#go read magnolia and also graduation

[surreal-duck]

you single handedly both made me love midori and yuzuru more and also ship them i love your art sm <33

TYSM!! :> if mdyz has 1000 fans etc etc ive truly never recovered.

they both on their own too are rly neat characters that are very dear to me go listen to mahiru no zanzou and green to the sky btw. or again if you already have. did u know how much midori loves and adores ryuseitai. he means everything to mee her growth is soooo good i think abt climax so much hearing the voiced clips still kind of break me. and yuzuru where do i start. all i can say is that im doing this to him

[runningupthatvecna]

the law of seat partners | part 4

masterlist

a/n: so this is part four, probably the last and final part to bring this little something to an end. it's a bit of a dive into eddie's emotional state and self-esteem issues and it just might sting you a little reading. this whole story has honestly been a wild ride from start to finish and i want to thank every single one of you for giving it so much love! hope you enjoy this last part just as much, if not more. all i can say is that i poured my entire heart into this and it's my first time writing spice, so go easy on me please. my requests are, however, open in case anyone wants me to write more. for this, i'm planning a little sequel part, so keep an eye out for that if you like.

summary: after some intense flower crown binding and a few more intense days at the camp, things are finally getting real between you and eddie. you make him your prince and he makes you his own. read for yourself ;)

word count: 13,5k (lol don't ask i got carried away it seems)

warnings/tags: slow burn, mutual pining, idiots in love kinda, not too detailed description of reader's appearance, very close physical closeness, sharing a bed, eddie being touch starved and a very wholesome and caring bean, mentions of eddie's dad being a piece of shit, lots of petnames, shitlots of fluff, a tad bit of angst, abandonment issues & performance anxiety, smut (minors go away!), softdom!eddie, kissing, oral (m and f receiving), fingering, a bit of edging if you squint, dirty talk, unprotected p in v, pulling out, basically just hot and steamy lovemaking filth. ok BYE

-----

Roses, magnolias, tulips, daisies, sunflowers, yarrows, peonies and lots of twigs with green leaves. For the base. To balance out the colours.

The day had finally come.

You placed the crown of flowers which you had spent an hour assembling and braiding and binding together on your head, intending to wear it with a sense of pride.

A sunflower as the yellow centerpiece, two light purple peonies on each side, some yarrow and white roses here and there.

You guessed that Jonathan would shoot another roll of film full today, measured by the enthusiasm he was displaying just now while directing the postures of the four of you, assigning you poses and giving you instructions on which way to turn so you would be lit in the best way possible.

Robin, Nancy, Max and you were stood in one line, and if it weren't for the fact that you found yourselves on the path leading from the cabins to the little square of the fireplace, surrounded by trees, the view of the lake in the background and framed by a row of tall pines, you would think you were posing for graduation photos.

It was a nice rehearsal, at least.

Anyone else except Will, Eddie and the photographer himself were busy occupying themselves elsewhere.

The younger Byers boy enthusiastically fumbling around with flowers for his own crown – the artist in his element –, Jonathan capturing your precious moments and Eddie, ... well Eddie was honestly just watching the four of you, admiring the scene and being grateful that no one had shoo'ed him away yet, because that meant he'd certainly have to get involved in the yoga-slash-stretching workshop Steve Harrington was trying to attend in the meantime.

Also he was wondering where you took the patience for your magnificent wonder of floral composition from, when he unsuccessfully tried to merely string a bunch of leafy twigs and yarrow together himself.

The teachers had made you all spent the majority of the day in the next bigger town, admiring the contents and exhibits of the local museum, dedicated to bring the regional history, geography specifics and culture closer to its visitors. And the only time the longhaired metalhead had left your side (under protest) was those two times you needed to use the women's restroom.

The younger middle school kids had been an absolute menace to the nerves of Mr Clarke all day, their lack of patience and ability to stay focused on the exhibits getting the best of him.

Eddie's presence made everything better though (for you at least) and the obnoxious children forgotten. You know that feeling when you're on a trip with your friends and your crush is there too and that fact just lifts your entire mood and whatever you guys are doing doesn't matter because they are there with you because their presence is solely enough to make your heart blossom?

Yeah. That.

"Come here", you sat down next to Eddie on the tree trunk that was laid flat to act as a bench, taking and trying to fix whatever attempt of a flower crown he was occupying his fingers with. You would guess that he'd be quite skilled with them as a guitarist, but seeing him drop stuff here and there with his tongue stuck out – a telltale sign that he was focussing super hard – also had you guessing that the skill of binding flower crowns and playing guitar were two different pairs of shoes.

Legs touching, you felt Eddie's gaze wander from the top of your knee over the skin on the plushness of your bare thighs up to the hem of your white flowy linen dress.

Oh, what they would feel like under his gentle touch.

His eyes paused their little journey on your hands, the softness of your skin, how you (just like him) always wore your rings, thin golden bands delicately adorning your index and middle fingers plus the one on your right thumb. He took in the tiny wrinkles stretched over your knuckles, the way your fingertips were readjusting the wire he sloppily had bound the twigs and stems together with, lightly brushing over the even softer petals of the flowers.

Secretly he wished they would lightly brush over his own hands too.

Brush over his neck, his hair, his cheeks, telling him that there was absolutely nothing wrong with him and that he could and would be accepted – and maybe even loved – just the way he was in his truest form.

As if you could be someone with the capability to show him just that. Convince his silly brain that he wasn't the fuck up his father made him believe to be. The unlovable freak his hometown condemned him as.

A feeling he was so desperately yearning for, deep down below the surface where usually no ray of light would ever reach the bottom.

Mainly because he wouldn't let the light through. The waves were and had just always been too high.

Gaze continuing its journey further up, lingering on your chest for a fleeting second, before scanning over the expanse of your neck.

Eddie mentally thanked Nancy for braiding your hair out of the way today.

He took in your jawline, the way your small and delicate earrings decorated the lobes of your ears, a small strand of hair on the side of your head separating your ear from your face, your nose which Eddie found to be very cute, a few freckles spread over the apples of your cheeks, eyes as deep as the ocean, currently focused on not cutting yourself on the garden scissors as clumsy as you could be, and then the pinkish red plushness of your rounded lips.

Eddie was certain they would feel like lying on a cloud in heaven against his own. Giving him a glimpse of something big and meaningful, and very very dear to him, something crawling through every vein of his body making the goosebumps erupt on his bare arms, something he craved to his core.

He wanted to touch. Needed to. More of you.

And he felt an all too familiar warmth spread through his abdomen, just like yesterday after the swimming, when his goodnight hug had ended up a bit too tightly for his own good, and he'd had to excuse himself awkwardly in order to take care of the semi slowly causing his damp shorts to become painfully tight.

He took in the way your eyes lit up and the corners of your mouth curled upwards at your successful fix of his poor attempt to impress you, watched you getting up and moving in front of him in a twirl, making the hem of your dress bounce a little.

Of course he noticed that. You were the pretty much only thing occupying the space in his brain.

The light was you.

"Now here you go, Prince of Metal", you chuckled as you placed the crown on his head softly, him blinking up at you through his thick black lashes with a wide smile that was forming on his face slowly at your affectionate gesture and – especially – the title.

It was very modest, just white yarrow and the green of the leaves, an analogy to Eddie's mindset of cherishing simplicity.

A "thank you, darling" escaped his chest in a low, soft tone right before he stood up, still grinning at you as if you had just told him you'd won the lottery. Or he'd won it.

He was certainly feeling like he had. You had done this, something nice, for him. It made his cheeks flush pink. A delightful addition to the white and green.

Jonathan had just finished taking a few close-ups of Max' half-heartedly composed circle of tulips and daisies, and when he noticed you and Eddie in the middle of half empty buckets of leftover flowers and the splutter of twigs and fallen petals, he wasted no time in calling you over to his makeshift photo set.

-----

For the rest of the trip, you couldn't help but think of Eddie's newfound interest in flower arrangements, the way he had selflessly fought with the stubborn wire and unruly twigs just to spend more time with you (and selflessly escape yoga with Steve).

The time at camp was almost coming to an end already. You had two nights left before the bus would roll up again, forcing you to leave the little serene oasis to take you home.

A whole bunch of polaroids was stacked up on your little nightstand by now, one of them showing you alongside the Prince of Metal, proudly posing with flower crown heads held high, and if you didn't know better you would say that the pose you both had taken made the impression of one of a royal couple. Eddie had put his hands on his hips, facing the camera diagonally, your back towards his chest in the same direction as him. Serious expressions, since you were royalty.

Another showed you in between Steve, Robin and Eddie on another hike, all of you well-lit by the bright sun, blue sky and vast lake with the deep green of trees in the background, on top of the hill you had attempted to climb on the first day. Robin was pulling a silly face, while Eddie poked his index finger into the dimple that always formed on Steve's cheek whenever he put on his toothy grin. And you? You were just looking, smiling, gazing at your seat partner.

More of them had been taken during further swimming activities, recreations of the acrobatic performance which Eddie and Max had displayed that first time in the lake, and since Jonathan knew how obsessed with photos you really were, he thought he might as well give you all the others he had taken.

For safekeeping.

Not to mention the one of Eddie and you on the bus.

And then, your personal favourite you had decided, showed Eddie in the white framed rectangle with closed eyes, his crown of flowers decorating the top of his head, the widest grin spread across his face.

He looked angelic.

You wished you could make a thousand copies of it and tape it to every single lamp post and throw it into every single mail box in all of Hawkins.

You wanted to look at it forever.

As you were lying there in the darkness of your shared cabin, you made a mental note to yourself to definitely pay Jonathan back for the film.

Eyes closed, you let your mind wander through all the memories you'd been making these past days. Not just with Prince Metal, but also with everyone else. It was nice and wholesome getting to spend time with the gang outside of Hawkins.

The very vivid memories of the past days flooded your brain. It was easy getting lost in them. So lost, that you audibly gasped as a light knock on the glass of the window pulled you out of conscious dreamland.

Practically shooting up from the mattress, you turned your head towards the window.

The more than familiar wild mane of your favourite Hawkins local satanist stood out from between the ends of the bushes growing beneath that window, and the person it belonged to was intently gesturing towards the wooden door of your cabin.

Eddie was wearing his signature grin when you rolled your eyes at him and the idea of sneaking around in the waking hour that was two in the night.

You mouthed a "fine" at him, nodding towards the door, before you silently tried to get up without triggering an avalanche of your roommates awaking.

The sight that offered itself to you as you crook open the cabin door was something you were certain you were going to burn into the core memories of your life.

Eddie Munson on the first of two steps in front of your door, the pathway with the other cabins in the background, in a black tank top, from the darkness you made the colours of his boxers out to be dark blue, his white sneakers but no socks. The scene in your periphery lit only by the low glow of the moon casting its reflection down onto him and his surroundings through the crowns of the pine trees.

A bunch of tattoos were visibly spread over his arms, guitar pick on a chain around his neck, curtained by his luscious curls. A messy bunch of random forest flowers and grass in his tight fist.

What on earth was he thinking he was doing out here? At this hour?

His expression told you.

"Hi", he almost whispered, a sly smile playing on his lips, eyes searching yours, stretching his arm straight and holding the makeshift flower bouquet out under your nose.

As if it was the most normal thing, showing up at someone's cabin in the middle of the night. In the woods. With random flowers he must have picked on the way here?

You snorted at his gesture and the incredible sweetness of it, it was making you blush hard and your heart combust in your ribcage at the thought of him even thinking of bringing you something. At him even being here right now. The innocence of it juxtaposing with his reputation back at home.

"Jesus Christ, what on earth are you doing out here?", you whispered back in the same tone, leaning in the doorframe in your usual sleep shirt and – of course, since you were surrounded by girls and you all were comfortable enough with each other – panties only.

Eddie took the next logical step, the one above the one he was currently standing on, getting closer to where you were leaning and recreating the usual height difference between you two.

"I can't fall asleep with Steve snoring", still in a hushed tone, and he paused before a small smile formed on his lips again, "and a bird just told me that the extension of the law, remember when I told you about that? Yeah, well, it got approved, so", he paused again, finding your eyes again with his best impression of a puppy, "could I maybe, you know uh, come in and be rescued from my eternal misery?"

You were very well aware that you'd be sent home immediately if anyone caught sight of you letting a male breathing creature past your doorstep, but since it was 2 am, it was also Eddie Munson gazing at you in the moonlight as if you were the most beautiful thing he ever had laid his eyes on, and you couldn't deny that you most definitely wanted this, the possible consequences of your little spontaneous rendezvous, nagging at your brain like alarm bells, were thrown overboard in an instant.

Grabbing one of Eddie's wrists, you pulled him towards you and inside, trying to close and lock the cabin door as silently as possible.

His presence alone and familiar warmth radiating from his body was already soothing the light rush of adrenaline in your veins from doing something that could get the both of you into quite the trouble, and it didn't take him long to take a step forward, moving his arm that you were still holding on to around you, so you were forced to turn your back towards him while his other snuck around your waist, pulling you flush against his chest.

He squeezed you to himself for a brief second, acting as a silent thank you, before he let go of you with a wide grin that you were only able to see thanks to the dim light of the moon flooding through the one window between the two bunks.

There was a small sparkle in his eye, a glint of serenity, comfort and endless affection. And relief. So much relief from how you were letting him in, weren't rejecting him like he was used to.

Peaceful breathing was filling the room, a light snore coming from the top bunk that wasn't above yours, and Eddie followed you.

You couldn't believe that you were about to share your small mattress and covers with the one guy you'd been harbouring feelings for over the time span of several months.

Eddie couldn't believe it either.

Mere seconds later, you found yourself caged in by the wall, the bed frame and Eddie's body.

It was the most natural thing. Everything fell into place, the way the two of you were lying there, facing each other, inhaling each others breaths from the close proximity, the covers draped over your bodies, hiding the details of Eddie sneaking an arm around your waist again to pull you impossibly closer, his hand carefully exploring more of the territory he already had started to discover on the bus, calloused yet somewhat soft fingertips almost ghosting up the warm skin over your bare spine.

"You're so pretty."

An inaudible whisper of admission.

You heard it.

An invasion of goosebumps spread over every inch of your skin like a wildfire.

Eddie felt it.

"So are you."

The arm you weren't lying on found its way up, tucking a wisp of his curls that had fallen over his now beet red cheek away behind his ear.

Neither of you wanted to ever stop smiling.

He moved his entire being down a little so his eyes were the same level with your jawline, a low hum escaping his throat at the tip of his nose brushing over the skin on your neck in an upward motion, just like that time in the lake.

It was beyond overwhelming to feel him this close. In your bed.

And for Eddie, feeling you this close was so much better than the countless times he had imagined this happening. He'd imagined what it would feel like, your light illuminating all of him.

You let him use your arm as a pillow, before he nuzzled his forehead against the same spot on your neck, his cheek lightly pressed against your clavicle.

And just when you thought you couldn't get physically closer to him than in this moment, bellies touching, legs wordlessly intertwined and all, he pulled you against him some more. Squeezed you tightly and tenderly, letting you know that this was right where he wanted to be. Where he needed to be.

And yeah, it felt quite right to you as well.

Your other arm that wasn't occupied by Eddie's head found its way around his torso, hand rubbing softly over the expanse of his back, and you wondered how much of muscle and softness your fingertips would be encountering if your hand would just cheekily sneak its way underneath his tank top.

Resting your cheek on Eddie's forehead, the warmth, the comfort of wrapping your arms around something to hold onto at night, his steady and satisfied breathing against your own, made you easily drift off into a deep slumber.

Eddie had already passed out the minute you had allowed him to rest his head in the crook of your neck and had draped your arm over him, encasing him in the embrace he so badly needed in order to find his own sleep.

You'd known him long enough to know that he cared about the few people in his life who hadn't let him down, he took care of people that took care of him.

And you wanted to take care of him. In every way you could and in every way he would let you.

Silence filled the single room, steady breaths being in- and exhaled, and you hoped no one had yet woken up to notice your charming little intruder existing in the sacred four walls of the flower cabin.

-----

A ray of sunlight made the shadows of tree leaves dance over the landscape of your face through the window.

You woke up from it, eyelids slowly blinking and then squinting shut again from the sudden invasion of too much light at once.

It took you a few seconds to realize where you were, namely in the small cabin that you were to call home for the week, with Max still snoozing in the bunk above you, a light snore still coming from Robin's side of the room, and Nancy having probably already left to go for her daily morning jog.

The weight of a semi-tattooed arm was resting on your torso diagonally like a seat belt, indicating that Eddie was even in his sleep very concerned for your safety. He had moved upwards, now a head above yours on your actual pillow and on his side, making his chest slowly rise and fall against your head.

It was peaceful, so peaceful waking up next to him, and it felt like the most natural thing. A very easy morning. As if this wasn't the first time ever.

You rubbed the back of your hand over your eye, the movement causing Eddie's hand to give the exposed skin over your waist, until where your shirt had ridden up, another gentle squeeze, making it known to you that he was, in fact, awake as well.

Craning your head towards the head of the bed, your still sleepy eyes found the warm brown of his for a moment, along with a wide stretched smile playing on his lips, dark stubble running down his cheeks and chin and neck before stopping halfway down, since he had forgotten to shave.

Eyelids fell shut again, but the smile stayed. Just for a moment longer, before he relaxed every muscle in his stupidly beautiful face, allowing your eyes to start their own journey of curious wandering.

