#either way i’m walking in fully ready to cherry pick my joy

[shawshankshadow]

we gotta get rid of the all or nothing mentality , that shit is the joykiller. i dislike so many things about the sonic movies, from writing decisions to certain characters and movie design choices - but there are also so many little things that i really really LOVE! and i don’t think that my dislike of the former invalidates or nullifies the joy i get from the latter. i know in advance that there are gonna be a lot of things in the sonic 3 movie that i dislike, or think is corny, or would have done differently - but im also excited to find out what i WILL like, so that i can play with it and gush and get excited and jump around my room or whatever. i can’t wait to overthink and hyperfixate and roll around the floor in a froth over the most throwaway detail. i’m going to identify the things that i hate, work to understand WHY i hate them, and also allow myself to enjoy unabashedly and with my whole heart all the little goofy bits n pieces that end up making me feel like my brain is full of happy bees. and if you’re a hater that pretends that the people having fun are simply stupid and oblivious then like idk that’s a you problem. skill issue.

[lostinthewiind]

Hi!!! I just wanted to say that I freaking love your cherry X Joe X Reader poly series! And its actually got me into the anime!!! I was actually wondering if you want to, write one where the female! Reader is being stalked and harassed by a co-worker at her job and she didn't want to tell Joe and cherry because she doesn't want them to worry about her too much because they already have so much on their plates. But one day, the two of them decide to pick up the her up to surprise her, flowers and everything. And they see the co-worker harassing their lover and it's up to you to determine how they would react? Can also plz make were the three of them are engaged?

Polyamorous Relationship w/ Joe & Cherry: Your Problems, My Problems, Our Problems

A/N: first of all, I'm so honoured to hear that I got you into anime :) Secondly, I can already feel that this request is going to be fun to write! I'll make sure to add an engagement fic to the series soon as well because I've been meaning to anyway. So happy that so many people seem to really like this series as much as I do.

Rating: PG13

Warnings: stalking, predatory behaviour, slightly angsty, profanity, someone who does NOT drink their 'respect women' juice

"Awh, come on, Sweetheart." Your coworker slipped into the elevator with you at the last second despite your desperate attempt to escape him at the end of the day. "Just one drink and then I'll never ask again."

You clenched your fist by your side on the opposite side of him so he wouldn't see. Mustering all of your strength, you forced a fake smile. "Sorry, I can't tonight. I've got plans with my boyfriend."

You had been dropping these not-so-subtle hints that you absolutely were not interested for months on end by now, but your coworker was either completely blinded by his persistence or was willingly ignoring them in favour of achieving his goal.

At first, when you had transferred to his floor at the company building, he had come across as nothing more than a kind mentor offering to show you the ropes. But then, bit by bit, he got pushier. 'Get to know your coworkers' dinners soon turned to just the two of you alone at a bar, which quickly turned into a situation that you found uncomfortable and ever since then, you had turned down all of his advances.

In the beginning, you had tried to make your excuses believable and turn him down nicely since he was above you in the company, but as the weeks passed and he still didn't seem to get the message, your responses got shorter and less believable. Now he was asking you out pretty much every day, multiple times a day. Sometimes he would even follow you to your car to make sure you were going home just like you said you were.

You weren't sure when it had happened, exactly, but things had gone from annoying to anxiety-inducing seemingly overnight and you had no idea what to do about it.

"You always mention this 'boyfriend' of yours," he used air quotes to make it clear that he didn't believe you, "but I've never seen him. Sure you aren't lying just to get me to go away?"

You chuckled nervously, hoping to come up with a quick answer to satisfy him for the night so that he wouldn't feel the need to tail you to your car. "No, of course not. He just has a busy work schedule as well. You know how it is."

He eyed you sternly, his gaze almost piercing. "Hmm," he hummed, contemplating. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then. Goodnight."

As soon as the elevator doors slid open on the main floor of the building, he gave a wave and exited before you and headed for the front doors. Slowly, you followed him out, and as soon as you saw him disappear into the darkness of the night, you exhaled shakily and took a moment to regain your composure.

You honestly didn't know how you managed to seem so calm and collected around him on the daily considering your heart always pounded ruthlessly against your rib cage whenever you saw him.

Once you were fully composed again, you made your way to your car as fast as possible and drove back home, knowing that seeing Joe and Cherry would immediately make you feel better; not that they knew their presence was something you relied on at the end of the day because you refused to tell them.

At first, you kept it to yourself because it seemed harmless and you didn't want them to overreact and blow up at nothing, but then, as it got worse, it just seemed like the time to tell them had passed. And the last thing you wanted to do was worry them when they both already had exhausting work lives as well.

You simply didn't want to be a burden. You were sure they dealt with annoying coworkers as well and they didn't feel the need to bother you with those stupid little problems, so you wouldn't either.

Walking through the front door of your shared apartment, you felt a weight lift from your shoulders at the sight of Cherry at his desk and Joe sitting on the couch with the television playing some show on low volume. 

“I’m home,” you announced with a weary, but genuine, smile on your face. Before either of your boyfriends could utter a response, you had kicked off your shoes, made your way over to the couch, and curled up next to Joe with your face buried in his neck. His hair was wet, indicating he had just gotten out of the shower, and the smell of his shampoo and body wash calmed you instantly.

“Hey.” Joe wrapped an arm around you as he shared a quizzical look with Cherry. Usually, you would get changed, shower, and eat something before even thinking about relaxing for the night. “Everything okay?”

Realizing that you had basically announced that everything was not, in fact, okay with your unusual actions, you froze for a second. You contemplated just coming clean about everything right then and there, but before you could make a decision, the words “I’m fine” were spilling from your mouth.

“Just a long and exhausting day at work,” you followed up your lie with some details, not they they were technically false as it had been a long and exhausting day . . . just not for the reasons they thought. “I’ve been thinking about coming home to you two ever since my alarm went off this morning. Just one of those days.”

The sweet smiles that dawned Joe’s and Cherry’s faces proved that they believed you. “You hungry?” Joe pressed a kiss to your temple. “I brought home some leftovers from work again.”

Your eyes lit up and Joe chuckled. “Really?” You found yourself forgetting about your troubles in the blink of an eye. 

“Really really.” Joe nodded. “I can heat some up for you if you want to shower and get changed.”

