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jo-harrington · 9 months ago

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Standard Operating Procedures 1.06 (Eddie Munson x Store Manager!Reader)

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader

Summary: Eddie’s your boyfriend. Now what?

Previous Part: Disaster Preparedness

Warnings/Themes: AU where the Upside Down doesn't terrorize Hawkins. Reader works at the Claire's at StarCourt. Eddie works at TapeWorld. First Dates and silliness, Sickeningly sweet fluff, miscommunication (not in a bad way), sexual tension, smut, allusion to oral sex, PinV Sex

Note: Here we go guys, the penultimate installment of SMVerse. We only have the finale to go. It's been a wild ride, I'm both ready to move on and give my other stories their attention, and also a little bit loathe to let my babies go. They can always make their little appearances in one-shots in the future if I need them back.

Thank you to @deathbecomesthem and @courtingchaos for looking over a few little things. Your insight is always appreciated.

You can find my masterlist here for more featuring our resident Store Manager and all of my other writing.

Please do not interact if you are not 18+.

Enjoy!

---

"Do I show up with flowers?"

"Flowers?"

"What's that voice, you don't like flowers?"

"Not really."

How you got to become friends with Steve Harrington, you couldn't tell for sure. One day, he was just a frantic customer running around in a Scoops Ahoy sailor uniform worrying about cherry chapstick, and then suddenly he was sitting in your store once a week looking for relationship advice.

Like today, as he tried to figure out plans to win back his ex.

Or something like that.

It was hard to tell with Steve. Oftentimes you got a half-finished story, as though you were some omniscient being that was supposed to know the other parts already. Sometimes he'd be an apt listener with the patience of a saint as you gave him whatever advice you could, and sometimes, he would go off on a one-sided tangent, and thank you for something that you didn't even know had come out of your mouth.

He reminded you of Jimmy a lot, which was why you were as patient with him as you were.

It was fine; it was a Thursday in January and the holidays were over, that meant the mall was dead. You'd hadn't had a single customer yet and a mountain of shipment to process. He could stay as long as he wanted, as long as he kept bringing cookies as payment.

"Everyone likes flowers," Steve argued skeptically after a moment of contemplation. "You're telling me Munson hasn't gotten you roses or something?"

Speak of the devil...

The shop bell rang, a chain rattled, and leather squeaked, and before you could answer, your boyfriend--you were still giddy referring to him like that in your head--himself chimed in.

"If I was a jealous man," he started with an exaggerated glare at Steve. "I would say you're here flirting with my girlfriend."

You rolled your eyes at his antics and crossed your arms over your chest, both Steve and your menial tasks forgotten momentarily, but you giggled nonetheless.

"What are you doing here?" you asked. "Don't you have school?"

"I came to ask you a very important question," Eddie smiled conspiratorially. "But imagine my surprise when someone else is sitting in my spot."

"It's not your spot. And I'm giving him advice."

"Again?"

"He's hopeless, apparently."

"I'm right here," Steve exclaimed and got to his feet, ready to leave. "I didn't come here to be made fun of. I actually need help."

You were about to deliver a snarky remark to your friend when Eddie held a hand out towards you and led Steve out of the store.

The shop bell rang again and you sighed, lamenting your conversion for the millionth time.

You'd just bully Eddie into buying something small.

After a short time, Eddie returned to the store and approached you with a smug smile on his face.

"What?" you asked.

"Oh, nothing," he replied nonchalantly. "Just playing Cupid, that's all."

"Look at you, hopeless romantic." You opened another box and gleefully picked up a little purple jewelry carding that proudly displayed fuzzy red heart studs. You held them up to Eddie's face and squinted one eye.

"What are you doing?"

"Valentine's Day is coming up," you explained. "Trying to see if my resident Cupid here would look cute in heart earrings."

He slapped your hand away and chuckled.

"You know I would," he teased and then fluttered his lashes at you coquettishly.

"Does that mean you're finally gonna let me pierce your ears?"

"Mmmm, does Claire's have a lobotomy option I could consider first? Maybe next time, sweetheart."

"I knew you hated needles," you shot him a teasing glare. "Alright, why did you skip school today? Spill. What is this very important question you wanted to ask me?"

Eddie shoved his hands in the pockets of his jacket and rocked on the toes of his boots, then began pacing around nervously. Which made you nervous in turn.

"You know, you just mentioned Valentine's Day," he began. "And...actually yeah, they're starting to talk about a Valentine's dance at school. It's corny, they always do it. Paper hearts and cherry punch and sugar cookies and bad love songs.

“And the guys were asking if I was gonna ask you. Well, Henderson more than anyone. I think he has a crush on you if I'm being honest, even though he insists that he has a girlfriend in Salt Lake City, do you believe that? Little liar. Isn’t the whole bit that the fake girlfriend lives in Canad—”

"Eddie," you snapped him out of his tangent with a laugh, trying to calm the butterflies in your stomach. "Are you asking me to the dance right now?"

Ok, a high school dance...wasn't exactly your idea of a good time but...the idea was a bit of a novelty. They didn't have dances like that at your very Catholic, very-all-girls high school. Even prom with the neighboring boys school was...modest dresses and suits and a nice dinner at a banquet hall. No real fun, no real dancing.

Last time you really even danced with someone was at a party Jen dragged you to and then you ended up in a heated makeout session that maybe went a little too far. And wasn't remarkable.

To go to a school dance with Eddie...that would be so sweet and fun. A do over for some non-existent or downright mediocre experiences.

"No, I'm not actually."

Never mind then.

"But it reminded me," he abruptly turned to face you. "That we haven't gone out on an actual date yet."

"Wh...Eddie what do you mean?" you scoffed. "Did you hit your head? We went out on Christmas Eve. Dinner at Benny's."

Eddie had picked you up for work with a thermos of hot coffee that day, you both worked until the mall closed, and then went straight to the diner. The jukebox played Christmas carols only and Ben had two special holiday prix fixe meals: a classic Pot Roast dinner and then one with a little more Benny’s flair—Christmas Dinner style omelettes, candied yam hash browns, and hot cocoa with peppermint whipped cream. You and Eddie ordered one of each and shared.

But you were both so tired that you didn't even talk; you just sat on the same side of the booth snuggled against each other, dozing off and picking at your food until Benny came to wake you both up when he was ready to close.

When Eddie dropped you back off at home, it started snowing right when you kissed goodbye. It was the perfect date.

"I've decided that it isn't our first date," he announced.

"And why is that?"

"Because we didn't even say anything but 'fuck that guy wanting to make a return on Christmas' and 'pass the salt.'"

"You also realize that we've been going out every Sunday since last..." you paused briefly to think back. "May? First week of June?"

"Those don't count either," he shook his head resolutely. "In fact those were specifically not dates."

Funny, that’s how you always thought of them too.

You were about to give in and agree, about to tell him "whatever you say Eddie." He did make a good point and it wasn't like he was calling your relationship off, he just wanted another chance at a first date. What was the harm in that?

But he beat you to the punch, suddenly nervous under your scrutiny.

"Listen, I know it's silly," he crossed his arms over his torso and shrugged. "I just...want to get it right. Make you dinner, see a movie, I know you just told Harrington you don't like flowers but...a bouquet of cookies or something?" He reached over and flicked the bag of cookies on the ear piercing station. "Make you a mixtape, I dunno."

"You made me a mixtape already, Ed."

"Yeah but I want to give you the kind of mixtape a guy makes for his girl."

You melted at his words and fought the smile that threatened to bloom on your lips and butterflies that suddenly fluttered in your stomach.

"And what's on that one that's not on the other one?" you teased, intentionally obtuse.

"You know...ballads and...sappy love songs and..." He froze and you watched as he flushed prettily. "You're making fun of me."

"It's really fun to do," you told him matter-of-factly.

Eddie ran a hand over his mouth and then looked around. He leaned back to glance out into the mall, and then faster than you could react, he ran right up to you, cupped your face in his hands and smooshed his lips to yours in a kiss. You dropped the jewelry you were holding and covered his hands with yours; you took two little steps to get as close to him as you could, and sighed as he broke away to continue pecking at your lips between his words.

"You're a menace." Peck. "You're a trickster." Peck. "And I'm picking you up for a real date." Peck. "Our official first date." Peck. "On Sunday."

You were joined together once again and he paid special attention to your lower lip, sucking on it in a way that made your spine tingle.

"Hmmm," you pulled away, trying to ignore the heat that was overtaking your body. You were still at work, after all. "Sunday huh? I thought Sundays didn't count."

"Well they count starting now." He stole another peck and then backed out of the store. "You have a great day, sweetheart. See you later."

---

Everyone teased you for your entire shift on Sunday.

Mindy was the first, having already unlocked the gate and counted up the registers for store open.

"Oh lookie here," she whistled. "Miss Lovebird is all dressed up for her date with the wannabe-rockstar."

You did a little spin and a pose for her; not dressed in your Seventeen Magazine best, but something a little more comfortable--still a dress, just a little more you--so you wouldn't have to frantically change for your date.

Chrissy offered to do your makeup on break and then confessed that she had a first date fast approaching too.

"No more Jason?" you asked, trying not to sound too hopeful as she swiped eyeshadow on.

"No, he was kind of..." she sighed. "He wasn't what I thought he'd be like as a boyfriend. I don't think I would've had the courage to end things and go after someone I really liked if I didn't work here though. I've...gained a lot of confidence since being here."

"I'm glad," you beamed at her.

Stacey even apologized for all the jokes she'd made about Eddie before she left at the end of her shift.

"I know I give him a lot of shit, but Munson's actually alright," she sniffed uncomfortably, as though complimenting him was something she was allergic to. "That thing he did at Christmas...the Santa thing? That was really sweet."

"Yeah it was."

Finally, 6pm rolled around and the gates closed. The rest of your team went home and you were left counting down the registers in anticipation as Mindy gave you a talk very reminiscent of the Birds and the Bees that your parents gave you once upon a time.

Before you knew it, Eddie was standing outside with his hands shoved in the pockets of his leather jacket, and you flashed him a quick "five" to let him know you wouldn't be long.

"Ok listen," Mindy got real close to you know, hand on your shoulder, lips close to your ear as she whispered. "If you guys wanna do the ol' Horizontal Tango tonight--"

"What are you 75?"

"--at the very least do it in a bed and not the back of his van, ok?"

"I swear to god," you mumbled under your breath.

"Invite him back to your place. Light a candle. Ambience. Make sure you have condoms."

"Melinda!"

She started cackling.

"I mean, I guess you don't have to have--

"Utter one more word and you're fired," you pointed at her threateningly.

Mindy immediately held her hands up innocently and then dragged her fingers across her lips like a zipper.

As you finished counting down the registers though, you wondered if you'd only shut her up because she was crossing a line...or if it was because she was actually really good at reading the secret expectations that you may or may not have had for this date.

It was just a first date, nothing was gonna happen. You could think about all of that next time. But…what if…

The store suddenly became unbearably warm.

Before long, the two of you ducked under the gate and Mindy simply waved goodbye while holding back her laughter as Eddie approached you.

"What was that?" he asked, thumbing over his shoulder at her. "Everything ok?"

"She thought she was being funny, but instead she's just an asshole," you explained, trying to laugh off the awkward conversation and illicit thoughts that still lingered in your mind.

"Ah," he nodded slowly, his eyes squinted for a moment and you swore you saw the gears turn in his head. "Yeah...Kyle did the same thing for me too. You remember when I found out the kids had a bet against us? Apparently the whole team had a secret bet going too.”

"And Kyle won?" you questioned eagerly, glad for a change of topic.

"No, Paulie. But P gave me a cut, thanked me for being such a stick in the mud and holding out as long as I did."

"How much?"

"Fifty bucks," he pulled a roll of bills from his pocket. "Gave it to me today and told me to take you someplace nice. Which was the plan anyway, if you were wondering."

The two of you stood there awkwardly for a second before Eddie cleared his throat.

"You look nice sweetheart," he said with a nervous smile.

"Thanks, so do you."

And he did.

He had his leather jacket over a fitted forest green henley, with ripped black jeans and boots. You'd never considered green to be such a favorable color on him, his usual outfits consisting of blacks and reds and the occasional blue, but it was dashing. Brought out the glowing warmth of his eyes, the tiny honeyed flecks that often got lost in chocolate depths.

"I, uh, have something for you," he announced, fishing something out of his pocket. "I didn't have time to do a new mixtape, so you'll have to take an IOU for it. This...might be a little cheesy... but...well, close your eyes."

You followed his instruction and felt him grab your hands and lift them up. He positioned them just so, and then left you standing there as he prepped whatever your gift was.

"It's not my usual thing," he muttered as he fumbled with what-sounded-like a rustle of paper. "But the guys helped me clean out the van--"

"You cleaned the van?" you scoffed. "For me? Eddie I've been in your van before."

"Hey listen," he suddenly sounded offended. "First date and such, you deserve the best."

"I like the clutter in your van," you told him truthfully.

"Listen, if I hadn't cleaned it out I would've never been able to gift you with this, the Mirror of Galadriel. Well it's more like a hand mirror. Hey no peeking!"

He continued telling you about the way Lucas and Will, crafty as they were, helped him make this little surprise during the break of their Friday night session of Hellfire.

"Apparently Sinclair's little sister and her friends make these for each other, and he's helped them. Which, ask me to paint minis for DnD any day; this shit was hard. There. Open your eyes now."

He slipped something over the tips of your fingers and when you opened them you found...

"A cootie catcher?" You asked with a laugh. "Eddie..."

You were about to ask what the deal was when you noticed it wasn't just a folded piece of paper littered with numbers and words, but taped and glued together with bits of familiar papers.

You brought it closer to your face for further inspection, flexing your fingers this way and that to see the bits folded inside.

Was that the logo from Pizzeria Uno? And...a movie ticket?

"Eddie...what...?"

"Ok, it's not just garbage," he assured you. "I know I don't really clean out my van that often. Shit, there was homework in there that I was supposed to turn in last year. No wonder I had to repeat again. But I guess I never realized that after our not-dates, I sort of left a few things in the glovebox or emptied my pockets in the back to throw out later.

"This...this is from our first outing for pizza. And when we went to see Day of the Dead. I cut up the order form when you paid the last installment on Sweetheart. And this? The menu from that one takeout place we ordered from? That night when...you know...before we went to Chicago? A-and a Chef Boyardee label. Y'know from that one time we ate dinner at your place? Well, actually, I don't think it's from that night.

"I-I know, I'm a walking contradiction," he concluded with a laugh. "I said that this was gonna be our first official date and here I am with a reminder of all the times we weren't dating but...I guess I figured...our times together as friends are just as important as any date. So now that...you're actually my girlfriend, I needed you to know you'll still always be my best friend too."

You felt your eyes water and your heart pound in your chest.

"Do you like it?" he asked nervously.

"It's only," you let out a watery laugh. "Only the best gift I've ever gotten."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah."

"Not even the Boston cassette I got you?"

