#house words wednesdays

[goodqueenaly]

Bonus House Words Wednesdays: House Elesham of the Paps

I don’t do House Words Wednesdays as a regular thing anymore, but if I get a request to come up with words for a House and I feel like I have enough to say then I’ll come back to it from time to time. @ravensinthedaylight requested words for House Elesham, so fuck it, here we go. (The list of Houses I’ve done, as always, can be found here.)

House Elesham of the Paps is a noble House from the Vale, though very little is known about its past (or present, for that matter). We don’t have a solid idea of when the Eleshams settled on their island, or from whence they came - whether they were, say, early-arriving Andals, drawn by the supposed divine promise to Hugor of “great kingdoms in a foreign land” but planting their flag even before they arrived to continental Westeros, or a First Men dynasty which, as the Upcliffs of Witch Isle appear to have done following the death of King Robar II Royce, held out as independent insular magnates until being conquered (that their name seems drawn from a variant on the English town of Aylsham - itself derived from “Aegel's Ham”, denoting the settlement of an Anglo-Saxon thegn - hardly provides more clarity). Frustratingly, the Elesham sigil is only described as “a black star between an inverted stone-colored double-pile, on a pink field”, without noting whether or not the star is seven-pointed (as with, say, the Sunglasses and Tarbecks) and thus more obviously Andal in origin. About the only conclusion the Elesham sigil can provide (as confirmed in the WOIAF app) is the presence on the island of its namesake hills (which, if the Eleshams were Andals, might have been seen by the family as the fulfillment of the Faith’s prophesied “golden land amidst towering mountains” reserved for the Andal people).

Nevertheless, the Eleshams do not seem to be too socio-politically lowly, at least as far as Westerosi aristocrats go. King Hugo “the Hopeful” Arryn was said to have taken the Paps only after a “long” struggle, which may suggest that the Eleshams and/or the Paps had considerable resources or defenses to resist royal conquest by the Arryns. Henrietta Woodhull, last of the prospective brides presented to the young King Aegon III, was said to have been the daughter of a landed knight from the Paps, so clearly the family has (or had, at the time of Aegon II’s reign) its own knightly bannermen, and thus some level of feudal standing. The Lord of the Paps was evidently considered aristocratic enough to marry one of the (unnamed!) daughters of Elys Waynwood and Alys Arryn - a meaningful dynastic match when Lord Jon Arryn had no surviving child before the birth of young Robert and none of the other Waynwood-Arryn children had surviving legitimate children of their own (save the (unnamed!) mother of Harry Hardyng), (No Eleshams have yet appeared in the main novels, though I would give a gold star if GRRM had as one of the guests at the Tourney of the Winged Knights Harry’s maternal aunt and/or her lord husband.)

So I made the Elesham words Fertile and Free. Whether or not the Paps as an island is a bountiful one is unclear, though the presence of multiple noble families (and the suggestion from Yandel that the Paps is one of those “quite large and oft inhabited” islands off the coast of the Vale) may indicate as much; in any event. the hills which give the island its name certainly evoke a sense of maternal fertility. (Too, if the Eleshams were Andals, such an emphasis on fertility might recall the land spiritually envisioned by Hugor of the Hill, full of the Seven’s gilded bounty.) Likewise, the “freedom” of these words works whether the Eleshams were First Men or Andals: either the Eleshams would boast of their independence from any of the native kings of the continental Vale (the foundation of that same disunity which Robar II tried vainly to correct), or the Eleshams would praise the freedom from Valyrian enslavement which their immigration to Westeros provided. Yet these words would be ironic in both senses: the Eleshams would have to bend the knee to the Arryn kings after their struggle, while the Waynwood-born Lady Elesham would “prove barren”, denied the potential of continuing the Arryn line through her children. 

(Also don’t @ me if this sounds similar to the Tallhart “Proud and Free” because I’m not GRRM who made three separate mottoes “None So Wise”, “None So Fierce”, and “None So Dutiful” and two other ones “We Light the Way” and “We Guard the Way”.)

[voltstone]

Ajax: Whose shoes are these?? Ajax: They’re like cinderblocks meant for Barbie. Bianca: Yoko: Enid: …u-um. Wednesday: Enid. Lift me up. I need to have a word.

[whatevertheweather]

I have a lot to say about this but I'm not going to say most of it because I'm actually so so sleepy, but it's very important that I post anyway because guess who finally has a full draft of Musical Chairs.

It's all there. All the pieces. Have been connected. Edits need to be made but none of them are 'oh god why won't this work I need to rewrite this whole thing oh god,' they're just normal goddamn edits. I've thrown it at the betas, and now to conclude the cherished tradition of me endlessly posting about this fic almost being done, y'all get one last such WIP snippet, and then I'm going to bed and no one's seeing another word until the fic is posted.

“You’re a peach,” Shepard said as Baz agreed to split the last shot on the tray with him, and Baz rolled his eyes up to the ceiling. ”Why have you chosen comparing me to food as the hill you want to die on?” “Sorry,” Shepard answered with a furrowed brow. “I think I’m hungry.” Baz took the full shot himself. Shepard wailed. Their relationship was a fascinating study all on its own, though admittedly Penny was only looking at it so hard in search of cracks through which Shepard might be reachable.

Tags under the cut <3

@you-remind-me-of-the-babe @fatalfangirl @moodandmist @cutestkilla @artsyunderstudy

@aristocratic-otter @martsonmars @facewithoutheart @ivelovedhimthroughworse @bookish-bogwitch

@mooncello @monbons @iamamythologicalcreature @ionlydrinkhotwater @alexalexinii

@run-for-chamo-miles @forabeatofadrum @thewholelemon @rimeswithpurple @noblecorgi

@youarenevertooold @ileadacharmedlife @nightimedreamersworld

Some of those are thank you tags for those who've kept tagging me in things, I hope to look at stuff when I'm not about to fall asleep, and also I'm sorry to the people I've not tagged because of the aforementioned falling asleep, I love you all bye <3

[noagskryf]

Me: hello teacher, can i confirm that the exam is DEFINITELY on thursday

Teacher: hello Noag, yes, the exam is DEFINITELY on thursday

Me: great, thanks!

