainsaw Man was or making a powerful weapon to kill him. She didn’t dare ask, but it was something to think on.

Yoru walked over to where (Y/n) and Yoshida stood, nearly inserting herself between them before finally coming to a stop.

“Asa! Hi!” (Y/n) perked up, not at all put out by the interruption. “I heard you’ve been out sick most of the week, are you feeling any better?” She reached out to rest her had against their forehead, the gentle touch causing their collective heart to skip a beat.

“Mostly.” Yoru answered almost impatiently. “Hey (Y/n), I want to talk to you alone. Please.”

“Sure!” (Y/n) looked back to Yoshida, “See you in class, Calamari.”

Yoshida chuckled, a sound that grated against Asa and Yoru’s ears.

“Yeah, see you in a bit.” He confirmed with a smile before walking towards the school doors.

“So what did you want to—?”

“Come with me.”

Yoru took (Y/n)’s hand pulling her to the trees, further away from the students slowly taking over the campus.

“Why are you with that guy so much lately?” Yoru asked without preamble.

“You mean Hirofumi?”

“Yeah, are you dating him or something?” You won’t be for long if that’s the case.

“No,” (Y/n) laughed abruptly, “no, no, no. We’re coworkers. We both work in the private sector for devil hunting. We get along pretty well, but that’s the extent of it. Why? Do… do you like him?”

Was that unease Yoru sensed from (Y/n)’s tone, perhaps even a hint of jealousy?

Asa blinked, finding herself back in control.

“I’ll leave the rest to you. Don’t mess it up.” Yoru hissed against her ear.

“I- No, I don’t like him. I only asked because I,” she swallowed thickly, pressing her palms together, “I like you.”

“Really?”

The way (Y/n) seemed to brighten up at the confession gave Asa a boost of confidence.

“Yes, really. Would you like to go out on a date with me?”

“Yes, I would! I really, really would!” (Y/n) grinned, enveloping Asa in a tight hug.

“Really?”

“Really!”

“There are too many reallys flying around. You idiots deserve each other.” Yoru scoffed.

Yoru would never admit it, but she was feeling quite pleased about this development and not just because it would rid them of choking on scratchy flower stems in the middle of the night anymore. Yoru hummed thoughtfully,

“This whole ‘private devil hunter’ thing might pose a problem if she finds out about me… A problem for another day, I suppose. After she becomes too infatuated to care, perhaps. Again, if it doesn’t work out, very promising weapon potential.”

Asa gave Yoru a warning glare over (Y/n)’s shoulder before pressing her face flat against her, feeling the best she had in several weeks as the constricted feeling in her chest slowly began to ease.

[thisismysecondrodeo]

School Daze - Chapter 2

AN: Whoops my fingers slipped and this is now a multichapter series (at least 3 chapters if I had to guess lol). I will eventually post this on ao3 as well once it's complete!

Rating: General (series becomes Explicit)

Tags: Michelle Lasso, Henry Lasso, Second Chance Romance, Alternate Universe - College/University, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Time Skips, Ted and Beard have the purest friendship, Ted Lasso Deserves Love, Getting Together

Part 1 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Fic Masterlist

-

“You said your friend Beard told you to ask me out in college? Was that the guy you used to leave theater with?”

You were sitting at Ted’s kitchen table, wearing a barbeque t-shirt he had probably purchased around the time the two of you first met, sipping at a mug of coffee. The man in question was standing in front of the stove, cooking eggs for the two of you, in flannel pants and no shirt. Looking at his broad shoulders and the smattering of freckles on his back only reminded you of last night, and you had to avert your eyes to stay focused. It wasn’t like you to sleep with someone so soon after meeting them, but he somehow felt like an old friend and a complete stranger at the same time. It was exciting and novel, and if you thought about it too hard you might freak out a little bit but you’d save that for after breakfast. 

“Mmhmm, sure was.” 

“Whatever happened to him,” you questioned, as Ted slid eggs and buttered toast onto a plate and sat it in front of you, before taking the seat diagonal to you so your knees brushed under the table. 

Ted chuckled, leaning back to look at the clock over the stove, “Oh, he’ll be here in…about 30 minutes, actually.” You sputtered on your coffee, not expecting that the frail friend from theater would be in Richmond with Ted. “We coached together at Wichita State and then when I got the invite to come out here, I was pleased as punch he was willin’ to go on this adventure with me.” 

“That’s sweet that y’all are so close,” you said with a smile. “I wonder if he still remembers me?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t bet against it because that’s a bet you’d lose,” Ted chuckled. “Beard’s got a mind like a vault.” 

The two of you ate in comfortable quiet, sneaking glances and blushing between bites. 

“I don’t usually—”

“So how long are you—” 

You accidentally spoke in unison, both of you encouraging the other to go first until you finally acquiesced. “I was trying to say, I don’t usually…move so quickly. But it was such a pleasure running into you and, uh, well, you don’t feel like a stranger. What I’m trying to say is, I know Beard will be here in 30 minutes, but I’d like to see you again. If you’re interested.” 

Ted looked down at his plate, a tendril of brown hair falling over his eye and a blush creeping up from his chest to the tips of his ears. “Well, I was tryin’ to ask how long you’d be in town, because I would really, really would like to see you again. Make up for old times, so to speak.” 