Pulling a dramatically emotional face, you faked a sniffle. “You’re the best, you know that?” You planted a big kiss to his lips before heading for the bedroom and stopping in the doorway. “You’re the best too, Kaoru,” you added for good measure so your other boyfriend didn’t feel left out before vanishing into the bedroom. 

You heard Cherry scoff amusingly in the background, but by then you were in too good of a mood to throw something snarky back at him and were determined to enjoy the moment because you knew that this good feeling would disappear as soon as you started work again in the morning. 

But for now, you could enjoy the comforts of your home and the two people you loved most in the world.

                                              ━━━━━━━━

As you finished your work for the day and got ready to head home, overjoyed that it was the last night you would have to work overtime for a while, you were surprised that you had managed to get through the day with little interaction or pestering from your coworker.

You didn’t want to jinx yourself or anything, but for a brief moment the thought that he had finally given up crossed your mind. Out of the corner of your eye, you scanned the office for him but he was nowhere to be seen. Sighing in relief, you gathered your things and made a bee-line for the elevator.

For once, you had managed to get through an entire day without being cornered and asked out for the millionth time. 

As the elevator doors opened and you stepped out into the lobby, you spotted two familiar faces waiting for you at the front doors and you felt your heart swell with excitement. You had expected both your boyfriends to be busy tonight with work, the same as you were, so seeing them both standing there, waiting for you with flowers in hand, was a welcomed surprised.

Thinking that today was actually a good day for once, you rose your hand to wave with a grin on your face, a feeling of freedom and joy spreading through you  . . . that was until you felt a hand clasp down on your shoulder. You didn’t have to turn around to know who it was. Immediately, your good mood had vanished.

Slowly, you lowered your hand—your smile fading in the process—and turned around to face your coworker. 

“Thought you could get away without me noticing?” His grin was wide and toothy, like a predator showing off its fangs to prove how powerful it was. He didn’t pay any mind to Joe or Cherry, which meant that he either didn’t know they were there for you or didn’t care. 

“I’m actually in a bit of a hurry.” You gestured over to your boyfriends, hoping that the realization that your significant other was real would finally be enough to scare him off. “I’ve got plans.”

He glanced Joe and Cherry’s way briefly, but it did nothing to deter him. “Oh, so you do actually have a boyfriend. Which one is he?”

You swallowed hard. Usually, explaining the whole polyamory thing was too time-consuming so you told people you had a boyfriend and left it at that. “It’s, well . . . um . . .”

Before you were forced to answer, Joe and Cherry had noticed your discomfort from across the lobby and started making their way over. The look in Joe’s eyes gave away that he was none too pleased that your male coworker still had his hand on your shoulder. 

“This must be one of your coworkers,” Cherry was the first to speak, extending his hand politely to your coworker. “Nice to meet you.”

Your coworker used his free hand to shake Cherry’s while Joe just grunted in disapproval. In a desperate attempt to escape the situation without causing a scene, you tried to shift closer to Joe but were stopped by your coworker’s hand clamping down harder on your shoulder. 

“We’re the boyfriends.” Joe’s grip tightened around the bouquet of flowers he was holding as he reached out, wrapped an arm around your waist, and pulled you away from your coworker and toward him. 

“Boyfriends? As in plural?” Your coworker tilted his head at you quizzically. “You never told me you had two boyfriends.”

“I never-” you started, but you were quickly cut off.

“I’m a little surprised you’re real,” your coworker said, somehow seemingly completely unfazed. “I was seriously beginning to believe she was making you up to avoid going out with me.”

You shook your head and chuckled nervously, something you found yourself doing around him a lot in order to keep the mood light. “I would never lie to you. It’s just busy schedules is all, like I said yesterday.”

“Going out with you?” Cherry cocked a brow and crossed his arms over his chest. “The woman tells you she has a boyfriend and you still insist on asking her out?”

Your coworker just laughed. “Well we used to go out all the time when she first switched departments. I thought she was just playing hard to get but I guess not.”

Both Joe and Cherry turned to you, glimmers of confusion in their eyes. “You used to go out?” Joe asked, concerned that they had just found out you had been cheating on them. 

“No!” you blurted out. “Well, I mean, yes, but it was as a group of coworkers. Never just the two of us.”

“Never?” your coworker repeated. “What about those times at the bar? Did you seriously forget? That hurts my feelings, you know.”

You felt your cheeks flush red and your heart begin to pound. Suddenly, you had been backed into a corner by your past self’s naive kindness. “I didn’t know it was going to be just the two of us until I showed up,” you stated quietly. “You lied to me to get me to go.”

“Is that true?” Joe placed a finger under your chin and lifted your head to get you to look him in the eyes. You could tell he wasn’t accusing you of anything, only looking for answers.

You nodded, finally feeling brave enough to tell the truth with your boyfriends by your side. “Once I realized he was after something more, I started turning down his propositions. Then he started asking me every day . . . then he started following me to my car,” you whispered the last part, worried about what might happen if your coworker heard you say that part. “Can we please leave now?”

Noticing that your hands were shaking and your bottom lip was quivering, Joe instantly knew that you were telling the truth; no one would ever be so terrified to tell a lie like this. “Yes, of course, we can leave now.” He held you closer. “Whatever you want.”

“So you’re gonna lie and make me look like the bad guy here?” your coworker huffed, truly playing the victim card to the fullest. “I’m the asshole because I wanted to buy you a few drinks and get to know you better?”

“No, you’re the asshole for continuing to pursue her when she clearly told you no,” Cherry snapped, now just as angry as Joe was, maybe even more. “She’s kind and, because of that, probably turned you down nicely—too nicely—and you took advantage of that . . . you fucking prick.”

Your eyes widened with disbelief. Usually, Cherry was the one to remain calm in stressful or aggravating situations, but apparently not this time. You rarely heard him curse or snap, let alone at someone he met for the first time five minutes ago. 

Reaching out, you grabbed hold of Cherry’s hand and squeezed lightly to catch his attention. “I really think we should leave now,” you told him. 

Drawing in a deep breath and collecting himself, Cherry agreed. “Yes, you’re right, we should. We have dinner plans and it would be a waste to miss them on account of this asshole.”