*2 hours later*

Teacher: the exam is on friday

[jamiesfootball]

some word(s) for you (so you have options): lie, slow, green, night

Thank yoooooooou. I took all the options : )

Lie

Soon as he was given the all-clear, Jamie checked himself out of the hospital. The doctors fussed at him about concussion protocol, but it was nothing Jamie hadn’t heard before, and once he’d repeated it back to them and assured them that he had someone back at the house who could look after him, they were mollified. Jamie called himself an Uber and went home. It wasn't a lie, technically. They didn’t need to know it was more the other way around. Wasn’t his first concussion but it wasn’t his dad’s either. Jamie stiffened as James tilted his face up into the kitchen light. His old man let out a low whistle. “Damn, Barnett really has it in for you, lad.” He sounded impressed. “Recorded the match. The second you got carted off, Obisanya lost the ball in a challenge. Nearly bottled it once he got it back, but the scoundrel pulled through in injury time.” He leaned in like they were conspiring together. “Injury time you earned them, by the way.” Jamie didn’t comment.

Slow

Slowly, Jamie relaxed. Jan took the cue and applied more pressure. He pushed his thumbs into the base of his skull, drawing circles as he worked his way upwards. The hair in the back was shorn short so it was fairly easy to clean. He scrubbed everything back and forth, up and down, until the bristles were squeaky and smooth under his fingers. He cupped his hand under the water. "Head down."

Green

Jamie huffed. "Not gonna need more coffee at this rate." He scrubbed a hand over his face - and then buried his face in both his hands, rubbing at the circles under his eyes. "Sorry." "For what?" "For this. When I called him last night, I didn't think he'd show up." Roy froze. He squeezed the mug of tea in his hands, let the warmth ground him. He counted backwards from ten, forwards to ten counting all the things he could spy outside that were green (all of them), and then backwards from ten again for good measure.

Night

At night the pain came for him. He woke with his leg on fire. The days did not let him heal; the nights were for prolonging the agony. Each moment as fresh as the first. Ceaseless. Unending. A fire that would not let him die. Dani learned to be grateful that in this place, the fire was only a metaphor.

[katytheinspiredworkaholic]

Wip Wednesday

Subconscious (Steve’s Story)

Summary: Steddie Canon compliant/fix-it fic paired with a corresponding story in Eddie’s POV, each chapter happens in tandem with the other. No matter what he does, no matter who he is with or what is happening in the aftermath of their failed battle with Vecna – Steve Harrington can’t stop thinking about Eddie Munson. He’s even begun to see him in his dreams…

(unbeta'd snippet from Chapter 02; picks up after Steve had his first dream about Eddie that felt like he was really with Eddie. (Spoiler: he was.) He doesn't remember it very clearly, as most people do who dismiss their dreams as fictional creations of their subconscious, but that doesn't mean it isn't haunting him still. Even weeks later.)

–

After that night, the nightmares come back with a vengeance.

Steve wishes he could say that Eddie didn’t appear in any of them. To be fair, he doesn’t actually dream about Eddie Munson all that much. But the few times he appears there during that month of June, it’s nothing like that first night when he turned from his window and Eddie had been in his room. Dark eyes and wild hair, a tilted smile and his hand on Steve’s wrist. Every bit of him more vivid than anything else in the room.

That’s one small difference, with the nightmares. Eddie is there but the details don’t stand out so glaringly. It’s less about his face, or his words or mannerisms. Mostly because the dream doesn’t allow that to be the focal points. No – all Steve can focus on is the terrifying amount of blood, the vicious wounds, the screeching bats, the way Eddie’s chest doesn’t move or how empty those dark eyes look as they stare off at nothing. And more often than not, Steve wakes up swearing to God that he can hear someone screaming. Not him. He knows it’s not him. His neighbors would have called the damn police if he’d woken up screaming. The houses weren’t far apart enough that someone wouldn’t hear him. Small comforts.

So Steve’s terrible sleep schedule actually slides downhill pretty damn fast. It wasn’t great to start with. After a couple weeks, it really starts to grate on his nerves – and it doesn’t help that everything electronic in his house is on the fritz. It must have something to do with the giant interdimensional rift downtown, but it still shifts from an annoyance to a hindrance pretty damn quick. The lights, the radio, the TV white noise is so eerie Steve fucking unplugs it.

And then, his hair dryer stops working. It turns on fine, but almost immediately after it starts to exert more and more power until it blows a fuse and nearly catches on fire in his hand. Because of _course_ it did! Steve might have shouted into the emptiness of his bathroom some very colorful words at whoever the fuck is messing with his hair dryer. Do they have no decency? Can’t he keep one thing to pride himself on in this fucked up town?

He considers calling an electrician, but it’s not like there’s probably one within 20 miles of Hawkins that would be willing to help. He’d ask Hopper if he could take a crack at it next time they had family dinner, or Dustin might know what to do. He was a science nerd. The walkie-talkie the kids had graced him with for emergency frequencies was also not immune to the rampant craziness that had half his house out of whack. The kid had to have an idea what to do. Even though the thought of letting Henderson anywhere near the breaker box in his parent’s house made Steve uncomfortable on way too many levels. Always the babysitter.

So, needless to say, Steve is having a rough time.

Today is no different. He finds himself scavenging his kitchen for food this bright sunny morning in mid-June. There isn’t much in the cupboards, and Steve’s hair isn’t cooperating without any heat, and he’d barely slept the night before, so the day is not off to a good start when Robin comes waltzing through the door already talking a mile a minute. She looks better, lately; there’s more life in her expressions and she has started to do the long rambling monologues when she’s excited or nervous or bored or fucking hungry. Whatever the situation, she was always talking.

Steve had missed it so much.