"Not even that," you shook your head. "Seriously Eddie...it's perfect."

All you wanted in that moment right there was to kiss him.

And you would have, but the lights in the mall concourse dimmed, signaling customer hours were over and that everyone needed to leave.

"You ready?" he backed away from you and held his hand out, fingers wiggling and eager to twine with yours. You gladly took it, expecting to hold his hand as you walked out towards the employee lot, but he surprised you by twirling you in a circle. He spun you into him, tucked against his side, and draped his arm across your shoulder.

You were sure it was gonna be a perfect night. Again.

Because he was perfect.

---

Turns out the Cootie Catcher wasn't just a gift with little mementos of your friendship, it was the means of which the two of you would decide the fate of your date night.

"I'll pick first," he explained. "And then you pick next ok? You just gotta trust me on this."

Throughout the night you both picked numbers and pinched the corners of the cootie catcher back and forth, back and forth, until you came up with the next activity you would embark on.

"Dinner at...the Hideaway," you read the first outcome that had come up. "The Hideaway? I thought it was the Hideout."

"No, they're two different places," Eddie explained. "Damn, you've almost lived in Hawkins for a year now and you still don't know? I'm a really bad Welcome Committee."

Turns out the Hideaway was a sports bar on the outskirts of town. The bar itself was a little crowded with patrons drinking beers and watching football on the twin tv's that were mounted overhead, but there was a tiny little dining room off to the side that was practically empty.

As you scanned the menu, your eyes immediately caught a glimpse of The Wayne under the sandwich header.

"Wayne as in...Uncle Wayne?" you asked with a laugh, and Eddie couldn't have looked any prouder if he tried.

"Yup," he puffed out his chest. "Nothing amazing ever happens in Hawkins, but if you can guess the Super Bowl winner accurately at the beginning of the season for 5 years in a row, you get a sandwich named after you at a bar."

"Shut up," you laughed. "He did not."

"Swear on my mother's grave," Eddie leaned forward and challenged you.

You both ended up ordering the Wayne, and Eddie spent most of dinner telling you Wayne's Scientific Method to choosing the winners, and then the way the winning streak broke.

"He put twenty dollars in a pool at the plant," he explained. "Figured he'd been guessing right at the Hideaway for so long without getting anything more than a free dinner out of it, he might as well try to win a little cash. Turns out fate only meant for him to win a hearty chicken dinner and nothing more, so he didn't try to tempt the Gods again lest he incur their wrath."

The sandwich was delicious, the company even better. And you held hands across the table pretty much the entire time.

---

Back and forth, back and forth the cootie catcher went, and you groaned when you saw the outcome.

Bowling.

"I'm not good at it Eddie," you tried to persuade him to choose again. "I'm gonna embarrass myself."

"Too bad, I'm not good at it either. We'll both look like idiots together."

"I'm wearing a dress Eddie."

"This is our destiny!" He exclaimed with a tone of finality, hand on the gearshift to put the van into drive. "And before you try to fight me on it, I'll even let my chivalry take a hit and let you pay for the first round of beer."

Knowing that a win was a win, you agreed.

Reluctantly.

The Roane County Bowlarama was something out of a time capsule, though, and that in and of itself was a novelty. Casino carpet and funky modular chairs and a neon light that sat over the pristinely waxed hardwood lanes in a very kitschy style that proudly advertised the Bowlarama's foundation in 1960.

It certainly smelled like nostalgia in here.

Eddie went to get your shoes while you meandered to the little concessions counter to get two solo cups of cheap beer and a soft pretzel with plastic cheese for the two of you to share.

As you got your score cards written up, you confided in Eddie that the only time you'd ever been bowling was for a birthday party for a classmate when you were in the 7th grade.

He just laughed and told you it had been the same for him too.

He pointed down to one of the lanes where a family was happily bowling with their two small children.

"If you go over there, I'm sure you'll still see the dent in the floor where I dropped the ball," he whispered. "It was too heavy and I went to go bowl and it dropped out of my hand and almost cracked the hardwood. And I vowed never again."

"Then why did you put it on the Cootie Catcher?" you asked incredulously.

"Well, we've gotta look stupid in front of each other sometime, right?" he reasoned.

“As though we haven’t done that already.” You shook your head. "Eddie Munson, you are something else."

"I know." He bowed proudly and then went to take his turn.

At the end of ten frames, you turned in your scorecards and your shoes at the counter, all the while snickering as the attendant read out your abysmal scores.

You'd beaten Eddie, sure...but it wasn't hard to beat a zero.

Was he really that bad at bowling or had he let you win? You’d never know.

---

It had been a great night but it was getting late by the time you got back out to the van.

Normally, you wouldn't mind a longer Sunday night out with Eddie, even if you had work and he had school in the morning. Honestly, you couldn't quite give a shit if you were tired for a Monday morning call with your boss or to unpack shipment boxes.

Still, you stopped Eddie before he could fish the Cootie Catcher out of the cupholder on the console.

"What's wrong?" he frowned. "You getting tired? Too tired for a late night snack? I put Dairy Queen for ice cream and Bradley's for a mystery snack adventure as options."

He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, trying to entice you into letting fate take you once again.

The thing was...ending the night wasn't really the thought on your mind. It had been a great night out, reminiscent of those few early Sunday nights, cruising around Hawkins and finding someplace new you hadn't been yet.

But part of the fun of some other not dates with Eddie were the times you got to spend alone. Even recently, as you started cuddling and making out on the couch or stealing kisses in the food court at the little table hidden closer to the JCPenney entrance while sharing cheese fries, it was the intimacy and closeness you cherished. Those times spent together were spent in a world just for the two of you.

And as the night went on and you came to that realization, Mindy's words echoed through your head: Horizontal Tango.

God, ok, that was not the way you wanted to think of it, but it did get your mind on that night. The last time things had started getting heated between the two of you, the night you thought everything had been ruined before you both realized that there were some actual feelings deeper than friendship there.

That had been...nice.

Sure you'd been high, but laughing and groping and kissing and grinding...

Yeah it was more fun to do all of that with someone than to take care of things on your own with your imagination or one of the bodice rippers you secretly bought at Waldenbooks at your disposal.

One of the bodice-rippers with a love interest that your brain had started to fill in with a certain metalhead that was your then-crush and now-boyfriend.

Suddenly the more you thought about it--actively thought about it--sitting here in the van with Eddie, surrounded by the scent of his cigarettes and his Old Spice cologne, having just had probably the best date you could ask for...you realized that you wanted more too. With him.

More than a quick fuck at a party or a romp on a couch.

You wanted Eddie.

First date be damned.

"Sweetheart?" Eddie pulled you from your thoughts. "We can call it if you want. If you're too tired to drive, I can take you home now and...I'll pick you up for work tomorrow before I go to class."

"Uh." You worried your bottom lip, at a loss for words, as your hand still gripped the top of his over the center console. He was being so kind, so chivalrous, so thoughtful with this whole date, all of these sweet plans...you didn’t want to undercut the effort he’d put in.

How did one just ask their boyfriend to have sex with them?

"Do you wanna have sex?"

The words escaped your mouth as though you were on autopilot, and both you and Eddie stared at each other dumbfounded as the question hung heavily between you.

Well that was one way to do it.

"Wha...whe...like? Here? Now?" He stared at you wide-eyed as he questioned. There was a beat and then he shook his head and stared down at your hands in silence.

What you wouldn't have given at that very moment to hear the thoughts that were clearly racing through his head, as he visibly tried to compute the situation you were both in.

You felt your chest get tighter and your heart raced.

See? First date, no fooling around. You should have trusted your instincts.

"I mean...yes,” Eddie finally blurted out. “But it wasn’t on the cootie catcher.”

It was silent for another moment, then you both broke down in hysterical laughter.

Unintelligible words were shared as you both relived the last few tense moments with intense clarity—basking in the silliness that could only be shared between the two of you—and then you both seemed to have a lightbulb moment. Eddie turned in his seat to grab something from the back of the van while you dug for something in your bag.

It was a race to see who could get there first, and Eddie won as he fell back into the driver's seat with a sharpie held in the air like his ultimate prized possession. You abandoned your own search and began carefully unfolding the cootie catcher and before long, on the inner most flaps, new adventures for the night were written.

Blizzards at DQ was soon scribbled out in favor of Your Place.

And Mystery Snacks from Bradley’s replaced by My Place.

Eddie started situating the fortune teller over the tips of his fingers when you grabbed his wrist.

“What if we don’t end up getting either place?” You asked a little stupidly.

“Well then I guess we’re gonna head to the civic center and play Boggle with Gareth’s mom and dad, Sweetheart,” he snarked. “Pick a number.”

Back and forth the cootie catcher went as you called out numbers.

Until Your Place sat proudly on display between you.

“Alright then,” Eddie placed the cootie catcher back into the cup holder and then clapped his hands. “Your place it is.”

---

For as bold as you both had been in the van, it was unexpectedly awkward when you got into your apartment.

It was a moment of being in a place you'd both been a hundred times together before, but the implication of why you were there made it difficult to simply begin.

You both ended up on the couch for a while, watching some late night reruns and sharing a pint of Rum Raisin until you were calm and comfortable enough to share tentative kisses and touches in front of the glow of the tv.

"This isn't..." Eddie chuckled when you found yourself horizontal on the couch and he kissed his way down your neck and across your décolletage. "This isn't like a porno."

You both broke down in laughter again and he admitted that that thought had been on his mind all night, along with the possibility that this would be waiting for the two of you at the end of the date.

"I had that thought," he continued once the laughter had subsided. "Last time we were like this. That's...do you remember I...god did I honk your boob?"

"You did," you remembered fondly, even though the outcome of that encounter was anything but a fond memory.

"I think that's why I did it," he ran a finger along the neckline of your dress, which caused goosebumps to erupt along your arms as you shivered with anticipation. "I don't need to be anything with you except myself. I don't have to be the...hot boyfriend or the hunky pizza guy or anything. I'm just me, and you're just you."

"You can't make me cry before we fuck," you told him matter-of-factly, and dragged him back up so you could kiss him again.

"Actually," he broke away again and his brows shot up into his bangs. "That's another kind of porno. We can add that to the list for next time ok?"

That set the pace and the expectation for the rest of the night: intimate moments punctuated by words and laughter.

There was no rush, so you took your time to explore one another's bodies. You moved from the couch to the bed and clothes came off one piece at a time, including socks which both of you agreed was the least seductive piece of clothing to remove.

"But I did read about this thing with tights once," you bit your lip in too-little-too-late realization, after you'd chucked your pantyhose into the corner of your bedroom. "It was kind of hot."

"I'm making notes," Eddie tapped his temple twice. "Don't worry. Next time."

And if you ever had the impression that Eddie was a bad student, all of that doubt vanished because he was incredibly studious when it came to your body. Both of you were as you licked and kissed and groped. You took the time to find spots that were sensitive or ticklish, that generated moans or giggles.

Boy, did you find out how much he liked to giggle.

You traced along the hazy ink of his tattoos with the tip of your tongue, in awe of the imagination that he'd put into each piece of artwork permanently etched on his body as he stammered out a brief story of each one. He told you about something he wanted along his ribcage, and when you went to kiss along the proposed path, he burst into a fit of laughter that almost rocketed him off the bed.

Soon there were more panting breaths than breathy laughter. As Eddie took his time worshipping you, committing every dip and curve and crease of you to memory--just like all the other things that he seemed to take note of--and the way you hiccuped and moaned as he lavished you with attention.

You both became teachers, showing one another just how you found pleasure alone--Eddie quick to admit that his solitary ministrations might have been done to the thought of you--before tonight. You were both happy to oblige each other's desires with your hands and mouths.

You quickly realized how much you liked the way that he stuttered your name as you suckled the head of his cock, and he seemed to take that as a challenge when he kissed and sucked your clit in return, the first partner you'd ever had to think to do so and not just fumble with zero thought or coordination.

"I'm a sex god," he boasted, chin resting smugly on your mound after you'd finished riding the crest of your first orgasm. "What can I say?"

"You're so full of it," you scoffed. "But you can say whatever you want if you just promise me you'll do that again."

"Oooh, gonna especially take note of that one," he said mischievously as he walked his fingers up the length of your body and then took your hand in his, both of you ready for the pièce de résistance of the night.

It was a lazy kind of fucking, even though the two of you were as wound up as you were; however, considering that you'd both had an entire day of work and then a lengthy date and foreplay, neither of you could complain.

You could have headboard-banging, heart rate-climbing, frenzied, nasty sex anytime you wanted for however long you'd be together.

"Hopefully forever," Eddie whispered against your mouth after you'd reassured him of just that, as he sank into you and realized that he was more comfortable in the cradle of your arms and thighs than stiffly knelt above you. "You promise?"

"Hopeless romantic," you muttered in return. You moaned as he slowly bucked into you and created a delicious drag of his fingers on your clit again. "But yeah, I promise."

There were very few words after that, just sounds. Pants and sighs and sucking kisses; a few swears as you both found the peaks of your pleasure, and finally an "is there any more of that ice cream" once Eddie collapsed beside you when it was all over.

You both couldn't help but brag how great it had all been come morning, when he drove you back to the mall for work.

Or when you showed up at his place the following night to do it all over again.

Next Chapter: Longevity

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson smut #eddie munson fic #store manager verse #stranger things #stranger things fic

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coldfanbou · 1 year ago

Text

Overdue

Librarian Jihyo on the job. She'll make sure to help you out.

Length 2K

Jihyo x Mreader

You walk into the library and place your things at one of the many tables that dot the perimeter. You grab a book, not paying particular attention to what it's about. Sitting down at the table, you open the book to a random page and glance at the woman behind the check-out counter. Jihyo, she's been working here for a few weeks now, and you haven't been able to keep your eyes off her. Her tight-fitting button-up reveals her to have large breasts hidden behind her layers of clothing. She's reading through a book of her own, a small smile across her face. For the most part, the library is empty; as you continue to fake reading the book, you see Jihyo close her book and stand up. She leaves the check-out area and walks around the area. She disappears from your sight for a while. The dull sound of her footsteps on the carpeted floor behind you is the only thing that gives you any insight into where she is. She passes by you without so much as giving you a look. Jihyo stays connected to the bookshelf, her fingers sliding across the books' spines as she walks the entire row. When she reaches the end of the row, she turns her head back and catches you looking at her. She chuckles to herself and gives you a friendly wave.

You turn your head, looking around the area before turning to her and waving back nervously. You watch her hips sway as she returns to the check-out area. She sits in her seat and opens her book again. The process repeats another two times. After spending a few hours just staring at her, you figure it’s time to go. You take the book you chose earlier and head to the check-out counter. Jihyo smiles at you as you approach.

"Did you enjoy the book?"

"A little," you reply. Jihyo squints her eyes a little, keeping her smile on you.

"Your library card?"

"Oh, right." You quickly hand her the hand after fumbling with it for a moment.