“Fine, have it your way.” Your coworker finally seemed to give in, but not without hurling a few insults your way first, of course. “I shouldn’t have wasted my time on someone like you anyway. What, two boyfriends is perfectly fine but three is crossing a line? Give me a fucking break. Slut.”

You saw the rage bubbling up in both Joe and Cherry, but before they had the chance to do anything about it, your coworker had turned his nose up at the three of you, pushed his way past, and exited the building. 

As soon as he was completely out of sight, they both turned to you and you felt the tears begin to well in your eyes; not necessarily because you were sad or angry, but because you were so relieved that the truth had finally come out and your coworker had finally been dealt with. 

“I’m so sorry,” you spoke through gentle sobs, trying to calm down all the while. “I should have told you two about him when it all first started but I just didn’t want to burden you two with an issue that seemed so . . . so stupid.”

“Stupid?” Joe pulled you in for an almost bone-crushing hug. “You said he was following you to your car. That’s not stupid. You must have been so scared.”

“You should have told us,” Cherry agreed. “Now that I know you were dealing with that all by yourself for months, it makes me feel like a bad boyfriend. I should have picked up on the signs, like when you came home completely drained last night. I wish we could have helped you sooner.”

Wiping away your tears, you drew in a deep breath. “Thank you for coming tonight and for telling him off. I just hope he doesn’t pull anything at work tomorrow . . . he is technically my superior.”

“If he tries anything, and I mean anything, you tell us right away. Okay?” Joe insisted. “From now on, no more secrets because you want to protect us or don’t want to burden us. Your problems are our problems.”

You nodded. “Okay. Thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank us. It’s our job to keep you safe and be there for you.” Cherry kissed your cheek softly. “Now, I’m starving so let’s go eat, yeah?”

Suddenly, you remembered just how hungry you were. “Yes, dinner sounds lovely.”

“Speaking of lovely, these are for you.” Joe handed you the bouquet of flowers—now with slightly smushed stems from his previous anger—that he had brought. 

“They are beautiful.” You took them happily and gave them a smell, the floral scent bringing your nerves down a little. “You two seriously are the best, you know that?”

“We know.”

[storiesbymads]

HOT SUMMER NIGHTS ( haydn fleury . )

Haydn and Y/N are childhood friends that take their families tradition of summers at their cabin into their own hands when their parents decide they aren’t going this year

warnings: sexual references, alcohol

wc: 4.1k

add yourself to my taglist!

Summer was your favorite time of the year. It’s been your favorite since you were six when your parents decided that you and the Fleurys were going to spend every summer from then on at a cabin they’d purchased together. It was situated on a small lake—that could really be considered a very large pond—and it had enough yard to let your golden retriever run five miles before it had to turn around and come back.

John had enlisted both sons to build some semblance of a fire pit when you turned fifteen. Haydn and Cale finally had a good and functioning pit… two summers later. That started the tradition of the three of you sitting down by the pit when both sets of parents had tucked in for the night and sharing stories into the early hours of the morning. And you may or may not have snuck into your dad’s supply of Natty Light while you did so.

Your days at that cabin were filled with probably the happiest memories you’d ever made. Haydn always forced you to go paddle boarding with him or canoeing during the day—you preferred the canoeing since he would just let you tan near the front while he did… whatever he did. Your parents pretty much left you to your own devices until dinner where all of you would gather around the enormous dining room table and spend an hour or two just talking. There was also the occasional game of Monopoly that totally didn’t end in Cale flipping the board that one time when Haydn gave you too much money as banker for six rounds in a row. You thought you were being really sneaky.

All of that being until your parents decided that they weren’t going up to the cabin this year. And neither were the Fleurys.

“Can you believe this,” you groaned into the phone. Haydn chuckled at your response to his phone call. You’d been on the call approximately 3 seconds at this point.

“I know but did you really expect us to go up there for the rest of our lives,” he replied.

“Uh, yeah,” you said. “We’re going to continue the tradition forever and before you know it we’ll be bringing our own kids up there. They’ll be best friends just like us.”

You really only included that last part to keep Haydn from knowing that you didn’t picture the tradition going on as it was right now. You did imagine the two of you going up to that cabin for the rest of your lives but you only pictured one family being involved in the whole ordeal.

“You know we could always just go by ourselves,” he said.

And the idea sparked joy into your heart. Until he picked you up from your house and you realized that you’d be spending all summer with him. Alone.

“You ready for this?” he asked as he helped you put your two duffel bags into the trunk of his car. His right hand found your thigh as he started up the engine. “Time for the summer of our lives.”

“Hell yeah,” you said as you hooked your phone up the aux in his car. That was one of your undisputed rules. On road trips, whoever wasn’t driving picked the music.

The ride down to the cabin felt shorter than usual. You liked to chalk it up to the fact that you were just older now and car rides didn’t feel as interminably long as they did when you were eight but it was probably due to Haydn making you laugh harder than you’ve laughed in six months the entire time. It seemed like you’d just pulled out of your driveway when you pulled into the gravel one of your cabin.

“Do you remember when Cale jumped over the bonfire and almost lit his ass on fire,” you giggled as you lugged your luggage up the wooden steps to the front door.

“Yeah, yeah I do,” Haydn said as he found the key under the welcome mat. He remembered exactly the moment you were talking about. The two of you were sixteen and testing out the unfinished fire pit and he was seconds away from spilling all the feelings he’d had for six years when his brother decided to test fate.

You inhaled deeply the second you stepped into the living room—out of habit of course. It was exactly like you remembered seeing as you’d been there just last year. It was odd not having your mom there to shove you the rest of the way through the door and forcing you to help put up the groceries before you got a chance to put your stuff in your room. Now that you thought about it, you could totally take your parents bedroom for your own and sleep in a California King for the next two months.

You hadn’t even noticed Haydn had gone back to the car until he lugged the yeti cooler in behind you and dropped it by the kitchen island. The two of you would definitely have to go to the grocery store in town for the rest of your food but you could push that off until tomorrow.

“You wanna head down to the dock?” you asked, readjusting the duffel bags on your shoulders. There was a side compartment in one of them full of nothing but bikinis and you were just itching to start using them.