“You will never guess what happened, never in a million trillion years!” She’s shouting down the hallways as she races across the house, skidding to a stop in the kitchen in her too-worn red converses and hopping up on the counter as Steve finally begins cooking some kind of breakfast foods. He found a can of corn beef hash at the back of a dusty shelf that he can fry up, and a couple slices of bread that aren’t growing questionable colors in the bag. He really needed to go to the store.

“Tell me, and get your ass off my counters. This isn’t Scoops, I eat here.” Robin just moves to a different side of the kitchen with a roll of her eyes, hopping up near the wine-glass cupboards instead and crossing her legs atop the marble countertops. “I’m going to assume it has to do with Vickie–”

“Vickie, yes, okay so you guessed that part. Doesn’t matter. Because the actual mind-blowing part is this – she asked ME to meet her today.”

Okay, that was a revelation. Steve turns around and narrows his eyes at her in surprise.

“What? She asked you out?!” He had a personal bet going that nothing would even remotely happen until like the 4th of July. (Not that they have a good track record with the 4th of July, but whatever. It’s an easy milestone he won’t forget about.)

“No, dingus, she asked me to study.” There’s a spark in her eyes like it was a damn wedding proposal, and Steve just stares at her blankly.

“I’m not following.” Yes, the lack of sleep was making his brain feel like mush most mornings, but he’s on his second cup of coffee and had been awake for three hours already. “Is that some kind of band geek code word I don’t know about, or what?”

“Like you’ve never used ‘Studying’ as an excuse to get with a girl before,” Robin prods at him, and Steve smirks a little on reflex. Yeah, he had a reputation, and there were many ‘study’ nights he’d participated in that didn’t have anything to do with textbooks.

“Yes, but you just said it wasn’t a date,” he points out, teasing with something close to what felt like their old banter. “Robin, Robin, tsk tsk. I’m ashamed of you. I didn’t think you were that kind of girl.”

“Shut up, it’s not like that either.” She pouts, arms crossed and leaning back against the cupboards. “You’re one to talk, anyway.”

“But that’s me, this is you. I hold you to higher standards.” He can practically hear his friend roll her eyes at him. He just shoves a plate into her chest with breakfast on it and leans against the counters while he picks at his own. It’s not great, but it’s hot, greasy and loaded with salt. He’s had worse. “Besides, it’s summer. What are you studying for?”

“Finals, duh. I got my letters from Roane County and they are having everyone take their tests in July so the seniors can graduate before August.”

Steve remembers hearing that on the news, now that she says it. Graduation had been canceled, but the seniors of Hawkins High still needed to finish school if they wanted to get out of this cursed town to attend college in the fall. A lot of parents were up in arms with the school board about it; claiming most people would just pardon the kids and give them their diplomas anyway. It was a whole mess, and for a split second Steve had forgotten Robin was in the middle of it. He’d been so caught up in making sure the kids were okay that he hadn’t been paying attention to the Vecna-fighters his own age. Suddenly, he wasn’t so hungry anymore.

“You know I would have helped you study, Rob,” he tells her, and she about chokes on her toast she laughs so abruptly.

“With what? Didn’t you barely pass your own year?”

“Rude,” he grumbles at her, dropping his unfinished breakfast right into the sink. She’s not wrong, but it’s the thought that counts right? He crosses his arms at her and tries to glare, but it melts at her fond smile – he might be an idiot ex-jock, but he was her idiot ex-jock and that’s what matters. “Okay, fine. Guess you have to make sure you can actually reply to those college applications before they give your spots away.”

“Um, yeah about that,” Robin unfolds herself enough to kick her feet over the edge of the counter. “I didn’t exactly end up sending them.”

Steve doesn’t even deign that with a response, just stares at her with raised eyebrows because – hell, Nancy Wheeler had helped her with those college applications. She should have gotten in anywhere at that rate.

“Don’t look at me like that! I had a lot going on, you know – fighting an evil demon wizard really takes a lot out of you.”

“Yeah, I think I remember something about that.” They’re joking, tone light and sarcastic, but the heaviness still sits a little too uncomfortably in the center of Steve’s chest. It’s how they cope, really. It’s how they’ve always coped. Steve and Robin were legit two sides of the same coin; from dealing with nightmare-induced-problems to the types of chicks they stare at out the windows of Family Video. Cut from the same cloth, and all that shit. He didn’t think he would have gotten through the past few months without her. “So, guess you’re stuck here with me.”

Robin smiles at that, feet still swinging, her red converses standing out in his parents' modern monochrome kitchen design starkly. The color is always a welcome sight, to Steve.

“Guess so.” She leans just a bit to her right, bumping shoulders with him, and it knocks a smile out of Steve as well. “So, when can I move in?”

“You basically live here already. Pick a room.”

She laughs like he’s joking, and Steve doesn’t have the heart to tell her that he’s 100% serious.

—

tbc

—

Series Snippets:

- Dreamwalker (Eddie’s Story) (Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4)

- Subconscious (Steve’s Story) (Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4)

[littleragondin]

So we are saying goodbye to Ghost Host Ghost House today. I will miss them all a lot, but this was a lovely way to conclude the show. A few things I especially enjoyed, once again!

I liked all the calls back to the beginning of their story. The taxi full of amulets, asking Kevin if he's coming home. Pluem and the "you're still as cute as before" speech. I liked the way they walk through steps they walked before, but because they have changed, grown during those 3 years, this time they manage to "get it right". That's something I am always fond of, and it worked really well here.

Seeing the house again! I said before that I really loved the house as a set, with its specific colors, light and atmosphere. It was great to see it in two very different states > empty and very monochrome with everything under wraps when Kevin's gone, somehow "dead" too. And then full of natural light and colors - of life - once Pluem lives in it and the memories it carries (because unlike when the family was haunting it, the memories are not holding them stuck in place, they're now part of a lived existence and are companions instead of a cage).

The way they look at each other, generally speaking. You can feel they look at someone special when they look at each other. I like when Kevin looks at Pluem like he's searching for something on his face, his eyes always moving. And they way Pluem looks at Kevin is just. It's always so full of feelings and emotions it's fascinating to watch.