"You know it's impressive you can read a book when it's upside down." You panic, wondering if you actually had the book upside down the entire time. Jihyo laughs at you. "I guess you weren't reading, were you?" You rub the back of your head, embarrassed to have been caught. Jihyo scans the book you chose before scanning your card. A red light flashes across her screen, and Jihyo tries again. "Looks like you have a book overdue, mister. You can't check this out until you return your last book." Seeing you so nervous, Jihyo laughs again. "Maybe you should stop paying so much attention to me." Jihyo leans forward, the buttons on her shirt straining as they try to keep her breasts from overflowing. "Tell you what, I'll check it out under my name…if you do something for me."

"Yes…I mean, sure." You say immediately. Jihyo leans to the side to see where other people are in the library. The scarcity of other life reassures her.

Jihyo taps some keys on her keyboard and waits a moment before looking at you, "Come with me." She leaves her counter and leads you to the back of the library. A long table sits there with some booth seating around it. Jihyo slides into the empty booth and pats the seat next to her. You sit down and feel Jihyo scoot closer to you. She slides the book you had earlier in front of you. "Read it."

"Read it?" You repeat.

"Or pretend to; it doesn't matter, but I think it would be better if you did." You crack open the book and stare at the words despite wanting to see what Jihyo was going to do. You feel her hand rub your crotch, making a bulge appear. You start to turn your head, but Jihyo threatens you. "Keep reading, or else I'll stop." For your sake, you keep looking at the book, occasionally flipping a page. Jihyo's hand slithers into your pants and fishes your semi-hard cock out. Her soft hand wraps around your shaft, and you feel her tug at it. You try to stifle your moan, "That's a good boy. Keep quiet for me, and I'll make you feel even better." Jihyo says as she starts stroking your shaft at a good pace. You can hear Jihyo keep her moans quiet. Still facing the book, you glance at her, managing to catch her fingering herself in your peripheral vision.

Jihyo feels precum leak from your cock as she continues to jerk you off. Her hand is quickly covered in the stuff. Jihyo stops her handjob and raises her hand to her nose, taking a small sniff of your precum. She gets under the table and pushes your legs aside. Her hand returns to your shaft as she continues to stroke your cock. Jihyo starts out slow but quickly speeds up. Her hand glides along your shaft until she feels your cock start twitching in her hand. You whine softly, having been denied your orgasm. When the feeling goes away, Jihyo starts again, keeping a slow pace as you feel something warm and wet rub against the head of your cock. You start to groan before slapping your hand over your mouth. Jihyo uses your cock to trace the edges of her tongue before she starts swirling her tongue around it. You buck your hips from the sensation; Jihyo holds you down as she continues. She inches closer until you're inside her mouth; her warm saliva drips from the roof of her mouth onto your cock as she starts bobbing her head. You throw your head back from the pleasure. The sounds of her blowjob are quiet except for the relatively loud breath she lets out. The sound of the front door opening is heard in the distance as Jihyo plays with your balls. She gives them gentle squeezes when not moving them around in her palm. Your cock rubs against the inside of Jihyo's cheek as it twitches again.

"P-please." You manage to get out. This time Jihyo lets you cum. As your hot load runs down her throat, you hear her drinking it. The way she gulps it all down keeps you hard after you're done. "F-fuck." You say quietly as you try to catch your breath. Jihyo comes up from under the table and uses her fingers to collect any stray pieces of cum. She pulls out a small mirror and checks herself. At the same time that she comes up, a bell at the front rings through the building.

"I'll be back," Jihyo says as she leaves for the front. She purposely sways her hips as she walks. You spend the time she's gone recovering from your orgasm before she comes back in a slight jog. "All done with that, now we can keep going. Come with me; we need somewhere more comfortable." As you stand, Jihyo takes your cock in her hand and leads you to one of the study rooms. They were small rooms at the corner of the buildings that were often used by students. Jihyo opens the door and locks it behind her. She pushes you onto the table in the middle of the room and starts stripping. She undoes one button and the zipper to her pants, letting them fall around her. Jihyo's lacy light blue panties are soaked through, and your cock twitches at the sight. Jihyo walks up to you and leans over. "Why don't you unbutton my shirt for me? I know you were staring at them earlier." She says while grabbing one of her breasts. While you slowly unbutton her shirt, Jihyo makes sure you stay hard by slowly stroking your shaft. One by one, they come undone until her shirt can't contain her tits any longer. Jihyo's breasts spilled out of her shirt; her bra was the only thing between you and them. It was light blue, much like her panties with sheer lacy edges. They barely hid Jihyo's nipple from you.

Jihyo smirks, knowing you can't take your eyes off her chest. She squeezes your cock hard enough for you to regain yourself but not enough to hurt you. "Keep going," she says in a teasing voice. When you finish unbuttoning her shirt, Jihyo lets it slip off her arms. Now left in her bra and panties, Jihyo lets you stare at her body, continuing to stroke your cock as you imagine what it must feel like to fuck her. "Well? Are you going to touch me?" She asks. You reach out and squeeze her breasts. A low sensual moan escapes her mouth, with a satisfied laugh coming soon after. Jihyo climbs on top of you, pressing your face into her cleavage as she slides your cock between her lower lips. You both moan from the sensation; holding onto Jihyo’s hips, you start to push her down on your cock. The warm feeling as her pussy envelops your cock makes you shiver. You watch Jihyo close her eyes as she sinks down. Once you're buried inside of her, Jihyo grinds against you. Slow back-and-forth movements drive you crazy and make you want more.

You unlatch her bra with one hand and throw it to the side before attaching yourself to her left tit. You squeeze her large mound with your free hand. Jihyo's moans fill the small room as you aid her in her movements. Soon she's riding you, her body bouncing up and down on your cock. Jihyo's arms wrap around your head as she holds you to her nipple. "Suck on my tits, baby," she moans. You focus on the small nub in your mouth, flicking it with your tongue. Jihyo's moans fuel your actions as you stand up. Now carrying Jihyo, you hold onto her soft bottom as you thrust into her. Her body jumps up with every thrust before falling back down on your cock where she impales herself. Her cunt becomes tight as your thrusts become wild. Jihyo lifts your head up and kisses you, her tongue warmly welcoming you as you kiss her back.

You pin Jihyo against the wall, continuing your thrusts as her hands run through your hair. Her legs wrap around you, keeping you from pulling out. "Fill my pussy," she whispers into your ear. You're driven over the edge and plunge your cock into Jihyo before you paint her walls white with your cum. You feel her legs tighten around you as she cums on your cock. You move Jihyo onto the table. She leans against the wall as you pull out. You feel her cunt fight you, not wanting to let you go. When you're finally out, Jihyo scoops some of your cum and watches it run down her fingers. She pulls you into another kiss as she fingers herself. "Zip yourself up, honey. I'm going to be a while. You can take the book; just make sure you bring it back in two weeks. Or else I might have to punish you."

"Maybe I want a punishment," you respond. Jihyo just smirks at you. You zip up your pants and leave Jihyo in the room collecting your things before you go.

Not being able to wait, you come in the next day with the book. Jihyo sits at her counter and smiles at you when she notices. "Back so soon? Did you even read the book?"

"I think I might need some help understanding it, and I was hoping you could help me."

Jihyo smirks. "I think that could be arranged. Meet me in the study room." Jihyo stands up, stretching before leaning in and whispering, "Strip down for me; I'll be there soon to teach you. You better be ready for some long lessons." Jihyo smiles, enjoying the fact that her job just became more fun.

#kpop smut #male reader #m reader #twice smut #jihyo smut

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amustikas · 1 year ago

Note

hi!!! <3 I love your art so much <3 your style is soo good, especially your coloring, it's so pleasant to look at <3 also, mind if I ask what kind of software and brushes do you use? The texture of the sketches, lineart etc. look so nice and I was wondering if there's something like that it Photoshop. Have a great day! <3

Hello!! Thank you for your sweet words!! <3

I work on procreate and mostly just use these two basic ah default brushes. I am sure photoshop equivalents exist for both of them out there somewhere!

And since I work a lot with these two I thought I would give ya some extra insight into how exactly I put them to use :)

The 6B Pencil brush has got to be my all time favourite brush and I use it for literally everything!

From rough sketches..

to lineart..

to colouring and details.

This brush is quite pressure sensitive, so you can achieve many different variations of size in one stroke by changing the amount of pressure you apply by hand. Through it all, it maintains it's relatively rectangular shape and brings with it soft grain like texture.

Come to think of it, I think I drew this whole next piece with only the 6B Pencil, start to finish. I think it really goes to show that in the end, it's not really about what brushes or software you use, but about how you make them work for you and how much fun you have while creating. I find that the drawings I have the most fun with end up being my favourites in the long run.

And to me, the 6B is just a damn fun brush to use!

It is perfect for adding silly little shapes and lines all over the place :)

And the other brush I find myself coming back to is Salamanca from the Painting category.

I use it for filling in bigger areas of colour and just colour blocking in general. I like it's subtle canvas texture and the fact that it is not entirely opaque by default, which allows for interesting variations of hues.

But that is not all! I like to size it down to use it to add details and colour to my portraits. I find that it's softness works really well on faces and it's transparency makes it easier to bring in variations of colour.

And would you look at that! More shapes and lines! It's really all I know how to do haha

At the end of the day, I try to just enjoy the process of drawing as much as I can :)

I find that young digital artists often put a lot of emphasis onto finding the correct drawing software and brushes. And while that is important, I find that it is equally as important to throw caution to the wind sometimes and to just try out new things and to not care so much.

I mean hell, people create masterpieces in MS Paint!

My drawing process usually boils down to simply trying to ensure art stays something fun for me, and these two brushes have helped me achieve that over the years.

Hope this has been some help and not all pure gibberish!

#my asks #art tutorial #drawing tips #just a lil something #:3

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lemon-natalia · 26 days ago

Text

The Locked Tomb Reaction - The Unwanted Guest

it’s taken a while, but finally I’ve been able to get around to liveblogging this! my understanding is that The Unwanted Guest takes place in that period of time where Palamedes is ousting Ianthe from Naberius’s body? so i’m intrigued to see what actually happens, as well as how Muir writes in a new theatre-play format

‘kissing or feeding; we can’t be sure’ haha what the fuck. we’re really going in right off the bat with the surrealist horror here. i had a feeling that Ianthe’s mindscape might be a disturbing place, and apparently i was right

ok so i’m willing to suspend my disbelief that this is just a description for the reader to understand the concept but … does either Palamedes or Ianthe’s subconscious know what a 20th century English butler is?

ohhh my god Ianthe’s in a French maid costume, is this because Palamedes considers it sexy. this is so cursed. once again suspension of disbelief, but do either of these characters know what France is?

i am very much enjoying the dynamic between the two of them here, especially how unimpressed Palamedes is with, well, everything Ianthe

oooh okay thats intriguing, there’s another person’s voice here. my first instinct is that it’s Camilla, given Palamedes is currently in her body

wow Palamedes’ immediate response to a game of essentially 20 questions is to immediately get philosophical and start a debate about whether the soul can be changed. he sounds like the kind of person who would be absolute hell to play Scrabble or Trivial Pursuit against

what they’re talking about here is very interesting though. i like the little glimpses we get, primarily through the Sixth and the Fifth, about what academia and science looks like in a world with necromancy. whether the soul can be changed is kind of a big hypothetical in the real world, but in TLT where you can literally summon or ‘consume’ a person’s soul it would be much more directly relevant

also a very interesting point (at least what I think he’s saying?) from Palamedes here that just because the Lyctors lived for 10,000 years doesn’t necessarily mean that the thanergy powering them is perpetual, it could just be declining very very slowly

okay so the Voice just started talking about ‘Camilla’s idea’, so presumably not her unless she’s talking about herself in third person? it could theoretically just be Palamedes debating with himself?

Palamedes briefly trying to play bad cop/Ace Attorney and intimidate Ianthe is hilarious

Ianthe’s insistence that she didn’t murder Naberius because it was his job to die for her anyway is an … interesting perspective

‘she and I both understand that the goal is always worth the cost’ ngl i think Harrow herself would have something to say about that, given she literally gave herself a Claire’s lobotomy in the hope of saving Gideon. it wasn’t so much Harrow who decided that Lyctorhood was worth defeating Cytherea, but Gideon deciding for her

once again i feel horribly bad for Naberius Tern, whose worst crime was pretty much just being an asshole

hah has Palamedes picked up a cigarette habit from Pyrrha. i’m enjoying the insight into his thought process here given that he generally comes off as knowing more than other people all the time, so it’s nice to see him actually in the process of figuring stuff out

‘She wandered around like she was the protagonist’ HAH Ianthe i have bad news for you

aww it’s sweet to get Pal’s view on Gideon here, namely that he thinks she’s smarter than even she gives herself credit for and that he was initially jealous of her dynamic with ‘Dulcinea’ but came to like her anyways

‘My problem was reminding myself you were a child’ ohhh my god the mysterious voice is Dulcinea! i can’t believe this is literally the only time we’ve seen Pal and Dulcinea actually interact. and isn't this possibly the first time that they've had an 'in person' (so to speak) interaction since most of their relationship was sending letters to each other?? oh i am not okay

okayy i’m interested in what Dulcinea’s saying here about how she seems to have died again and ‘something awful’ happened to her soul … it doesn’t seem to totally line up with what happened at the end of HtN, especially with her mention that there are two shores on the River. again everything seems to point to the nature of the River playing a big part in AtN

woooh Magnus Quinn reference, my beloved

oooh i love the contrast between Ianthe’s descriptions of her relationships with Corona and Babs - despite Babs being the one who was actually the cavalier, the kind of co-dependent relationship she has with Corona is much closer to the relationship between the other cavaliers and their necromancers. which is why the fact that she’s apparently the only Lyctor to outright murder their cavalier vs her admission that she wouldn’t have used Corona is very interesting to me

‘Coronabeth herself is part of your goal’ i’m very interested in the long-term goal of Ianthe in general. obviously one part was becoming a Lyctor, but i do wonder if she has something else planned, i doubt she’s content to just sort of do what John wants her to do forever

‘Jeannemary Chatur regaled me with the story at breakfast’ woooh Jeannemary reference. also this is such a cute detail

ooooh Palamedes's newfound cigarette habit is from Ianthe not Pyrrha, that's very fun

and Palamedes’ final point here that the soul is permeable is not just very satisfying against Ianthe’s general smugness, but has very interesting implications for all of the Lyctor characters, especially the fact that their titles are named after their cavaliers. for example, how much of Mercy’s devotion originally came from her versus the fact that Christabel pre-Res was a literal nun. and what does it mean for John and Alecto exactly - how much of the same person, or even human, is he after literally eating the soul of a planet

ok this isn’t to do with the Unwanted Guest exactly but i am very concerned by the notice at the very end that ‘Hell Will Break Loose’ in AtN. it already sounds ominous enough without considering that the previous notice, ‘Gideon will return’ at the end of HtN was done in the most painful way possible

overall i really enjoyed this! what i really like about the additional short stories Muir writes for TLT is that you get to see little character moments and explore bits of the lore that would have dragged the main story down a bit, so it was very fun to see Palamedes and Ianthe interact one-on-one and debate a bit

and now i really have run out of stuff to liveblog about these books rip my sanity

#lemon natalia reads the locked tomb #tlt #the locked tomb #the locked tomb liveblog #the unwanted guest

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spamsandsuch · 2 months ago

Text

A RE-insight on Jolli and Jokir (ft. a little bit of Seam!)