“You’re ready to go down already? Don’t you usually ward off going outside for the first 24 hours of the trip?” he asked, grabbing his own bags and following you up the stairs that led to the small second level that housed three of the four bedrooms.

“Let me get changed and I’ll go down all by myself if I have to,” you scoffed, pushing open the door to your parents usual bedroom and dropping the duffels on the bed. It seemed that Haydn had the same idea as you had because he was currently dropping all his luggage onto his parents bed. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t sneak a peak at him taking his shirt off before reminding him his door was wide open for the world to see. Of course, all he said in response was that it was just you before shutting the door quietly and changing into his swim shorts.

You tried to shake the thought of Haydn seeing you in the same position. You tried to shake the thought of Haydn being the one taking your shirt off. It didn’t work.

You shut your own door before grabbing a red set out of your bikini compartment. It made your ass look great, not that that was your whole goal in wearing it, but it couldn’t hurt.

A soft knock at your door alerted you to the fact that Haydn was already done. You let him know he could come in while you pulled your hair up into a ponytail. You eyed him in the body length mirror that faced the door and, man, did you wish his mom still dressed him. The 5.5 inch inseam shorts did wonders for his thighs and he had on a canes snapback on that you were determined to steal from him later.

You weren’t doing Haydn any favors either. The thong bikini had to be his new favorite shade of red and you had your hair pulled up to reveal the small tattoo the two of you shared at the base of your shoulder blade.

“You ready?” he asked.

“Did you bring claws?” You walked past him to the hallway closet that held all of your bath and beach towels. You grabbed one for both of you, tossing him one, before making your way down the stairs.

“The mango ones,” he replied as he followed you, only about a step or two behind. You gasped in delight as you skipped the bottom step, rushing to the cooler and grabbing said mango white claw out of it. You grabbed Haydn one of his beers while you were in there, too. You weren’t heartless.

The dock was probably your favorite part of the cabin. Your mom had had it installed two summers ago and it was big enough to hold about six lawn chairs and a few beach towels across—which, by the way, was way too big for the lake but you did tan every single day while you were there.

The water was fully up to the dock when you got down there. You definitely could submerge like half your leg if you sat on the edge.

Haydn hooked up his phone to the speaker he’d mounted to the singular wall the dock had. He’d made sure the small roofed area kept the weather from dealing too much damage to it over the time you were gone.

“What music do you want?” he asked, squinting as he scrolled through his various playlists on spotify. A good ⅔ of them had been made by you and forced into his library but that didn’t matter to him. He listened to all of them.

“Do last year’s. I haven’t gotten around to making one for us this year yet,” you said as you laid out your towel. “Hey, do you think you could sunscreen my back for me?”

“Yeah, yeah, hold on,” he said before MKTO started flowing through the speakers. He grabbed the SPF out of your beach bag of sorts before sitting himself down on your thighs.

“Undo the strings, I don’t want lines,” you hummed, already enjoying the feel of the sun on your skin, and the feel of Hayden’s weight on top of you.

His breathing stuttered slightly, not enough for even you to notice, when he undid the thin tie that held up the cherry red bikini top. Squirting the lotion straight into your back, he rubbed it in. God, he could’ve spent the rest of his vacation right here.

“There you go,” he whispered once he was finished, pushing himself up from you and walking back over to where the rest of his stuff was. He grabbed his own towel, laying it out beside yours.

“Do you want sunscreen?” you asked him, opening your eyes slightly only to see him starting to lay down.

“No, I’m not staying here for long,” he replied. “The lake is calling to me.”

“You can still burn in the lake, Hay. You should know, we go over this every time.”

“This time’ll be different,” he said and he sounded so sure of himself.

If only it had worked out like that.

“Oh my god I can’t move,” he groaned into the leather of the living room couch. Your eyes were glued to the incredibly red skin of his back that you’d already lathered in aloe vera. You’d already commented on the fact that he matched your bathing suit. “The sun fucking hates me.”

“I’m sure he does.” You patted his calf twice before grabbing one of the seven remote controls on the coffee table in front of you and turned on the small box tv situated in the corner of the room. If the two of you kept this up, you’d need to do some serious renovations in the coming years.

It took two whole weeks for Haydn’s sunburn to heal enough for him to spend time outside without a shirt on. And seeing as he was your only company, the two of you had spent a hell of a lot of time inside. One thing Haydn’s lack of sun protection didn’t affect, though, was the nightly bonfire you had out back in the fire pit. You’d be surprised if you had enough firewood to last you through July with your evening antics as they were.

Haydn crumpled his Bud Light box and set it at the base of the fire pit before stacking the night’s supply of wood on top of it. He had the fire going strong in a solid ten minutes.

“I honestly don’t know how you do it. If i was stuck in the wild without you I’m pretty sure I’d just not survive,” you said when he took his spot in the fold out chair beside yours. He was close enough to you that you could smell his cologne and you could practically feel his body heat.

“Fire God,” he said, waving the extra long stick he always used as a poker. You were sure he’d had that stick for close to ten years at this point.

His eyes stayed glued to you as you told him about one of the bonfire’s you’d had when you were still back in high school. The two of you had gone to different schools then and it was probably why you’d looked forward to these trips so much.

About an hour later, the fire had diminished down to embers but neither of you cared. The two of you were so lost in conversation, you could care less about the dwindling flames. Or, at least, Haydn didn’t care.

“Oh, shit. I think it’s time to head inside,” you chuckled as you gestured to the pit. He nodded, getting up from his spot and pouring the rest of the water he’d switched to for the night before you guys came outside over the embers. He held out his free hand when he was done for you to take, helping you out of your chair. You were thankful for the lack of light or you’re sure Haydn would’ve seen the way your cheeks were burning red.

The next few days passed like clockwork. You woke up half past nine, Haydn at ten, and you made breakfast together. He was, surprisingly, not half bad at making an omelet or really anything that primarily involved eggs so you gave him most of the reigns in the kitchen. When the two of you finished eating, it was straight out to the dock until Haydn got bored and either forced you to swim with him or to get into the canoe tied off to your right.

“Y/N/N, I am begging you,” he whined. He was completely covered in sunscreen this time, you’d made sure of that, but at least he’d ditched the t-shirts. You’d chosen a white bikini today. They had full coverage bottoms and Haydn didn’t know whether to rejoice and silently hate the manufacturers.