You took in the way his nostrils flared a little whenever he exhaled, the tiny wrinkles on the outsides of his big doe eyes, a bunch of light freckles scattered over the bridge of his nose and the apples of his cheeks, the way they were being pushed up by the corners of his mouth whenever he gave you that smile, the slightly glowing softness of his skin generally, the way his wild unruly dark mane framed his face so perfectly, the way his cupid's bow sat on the plushness of his pink lips, ...

And oh, you were certain they would feel like lying on a cloud in heaven against your own.

You were also certain you were still dreaming, that this entire moment of Eddie knocking on your window and letting him into your bed and him lightly fanning your face with his breath right now was just a dream and you were about to wake up any second to the sound of pesky middle schoolers screaming their way from their cabins to the pergola where you'd usually have breakfast.

But no. This was real. Eddie was real. And he was just so pretty, lying there peacefully snoozing, the expanses of soft bellies still touching, and that wasn't because your mattress didn't stretch wide enough.

"Are you watching me sleeping?", Eddie mumbled, lightly flexing his jaw, eyes staying shut, the smile returning slowly.

If there wasn't a fire in your lower belly burning from all his touches and sweetness already, it damn certainly was now, ignited by the rasp in his low morning voice.

Oh Jesus Christ.

The absolute heat was spreading into two directions, using your heart as its origin. Once again your cheeks heated up, and you felt your thighs clench together involuntarily at the way in which he said those words.

"What if I was?", you mumbled back in a similar tone, trying your best to not let on too much about the effect he was having on you.

Eddie's eyebrows disappeared behind his frizzy bangs. Still refusing to open his eyes.

"Then I'd say you're being a little creep."

He let out a low chuckle while pulling you into his embrace, savouring the moment of having you this close once more and letting you know for certain that he was just joking.

"Pfff, says the guy who literally creeps around my cabin at two in the night."

You could not for the life of you recall a time when his face ever was closer to yours than it was right now, noses almost touching.

"Hey, that was a necessity. We only obeyed the law and I am eternally grateful for your gracious salvation from me meeting my impending doom."

The underlying layer of heaviness of his words was disregarded for now, since you wanted to desperately keep the bliss that came with being so close around him for just a moment longer.

Eddie made you feel like you were the most important person in the entire world, mainly due to his ever prominent abandonment issues. Meaning he never once had really left your side during the entirety of this trip (except for when you had to use the bathroom and, well, sleep – until now), always making sure you were taken care of.

It melted you.

And you didn't mind his clinginess at all. Male validation wasn't something you had to run from in order to save yourself from drowning in it. The opposite was more of the case, you were soaking it up like the roots of a flower that hadn't seen rain in years.

Oh wait, flowers decay at some point if they don't get watered? Well, yeah. You'd almost been there at some point in the past.

"You're such a dork", you remarked his theatrics with a chuckle, before burying your face in the crook of his neck, cheek pressed to his clavicle and nose dipping into the soft skin where neck and shoulder met, "but a very cute one."

A hint of shyness overcame you.

Awaiting his reaction was unbearable.

Eddie's cheeks flushed a bright red at your admission and the fact that you were so very obviously trying to hide your fluster between his shoulder and neck? You going all sweetly shy on him simply made his brain short circuit.

Did you just call him cute?

While your – your – lips (!!!) were so close to his skin, barely brushing over one of his sensitive spots?

No, Eddie Munson was almost certain he was still in dreamland.

Only now he dared to open his eyes, just to make sure he hadn't dreamt the sneaking-into-your-cabin-last-night part either, and let out a sigh at the conscious feeling of your skin that had collided with his palm, your nose at his pulse point, hair tickling his chin.

Then, the realization of that meaning behind your latest words kicked in.

Meanwhile, you didn't dare to lift your head to see his reaction for yourself.

He made you feel it though, when a boost of confidence helped one of his hands find a home on one of your butt cheeks, the arm which your head was still resting on wrapping around your shoulder so his arms were fully engulfing your figure, and his own head dipped down to where your neck was slightly craned.

Tip of the nose brushing up along the expanse of your neck in a singular swift motion of his head, since he already had found out a while ago that you didn't dislike that one, and then?

Then he buried his nose in the hair coming down behind your ear, while his lips slowly, almost carefully placed a peck to where your jaw met your neck, followed by another low hum at the feeling of you not backing away. Of you staying with him.

At first you weren't so sure if you had registered that correctly, but at the same time, judging from the way you could feel a familiar warmth pool between your legs, you were pretty sure he'd just kissed your neck.

Neckneckneck.

Thank fuck he couldn't see the way your eyes were rolling into the back of your skull at the sensation of his warm lips on your warmer skin.

Months over months of yearning for him, for this, for lying in his tight embrace, against the warmth of his body, longing glances you had directed at him, his innocent arm around your shoulder practically burning through whatever shirt you were wearing on those days, the now occurring realization that his sly remarks and jokes had literally been his way of subtly flirting with you, painting all his glances that had been thrown back at you in a similarly wistful light.

It was all so much at once, yet you already couldn't possibly get enough of him.

You nuzzled closer (if that was even physically possible), your arm squished between your bodies, the arm you weren't lying on wrapped around his torso, hand still underneath his tank top, running your fingertips along the smooth skin over his spine.

Giving back.

A nice concept.

A little less shy now, still cautious though, your lips pressed against the slightly stubbly side of his neck as you craned your head further up.

Eddie couldn't believe his fucking luck.

"Mhm, baby."

His almost whispering voice didn't have to travel far from how close his lips were to your ear. Because they still were lingering on your neck, where he countered your admission with another chaste kiss, trying not to overwhelm you.

It was too much. You couldn't take it any longer.

Lifting your head away from his skin, the warmth radiating from his neck engulfing your face, you softly dropped the weight back on Eddie's arm.

A wide smile decorated his face, letting you know that everything was alright with you and him in his book, and in his big brown chocolate orbs you only found affection.

You hoped he could spot the same in yours.

Oh, a surge of confidence erupted inside of you.

"Would it be okay if I kissed you?"

Eddie's fingers occupied themselves with a soft dig into the plushy flesh of your ass, while the smile dancing on his lips slowly turned into a cheeky grin, dimples denting his skin adorably, and his other hand craned around your head, thumb bending far enough to run the length of it down your cheek.

"Mhm, darling. Why do you think I've been touching you this entire time?"

Without another moment of hesitation you closed the distance between your faces, lips colliding with his own in the softest way.

You both were now lying on a cloud in heaven.

It was passionate from the beginning, yet not too wild, a fuzzy feeling of warmth spreading through your entire system at the sensation.

The low hums that Eddie let out at the feeling of your lips softly moving against his own was sending your sense of time and space into the void, and the fact that you initiated this was making his head spin like the ceiling fans in Hawkins High's cafeteria.

Slow slow slow movements, your hands wandered up to cup his cheeks, while he pulled your hips impossibly closer to his own, humming against the endless softness of your lips dancing over his.

Each kiss lasted for a few seconds, it was like you were both trying so hard to feel every line and ridge and texture of each other, and also neither of you seem to waste a single care in the world about hurrying up.

"Oh lord Jesus Christ!", Robin's loud voice ripped you out of your little trance as it went echoing through the room.

Right, you almost forgot you weren't existing in your cabin all by your twosomeness.

Despite being caught in the act by just a mutual friend of yours (and not Ms Kelley), the metalhead and you still broke apart hastily.

A hint of panic overcame Eddie at the sudden intrusion, making him let go of you, grabbing the pillow underneath his head and shoving it into the now existent gap in between your bodies, since you had discarded the sheets a while ago. Why need a blanket if you have a perfectly functioning Eddie Munson to keep you warm at night?

It surprised you that he didn't fall off the bed entirely with how close to the edge of it he now was.

A relieved sigh escaped his lungs when he realised who really caught him stealing affectionate gestures from you.

Ms Robin Buckley had no problem with the both of you, she just wasn't expecting to find Eddie lying in your bed (slowly kissing you into oblivion) in her periphery while she was digging for her bathroom utensils so she could make sure she'd look less like a corpse for breakfast.

With "whatever this is, I didn't see it" and a loud open and close of the door, she excused herself, leaving you in your solitude.

With Max Mayfield. In the top bunk above you two, which she loudly made you remember as soon as Eddie got up to follow Robin's trace outside with a quick "uh, see you in a bit, sweetness", still clutching your pillow over his front while waddling his way over to the safety of his own cabin in which Dustin was probably still snoring into the next millenium.

"Soooo, what did I just wake up to? Hm?", you heard Max say with the most curious undertone after the door closed behind Eddie, as you rolled onto your back, already finding the emptiness and lack of warmth caused by Prince Metal's exit rather unpleasant.

Your only response was a groan as you pulled the sheets up and all the way over your head.

The pathetic attempt to hide wasn't meant as a long-term solution since your lungs unfortunately started craving oxygen at some point.

"Go away!"

It came out more as a mumble than a yell, mainly due to the muffling effect of the layer of fabric between your head and Max' ears, and as you pulled your head out from under the blanket covering your entire figure only to see Max' head poking out from the bunk above you, her long red mane dangling down towards the ground, you felt the heat rushing to your cheeks.

You had kinda seen it coming already, the struggle with having to explain yourself in the morning when your roommates would find Eddie snoozing peacefully in your arms.

But now it really hit.

You had just slept next to him. Literally kissed your crush. Who wasn't really a crush anymore. To you, Eddie was a lot more than that already.

Max just giggled at your response, jumping out of her bunk and continuing her teasing for the rest of the morning.

Well, at least until you joined the rest of the gang for breakfast.

Today was your last full day, and that meant going on another sweaty (yet beautiful) hike, a heated and intense capture the flag session in which Eddie didn't leave your side once, claiming that as your seat partner he also had the obligation to protect you from potentially evil forest spirits, and you also filled out the day by attending a cooking workshop, pairing up with Nancy.

Eddie – having to detach his everlingering hand on some part of your body throughout the day now – spent time with Max, Dustin and Steve, still successfully avoiding being dragged to the yoga session by the latter.

You guessed they were attending a class about forest herbs and survival tipps, an absolute necessity should they ever get lost in the vastness of a random national park one day.

Peeling potatoes at the counter of the outdoor kitchen, you peered over to the pathway as the group of students including your friends walked past, trying to spot your favourite out of them.

Eddie found your longing glance and returned it, along with the widest grin and a little bashful wave of his ringed hand.

You felt your heart jump at the vision, absentmindedly waving back with the hand that held the potato by two fingers, smiling like the most lovedrunk idiot.

The moment was fleeting, because he collided mere milliseconds later with Dustin's backside, giving the kid a gentle slap on the back of his head for stopping unexpectedly just to inspect the shape of a leaf from the tree next to him, making him look silly and like a total dork in front of you.

Your smile turned into a full on giggle when Eddie gave you a sheepishly yearning last look before the little gathering lead by Mr Clarke continued on the pathway, leading further into the forest and out of your periphery.

God, you loved him.

The day in its entirety was peaceful despite the doom of having to pack up and make sure not to forget anything that might have slipped underneath the beds. You were supposed to leave early in the morning just to be back in Hawkins before nightfall.

Even though you were growing tired of mosquito bites and flies viewing your meals as theirs, you couldn't be bothered to come up with feelings of homesickness. Not when you were surrounded by your loving friend group, Prince Metal and the serene oasis in the forest.

-----

The sun was about to set, casting a golden glow over the crowns of the pine trees swallowing the camp, light breezes of wind making the arms and twigs of the more leafy trees rustle softly every now and then.

Eddie got up from the couch he was lounging on, taking a semi nap in the presence of Dustin, Max and Jonathan after the intense workshop and stuffing himself at the surprisingly rich buffet your teachers had organised for your last evening.

He'd been subtly eyeing you from underneath the tall pergola, chatting and laughing with Steve and Robin by the bonfire which was already rising tall into the sky in the clearing of trees between pergola and pathway to the cabins.

The perfect way your clothes hugged your curves, the thin fabric of your shirt and adding its absolute nothing to hide the hardness of your nipples (also maybe due to you not finding it necessary to wear a bra), the stunning way your hair was shining in the start of golden hour, face illuminated by the fire in front of you, the enchanting way you curled your lips at a joke Steve had made (he even felt a tinge of jealousy creep into the center of his stomach), the entirely dazzling way your shirt had ridden up a little, showing skin between the waistband of your shorts and the hem of it.

And it was giving him ideas.

To anyone else these little things and details didn't seem too worthy to pay attention to, but Eddie noticed. He noticed you stealing wistful glances, making their way over to him here and there (and after the night he had, he was sure they weren't meant for Dustin), he noticed every inch of your skin that would unintentionally reveal itself to him from the ways in which you moved, he noticed the way your smile changed into something so astonishing when directed at him. Special.

You never looked at Steve like that. Or anyone else, for that matter.

Being as chronically touch starved as a metalhead outcast town freak could be, Eddie decided that it was too much. He couldn't not be near you any longer.

Your breath hitched in your throat just as you saw him get up and make his way over to you, a mix of confidence and shyness combined in his strut, before he came to a stop at the end of the log you were seated on, right next to your side.

"M'lady? May I ask her grace to walk with me?", you heard his voice say softly, a distinctly hopeful tone, warm and filled with the bashfulness from earlier in the day. Eddie met your smile with one equally wide.

A hand with ringed fingers was held out to you and you took it.

He lead you away from the group, away from everyone else, down the path towards the cabins where no one was at this hour, after he had intertwined your fingers with his own, the metal of his rings giving your fingers a little extra squeeze.

"It's nice to be sitting with the others and all, and I really enjoyed Dustin's ideas for Hellfire's next campaign, but", Eddie paused as he came to a still in his walk down to where your sleeping quarters were located, turning around to face you as his hand refused to let go of yours, right before continuing in the softest voice, barely audible, "I was hoping we could just leave them for a bit and enjoy the last evening a little more .. in private?"

Eddie leaned in a little closer with every word jumping over his lips.

Until he was inches away from yours, finding your eyes and you noticed the slight change of tone in the warm brown ocean of his. It had turned a shade or two darker as you reciprocated his beguiling gaze.

Oh, how easy it was for you to get entirely lost in it.

"I think that's an intriguing idea, Eddie", you replied with a smile, hoping he'd see and sense the same thing in your own eyes that was so clearly reflected in his. For you and for this reason, it was never difficult to look into them for long. Especially when he was so intently watching you.

A hand snuck around your waist, pulling you closer so your bellies would touch, the hand previously attached to yours now cupping your cheek, thumb softly running over the apple of it, head leaning in even further. Eddie's gaze flicked from your eyes to your lips and back in a matter of seconds, letting you know exactly what he was about to do.

Your hands found the little hairs at the nape of his neck, curling around the sides of it, lightly pulling as the plushness of his lips reunited with yours.

He hummed at the feeling, the moment filled with so much familiarity already. Without breaking contact, he gently cupped the other side of your face with his other hand, holding you there, needing you there.

Ever so softly, your lips moved against his, a moment you wished would last forever.

"I've been thinking about you all day", he nuzzled his face into the crook of your neck as he wrapped his arms around you, lips landing on your pulse point. Breathing warmly against the skin there as he mumbled something along the lines of "they kept me away from my cute seat partner for way too long" before letting out a warm chuckle.

You felt your cheeks heat up at his words, still getting flustered by the directness of his flirting attempts. They were effective though, because you couldn't help but squeeze the back of his neck lightly with one hand while your other sneaked around his waist and underneath the hem of his shirt, reconnecting with its favourite place, the warmth and softness of skin on Eddie's back.

"It is an incredible atrocity indeed", you said with a giggle, making him raise his head back to face you, and the spark in his eyes gave you enough of a confidence rush, "I think we should make up for lost time then."

Waisting not a second longer, Eddie grabbed your hand again, and before you knew it, he had you affectionately pressed between the inside of his cabin's door and his body in a whimpering mess.

His kisses were getting hungrier, more demanding, yet there was a gentleness to it that let you know that you could stop this any second if you didn't want it.

"Is this okay, baby? We don't have to do anything if you don't want–", he asked in between sloppy pecks over your cheeks, jaw, down your neck that made you giggle lightly at his manners. It's not like his hands were all over you already, yet he was wondering if anything he was doing was alright with you.

"I can't get enough of you if I'm honest", you cut him off quietly, feeling the heat pooling in your underwear from the sensation of just about everything right now.

You were very well aware of the thing you were about to do. Crossing a line that could never be uncrossed, letting Eddie see you for all that you were, and giving him the freedom to choose.

Spoiler – he chose you.

Had done so since the moment you stepped onto the bus on that parking lot back home.

"Fuck, sweetness, you can't just say stuff like that", Eddie's voice came out huskily, he clearly was getting worked up over your response to his actions since he had you pinned to the door by the hips, his thigh in between yours, while his fingertips explored the skin of your waist underneath your shirt, lips still hovering over the expanse of your neck, brushing his nose upwards along the column of it, but this time a lot more slowly than the previous times.

He seemed to want to savour every single second he was granted access to your body like this, dragging each movement out as far as possible.

His wide, dark brown doe eyes returned to yours as he exhaled, "and expect me to be normal about it."

You didn't waste another second without your lips on his, pulling him back towards you by the chain which was holding his favourite guitar pick around his neck, eliciting a moan against your mouth out of him.

The only thing on Eddie's mind was you you you, the warmth of your perfect skin under his palms, the feeling of your pretty pink lips against his own, even the smell of you alluring him to no end.

Breaking away to catch your breath with eyes still closed, your lips curled into a smile when Eddie's hands wandered higher and higher while leaving goosebumps on the way, thumbs softly catching the underside of your tits, making you let out a content little sigh, as if his hands had just found their home, belonging right there.