Admitting wrongs. Here's another thing that we've seen across the series that makes a come back, the way they are willing to admit they made mistakes, own up to it, and try to get better about it.

Hands action! I felt very spoiled, personally, by the insane amount of hand holding, hand caressing and hand kissing the series gave us all along. I will never, ever get tired of watching Pluem kiss Kevin's hands - here's a guy who clearly get the appeal of a pretty pair of hands.

The can strip rings. It was adorable when Pluem made and exchanged them, it slayed me that they both kept theirs on jewellery they seem to wear everyday.

And, like during the whole series, how believable it is that they are attracted to and desire each other. I'm not usually super attentive to that, actually, but here it always felt so very natural I consistently noticed!

I am a bit emotional saying goodbye to a series that, frankly, took me by surprise. I went in ready to enjoy it because, you know, GHOSTS, yet I was not expecting much more than a fun ride. But it ended up being a surprisingly strong romance (with stellar work from the actors who portrayed what is probably one of my absolute favorite relationship across all the BL I've seen so far), and a beautiful story of love and grief. I can only recommend it!

[goodqueenaly]

Bonus House Words Wednesdays: House Varner

I don’t do House Words Wednesdays as a regular thing anymore, but if I get a request to come up with words for a House and I feel like I have enough to say then I’ll come back to it from time to time.  @deafchild2000 requested words for House Varner, so as with House Elesham I say fuck it, here we go. (The list of Houses I’ve done, as always, can be found here.)

House Varner is a noble House of the Reach. We don’t have a ton of information on the family’s foundation or background, but Yandel mentions that the Varners were among those “[m]any noble houses of the Reach [which] trace their ancestry back to Andal adventurers given lands and wives by Garth IX, Merle I, and Gwayne V” (like the Cuys and Roxtons, also prior HWW families). Nor do we know of any historical Varner figures, or moments in which the Varners appeared or impacted certain historical events (apart from a brief mention in Fire and Blood Volume 1, that a Varner maiden was among one of those "thirty-one other nubile maidens" (ugh, F&B) that Lady Samantha Tarly had suggested as suitable potential queens to the young King Aegon III). The Varners do play a somewhat (emphasis on somewhat) larger role in the main novels, although not necessarily in a very positive light: Catelyn notes in ACOK that at the feast for Renly's lords and knights at Bitterbridge, "Lord Varner dandled a serving girl on his lap, nuzzling at her neck while one hand went exploring down her bodice". Still, this same Lord Varner certainly does not seem to have been unwilling to fight: he is one of the captured pro-Stannis lords marched before the Iron Throne after the Blackwater, sporting a shattered knee which he doubtless received during the battle and yet proudly refusing help to walk.

The Varner sigil is a white weasel on ermine. If the sigil feels somewhat familiar (in a specifically Westerosi context, even beyond real-world inspiration), it should: House Florent's sigil is a red-gold fox head encircled by blue flowers on ermine, while prior HWW entry House Rosby uses for its sigil three red chevronels on ermine. As I mentioned before, ermine can be used in heraldry to represent purity, given the ermine's white winter fur. That the Varners would double down on the ermine in their sigil - not only having the base of their shield be ermine-patterned, but sporting a white weasel on top of this base - may suggest that the Varners even more prided themselves on a sense of purity, an unwillingness to be soiled.

So for the Varner words, I went with Honor without Stain. Perhaps the Varners would have seen such words as a play or pun on their initial inheritance from the Sage Kings of House Gardener. They would receive the honor of lands and aristocratic standing without "staining" themselves with the dirt of the Gardener kingdom King Gwayne V joked had been given to these adventurers; they would not abandon their faith in the Seven with their marriage to a native Reach maiden, but presumably would have insisted on the adoption of the Faith, as indeed the Sage Kings did). Similarly, if a Varner maiden was considered suitable for King Aegon III by Samantha Tarly, perhaps this maiden would also have reflected honor without stain, unimpeachable purity suitable for the bride of the Lord of the Seven Kingdoms. Of course, the motto works on an ironic level for our modern Lord Varner: far from embodying a strong sense of personal or political purity, Lord Varner took the opportunity at Bitterbridge to use a servant for his own sexual pleasure and adopted three successive kings as his liege during the the War of the Five Kings.

[decodedparagram]

I actually was SO FUCKING GOOD at social interactions today

[redflannelsheets]

.

[unvsannvs]

DUDE this post instigated me to look up what day my bday is this year and BOY WAS IT SPLENDID WHEN I SAW WEDNESDAY 🎉🎉

SPARKLE ON!!!! IT’S WEDNESDAY!!! DON’T FORGET TO BE YOURSELF!!!!

[jamiesfootball]

For this week’s word - sun, rain, hot, cold or any weather related word!

Sun

Jamie fetched the ball. When he turned back, he barked out a sharp laugh.

"Mate!" he shouted, startled and wide-eyed. "Where's your fucking clothes?!"

Dani looked down; his Richmond uniform had disappeared, leaving him once again standing naked on the field in the pouring rain.

He giggled; a feeling like elation bubbled up in his chest, and he broke into a fit of laughter.

Oh, oh, this place held no fear for him anymore. How could it? He was warm. He was happy. He had his friends, and football -- everything was wonderful.

Jamie watched him laugh as if he thought Dani had lost it, but then he grinned, something small and happy lighting up his face even as the sun -- and rain! -- poured down around him.

"Everything is wonderful, amigo!" Dani exclaimed. He flung his arms out. "We have everything we need! This is life; football is life!"

"Yeah. It sure is, muchacho," Jamie agreed.

Rain(bows)

He cracked open his eyes. He didn't recognize the room--which didn't mean much when everyone he knew had more house than they knew what to do with. Still, there was something familiar about it, something that quieted any panic that he'd woken up in a stranger's home.

It was cozy, but clean. Dark, woodsy room with antique lamps--too tasteful for Colin, too muted for Isaac. Art too boring for Sam. Everything far too clean for Dani.

A fuzzy blanket tickled his nose. In the dim light filtering in through the windows, he could see it was covered in unicorns and rainbows, all of it swirling around in a dizzying pattern. Shutting his eyes tight, he tugged it closer; it was surprisingly warm.