“Hay, I just need five more minutes,” you sighed, turning your head so that you could face him from where you were laid out on your stomach. You’d already done your other side and you just wanted it to be even.

“Fine,” he said. You smiled at him in thanks, thinking that’d be the end of it and he’d make you paddle board with him when you were finished. Then, you felt his hands push underneath you and suddenly you were off the towel and pressed into his chest, bridal style.

“What the fuck!” you shrieked in the midst of the havoc. Haydn laughed briefly and before you knew it he’d jumped off the dock with you helplessly in tow.

The water was warmer than you expected but it still jolted you awake. The lake was just deep enough that you had to wade to stay afloat but not much deeper than that.

“I was almost done,” you whined, smacking him lightly on the chest when you resurfaced. You’d separated underwater but you were still incredibly close to him.

“I told you, I was bored,” he said, moving your wet hair with his fingers and tucking it behind your ear. Your breath caught in your throat at the contact. His eyes have never looked bluer than they have in that moment with the water reflecting in them.

Haydn’s fingers were still tingling, electrified with the skin to skin contact and he was desperate that you felt it too. His eyes flickered down to your lips. He wondered if he’d be able to taste the banana chapstick you’d applied before breakfast this morning.

Without even thinking about it, you‘d shifted closer to him. You contemplated wrapping your legs around his torso, seeing as it was growing more difficult to tread water with how close you were. Your body acted before you’d even made up your mind, but his hands found your thighs faster than your brain could function and your arms were already tucked behind his head.

The two of you were seemingly locked in a daze. No words passed between you but your whole world was screaming excitement. Every nerve ending in your body was shooting off as you held him close, allowing yourself to admire him in a way you’d previously held yourself back from.

Your fingers traced the deck of cards on his left arm. You knew the tattoo meant a lot to him, he’d told you what it meant when he’d forced you to come along with him when he’d gotten it done.

“I think we should head in for lunch,” Haydn said after a minute or two, mentally cursing himself for ruining the moment but he had a bigger problem at hand. Particularly the one below the belt.

He allowed you to climb the ladder to the dock before him, claiming it to be a ladies first ordeal, and watched as you made it halfway to the house before following you out himself. You were already inside making sandwiches when he shuffled inside and into the half-bath downstairs without so much as a word. He knew it was risky but you couldn’t potentially walk in the way you could if he took care of things in his bedroom. He had already contemplated just trekking upstairs to take another cold shower but he’d taken enough of those in the past week to last him a lifetime.

You hadn’t been able to get the moment from the lake out of your mind since it happened. You caught yourself wondering if Haydn had wanted to kiss you the way you’d wanted to kiss him more than a time or two.

June was drawing to a close but you felt like your summer with Haydn was just beginning.

You’d had two too many white claws—plus one of Haydn’s beers—for the evening and you were really starting to feel it when you struggled to sit upright near the fire pit. You’d been trying to finish off the box before your weekly grocery run in the morning but you were starting to regret your decision.

“We’ll get some more firewood in the morning, too,” Haydn said, throwing the last big piece of wood from the pile onto the top of the blazing fire.

You stared at him in your drunken haze when he sat back down next to you. The stories were coming out slower tonight but the silence was not completely unwelcome. It was hard to have an awkward silence between the two of you after all the years you’d spent being friends.

“Why didn’t you kiss me?” you whispered just loud enough for him to hear. His heart skipped a beat at the insinuation.

“What?” he asked. He’d heard you perfectly.

“That day in the lake. Why didn’t you kiss me?” you asked again, though a tad slurred. And in that moment he wished he could travel back in time and kiss you the way he’d dreamed about so many times. Maybe he’d be able to show you how in love with you he’d been since he was ten years old. Maybe you’d actually feel the same.

It was oddly reminiscent of when you were fourteen and you’d been in the same predicament with a boy named John. John had taken you out to the movies—or, at least, his mom had. He’d been the first boy to ever really ask you out and you thought if you prettied yourself up enough you might be able to finagle a first kiss out of it.

Of course, later that night you’d been in the same predicament on the phone with Haydn asking why this stupid freshman boy couldn’t man up and kiss you.

Had it been because of you? Had you misread both situations in your life. Had you seriously misjudged where you stood with both boys to the point that you thought you were getting a kiss only to be left high and dry and wondering why.

Maybe all of this was just the alcohol in your system talking. Or, maybe it was just because both boys had been scared.

“We should go inside,” he said as he repeated his fire ending ritual. It sizzled and sparked before erupting in a cloud of smoke. Then it was silent.

“Haydn,” you mumbled as he helped you up from your chair. You staggered when you fully reached your feet partially from the heartbreak of Haydn not responding to your question and partly from being drunk off your ass.

He helped you up the stairs and into your bedroom without another word. There were too many thoughts running through his brain right now for him to get a coherent sentence out, anyway.

The only problem was that you started stripping down to your underwear the second you stepped into the room.

“Woah, uhm,” Haydn said, wide eyed, before he clamped his hand over his eyes. He figured it shouldn’t matter that much, he saw you in a bikini just about every day, but this just felt so much dirtier.

“I’m decent,” you hummed as you threw yourself face first onto the duvet.

“Well, I’m just gonna-“

“Stay,” you said. “Please.”

“Alright,” he sighed before helping you both under the covers of the California King bed. You were asleep almost instantly and he just smiled fondly as he watched you curl up into his side. Maybe he’d be able to really explain everything in the morning. When you were sober.

The light pouring in from the open curtains caused a string of profanities to ungracefully fall from your lips as you smacked at your bedside table in an attempt to find your phone. You opened your eyes, barely, and squinted when you couldn’t find it in a few slaps only for your eyes to be met with a small glass of water and two gel caps of Advil with a note in Haydn’s scrawl.

I figured this would help the hangover. xx

You popped them in your mouth quickly, downing the water in about two gulps before grabbing the first piece of clothing you saw on your floor and heading into the en-suite to get somewhat presentable. You could hear the stove being used when you made your way down the stairs for breakfast.

“Thanks for the pills,” you said, making yourself somewhat comfortable at one of the island stools as Haydn hunched over the stove. You could smell the bacon but not much else. You eyed the clock over the fridge and noticed you’d slept way past your usual nine am wake up call.