“I’d like that a lot,” you locked eyes with Ted and the two of you got a little lost, but the rattle of his phone on the countertop pulled you back to the present. “Ah, you gotta go to work. My hotel has a great restaurant if you want to get dinner tonight? I have one more week here.”

Ted stood up and cleared the plates, checking the message on his phone, “Beard’s running a few minutes late, buys us some time. Dinner sounds just lovely and I will be there faster than you can say 'Jack Robinson.' Now, could I interest you in a shower and a change of clothes?” 

You laughed, pushing away from the table and following Ted into the bedroom you were much more acquainted with now. “Oh, if we share a shower we’re going to need more than a few minutes,” you teased, tugging playfully at the drawstrings on his lounge pants and watching his pupils expand. 

The two of you managed to make it out of the door on time, your clothes from the day before tucked into one of Ted’s farmer’s market tote bags, and your coat covering up Ted’s borrowed clothing. Beard stood at the bottom of the stairs, a cup of coffee in each hand, an arched brow the only sign that he was at all surprised to see you. 

“Y/N. Long time no see!” 

“Beard, I presume. A pleasure to officially meet you. I’ll let you two get to work.” 

Ted took his coffee and you made to head in the opposite direction, but before you could take a step away, he tugged you gently by the arm to get your attention. “Let me know you made it back, okay?” You smiled and nodded, touched at his concern. He cut his eyes over at Beard before ducking and pressing a sweet kiss to your cheek. 

Despite being in your 20s when you met, something about Ted always made you feel like a schoolgirl. As you walked away, you pressed a hand to where his lips had met your skin and grinned to yourself. 

22 Years Ago

“I’m telling you, Ted, she’s so into you! You shouldn’t give up.”

Beard was reclining in the beanbag chair Ted kept in the corner of his dorm room, a half-smoked joint in one hand and a cup of instant noodles in the other. Ted was on his narrow twin bed, tossing a tennis ball at the ceiling again and again. 

“I’m not giving up,” he protested, catching the ball one last time before sitting up to look at his constant companion. “I just think, ya know, if it was meant to be she wouldn’t be so hard to find again! I’m just gonna…let the universe take it from here. Maybe we’ll have a class again next semester.” 

Beard was unassuaged, his eyebrows furrowing. “Fine. But I bet you $100 right now that she’s the one. To be paid on your and Y/N’s wedding day.” Beard stuck out a bony hand and Ted rolled his eyes, a small smile as he shook reluctantly. 

“Whatever you say Beard-o,” Ted sighed as he fell back onto his bed. He didn’t know how Beard could be so confident about it, but it seemed harmless if a little childish. 

Though the semester was over, Ted was taking summer classes and he still held out hope he might see you around. He wouldn’t say he was actively looking but he certainly kept his eyes peeled—which is how he noticed Michelle a few weeks later, the only other person in an empty university parking lot.

Beard kept his thoughts mostly to himself when Ted told him about Michelle; his money was still on you, as he reminded Ted. Ted just shook his head, throwing on a jacket to meet Michelle for ice cream.

And when he and Michelle got married, Beard silently paid up. 

Present

“I can feel you thinking, Coach, what’s on your mind?”

Ted and Beard stood shoulder to shoulder on the side of the pitch, Roy busy clomping around behind the slower players. Beard took a deep breath before responding, folding his arms tightly across his chest. 

“Was surprised to see Y/N this morning, that’s all.” 

“Ain’t that something,” Ted asked, immediately enthusiastic, “after all those years and she’s just…here! And divorced, like me.” 

“I guess that’s what I’m stuck on Coach, what’s she doing here? Now?” 

Ted looked over at his best friend, taking off his aviators in surprise, “Come on now, Coach. You’re not suggesting that she’s out to get me, are you? You used to be her number one fan!”

“Yeah, well, things change in 20 years, Coach. I’m happy for you, but you know I’m always looking out for you too,” Beard said gruffly, before stepping onto the pitch with Roy and blowing his whistle to round everyone up. Ted stayed where he was, hands on his hips, mulling over the nature of romance and coincidences.

-

You left your hotel for some sightseeing and shopping, a new outfit tucked under your arm for your date with Ted, and when you returned Beard was sitting in the lobby. He was wearing his hat pulled low over his brow and he reclined against the couch in his training clothes. You stopped in your tracks before making your way over to him. 

“Hello, Beard,” you had a hint of suspicion in your tone you didn’t attempt to hide. “Didn’t expect to see you so soon. I imagine this isn’t just a coincidence?”

“No, no it is not,” Beard shook his head, sliding over slightly to make room for you to sit. “Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?” 

You set your bag down on the floor before sitting at the end of the couch, your body angled towards his. “Depends, can I ask you some first?” Beard gave you a go-ahead gesture so you asked, “how did you know where I was?”

“Ted mentioned the two of you were getting dinner here, I put two and two together.” 

“And where does Ted think you are?” Beard didn’t say that this was a secret excursion, but he didn’t have to. 

“Lunch with my girlfriend, Jane.” You didn’t know that you were worried that Beard was the one here to confess his love until he said he had a girlfriend and you immediately released a sigh of relief. 

“Little creepy,” you responded matter-of-factly. There weren’t any other people floating around the lobby besides staff here and there but you lowered your voice anyway. 

“That was my nickname in college,” Beard joked, and you knew he was joking despite the lack of any emotion on his face. 

“Well, then I’m glad I didn’t know you better.” 