Hello hello, since it's been a long time I wanted to updated my og biographies of Jolli and Jokir since it's like. Severely more outdated than i thought and Jolli and Jokir are like way more different now lmao

I also wanted to make this post to build more of the story in my au, since it's been a gradual process for me and I think posting this first may help aid in understanding future posts of mine that revolve around the twins

here we go!!!!! enjoy

Synopsis

Based on the two joker cards in a deck, Jolli and Jokir are twin siblings that originate and live in the Card Kingdom. They’re two jesters who enjoy performing in acts and entertaining darkners, and Jolli and Jokir often have respective personas when putting on a show. However, most darkners don’t care for the twins’ acts, and as a result their audience is pretty slim to sometimes none. The only opportunity where the twins CAN perform for large audiences is when they get to perform with Seam – the Card Kingdom’s Court Magician – when they host the annual circus for all of Card Kingdom to see. The problem, however, lies in the fact that performers of the circus need permission from the four kings who rule Card Kingdom to participate – something that the kings never grant the twins; since the last time the twins performed in the Circus years ago, an accident involving the twins occurred and caused the circus to end in such a disaster the four kings deemed them both responsible for it – thus kicking them out of the Royal Court permanently. As such, Jolli – the more optimistic twin – works as hard as they can to practice performing and gaining the attention of more darkeners with the help of their brother, Jokir. Through their performances, Jolli hopes they both can one day become popular enough to gain the attention of the Kings again, where Jolli hopes the kings will give the twins a chance to redeem themselves and participate in the circus again – and potentially allow them back into the Royal Court once again. Meanwhile, Jokir – the more pessimistic twin – doesn’t believe the kings will grant them another chance, but doesnt have it in his heart to break Jolli’s spirits. One day, though, a powerful yet strange lightner falls into Card Kingdom and strikes a deal with Jokir, promising to help the twins become popular and gain attention from the kings. Believing this to be the most realistic path, Jokir agrees only to help fulfill Jolli’s dreams of joining the Royal Court again.

Jolli; They/Them; 30 years old (1996)

Being the optimistic twin, Jolli’s slightly younger than Jokir and extroverted at heart. Jolli is a social jester with a confident, charismatic, and sometimes boisterous personality, and is also very genuine; they find no reason to hide their true personality or emotions. At the same time, Jolli can also be very blunt, eristic or stubborn with people – especially when they struggle to find logic behind things that don’t make sense to them.

Given their sociability, Jolli is friendly to anybody they meet and often tries to make friends; however, due to their strong personality and sometimes brutal honesty, not many people care to indulge in Jolli or their antics past Jolli’s entertainment. As a result, Jolli secretly feels pretty lonely a lot and admittedly doesn’t like admitting they don’t have other friends out loud – it’s one of the few secrets the jester has (this has caused a bit of a misunderstanding from Jokir, who thinks Jolli has a lot of friends due to their sparkling personality when in reality both of the twins are in the same boat). Nevertheless, Jolli tries to not let that get them down and often hangs out with Jokir or Seam to fill that loneliness.

Jolli, in essence, is also a go-getter; because they dream to join the Royal Court again, Jolli often works hard to practice performing and tries to encourage Jokir to do so as well – even if Jokir isn’t as enthusiastic about it (though, if Jokir is feeling too tired/fatigued Jolli wont force him to practice performing. Instead, he’ll act as the critic!). Jolli is also proactive and tends to take the initiative in general – often preparing themselves for the day or events ahead of time.

While Jolli is often responsible, Jolli also loves playing pranks and causing chaos (they are an energetic clown, after all). When Jolli and Jokir were part of the Royal Court, Jolli would often playfully prank the inhabitants that lived there — including the Kings — much to people’s annoyance though they didn’t take it too seriously as, for the most part, the pranks themselves were pretty harmless (and at the time, a lot of darkners enjoyed Jolli as an entertainer anyway). Nowadays, though, since their relationship with the Kings is strained Jokir asks Jolli to keep their pranks to a minimum to avoid trouble and tarnishing their reputation (they may not live in the castle anymore, but who knows how long word would spread to the Kings if a prank went awry – people love to gossip). As a result, Jolli tries to reserve their pranks for Jokir sometimes but most often for Seam (as they enjoy seeing the plush’s reactions every time), but sometimes they slip up and cause chaos where they shouldn’t.

While Jolli is a pretty energetic darkener themself, Jolli also has a weak soul (much like Jokir). Jolli’s soul will sometimes cause chest pains as well as make them suddenly feel weak and fatigued, making it difficult to even walk sometimes. While this instance happens sporadically, if Jolli overexerts themself the likelihood of it happening increases. Because Jolli doesn’t recognize their own limits sometimes, Jokir often reminds them to take breaks and is there to care for Jolli if they’re suddenly too fatigued.

In performances, Jolli’s persona is somewhat similar to their personality; when acting, Jolli plays as the “Happy-go-lucky” jester who is quite energetic and silly. In these performances, Jolli loves to perform and act in stories/tricks/jokes they and Jokir wrote (though in terms of jokes, Jokir writes most of them). They serve as the counterpart of Jokir’s persona.

Jolli’s optimism stems from their belief that life is much more enjoyable when you hold onto hope and determination – whether that be for yourself or the people you care about. Jolli also believes that even one cannot truly enjoy life if they don’t do the things that make them happy.

Jolli, unlike Jokir, also tends to take things more literally at points. As a result, sometimes the meanings behind certain jokes or comments will fly over their head (unless Jokir explains it to them). Jolli isn’t that great at telling jokes, either, which Jolli personally considers their most fatal flaw as a clown.

Due to their energy and go-getter attitude, Jolli tends to get bored easily. As such, they crave excitement and prefer to occupy themselves as often as possible with either their current hobbies or responsibilities (e.g. chores, practicing for performances, gardening, etc.); Jolli also likes trying new or exciting activities, too. As mentioned before, though, Jokir reminds Jolli to take breaks and pace themselves for the sake of their soul.

Regarding the twins’ relationships with each other, the two are very close. Jolli considers Jokir their best friend and looks up to him a lot (even if Jokir can be annoying), and they wouldn’t trade Jokir for anybody else. However, Jolli also wishes their brother would gain more self confidence in themselves and tries to encourage him or help Jokir in social situations for that reason.

Jokir; He/They; 30 years old (1996)

Being the pessimistic twin, Jokir is slightly older than Jolli yet strikingly almost the opposite of them; Jokir is mostly reserved and introverted, often observing situations rather than commenting on them. He is also pretty soft spoken, and likes to speak in lyricism and rhymes when conversing with others. At the same time, though, Jokir has major social anxiety when interacting with many people and often looks to Jolli for help.

Around others, Jokir often acts shy and nervous due to their anxiety and unconfidence when talking to others they’re uncomfortable or unfamiliar with; similar to Jolli, this has caused Jokir to feel lonely due to their difficulty in making friends (though he’s more verbal about it), and as a result Jokir tends to stick with Jolli and/or Seam most of the time.

However, whenever Jokir’s around their sibling or friends, their true personality blossoms as Jokir becomes much more laid-back, easygoing, and witty. Feeling more comfortable, Jokir is much more chill around Jolli especially and likes to joke around with them often — sometimes to the annoyance of Jolli. He also doesn’t get stubborn easily (unless you count not wanting to talk to people, to which yes, Jokir can get pretty stubborn with that), and is pretty flexible when it comes to changes as Jokir doesn’t particularly care. Around Jolli and Seam, Jokir also likes to be goofy on purpose sometimes too.

When Jolli and Jokir lived in Card Castle and were part of the Royal Court, Jokir’s personality was much more apparent as he acted much more silly and often told jokes to other darkners in addition to entertaining the Court. Additionally, he also partook in pranks and caused chaos with Jolli because it was fun and it was a sort of bonding time between the twins. After the accident years ago, though, Jokir developed a sort of fear and anxiety with getting into trouble, so he tries to steer Jolli away from causing it. This is because whenever Jolli gets in trouble, Jokir also gets in trouble, too – much to the uncharacteristic annoyance of the latter at first (likely stemming from Jokir’s insecurity revolving their reputation) This situation has also caused Jokir to dislike causing disruptions or chaos.

Whenever they’ve gotten into trouble, Jokir often feels the need to take responsibility on behalf of Jolli; this gives darkners the impression that Jokir is the more responsible twin, but this isn’t really the case. Jokir doesn’t really like doing a lot of work or planning, as he often feels unmotivated or drained to do work (or even take care of himself, sometimes); Jokir coughs it up to just being ‘lazy’ though. Whenever Jolli’s fatigued, though, Jokir is willing to drop everything and take care of them (or if he can’t, Jokir will ask Seam for help).

Similar to Jolli, Jokir has a weak soul – though the way their soul affects Jokir manifests differently. Consistently, Jokir has chronic pain (taking in the form of dull aches) mostly in parts of their upper body (e.g. arms and shoulders), though if he over-exerts himself Jokir may also experience chest pains too. This is also partially why Jokir doesn’t like doing things a lot because doing too much manual labor makes them fatigued (though not to the extent of Jolli).

Unlike Jolli, Jokir isn’t very adventurous. He prefers to stay indoors and read books or write poetry/new material for their performances. Though, Jokir will go out with Jolli if Jolli wants to hang out, but Jokir likely won’t do anything really extreme and instead will probably just observe/joke around with his sibling.

Jokir’s pessimism mainly stems from his fears and anxiety for things going wrong and negatively affecting the twins. He also tends to look a little more negatively at the reality of certain situations and tries not to get their hopes up. Inwardly, he sort of believes that optimism isn’t really realistic (based on past experiences), but Jokir would never admit this to Jolli – after all, he could be proven wrong. Notably, though, Jokir doesn’t like letting his pessimism affect others – he prefers to be more of a chill jokester and treats others equally; Jokir is surprisingly very kind to others, but not as much towards himself.

In performances, Jokir’s persona is what most darkner’s impression of him is rather than his actual personality: a sad, negative clown who worries about everything. Jokir acts in this persona because in performances, he finds it easier to play as someone else than to be more genuine (even if it means exaggerating their anxiety).

Regarding the twins’ relationship with each other, Jolli is also Jokirs’ best friend and loves their sibling a lot. While Jokir may not share Jolli’s optimism he does respect it (as opposed to thinking Jolli is foolish/naive) and admires Jolli a lot. Jokir see’s Jolli as the coolest person he’s ever met, and sometimes wishes he was like them.

Seam; They/It/She; 35 years old (1996)

Seam – pronounced “Shawm” – acts as the official magician for the Royal Court. They’re a friendly, easy-going darkner who gets along with others well. It’s also been good friends with Jolli and Jokir since the twins were part of the Royal Court years ago. Whenever Seam visits the two, they often bring all sorts of nicknacks it’s bought or found to show off, or she also likes to stay for tea or board games the twins have. When the three play games, Jolli is the one that usually loses while Seam and Jokir are equally matched even towards the end. This usually makes the end of the game more intense as to who’ll win (or at least, Jolli makes them intense by adding dramatic narration), but there’s generally a 50/50 chance either Jokir or Seam will win (the two never take it too seriously like Jolli, though, and like to laugh about it).

Before the accident, Seam often worked alongside the twins to entertain the Kings with her magic tricks, which it still technically does today; however, since the twins have been kicked out Seam acts as the sole entertainer of the Royal Court – which can sometimes be stressful or unfulfilling as Seam is alone and the Kings are generally not amused. When the annual circus comes around, additionally, Seam feels more stressed as they’re in charge of planning preparations as the host (though luckily she doesn’t have to lead the circus thanks to the ringmaster, just plan and direct it – Seam can just play as the main magician performance-wise); this is different from when the jester twins were part of the Royal Court as the two often helped Seam out with preparations for the circus (being the other two Royal entertainers), but now that the two can’t join the Kings forbade Seam from seeking help from Jolli and Jokir (which Seam has broken a few times anyway to ask for advice from the twins. I mean, who’s gonna stop them?). Seeing how badly the twins want to join the circus and be part of the Royal Court again as well, Seam asked the Kings many times to grant them one more chance to perform in the circus but to no avail – the Kings won’t listen, especially the King of Spades.

Even though the jester twins were kicked out of the Royal Court years ago, Seam visits them sometimes anyway because she enjoys their company and as friends. Seam enjoys Jolli’s enthusiasm and antics (though is always surprised somehow (comically, so) by their pranks, but Seam laughs at itself anyway afterwards), and Jokir’s laid-back and humorous attitude is also enjoyable to be around. She also finds the occasional bickering between the two twins very amusing, as well. However, Seam’s noticed how the two seem so hard on themselves in regards to their situation (with Jolli always pushing themselves despite their disability, and Jokir’s insecurities and anxiety manifesting in criticizing himself), and because of that Seam sympathizes the twins and wishes they wouldn’t push themselves so much (and tells them such) – the two have inherent value even if they don’t ever end up performing in the circus or joining the Royal Court again.

Okay thats all for now, may update this if i catch any mistakes lol (if you read this far thank you!! I appreciate your time!!)

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gabessquishytum · 8 months ago

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Interior decorator Hob ask has infiltrated my mind BUT with a bit of a twist:

Whether or not he still stumbles his way into the business, he's found he really enjoys it. He enjoys it even more when he settles into a more niche corner of the market as a sex dungeon designer. He's built things from subtle changes for extra bedroom activities to full-on, intense dungeons. And with thr riche clientele thay he works with, there's little he hasn't seen.

Enter Dream: professional Dom who recently moved house and needs to renovate the basement for work. He'd normally do it himself but just shortly after moving, he injured himself to the point that his doctor told him to take it easy for the next few weeks (which would be fine if he didn't have set appointments starting right in a few weeks as well. That doesn't leave enough time to get his workplace situated). So he hired Hob, someone Desire had recommended.

Hob has seen lots of pretty people in his line of work but there's just something about this man that makes Hob want to fall to his knees for (and maybe test out his handiwork with later). He tries to stay professional throughout the process, but there's only so much willpower and Dream sauntering through the house without a shirt and low-rise pants after a shower does nothing to help. Nor does his face looming over Hob's shoulders to examine the plans nor that deep, velvet like voice giving strict instructions on what to fix just beside his ear.

Dream, after seeing Hob for the first time, knew he needed that man. So he's made it his personal mission to wear Hob down and give in like he knows Hob wants to.

After the renovations are complete and Dream is cleared for strenuous activities again, let's just say that freshly made dungeon is going to get plenty of use in-between Dream's appointments.