“I went to the store already so we don’t have to worry about that,” Haydn chimed in when he saw you eyeing the new loaf of bread next to the fruit bowl.

“Do you remember what I asked you last night?” you asked, your heart dropping into the pit of your stomach as you vaguely recalled your own question.

“Yeah,” he said. He moved the pan of eggs to the eye that was shut off before turning to face where you were seated at the island.

“Why didn’t you say anything,” you continued.

“You were drunk-“

“Then, why didn’t you kiss me?” you asked again. It was already out there. You couldn’t take anything back you’d said last night so all you could do from here was push forward.

“I should’ve,” he said finally. “I should’ve kissed you.”

You got up from where you were sitting, moving around so that you were practically chest to chest with him again. You were right before. His eyes were definitely bluer in the water.

“Kiss me now,” you whispered. The dull aching your head was replaced with the intense feeling of his lips on yours. His lips were chapped, expectedly so, but they felt incredible against your own. He tasted like crest toothpaste and coffee and the combination was intoxicating.

His hands were on your hips in a second, lifting you to set you on the countertop so you were fully level. They were moving quickly, up your sides and back down again, digging into the flesh of your waist.

“Nice sweatshirt,” he said after pulling back slowly. You looked down to see you’d grabbed his from the night before rather than your own.

“I love you,” you whispered. And it was true. You’d loved him since you were fourteen when he comforted you after your first date with John. You’d loved him every day of the past ten years and you weren’t afraid of it anymore.

“I love you,” he said. “I’ve loved you since I was ten.”

tags @ptersparkers @annedub @corebore123 @damndunner @kiedhara @watermelon05 @sidscrosbyy

[rose-wine-selfships]

Oh goodness I'm sorry I missed it! I fell asleep😓 Anyway! Can I ask.. Like everything from the wedding ask game for you two? All of it, if that's alright, I'm really curious. (Or whichever ones you want!) 💜💜

🎨 - What are the wedding colors you and your F/O decided on? 

Atsushi: Ah, that’s a tough one to be honest. I just let my wife decide since we both have very different opinions on color schemes. *laughs* She likes pastels, but I’m more into neutral or metallic colors like brown and silver. 

Me: So we met in the middle and did softer colors such as light gold, silver, purple and pink for our wedding’s color scheme! And it definitely seemed to work! 😊 

Atsushi: Yeah, yeah! It definitely looks good, but please don’t ever let me decide the schemes. My wife is better at that stuff than I am please! 😆 

👗-What kind of wedding dress or suit did you and your F/O get? Give an explanation or show a picture. 

Me: For my wedding dress, I went with a classic romantic trumpet dress shape with beads and lacy long sleeves with a back outline. It has bits of champagne pearls around the corset part of the dress. I also have a flower crown tiara with a mantilla veil to complete the piece. A little traditional, I know, but I love it. It outlines my body in the perfect shape and it doesn’t make me look too bad.

Atsushi: What are you talking about? You’re already perfect to me sweetie. Your dress just makes you even more beautiful than you are already. Don’t you dare talk yourself down in front of me! *fake pouts* 

Ah anyways, the suit I had was one Dazai-san suggested to me when we were suit shopping before the wedding. He suggested I go for a white tux with a black bowtie and grey undershirt and pants. I’m not too good at fashion detail, so I just went with what he said. *chuckles* But I like it, it really shows off the best of myself too. It’s fitting, but comfortable. The suit was just right, so I thank Dazai-san for suggesting it! 😊 👍 

💕-Who said “I love you first”, you or your F/O? 

Atsushi: Well, I did say it first actually. Truth be told, it was a very dark time when I did so. Christina just lost someone close to her on one of our failed missions from the Armed Detective Agency, and it completely devastated her. So much that she was willing to take a dark route (suicide) because she felt like no one here cared for her. I couldn’t let that happen. I kind of—no I did cry when I found out about it and refused to leave her alone. I told her I loved her without thinking, and it left her in shock. At the time she wasn’t ready to confess yet, but she did tell me she would give this relationship a chance. And I’m glad she did, for I found the love of my life in her. 💕 💞 

💒- Are you two getting married outside or inside a certain place? 

Me: Well, we’ve been thinking for a while about having an outdoor wedding celebration. However, we didn’t know where to pick the venue. Then my husband Atsushi gave me a random idea. 

Atsushi: Yes, and I asked her if she would like to go to Fukuzawa’s cherry blossom park? It was privately owned by the Armed Detective Agency, and it might be a great wedding venue. So we walked around the park a couple hours, and she fell in love with the idea right away. More than anything, she loves seeing cherry blossoms bloom around, even if it wasn’t springtime. 

Me: It looked so beautiful there, and I absolutely thought it was the best choice for our outdoor venue. It looked so gorgeous with even with the homemade pink and purple paper lanterns me and the agency created ourselves. I owe my thanks to my husband for suggesting this park to me, for it made the best memories of our lives now. *kisses his cheek*

Atsushi: You’re welcome sweetie! *grins ear to ear*

👨‍🦳-Did you and your F/O get a priest to have you two married? Or did you two 

get another religious or neutral official for your marriage? 

Atsushi: Truth be told, we already have a priest in the ADA. Fukuzawa-san actually has his own government-issued license for religious practices and wedding ceremonies. How he got it, I don’t know? It’s a lot more complicated than that and I don’t want to get into it for complex reasons. But nonetheless, he did a wonderful job officiating the wedding ceremony for us. He’s a great boss, and I wouldn’t have anyone else over him. 😊 

👣-Who walked you down the aisle to your F/O? A familial or platonic F/O? 

Me: Actually, Kunikida-san walked me down that aisle to my husband. He was trying so hard not to cry while doing it, but a few tears did slip out. Before I went up the steps, I did smile at him and patted his shoulder to let him know it’s ok in my own way. He calmed down a bit after that. After all, a wedding isn’t complete without a few people shedding tears of joy. He’s honestly a sweet guy underneath it all. 😃 

🎶- What kind of music did you play at you and your F/Os reception?

Atsushi: We did a mix of oldies and new music to get everyone involved regardless of age or group. 