That got a genuine laugh from Beard, a sharp bark of amusement that surprised both of you. It effectively reduced the tension between the two of you but you still didn’t know why he’d sought you out. 

“So what can I do for you?”

Beard sighed, crossing one leg over the other and folding his hands on his knee. It seemed like the idea of saying a lot of words to you was making him preemptively tired.

“I have been Ted’s best friend for a very long time. I remember you, well, actually. And to be honest, I was rooting for you,” that admission surprised you, your eyebrows raising, but you didn’t interrupt, “but you disappeared off the face of the Earth and now here you are and I guess I just…I’m trying to keep my oldest friend from falling too hard, too fast and you disappearing again.”

It wasn’t what you expected—it was a little codependent but well-meaning and, more importantly, valid. Your lips tightened into a slight grimace that Beard must have taken to mean you weren’t sure how to answer, so he phrased it as a question, “So I guess I’m asking as politely as I can, where did you go and why are you back?”

“No, it's a fair question. And I figured it would be something Ted and I would talk about eventually though I do appreciate your…proactive…friendship. In short, I didn’t know Ted was looking for me; when he didn’t call I thought we’d just missed our chance. The two of you didn’t see me again because I dropped out, which is a much longer story and I didn’t go back until after you all had graduated.” Beard listened intently, a wince of embarrassment when you mentioned dropping out and he realized he was asking after something rather sensitive. 

“By the time I was in a place to even think about Ted, I looked him up and he was married. And then I got married, and,” you trailed off, waving your hand in the air in a vague way to communicate ‘you know, life.’ Beard just nodded. You weren’t annoyed by Beard asking like you might be with someone else, partially because he didn’t pry any further and partially because you felt something of a kindred spirit in him. He knew what it was like to not have life go your way. “And I’m here because I’m on vacation. It was genuinely a coincidence. A happy one. Serendipity, right?”

“Serendipity,” Beard repeated, a small smile on his face. “I’m sorry for interrogating you. But don’t feel like you need to keep any secrets from Ted, especially not on my behalf. He’s…done a lot for me, and I’ll take any chance I get to attempt to return the favor. Even if it’s a slight overreaction.” 

You just nodded as Beard stood up, clapping his hand on his thighs and adjusting his hat. You were gathering your bags when you realized he hadn’t left and when you looked at him, he winked. “For what it’s worth, I’m still rooting for you.” 

He didn’t wait for you to answer before walking away and you grinned at his retreating back. 

The next time you came down to the lobby, it was Ted on the couch waiting for you, in a navy suit and white shirt, no tie, and a bundle of pink stargazer flowers in one hand. 

He looked perfect. 

<- Part 1 | Part 3 ->

[glowingbadger]

I came running to ask for Diluc wedding night HCs for modern day.

If it seems relevant, I'll be relying on the general modern day hcs I wrote for Diluc semi-recently to guide this, so if folks wanna check that out, it's right heya

((There's actually not that much that departs from the in-game canon here now that I'm finished and looking back at it haha whoop))

Diluc x GN Reader

Modern AU - wedding night headcanons

SFW (nsfw below the cut)

- Okay, first of all, Diluc in a suit. I don't even know how to elaborate on this point, just, think about it for a second. Especially since, given his dignified bearing and that he comes from money, you can be sure it will be expertly tailored.

- As for the ceremony itself, he's likely to let you guide how you'd like the day to go, save for a few key details that he feels no reservations expressing his preferences about. Though these preferences are basically all in service of the two of you being able to enjoy the day as something special for the two of you. He wants a scenic, but very private location, and a small, intimate reception- though he's not shy about spending an undisclosed amount of money to make that reception as tastefully elegant as can be. Something like a rooftop garden in the city would suit him well.

- Throughout the night, he's plenty polite and amicable with guests, as only mutual friends and family (or "family," as it were) would be invited to begin with, but there's never any mistake that his focus is entirely on you. He habitually keeps a hand at your lower back or an arm around you through most of the evening, and will even make a brief but eloquently spoken toast to you, gazing warmly and steadfastly into your eyes as he speaks. He'll finish his toast by bringing your hand to his lips, without a shred of embarrassment or hesitation- exceptionally notable, since Diluc is generally not one for PDA.

- Well into the evening, you're both blissfully happy but terribly exhausted, so if you're amenable, Diluc will excuse you both from the festivities before it gets very late. Though, he'd fully anticipated that some of your rowdier friends would wish to continue their revelry late into the night, and so he'd reserved the venue well into the early morning ahead of time for their enjoyment. He doesn't wish to draw attention to this point, but you can tell in the subdued smile he wears that he's genuinely enjoying seeing those closest to him enjoying themselves so freely. And for once, he doesn't feel the need to sigh or roll his eyes at the less-sober among them.

- Diluc actually strikes me as the type to have your flight booked for the honeymoon scheduled to depart the very day after the wedding for some private but extravagant location. Of course, he's more than willing to take you absolutely anywhere in the world you'd like to go- no price tag is too high and no journey is too far. Few things make his heart flutter more than the idea of experiencing somewhere new and far away with only you by his side, now as his one and only spouse.