Hot

I did it to myself, you stupid cunt, the words raged, directionless and lashing. Tears leaked hot, the damn breaking over and over as he clenched his jaw, fighting to keep his breathing steady less he start sobbing again.

The touch on his arm shifted to a steady grip.

"It's all right. You're going to be all right. Breathe in through the nose. That's a good lad."

Cold

The grass was cool and wet. It tickled at his ankles; it itched between his toes. It was colder than the heat at his neck, and slowly he let it seep through him, picturing as he did that the restrained breaths he was sucking in between his teeth were making it possible for the steam to escape.

In what could have been twenty seconds or could have been minutes, he felt the world slip back into awareness.

"--been staying with him most of the time, yeah," Jamie was saying. He sounded steadier, but the words still chipped out painfully. "Yeah. Yeah, he's been-- oh, I think he's--?"

Jamie pulled away the phone from his face. The screen lit up, and for a second Roy could see him in clear, devastating detail.

He was not okay.

Roy shook his head, gesturing for him to keep talking to Dr. Fieldstone. As long as he needed to.

[kliphord]

currently hyperfixtating on roads

[luvmila444]

SWEET RELIEF - C.S

…………………………………………….. ☆ ★ ………………………………………………

Chris sturniolo x fmreader

summary: Chris can’t help but get a bit worked up while on a tutoring study call with you, when you realise what he’s doing, you only pushing him further to the edge.

content warning: male masturbtion; dirty thoughts; praise kink

word count: 2.8k

༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶

Chris was a little embarrassed with how fast he had picked up the phone call from you, not to mention the blush that had spread across his cheeks and his quickly paced heartbeat when he heard your sweet voice ring through the speakers. 

“Hey, Chris!” You smiled as you spread your small pile of assessments and study papers across your desk to get yourself prepared. This had been a regular thing on Wednesdays and Saturdays for the past two months. You guys would set up a phone call together as you would help him study as Chris was falling behind in class…a lot. You guys had to do it over the phone as both houses were always so busy due to Chris’s brothers and your family always occupying your living spaces, making it difficult to have privacy and quiet to help him focus and bring his grades up. Therefore, you resulted in two easy phone calls across the week, which Chris always enjoyed a little too much. 

Chris loved that you could never see him and what he was doing at the sound of your voice over the phone. The sweet ring of it through the speakers. The way you ramble so passionately about the work. Yeah… he definitely liked having the privacy of his room for these calls more then he’d like to admit. Although he can never help but imagine what you looked like, what you were doing. Fuck… he’s been on the call for no more than ten second and he’s already getting himself worked up. 

“Chris…?” He heard you voice agin. Fuck that voice. 

“Yeah... I’m here, hey y/n.” He couldn’t help the smile that rose onto his lips hearing hear giggle at his slow usual response. 

“Okay well glad you're here,” you say readying the paper you had recently got giving by your teacher, on to the top of the pill of books you had been working on, “why don’t you fine the paper that mr Hudson gave us today and we will work through that one today, yeah?” You say cutely but trying not to talk so fast so Chris could take in the information. 

“Yeah, yeah sure…” he buries his way through his overflowing piles of unfinished homework to find the paper that was given to him today by his teacher “why did he give us the paper today, anyway?” Chris huffs, flipping to the first page that you wanted to start working on. 

“I have no idea, it’s not like we don’t already get enough work given to us on Mondays and Fridays, but now on Wednesdays too? It’s getting a bit intense at this point!”

Chris hums in agreement, loving the way you get worked up about things. However, once you were done with your small rant, you let out a sign that was so quiet only the most observant person would notice it, lucky for you, Chris was that person. As you made the noise Chris felt a familiar warm feeling in his lower stomach, just imagining you making that noise in a very different scenario…

“Did you see jenny today?” You interrupted his quickly drifting dirty thought, referring to girl who passes every class, not using her smarts but her body instead, fucking her way to good grades. 

“No, why? What was she doing this time?” Chris asked slowly, trying to calm his erratic heartbeat and suppress his dirty thought of you. 

“Woah I’m surprised you didn’t see her! She was practically pushing her tits out of her very tiny top to try and get out of this paper…. practically had all the guys drooling,” you huffed. You’d always been quite jealous of Jennifer. She could literally get any guy she wanted and could always get out of these stupid papers. It was irritating to people like you who tried their very hardest in their schoolwork and seem to go zero appreciation for it, when all jenny does is gossip, do her obnoxiously babyish laugh and pop a tit, therefore having the whole classroom wrapped around her finger. It was pathetic.

“Nah, guess i don’t really care that much about her,” Chris was very aware of Jenny’s usual inappropriate behaviour, yet he couldn’t pull his eyes away from you all through that class. He was sat near the back of the class, so he had a good view of his surroundings and could easily see you sat a few rows in-front of him, at the perfect angle so her couple see you left side perfectly. Chris simply couldn’t understand how anyone could pay attention in that class knowing that you were in there, not jenny but you. 

Your short denim mini shirt that accentuated you ass and hips so perfectly and highlighting your legs. However, to keep yourself warmer and seem more modest, you through a knitted sweater over the top, making Chris’s eager to rip it off and see what you hid beneath the layers of warm wear. God, if there was nobody else in that classroom, he would not hesitate you lift you up on the desk and kiss up your legs to your perfect thighs and up your body. He would make sure to take perfect care of you, bring his lips underneath your sweater and bring his hand to you perfectly round and covered tits. 

Full, he could barely take it anymore. He could feel his harder member quickly growing underneath his get sweats, but he didn’t want to stop. No… he couldn’t stop himself.

“Huh, thats surprising, i could’ve sworn that the guys next to me literally had dribble on his chin, it was crazy.” You laughed. 

Fuck that laugh. Chris brought his hand up to his crotch and felt where he had grown harder just thinking of you. He began to palm himself, trying to relieve the growing soreness between his legs. 