Me: Yup, it was a mix of pop, rock, EDM, and a dash of dance music. It was a really fun reception overall. Everyone hit the dance floor and definitely got drunk more than once at the cocktail bar we provided. Hahaha! 😆 

🎧- Did you and your F/O hire a DJ at your reception? Or get a live band to play all your songs there? 

Atsushi: We got the Tanizaki siblings to be our DJs for the night. We paid them a good sum of money to get the music going. Truth be told, they’re great at DJ-ing and are really fun to be around. Although I do have one problem with them. They always sneak off somewhere during a “music break’, and it’s always behind a curtain!

Me: Yeah, what the heck is up with that? Haha! We’re supposed to be the ones making out and doing other “stuff”. Oh well, that’s their dynamic though. 

🥘- What kind of food did you give your guests at the reception? What about desserts? 

Me: For us, we went all out with the food at the reception. We provided a Mexican-Japanese fusion of food for people to eat. For appetizers, we had either chazuke, albondigas (meatball) soup, or smoked salmon tapas. For dinner we had either Norigami tacos or sushi burritos. For dessert we provided either fried ice cream or Japanese street crepes. 

Atsushi: The tacos were delicious! Ah, my mouths salivating because of it! Oh, I’m getting off track anyways. Hehe~ We also provided a full bar because we knew people would not be fully entertained without a drink or two. We provided full bodied cocktails, beer, sake, martinis, and much more alcoholic beverages. Chuuya-san wanted to come over and be the bartender just to rub it in Dazai’s face. Surprisingly, he didn’t pick a fight with Dazai and just made great drinks through the whole night. Which is good, we needed peace at our wedding. 😆 

🥂- Who gave the first newlywed toast to you and your F/O? Did they give a good speech?

Atsushi: Dazai-san provided the first wedding toast speech to both. Surprisingly, he was very relaxed and open after having a few drinks himself. His speech was definitely genuine, I could tell. His eyes were flickering with something—passion I think? And a little bit of happiness for us both. I’m really glad he provided the first speech for us, just to have his blessing alone is wonderful. 

🎥 - Who filmed you and your F/Os wedding? Did they take a lot of pictures too? 

Me: Akiko-san was a great photographer. She did well with the props for our engagement photos. She made sure we posed in the right positions, and that my bouquet was well photographed besides my dress and face. She really captured the spirit of us in love at our wedding, and I cannot thank her enough for that! 🙏 💕 

🏡- Where will you and your F/O settle down for a new home? 

Atsushi: We’ll be settling down somewhere in the suburbs close to where we work in Yokohama. It’ll be a gated community, yes, but it won’t entirely be away from the city. The great part is there are a few parks within this housing complex, and our house is right next to most of them. We can just go out and walk around the parks, get our exercise, and talk a bit. Honestly, it’s the best part about us getting married, knowing I’ll have an even closer bond with my wife. 💕 

🕰- How long have you and your F/O been together before getting married? 

Me: Honestly, we’ve been together for at least 3 1/2 years before getting engaged. Even after meeting him, I couldn’t imagine falling in love with anyone else other than him. He’s the love of my life, and I want to spend the rest of my time on this Earth with my Atsushi.~❤️ 

Atsushi: Same.~❤️ 

[eurydium]

home box office — stranger things

Pairings: Robin Buckley x Reader, Steve Harrington x Reader

Category: fluff

Summary: Being Robin and Steve’s co-worker at Family Video is pretty much the best thing ever, but it takes quite the toll on your gentle (and very much bisexual) heart. 

     Requested by: @the-desert-shewolf  !

Word Count: 1.7k 

Author’s Notes: This is best read on the website rather than the mobile app, the app flubs up the formatting of it all 

This is the first request that’s done with both Robin and Steve and I really liked the idea! Just in case, this trio of the reader, Robin, and Steve comes up again (it probably will) it will be found in both of their respective master lists with ‘stranger things’ as writing ‘s.h & r.b’ looks wonky to me. 

Also, I’m really sorry if this feels a little rushed/short/not splendid :// 

buckley master list || harrington master list

“I swear to God I’m gonna strangle Keith,”

     Steve muttered as he wandered back over to you and Robin while you both were perched on top of the counter. You laughed as you pulled out the board — one similar to the board from Scoops Ahoy. You hissed at you added a tally to the ‘Keith’ side of the board as Robin shook her head at the once teenage heart-throb. Thus far, Keith had a good tally of six women that he’s scared away while Steve had a tally of two that he won over — both of which occurred while Keith was sick.

    “You’ve lost your touch, Harrington,” You commented, chuckling as you lowered the board behind the counter once more. “Your body count is so unfortunately stagnant,” You puppy-frowned at him while Robin cackled next to you. 

    “Shut the hell up,” Steve rolled his eyes, turning around and leaning against the counter — somewhat perched but mostly standing. He sighed and leaned his head against you, closing his eyes for a few moments. 

    “Where am I going wrong?” Steve groaned exaggeratedly, running his hands through his hair. Robin gave a nice pat to Steve’s hand from across you, looking at him firmly. 

    “Didn’t you learn your lesson last summer, dingus?” Robin snarkily questioned, causing Steve to crack open his eyes and send a glare her way. “You gotta stop acting like you’re the most popular guy in school. If you couldn’t tell, we’ve graduated and working at minimum wage,” She added in with a roll of her eyes. 

    “Exactly, you don’t have to act cool anymore. Just be good ‘ol Steve,” You chuckled, ruffling his hair with a teasing grin. Steve rolled his eyes endearingly before standing fully, pushing off the counter. He fixed his hair again, making sure he was perfect and hot as can be. He glided away from you both and approached two women, once again reverting to his old ways. 

    “He’ll never learn,” Robin smirked. 

    “He really won’t,” 

—

    “You ladies down for a movie night?” Steve asked with a grin, looking between you and Robin. Robin gave a simple thumbs-up, and both of their gazes affixed onto you. You pursed your lips, brushing hair behind your ear as you glanced over at Keith. 

    “I kinda promised Keith I’d stay a little late to help clean up and organize,” You awkwardly drawled, looking back to both Robin and Steve with an upset gleam in your eyes. “It’s only for an hour, but you guys would probably want to start sooner and everything,” You added with a small, almost forced grin. 