SEX DUNGEON DESIGNER HOB AKAJSJAJAHSN <3333 unsurprisingly I love it.

Hob is definitely on the submissive end of the spectrum, which is something he uses to his advantage in his work. His designs are more geared towards the needs, comfort and ease of the submissive partner. Other designers may tend to see things from the dom's pov, which is absolutely fine too! But Hob just has an insight into what it actually feels like to be vulnerable and trying to enter a submissive state. His designs have been quite popular with professional doms (Desire may or may not be in the industry just like their brother, and recommended Hob’s work very highly).

It's difficult to work around Dream. Not because he's rude or difficult. But because he can so easily render Hob weak at the knees with his voice or the merest hint of a smile. Hob can't stop fantasising about using every item in the new sex dungeon with Dream, and while he's following the client's strict stipulations, he also finds himself adding elements that he really wants Dream to use on him. Like, the breeding bench with the built-in spreader bar was a particularly vivid part of Hob’s daydreams, and now the real thing takes up a corner of the dungeon space.

When he finally finds himself spread out on the bench with four of Dream’s graceful fingers plunging in and out of his hole, Hob is pleased that he ordered extra cushioning for the part of the bench where his head rests. But mostly he's just whimpering and begging for more, because he's a good slut - Dream knew that he would be, the moment he walked through the door.

It's only fair that Hob gets to use the room he put such energy and devotion into. And after Dream spent the whole renovation time teasing and working Hob into a proper state, it's high time for him to make this poor sweet sub cum!

#kydrogendragon #the sandman #dreamling #nsft

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rwbyrg · 6 months ago

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Hello!

I would like to ask if there's already a post a long the lines of "Why Rosegarden is a good ship" or reasons to ship RG? If none would it be alright to ask for your insights?

It's my first time being interested in them but I just can't wrap it around my head for now. I would love to read about them!

Thank you in advance ^^

Hi Anon!

I have not yet made any posts specifically with these questions in mind, no. Just a small, unfinished, series about why I believe the ship is likely to be canon. I am happy to offer some insight, but I don't know that I'm going to give you the answers you're looking for. 😅

First and foremost, the questions you're asking aren't really ones that can be answered objectively. What makes a ship "good" or "bad" is largely subjective, as there are as many ways to view a ship as there are people viewing it. I could make an argument about how I think it is - objectively speaking - a well written pairing that follows the typical beats and tropes (with delightful subversions) of a good romance arc, that also parallels how other canon ships within RWBY have been established... but at the end of the day, if you're not a fan of what RG is about, then there's not much I can say to change your mind.

Which brings me to your second question. The best reasons to ship RG are going to be the same reasons for why anyone should ship anything: ship it if you want to, ship it if it resonates with you, and ship it if you enjoy it.

If their characters, interactions, themes, parallels, allusions, tropes, symbolisms, foils, designs, messages, etc., aren't your cup of tea, it's completely okay if you pick something else on the menu! So long as you don't like. verbally harass people that do like it or fill the tag w the same discourse that we are all very tired of seeing.

I don't know if that is a sufficient answer to your question, so I'll take a chance and also provide some of my personal reasons as to why I think it's "good" and why I ship it. While there are many reasons I can't all include, the main things are just how much they mirror each other:

From their complementary character designs (red vs. green, silver vs. gold, moon vs. sun, etc.),

To shared fairytale allusions (Little Prince and the Rose, Dorothy and Princess Ozma/Tip, Warrior in the Woods, etc.),

To the narrative parallels (both being the youngest of the group when they joined respectively; how both of their attachments to each other keep being put into focus; to their shared themes around choice and identity: Ruby having chosen adventure but feeling as if she has no choice but to keep moving forward, while Oscar was chosen by adventure but chooses to do what he can despite his circumstances; Oscar not knowing who he is because of the merge and asking: "I'm just going to be another one of his lives, aren't I?", versus Ruby not wanting to be who she is after chasing the the ghost of an unachievable ideal, but being asked "what if you could be anyone?"; how they're both just kids thrown into war and unfair responsibility before they even have a chance to figure out the kinds of people they want to be, etc.),

to perhaps, most importantly, the show of mutual support between the two of them.

Ruby supports everyone as best she can. She is always giving to and supporting others as a show companionship and leadership. But thanks to V9 and also E4 of RWBY Beyond, we know this was not sustainable or sufficiently reciprocated.

She was let down by Weiss who constantly managed to hit her right in her insecurities; let down by Blake who - even while trying to uplift her - just ended up adding more pressure by treating Ruby like a role model; to Yang and Qrow who both tried to support her as best they could, but kept comparing her to Summer in the process; to Penny having so much of her own lack of experience, stressors, and very immediate worries going on that she couldn't offer Ruby the support she needed even if she wanted to; to Jaune flipping his lid at her and pointing the blame even when he himself was guilty and knew he was out of line; to Ozpin, Qrow, Maria, Tai, Summer, Cordovin, Ironwood, etc., all being adults who could have taken responsibility or done the right thing, but fumbled or failed leaving her to pick up the pieces in their wake. But Oscar? We see it from Oscar's introduction that he - like their shared fairytale allusions - is in awe from the moment he meets her. But after one conversation about the weight of her grief, trauma, and the responsibilities she is carrying - a conversation she has not had with anyone else up to this point - he immediately sees how heavy Ruby's burdens are. Saying, as early as V5: "This must be really hard on her too". And while it is subtle, he never stops looking after her as best he can as the volumes go onward ("Looks like you're needed elsewhere."/"You're sure?"/"Yeah, I've got it."). However, it's only in V9 that her sister Yang is asking "why didn't she just talk to us?". It is only in V9 when her partner Weiss admits: "Maybe it's because she didn't feel like she could". It is only V9 when Ruby finally lays her burdens out to someone else again, this time to the Blacksmith, after almost having given up completely.

For a character who's 116 episode long arc has been about carrying the weight of responsibility far beyond her limits, never asking for anything in return no matter how difficult it gets... to meet another character that instantly notices her struggles and makes a conscious effort to help where all others have failed? To have one conversation and say "that looks heavy, let me help you carry that" without her asking or waiting for an answer? It's just one of the most beautiful acts of care I can think of. The themes and the parallels all resonate very strongly with me on a personal level, making it - in my humble opinion - a brilliant, and very stable foundation for a relationship, and for a story.

Thank you for your question, I hope I was able to offer some of the insight you were looking for. 💕

#i could have spoken about the reasons by most people say they don't get the ship and broke down the biases behind them #but that veers too close to d/scourse and didn't feel as productive #ask #asks #anon #rosegarden #rwby rosegarden #why i ship rosegarden #ruby rose #oscar pine

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bruh-myguy-what · 3 months ago

Text

If Not Him, Perhaps Me

Let me just say... I hate moving. The whole process has been something else (derogatory). I've not gotten to all of my requests either because of that. I've been in limbo with this moving process for the last four months, but I've finally secured a place and will be moving soon! Anyway, I was able to finish (finally) this chapter! I hope you guys enjoy it! ______________________________________________

Chapter 1 , Chapter 2 , Chapter 3 , Chapter 4

Pairing- Thrawn x f!reader x Luke Skywalker

Summary- Life on the Chimera actually...improves a lot. You're surprised by the hospitality shown to you and your relationship with Thrawn starts to change? Hearing from Luke also helps since it's been so long...

Word Count- 3.6K

Warnings- Mentions of kidnapping, confrontation, pining, kissing, nothing major

It'd been weeks since you'd seen Thrawn last, from what you counted, at least. Your idea of time had gotten a little better after being moved into a comfortable room with the ability to govern yourself. There had been a time or two during those weeks that you'd left your room to see if you could visit Thrawn, but you were met with the troopers telling you he wasn't around. The troopers clarified that he was away for business. The news was annoying the first time because you'd wanted to give him a piece of your mind for annotating your art as if it were to be critiqued by someone like him! But by the second and third time you were turned away, you were surprisingly disappointed.

Disappointed and mildly apprehensive…

Though, you would've rather choked on your tongue before conceding that to anyone.

Lying in bed, nestled and wrapped in warm blankets, you were reading a few documents on a datapad one of the troopers had brought you a few days ago. You aimed to learn as much as possible about Thrawn and asking him directly was completely out of the question, but you knew that if you were spending time here you needed to collect as much as you could. The vision of the arrogant expression he'd have if you ever even alluded to any curiosity about him appeared in your mind and you couldn't help but roll your eyes. No. You needed to learn the information without letting him know you were interested and also to be able to take the things you'd find back to your friends to benefit in protecting the New Republic. Sleep was quickly beginning to take you and your eyes began to droop; though, it wasn't long after your eyes had shut that a voice softly called your name. It sounded familiar, soothing. The daze of slumber prevented you from instantly recognizing the voice until they called your name again, imploring you to respond.

"Please, answer me. Hear me."

"Luke…" Your first instinct, even through your groggy state, was to whisper his name. There was no clear insight yet of who was speaking to you until his name left your lips and the voice expressed relief.

"Thank the Force, you're alive. I…I've been so worried. None of my other attempts worked and-and I couldn't feel you for so long. I assumed…" He sounded choked up as his voice withered from your mind. "I thought I'd lost you. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Luke apologized profusely, his voice trembling as he appeared to speak from far away. Then you recalled, through your sleep, that he used to do this while away on missions. He'd first initiated it with Leia, to let the two of you know he was okay, but then he began doing it with you as well.

He'd explained it before, once when the two of you had been alone and were appreciating the rare free time out on top of the Falcon; it was what the Jedi called a Force bond. Something he'd never experienced entirely, other than with Leia with whom he'd always had a connection. It was also the moment you thought he would kiss you…but he never did; never had. The attachment rule that he'd learned while in his trials with Yoda consistently stuck with him and it maintained you at a bitter distance from the man you'd fallen in love with.

But right now you didn't care about that distance because being that close to him would've been far more comforting than how far apart the two of you were now. "Luke…" You groggily said again as you shifted around in the large bed, the blankets rustling around you and his soft chuckle echoed in your mind. It warmed your heart to hear, it'd felt so long and you'd nearly forgotten the precious sound.

"It sounds as if you're resting, I'm sorry for bothering you." He taunted lightheartedly, undoubtedly at ease to know you were alright.

You smiled, feeling yourself attempting to reach out to the Jedi Knight as if he were in the room with you. Then you coldly realized you were alone, tucking your arms back into the warm blankets. "Yeah," you answered sleepily, "I've been resting very well lately." The truthfulness in your voice seemed to surprise Luke if the hum that rang in your ears was any sign.

"You are? Have you been saved by someone? Are you alright?" His voice rushed out in apprehension, the questions that'd plagued his mind swirling once more. Why wasn't he able to see you or feel you for so long? What occurred that kept you so barred from his reach?

You sighed as you turned over, stretching a bit, eyes still pleasantly closed. "Mmm, no. Still on the Chimera." Your reply was simple and fearless, entirely sincere with Luke in your half-asleep condition.

"You're still with Thrawn?" His voice was pressing now, "And you're comfortable? He's not hurting you in any way, is he?"

"No, he's been wonderful to me…good man, gave me a nice room, drawing book..'m okay."

Luke was silent for a long time and you'd almost woke up, concerned that he'd left you alone, but you were assured of his company in your mind when he spoke once more in a secure voice. "I'm going to find you and I'm going to save you. I promise. I'm not going to lose you again." Then his voice wanes away again for a moment, though it comes back more delicate than you've ever heard when he utters your name. "I…I-" But Luke stops and clears his throat, "I hope you know how meaningful you are to me…I will not give up on you."

But before you could react, you were aroused by a solid knock on your door, jolting you upright. Luke's voice felt like a distant memory as soon as you were sitting up and glancing around your room, eyes refocusing on your surroundings. Had you dreamed all of that? No. You couldn't have, you've had a connection like that with Luke before you'd been aboard the Chimera. But why hadn't you heard from him until now?

The knock at the door roused you again, so you slid out of bed to walk over and press the release button only to be met with a trooper with a plate full of food. And this time the food looked fantastic. "Oh, thanks." You responded in astonishment as he passed the tray over. He replied with a brief 'you're welcome' and began to walk away but not before you called out to him again. "Uh! Sorry, forgive me. I-I was just curious…"

"About what ma'am?" He questioned, evidently he was being patient but had someplace else to be and he wasn't a trooper you were presently familiarized with; there'd be time for that late though.

Glimpsing at your tray full of food, your cheeks burned despite yourself. "Have you possibly heard if the Grand Admiral is back from his business, or not?" The query sounded pitiful even to you, but you couldn't very well have the man who was the sole retainer of the Empire to go off and die without any warning.

That was it, no other reason.

Your cheeks were warming because the heat in the hall of the Chimera was too much. Again; no other reason.

The uncertain sound made by the soldier caused you to look at his impassive helmet. "Uh, no ma'am. The Grand Admiral hasn't returned yet. We aren't sure when he'll be back, he has work to do elsewhere and will return whenever he's concluded that." Then his helmet tipped slightly as if inspecting you and a slight chuckle crackled through his modulator. "But don't worry so much, he's surprisingly resilient. He'll come back in one piece. We serve the most brilliant and adept man in all of the Empire. If someone could prevail over anything, it'd Grand Admiral Thrawn." He clarified and with a nod then left, and you bashfully took refuge back into your room, the door closing behind you with a whoosh.

You griped bitterly to yourself, "I wasn't worried about that blue idiot…how could I be worried about him? He's an ass anyway." But the lingering apprehension in your chest said otherwise.

Another week had gone by and you'd troubled the troopers outside your door every one of those days, requesting an update about Thrawn and his whereabouts. There was no way he was going to abduct you, treat you like a captive, then regard you with interest and compliment you, shower you with gifts, and then go off and die on some random planet! You'd bring the damned Chiss man back yourself if only to give him a piece of your mind for being so rude.

Though with a continued shadow of Thrawn's expected return, you had to entertain yourself in other ways; keeping your mind busy. So, you were standing by the window, watching the stars and TIE fighters training. Thrawn had explained to you previously that they were a project he held in high esteem, something he truly believed would do the Empire well. They looked as if they were doing spectacularly too. To your eye, they handled a lot better than some of the pilots of the Republic… But you didn't have too long to dwell on that before you'd overheard out in the hallway- over the intercom- that Thrawn's personal vessel was docked and unloading its passengers.

Feeling your heart leap in your chest at the announcement and instead of waiting around to figure out why, you ran out the door; blowing past the two troopers. As you ran down the hall, passing by troopers and Chimera crew, you neglected their baffled stares and carved your way toward the docking bay. Though on your way you saw a familiar tall blue figure, it was him. Thrawn was standing at his office door about to head inside until he heard hasty footsteps bee-lining in his direction.