"We should get started now." You unintentionally break his train of thought, as he gulps, silently cursing at himself. "Because I you barely understood what was going on it that class."

"Uh, yeah." Chris coughed, forcing himself to focus. "What did you want to start with?" 

You voice begins to drift into an explanation of what was said at the beginning of the class, only worded in a simpler way, yet Chris could barely take in any of this information. You speak so innocently, brows furrowed, as Chris furrows his own for an entirely different reason. 

He continues to palm his dick through his pants while your voice was sending small electric jolts through him. All the way down to his dick, which has begun to strain painfully against his pants beneath his hand. Christ, i can’t actually be doing this right now-he thinks to himself. He licked his lips, quickly responding to what you were saying with a hum and an "ah, that makes makes more sense." 

Chris doesn't mean to drown out your words. Because he's listening. But more so to the hilt of your voice, and how it would sound much breathier, as you gazed up at him. One of his fantasies had you on your knees, teasingly licking at his cock, as your devious eyes held his. He had orgasmed extremely quickly, multiple times, when he found this imagine in his head. 

“So thats basically the first part,” you continued to explain, unaware and completely oblivious to Chris’s hand rubbing at himself on the other end of the line.  

He won’t do more. He can’t, this is just so wrong of him Just…relieve a hint of tension. You continued to speak, and your words began to sound like something he wished he could grab, as his hand tightened on his bulge, his rubbing growing messy. His breathing had grown heavier, but he covered it up by saying ‘yes’s and ‘no’s, answering your questions. 

“Sorry, I’m rambling. Did you have any questions?” You ask, feeling as if Chris wasn’t getting everything he needed out of your words. He had to spare a glance at his incomplete work, scanning to see if he’d written down any problems, trying to remember if he had any. Because the only problem he could think of right now is how his over-the-clothes rubbing was doing little to satisfy his need. 

His cock was now rock hard, it was torturous. His mind began to glaze over with lustful thought of you “I—I don’t think so.” He mutters out, his fingers reaching into the waistband of his sweats and briefs, pulling his cock, which was now leaking with drops of pre-cum and the tip was a bright rosy, red, much like his cheeks.

He imagined the way you would touch him. Would you be gentle and slow, or would you edge him and make sure he’s extremely overstimulated as you milk him dry. Chris’s breathing stutters as he strokes himself. The little hums you make when you think have begun to make his hips thrust up into his palm. His other hand had tightened around the sheet, praying that you can’t hear him jerking off to you. Chris becomes lost in your tone as his cock twitches. 

“Chris?” You slowly ask, making his hips jolt at the utterance of his name from your lips, but he tries to keep his voice of some composure. 

“Yeah?” He had to press his lips together after a needy whimper nearly falling. 

“Are you…okay?” 

Your question makes him halt, much to his cock’s dismay. “W-what?”

“You sound… i don’t know, out of breath?” You say, behind the line trying to think of why.

“Really, you think?” He hums with a small smirk on his face enjoying the uncertainty in your tone and how innocent you mind must have been.  You nod to yourself, but then you catch the smallest of sounds fall straight from Chris’s lips. You had to be mistaken, as it had almost sounded like one full of pleasure that could have only been as a result of one thing... 

Your mouth opened in shock as you realise. He’s out of breath because he’s…

“Chris.” You say again, hearing a stuttering whimper from him before he tries to cover it up by asking ‘yes?’ again.  

“What are you doing?” 

Chris curses himself because you sound suspicious. “I’m studying obviously. Being tutored s-so well... by you.” He says, really forcing down his cock’s wanting to just ask you to keep talking so he could reach his orgasm, attempting to stop himself from stuttering his words, but he just couldn’t help it. 

“You’re sure you’re good?” You asked unconvinced, as a small smirk rose to your lips.

“No. No, I’m all good, i swear.” He says, really forcing his words to sound normal, as he had slowly begun to stroke himself again, his cock angry. 

“Ah huh, yeah…okay,” you knew what you were going to do, this was going to be fun. “Did i tell you how good you looked today?”

Chris’s eyes opened, looking at his phone slightly trying to keep a steady pace of his raging cock but if you were going down this road of compliments, he probably wouldn’t be able to take it much longer.

“Uh, n-no,” he stutters pathetically, somehow unaware of the game you were playing. 

“Well, you did, your hair…wow. I could just run my hands through it! How do you always get it looking so soft?” You paused momentarily, hearing Chris’s surprised whimper. “Sorry thats kind of a goofy thing to say…sorry.” You were basically just teasing him now, the basic matters of the studying gone.

“I- no i don’t think its goofy. a-at all…” his words are broken up by that heaving panting.

“God. really? You’re so sweet chris…wow,” You hum, making Chris’s hips thrust up into his hand, his legs having widened as you spoke. 

“R-really?” His eyelids began to feel heavy again, wanted nothing more but to see the darkness and use it as a canvas to paint his dirty images of you in his mind. 

“Yeah, i mean you’re the literal sweetest” you hum lightly, “you always make sure i havea seat in class, you listen to me when i speak and when i help you i study, you defend me in-front of your friends! You’re so sweet! Such a sweet, good boy for me” you were practically grinning at this point.

Chris could have sworn that your words could have sent him spiralling over the edge.“I a-am?” He asked, almost to clarify that this was real, that you were actually saying this to him.

“Well of course, and you’re always so busy as well, yet you always make time for me in your busy schedule. You must be stressed a lot of the time. I could always help you…relax sometime, relieve some of your…tension.” You had lowered your voice now in order to have a more seductive tone to your voice now.

Chris chokes on a whimper as he places his hand over his mouth, still thinking you don’t know. “My tension…?”

“I mean, yeah… i could alway give you a massage, rub you down, you know I’ve been told I am very good at giving…massages.” It was becoming blatantly obvious what you were doing now but Chris must’ve been blinded and in a lustful haze because he still seemed to be completely oblivious to what you were doing. Continuously pumping his dick eagerly and chasing his release.