His lips reunited with the skin on your neck, a moan escaping them as his thumbs reached your hard nipples, your neck vibrating lightly against his mouth when a moan of your own forced itself out of your lungs and your back arched away from the door for a second.

It had been a long time since anyone had touched you there, never in this way before though, which amplified every little touch Eddie practically worshipped you with.

A shudder ripped through you at the overwhelming sensation, it made you dizzy with want.

"It's so fucking hot when you twitch under my touch", Eddie almost whispered against your neck, and you were certain his voice couldn't drop any lower as he slowly rolled one of your nipples between his thumb and index finger, before raising his head just to watch your reaction even more closely.

"Yeah?"

His actions made you swallow hard, well aware of being at his mercy at the moment.

And yes, Eddie Munson continued the torture he was teasing you with.

"Yeah baby", he lightly poked his nose into your cheek for a second, "so what if I told you", he paused again, then kissed the corner of your mouth, "that I actually felt those little twitches", he tenderly kissed his way down over your cheek to your jaw, "throughout the whole week?"

One of his hands now left your chest, only to drop south.

He made it his mission to find out exactly what you liked. Find out what did it for you, what you wanted from him. What you needed from him.

"I'm curious to know what would happen if I touched you", he paused, lips millimeters away from the skin right beneath your ear, "here?"

A hand snaked around your figure, cupping one of your buttcheeks, the need for you heavily evident in the urgency of the touch.

You responded with another moan through closed lips, eyes closed, your hands finding the back of Eddie's neck again, lightly caressing his skin and tugging at the baby hairs there.

"Yeah, you like that baby, don't you? When I touch you here?"

A light spank.

Taking a deep breath, you nodded with a hum and another moan, cheek rubbing slowly and gently against his scruffy own as your hips involuntarily bucked up against his thigh.

Every movement was slow and gentle right now, yet heavy with hunger for each other.

Eddie noticed. Yet, he decided to take his sweeeeet time and drive you insane just a little longer.

"What about", he paused again, and you felt him smile against your neck as his hand still cupping your chest started kneading a little, rolling the nipple harder just to make sure you actually felt it, "here?"

The back of your head landed against the door with a thud as you moaned and whimpered a little louder this time, the shiteating grin on Eddie's face widening even more, obviously taking pride in his effects on you.

"You're making such pretty sounds for me, sweetheart. Would you maybe also like me to touch you", another pause, in which he moved his hand around your hips, boldly cupping the space between your legs through the thinness of your shorts, "here?"

His breath was tickling the skin on your neck, the last word nothing more than an almost inaudible whisper, traveling all the way down from your jaw to your collarbone.

"Fuck, Eddie", you whimpered out his name, completely lost in him, moving your own hands downtown to where his hellfire shirt was tucked into the waistband of his light blue jeans, just when you suddenly remembered you had a pair of your own.

Hearing you say his name made Eddie shamelessly buck his hips into yours, failing pathetically at hiding the fact that what he was doing to you was also more than enjoyable for him, since you could clearly make out the heavy bulge straining against his pants, pressed against your hip.

"Mhm yeah, such a good girl for me", Eddie chuckled watching you for another second before reuniting your lips with his own, this time with a force of need, almost greedily taking your lower lip between his own for a second, swiping his tongue along, causing your breath to hitch in your throat.

From slow and gentle to a feverish fumble of hands everywhere, it didn't take the both of you long to start freeing each other from the confines of your clothes.

Eddie had lifted your shirt off of you, finally freeing what he'd been dying to get his eyes (and hands) on, and you'd done the same to him, only to take a second to admire the few more tattoos that had until now been hiding from your gaze.

You noticed he was holding his breath, wild mane falling into the sides of his face from your ruffling during heated kisses, and the room suddenly felt a lot warmer.

The only thought in your mind was Eddie in front of you, just a small step away, now in nothing but his boxers, looking at you with an intensity you'd never seen before in him, and your fingers twitched with the desire to just touch.

You had run your hand just over the buckle of his handcuff belt, the movement of his pants against his erection already making him hiss a little. You'd run it over the fabric of the black jeans he was wearing, right where he wanted you most.

Because yeah, you could do that, too.

Eddie had found the pace in which you'd opened his belt to be way too slow, but he'd let you go with it anyway, being so lost in you and so lovedrunk (and straight up horny) that he hadn't dared to intervene.

Your slowness-slash-hesitation had a reason. The anxiety and intrusive thoughts of not being good enough, being too inexperienced decided to jump out of its dark corner inside your brain in just the right moment, causing you to back away from him, giving him a second to have his gaze wander over you.

It wasn't that you'd never done this before, there had been a guy you'd more or less been with, but this right here and now was just so different. More serious? Eddie wasn't just a guy. He was your Eddie at this point.

And however this trip would end, things would inevitably be changed between the two of you. And ultimately affect the dynamics of your friend group.

Eddie was a sensitive person. He was able to read the room, sense your hesitation. He closed the gap between you, his hand landing on your hip, bellies touching, hardness pressing against your thigh.

"Everything alright, darling?"

Cupping your cheek with his free hand, he tilted his head to find your eyes, the look in his filled with concern now, wondering if this was still okay for you.

Your arms snaked around his torso, fingertips lingering on his waist. He felt them burn through his skin.

A train of seemingly endless thoughts ran through your head, not knowing how to proceed from your lack of having done this enough times to just know, paired with the expectations you believed Eddie to have of this situation, and therefore, of you.

"Yeah, yeah", you assured him. The last thing you wanted was for him to believe he'd done anything wrong.

"It's just that", you paused, struggling to find the words to explain yourself and the rise of your performance anxiety while trying your best to avoid his puppy doe eye gaze, "I haven't really–"

A warm thumb on your lips cut you off, its hand directing your face towards his, the hand on your hip now lightly digging into the flesh there.

"I know baby, I know", Eddie said, referring to his wisdom with unknown origin to you, exhaling deeply before pressing an open mouthed kiss to your plush cheek, the gesture intending to let you know that you could be utterly honest and vulnerable with him. "Would you like me to show you", another pause, his gaze back on your face, thumb now lightly pulling down your lower lip, "what I like?"

Opening your mouth as a response, the tip of your tongue was briefly met with the tip of Eddie's thumb, causing him to twitch lightly and let out a groan through closed lips.

Everything you did and everything you were in your essence was driving him to the edge of insanity, not surprising after the months and months of thirsting after you in his desperate silence.

And his gentleness with you was making the dark imposter syndrome clouds in your head melt away like Lindor chocolate in mild temperatures.

His eyes bored into yours intently as you stuck your tongue out to meet the base of his thumb, just to drag it all the way up to the tip, before closing your lips around it and suck lightly.

"Mhhm, fuck", you heard him mutter, the effect your actions seemed to have on him giving you enough confidence to let his thumb go with a small pop, your hands still lingering on his waist pushing him a step away from you so you'd have enough space to drop to your knees, hooking your fingers into the waistband of his boxers, slowly pulling them towards gravity to finally free him.

With precum leaking from the tip, you took a second to admire Eddie's girth and length with wide eyes, and it made your mouth water and your panties even more soaked than they already were.

Taking him in your hand, you smeared the precum down to the base where a light thatch of dark curls sat, leading up to his happy trail which you'd already gotten to lay sight on on the bus, and that time frankly hadn't been the first of you imagining what the place to where that trail was leading looked like.

Leaning upwards, you kept ahold of him, kissing the soft skin of his lower belly right above his curls as his hand buried itself in your hair at the back of your head, letting out a guttural moan when you let your tongue run through the tiny hairs leading up to his navel, just to kiss your way back down again, slowly, gently, all the way over the soft expanse, taking another second to bury your nose in his skin, inhaling everything he was willing to offer you.

He was about to ask you if you could pinch him just to make sure this was reality happening right in front of him, you kneeling all pretty with your hand wrapped around his cock, now slowly lifting it and flattening your tongue at the base to lick a broad stripe up along the underside, making you feel each little vein on the way to his pink tip.

"Jesus, fuuuck, that's it baby", you just heard him encourage you, indeed letting you know what he liked, his grip on your hair tightening lightly.

The fact that you could feel him throb and twitch and hear him whimper slurred renditions of your name alongside small curses gave you a significant ego boost, causing you to find enough confidence to lock eyes with him from underneath your lashes.

"Fuck, and you were worried that you wouldn't be good at this?", Eddie chuckled as he looked down at you in disbelief, his free hand not tangled up in the strands of hair cupping your cheek to affectionately brush his thumb over it, unable to ever get the image in front of him out of his brain.

"Fucking hell, you're being soooo good for me baby, oh my god, yeah, just like that", he mumbled when you started swirling your tongue around the head, softly rubbing the tip of it over the underside every now and then, until you decided to close your lips around him, letting him feel your wet warmth.

It gave Eddie a great idea of a similar place he was dying to discover. Itching.

And it took every little ounce of willpower in him to keep his hips away from giving into the urge to thrust his entire length into the confines of your mouth, so out of respect for you, he channelled his impulses into a symphony of soft moans, quiet mutters of oh, fuck and oh my god, and whimpers of your name as you took him deeper with every bob of your head.

Every little sound escaping him only turned you on even more. You couldn't possibly get enough of seeing him all blissed out and soft for you like this, causing the vibrations of your own moans to make Eddie shudder.

However, he didn't give himself too much time to enjoy the feeling of your mouth taking him, since he was already bending down a little to lift you back up to your feet, before capturing your lips in a hot and heavy kiss while pulling you tightly into his embrace, both of his hands sliding down from your lower back and underneath the fabric of your panties, just to end their journey on your ass and roughly pull you against him.

"I'm gonna cum on the spot if you keep doing that", he'd declared, sinking his teeth into the flesh of your neck, nibbling softly at the skin, making your cheeks flush with heat.

No one had ever said that to you.

You winced at the roller coaster he put you on, his back and forth between rough and demanding and gentle and soft, but you were eating it up.

He was hypnotizing you with every touch and every grunt and every move you felt against your lips.

Not even when the backs of your knees hit the bed frame did he let go of you, resulting in him burying you into his mattress under his weight, commented with a giggle from the both of you.

Moving to your side, he reconnected his lips to your neck and you craned your head up, giving him better access while one of his hands slowly moved around to your front, cupping you through your panties, his middle finger lightly pressing into that very damp spot in the fabric, eliciting a moan out of you.

It was his turn now.

"Wanna make you feel good too, sweetness. Gonna let me, yeah?", his sultry voice didn't even wait for a response, impatient fingers moving the lace to the side before running the middle through your folds, tip of it catching your clit briefly.

"Oh fuck yes!" There it was. You breathed the words out in a whiny tone, your hand reaching down to give his still rock hard cock a few sloppy strokes in return, earning another soft moan against the junction of your jaw meeting your throat.

If the situation wasn't this hot, if Eddie's finger didn't make the room spin, you think you'd be embarrassed to no end with how pathetic your moans were sounding, but the pleasure you were experiencing and the metalhead's tender endearments you were receiving just didn't leave any space for any other feeling.

You just couldn't bring yourself to care.

Eddie didn't care either. In fact, he was bathing in your responsiveness, feeling every single one of your touches in the endings of his tiniest nerve branches. Being the touch starved, crucified town freak and all.

Your neediness for him made his insides turn and his head spin, he was still having a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that you'd let him come this close and do this to you, and your cute little whimpers made him want to give you everything you'd ever silently (or not so silently) request from him.

He felt this entire moment after moment to be a haze, a fever dream he'd wake up from at some point, and for this reason, he didn't waste a single thought on anything else but you.

How infatuated with you he was.

"Mhhm fuck, so needy for me baby, aren't you?", he remarked the way you were bucking your hips against his hand, "drives me fucking nuts."

He lifted his head just so he could watch the way your face crinkled with every slow up-and-down stroke of his finger, gathering your evident arousal on the way before gently pushing it in, indulging the way your eyes rolled into the back of your head for just a second before they opened and found the warm deep dark brown of his own.

"Mhh yes Eddie, need you so bad", you managed to get out as he added his ring finger, stretching you open a bit more under slick sounds of his hand against your cunt.

His face was so close. So close that if you turned your head just a little, your kiss swollen lips could be back on his, giving him one more confirmation that the way his fingers were curling inside of you were doing just the right job. In fact, he was finding spots you could only dream to reach on your own.

You felt more precum leak from the tip of his cock which was resting against your thigh, the slow rut of his hips against yours smearing it between your bodies, causing your brain to short-circuit at the realisation that it was you being the reason for him to act this way.

Only making you spread your legs wider.

"God baby, you're so fucking wet", he trailed off, continuing to slowly fuck his two fingers into your tight entrance, completely enticed with the way you were giving yourself to him, "is that all because of me?"

He just needed to hear you say it.

"Mhh fuck yes Eddie, all for you. For you only."

No idea how you got that out, with the way his fingers felt and the way he was looking at you, all lovedrunk and ready to give you the world.

"You gonna let me have a taste?"

Pulling his hand away and leaving you empty under a protesting whimper, he sucked the two fingers into his mouth, moaning against them without breaking eye contact and it was driving you mad. You nodded with a dazed smile.

He got up just to drop his weight between your legs, spreading them by planting his palms on the backs of your thighs firmly and pushing them up, panties still to the side.

You held your legs there when he moved his hands down, taking both thumbs to open you up for him, taking just a second to get his first actual look at your pussy and watch it glisten in the dim light of the sun casting its last rays of the day through the denseness of trees and into the room.

Eddie had fantasized plenty for literal months about the way you'd possibly look, but nothing prepared him for the actual sight in front of him.

It made you feel the most vulnerable you'd ever felt, letting him see and touch you this way, yet there was a naturalness to it that made it just so easy to give yourself to him.

Building trust with him seemed to be the easiest thing for you. Surprising yourself there, aren't ya?

And when his tongue shyly took its first swirl around your clit? Nothing was ever easier than Eddie.

Waves of pleasure took over your brain with every lap of his mouth, taking you between his lips, licking, sucking, swirling, slurping, making your thighs twitch with every single one of his moves, and he was (quite literally) eating your responsiveness up, each of his moans against the most sensitive part of your body becoming deeper in sound.

He noticed he could cum just from tasting you as he found his hips inconsistently humping the mattress, hearing your sweet chants as one of your hands found its way back into his unruly mane, encouraging him further in his actions.

"Fuuuck baby, I need you. Need all of you, please?", you whimpered just when the heat in your lower stomach was about to reach its peak, raising your head as your eyes encountered the way he was watching you from underneath his bangs sticking to his forehead, the hand not entangled in his hair busy fisting his bedsheets.

That was the only thing he needed to hear.

You could feel him smile, continuing to do so as he pushed himself up on his knees and crawling a few inches forward to be eye to eye hovering over you, chin, lips and tip of his nose glistening with your juices, the ends of his dark curls tickling your cheeks. He helped you wriggle out of your panties swiftly, discarding them on the cabin floor to join the rest of your clothes, hands resting on the softness of your thighs as he knelt back to sit on his heels.

He felt his dick twitch between his legs, seeing you lying and spread out underneath in front of him, in all your glory, ready to let him take you where you wanted to be most.

The vision tugging at his heartstrings, knowing how much trust you were instilling in him in order for you to let him go this far with you.

"Eddie, please."

You pushed yourself up to meet his lips, planting one hand on the back of his neck, the other hooked a finger into the chain dangling down like a collar, and without breaking away you pulled him back down with you.

"Yeah? Wanna feel me fill your pretty little pussy?", he breathed out, hands back on your thighs, digging into their plushness.

You believed to hear Eddie's voice to drop an octave, now leaning back again to let the underside of his cock slowly glide through your soaked folds, the head catching on your clit deliciously, making your head spin from having him do this to you.

"God, yes", you moaned out, watching him through heavy eyelids.

Eddie smiled his dimpled smile down at your face, reveling in the sight as he let the tip breach your sopping entrance, giving him an idea of how tightly his cock would be sitting inside of you.

His eyes were fixated on the spot where your bodies were now joined, slowly pushing another inch in as you instinctively wrapped your legs around his waist, wanting him closer.

"Eyes on me, baby", Eddie mouthed at your jawline as he leaned back down to place a quick kiss there, right when he noticed you zoning out, focusing on taking him as best as you possibly could.

Once again your eyes found the warm gaze he was observing your every move with, and soon you felt his lips back on your own, kissing you softly as he slowly pushed all the way in, forcing a gasp out of your lungs at the feeling of utter fullness.

For a moment, the world stopped.

Eddie blinked at you through half-lidded eyes now, nudging his nose against your own before capturing your lips in another heated kiss, sending both of your tongues dancing and a moan from the pit of his lungs vibrated through your system.

Your hands moved up to cup his face, holding him close to you as his trailed up the underside of your thighs, before pushing your knees towards your chest, practically bending you in half and slowly starting to move his hips against your own when he felt you adjust to him.

"Oh fuck, fuuuck you're so tight", Eddie sighed, eyes falling shut at the feeling of your cunt sucking him in like that, and his words ringing through your ears, and hearing him admit to you what you were making him feel? It made you clench around him briefly, goosebumps spread over every inch of your body at the words forming on his tongue.

You were just so warm and wet and soft and so so tight, completely fucked out for him and him only.

"Eyes on me, baby", you repeated his own words back to him with a smile and glassy eyes, completely stunned to feel him like this, slowly filling and leaving you again.