Fiery red eyes peeked in your direction first, before ultimately turning his head to watch you frantically trail toward him. Your heart raced as you eventually made it to him, the admiral looking down at you with a single brow lifted and the touch of a smile at the corner of his mouth. Your cheeks burned as you gazed up at him, but you blamed it on the brisk pace you'd opted for to reach Thrawn. Out of breath, your chest heaving slightly from the labored breathing, Thrawn's eyes returned to the door as it opened, "Perhaps you would like to join me in my office?" It was poised as less of an inquiry and more of an assertion as he walked into the dark corridor where you joined him. Surprisingly there were no unwelcomed remarks from the darkness as there usually had been, though your eyes still searched around for any sign of the creature.

"Rhuk is recuperating from our mission, he is not present with us, at this moment." Thrawn's cool voice expressed through the shadows and as you glanced at him to ask how he'd known what you were thinking, you caught a peek of his glowing eye over his shoulder as he observed you. "Your thoughts are easier for me to read than you may think." Though there was typically a chill to his voice, a remote remnant of detachment lingering underneath, it felt strangely… warm with that last sentence.

Once the door finally released the two of you into his office, Thrawn wasted no time in returning to his side of the desk and you approached the chair you sat at during your sessions. The annoyance instantly took over once again, "Where have you been?! It's been weeks!" You spoke without genuinely considering and the smirk that suddenly sat on his face made you mourn opening your mouth, your head sinking to cover your maddening blush.

Thrawn was quiet for a prolonged moment, creating an even more unnerving situation because you knew- you just knew- he was analyzing you as he did when he thought something was intriguing. "As I have heard it," He finally began to talk again but it wasn't making anything any more painless, the blatant smugness in his tone causing the burning in your cheeks to rush up your ears. "You were rather concerned about my unannounced absence."

"I wasn't that concerned!" You bit back quickly, lifting your head to scowl at him for his arrogance but were hushed by the raise of his brow, as if challenging you to prove him inaccurate in his observations.

"Were you not?" Thrawn queried rhetorically as he sat back in his seat, reclining far more casually than you appreciated for the circumstances. "Please, clarify for me then. Why were my troopers in rather steady communication with me, telling me about your continued inquiry of my whereabouts?" His voice was curious but mockingly so, and entirely too soft as his eyes appeared to admire you from across his desk.

You swallowed at the accusation, understanding you had no rebuttal, and instead clutched at your elbows, crossing your arms over your waist awkwardly; evading his burning gaze. "Y-You left before I could give you a piece of m-my mind-"

And his unexpectedly too affectionate voice cut you off mid-sentence, "About what, may I ask?"

You were caught off guard by his simple question, eyes coming back to meet his. The dominance he was maintaining over you at the moment wasn't one he'd used before; he wasn't trying to intimidate you, nor was he trying to exploit you. Thrawn's power came entirely from how much you had thought about him while he was away. You'd first considered how furious you were with him, how he'd treated you as if gifts would make you give up your friends, but then you began thinking about how he'd quit regarding you as a prisoner; opting to give you more freedom, and more respect. Thrawn was curious about you and consistently genuine in his queries as you spent more time with one another. Then you'd found your mind lingering on his eyes, the way his brows were the most expressionate part of him but if you observed closely enough you could see the shift of sentiment in his eyes. Thrawn was small in his mannerisms but he appeared to open himself up more to your company lately and allowed you to see past the stoic behavior.

"Have you perhaps forgotten whatever it was that you were going to chastise me over, hmm?" The soft underlying tease in his voice brought you back to your present reality and you huffed indignantly at his arrogant expression.

"Hardly." You complained as you turned your head away stubbornly. "As if I could forget why you piss me off. You seem to enjoy bugging me." Thrawn seemed to find your retort comical because he chuckled, staggering you slightly. You'd never heard him sound so…pleasant. It was hardly a lively sound, more as if he were taunting you but even still, it was the closest thing you'd heard to spirit from the Chiss man. Your eyes widened at the sound, watching intently as he shook his head and began to stand once more; neatening his admiral coat.

He rounded the desk, his hands ever positioned behind his back as his steps felt calculated, gradually coming toward you. "Then, please, continue. I am rather fascinated to hear what I've done to incur your outrage, my lady." His voice was unfairly warm, matching how his eyes bore into yours, glancing down to appreciate the rest of you only once or twice.

You were losing all of your built-up frustrations as the subject of your anger approached so calmly, tension building with each step he took toward you. The buzzing in your mind only intensified as you caught his eyes favoring you. "I-I…you…" You swallowed cautiously then cleared your throat to regain your composure, closing your eyes and breaking the rapidly building connection that made your stomach ache in an unfamiliar way. After a moment, you trusted yourself to speak finally and you leveled the approaching man with a lethal glare. "You annotated my art as if I asked for your commentaries." With every word, Thrawn took a step closer, the smile leaving his face the nearer he grew. "Then you ran off without allowing me to tell you how stupid your observation of my work even was. I didn't know if you were going to die or-"

"Would that have troubled you so greatly if I had?" Thrawn's voice was hushed and low, but cold as usual. Standing directly before now, his impressive height towered, eyes keenly observing you.

You made a vexed sound and rolled your eyes at the ludicrous question. "Don't flatter yourself, Thrawn. I just didn't want to miss my opportunity to set you straight before you died." But then you look back at him and are frozen by how close he'd gotten, inclining closer to your face.

The air around the two of you was electric as Thrawn admired your face up close; so close that his breath fanned over your lips causing a warm shutter to race up your spine. He was quiet, silently surveying you and you couldn't help catching how his eyes fell to your lips multiple times; the realization making your stomach flip. His proximity was overwhelming, drowning you in him wholly. His broad shoulders obstructed anything else from your sight, the way he leaned over you trapping you in place though nothing behind you was preventing you from running away if you wanted.

But you found that you didn't want to.

His presence was intoxicating this close.

"Allow me to speak now," Thrawn whispered, his voice sounding gentle despite how confidently he said it. His fiery eyes searched your face before he spoke again, possibly waiting to see if you would stop him from voicing his thoughts but when you didn't, he persisted. "Would it surprise you to know as I was on your mind, so were you on mine?"

The admission sends your heart into a frenzy. What does that even mean? What did he mean, you were on his mind? It felt as if he were communicating in riddles that you couldn't fully decipher and the vague meanings would be incredibly humiliating if you were to assume. So you stood there wide-eyed and lips slightly parted to steady your labored breathing, waiting for any explanation but rather you were met with a cool touch as the knuckle of Thrawn's finger brushed against your warm cheek. "This knowledge does surprise you." He stated matter-of-factly at your speechlessness, the delicate caress passing down the soft line of your jaw and allowing him to take hold of your chin, between his finger and thumb delicately. "I cannot help but find my unfamiliarity in these matters rather displeasing, as I assumed my intentions would have been made clear by this point."

"I-Intentions?" You questioned dumbly, brows upturned in surrender, "I thought you wanted to know more about the New Republic an-and Luke…that was all I was here for." The unstable whisper that left your lips signaled your uncertainty at Thrawn's next move.

Sighing narrowly, Thrawn rose to his full height once more and allowed his hand to fall away from your face; to which you let out an audible gasp at the loss of contact. "Indeed I aimed to gather details about Skywalker through you, as you appeared important to him. Though, as your tenacity and overall insolent attitude toward me continued I found myself…" He paused momentarily, contemplating his words, "Curious about you. Your boldness to defy the orders of an Imperial Grand Admiral is as brilliant as it is reckless, though, I can't help but find myself drawn by your full refusal to recognize my endeavors at rapport. I spoke to my troopers on numerous occasions to see if they could understand why it was that you were so uncompromising against my advances though seemed so agreeable with them-"

"Wait-" You interrupted him, jerking your head side to side to get your thoughts back after being so enamored with his attention. "You asked-"

"My troopers, yes." Thrawn concluded your sentence for you with a simple shrug. "Is it so unlikely that I would pursue the guidance of those in better regard with you about your preferences?"

"W-Well no…b-but-" Then it hit you; what Danvers had said before, about you being Thrawn's favorite aboard the Chimera, and your cheeks flushed once again. "So…what you're saying is…" You trailed off, expecting Thrawn to finish the sentence again for you.

Thrawn took to your hint fast and the corner of his lip quirked barely, "Perhaps I persist to fail in making myself clear." He conceded then leaned back into your space as he had earlier, stealing the breath from your lungs at the closeness.

"I-I wouldn't mind you saying it clearly so I don't make a fool of myself for guessing��" You implored quietly, lashes fluttering a few times.

Thrawn smiled now, showing the beautiful white of his teeth, contrasting against his blue skin, his red eyes narrowing delightfully as he stepped the last few inches closer to diminish the space between you. "It would see my words fail me in this moment and rather actions would be far more suitable."

And with the last delicate words of his spoken, Thrawn's chilled lips descend upon your awaiting ones in a soft display of his withheld admiration.

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keep-the-wolves-close · 8 months ago

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Steady Heart

Chapter 32: Destiny

* Pairing: Slow-burn Kayce Dutton x OFC Stella Daniels

* Rating: M

* Warnings: language, despair, angst, dealing with first time killing, smut, p in v sex, unprotected sex, creampie

* Word count: 4,604ish

I would love to give credits to @dameronscopilot and @deanscroissant for being sounding boards for me during this whole process, giving outsider insight, being cheerleaders, and allowing me to screech at them about things that have happened during the writing process. I seriously couldn't have gotten this far without y'all

Author's note: All I have to say is finally. Good lord. You’ll all understand when we get there lol. I hope everyone is enjoying so far! I hope you love this chapter as well! One more before I take a break to get some actual writing done.

The sound of the door being opened woke Stella with a jump. When it was daylight and she teetered on the edge of consciousness, it had been fine that she was by herself. She hadn’t thought about what it would be like after dark. She quietly sat up. She tried to listen for any recognizable sound.

The boot falls she would recognize anywhere. They belonged to Kayce. Her heart rate started to slow again. He opened the door a crack, just enough that he was able to see into where she was on the bed. She looked back at him and blinked sleepily.

“Hey cowboy.” Her voice was quiet, scratchy.

He smiled softly at her, “Hey Stellfire,” he opened the door a bit more and leaned against the door frame. “How’re you doin’?”

“I mean, isn’t that kind of a loaded question after… Wait, what day is it?”

“It’s the same day. It’s late though.”

She groaned and threw herself back onto Kayce’s pillows. “It couldn’t have at least been the next day before I woke up?”

“No, you know how our luck runs, but your brother also wanted you to be checked on. He was about to come up here himself, but I figured I would spare you.”

“My hero, thank you. Seriously. I don’t know if I can talk to him just yet.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s somehow going to turn into a lecture and I really don’t feel like being lectured right now.”

“Oh you mean how he and Colby tried to interrogate me as to why I answered your phone?”

“What do you mean they tried to interrogate you? About what?” Stella swept the sheets off and stood. “That you’re probably the main reason I made it out of that bullshit alive?”

“Hold on there, spitfire.” Kayce put his arm across the door frame to keep her from going out the bedroom door. He looked down at her. She was shorter without her boots. He wasn’t sure he’d ever stopped to think about it before. He had to clear his throat to keep from laughing at the cute scrunch of her face, her eyes squinted hard trying to focus in the dark without her glasses. “He just cares. Which you should be worrying about yourself right now. Not me. I can handle your brother.”

She crossed her arms, and squinted at him in the dim lighting.

“You should also probably get your glasses if you’re gonna be awake with me for a while.” She shoved him, silently telling him to fuck off.

“I guess I’ll stay up for a little whil—,” she realized she didn’t have pants on as the comforter brushed against her leg when she reached for her glasses. Kayce seemed to be ignoring her lack of pants, or it truly went unnoticed. “I’ll meet you out there in a second.”

After Stella heard him wander off, she searched for her black sweatpants. They had to be here somewhere. She had them on when she got back to the ranch. She looked on the bed. They weren’t there. They weren’t on the arm chair, the dresser or the floor. Anywhere on the floor.

“Where the fu—,”

“Lookin’ for these?” Kayce said in an amused tone. His arm was outstretched through the door, her black sweats dangled from his hand.

“Kayce John give me those!” She reached out and snatched them while he laughed and walked away.

His voice sounded far away in the living room. “What are they doing out here anyway?”

Stella walked through the door and into the kitchen, “I wish I could tell you, but I came in here and after I opened the door, I don’t remember anything else.”

She padded her way into the little living room. She sat down cross legged and faced Kayce on the couch. The quiet enveloped them both. She uncrossed her arms and looked at her hands. They started to shake as reality started to set in again. She killed someone with those hands. Two someones. She had snuffed the life out of them and couldn’t take it back. Yes, she had witnessed death more times than she should have at this point in her life. But she’d never been responsible for it.

“Kayce, what the fuck.” She leaned forward as a wave of nausea overtook her stomach, her face nearly touched the couch. He leaned over and rubbed her back. He chewed on his bottom lip as he tried to find the words. There was nothing he could say to make it any better. It definitely wouldn’t change the course of action she had taken.

“I know, sugar. You did what you had to do. To stay here. Alive, and with us. Like you said, they were coming for you and they weren’t stopping.”

“But I should have shot their knees or something. I didn’t have to go for their heads, Kayce. Fuck!” She moaned as she sat up. She ran her hands down her face. She started to hyperventilate.

“Stella,” he scooted closer and grabbed her hands bringing them down to her lap, “Stella, look at me,” he grabbed her full round cheeks. She stopped all forms of movement. She almost stopped breathing.

“Yeah?” Her voice was small.

“You did what you had to do. And if I’m right, he was a bad man—,” Stella interrupted and pulled back from his hands.

“— that doesn’t make it fucking better Kayce.”

“Yes it does actually.”

“What the actual fuck?!” Her temper raised her voice to a higher octave. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“You’re here with me and I don’t have to do this alone!”

Everything went silent. Both of them breathed heavier than normal as their blood pressure came back down. Stella blinked at Kayce, but he wouldn’t look at her. It wasn’t very often that you would find him raising his voice to her. She wasn’t sure what to do with the admission. Especially since the talk they had a few weeks ago. She hadn’t taken into account how important she was to him before. How crucial she still was, apparently.

“Look at me.” Her tone was soft. She didn’t want to scare him into leaving. She realized that he had been just as scared about her dying as she was. He took his time, but finally looked at her.

“I’ve always been your Huckleberry, Kayce. Why do you think Lee joked about us being attached at the hip?” Stella fidgeted with her hands and tried to keep her mind busy. “I made a promise to your brother that I would do almost anything for you and the family. You’re all Ryan and I have. You’ve done everything for us. I’m glad I’m still here. With you.” She reached out and grabbed his hand.

“The point I’m trying to make is that regardless of whether or not they were bad men, there’s still blood on my hands. How do I come back from that? I just—,” the lump in her throat cut her off. She puffed out air. She tried to catch her breath, but the thoughts stole it from her.

He brushed a strand of hair away from her face. He cupped her full cheeks to make her bring her eyes to his. He could see her starting to calm down.

“Baby, it’s okay. Whatever it is, we're gonna get through it together, alright?” He used the words she’d used for him time and time again.