NSFW 18+ v

- When Diluc excuses the two of you from the celebrations a little bit on the earlier side, you understand wanting some space and some rest- but still, you cast him a questioning glance. He surprises you by showing a hint of an uncharacteristic smirk, then leaning close to whisper to you, "You will have to forgive me if I'm a little selfish with you tonight, my love." The low tenor of his voice makes it perfectly clear what he has in mind, and you suddenly find yourself eager for some time alone as well.

- The hotel suite is luxurious and romantically lit, with a breathtaking view over the sparkling cityscape from floor-to-ceiling windows- but Diluc's gaze is fixed solely on you. He cradles your face in his hands and kisses you deeply, his tongue moving slowly and sensually with yours until your knees feel weak. His touch is tender, but hungry- his desire for you obvious as he gradually helps you out of your lovely wedding attire. Diluc doesn't say much (he's generally not very talkative in bed to begin with), but there's something intense in his eyes, and you can feel his heart pounding when your hands run over his muscled chest.

- Listen, I know we already touched on this, but seriously- Diluc in a suit. The sight of him discarding the jacket and loosening the tie and buttons with the city light accenting his face and inch by inch of his body- ugh. It's too much- really classic "serious wealthy business man about to absolutely ravage you" material.

- Once you've both thoroughly enjoyed undressing together, periodically pausing for him to press your body to the window and kiss you breathless, or for you to run your hands over his toned torso, taking in the irresistible sight of him half-dressed- Diluc guides you to the bed at last. His fingers lace with yours, and he takes a moment to observe you bare on the bed beneath him. Finally, with his voice low and husky, he says what's been on his mind all night, "I never dared to think that I would be so fortunate. It's... almost overwhelming to think that you're truly mine."

- Diluc is always a thorough and generous lover, but tonight, he's somehow taken it to a new level. You won't have a single chance to catch your breath- his lips and tongue travel down your throat and chest, the center of your stomach, your inner thighs- everywhere. All the while, his hands caress you and hold you close as though he resents the smallest inch of distance between your bodies. The heat and friction are positively dizzying, and by the time you finally feel the stiff head of his cock pushing into you, you nearly cum from the feeling of him entering you alone. Gasping his name, your head tilts back on the pillow and your body arches up to him, and he holds you close, whispers your name worshipfully, and begins to slowly thrust into you.

- He kisses you far more than usual tonight. Not a moment goes by that he isn't either pressing his lips to yours, or nuzzling against your neck, marking your skin with passionate little love-bites. All the while, his hips roll against you, your bodies falling into a natural, erotic rhythm, until he's fucking you so nice and deep that your breath catches with every pass. When he feels you tighten and squeeze around him with your climax, he can't hold back any longer. His head dips down beside yours, fiery red hair tickling your cheek and his breath tickling your ear as he whispers his love to you and his own climax begins to take him.

- He'll pamper you as much as you let him for the rest of the evening- that said, it has been a long day, and you have a plane to catch the next day, so it won't be a terribly late night. Although, as an added "post-wedding-night" bonus, you can bet that Diluc will reserve a private jet for at least part of your travels, and he is more than happy to use the privacy to indulge one another several times over~

[brokeitwiththepowerofmathamatics]

Fanfic - ValerieOS Has Stopped Working

I don't think I ever actually posted this to Tumblr. Whoops. ValerieOS Has Stopped Working (Ao3 Link)

Of all the things Valerie could have lost to, it had to be the Box Ghost. Of all the people she could have crash-landed in front of, it had to be Danny.

It had to be the Box Ghost. 

Of all the ghosts that had to be giving her trouble, it had to be the Box Ghost. Her suit had been on the fritz lately. Ever since Technus had hit her with some beam. Or maybe it was before that? Skulker had hit her with a rocket when her suit was supposed to give her a warning but it didn’t. 

Funny what your mind goes over when you’re plummeting fifty feet to the ground. 

A chime from her helmet and a female voice that sounded a lot like Maddie Fenton rang in her ears, “Impact imminent!”

Oh, thanks. Valerie thought sarcastically. Then everything went black.

When she came to, she lifted her head from the ground. Pain rang throughout her body, ironically, making her sigh in relief. Pain meant she wasn’t dead. She got her weight onto one hand and reached up with her other hand. Skin met metal. She opened her eyes, blinking at the bright light, and realized her helmet was off. 

Before she realized she was looking at a pair of red chucks. 

Slowly she looked up and realized that she had landed right in front of Danny Fenton.

“Oh… kill me now…” She groaned. 

Danny sipped from his cup. Nasty Burger written across the front, perfectly facing her as if it were a product placement. She glanced around and realized thankfully that she hadn’t landed in front of her place of employment. That would have been just perfect.

“You lost… to the Box Ghost…” Danny said slowly. 

Valerie slowly got to her feet. “I’m aware.” She looked herself up and down. Nothing seemed to be broken. She looked at Danny and raised an eyebrow. “You’re… uh… you’re taking this well?”

Danny raised an eyebrow, and she felt judged. “Valerie,” he said slowly, like how she talked to people who had head injuries because of the ghost fights, “Your old suit was literally just a fabric mask. No voice changing.”

Valerie took a moment to process that. If that were true then-

Danny continued after she didn’t respond, continuing in that same semi-worried neutral tone. “I’ve known since day one.” 

Valerie finally got out. “WHAT?”

Danny was completely unphased. Instead of reacting, Danny just sipped from the cup again. The slurping sound made Valerie flinch. “You lost to the Box Ghost…” A smirk spread out across his lips, like he was laughing at a joke only he knew about, “Valerie… even I don’t run from the Box Ghost.”