The thought of you sat on top of him, rubbing all down him in order to relax him was definitely doing the opposite effect and only working him up more. Fuck. He had almost come from the thought of you taking care of him. the tone you had dropped to makes his hand quicken as his hips had begun to grind into his palm.

“You’d do that for me?” Chris whined, only imaging what else you would do for him almost sent him over the edge.

“Of course, i would baby, you would tell me where it feels good before i drag my hands down your body…” Chris let out a pathetic whimper at not only the simple thought but at the nickname as well. Baby? Baby??! Oh, my lord he was going absolutely feral at this point, “however, through your clothes it mind be hard to properly get that tension out.” 

Chris moans through his teeth, as his hips pathetically thrust at your words. “No clothes?” 

“No clothes.” You confirm. “Would that be, okay? I wouldn’t want to make you uncomfortable— “

“Yes.” His answer was immediate, cutting you short. He coughs. “That would be fine.” 

You grin. “Good. Because that way I could really relieve some tension. I’d have to straddle you of course.” You pause to hear chris’s heavy breathing and the faint sound of his hand gliding along his cock. “You may even have to flip around, because I’ve heard that the most tension can be by your collarbones and neck.” 

Chris nearly orgasmed at the thought of you straddling him, as your hands wandered his body. “As in straddling..my front?” 

“Yeah, is that okay?” 

“Uh huh.” He hums, his cock twitching with a soon need to release. 

“I could give you that massage the next time we study.” You say, making chris’s breathing quicken at the possible reality of all that. “I could come over to yours.” 

At this point he couldn’t care how desperate he sounded. “Yes. Please, come anytime.” 

“Or maybe you should cum?” You ask, your innuendo strong, as pleasure began to rock through chris’s body. 

“W—what?” 

“Come to my place, i know yours is always super hectic.” You play it off, listening to the wet sounds his cock was making as you could hear how close he was to his orgasm. 

“Fuck…yeah that sounds good, i-if you’re happy then s-so am i…” he was no biting his own lip so hard he could’ve sworn he was drawing some blood. He now had his back so far arched up off of his bed and was practically fucking up into his own hand. 

“See, again, you are alway thinking…of me,” oh he was definitely thinking of you, thats for sure, “you are such a good boy.” And that did it. His orgasm wracked through him as quiet whimpers and moans left his lips his hips grinding into nothing. Wishing the air was you. He watched as the white strings of cum coated and stained his dark shirt. 

“Fuck” he let out a relieved groan, now not even hiding the action that he had just did. 

“Maybe next time we study i should just jerk you off instead,”

Chris’s eyes widened at what you had said, before realising how blatantly obvious what he was doing was. You giggled once again hearing Chris’s heavy breathes, pleased to know that it was you who had pushed him over the edge. 

“Fuck, you can do whatever you want to me,” Chris let out with a deep breathe. 

Oh, you certainly would…

༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶

A/n : thank you so much for reading, this is literally my 3rd time trying to post this because I keep making mistakes 😭😭I really hope you enjoy and if there are any more mistakes pls lmk

ily my angels 💞 (especially @gamermattsgf)

[hairmetal666]

Eddie owns a record store, gets to talk about music everyday. Life is good. Great, actually.

He's consolidating the Christian rock section on a quiet Wednesday morning when it happens. A man with swoopy dark hair, tight dark blue jeans, and a plum Member's Only jacket walks in, and doesn't take his Ray Bans off even once he's solidly inside.

Eddie is awestruck. This dude is gorgeous. Heart stopping. He watches him browse in quiet astonishment, unable to say anything until he blurts, "Can I help you find something?"

The man smiles--Eddie's heart stops--and he says, "Nah, just browsing. Your sign caught my eye."

And he's still not quite with the program, the rich honey of the man's voice taking him totally by surprise. "Ah, oh, it did?" He manages after a few long beats. "Painted it myself."

"No shit? It's great."

"Thanks, man. I also think it's some of my finest work."

The guy laughs. "How can I know unless I see some of your other pieces?"

Eddie's face heats, but he's never been known for having good impulse control. "Maybe you'll get lucky."

Spots of pink bloom on the man's cheeks and the tips of his ears. "And here I was, thinking I was getting special treatment."

Eddie cocks his head, smiles big. "Well, the day's still young." It's so risky and stupid; no way this guy is queer, but he grins at Eddie, laughs a little too.

"That right? Well, tell me your latest recommendations."

"For you?" Eddie eyes him up and down. "Wham!"

The guy's laugh is warm and rich and Eddie wants to drown in it. "Big of you to say for a someone who's only listened to Enter Sandman for the last four months."

Eddie cackles, points a be-ringed finger. "It's a good song! A great record."

"Hey, I've got no problem with Metallica. I just don't think you should be casting aspersions on Wham!."

"Casting aspersions, do you have a word of the day calendar or some shit?"

"No! It's toilet paper."

Their snickers grow until they're both hysterical, needing to lean against a display to stay upright.

It's like he's living in a dream, hitting it off with a beautiful man who just happened to stumble into his store. They catch their breath and Eddie uses the time to grab a record off a nearby shelf.

"Here," he says. "Try this."

"Joni Mitchell?"

"Don't tell me, Wham! fan, that you're too cool for Joni."

"Nah, she's my best friend's favorite. How much do I owe you?"

"On the house," Eddie shrugs.

"Shit, that's generous. Thanks, man. Now, about your art--" He glances at the shiny watch on his wrist. "Fuck, is it really 3:15? Goddamnit, I gotta get going."

And Eddie wants to call him back, doesn't want this dream encounter to end, but he's dashing to the door--

And just like that, the man is gone, the only evidence it ever happened the lingering chime of the bell over the door.

The bell clatters again, and his head wrenches up hard enough it hurts his neck.

"Was that Steve Harrington?" the customer shrieks.

"No," he scoffs. Except. Except. The hair and the clothes and sunglasses and the face and his lips--

"No!?" He feels the way his eyes have gone wide with panic. He didn't just flirt with Steve Harrington. Of course not. Not ever. He would've recognized--

He runs to the racks of magazines in front of the register, grabbing the latest issue of People. The cover features a glossy, polished photo of the man who just left the store. The one who had the highest grossing movie of the summer alongside his co-star, Julia Roberts. The one who, according to the article within, is in Chicago right now shooting a new movie. The one who Eddie flirted with. The one who flirted back.