Stella nodded, “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course Stella. You know you can always ask me anything.”

She hesitated. She felt childish asking this, but she really didn’t want to be alone. “Can you stay with me until I fall asleep?” Kayce smiled at her affectionately. The small way she asked was endearing.

“Come on, let’s go to bed.” He stood from the couch and grabbed her hand to lead her back to the bedroom. Stella felt her stomach tighten. She had been in and around Kayce in a bedroom plenty of times. They’d slept together for crying out loud. Something felt different now, and she wasn’t sure if she was overthinking it this time, or if something had actually shifted. She was torn, wanting to forgive him because he had saved her life, but also not wanting to because that shit had really hurt.

He walked in before her and pulled the covers down. He placed his hat off to the side and started to take off his boots. Stella was nervous and didn’t want to move more than she had too. He gazed over at her and could see the anxious look in her eyes.

Kayce assured her. “It’ll be okay. I promise. I’ll be in the house all night.”

Stella broke out of her daze and busied herself. She made her way to the bedside as Kayce took off his jeans. She sat down and watched him grab a pair of his own sweatpants. She bit her lip and looked away.

“How can you be sure? There’s so many places people can sneak onto the property and we all would be none the wiser.” Stella thought of all the different ways people could sneak in. She took her glasses off and set them on the nightstand on her side of the bed.

“Well, even if they do find a way in, we’ve got an entire group of people that will stop them.”

“I would rather it didn’t come to that though.” She didn’t want to endanger anyone else, more than she already had.

Kayce breathed out as he placed himself on the full size bed next to her. Stella scooted back toward the edge of her side.

He grinned. “I promise I won’t bite, Stell.”

“I know, I know. I just don’t wanna be all up in your grill.”

“At least make yourself comfortable. You don’t have to squeeze all the way over there.” He pulled the covers up over his lower half. Kayce placed his arm back against the headboard as if leaving a space for her to slide in. Stella squinted at him, unsure of what was happening.

Kayce reassured her. “Well c’mon.” She gnawed on her lip for an extra second and contemplated. She couldn’t help but feel like a line was being crossed somewhere. The exhaustion creeped in. ‘Whatever, I’ll deal with this later.’ She dismissed the idea. ‘That’s a later me problem.’

Stella shuffled underneath the blankets. She moved a fraction closer to Kayce, to which he huffed. He pulled her into his side.

“Since when did you become scared of me, huh?” He framed his arm around her shoulders giving her a gentle squeeze.

“I’m not scared of you. I just don’t want to be vulnerable again. We know how that ended up last time.”

Stella focused on whatever she could in front of her. There had been a lot that happened within the last 24 to 48 hours. She felt like the only thing she could do was be quiet. Some of the thoughts that ran through her mind still made her feel physically sick. Some of them left her uncertain. Her head was all over the map. How could she be thinking that something had changed between Kayce and she, when she had killed two people not long ago? Where did that make sense?

“I just think I’m tired, Kace.” Stella migrated farther into the blankets, but remained encircled in Kayce’s arm. “Can you turn the light off please?” The full weight of his arm dropped against her. He didn’t want her to clam up on him. He wasn’t sure what to do. He kissed the top of her head and leaned over to turn out the light.

It had only been a few hours since they had wandered into the bedroom. Kayce’s full intention had been to head out to the couch once she fell asleep. He woke up as he felt her rutch around. She was making small noises. Even faced away from him, he could tell she was troubled. She flopped back over and faced him again. She reached out and grasped his tank top.

He reached out for her. “Stella, honey.” One hand grabbed hers on his chest, the other touched her face lightly. He rubbed her rosy cheek and tried to pull her out of the nightmare.

“Stella.” Kayce said more firmly. Her eyes flew open as she breathed in a gulp of air. Her arms flailed as she grappled to get her hands on anything she could to keep herself from falling.

“Hey, hey, hey. It’s okay, Stella. I’m right here. You’re safe. You’re in the foreman’s house. Everything is alright.” Kayce told her quickly. He brushed the stray hairs from her face. She heaved trying to catch her breath making high pitched wheezes come out. She pushed his hands away, and kicked at his legs.

Kayce tucked his leg over top of hers, grabbed both of her wrists in one hand and brought them close to his chest. He laid himself over on top of her to weigh her down some. He leaned into her, as close to her face as he could get. He had to get her to stop struggling.

“Stella!” She drew back into the pillows. Her eyes fully locked in on Kayce, and she realized was safe. They both puffed and panted. Her short bursts of breath moved the hair in Kayce’s face. Their eyes locked and Stella froze. Time appeared to stand still.

“Come back to me, Stell.” He let go of her wrists and she touched his face. She had to make sure this was real, and wasn’t about to transition into a horrible scene.

“Oh my god, Kayce.” Her arms shot out and hugged him tight. As he dropped, he moved to his side. He rolled her with him and kept her in his grasp. She buried her face as far into his neck as she could and started to cry. “I’m a horrible person. I killed someone. I can’t take it back. I should be arrested, or in jail! But no, I had to call you, and now all of you are wrapped up in my fuckin’ mess too.”

He placed his hand on the back of her head. “Shh shh, it’s okay baby. It’s okay.” His heart broke all over again for her. He wished he would have gotten to that last man before she had to kill him. He would have gladly placed that on his shoulders, so she didn’t have to bear it.

“No! It’s not okay! I put everyone in danger—,” she hiccuped with tears.

“Baby, I came for you. I got you safe, and you did what you had to. You didn’t force any of us to do anything we wouldn’t.”

Stella got frustrated. She pushed back and away from Kayce. “Why do you keep calling me that! You made your feelings very evident when you ripped me apart!” She sat up and swiped angrily at her face. “You don’t get to call me that!”

“I don’t know!” He sat up and fixed his gaze on her. She glared at him. “I can’t do this anymore. You know we’re more than friends at this point.”

“No. No. I’m not doing this right now.” She started to panic. She clambered from underneath the tangled sheets on her legs.

“Stella, where are you going?” Kayce scrambled to get out of the bed behind her.

“Away from you!” She hurried and snagged her boots. She could hear his footsteps behind her. Her hand landed on the door knob and she started to swing the door open. It slipped from her hand violently as it was pushed shut by Kayce’s much larger hand. She gaped at Kayce’s arm and spun around and scowled up at him while dropping her boots.

He towered above her. With his hand on the door, his presence felt so much bigger. Their eyes finally met. They both huffed wildly. Stella felt warm. The whole room felt like it was on fire. She rammed her hands into his chest and tried to shove him backward. He moved, but swung back forward, keeping her surrounded.

“Kayce let me go!”

“No Stella. Not until you simmer down.”

“That’s not gonna happen with you in my face!” She shoved at him again. He grappled with her hands. Kayce yanked on them and straightened her back against the wall. He pressed himself against Stella’s body as close as he could get, then maneuvered his leg in between hers. That caused her to hike up, almost on her tiptoes. It made her lose her breath. She was taken over by a memory of that first time in her house.

Kayce gripped her chin in his hand. “Stella, stop. Focus.” She glowered at him. “I will let you go, but I need you to calm down. I don’t want you leaving here in a huff and getting hurt because you left unprepared.”

“Oh my god. I don’t need you to fuckin’ baby me.”

“I’m not babying you! I’m trying to make sure you don’t die!”

“Why?!” She screeched. “No one signed you up for that!”

“Because I fucking love you okay!” He let her go and she dropped back onto her feet. Kayce retreated and turned away from Stella. His shoulders dropped and he wiped his face with his hands.

The silence that enveloped the room was deafening. Stella sagged back against the door while she tried to catch her breath. She stared at his back, her mouth hung open, unsure of what to say. In a small voice, she asked simply, “Why?”

Kayce picked his head up, but he didn’t turn around. “Because after everything that’s happened in my life in the last 13 years, good, bad, horrible… you’ve never run.” Stella looked down at the floor. She went to adjust her glasses, but realized she had never grabbed them in her hurried temper tantrum. “Hell, even when I told you what I had done after Lee… you still, never ran.”

“I know I can always count on looking up and seeing you somewhere ready to fight anyone coming for me, or die trying.” She heard his feet move on the floor, but refused to look up. He placed his hand gently under her chin to bring her eyes up to meet his. Once she did, he released her face.

“I couldn’t breathe when I heard you scream and those gunshots, Stella. I thought I was gonna run to you, and you would be gone. My heart stopped.” He opened his arms in an offered hug. Stella sniffled and moved forward into the embrace. “I’m happy it was him and not you. I’ll say that every time. No matter if we got the chance to change it, or not.” Kayce said softly into her ear.

Muffled from his chest came the hushed admission. “I’m really glad it was you who came and had my back.” He softly smiled and put his chin on her head.

Stella stared at his chest. All the thoughts rushed through her mind at once. She leaned back to take a good look at him. When his eyes met hers, everything ceased. She threaded her hand through his hair and stood on her tiptoes to meet his lips halfway. Kayce wrapped his arms tighter around her, pulling her closer like she was his source of air. Their tongues danced along one another and Kayce let out a quiet hum.

She pulled back, leaning her arms on his shoulders. Kayce gazed down at her as if she held the universe in her palm. She timidly looked up at him in contemplation. The last time they allowed this to happen had been a whirlwind. Kayce watched her mind work.

Was she ready to forgive him? Of course she forgave him. She would probably always forgive him. They were both human and when all of that went down they were both vulnerable in different ways. They sought out comfort and safety with each other. Did it make it right that they both took advantage of each other? Absolutely not. But did coming to the realization they both weren’t perfect make it easier to swallow? Did she think they could work things out? Yes.

Amidst all the weirdness, he had put that aside when she needed someone the most. He’d saved her. She wouldn’t be here if he hadn’t rushed out to her. Was she ready to let him back in for real this time, was the question. His hand on her cheek brought her back to reality.

“You okay, Stell?”

A tiny grin settled on her cheeks. She placed her hand on his chest and with a hushed tone said, “come to bed with me.” Gently she grabbed his hand and led him to the bedroom.

Her heartbeat pounded in her chest so hard she could barely catch her breath. “Keep me safe.” She whispered. It was about more than just the act they were about to engage in. She wanted him to be careful with not only her body, but her mind. Her heart.

Kayce stepped forward, and kissed her softly. He reached down and wrapped the bottom of her plain white t-shirt in his fingers. Tugging upward, Stella instinctively lifted her arms to let the garment slide up and off. When it slipped over her head, her breasts dropped free of the shirt. They bobbed with her heavy breaths from her nerves.

Kayce took off his shirt to join her and tossed both to the side. The duo grabbed the waistband of their pants and quickly dropped them to the floor. They stood there taking each other in. He closed the gap between them and took her mouth with his. Stella met him with open arms. Kayce turned them about face and laid back on the bed, bringing her with him.

Neither of them came up for air as they slowly descended onto the mattress. Stella’s hand trailed its way from his chest, along his stomach. The muscles tightened as her fingers flitted along closer to their goal. Her soft fingers wrapped around his dick. Kayce broke their kiss to groan.

Stella placed soft kisses along his jaw and shoulder. She stroked his cock with a soft grip and loose wrist. With every pass of her hand she swore it hardened even more. He looked beautiful in this moment to her. His head was back against the pillows, lips parted, eyes closed. She gave him gentle direction. “Hey look at me.”

Kayce’s eyes shot open, searching for hers. When he found her, she was watching herself jerking his dick with her bottom lip pulled in between her teeth. She released her lip and looked back at him. The desire he saw in her almost stopped his heart. His penis throbbed and jumped in her hand.

She lazily sat up and pulled her hair free from the messy bun that sat atop her head. Kayce propped himself up on his elbows and groaned at the lack of contact, but her hand on his shoulder stopped him. Stella threw her leg over his hips and straddled him. He placed his hands on her thighs and gave them a squeeze.

Posting up, he reached between them and grabbed himself to help her aim. He pumped his cock a few times and he slid himself between her slick folds. Stella tossed her hair to the side and sunk down onto him. She watched him disappear into her waiting pussy. The sound she made was almost a purr when he was fully sheathed. Her head fell back and her eyes fluttered shut at the sensation of being full.

Kayce grabbed her arms and pulled her down to his chest. He propped his legs up on flat feet, pulling her in to kiss her. His tongue found its way into her mouth and she responded with a moan. Gradually he thrusted his hips upward. Stella’s waist came to life and ground down on his cock in time with his thrusts.

It was lazy and it was slow. There was no rush, and every feeling built upon the last one. Stella pushed back and sat up straight. She wound her pelvis against his. There was a particular angle he noticed she hitched at. When she came around again Kayce snapped his cock up into her dripping cunt. She buckled forward, catching herself on his chest. She kept winding her center against him. The electricity from him hitting that angle ran through to her toes. She whispered breathelessly, “fuck, Kayce.”

“I know, sugar. Lay down.” He helped her up off him. When she was settled he got comfortable on top of her. She subconsciously surrounded his waist with her legs. He angled his cock at the entrance to her pussy and dove back in. Stella embraced him, burying her face in his neck. Kayce’s hand trailed back along her side, and up her leg to lend her support.

He drove his cock into her slow and deep. Each time he hit her cervix she huffed out a moan. Stella was so overwhelmed with how deep he was she scratched at his back. “Kayce,” she mewled. “Shit.” She wasn’t sure how much more she could handle.

Kayce rolled his hips in a circle and felt Stella clench around him. “Fuck, Stella,” he sighed shakily. “You gonna cum for me?” He thrusted sharply when she squeezed him again.

“Yes, yes!” She cried out. “Please,” she begged. Her arms left his neck and she grabbed his midsection, spurring him into action.

He rose up on his hands and Stella grabbed her legs behind the knees to keep herself spread for him. He almost came at the sight. Kayce locked his elbows and pounded into her from the close angle, pushing deep into her. Small grunts left him from the effort. He felt his release rising.

Stella felt as tears lined her eyes. The pleasure absorbed her. “Kayce, cum in me,” she requested soberly.

Kayce’s thrusts stuttered, “oh fuck,” he groaned at her invitation.

She reached up to touch any part of him she could reach. “That’s it cowboy, come on. Cum in me.” Kayce dropped overtop of her and hammered into her. He growled louder with every push. Their keening grew in volume and he felt his cum shoot out into her begging cunt. He shook and stuttered. Stella sobbed with her orgasm.

They laid there intertwined with each other, trying to come back down from the high. Stella came to sooner and brushed Kayce’s hair back from his face. His eyes slowly opened and he smiled up at her.

“I’ll be right back.” He tenderly pulled out of her and shuddered at the loss of contact. He quickly went to the bathroom and turned on the water in the sink. While he waited for it to heat up, he cleaned himself up, and grabbed a separate rag to run under the water.

Stepping back into the room, he gazed at Stella laying there, knees bent and feet flat in the bed. “Come to the edge baby.” She slid herself to the end of the bed and he took the wet rag and softly wiped his cum off of her.