Valerie flinched. That was true. Her face began to heat up as a blush began to cross her cheeks. 

Danny sighed and started walking away. “Alright, come on.”

“What?”

Danny turned for just a moment and indicated for her to follow him. “I saw your suit going on the fritz from down here, come on, I’m taking a look.” 

Valerie hesitated. Danny wasn’t a ghost hunter, he shouldn’t know anything about her suit. 

But he was the son of the two foremost ghost experts in the world. 

Valerie couldn’t believe it at all. This was ridiculous. Danny, runs at the mere glimpse of a ghost, Fenton was planning on repairing her suit. He shouldn’t even know anything about her suit.

And yet, she followed Danny. Now that she was actually paying attention, she realized she had landed in the park, about halfway between the Nasty Burger and the Fenton household. Fortunately, the park seemed to be completely empty. 

That was probably due to the ghost fight she had been involved in a few minutes ago.

And lost.

To the Box Ghost.

God, she was never going to forget this.

Danny led her to a picnic table and sat down. She sat down across from him as he pulled out a screwdriver and a rather beaten-up PDA. “Alright, first things first, your helmet.”

Valerie folded her arms. “It doesn’t come off, it’s part of my suit. It just melts back into the rest of the suit when I need it off.”

Danny shot her an unimpressed look. He leaned over the table and Valerie felt her throat seize up as he got way too close before she felt a pressure on her neck and her helmet popped up around her face. Valerie glanced over before Danny grabbed her chin and made her look in another direction before the helmet opened up around her face, and then Danny lifted it up off her head.

Valerie realized that she had been staring at Danny for way too long. She blinked. “Wait, what?” she shouted. She ran her fingers along her neck and finding that the suit was still there, except she didn’t have a helmet anymore. Her fingers caught on little bumps that she knew should have been there, and with some careful prodding, she realized that they had been connectors, running wires from her helmet to her suit. 

Danny didn’t look up as he poked and prodded at her helmet. “Your suit is based partially on the Fenton Exoskeleton.” His tongue poked out as he ran his fingers over the red lines that traced her helmet. “I mean, most ecto based suits are, ever since my parents made theirs, it started getting adopted by well… everything.”

Valerie blinked. “What.” 

It wasn’t even a question. It was a statement. She had to have hit her head harder than she thought. 

A hiss made her jump and Danny’s face lit up. “Aha! Got it!” He put the helmet down on the table, and pulled out a… was that an ethernet cable? 

Valerie blinked and shook her head. “Wait, wait, back up, why would Axiom’s suit be based on your parent’s suit?”

Danny looked up at her, unimpressed. “Valerie… the suit was made by Technus.”

“Technus!” Valerie shouted. That was ridiculous. “Why would a ghost give me a suit?”

If anything, Danny looked even more unimpressed. “Valerie… the first thing you did when you got this suit was fly up and attack Phantom… one of his enemies?”

Valerie felt her jaw go slack, and Danny plugged the ethernet cable into his PDA. “Oh…” she finally got out after a while. She ran her hands over her wrists, the suit now beginning to feel claustrophobic than comforting. “Should I be worried?”

Danny shook his head. “Nah, I’d be worried about…” He trailed off as his face twisted in disgust. “Oh, god, really?” He muttered before tapping the PDA a couple of times. He pulled out his phone and started dialing. “Hey, Tuck, we still have that Fenton Virus?” 

“Fenton Virus?” Valerie repeated. It seemed like every minute she spent sitting here with Danny more questions popped up.

“Awesome! Can you send it to me? Thanks, man!” Danny put the phone on the table and continued tapping away at the PDA. 

There were a dozen questions on the tip of her tongue, but the first one that rolled off was, “Does your family preface everything with Fenton?”

Danny didn’t look up from the miniature computer. “It’s a branding thing.” He let out a huff. “Val, have you done any maintenance on this thing?”

Valerie folded her arms over her chest. “I didn’t even know that the helmet could come off!” she defended. 

Danny looked up to shoot her the most unamused look she had ever seen on him. “You’re not helping your case here…” He turned the PDA around and held it out to her. “There’s a diagnostic system set up in your suit. Honestly, there’s a lot wrong in there.”

Valerie blinked as she looked at the readings. She didn’t even know what most of these things meant. “What’s MaddieOS?”

Danny groaned. “It’s... “ he sighed. “Look, did Vlad do some work on your suit?”

She scratched at her cheek. Vlad had, but he had also asked her not to tell anyone that he had. Something she was willing to keep, after all, she was only 14. Most adults wouldn’t trust her with what she did if they knew.

“Don’t bother answering, that was rhetorical,” Danny stated. He ran a hand down his face and and continued, “MaddieOS is an operating system that Vlad made. I’m guessing your suit used to run TechOS, which is one made by Technus.” 

The PDA dinged, and Danny took it. “Awesome, Tucker sent it.”

“Sent what?”

“The Fenton Virus,” Danny said as if it should be obvious. “And… there we go. MaddieOS is gone, and now the Fenton Virus is running.” He unplugged his PDA and handed Valerie her helmet. “Here, put this on.”

Valerie slowly put on her helmet and it snapped into place. Danny’s voice echoed in her ears. “Systems online. Doing some clean-up.” 

“Did… did you replace the voice in my suit?”