He groans and covers his face with his hands. At least he'll never see Steve Harrington again.

---

Harrington comes back.

The second time, he's wearing a jewel blue polo and fitted slacks, Ray Bans nowhere to be seen.

"Got anymore recommendations?" Steve asks.

"What?" Eddie's still trying to accept that Harrington came back.

"I finished Joni. It was good. Recommend something else for me."

Fully with the program, he reaches to the rack behind him, handing the vinyl to Steve without ever taking his eyes off him.

"Seriously?" Steve deadpans.

"Tell me you don't deserve it after last time."

Steve studies the cover of Metallica, a complicated look on his face. "Fine, but you have to listen to the album George Michael released last year."

He mimics getting shot in the heart. "After my magnanimous first suggestion, you dare to punish me with Freedom?"

"Think of it more as an opportunity."

"To regret every decision I've ever made?"

"To expand your musical horizons."

Eddie rolls his eyes. "Fiiiine. It's a deal."

Steve beams. "Good! Ring me up."

And Eddie, he'd comp it again, but Steve gives him this look that tells him not to try it.

As they pass the magazine racks, Eddie points at one featuring Steve on the cover. "That thing you wore to the Vanity Fair party last month was hideous."

Steve snorts, then laughs. "Thanks. My stylist decided to go for something--"

"--terrible?--"

"Avant garde."

"Oh, is that what they're calling it these days?"

Steve pays, throws Eddie one last smile, "next time?"

Eddie nods, already certain this time is the last one.

---

He keeps coming back.

Eddie tries not to read into it.

Steve is straight, famously has a girlfriend. former horror movie child star turned cinema wunderkind, Nancy Wheeler. They're always on the covers of the tabloids, in ever more improbable stories about affairs and secret babies and french countryside weddings.

But he keeps coming back. And eventually, they grab dinner. And that dinner becomes lunches, movies, clubs, concerts. Eddie's in paparazzi photos, and there's no speculation about their relationship. Steve has a girlfriend.

But sometimes. Sometimes Steve will rest his hand on Eddie's nape, his lower back, let it linger. He'll trace a finger down the tattoos on Eddie's forearms or the patches of his battle vest. He'll lean too close when they talk, unafraid to press their bodies together. And he catches Steve's eyes on his mouth more than once, his pupils wide.

Over the next few weeks, Steve's gaze on Eddie's mouth gets hotter, his looks longer, and it's killing him. All he wants to do, all he ever wants to do, is close the distance between them, appease the gnawing beast of desire in his chest.

But Steve has a girlfriend.

They don't talk about her, not even when he knows all about Steve's best friend, Robin, and the gang of kids who adopted him, or Joyce and Hopper, his surrogate parents. Never Nancy.

He tries not to read into it.

---

They're supposed to meet for dinner. Steve scored reservations at a trendy new restaurant, but Eddie's late. Astronomically, horrifically late. It's pouring rain, it takes fifteen minutes to get a cab, traffic is a nightmare.

Out of patience and time, he decides to run the last few blocks to the restaurant. By the time he reaches the building, he's soaked to the bone, spluttering harsh breaths through mouthfuls of rain.

Steve is walking in the opposite direction, hands stuffed into the pockets of his coat.

"Steve?" He calls.

He turns and this is the first time Eddie's seen him angry. "You're late," Steve's eyes rake over him, and his face softens in an instant. He takes Eddie's wrist, leads him into an alley where the buildings are close enough to block some of the rain.

"What happened?"

"Traffic."

Steve's gaze go all soft and gentle, and Eddie's knees buckle a little. "You look like a drowned rat."

"Yeah, well." Eddie scoffs. "We can't all be beautiful movie stars."

"You're more beautiful than I could ever be, even soaking wet."

He shakes his head, ignoring the cascade of butterflies; Steve shouldn't say things like that. His vigorous movement sends wet strands of hair slapping him in the face.

Steve reaches out, softly brushes it back.

Eddie stops breathing.

Steve closes the distance between them.

What a thing, to be kissed by Steve Harrington. What a terrible, glorious thing.

He breaks it fast, face red, can't catch his breath. "Nancy," is all he can say.

"Nancy?"

"You have a girlfriend."

Steve's face scrunches. "She's not my girlfriend."

Eddie's mouth drops. "Yes, she is." They went to the Oscars together.

"Eddie." Steve takes a few steps back. "Eddie. I'm gay."

He laughs, an ugly honking thing. "C'mon. What could she possibly get out of that?"

Steve's eyes widen, eyebrows reaching his hairline, mouth pursed in a bitchy line. It takes Eddie a minute but, "Ohhhhh. So, it's all--?"

"It was the best way."

"But you're--?"

"I thought you clocked me immediately! Wham!???"

"That was because of the jacket!"

"Have you ever met a straight man who dresses like I do and likes George Michael??"

"That describes five dudes I see a day!"

"And you thought they were straight??"

Eddie stares into the middle distance, replaying some of those interactions, and--"Huh. Okay. I get hit on at work waaay more than I realized."

"For fuck's sake, Eddie!" He's shaking his head, but Eddie sees the way the corners of his mouth shake with suppressed laughter.

"I'm sorry! You have a very public straight relationship!"

Steve giggles, pulls Eddie close. "Is this okay?"

"So okay."

"You do like me back?"

"Are you kidding! Thought I was going insane, how much I want you."

"And now?"

"Come back to my place?"

"Thought you'd never ask."

And Eddie, he's seen Steve playing at love dozens of times, but this--right here, in a soggy, smelly alley where they're both soaking wet--it's more perfect than any movie.

[aflutter-butter]

this week’s word is…

✨ NOTE ✨

find the word in any WIP and share the sentence containing it. play however you want: reply, reblog, stick it in the tags, tag us in a new post, or keep it private