Opening his eyes again to meet your gaze, his lips curled into a wide smile at your sentiment, "gonna be soft with you, unless you want me not to be, yeah?", he leaned down to plant a kiss on the corner of your mouth, forearms now resting on each side of your head, before his last words were nuzzled against your ear, "just tell me, sweetnose."

With his announcement he gave you a few more slow and gentle thrusts, getting both of you used to the feeling, before he moved back up again, holding your thighs spread out against your chest, his eyes glued to where his heavy cock slid in and out of your sopping slick hole.

Heat was spreading through his body, an excessive amount of endorphines circulating through his veins, transporting the desire and hunger for you into the tiniest endings of his nerves, causing his entire system to be in the moment with you.

Same thing applied to you.

It didn't take long for him to pick up the pace, right after he moved a pillow under your hips, with the aim to hit your sweet spot at just the right angle, slide his entire length in even deeper, making the tip kiss your cervix repeatedly.

Moans and whimpers and grunts and groans from both your mouths where conjuring a whole opera of beautiful sounds you both were reveling in equally as you moved your hips to meet his repeated thrusting, tip of his cock brushing over that spot inside of you each time he moved in to fill the space between your drenched walls.

His entire weight was on you, since he wanted to sink his teeth back into the soft flesh of your neck, nibbling and sucking at the skin there. Your hands found a home in his hair, gently scratching his scalp, sending his eyes rolling into the back of his head, and you felt a puddle slowly take its form on the cover of the pillow tucked underneath your ass.

He was so deep, so so deep inside of you, his eyes bored themselves through yours straight into your soul, foreheads touching.

"Fuck, fuck, Eddie, feels so good", you babbled and moaned against his stubbly cheek, your heavy breath tickling down his own neck, "need more."

The knot in your lower abdomen was already tightening, getting ready to snap from just his feral thrusts and the beguiling way he was eyeing you.

"Yeah baby? Wanna cum for me?"

Your neediness made him chuckle, raising himself up and back on his heels, a strong arm wrapping around your torso and pulling you up with him, into his lap, letting one of his hands rest on and dig into your plush thigh.

He let himself drop on his butt, the hand on your thigh slowly trailing up up up, fingertips and palm climbing softly all the way over your back to come and stay on the back of your neck, encasing you fully and pressing you against his chest, letting you know he needed you just as close as you needed him.

Without even thinking about it your hips started moving against his as you straddled him, your kiss swollen lips finding his own again, panting into each others mouths, and soon enough the knot between your legs came close to snapping, from the change of position, the length of his cock now gliding smoothly against your clit with each rock of your hips, creating the delicious friction you so desperately craved.

"Yes baby, that's it, lose it for me, oh god fuck!", Eddie panted as he felt your hips starting to stutter, his words sending you over the edge, cunt spasming and clenching around him, your frantic breaths hitting his face as your head was thrown back.

He was soaking you up with all the sweet sounds you were making for him, helping you ride out your high, hands moving down to your ass to lift you, just after announcing his own release through a sickeningly deep moan and mumbles of "oh fuck baby, so close, gonna make me– oh shit", hot and sticky saltiness joining your sweet juices, landing in the tight space between your bellies, painting undefinable patterns onto the heated skin.

For another eternity you held each other close, felt his breathing against your shoulder and collarbone as he dipped his head to place a kiss to your throat, moving his hands away from your back to cup your face, pressing his lips to yours, not wanting to let the moment go just yet.

And then, he dropped the bomb.

"Say that you're mine", he still panted, forehead leaning against yours, noses touching as your hands cupped his on top of your cheeks.

It made you chuckle, the fact he was asking this now after fucking you into another dimension, and it made your thumbs brush over the backs of his palms.

You sensed the tension still present in every fiber of his being with the way he was holding onto your face, still needing you close, and since you knew about his abandonment issues to some extent, seeing him all vulnerable like this was tugging at your heartstrings to no end.

None of his usual slightly cocky tone, just pure softness and an open heart was what presented itself to you.

Say that you're mine.

Of course you were his.

Your facial expression softened endlessly, you felt all your insides melt into one big puddle, mouth forming into a small pout, one hand coming down to rest on his own cheek, closing the gap and slotting your lower lip in between his.

You wanted him to feel the amount of affection you had for him, in your eyes, in your kiss, in your touch.

He was supposed to feel loved. Like he should always have felt that he was loved.

"I'm all yours, Eddie. But only if you're all mine."

The look in your eyes said it all. The one in his, too.

Yeah. He was your Eddie. Your seat partner. Your magnet.

Eddie pulled you into him, as if hearing the words come out of your mouth and the way you were looking at him all soft and gooey made all his angst about being dropped and left again slowly vanish.

"I'll need some time to get used to this", he paused, not daring to meet your eye, "I mean, to someone that doesn't just leave after a while."

Since being this close to someone emotionally was about equally far away from any routine for you as well, you met him with utmost understanding.

"That's okay. We're in no rush, right?", you kissed the corner of his mouth, small pecks over the stubbly cheek opposite of where your hand was placed.

You were able to watch him get too much into his head as you spoke.

"You sure about that? I don't think the law of seat partners extends to–"

Your lips pressed to his own cut him off, "you don't need a silly law to make me wanna spend time with you, Munson."

A quick journey of your eyes over his beautiful face, his eyes widened, eyebrows raised, lips curled into a pretty smile, cheeks all rosy and forehead bangs sticking to his forehead from your most recent activities.

"Actually, I've been dreaming of you – and this – since I met you at Steve's for the first time and Dustin introduced you to me as his ultra handsome dungeon master, you remember?", you continued, hoping it would give him an idea how how much you'd been wistfully pining after him, an idea about how wanted he was.

Of course Eddie remembered.

It was the night he had left way earlier than usual because he just couldn't stand being around you without making a colossal fool out of himself for already wanting to be close to you after just thirty minutes of being in the same room, afraid to be coming on way too strong for his reputation and, speaking from experience, ultimately scare you away.

His hands dropped from your face, two strong arms wrapping themselves back around your figure as he breathed in your sweat-sticky scent, desperately trying one more time to glue this memory into the long-term department of his brain.

"Wait, does that mean I could have .. could've had you .. all this time?"

A chuckle escaped your lips, before leaning into him once more, planting another sweet kiss to his mouth.

"Yeah silly, ... all this time."

-----

Home was calling you back into the bleak reality of trying to graduate high school, and you were far from missing it.

Nancy using her famous organizational talents had made sure that Robin wouldn't leave her special pillow behind, and instructed you to look extra carefully for any items that might have flown behind the bedframe.

And she was correct. You'd blindly reached for a little white framed polaroid, only to discover that it was the one of Eddie with his flower crown, eyes squeezed shut, grinning like an absolute idiot.

He still, maybe even more so now, looked angelic.

You'd never forgive yourself if you'd leave that one here.

The ride home was spent with your head on Prince Metal's shoulder for the most part, your back practically lying on his chest, huddled up against him.

And it did take all the strength in the both of you to not constantly be all over each other, especially under the scrutinizing eyes of your teachers.

A few pecks were stolen here and there, the feeling of being entirely lovedrunk making it hard to separate. Thankfully, for the foreseeable future, you didn't have to.

The group had just shot you knowing looks at breakfast, Max, Robin and the older guys who had seen you wrapped (and very covered up, Eddie had made sure of that) in Eddie's sheets in the morning responsible for not being able to keep their beaks shut.

For the long hours you'd be spending on the road, Eddie had organized a restock of snacks at the only supermarket in the first town you'd stopped at on the way.

"As your designated seat partner, it is so hard to keep my hands to myself", you mumbled into the fabric of the dark and washed out Metallica shirt covering his shoulder with a sheepish grin, as your hand slowly disappeared into the bag on his lap, pulling out whatever box of cookies he'd chosen.

Eddie couldn't help but snort at your innuendo and the way you were using his own joke on him in return.

Lowering his head, planting his cheek against your temple, whispers.

"Oh baby, just wait until we're home."

-----

taglist: @josephfakingquinn, @ghost-proofbaby, @spellbounddd, @imjuststeddietrashatthispoint, @mystars123, @gothmingguk, @kennafild, @chloe-6123, @michaelfuckinglangdon, @analogkraken, @mrsjellymunson, @kimmi-kat and @bakugouswh0r3

if you're on this taglist, please consider reblogging as it helps and is greatly appreciated. thank you for reading!

[xitty]

I love all your yuzuru analysis!!! Sm!!! What stories do you recommend that best delve into his character? - starving YuzuruP

Aaa, thank you!! I find myself thinking about him a lot these days, ESY2 has been here only for ~4 months but it's been very good for Yuzuru.

For story recs, let's see... I'm doing this "backwards" and putting !! stories first but pick whatever you feel like reading. Except I'd hope that anyone who's interested in any fine member or the unit as a whole, started with Tempest. It shows how they view their unit now and it's just *chef's kiss*. Ok, let's go:

!!

Tempest (as said, a must read)

Fist of Idol: Togenkyo (very underrated! I love it!)

Primavera (this is for the "Yuzuru and Eichi working together" thread that I keep a track of)

Frontline Watchdogs (for Yuzuru & Ibara interaction and backstory)

Keito Lecture

Ghostic

Atlantis (this is also for "Yuzuru and Eichi working together" AND another thing I like, Yuzuru being a bit snarky. Fist of Idol has it too. It's obviously much more focused on Tori & Wataru but it's also important fine story)

Graduation

Intelligence (I've professed my love for this many times, excellent story for both Yuzuru and Kaoru and funny too)

I would recommend Yuzuru + Ibara chapters from SS Finals too. Oh and the Main Story Summit chapters (starting with episode 90), at least for Yuzuru "I could poison everyone in the room" Fushimi part.

And then, if you are interested in Yuzuru & Midori stuff: Whispering Marina and Let's Try DIY (Midori Idol Story)

And picks from Yuzuru's Idol Stories: Being a Butler (his FS1 story), The Flavor I Remember Is... is funny for Yuzuru & Ibara (+Niki's Idol Story Seasoning As You Like for the same reason). To the Hard-Working You is a really sweet fine one.

:::::

!

Let me preface this: I don't know how familiar you are with stories and developments but some characters, like Tori, have changed quite a lot from ! days. And also I find that ! writing is sometimes more... I don't know if "over the top" is exactly right term but I find many characters' traits *really* played into. Yuzuru is sometimes victim of this. And 9+ years is a long time, the older stories can have a little bit different flavour.

Flower Festival (important! This is when Tori and Yuzuru had just joined fine)

Gang (a must read!!)

Dance Floor (this is the "fine as family" story before Tempest)

Summer Vacation (Eichi gives Yuzuru a job to arrange fine & Undead live)

Science (before Yuzuru was a good cook...)

Noble Game

School Trip

Military (I'm putting this on the list although translation is not available anymore but just in case someone does a new tl)

For fine as a unit and their interactions, I highly recommend Jingle Bells and Magnolia. Plus Bells has the cutest Yuzuru & Midori scene.

And if you're interested how Midori became enamored with Yuzuru's drawings, read Christmas Live.

[nephilimsss]

𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘀, 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝘀𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴. coriolanus snow.

PAIRING ➨ coriolanus snow x fem!oc (named brutus) GENRE ➨ fiction SUMMARY ➨ taken after the song brutus by the buttress, it essentially goes lyric by lyric, and the chapters will be based off the lyric i choose that day ! WARNINGS ➨ maybe some smut in later chapters, death, manipulation, the hunger games, friends to enemies, enemies to fake lovers, fake lovers to murderers. MAIN MASTERLIST SERIES MASTERLIST

the boy brutus had known for many years, the one that she had once called a friend, and later an enemy, had become president after poisoning the people he had once considered allies. shortly after they both graduated from the university, snow under the tutelage of dr. gaul, and brutus taking classes that the mad scientist did not have access to, coriolanus had asked her to marry him.

her, of all people, the one who would sometimes promise herself at night that she would be the one to kill him, the one to maim him of his family name and get the riches he had bribed and killed for. her mother, who had found out about this sudden proposal, had said yes to the white-haired boy immediately, leaving no room for brutus to interfere in the dealings of her life. her mother would receive the son she had always wanted and coveted, and snow would be able to not only rule over brutus' life but also control the fortune she would one day receive upon her parents' deaths. her simple hatred of him went towards deep loathing, forcing her to lash out in the privacy of their rooms and hate the touches he would place upon her skin in public, the only place she was not able to move away to keep up the pretenses of a happy marriage.

almost two years of their marriage later, and snow had finally become president of panem, allowing him to place his ideas of diabolical pandemonium into action without consequences. especially since most of the capitol loved him and the districts simply did not have the means to revolt. one year after his inauguration and brutus gave birth to their first child, a son they named cassius, keeping up with the snow family's tradition of naming the first born son with a c starting name.

over the next few years, brutus bared 5 children to snow, and with each child, her hatred for her husband grew. he would keep his own children at arm's length, not knowing any of their true personalities or interests, and barely know their names and which face belonged to which name. once her son cassius was full-grown and starting to become a politician alongside his father, he married magnolia barlowe, the daughter of their old academy friend, livia cardew. they themselves bared a daughter, making brutus and coriolanus first time grandparents. whilst brutus was a little happier that coriolanus was paying attention to his granddaughter, she was still furious at him for not showing any attention to the children he had himself.

coriolanus, who was now presenting himself as president snow to the people of panem, fixed the lapels of his coat while he waited for everyone to quiet down and for the cameras to roll. this year, the 75th year to the hunger games, was going to be the third quarter quell, and as president, he was expected to read off what the card said would happen at the games that made it a special year.

brutus played with the end of rebecca, her granddaughter's, braid, and her other children lined up at her sides as they watched the speech that was about to begin. when snow saw that the cameraman gave him the signal he was to start, he hushed the crowd, a simple raising of the hands with his palms face down, and the chatter that once ricocheted off the capitol square became complete silence. "ladies and gentlemen," his voice had deepened over the years, some thinking it to be of old age, but brutus was the only one in her family that knew it was due to the sores in both his mouth and throat. the more sores he received, the deeper his voice became, making him sound more trustworthy to those who do not know of his prefered killing method.

"this is the 75th year," he looks down at brutus, "of the hunger games." seeing her glare at him forces him to tear away his gaze, hearing his people cheer about how long they have been allowed to view such a spectacle. "it was written in the charter of the games that every twenty-five years, there would be a quarter quell, to keep fresh for every new generation the memory of those who died and the uprising against the capitol. each quarter quell is distinguished by games of a special significance. and now, on this the 75th anniversary of the defeat of the rebellion, we celebrate the third quarter quell." cheers erupted from the stands, and snow picks up the card which holds the information of what the quarter quell would hold.

would it be double the tributes, as the 50th had? or perhaps more mutations? using the old arena that lucy gray had fought in, long ago? usage of explosions and more advanced weaponry?

"as a reminder that even the strongest cannot overcome the power of the capitol, on this, the third quarter quell games, the male and female tributes are to be reaped from the existing pool of victors."

[private-bryan]

Get To Know Me

Thanks for the tag @queer-cosette

🖌 - Do you have/want any tattoos?

Niet - I've never really wanted to get one either. If I was forced to at needlepoint it would probaby be the inscription from the One Ring around my bicep

💚 - What’s your favourite colour?

Royal Blue

🍕 - What’s the last thing you ate?

A bowl of Kellogg's Special K (gotta get that fibre in)

🕰 - What time is it where you are rn?

11:06 - I'm meant to be doing a security review, but that can wait for the more important Tumblring

🌟 - What is your zodiac sign?

Libra. And I've got no clue on anything more than that

🌍 - What is your favourite accent?

Canadian (just in case the missus is listening), but from the UK/Ireland it's any of the Scottish, Welsh, or Irish accents. They're extremely sexy (most of the time) compared to the bland Home Counties accent in my area

⚡️ - Do you have any scars?

Several.

My dumbest are the ones on my knuckles. It wasn't from a fight, but from slipping down an icy set of concrete steps, and not realising I was bleeding copiously from all the knuckles on my left hand until I was halfway to work (on a Rail Replacement Bus, no less)

I also have one on my palm from where it was cut by flaking paint (on the handrail of the same set of stairs!)

🌺 - What’s your MBTI type?

ISTP

🥀 - Favourite animated movie?

The Road to El Dorado

"Did you ever imagine it would end like this?"

"The horse is a surprise."

📺 - Favourite show?

Derry Girls. Also Taskmaster

😂 - Are you ticklish?

Yes, but the freewheeling elbows that follow usually disuade people from trying again

💍 - Do you ever want to get married?

I already am. Unless I divorce I'd rather not commit bigamy

😳 - Do you like your name?

I don't dislike my name. It's just... a name. My surname is quite rare though, so I've got that going for me

💙 - What colour is your bedroom?

Magnolia (we rent)

🤓 - How did you get your name?

I don't think there's a reason my parents picked it, unfortunately.

🎓 - When did/do you graduate?

I never went to Uni, but I left college (UK definition) in 2004

🍄 - Do you have/want any piercings?

Nope. Again, fairly bland in how I want my body to look. Aside from the beard (which was mainly an excuse not to shave every day) I basically just think of it as a slightly crappy vessel to live in.

👀 - What colour are your eyes?

Brown. Quite dark, in fact, so that from not too far away they look almost black.

👱🏻‍♀️ - What is your go to hairstyle?

Cut short twice a year (grade 3 all over), then I just let it grow until it gets too curly. I don't do anything with it, not that you could do anything with it anyway.

🥂 - Have you ever drank underage?

Not really. I was a/am nerd, and didn't really go past shandy until I was 18

🍾 - Have you ever gotten drunk?