“The voice in there was my moms.”  Danny said, his face twisting in disgust again. “Why did you think it was called MaddieOS?”

Valerie mirrored Danny’s grimace behind her helmet. “You said Vlad made that?”

“Yeaaaaahhhh…” Danny drew out as he was tapping away at his PDA. 

Valerie really didn’t want to ask the question, but she did anyways. “Why?”

Danny looked up at her and met her eyes through her suit. “He has a thing for my mom.”

“A… thing?”

“A thing.”

“Please tell me you don’t-”

“I do.”

“That’s…”

“Creepy?”

“I was going to say disturbing but creepy works.”

Danny hummed in agreement. He rummaged in his pocket for a moment before taking out some gum. He popped a piece into his mouth, before holding out a piece to Valerie. “Want one?”

Valerie shook her head, “No thanks…”

Danny shrugged. “Suit yourself.” He put the gum down on the table before holding out his hand. “Alright, blaster now.”

Valerie reached for something, but then she realized she had no clue what he was talking about. “Wait, what?”

Danny waved his hand around impatiently. “You know the one you had put in Boxy’s mouth? And it didn’t fire? Suit’s reading that there’s a hiccup in the ignition chamber.” 

“Which one?” She asked. 

Danny rolled his eyes. Apparently, he was in a sassy mood today. She smirked as she found she could get used to that. Danny grabbed her hand, before pressing down on a point near her elbow and a blaster popped out of her suit. Valerie blinked. “What!” 

“The button’s there in case you hurt your arm and still need the gun,” Danny explained. 

“Look. it’s not like this thing came with a manual!” Valerie defended herself. 

Danny’s voice chimed in. “Opening manual.” 

An index appeared on her visor and started scrolling. She blinked as the text passed by her vision. 

“No manual, huh?” Danny said with a smirk. 

“Oh shut it!” Valerie said. Reaching across the table and smacking Danny in the chest. He put up a token protest, but mostly just laughed at her. The jerk.

Danny took apart the gun, inspecting every piece for a full minute before placing them on the table.“Well, looks like for the most part you’ve been taking care of the weapons at least.” He started putting the weapon back together. 

Valerie nodded. “Yeah, my mom was in the army and she taught me a lot about guns and fighting…” She looked down and picked at a knot in the table. “At least… while she was still alive…”

Danny paused in putting the gun back together. “Oh… I’m sorry…”

“It’s okay…” Valerie said, shaking her head. “It was a long time ago… And it’s not like it ever came up when we were dating...” 

“Still…” Danny said morosely. Before taking the gum out of his mouth and putting it in the gun.

“What are you-” Valerie didn’t get to finish before Danny fired off a blast off at the ground. Valerie flinched at how loud the blast was. It had to at least have been twice as strong as when she first got it.

Also, instead of a red laser, it was green.

“Much better,” Danny said, flipping the gun around and handing it to her stock first.

“What the…” 

Danny held up a red crystal. “So, Vlad used these red crystals cause… I don’t know. He just does.” Danny picked up the gum on the table and popped it into his mouth. “My parents use gum.” 

“I think I’m beginning to see why your parents’ inventions blow up all the time…” Valerie looked at the gun in her hand before putting it back into her suit. “You know what, sure, whatever, you’re here fixing my suit, Vlad’s a creep, and you’re fixing my guns with gum. Anything else I should be surprised about right now?” 

Danny hummed and looked at his PDA. 

“That was not an invitation to throw something else at me!” 

Danny didn’t respond at first, going over the readout on his PDA. “Well… good news is, the Fenton Virus is fixing a lot of the issues. The suit is pretty resilient and having a better operating system is fixing several major issues. The suit does have a self-repair system, but you’re running low on fluid in the ecto absorption matrix.” 

“The ecto what now?” Valerie asked dryly. “Also, how does a virus fix issues.”

“Ecto absorption matrix,” Danny repeated. He waved a hand about in the air. “Your suit runs on ectoplasm, but it has to get it from somewhere. In this case, it’s the air. Your body does produce some ectoplasm but-”

“What!” Valerie cut off with a shout.

“Everybody does,” Danny said rolling his eyes. “Haven’t you heard about mediums producing the stuff during their trances?”

Valerie shot Danny with a look. “Danny, most of us haven’t grown up in a ghost hunting household.”

“Ah, fair point,” Danny said shrugging it off. “But yeah, ectoplasm can come from humans too. But most humans don’t produce enough ectoplasm to power your suit, so it has to get it from somewhere else. Amity has enough ectoplasm in the air to power your suit, but you’re running low on the fluid powering the ecto absorption matrix.” 

He paused and tilted his head before continuing. “As for the virus, it’s the payload that’s really the helpful bit. Tucker could explain it better, but the virus isn’t really the important part. Tucker made several upgrades to the MaddieOS. Vlad won’t notice if and when we replace MaddieOS with FentonOS, that’s what we’re calling it by the way, until one of the other features pop in.”

“What kind of features?” Valerie asked. 

Danny smirked, as his dad’s voice popped in her ears. “Blasters are locked and loaded!”

“Oh, God,” Valerie said putting her head in her hands. 

Danny got up and walked around the picnic table. He indicated for her to stand up, which she did. 

And then Danny got on his knees in front of her. 

She was grateful they were alone because the undignified squawk she made when Danny started running his hands over her was something she’d never live down. 