    “Compromise. Steve and I will buy snacks and you supply the movies?” Robin suggested, looking to Steve for an ‘okay’ to the idea. Steve crossed his arms and nodded with a pleased smile, his gaze shifting from Robin and then onto you. 

    “We wouldn’t have a movie night without you for the world,” Steve commented. Your face flushed slightly, elated that they liked you that much. “We can wait an hour for you, don’t worry,” Steve winked, getting a hum of an agreement from Robin. 

    “We’ll come back around to pick you up,” Robin stated, causing you to grin brightly. 

    “Perfect,” You chuckled. Robin glanced down at her watch, realizing that it was time for them to finally clock out after quite an exhausting day. 

    “Be back for you soon, sweetheart,” Robin teased with a cheeky wink, pushing Steve out of the store. 

    “I’ll see you losers in a few. Wish me luck,” You saluted the two as they made their way out the door. You walked over to the Rom-Com section of the movies and began to re-sort them alphabetically, glancing over to see Keith fixing up the Sci-Fi section. 

    There was a pleasant silence between you both while soft music played throughout the store. You hummed along with the music, and it seemed that only now did Keith’s attention fall over to you —  as if you haven’t been there the whole time. He kept his mouth zipped for another minute, but you could sense him just staring you down for quite a bit. 

    “Yes, Keith?” You asked aloud, looking in his direction as he stared you down slack-jawed. 

    “Which one do you like?” Keith said pretty vaguely, causing you to raise your brows in a confused manner. 

    “Excuse me?” 

    “Robin or Steve, it’s obvious that you like one of them,” He pointed out with a roll of his eyes as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. You paused from shuffling the movies, taking a moment to actually think about this. 

    You weren’t certain of yourself either. 

    Both Robin and Steve fueled most of the joys in your life, and almost every moment of bliss had been with both of them. The night at Lovers’ Lake was the one you reminisced about the most.

    “The stars look like little fireflies,” You giggled as you laid flat on your back — reaching your hands up to the sky and trying to grab at them. 

    “No, dumbass, they’re like, baby moon bits,” Robin countered with a drunken laugh, rolling over and resting in the crook of your next. 

    “You’re both wrong! They’re, like, stars,” Steve retorted loudly, staring both of you down with a serious stare. The moment of silence passed and you all collapsed in fits of laughter. Steve giggled and laid on top of you, causing you to laugh even more due to his dramatic fall. The three of you kept rolling around together along the edge of Lovers’ Lake — drinking, singing, and laughing to your hearts’ content. 

    That night: the alcohol was good, the music was better, and the drunken (but not forgotten) stolen kisses were the best. 

    Of course, there were your separate adventures with the two, but both were honestly an equal match and you had no preference of whom you liked more — whether platonically or romantically. You had your fair amount of 711 slushie runs with Robin and horror movie dates when Steve would be too scared to watch them, but you also had your long talks over the phone with Steve and your sporadic nights drinking and walking down the abandoned railroad tracks. 

    Really, you loved them both. 

    “I don’t have to answer that,” You responded after a short while of thinking, a sly smile on your face but paired with apologetic eyes. 

    “Ugh, whatever,” Keith groaned, upset to not hear your side of the juicy gossip. You giggled at his complaint and continued sorting for the next hour, the time flies by quickly as you and Keith exchanged the occasional quip about movies while you were fixing them up. 

    “Hey, we’re back!” Steve called through the store, noticing you in the back chuckling at whatever dumb comment Keith made about Star Wars. He sauntered over to you and swung an arm around your shoulders. 

    “Ready to jet?” Steve asked with a cute grin, glancing up at Keith for a moment before looking back down to you. You noticed Keith’s dropped expression (as he obviously still detested Steve), but it was followed by a little smirk. You hastily averted your eyes away from Keith. 

    “Almost, gimme a sec and I’ll join you in a bit,” You told Steve, shooing him out of the store for just a few more moments.

    “So it’s Steve, huh?” Keith grinned menacingly, but of course, you brushed him off and began picking up some movies. 

    “I told you I don���t have to answer to you, even if you are my boss,” You chuckled, picking up The Apartment from the shelf. 

    “So Robin?” Keith offered once more. You rolled your eyes and walked over to another section, picking up Hidden Fortress. 

    “No comment!” You replied in a sing-songy manner, finally picking up Children of Paradise. Steve wasn’t the best connoisseur of movies, so naturally, you picked up Robin’s favorites so he can watch some good fucking cinematography. 

    Before you walked out, you noticed one last movie from the corner of your eye. You smiled to yourself as Steve’s description of the movie rang through your memory. You picked up the movie without a beat and gave one last smile to Keith. 

    “See you on Monday,” You sweetly chimed before exiting the store with the four movies in hand, strolling to the car with a smile. You hopped into the back seat and immediately Robin turned around to you. 

    “Cherry slushie, your favorite,” Robin smiled before handing you the large drink. You graciously smiled and eagerly took the drink from her hands —  your fingertips gently grazing against her soft hands. 

    “We also got some gummy worms, chocolate bars, and jiffy pop!” Robin added in with a delighted smile, shuffling through the candies she had stored in the bag. She swiftly turned back around to face forward before shouting, “Drive Harrington! Drive!”

    During the car ride to Robin’s place, you couldn’t help but ponder on Keith’s words a little more deeply. You were somewhat bothered by his invasive question, but not in an awful way. You really liked both of them and you couldn’t decide, but that doesn’t mean that you had to choose. 

— 

    After Back to the Future, you all were already feeling a bit drowsy. It was an oddly cold night in Indiana, and the three of you were bundled in the largest and softest blanket Robin had owned. You claimed the middle spot for personal reasons of your own and felt completely content when Robin wrapped an arm around your waist and both of them laid their heads on your shoulders. 

    The night ran late and before you knew it, both of your companions fell asleep on you. Robin hugged your torso and Steve ended up lying in your lap. Both slept peacefully, and the sight of them both brought a joy to your heart. They had been asleep for an hour now, and in that time you came to your conclusion in regards to Keith’s badgering question. 

    You didn’t care for choosing one over the other. You were content with the sweet nothings, friendly holding of hands, and teenage bliss. There was a lot of life to live, and love to give — and it could only be properly spent and expressed with both of them prominent in your life. 

You loved them both, and you were content in that.