Just twice - I don't really like how it makes my head feel. Once was after a funeral of a schoolfriend. I can't remember the other one

😱 - What’s your biggest fear?

Physical fear is either heights or dogs. But my biggest one is that one day I'll be alone and forgotten.

🥵 - Would you rather be too hot or too cold?

Too cold. I'm an overweight man, so I don't like almost literally swimming in sweat. And with cold weather I can just chuck on another jumper or t-shirt (I'm currently sat here in my dressing gown)

🌦 - What’s your favourite weather?

Pissing it down. So long as I'm at home and can listen while reading in bed

🍂 - What’s your favourite season?

Autumn. Cool, colourful, and has my birthday in it!

🐷 - What’s your favourite animal?

The Alpaca. I made the missus go to an Alapca farm on the Isle of Wight when we were over there for our 10th wedding anniversary

🐶 - Do you have any pets?

Three cats (Penelope, Irene, Helen). The wife has a dog called Fritz, but I don't interact with him

😴 - What’s the longest you’ve ever gone without sleep?

Just over two days.

🎨 - Any hobbies?

Writing, gaming, bookbinding, sewing, model making, 3D printing, procrastinating

🛩 - If travelling was free, where’s the first place you’d go?

I'd like to tour the UK - Have a hoke around Scotland, revisit Wales and Northern Ireland, go and see some history in York or Nottingham or something.

🎇 - What’s your most searched thing on Google?

Currently, it's foiling techniques for my books - the missus bought a second hand set of the LOTR books, and I've got designs on rebinding them and want to make the edges gold

📱 - Favourite app on your phone?

Tumblr. Close second for NYT Games (gotta get Wordle and Connections in), and Duolingo

🤠 - Are you more of a city person or a country person?

I'm a suburbs person. Or at least a town person.

I like some people around, and being in close range to a supermarket and stuff, but I don't like being in a really big city (like London or Belfast) for too long - something like Portsmouth or Derry is ideal actually

Tagging: @areseebee @carouselunique @imstressedx if you feel like you'd like to have a go too :)

[eryiss]

Chapter One: Meeting The Team

Summary: Struggling with his college finances, Freed takes a job as the wrestling team's social media operator. It would be an easy job, if it weren't for the hot, cocky, spandex clad wrestling captain. Laxus Dreyar turns Freed's live upside-down, and Freed doesn't mind at all.

Notes: Hi. This is an idea I've had for a while, and I've decided to write. It's a little impromptu, and I haven't planned things out or set a seclude for uploads, so it might come out randomly. Hopefully you enjoy reading it, it's been fun to write so far. Happy reading. Also I’m doing the tag list again, so if you want to be added or taken off, please just say.

Links: FFN, Ao3, Next Chapter, Chapter Post

Tags: @jemmahazelnut, @selfawarecobalt, @morbidflames, @talkaboutbruno, @ft-reboost

Chapter One - Meeting The Team

Freed, for the first time in his six months in Magnolia University, walked into the Sports and Athletics Building. He walked through the unfamiliar corridors as if he had been there hundreds of times, following the small signs towards the staff offices. As confident as he looked, he felt out of place. Everyone in the building would have goals to be a professional athlete, Freed couldn't understand why anyone would want that.

But still, this was a means to an end; he didn't need to understand these people to work with them. As he approached the labelled doors, he pulled out his phone from his pocket, tapped on the latest email he'd received, and checked over what it contained.

'Mr Justine,

I've recently been informed by your photography professor Silver Fullbuter about the change in your financial situation, and have an offer to propose which I believe could help me with an issue as well as bring more stability to your college life.

I am head coach of a number of the college's sports teams, including the wrestling team. As you may know, college sports teams bring a lot of attention to schools, and as such in recent years, an online presence has become vital. For the past few years, the wrestling team's social media accounts have been run by a student volunteer, who graduated last year. For the first half of the semester, I have been picking up the duty, but haven't been able to give it the focus it deserves.

I believe that you, given your interest in photography, may be able to rejuvenate the life of the wrestling account. It is, if done correctly, a commitment similar to a part-time job, and as such you will be paid for your efforts.

If any of this is interesting to you, meet me in my office and we can talk. Hope to talk to you soon.

Gildarts Clive'

The name was all he needed, but it was good to re-read everything to be sure of what was happening. The email had come from nowhere, completely unexpectedly, and had been close to a miracle for Freed. He really did need this to go well.

Locating Gildarts' office, he knocked on the door twice. There was the sound of shuffling from the room before the door opened, revealing a middle aged man with messy ginger hair, a scruffy beard, and a slightly confused expression. He looked Freed up and down for a moment, apparently not aware of what to do, before a shock of realisation hit him. Almost immediately, his frown turned into a smile.

"Hey, you must be Freed," He said, voice boisterous and welcoming. "Sorry, I'm not used to anyone knocking. Student athletes don't usually have manners." He offered Freed a hand to shake, which he did. "Come in."

Freed walked into the office, which was filled with a cluster of clutter from floor to ceiling. He didn't comment on the mess, and instead walked towards the chair sitting in front of the office with a polite nod. Gildarts sat on the other side of the desk, pushed some papers away and grabbed some others, which he placed in front of him.

"Thank you for seeing me," Freed began. He went to say more, but Gildarts spoke immediately.

"No need for that, Son, I'm not the most formal guy," Gildarts shrugged. "And you're doing me more of a favour than I'm doing you."

"I doubt that," Freed said, more to himself than to the coach.

"Yeah, maybe that wasn't the best thing to say," Gildarts chuckled a little awkwardly. It was the laugh of a man who knew something but didn't want to talk about it.

"Did Professor Fullbuster explain why I'm having financial issues?" Freed said, not wanting to dance around the subject.

"He did. And, maybe it ain't my place to say, but your parents seem like real shitty people," Gildarts grunted, and Freed looked at him. Were professors meant to speak about parents like that? "Who the hell blackmails their own kid with their college fund just because they're not picking a subject they approve of? Fucked up shit," Gildarts seemed to rememebr himself. "Sorry, I deal with a lot of shitty sports parents who wanna relive their youth through their kids. I get protective over students. Ignore me."

"It's nothing I haven't thought about," Freed dismissed, and Gildarts chuckled. "What exactly would I be doing, if I take on this job?"

"You're gonna have to run their socials, which is Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. That last one I don't really understand," Gildarts laughed to himself. "But the two main things we need are information and advertising. The information stuff is pretty simple: game schedules, stats, updates on the team. Stuff the stats nerds are gonna wanna see. I'll pretty much send all of that to ya whenever you need it.

"As for advertisements, it's pretty much whatever you want. We need people to watch to keep the sponsors, so go wild with it. I was thinking your photography skills could help, it'll make things more professional. That something you think you could do?"

"I think so," Freed nodded. "And your team, do they see this as an inconvenience or do they understand it's important."

"They all get it," Gildarts assured him. "So long as you're not getting in the way of their workouts or making 'em look like idiots online, they'll be alright with it. Well, Laxus might get a bit pissy, but he knows why we need to do it. He won't be a problem."

Freed had to wonder if the name Laxus was meant to mean anything to him. Student athletes were often treated as celebrities, but Freed had never bothered to pay attention to them. For all Freed knew, this Laxus could be famous to anyone interested in College sports.

Would his lack of interest in the sport be of detriment to the job? He could figure out how to sound like he cared in Tweets and posts - in fact he'd spent the previous night looking into how the game was played and the culture around it, and had a solid understanding - but he didn't want an antagonistic relationship with the team.

He knew the idea that sportsmen were in cliques was exaggerated, but the myth came from somewhere.

"How receptive will the team be with someone who doesn't have the interest in sports that they do?" Freed asked.

"They'll be fine," Gildarts brushed the question off, and he seemed to be telling the truth. "And don't sell yourself so short. You've got a firm handshake, so you're not weak. You can handle them fine."

Freed wanted to say that his body was because he enjoyed exercise, not because he was preparing for a sport, but Gildarts didn't give him the chance.

"They're all good young men, some of the best athletes I've worked with since I joined up here actually," Gildarts grinned. "They've all got pretty strong personalities, I'll warn you of that. And you're gonna have to pull them into line. They've got the whole 'work hard play hard' thing, but they'll listen to you if you don't take their crap."

"I've no problems with that," Freed assured him. "If they're as boisterous as you say, perhaps I can include their personalities in the posts I make. Allow the spectators a level of intimacy with them."

"Sounds great, that's the kind of thinkin' we need," Gildarts smiled. "You wanna meet 'em? They'll have just finished their morning work-outs, we should catch 'em."

Freed thought for a moment. Was it really that easy? Best not to overthink. "That sounds good."

Gildarts guided Freed through some more of the labyrinthian corridors of the sports building, eventually stopping at the door with a sign calling it 'Locker Room C1'. He pushed the door to the locker room open and motioned for Freed to walk in before him. Freed did so without thinking, though he did wonder if this was some kind of test to see how comfortable he was in the world of athletes. He understood if it was; he could hardly do his new job if he had trouble walking into a locker room.

He walked a few steps in, and heard Gildarts walking in behind him. He looked around and saw that five men were standing at various lockers, all in separate states of undress. He didn't recognise any of them, and they didn't seem to notice him.

Closest to him were two men in athletics clothing, standing at two lockers which were side by side. They were squabbling with one another, one with shocking salmon pink hair and the other with darker hair. They were the main source of sound in the room, their arguing drowning everything else out. Given that nobody else, including Gildarts, seemed to be bothered by this, Freed concluded that their argument wasn't abnormal. It made sense, wrestling was obviously a testosterone filled environment.

Further down the same row of lockers was a man who was perhaps the most muscular person Freed had ever seen. With white hair and stern features, he was stretching off an under-armour shirt and tossed it into his bag.

In another row was a man that Freed did recognise, though didn't know well. He was a ginger man, shirtless and in workout leggings, taking a selfie with his arms flexed and a smirk aimed at the camera. Freed had seen him many times in one of the on-campus coffee shops, always with a different person at his table, always flirting.

The final man was tall, with a blue mohawk and a tattoo on his face. He was wearing nothing but a towel, body a little damp so clearly he had just gotten out of the shower. He was the only man in the group who had noticed Freed.

"Who's the guy, coach?" Face tattoo asked, grinning. "New recruit? Wanna get slammed into a mat, huh?"

"Back off Bix," Gildarts said, and clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "Got an announcement to make so listen up. Where's your captain?"

"Still working out," The selfie-taker said, walking closer to their coach. "You know what he's like."

"I'll talk to him after," Gildarts said, more to himself than to the room. Once all the wrestlers had congregated around him, he started speaking again. "This is Freed, he's gonna be the new PR guy for us. He's handy with a camera so be ready to have your photo taken a lot more often. You give him any shit and you answer to me. You cause him trouble, you answer for me. One complaint about any of you and you're all gonna regret it, you understand me?"

"Yes coach," The crowd of men said, in unison.

"Good men," Gildarts clapped Freed on the back, pushing him forward slightly. "Freed, from right to left, you've got Bickslow, Loke, Elfman, Gray and Natsu. You wanna introduce yourself."

"Of course," Freed took another step forward, trying not to be bothered by the five sets of eyes boring into him. "As you heard, I'm Freed and I'll be working on your social media accounts for the future. I'll do what I can to not get underfoot but there will be times when I need you to follow my instructions, so don't be surprised when that happens. I'm sure that will be acceptable."

The men nodded, before Face-Tattoo, Bickslow, spoke up. "You drink, Freed?"

"I do," Freed said.

"You wanna go out with us tonight?" Bickslow offered.

Freed thought for a moment, a denial on the tip of his tongue. Since he had joined the college he had avoided bars and clubs, having been told by his father that he should avoid anywhere he could cause family embarrassment. As the bridge with his parents was well and truly burned, that denial died.

"I'd like that," Freed nodded, and some of them cheered.

"If I find out a single one of you men paid for a drink, you'll be doin' the pacer test every morning for a month," Gildarts said with crossed arms. "You're athletes, not party boys."

"We can be both," Loke - the selfie-taker - claimed. Gildarts glared at him. "Fine, we'll be good."

"That's what I wanna hear," Gildarts said. "Now, get your asses to class or you'll be on the sidelines. Freed, follow me."

"We'll meet at the library at ten tonight," Bickslow said as he walked to his locker and pulled out some clothes. He dropped his towel without shame and Freed averted his eyes before he saw anything. That was a culture shock. "We can have a totally fun and not boring as hell sober night out together."

"Technically only the five of you can't get drunk. I can buy as many drinks as I like," Freed shrugged. "And if any of you happen to get to them before me, I don't see how I can stop you."

One of them whooped, the others laughed. Gildarts turned and crossed his arms again, this time looking at Freed. "Thought you had no money, Justine?"

"Oh, yes," Freed averted his gaze. Gildarts turned and walked towards the door, allowing Freed to speak quietly again. "I do have my fathers credit card details, though. And enough spite to drain his account and get you all drunker than you've ever been."

Maybe Gildarts heard him, but didn't say anything. The cheers seemed to show he had been accepted by the majority of the team.

Following Gildarts, Freed was taken to one of the large gymnasiums. It was an expensive and well maintained room, filled with what Freed could only assume was state of the art equipment. He had always known that the sports teams were given the majority of the finances - mainly because they made the money themselves through sponsors and ticket sales - and seeing it in person was impressive. As he looked around the unfamiliar room, his eyes settled on the back corner.

In the corner was the most jaw droppingly sexy man Freed had ever seen.

He was working on the pec-deck machine, sweat slicked and eyes closed. His blonde hair was a mess, his firm, strong facial features consorted into a glare. He was wearing the purple wrestling uniform - a singlet, Freed remembered from his research - which clung to his incredibly muscular body like a second skin. The top of a tattoo curled around his pec and shoulder, and Freed swallowed at the sight of it. His large thighs were firm and pronounced, and Freed quickly averted his gaze before he looked any further. The singlet would hide nothing, so Freed had to look away.

Good god. He'd just been in a room with half naked men, sweating and grinning, and he felt nothing. But this blonde was something else. Whatever the effect the man had on him, it went straight to his gut.

"Laxus," Gildarts yelled, and Freed noticed the headphones he was wearing. "You're done for the day. Pay attention."

Laxus apparently heard, and he opened his brilliantly blue eyes. He looked first towards Gildarts, and then at Freed. He looked Freed up and down as he continued his use of the pec dec, before apparently finishing his set and stepping out of the machine. He pulled his headphones out and looked at Gildarts, not speaking.

"This is Freed, he's gonna be running the socials for us from now on," Gildarts introduced him. "Freed, this is the captain, Laxus. He's probably gonna be the guy you're working with most. Don't take shit from him, and don't give him any shit back. You both understand that?"

Freed nodded, and so did Laxus.

"Hey," Laxus said, voice grumbly and deep. It had a woody timber that also went to Freed's gut. He offered Freed a sweat slicked hand to shake, and Freed took it. The firmness of the shake was a test, which Freed was happy to match. They shook hands for about five seconds, before Laxus decided he had passed this test and retracted. He ran his hand through his hair and cracked his back, his strong body writhing. "Don't fuck this up. We need good press."

"I won't," Freed stated, because he wouldn't.

"You better not," Laxus nodded slightly. "And if any of the team fuck you around, I don't wanna hear about it. Deal with your own shit."

"I intend to," Freed shrugged. "Not that I'll need to. They'll do as instructed, I'm sure."

Laxus looked at him for a moment, and Freed pushed back the force of attraction that had hit him, and met Laxus' gaze. They stood like this for a few seconds, and Freed almost forgot that Gildarts was watching them both before the older man coughed and walked between them to get their attention. They both looked away.

"It's getting close to eleven, Freed, you've got class with Silver right?" He asked, and Freed frowned. Just how much had the coach and Silver talked?

"I do," Freed nodded, then glanced at the clock. He would have to walk fast to get there on time, but he could make it. "Thank you for seeing me, Coach Clive. And it was nice to meet you, Laxus, I hope to see you soon."

He walked out of the gym, leaving Gildarts and Laxus to watch him go. Slowly, with a wide and shit-eating grin, Gildarts turned to Laxus. Laxus looked at him with a blank face, clearly trying to hide the small little blush that was spreading onto his cheeks. Gildarts raised a single eyebrow, and that was all he needed for Laxus to start his walk towards the locker room. Gildarts jogged to keep up with him.

"So, for months I've been bringing people here to fill that position," Gildarts teased. "And every time you told them to fuck off, or you'd refuse to play if they were there. But I bring a guy with a firm handshake who doesn't back down from you, and you get all blushy huh? What's that about."

"Fuck off," Laxus growled. "All those other dicks would have gotten in the way, or would have been pushed around and would've come to me to fix it. Don't have time for shit like that. He seemed like he could look after himself."

"I'm sure that's it," Gildarts laughed. "And you kept looking at his ass because you respect him, right?"

Laxus stormed towards the locker room.

"Hey, where the hell do you think you're going?" Gildarts yelled across the room. "You know the rules. You cuss at me, you give me thirty burpees. Get to it."

Laxus blanched at the order. He was fit, but even the fittest men hated that particular exercise. "You're kidding."

"You wanna make it fifty, then keep running your mouth," Gildarts said, and Laxus sighed.

He walked to the mats and started on his punishment, grunting as his already aching muscles burned. He closed his eyes as he did it, trying to let the leftover exhilaration of his workout carry him through this. He knew that Gildarts was still standing there, and he couldn't get away with lying about completing them all. At least it was a distraction from the new guy.

Freed.