“D-Danny?” She began.

“I’m trying to find-Ah! There it is!” There was another hiss, and a large panel that covered her stomach fell away. 

Valerie looked down and felt a blush rising as Danny looked at her stomach. “What could possibly be-”

Then Danny shoved his hand up to his elbow into her suit. Valerie tried to get a better look as Danny’s arm disappeared. “What on earth?”

“It’s ecto,” Danny explained, reaching in further, now up to his shoulder into her… suit? She could feel his weight on her suit, but a quarter of Danny’s body should be going through her. He braced himself against her as he rummaged around. “It doesn’t have to obey the laws of space and time.” He looked up at her with a raised eyebrow. “You didn’t realize that your guns and freaking hoverboard don’t fit in your suit normally?”

Valerie worked her jaw for a minute. “I… never thought of it.”

“Apparently,” Danny sassed. She felt something shift in her suit before he pulled back holding a container the size of a pop can. “Got it. Hold on a second.” He said standing and going back to the picnic table. 

“Uhh… holding on,” Valerie said, poking at the empty space where her stomach should have been. “Danny, I’m trying to roll with the punches here, but what the actual fuck?”

“Uh… well, have you heard of a bag of holding?”

“No.”

“Tardis?”

“Still no.”

“Mary Poppins’s?”

“Are you talking about her pulling a lamp out of her purse?”

“Yeah, that. There’s extra space in your suit for all the tech.”  

The sound of liquid pouring made her look up and she saw Danny pouring the remains of his drink from the Nasty Burger into the container. When Danny turned around and saw her staring he shrugged. “Diet cola is surprisingly good at hanging onto ectoplasm. Like… it’s really good. I don’t understand, neither do my parents. It just works.” 

Danny got back down on his knees in front of her and then shoved his arm back into her. “Ah, dang it. I knew this was going to be a pain.”

“What is it?”

Danny pulled his arm out. “It was hard getting it out, it’s going to be harder getting it back in. Let me just…” Danny reached in one more time, pressing his head against her hip as he leaned against her. “It’s just right… there! Got it!” He pulled back and dusted his hands. “You know, might be worth taking some compressed air through there.” 

Valerie’s helmet came away so she could pinch the bridge of her nose. “I’d really like to wrap this up so I didn’t have to deal with this weirdness anymore.”

“Fair enough,” Danny said putting the panel back into place. Valerie ran her hands along her stomach. If she hadn’t just seen Danny practically bury himself in her, she never would have known there was that gap. 

“Suit running at 80%,” Danny’s voice chimed in her ear. “Internal repairs continuing.” 

Danny stood up and dusted off his knees. “Alright, that should fix everything. The blaster isn’t going to misfire like it did up there, the suit is gonna run slightly faster, and the board shouldn’t drop out from under you now that you’re getting a better draw from the ambient ectoplasm.”

Valerie let her suit pull back into… whatever space it came from, maybe she should ask Danny about that. “So… uhh… I guess you know why I broke up with you now…”

Danny blew a bubble with the gum he was chewing. “You mean because you were worried about ghosts attacking the son of the two best ghost hunters in the world?”, he said after it popped.

Valerie folded her arms. “I dunno. I have sixty takedowns, you know.”

Danny titled his head. “How many of those are fully-fledged entities, as compared to you know… blobs?”

Valerie blinked. “Uh… that’s… there are differences?”

“You really did just hop on the board and start blasting, huh?”

Valerie put a hand on her hips and leaned forward. “You’ve gotten sassy, huh.” She smirked. “It’s a good look on you.”

“You look good in black.” Danny countered. 

Valerie felt that blush come back, but she smiled. Unlike everything else Danny threw at her in the last hour, this she could handle. “Coffee?” 

“Not the Starbucks.”

“Ew no, Poe’s Corner.” 

“Lead the way.”

Maybe she owed the Box Ghost a gift basket or something.

Her watch beeped and she looked down at it. The ghost radar, which hadn’t been working for the last couple of days, was warning her of a level 10 ecto entity nearby. She looked up at Danny. “Danny… why is my radar telling me that you’re giving off Phantom’s ectosignature?”

[marvelslut16]

Shoebox apartment

Prompt number: 29 "Why are we whispering?"

Fandom: Stranger Things

Paring: Jonathan Byers x reader

Rating: T

Word count: 1.4k-ish

Warnings: Nancy bashing. Underage drinking, technically. Mentions emotional/mental abuse from a parent. Jonathan is kinda ooc because he's aged up technically, and it's my first time writing him without it being based in an episode. I think that's it. A horrible title.

A/N: So this is a few days late, whoops. I have been super busy this past week, so my day 1 is late. But, I will be posting days two and three tomorrow, so I'll be all caught up! I've had this idea in my head since I watched this show for the first time in 2019, and I finally put it into words!

You met Jonathan in your first class freshman year at NYU, you sat next to him in art history 101, and he was in your photography 102 class as well. You tried talking to him at your table in art history, but all he did was give you a quick look and then he buried his face in his beat up rented textbook. The first time you talked to him was in the dark room, he accidentally grabbed one of your photos and you had to ask for it back. For whatever reason that kickstarted your guys’ friendship, after that you’d take pictures together, you’d study together, and you’d eat lunch and dinner in the cafeteria together.