Laxus had spent two and a half years at this college, and not once had he seen a guy like that. A guy who didn't flinch at him, didn't blink at his stupid hand shaking test, and a guy who had been checking him out without much subtlety. A hot guy with an attitude that sent a thrill down Laxus' spine. It had been a long time since Laxus had known a guy like that.

He grinned to himself, he could have fun with this.

[his-argentite]

Harry Potter x older!fem reader (platonic) pt.1

I didn't really proofread this so there might be some mistakes!  :P

Set on Order of the Phoenix.

Word count: 1,252

Warnings: Might contain some spoilers if you haven't read the books but otherwise there should be none. 

Reader's patronus animal: a pallas cat just in case you haven't figured out your own patronus. But feel free to change it if you want to :)

Reader went to Hogwarts in 1984-1991.

Reader's blood status: muggleborn

(Y/N) pov.

It was a chilly evening in Privet drive. I have been living here since I was a child. It is quite peaceful around here, even though people tend to be a bit stuck up here. The Dursleys are a perfect example of these kinds of people. 

Ever since I graduated from Hogwarts, Dumbledore asked me to watch over Harry and make sure he is okay. Harry and I have always been neighbours so we knew each other. 

Harry and I were the only so-called "abnormal" people around here, but he never knew that I was also a witch. Dumbledore told me after making me guard over him not to tell Harry about my truth. I mean, Dumbledore has his reasons but I think it's weird that this has to be kept as a secret from Harry.

It's now Harry's 5th year and now that Voldemort has come back, Dumbledore has given me more to do to look over Harry. I joined the Order of the Phoenix almost right away when I heard about Voldemort coming back. The Order is kept secret from Harry. 

Tonight I have a shift with Mundungus. I just really hope he won't apparate away when he's supposed to be working. I was walking around Magnolia road. It was getting dark already and I kept my wand close just in case. Suddenly I heard two boys arguing and I knew right away who they were. 

I kept walking towards the voices and saw Harry and Dudley arguing about something.

 "Well, who did you beat up again?", I heard Harry saying. "Some ten year old? I know you beat up Mark Evans the other evening-", "He was begging for it", Dudley interrupted. "Oh really?", Harry said. 

They continued mocking each other. Harry calling him a pig (rightfully so) and Dudley insulting Harry's magical abilities and calling Hogwarts "a freak school" or something like that. 

The situation was escalating and Harry started to pull out his wand. Now Dudley was bullying Harry about Cedric's death.

'"Don't kill Cedric! Don't kill Cedric!' Who's Cedric? Your boyfriend?" "You're lying", Harry said calmly. 

'"Dad, he's going to kill me! Help me dad!" Dudley mocked. "Shut up", Harry said quietly. "Shut up, Dudley, this is a warning!" 

"'Dad, come help me! Mom, help me! He killed Cedric! Dad, help! It's going to kill-' stop pointing at me with that!" 

I had go step in and stop them before Harry does something stupid. 

"Don't ever mention it again", Harry growled. "Do you understa-"

"What is going on here?" I asked loud enough for them to hear. They both turned their heads towards me and looked with startled faces."(Y/N)-" Both of the boys exclaimed. "You do know that two 15 year old boys shouldn't be walking outside at this hour? It's really dangerous", I said. "Uhm, we were just- We were- I mean-" Harry tried to mumble something while trying to put his wand back into his pocket.

"I expect you two to go back home. Walking outside when it's almost middle of the night isn't a good idea", I said. Harry turned his head towards me and said "Okay, but I could ask the same from you. Why are you roaming around private drive in the middle of the night?" "Uh- well I-" I stopped when I suddenly felt the air getting too cold.

The stars from the sky vanished and all the lights from the street lamps went off. The sound from the cars were replaced by complete silence. 

I started to look around and turned my eyes to Harry and it seems like he noticed it as well. Harry looked at me and then all around, but it was impossible to see anything in the darkness. This could only mean one thing. There are dementors somewhere nearby. But what are they doing here in Privet drive? Aren't they supposed to be guarding Azkaban?. I think Harry was thinking the exact same thing as I was. I tried to listen if I could hear them coming.

Suddenly Dudley started to scream at Harry about telling his dad about this. "Shut up! I'm trying to listen! (Y/N)! Run away, quickly before-", Harry couldn't finish his sentence before Dudley had hit him in the head and started to run away. 

"You idiot!", He shouted after him. (Y/N), please! Get away from here!" Harry took his wand and started to shout for Dudley. It was so dark that he needed to spell lumos. 

Suddenly a dementor flowed toward us and Harry stumbled and fell backwards. Everything happened so quickly that I couldn't react. Harry raised his wand towards the dementor and shouted "expecto patronum!" But it didn't work. The dementor was still there. I knew I just shouldn't just stand there and do nothing.

I pulled out my wand from my jacket, started to run towards the dementor and shouted "Expecto patronum!" A silver colored pallas cat started to glide towards the dementor. The cat hit the dementor with all its power, sending the dementor away. 

Now Harry was standing and we both turned towards Dudley. There was another dementor and now both Harry and I summoned our patronuses and sent them toward the dementor. Just like the first dementor, it was sent away quickly.

Harry ran to him and checked if he was alright. Suddenly we both heard someone walking towards us. It was mrs. Figg. 

Just like before, Harry tried to hide his wand in his pocket but mrs. Figg started saying "Don't put it away, stupid boy! They might come back." I was out of breath, shocked to see dementors here. "But why were they here? In Privet drive?", I asked "If only I knew. Bloody Fletcher apparated away from here when he was supposed to watch over Harry! I'm going to kill him!" Mrs. Figg screamed. 

3rd pov

Harry was now so confused. The girl who he thought was just a regular muggle neighbor turned out to be a witch and mrs. Figg was screaming about killing someone. 

Now mrs. Figg started to walk towards Dudley and started to shout at him "Get up, you useless blob!" Harry walked towards the two and said "Uhm- let me, please." He grabbed Dudley and lifted him up. 

"Please (Y/N), get Harry safely home. I need to go home now." Mrs. Figg said and started to walk away.

Harry and (Y/N) started to stroll away from the magnolia road. He seemed to struggle with carrying Dudley's almost unconscious body. "Do you need help with it?" (Y/N) asked "No I'm good", Harry rejected the offer. 

It was quiet for a moment before (Y/N) opened her mouth and said "I completely understand if you're mad at me." Harry gave her a little glare "I just don't understand why everyone keeps everything secret from me. My friends haven't told me everything and neither has my godfather." He confessed. 

"So Sirius hasn't told you anything?" (Y/N) asked. Harry ignored her question and asked (Y/N) "Are you part of this thing?" 

"I could say so", she answered. 

About 15 minutes pass and they are in front of 4 Privet drive. 

"Harry, I'm sorry for keeping this secret but Dumbledore told me to do so", (Y/N) apologized, knowing how bad Harry must feel right now. 

Harry sighed and said "No worries, I understand."

(Y/N) smiled. "Okay, good night. Harry", she said. 

"Good night", Harry said, smiling a little.

[ibrown21]

Blog #10 Farewell!

Happy Monday everyone! 

This post is bittersweet because it is our last post. As our final post, I have begun preparing for the submission of my short story. In doing so I had to explore a variety of literary journals. I learned that just because you pay and submit your work, that does not always guarantee that your submission with be accepted.

8 Literary Journals for New Writers - Read Poetry

Because of this I specifically chose to research literary journals for new writers. Through this search, I came across a surprising number of inviting journals looking for unpublished new authors. Though this is good news, who knew how many guidelines you had to hurdle through to get your work considered! I found two journals that I am particularly interested in, both having similar directions. These journals are called NewReaderMagazine, and The Magnolia Review.

Both journals allow all genres, though you must compile a short summary of the piece, a minimum of 500 words, a $10 fee (for New Reader Magazine) and the story must be exclusively only submitted to that journal. You must also include a short writer bio attached to your e-mail submission. A few journals that I have researched don’t pay the author, mainly your reward is notoriety. However, NewReaderMagazine does. Also, when you submit, remove your name and personal information and include a cover letter (for The Magnoila Review). After submission, it takes about 30 to 100 days for a response, so be patient!

Here is how my cover letter would go:

Dear NewReaderMagazine/ The Magnoila Review,

I would like to submit my enclosed unpublished fictional short story entitled "Counting Life's Cost" by Iman Brown to be considered for future publication to your journal. I affirm that this has not been submitted for publication elsewhere.

Bio: Iman Brown is a amateur fictional illustrator based in Atlanta, Georgia. Her unpublished work includes a short story titled "Counting Life's Cost". Before Iman started writing fiction, she pursued her bachelors degree in Speech Pathology. To shake things up, she decided to attend Graduate School at Clayton State University as a English MAT student. It was here in her fictional writing course where she bore this future gem. If you want to know when Iman's next short story will come out, you can visit her on NewReaderMagazine.

Thank you for your attention.

Iman Brown

browniman@yahoo.com

[maggiexrhodes]

Introducing Maggie Rhodes!

BIRTH NAME :  Margaret Elizabeth Rhodes ALIAS  /  NICKNAME :  Maggie, Mags AGE :  39 DATE  OF  BIRTH : March 25, 1983 PLACE OF BIRTH : Bridgeport, ME RESIDENCE :  Old Bridgeport (lighthouse) TW : Alcoholism, Divorce, Pregnancy

EDUCATION : Bachelor degree in English OCCUPATION :  Author, lighthouse owner

GENDER :   Female PRONOUNS : She/Her SEXUALITY :  Bisexual

FACECLAIM :  Kate Siegel

HAIR COLOR : Brunette EYE  COLOR :  Blue HEIGHT : 5′8″ BUILD : Slim SCENT :  YSL

TATTOOS :  None PIERCINGS :  Ears, tongue (as a teen) BEAUTY HABITS : Wears very little makeup unless there’s an event

ZODIAC : Aries TEMPERAMENT : Choleric HOGWARTS HOUSE :  Ravenclaw ELEMENT : Fire

CLOTHING :  Cardigans, knitted sweaters, pants HAIR STYLE : Medium, curly

PHYSICAL AILMENTS :  Headaches ALLERGIES : Mint

EATING HABITS : Whatever she feels like, coffee EXERCISE HABITS : None SLEEPING HABITS :  Gets about 7 hours a night, hard sleeper

SOCIABILITY : Directive

BODY  TEMP :  97.7 ADDICTIONS :  Alcohol (recovering) DRUG  USE :  Pot (here and there) ALCOHOL USE :  None

POSITIVE  TRAITS :  Ambitious, protective NEGATIVE TRAITS : Stubborn, blunt PHOBIAS :  Deep water FEARS :  Losing her family, not being enough

HOBBIES :  Writing, reading, spending time with her family, singing HABITS :   Playing with rings, squinting when focusing USUAL DEMEANOR : RBF

FATHER :  Malcolm Rhodes MOTHER : Leanne Rhodes SIBLINGS :  Patrick & Olivia Rhodes PARTNERS : Mike (ex-husband) CHILDREN :  Audrey (6), Grace (3), unborn baby

INSPIRATIONS :  Theo Crain (Haunting of HIll House), Erin (Midnight Mass), Lorelai Gilmore (Gilmore Girls), Mary Lennox (Secret Garden), Morticia & Wednesday Addams (Addams Family)

BIOGRAPHY

The first of the Rhodes children and one to always know how to make an entrance, Maggie made her debut into the world on her father’s birthday; conveniently getting him out of the party. Ever since, she has been one to know how to get the attention she wanted from crying to get her mom during her performances on Broadway and even ending up as a child on Broadway herself. She’d join her mom on stage a few times growing up; ending when she was thirteen. During this time, she was extremely close to her mother and wanted to be exactly like her. She remembers this time of her life being happy, especially with the addition of her siblings, but to her, she felt all good things need to come to an end.

For her, the ending happened when she was thirteen. Her mom had been drinking and there was an emergency which led her to drive. The car crashed and Maggie became very scared. For a long time, she refused to even get into the car and then refused to do so with her mother. She started acting out towards her mom and even trying to pour out liquor bottles to try to get her to stop drinking. She was very angry towards all this and it constantly showed.

The summer before high school, she demanded to go to a real school instead of being home school. So, the family moved permanently to Bridgeport and she started going to school. Finally having a regular social life she craved, Maggie met Eddie King and several others in town and she quickly became decently popular, but she was also one to skip school and sneak out at night to go to parties. Her and Eddie started dating and they had a happy relationship up until graduation when she broke up with him, but only because she was leaving town for college.

WIthout word to her family, Maggie took off to Portland, Oregon a few days after her high school graduation and started working while she waited for classes to start. After a few days, she let her family know where she was and would rarely call for a while. She started college in the fall going with an English major. She focused on her schooling, rarely going home at all, and after she graduated, she lived in Portland permanently.

Over the years, she wrote a book called Magnolia Grove that was loosely based on her family and Bridgeport about a town of magical beings. It became popular and she wrote a few more and quickly became a best selling author. During this time, she met an accountant named Mike and the two started dating. After a year, they got married. However, the second she was married to him, things went downhill. He wanted her to stop writing and stop contact with her family. He hated that she made more than him and was becoming famous. This led to a lot of arguing and after a year of marriage, she left him.

While trying to get a divorce, Maggie headed home to Bridgeport and bought a house. She started being around her family again, but still wasn’t as close to her mom as she once was. Now home, she reconnected with Eddie and got close to him as a friend again. After a drunken night, they started hooked up and it resulted in them having their first daughter, Audrey. They started co-parenting and Maggie continued writing her books and also trying to divorce Mike, but he kept putting it off. A few years passed and her and Eddie hooked up again, having another daughter named Grace.

After Grace was born, Maggie got a Netflix deal and her books were becoming a TV series. On top of writing the fourth book of her series, she was also helping write the script for the series and was trying to focus on her divorce too. While that wasn’t going through, her success was and eventually, she bought the old lighthouse in town after the caretaker passed. She kept it running while doing everything she did with her job.

It was in August of 2021 when things got a little worse for her. The show was between seasons and she was trying to finish the last book of her series and because she finally had time again, she started pushing harder for her divorce. She would go out to Portland to talk to him and come back upset. This led to her drinking to get worse to the point she was drinking almost every moment she was awake. She was angry and just wanted her divorce and was taking it out on everyone. It was at the end of March that it came to a climax. She got news from her mom she got MIke to sign the papers and raced to her childhood home. As she was almost there, she swerved as a car came out and tore up her parents lawn. Luckily everyone was okay, but this was a wake up call she needed to stop drinking.

Since then, she has been working on getting sober as well as promoting her new book and writing the second season of her show. It was all going okay, it seemed, and then she found out she was pregnant by a guy she’s kinda been seeing. She was nervous to say anything at first and after telling him, the two fought and haven’t spoken since. Maggie isn’t sure what she’s going to do with him, but she knows in her heart she’s going to raise this baby.

[rockislandadultreads]

2020 Horror: a reading list

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

Fried Green Tomatoes and Steel Magnolias meet Dracula in this Southern-flavored supernatural thriller set in the '90s about a women's book club that must protect its suburban community from a mysterious and handsome stranger who turns out to be a blood-sucking fiend.

Patricia Campbell had always planned for a big life, but after giving up her career as a nurse to marry an ambitious doctor and become a mother, Patricia's life has never felt smaller. The days are long, her kids are ungrateful, her husband is distant, and her to-do list is never really done. The one thing she has to look forward to is her book club, a group of Charleston mothers united only by their love for true-crime and suspenseful fiction. In these meetings, they're more likely to discuss the FBI's recent siege of Waco as much as the ups and downs of marriage and motherhood.

But when an artistic and sensitive stranger moves into the neighborhood, the book club's meetings turn into speculation about the newcomer. Patricia is initially attracted to him, but when some local children go missing, she starts to suspect the newcomer is involved. She begins her own investigation, assuming that he's a Jeffrey Dahmer or Ted Bundy. What she uncovers is far more terrifying, and soon she--and her book club--are the only people standing between the monster they've invited into their homes and their unsuspecting community.

The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson

In the lands of Bethel, where the Prophet’s word is law, Immanuelle Moore’s very existence is blasphemy. Her mother’s union with an outsider of a different race cast her once-proud family into disgrace, so Immanuelle does her best to worship the Father, follow Holy Protocol, and lead a life of submission, devotion, and absolute conformity, like all the other women in the settlement.

But a mishap lures her into the forbidden Darkwood surrounding Bethel, where the first prophet once chased and killed four powerful witches. Their spirits are still lurking there, and they bestow a gift on Immanuelle: the journal of her dead mother, who Immanuelle is shocked to learn once sought sanctuary in the wood.

Fascinated by the secrets in the diary, Immanuelle finds herself struggling to understand how her mother could have consorted with the witches. But when she begins to learn grim truths about the Church and its history, she realizes the true threat to Bethel is its own darkness. And she starts to understand that if Bethel is to change, it must begin with her.

Little Bones by David Baillie

Hamilton, Ontario, 1953.

A nine-year-old boy meets with a horrific death at the hands of a sociopath; his little body is then hidden away in a soon-to-be-sealed tenement coal chute where it lies for two decades. The remains, discovered by contractors rerouting a pipe in 1974, make for sensational news; the fact that ten small bones are missing causes further speculation. But interest in the cold case fades quickly—except in the imagination of a tragically lonely boy named Scott Campbell, a resident of that sad building who suffers (equally) from undiagnosed Selective Mutism and the terrible neglect of his mentally ill mother. In the building’s furnace room, Scotty meets his one and only friend: a child’s playful, coal-black shadow that follows him through a litany of foster homes and into adulthood.