No matter how close the two of you got, he always seemed guarded and like he was keeping something from you. But you never pushed, if he trusted you enough to open up completely, he would do it on his own time. He did tell you about his father and how horrible he was one night when you were drunk on cheap beer from a bar that doesn’t card. Now going into your sophomore year, the two of you decide to live off campus in an apartment together. After some mix-up with the landlord thinking you're a couple, he ended up renting you a studio instead of the one bedroom apartment the two of you were going to squeeze into.

Your little shoebox is only big enough for one bed, and since the futon Jonathan bought at the thrift store broke a day after buying it, you two are sharing a bed at the moment. Not that you care too much, he’s like your own personal space heater, and neither of you mind if you wake up cuddled up together. Right now the two of you are sitting in the bed, you up against your headboard with your legs extended in front of you and Jonathan sitting cross leg at the foot of his side of the bed, drinking the champagne that Joyce gave you when you and Jonathan signed your one year lease.

You're laughing as Jonathan tells you about a stupid thing a classmate said in his English class today, head tilted back and eyes squinted from the wide smile. You’re pulled from your laugh at the familiar sound of a camera’s shutter, you make a face at him for taking your picture for the thousandth time, and his response is taking a picture of your pout. Your studio apartment is filled with at least twenty pictures you took in central park last year, and close to ten pictures Jonathan took of you doing mundane tasks, such as studying or cooking dinner for the two of you, or pictures of you taking pictures.

“So what made you get into photography, you’ve never really told me,” you muse, grabbing the champagne bottle off of the floor and topping your glass off. “Don’t get me wrong, your pictures are amazing! But what made you start taking pictures?”

“I don’t know,” Jonathan murmurs, finger circling the lip of the coffee mug holding his champagne. “I guess- I guess it has to do with what I went through at home. With my dad leaving and how distant my mom could be at times, I just wanted to capture and immortalize moments in time. That’s why I like taking pictures of people, the camera can capture someone’s most authentic self.”

“That makes sense,” you take a sip of your drink again. “I know I don’t know everything, but I am sorry for the horrible things that you had to go through in Indiana.

“What about you,” he ignores your apology, not that that surprises you too much.

“What about me?” you giggle, the bubbles from the champagne making you extra bubbly.

“Why did you get into photography? Don’t get me wrong, your pictures are great,” he teases you.

“Well,” you let out an awkward huff of a laugh. “My home life wasn’t that great, my parents were constantly screaming at me and blaming me for every problem they encountered. And photography, it was my escape, it was something that I thrived at and that my parents couldn’t ruin for me. I suppose that’s why I favor landscapes and architectural photos, there’s no human tainting the image. You can’t immortalize someone in film and see them days, months, or years later, after they’ve hurt you.”

“We’re both fucked up,” Jonathan says with a laugh, setting his mug and camera and the floor before moving to sit against the headboard next to you.

“I heard somewhere that broken people fix each other,” you respond, leaning your head against your headboard and staring at the ugly popcorn ceiling above you.

“I think you’re right, before I met you last year I doubted that. I thought I knew the person who was supposed to heal me in high school, but I was wrong, and now I think you’re that person. My high school girlfriend, Nancy, I really thought she was the one. But now I realize that we were only together because we understood what the other was going through at that time. After my family moved away from Indiana I realized that was the only reason we were actually together, we really had nothing in common, and I realized how self absorbed she really was. She used to always just throw the door to the dark room at our work without letting me cover my photo paper and developing pictures-”

“No! That’s so wrong! Photo paper is so expensive, and she just goes around throwing doors open and ruining your pictures! She didn’t even care enough about your work, your passion, enough to knock on the door!” Jonathan laughs at how fired up you’re getting over this, he’s happy that someone finally understands how important his pictures are to him.

“She also got us fired from our jobs that summer, she cared more about her own intuitions than she did my feelings or how I needed my job when she didn’t need hers. After I moved away all she would talk to me about was what was happening at school, or what her brother did that annoyed her, she’d pretty much just sit and complain to me every phone call. She never asked me how I was, what it was like adjusting to a brand new state. After I realized how self absorbed she was I broke up with her, she yelled at me for leaving her high and dry, and we haven't talked since.

“Damn,” you whisper, you know not to say sorry because he’ll just brush it off and get all awkward again. “Just know I’d never get you fired, or ruin the photos you're developing.”

“I know you never would,” he whispers back, you turn your head to face him. Jonathan turns to face you too, your faces inches apart from each other, a lot closer than you’ve ever been before.

“Why are we whispering?” you quietly ask, and you swear his eyes quickly flick down to your lips as you talk.

“I don’t know,” he whispers again, this time your heart spikes when he noticeably looks at your lips.

Without thinking, your tongue runs over your bottom lip and Jonathon lets out a little groan. You can’t help the little whimper that escapes in response to his groan. This is all you’ve wanted since you became attached at the hip, you wanted him. Your landlord thinks you're together, Joyce lectured you two on how important it is to be safe, and Will teased Jonathan about living in such close quarters with you when they thought you were out of earshot. Maybe he likes, no, loves you as much as you love him.

While you're engrossed in your own thoughts, Jonathan leans even closer, his mouth a breath away from yours, before gripping the back of your neck and pulling you to his lips. This kiss is awkward and short, exactly what you would expect from a first kiss. You barely let him pull away from you before you’re cupping his cheek and pulling him back in for a much more heated kiss.