Now, in 1987, thirteen years after the discovery of those remains, Scotty is an enigmatic street artist who makes strange sculptures out of found objects, which he leaves in the forgotten and overlooked corners of the city. Scotty’s social worker, Simon, despairs over Scotty’s plight: the mute will soon be completely on his own, for he aged out of government-sponsored aid almost two years ago and is now living on the remnants of a miracle extension arranged by Simon’s boss. Simon also has his own dilemma: as a Mohawk with invested interest in the Six Nations of the Grand River, he feels like he is betraying his own community by working for the government-funded Children’s Aid Society in Hamilton. Caught between pressure at home and the impending end of Scotty’s meagre support, Simon is losing faith in both the System and himself.

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

A tale of revenge, cultural identity, and the cost of breaking from tradition in this latest novel from the Jordan Peele of horror literature, Stephen Graham Jones.

Seamlessly blending classic horror and a dramatic narrative with sharp social commentary, The Only Good Indians follows four American Indian men after a disturbing event from their youth puts them in a desperate struggle for their lives. Tracked by an entity bent on revenge, these childhood friends are helpless as the culture and traditions they left behind catch up to them in a violent, vengeful way.

Jack by Connie Willis

During the height of the Blitz in London, the air raid rescue squad operating out of Mrs. Lucy’s house is close-knit and ever-watchful. When a new volunteer named Jack shows up, his odd behavior—not eating, disappearing during the day for a mysterious job—isn’t concerning at first. The sleepless stress of the job is hard on everyone. Soon, Jack is in high demand, due to an almost uncanny talent for finding buried people still alive under the rubble… But how does he do it? As the narrator, another member of the squad also named Jack, begins to investigate, the truth turns out to have a dark, tragic twist. New York Times bestselling, multiple-award-winning author Connie Willis’s surprising and deftly rendered classic 1991 novella “Jack,” a finalist for the Nebula and the Hugo awards, is a must-have for readers of her beloved works set in World War II, including “Fire Watch,” Blackout, and All Clear.

Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare

Quinn Maybrook just wants to make it until graduation. She might not make it to morning.

Quinn and her father moved to tiny, boring Kettle Springs to find a fresh start. But ever since the Baypen Corn Syrup Factory shut down, Kettle Springs has cracked in half. On one side are the adults, who are desperate to make Kettle Springs great again, and on the other are the kids, who want to have fun, make prank videos, and get out of Kettle Springs as quick as they can.

Kettle Springs is caught in a battle between old and new, tradition and progress. It’s a fight that looks like it will destroy the town. Until Frendo, the Baypen mascot, a creepy clown in a pork-pie hat, goes homicidal and decides that the only way for Kettle Springs to grow back is to cull the rotten crop of kids who live there now

[epicspheal]

Hey! I remember a while back I read a fanfic of yours regarding twilight wings- the unofficial Raihan episode. In it their was an oc of yours, and I was wondering if you have any more? I like making oc's myself and it's fun to see other people's ideas and stories.

Hi there!  You have...opened the floodgates (in a good way). I have quite a few champion OCs. I’ll focus on the various champion OCs I have since I’ve mentioned this on my blog before the champions of Pokemon remain my favorite class of characters as they have so much potential as we’ve seen with Leon in SwSh. This is going to be a somewhat long post as I have 5 champions to talk about (plus there are pics here, most of them commissions from some very talented artists that I’ve tagged as I can’t draw)

(There’s Marsha and her starter/ace Rosemary the Audino with @hayleyb100 ‘s character Richard. Thank you HayleyB for drawing this! And if you guys haven’t please check out her amazing art and stories)

I’ll start off with the OC you mentioned in your ask...Marsha (full name Marsha Miller). She’s the Alolan champion that we see in my Conviction, the Raihan twilight wings episode (also shameless plug for my fic). Like many champions she’s a mixed type trainer, but she does have a slight preference for fairy types on her team. Unlike the SM/USUM protagonist, she actually hails from Unova but her family is military (her father used to serve under Lt. Surge before becoming a lieutenant himself) and so she’s lived in Unova, Kanto, and Alola. Before she ended up becoming Alola’s champion, she was content with being head of the cheer squad at her high school while in Kanto (before her family announced moving again and she was needless to say, quite upset at the prospect of throwing away her cheer captain title). Back when she lived in Unova, she would often stop by her grandparents herbalist shop to learn about various medicinal herbs.

I hint to this a bit in my Convictions fic when Marsha asks Raihan a question about him becoming champion elsewhere, but Marsha has a huge bout of imposter syndrome from being the first ever champion of Alola as she doesn’t feel like she measures up to the legends like Red or Blue or known superstar champions like Leon and Cynthia. A lot of her character growth comes after she wins the title as she learns to work with Kukui to help build up the Alola League and make it famous. Luckily she happens to be a pretty friendly, if somewhat reserved character making it easy for her to befriend the likes of Leon and Raihan (and she also gets them to be a couple). Both Leon and Raihan give her tips they’ve learned from being in Galar to help boost the reputation of the Alola League. Back in Alola she is good friends with Mallow, Plumeria and Mina as they often visit Mallow’s restaurant to eat and catch up. She ends up being a big sister friend to Gladion, Lillie and Hau (being in her late teens when she first met the kids) as well as Iris when she meets her at the champion’s conference. 

(Credit to @roseltheteacup for this amazing sugimori style artpiece of Calla. Please check out rosel’s artwork as well) 

The next one is my probably my most well-developed champion OC and my version of Victor/Gloria...Calla Okoro. She’s the Sword Hero of Galar to go with Hop’s Shield Hero. Calla is a baby genius with an IQ of 162 (so she’d qualify for MENSA in the real world) and graduated college at the age of 12 with a degree in chemistry, a year before she ends up taking on the gym challenge. Her favorite type is poison and she decided that she would take on the gym challenge by using only Poison types, refusing a starter from Leon to train up her Budew and other poison types she found along the way. 

Her knowledge of poison types would become very useful towards the end of the challenge and Eternatus awakening and possessing Leon , however this girl struggled so much at the beginning as the poison types she caught don’t really get good until they evolve. It was also a testament to having book knowledge of Pokemon and type advantages doesn’t equate to automatically winning a battle. She struggled especially at Kabu’s gym, resulting in her first official loss (outside of losing her second battle to Hop at Magnolia’s house due to his Rookidee being super effective against her Budew nicknamed Sabi). Calla is persistent though and patient so she worked with her team developing a killer toxic stall strategy (that helped her be the first person to take Leon down). As champion Calla uses her position to promote science and eventually goes back to school to get PhD, becoming the first Galar champion to also be a professor. When Calla is not doing Pokemon battles or giving science demos, she tends to enjoy doing backflip competitions with Gordie or rocking out at Piers’ concerts with Marnie and Hop and Bede (Bede will deny hanging out with them) 

(thank you RPG Picrew, I have yet to get official commissioned work of him done) 

This is Jabari Revere, my Kalos champion OC and part of the Kalos 5. I’m still working on his backstory and personality as I replay Pokemon Y (I tend to replay the games for my champion OCs to build up their teams and get a sense for the personality). Jabari is a water type champion who enjoys his days swimming in the ocean and surfing on his Mantine, nicknamed Monterey. Like Serena from the anime he is a bit at odds with his mother Grace for wanting him to take up the family tradiiton of Rhyhorn racing. However unlike anipoke!Serena, he did have a goal of training water type Pokemon with the aim of becoming a water type champion just like Wallace from Hoenn. Jabari is definitely an easy going fellow, which helps him befriend Serena, Tierno, Trevor and Shauna as well as Grant and Clemont. Unlike my Galar champion Calla, he is more willing to use Pokemon other than water types, such as when he fought Korrina at the Mega Evolution tower using the Lucario who was attracted to his aura, or when he rescued Yveltal from Team flare and let it get revenge on Lysandre 

(this piece was done by @snowythesoft aka ChibiGirl! Thank you again for this and also please check out her art as well)

Yes, you’re looking at a robot. His name is Valen and is actually my first non-self insert Pokemon OC. After watching the first Pokemon movie and seeing Mewtwo be a Pokemon trainer, and also after watching the Watson computer on Jeopardy, I came up with the idea of “what if someone made a robot as a Pokemon trainer”. Hence Valen, the world champion of my version of the Pokemon World

Created by Molayne and Sophocles at the request of Red and Blue as a new fixture for the battle tree, Valen quickly began to learn from the some of the strongest trainers how to battle (with a frequent opponent being Marsha as she needed someone who could challenge her in battle). Once he figured out how to consistently beat the likes of Red, Blue and Marsha in battle...it was a wrap. Valen travelled to every known region and soon became the undisputed most powerful trainer in the world defeating every last living champion. He even took on Leon, Cynthia and Red in a triple battle and won. Despite his absolutely monstrous skill Valen is an absolute sweetheart and always compliments his opponents in battle. He also loves bowties, with his first gift being the red bowtie he sports from Sophocles do not touch or harm that bowtie if you value your life, it’s one of the few things that will actually piss off this gentle giant of a robot.

(credits to the VillainSona Picrew)

So this is my final non-self insert champion OC,  His Royal Highness Jack, Duke of Stow-On-Side. In a discord server and on some messages here on tumblr, I’ve described Jack as the unholy combination of Caillou and Jack the Ripper.  Jack hails from a disgraced family of aura guardians who learned that they could use their aura powers to create shadow Pokemon. 150 years prior to the main Sword and Shield story line his family managed to beat back the Hammerlocke Royal family (aka the great Raihan’s family) from Stow-On-Side and Ballonlea to claim the two towns for themselves. When Peony stepped down as champion Jack ended up taking the champion title. Now Jack is actually a legitimately powerful trainer without the need to shadowfy his Pokemon, but he does so anyway to ensure absolute control and to hopefully make his royal family the absolute rulers of Galar (his actions would years later inspire Sordward and Shieldbert, the Dukes of Motostoke). He even bribed gym leaders to be extra difficult on challengers he deemed to be a threat (so Leon, Raihan, Nessa and Sonia got hit hard with this).

Jack’s misdeeds are pretty vast. The reason why Sonia is so unconfident in her battling skills? Jack ambushed her in the wild area and destroyed her in a match while mocking her. Why does Leon have that perfect image as champion? He’s trying to build back the reputation the Galar league has after Jack nearly destroyed it’s rep on the world stage with his actions. Why are Leon and Sonia so insistent on you focusing on the gym challenge and leaving the problems to the adults? The adults during their gym challenge were either on Jack’s side or were actually useless against him and his shadow Pokemon. To quote my friends in an rp server I’m in “Jack is the absolute worst”  So that’s all of the champion OCs I have. As I continue to write more fanfic will definitely see all of them pop up in various stories. 

[fly-sky-high-bug-games]

Alyssum of Magnolia

Species: Butterfly

Design based on: Dragontail butterfly

She was too young to even remember the fall of the previous royals within Highgrove. Magnolia, a young usurper of the time, already took Alyssum in as a grubling and raised her under the reformed rules of the kingdom with the lady as a new queen. Other members of the newfound family Magnolia helped raise her within the conditions they set in stone to all Highgrovians.

While it’s hushed and never told, Alyssum was part of the poverty before her new queen but there was no need to touch upon that subject. It never matter because she was raised as a noble from the start. With those who rose to power holding the experiences of living in their lowest, the Magnolia family held a lot of aces in their sleeves: knowledgeable and informative, skilled fighters and veterans, medics that worked underground with only what they could afford, the ones discarded for who or what they are... they were all teachers to Alyssum.

Magnolia made sure Alyssum was raised, first of, as a proper lady. Second, a useful member. She was thought on social behavior and reading of body language while also keeping herself as mysterious as possible. The skills of fighting is something Alyssum never took interest in but the ruthless way of Magnolia both scared and fascinated her. With such skills, Alyssum begun to form her own attitude and persona. Reaching maturity and graduating in a sense was rewarded with spell bound wings: sewed in by the weaver on the family’s side, the bindings are of Soul and made for both defense and offense.

However... visiting City of Tears at Hallownest slightly changed her perspective. Being confident as she is, Alyssum wonders off on her own into the Fungal Wastes near the city gates. It was by chance that she met a trapper moth named Mugo who engaged in a conversation with her first. She knew how to read the look in the male’s eyes all too well. After all, it wasn’t the first time nor the last that someone would fall for her physical look so simply. At first, she was playful about it, understanding she could dump him when ever she liked but... Mugo wasn’t like that. Slowly, as they chattered more and more, spending more and more time together, Alyssum begun to realize this isn’t just someone going after her looks and position. The Magnolia emblem with a necklace she gave to him to sell at the black market, knowing it will be pricey and bring him good money, was kept safe with him because he cared. She truly fell in love with Mugo as well...

Their dates were secret, no one from Magnolia should know Alyssum was seeing a random, unimportant moth from Hallownest, a kingdom that was already crumbling and was soon to be left to die by it’s fate caused by the Pale one. She had this in the back of her head. Once the time to head back to Highgrove comes, she didn’t want to leave Mugo behind. At least, that’s what she told him to be the reason... but truthfully, she didn’t want to feel without a partner again, especially not after experiencing such happiness from their private meetings.

Mugo was then open about his opinions regarding the Magnolia and Highgrove. He made it clear to Alyssum he will not take part in such family and ways of ruling the kingdom, never wanting to go back there, especially since he did his best to leave the kingdom in the first place. His proposition of her to stay with him is when it all started to shatter and fall apart for Alyssum. How could he be so selfish to ask of her to leave everything she’s been part of and worked on so hard her whole life?

Disagreements, arguments, anger, shouting... fighting. Everything she asked of him was denied. Alyssum broke and accept it... Under the idea that he might as well die there and not wait for the infected kingdom to finish him. No. She genuinely wanted him dead for feeling so betrayed by one person she allowed herself to be... herself and not a mare persona. She herself was denied by one person she truly loved.

Mugo escaped and Alyssum’s wings of aggression. She was infuriated, disappointed, crushed, eventually sad...

Magnolia was not to stay within Hallownest for too long then. She had little time and her mind and emotions weren’t settling. Alyssum was obsessed. She understood the way things are at Highgrove that she will never have another proper opportunity for a partner like this. Mugo had to be hers... So in one last attempt, she did something despicable. 

A single egg was birthed. It was so simple in her head then. He will have no reason to say no to this and even if he does, he will turn irresponsible and a terrible person. It was Alyssum’s ticket to owning Mugo. No one but herself and her personal maid knew about this act.

Despite Mugo going into hiding, Alyssum sent him a letter. A meeting at the Crossroads, near the tram station where she was to depart with the rest of Magnolia, one last time, with a little surprise... Of course, Mugo never showed up.

Hooded and carrying a small caterpillar that Alyssum never looked as a child but a tool, she waited but to no avail. Her plan failed. It hit her hard and she realized all of the things that happened in Hallownest must be left behind and never spoken of again. So she left the child behind...

After returning to her home kingdom, Alyssum grew up just as ruthless as her queen, only looking up to Magnolia from that point on. The queen trusts her to the fullest, being most loyal underling of hers. Thus, she allowed Alyssum to create her own faction of underground leaders and members called the White Magnolia. She worked on creating links to their family’s chain of power and has been so far busy with it, eventually forgetting at what happened at Hallownest, or at least she told herself that. Until...

Amalma, a young spy on a mission to keep an eye on Zeeke of Highgrove, had an interesting encounter Alyssum found out through Zeeke himself upon their return from a little adventure at Hallownest. Mugo was still alive. And he was accompanied by a girl moth with a little vessel.

Alyssum could feel, old suppressed fury set under the last twenty years of new, cold experiences, made her current, confident self know she has yet another chance... to ruin him for what he did to her.

—

Characteristics:

+: collegial, enduring, straight forward -: egocentric, manipulative, apathetic n: cunning, social, skilled

Inventory:

Emblem of White Magnolia: A must for a member of Magnolia and faction of White Magnolia. High pride is taken in carrying one of these in Highgrove and a radiance of fear to lower classes of the kingdom.

Seals of Spring’s Fall

Alyssum’s wings carry magic sewed in by a weaver. The bindings on her wings allow her to manipulate soul in shape of floating, spinning, twirling, slow or rapid petals that can be as gentle as a feather and a sharp as a nail when packed together and shot as high speed.

It allows her to manipulate soul within small things which is most often within growing flowers of her settlement, controlling the petals and leaves off them as well with less soul cost.

She can also generate dome shaped seal like shield around herself and use wings to hit blow enemies away from her using the said shield that takes patterns that are the same as the ones on her wings.

[winterfang53]

Gajevy Week 2020 - Proposal

Gajevy Week 2020 day 2 Proposal, I hope you enjoy it!

Levy met Gajeel when she was 7 years old. 

It was summertime in Magnolia and Levy had been dragged to the park by her mother. “Levy you can’t spend the whole summer inside reading,” her mother said as she drove, “you need to play outside like every other kid and make some friends!”

Shy little Levy sat clutching her seat belt nervously. She had never had much luck with making friends at school, where she saw those kids almost every day, and now her mom thinks she’ll make some with random strangers at the park? The very idea made her tummy ache.

“But mom,” Levy whined, clutching even tighter when they pulled into the parking lot.

“No buts missy! You’re going to go and play! P-L-A-Y! Now get out of the car!”

Levy’s mom grabbed her out of the car and began walking down to the playground, where Levy could see a handful of other kids playing. Levy grabbed hold of her mother’s pant leg as they walked, eyeing the other children nervously as they came near. Once they were at the playground, Levy wanted to cling to her mom, but her mom pushed her away toward the other children, “go make friends!”

Looking back at her mom in betrayal, Levy didn’t even notice that a boy had come up to her and was standing next to her.

“Don’t be a baby and cling to your mom Shrimp,” the boy said teasingly, “or are you too scared to play by your self?”

Levy whirled around to glare at the mean boy who was already teasing her only to stop and stare with her mouth open.

“...what are you looking at Shrimp?” The boy said glaring at her, his dark red eyes flashing.

“What happened to your eyebrows?” Levy blurted out, not really meaning to say it. The boy blushed hot red as his glare intensified. There, where his eyebrows should have been, were metal piercings, 2 on each brow, replacing where the hair should have been. There were also 2 piercing on each of his ears and one under his lip. All the piercings were shiny metal disks. The piercings with his dark black hair and red eyes made him look a little scary.

“It’s genetic!” the boy growled loudly, “some people just don’t have eyebrows ok? Just like how some people are short! Like you Shrimp!”

Levy gasped, taking great offense due to her sensitivity towards her height, before glaring at the boy in question. “Well, so what if I’m small! At least I don’t have to fake my eyebrows, Metal Head!” 

“Metal Head?!” the boy growled angrily before charging her, causing Levy to squeal and take off running. “Take that back!” the boy roared as he gave chase.

“You take back calling me a shrimp first!” Levy yelled back.

“No!” barked the boy.

“Then I’m not gonna either Metal Brows!”

Levy and the boy raced through the playground; up the stairs and down the slide, around the swings and over the bounce toys, catching the attention of the other kids on the playground.

“Hey, are we playing tag?” a girl with pretty blond hair called out from the swings.

“Gajeel’s it!” cried a bright pink-haired boy on top of the monkey bars, causing the other children to squeal and scream in delight.

For the next hour, Levy played a very intense game of tag with the other children after Gajeel ‘tagged’ her, resulting in a brawl breaking out over who was the best ‘it’. Levy laughed as three of the boys; Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel, all got beaten up by the redhead Erza, causing Gajeel to tackle her for laughing, bringing her into the brawl. It took almost all the parents to pull apart the laughing, screaming children from the dog pile, but Levy didn’t mind -- she was having to much fun!

Levy laid puffing on the grass after being pulled out, right next to an equally tired Gajeel as both of their mothers apologized back and forth to each other. 

Levy looked over at the boy, “so your name’s Gajeel?” she asked, “I’m Levy.”

“Meh, I like Shrimp better,” the boy replied before smiling at her, “I think I like ya, most other girls aren’t nearly this fun!”

Levy giggles, “I think I like you too, Metal Head.”

Levy and Gajeel laughed as both their mothers came up to them.

“Gajeel! How many times have I told you not to start fights at the playground!” A woman with light blue hair said angrily, “you’re setting a bad example for your sisters!” A darker blue-haired girl poked out from behind their mother along with another darker blue-haired baby sitting in the woman’s arms.

“Levy, honey, this wasn’t what I meant by playing with the other children,” Levy’s mother chastised her while picking her up, “what happened?”

Levy turned to look at Gajeel, who met her gaze with a cheeky smile, before turning back to her mother, “we were just playing tag and it was great!” Levy said smiling brightly.

The light-haired woman signed in defeat as Levy’s mother looked down at her in shock. 

Levy was allowed to play with Gajeel and the other children for a few more hours before they had to leave in which Gajeel made Levy promise to come back to the park tomorrow.

“My Ma brings use here every afternoon,” Gajeel explained, “lots of the other kids are here every afternoon too so make sure you come back ok?”

“Ok!” Levy replied and true to her word, Levy made her mom bring her to the park almost every day for the rest of the summer in which she played non stop with Gajeel and all the other kids who had also become her friends.

Their friendship didn’t end with the summer, turned out; all though kids went to her school -- including Gajeel who was in her class for 3rd grade! 

…

Levy and Gajeel stayed best of friends for years to come, resulting in them dating through high school and college. It was the summer after graduation when Gajeel invited Levy to the park.

“Why are we here?” Levy asked, as the now older but still short 22-year-old looked around, smiling at the children playing at the play ground.

“Brings back memories, doesn’t it?” Gajeel said chuckling, his dark black hair long and wild with even more piercings doting his tall, broad frame. 

“Of course it does,” Levy said humming, “this is where we met!”

“Do you remember how though?’ Gajeel tease, “if I recall correctly, you were acting like a baby and clinging to your ma Shrimp. Too scared to play on your own!” 

Levy pouted, “and if I recall correctly, someone was too sensitive about their lack of eyebrows.”

Gajeel growled playfully, “I already told you, it’s genetic. Just like how your still short Shrimp.”

Levy gasped, equally as playful, “and like I already told you, I might be short but at least I don’t have to fake my eyebrows Head Metal!” Levy giggles before taking off running.

Gajeel roared and gave chase through the playground; up the stairs and down the slide, around the swings and over the bounce toys, until finally catching his Shrimp in a bear hug. 

Levy laughed, “well, you were faster this time in catching me at least.”

Gajeel chuckled, holding her tight to his chest, “do you remember how we saw each other almost every day that summer?” he asked quietly, resting his head in hers.

Levy hummed, “yup, it almost drove my mom nuts driving me to the park every day. We still see each other almost every day though so I guess nothing changed.”

Gajeel was quiet for a moment, “...I want to change that though,” Gajeel said, muttering into her hair.

Levy looked behind at him in confusion, “what do you mean?”

Gajeel took a deep breath before pulling away from Levy, “Lev, I don’t want to see you just almost every day. I want to see you every day, for the rest of our lives.”

With that, Gajeel pulled a box from his coat pocket and got down on one knee, causing Levy to gasp as tears started to prick her eyes in wonder.

“Levy McGarden,” Gajeel started slowly, “15 years ago, on this spot I caught you for the very first time but back then I had to let you go. Will you allow me the honor of never letting you go for the rest of our lives? Will you marry me?”

“Yes!” Levy sobbed as she tackled Gajeel to the ground, tears of happiness streaming down her cheeks ad Gajeel laughed heartily as he held her.

Once Levy goes home later today to show off her ring, she’ll have to thank her mom for dragging her to the park all those years ago cause it allowed her to meet her soulmate.

[magnoliawhetstone]

👫 - for any or all of my boys!

tw: anxiety attack mention, but really its just long as FLIP FLOP

beck & lia

beck teaches lia piano and is the most patient with her. lia has always been a perfectionist and she pushes herself hard to get things right--sometimes to the point of visual frustration. she loves going to piano practice though because beck never makes her feel like she’s behind or unable to learn what he’s teaching her--in fact, he helps her take her time and figure it out as slow as she needs to and never makes her feel dumb for it. 

when lia goes on friend dates with celeste, she always leaves beck a package of baked goods before she leaves. she knows that he’s probably not upset they’re hanging out, but she figures that if he’s going to be without his wife all day, she might as well give him something to nibble on. plus, she often gives him her experiments and sees what he thinks when they come back

lia thinks beck is ridiculously talented and would be the first to say that he should make it big somewhere. him and celeste both. but she really enjoys getting a chance to listen to him play and sing whenever she can. she’s a very supportive and tries her best to be there when she can.

beck is lia’s go-to country pal--he’s the only person she can openly play country music for and not feel ashamed. in fact, if she needs a karaoke partner, which she never does because she does not do that, he’d be the first call. they did so, once, at Marley and Dawn’s graduation party and it was the best version of “Boondocks: you ever did hear two drunk people sing.

shawn & lia

the first time lia and shawn met, it was in a sports bar and she was all decked out in clemson gear--which might not have been so surprising but she was she accidentally shocked him when she started screaming like a madwoman at the television screen. but it didn’t seem to scare him off and currently he’s one of her favorite people to catch a game with.

lia really only knows shawn as “nic’s police partner” but somehow lia is 100% less scared of him than she is of nic. if she ever needs needs nic for something, her first thought is to ask shawn to see if he knows what kind of mood she’s in. though she has also learned that sometimes asking shawn won’t help her because no matter what he said, nic might be something totally different. it’s a tricky situation

lia will bake dog treats for colonel any chance she gets. since she doesn’t have a dog of her own, she tests all her recipes out on him. don’t worry--they are completely safe, but she takes his input very seriously. sometimes, she debates opening up a dog treat company but that seems like too much work while also working for mr. worthington

does lia buy colonel a clemson jersey? yes. is she ashamed? no. does she ask for pictures of him in it to know he wears it sometimes? probably. 

bennett & lia

when lia was younger, she’d often only practice her baton routines alone, with her mother--so she could correct her--or bennett. if she had to do them in front of anyone, she preferred it to be him. she never felt super nervous when he was around. i don’t always think he fully payed attention to her, but even if he was just....around her when she practiced, she felt better. 

some of lia’s favorite memories growing up was when she and bennett would just sit silently and read. neither would make a fuss or talk or anything--it would be silent but there was so much peace in her heart when they got the chance to do that. she wasn’t always sure what bennett did or didn’t do when she was out at practice, but she liked to think he too enjoyed these reading times

bennett is the only other person in lia’s life currently who can call her magnolia--she didn’t become lia until much later in her life. magnolia just...it feels weird when anyone else says it and reminds her of a very particular place and time, so only the people who knew her during that time get to call her that. she’s very firm. she doesn’t even introduce herself as magnolia to anyone nowadays. not on purpose anyway.

lia absolutely looked her brother up on social media--once. she realized pretty quickly he didn’t do a whole lot of updating his pages, so she thought it would be useless to try to gain information off of them. although perhaps the bigger reason was that she kind of sent herself into a minor anxiety attack when she thought too hard about him and the day she left. so she just kind of...closed that part of her for a long time. in fact, pretty much closed it completely until she saw him in the lobby. 

@bcckettsims @shawnwhitley @bennettbarnes

[honeycdhearts]

INTRODUCING MATTHEW KANG

( daniel henney, he/him, cis male ) is that MATTHEW KANG walking into shipwreck lee’s? the 37 year old CO-OWNER OF FRIDAY HARBOUR RESORT is known to come through here for lunch. they remind me of  EARLY MORNING MIST, OLD MEMENTOS YOU CAN’T THROW AWAY,  LATE NIGHT BUSINESS PHONE CALLS. if you ask around, you’ll hear that they have been around for SEVEN YEARS and can be DOCILE and SENSIBLE. they live by BIG BEAR POINT, but with the summer rolling in, you’ll find them hanging around the carnival. / alexa, 23, est, she/her

hey, it’s alexa pt. 2! you know what to do-  like this post and i’ll reach out! or feel free to contact me on discord (mai 🗡#2005).

BASICS.

name: matthew richard kang

nicknames: matt, matty 

age/dob: 37, february  27th 1983

zodiac: pisce sun, sagittarius moon, libra rising

hometown: montreal, canada

languages: english, korean, spanish, & french

HISTORY.

though he didn’t know it when he was born, matthew was the spare, the back-up in case his older brother, nathaniel screwed up. the truth would become clear to him once he started high school. but during his childhood, he grew up worshipping the ground nathaniel. 12 years older, nathaniel was cool and he couldn’t resist the sense of pride he felt when nathaniel picked up from school instead of the family driver. 

the product of two venture capitalists, matt acknowledged he had a comfortable childhood. one many dreamt of having, but it all felt rather dull if he was being honest. sweets from paris, family vacations to the swiss apps, and dinner by the french rivera luxury most people could only dream of having, when all he wanted was a bag of cheetos nathaniel would smuggle in when their parents weren’t paying attention (a guilty pleasure he still has today).

as expected, the children of the kang family were shipped off to attend weston academy, the school for future leaders. admittedly, he never shared a close relationship with his parents. as long as matthew behaved and followed the rules, his parents left him alone. boarding school was an experience for him, one that shaped him to learn how to lie and cover his indiscretions with cherubic smiles. by then, he noticed the clear age difference between him and nathaniel and the differences in how the kang boys were treated by their parents.

though his parents never verbally acknowledged the differential treatment, both sons could read between the lines. one son would be paraded around their parents’ peers for being a model un champion, while the other was brushed aside like a blemish they hoped to erase. 

all matthew known was the silent truth he would one day take over the empire his parents started. both him and nathaniel were nothing more than another investments for their parents, another trophy they could use to gloat over their peers. only matthew never followed nathaniel’s lead or truly learned how to think for himself. no, the younger kang boy placed too much value in his family’s approval to dare stray too far from what his parents deemed appropriate. some may call it a need to do whatever it took to protect their loved ones, others may call it fear of independence. 

 fast forward to age 30, matthew had done everything expected of a kang heir. he had graduated wharton with mba with the world at choosing when he received a phone call dictating he was needed in port harbour . beyond spending his summers in the town, he wouldn’t say he had a personal connection with the town. 

nonetheless, he followed orders as expected of him. for now, it’s the friday harbour resort, but one day he expected to be back in montreal running the enterprise. 

undeniably, matthew is enjoying himself in port harbour. being able to surf every morning before going into the office, not being surrounded by his parents’ friends, or worrying about his brother has been a breath of fresh air for him. (though he supposed he spoke too soon considering magnolia’s return to town). despite being in port harbour, his parents had already started pushing several of their responsibilities onto him. in addition to running the resort here in port harbour, he found himself answering phone calls from investors in new york or even seoul. 

despite being here for seven years, his parents still hadn’t made any plans to step down and let him take over causing him to grow restless.

CONNECTIONS.

resort staff: matty strives to be an understanding boss, but sometimes he’s overwhelmed by the chaos at the resort. is it so much to ask everyone to get along? 

fake girlfriend: maybe it’s because he’s in love with someone his parents doesn’t approve. or maybe he’s married to work. regardless, he and your muse have been pretending to date for over a year now. 

childhood friends: before he took over the resort, the only time he was in port harbour was during summer breaks he never developed a strong bond with most of the locals but your muse was the exception. they’re the one who had to deal with his college application anxiety, first kiss, etc. 

rivals: your muse is also a business owner and think the friday harbour resort is overrated. the resort is another generic tourist trap and they can’t wait for matty and magnolia to leave town. 

if you have any ideas, feel free to reach out! 

[maisiebarclay]

⋆ ° ⟡ ( ELLA PURNELL, twenty-three, cis woman, she/her ) has MARGARET "MAISIE" ELISABETH BARCLAY, the CROWN PRINCESS from AUSTRALIA arrived yet? i heard they can be quite CYNICAL, but also PRECISE. there’s rumours they’ve come to genovia for DIPLOMATIC PURPOSES, but you never know. THE SMELL OF THE OCEAN AND THE FEELING OF SAND UNDERFOOT, A CHIN RAISED UPWARDS AND LIPS PURSED, FRESH FLOWERS CUT AND IN VASES BESIDE BEDS always remind me of them. ( beatrice, 21, est )

hi friends !!! i’m super stoked to be here and can’t wait to write with you all ! this doll is maisie and i’m still trying to work out all her details but i’m excited to write her :)

basics

name: her royal highness princess margaret elisabeth barclay nickname: maisie, mais ( call her ‘ margaret ’ and she’ll groan -- it’s an old woman’s name, she’ll say. maybe she’ll use it when she’s eighty, but until then maisie suits her just right ) birthday: august 7th / leo age: twenty-four hometown: canberra, new south wales, australia education: bachelor’s degree in political science from the university of melbourne  alignment: edgy bitch ( bordering on edgy thot with just a touch of dumbass ) likes: baking, the smell of lavender, debate, the color dusty rose, australia dislikes: pettiness, tradition for the sake of it, her mother, the desert, snakes

background

maisie is the firstborn child to the royal majesties king henry and queen marietta barclay of australia. she has an older sibling from her father’s first marriage, and then she has two younger siblings. for as long as she can remember, her best friend has been her older sister. her parents are cool, at least for being parents they are. she respects them and loves them, but doesn’t really know them. there’s a divide that’s never really been approached by any of them.

she grew up prim and proper. she knew the rules and did what she was told. there was never any reason not to. her siblings were a little wilder, maybe a little less pressured than she to be perfect. she never envied them until she was older, realizing that there were things she missed. that goes beyond her siblings to anyone she sees as normal. it’s a silent envy, one she never really talks about, but one seeded deeply in her heart and mind.

she was tutored all her life until she went to college. she fought and argued ( very out of character for her ) until she was allowed to live in the dorms and pretend to be normal. it was hard to do, but she managed. she made friends and companions and for once she saw what life could be like without the pressure of being royal. she graduated with her degree in political science in four years and returned back to the palace.

she’s been talking to the political advisors what it would be like to change the political system from a monarchy to a democracy. she’s gotten some heat from it because some people don’t like it. some people reeeeaaaally don’t like it. but some people do. she does. it’s a definite idea. maybe she won’t see it in her lifetime, but maybe it’s something that could be started.

anyways, in recent times, she’s seemed a little off. a little less vocal, a little distant. she’s doing things she hasn’t done before ( read: partying ) and things that are out of character ( read: breaking the rules ). no one is getting hurt and nothing is affecting anything majorly but maybe someone should say something to her before her wild streak has her do something a little too far out.

miscellaneous

she speaks french, english, and some mandarin

she has a cat name posey and she would die for this cat

she may or may not love tiktok

she takes her coffee black

if she were a famous singer, she’d be doing emo girl pop and that’s the tea

she can roll her tongue

she did community theater in college

she can knit and sew and embroider

she would rather go to space than explore the ocean

her favorite movie is steel magnolias

her favorite band is bastille

she would eat coconut cake every day, if she could