“We made a mess, didn’t we?” She asked shyly.

He chuckled. “Nothin’ a washer won’t fix.” He finished cleaning her up and threw the washcloth into the hamper.

“Can we go back to bed, and deal with this during normal hours?” Stella asked as she placed her hand on his chest when he came back to her.

Kayce breathed a chuckle. “Yeah, c’mon, Stellfire.”

#yellowstone #kayce dutton #yellowstonetv #luke grimes #ian bohen #ryan #kayce dutton fan fiction #yellowstone fanfic #yellowstone fanfiction #kayce dutton fanfic

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lazulian-devil · 4 months ago

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"Into the Frayed" Project

Im making a little masterpost for my audio drama WIP, which will allow me to conveniently send you where you need to be sent if you're interested in it.

Here are all posts I've ever tagged with "Into the frayed". And here are all the ones that relate specifically to the production process. Theres also the gods, if you want to look at the worldbuilding.

Whats "Into the Frayed"?

Into the Frayed is a fantasy audio drama, told via letters. It happens in my fictional world of Valfern (Val coming from the german word "Wall" meaning wall or fence, Fern coming from the german word for far, in the distance, or yonder). If you wanna know how to say that properly, google how someone would say Walküre (thats Valykrie) in german. The "fern" is honestly fairgame because I say whatever feels best. Sometimes more german, sometimes more english. Go bonkers.

Valfern is a world in which magic isnt perceived as positive, instead being a corrupting and malevolent force. Unfortunately, magic doesnt care much about its public perception and therefore sinks its teeth into many a thing, including people. These people are called "Jinxes" and generally ostracised. Theres a whole lot more to it (old gods and new gods and a surprising amount of plant research) but thats the gist :p

Our protagonist is Vaughn, a person (because I havent cast any voices yet, they could be any gender) who is slowly developing into a Jinx and needs to run away from their village to save themselves. They take this journey together with a Ravensworth (thats a fancy title for a mercenary) and write letters to their last ally among wolves: Franzis, their childhood friend. Vaughns goal is to make it beyond Sentinel, the city at the mountains border. Its a known story that the people beyond dont view Jinxes as Jinxes and if they just make it that far, they would be fine.

So only one question remains: Will they make it?

So, what now?

I'm working on finishing a "Proof of concept" episode, that has the first exchange between Vaughn and Franzis and is about... 5 letters aka 10-15 long? If that works out and I like it and enjoy making it, I have enough of a plot outline to script a small seasons worth of content (no more than 90 minutes total, because of sanity).

I did plot out the entire storyline and the supporting cast, but one needs to start small and grow steadily instead of burning once and brightly.

Anyways. I hope this gives you some insight into what I'm doing. If you have any questions, do ask. Especially world building questions.

Otherwise, I'll just start word vomiting all my research in small tidbits into my Tumblr.

Bye :)

#into the frayed #audio drama #fiction podcast #audio fiction #podcast production #into the frayed production

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honeycollectswhump · 1 year ago

Note

Can we get any insight into Ashtray's conditioning/training, or maybe Mistress trying many different types of cigarettes to compare the taste (and how they burn him differently)? He's my new favorite little guy :)

congrats, you unlocked some lore! i hope you enjoy the little hints about who ashtray used to be :)

A Step Towards Ashtray

[masterlist]

CW: isolation, captivity, emotional distress, cigarette burn, implied pet whump

Behind the heavy, metal door there is a young man, though legally that description would be wrong. Behind the door, there is a future companion object, handpicked to satisfy his potential buyers in any way possible. But then again, right now he is barely at the start of his journey to becoming a perfect companion object, so Eskil Thorn just calls him a trainee, his trainee.

It had been quite the odyssey over the past two weeks or so, watching the trainee scream and claw at the door, sobbing a certain name. Of course, that did nothing to help him. Eskil knows the recipe to the perfect start is letting the trainees simmer in isolation for a bit before introducing them to their future purpose. Now that the screaming has finally stopped, maybe from exhaustion or his voice giving out, it’s a sign for Eskil to start the process.

Stepping inside, he takes in the sight before him. The trainee is curled on the floor –like a feral dog– staring at him with red-rimmed but beautifully big blue eyes. Bits of ripped-out hair lay around him and Eskil makes a mental note to nip that behaviour in the bud. His golden-blond hair is one of the trainee's assets, which will eventually put him in a high price range and Eskil can’t let him ruin that.

“Are you ready for your lesson?”

The trainee nods frantically.

“Please, sir, anything! I– I can’t– please!” he rasps, inching forward to Eskil.

If he were any other designation, Eskil would love the begging. It’s always a sweet surprise when the trainees exhibit these behaviours early on. Unfortunately however, that won’t be a necessary skill for him, though it is undeniably a promising start.

With shaking hands, the trainee grasps onto Eskil’s pants, his eyes shining with tears. “Don’t leave me alone, sir, please!”

Perfect.

“Sure, I’ll stay with you for a while. But you have to do something for me first.”

See, where the other handlers try to force it, Eskil lets his trainees take their first steps on their own. And to get them motivated, isolation works wonders.

The trainee is basically vibrating with desperation. It’s not his first lesson. He doesn’t beg to be let out anymore, not since they shocked his signature out of him, and he’s given up on insisting on “his name”. Instead, it is a sort of resigned despair that makes him perfectly malleable.

“Wh-what do you want me to do?”

With a smile, Eskil pulls out a cigarette and a lighter from his pocket. Something warm prickles in his chest as he looks at the lighter, a gift from his wife, decorated with small doodles. Slowly, he lights the cigarette and takes a single drag, watching smoke fill the room.

He sits down, his legs crossed, and lets himself be warily watched by the trainee. They stay like that in silence, Eskil sitting patiently, the trainee kneeling on all fours before him like a dog, seemingly undecided between wanting to lean away in suspicion and throwing himself in Eskil’s lap.

Then, he holds out the burning cigarette, inching it closer to the trainee, who just blinks uncomprehendingly. Maybe his future purpose is still beyond his understanding, Eskil supposes.

“Come on, give me your arm, will you.”

The trainee flinches and gawks at him with those big blue eyes, his lip twitching as he suppresses a cough.

“Why?” he whispers, his eyes fixating on the cigarette. Still, he doesn’t move away from Eskil’s vicinity.

“Oh,” Eskil chuckles, “I think you know exactly what for. Now, don’t you want to be a good boy? It’ll be worth it, it’ll all be worth it in the end, I promise.”

Eskil just watches the trainee’s shocked expression morph between conflicting emotions. The promised touch is like a drug in his starved and isolated state. Until eventually, the trainee nods, defeated. He holds out his arm as if he could choose.

Deliberately, Eskil moves the cigarette bud closer and closer to his shoulder. The trainee only tenses up, flinching away from the heat, but makes no move to flee.

The cigarette makes contact with his skin and he lets out a strangled yelp, eyes flitting to Eskil’s face, as if trying to figure out if this noise would be enough to make Eskil leave.

Ash spreads over the trainee’s pale skin. There is barely a mark beneath it yet, but it will come in time—his first burn blister of hopefully many.

Satisfied, Eskil flicks the extinguished cigarette to the side and opens his arms. After a breath of hesitation Eskil pretends not to notice, the trainee flings himself into his embrace, his chest hitching with silent sobs.

He claws into Eskil’s shirt with a feral need that goes beyond the two weeks of isolation, beyond the acclimation period after the walk-in. Maybe he sees something in him, some sort of figure he lost and whose comfort he secretly grieved. It is all out in the open now, the trainee’s soul ripped fresh open for the world to see. A brief burst of vulnerability, soon to be replaced by perfect obedience.

Suddenly, hesitantly, the trainee raises his head from Eskil’s shoulder, catching his gaze with immense sorrow.

“Sir? What… what will happen to my little brother? N-now that he’s all alone and he’s never been alone, I’ve always been there for him and he’s–”

Eskil shushes him softly, laying one hand on the back of the trainee’s head.

“There’s no my for you anymore, never forget that. But I’m sure he’ll manage.”

taglist: @whumpsday, @2in1whump, @sodacreampuff, @webbo0, @toyybox, @clickerflight let me know if you want to be added or removed :)

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littlecrittereli · 9 months ago

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It's been a long time since I watched Wild Kratts but I didn't even know he had a fandom, I'm so happy, and your story made my dream come true, I would love to create a story like you, but I'm not very good at writing stories What tips would you give to a beginner <3

I don't consider myself a super great author to be honest, I'm much more confident in my illustrations! But as someone who is completely self taught: here are some tips I use when I write my stories! (these may not apply to everyone, but they do help me) Outlines

If I'm writing a plot-based story I make an outline of all the major plot points I want to make and separate them into chapters. I reference this outline when I'm writing a chapter and it helps me meet all my "goals" for that particular chapter! Of course you can be flexible with this. Say one of your plot points dragged out a little too long and you want to save something for the next chapter, you can adjust your outline as you go! Sometimes your idea will change as you write it, and that's okay! revise your outline accordingly. For me, it's handy so I don't end up spiralling completely off the path I intended and lose the conclusion I wanted to have. Here's an example of the outline for my Reprogrammed AU. (Only chapters 1-5 to prevent spoilers for unreleased chapters)

as you can see, it doesn't have to be super formal. This is literally just in my notes app. As long as you can understand and follow your ideas, that's all that matters.

Get a Beta Reader!

I do not actually have a beta reader currently, but sending your writings to someone to proofread is one of the best ways to get genuine feedback. Try to find someone who is also pretty educated on proper grammar. I learned more about proper formatting from a fanfiction beta reader than I did in school im so fr. At the very least, make sure this person is comfortable with giving you constructive criticism. If something reads a little awkward or if a plot point doesn't make much sense/could be solved with an easier method, it's a lot easier for someone to point out when they didn't write the piece.

Study fanfictions/books you enjoy

Honestly... just reading a lot has made me a better writer. You will begin to notice the way authors describe certain feelings or environments, and that can give you insight on how to go about writing your own ideas. If I find an author I really like, I will try to dissect WHY I like them so much. Is it their accurate characterization? Do they describe emotions well? Are their plots engaging? Is their dialogue interesting? Find out what makes their writing so interesting so you can incorporate those traits into your own story. This goes for the way they format their writing as well. For example, I've found I prefer when chapters are around 1k-5k words. Really short chapters can make the story seem choppy when the reader has to constantly click to the next page, it kinda breaks the immersion of the story. Instead I try to use chapter breaks as interesting pausing points for suspense. I love it when authors leave their chapter on a slightly unfinished note. So I'm curious for the next chapter, but also I feel fulfilled with what I've read so far. And I've discovered this by analyzing the stories I enjoy!

And the most important advice I can give.... PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE!!!!

Writing is similar to drawing in the sense that in order to learn, you must DO it. You have to make the shitty stuff before you find out how to make it better! It's honestly just part of the creative process. I still have some short stories I wrote back when I was a preteen and ITS BAD LOL but I needed to go through that in order to learn and grow and be more confident in my storytelling capabilities. And just like illustrations, everyone starts at a different place and everyone's process is different. SO BE PATIENT AND DON'T GIVE UP! Write that story! Even if it's bad, who cares?! You wrote something! And next time, you will write something even better!

#asks #littlecrittereli

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mylifeinfiction · 7 months ago

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Harleen by Stjepan Šejić

He smiles... and I make the worst mistake of my life... I smile back.

As fascinating an origin story as it is a compelling, thematically complex study of mental illness, Stjepan Šejić's Harleen shows us the 'meet cute' behind the twisted relationship between Gotham's Clown Prince of Crime, The Joker, and Dr. Harleen Quinzel. It's heavy on the psychiatric, favoring conversations and inner monologue over any substantial action; a choice that works beautifully in showing how inevitable Dr. Quinzel's transformation into Harley Quinn really was. However, the moments of action we do get, throughout, are delivered in a satisfyingly graphic manner that effectively displays the erratic, manipulative psychology of these characters.

I really enjoyed getting a more nuanced look into Harley Quinn, a character I'm mostly familiar with through animated series (where she's little more than a caricature of 'mad love') and films (where's she's so far gone, there's really no trace of Dr. Quinzel left). Šejić's smart writing and gorgeous artwork elevate this character to something more interesting, more consequential, than a secondary villain while also giving further insight into the psyches of several other Batman villains, in the process.

9/10

-Timothy Patrick Boyer.

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stranger-fanfiction-n-things · 9 months ago

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PROLOGUE

(Gif and photo of Michaela DePrince)

This is an Original Character fanfiction. All Stranger Things characters and content are owned by Netflix and The Duffer Brothers.

a/n: This is my first fanfiction ever. I believe pacing and context is important in any story. This is going to be a slow burn. Hopefully this prologue gives you a little insight on who Diana Sinclair is separate from The Party.

I am a ballet dancer so there is a lot of dance terminology in this. I urge you all to look up some of these moves and positions.

Anywho, let me know what you all think!

Word Count: 1032

Masterlist

PROLOGUE || PART I ||

Sunday November 6, 1983 - BELOV DANCE ACADEMY

Piqué tour. Piqué tour. Upper body. Piqué tour and…double pirouette en dedans.

“Beautiful, Diana.” Madame Petrovna praises over the melodic rhythm.

My cheeks grow hot and I continue to dance breathing deeply through my nose. I prepare myself for the hardest move: the Gargouillade. I still didn’t quite understand it, but let my body guide me through the movement. Extending my right foot dégagé to the side, rotating my leg in a small rond de jambe, while pushing off the floor with my left leg to do another rond de jambe with my left foot.

“And jump!” Madame Petrovna exclaims. “Yes, yes.”

I perform the gargouillade again, wincing slightly at the second rond de jambe. I didn’t circle my foot completely.

“Don’t show me you’re tired, Diana. This move is supposed to look effortless.”

I force myself to smile to hide my disappointment. Soutenu, soutenu, step, step. Double pirouette down to the knee and pose.

“Good. Very Good girls.” Madam Petrovna says, clapping her hands in her poised manner. Which meant we could do better. “Waltz of the Flowers to the stage please.”

We all curtsy before running off stage. As soon as my body disappears beyond the curtain, I deflate wiping the sweat off my forehead with the back of my hand. My cheeks burn from exertion. The Dance of Marzipan was a little over two minutes long but it was one of the hardest dances in The Nutcracker Showcase as lead.

The Waltz of the Flowers orchestration begin shortly after and I watch the performance quietly on my own, swaying from side-to-side en pointe, the malleable shank of my pointe shoes bending with the arches of my feet with each shift in weight. I need to start breaking in my other pair of pointe shoes mom bought for me two weeks ago. These were dead. I glance at my wristwatch. 7:00pm. I sigh, exhaustion weighing down on me. We’re running late as usual.

“You’re doing great,” a voice whispers near my ear.

I whip around, clutching my necklace.

“Sorry for scaring you!” Mei Wong says.

Mei Wong is the Sugar Plum Fairy in the annual showcase of The Nutcracker at Belov Dance Academy. She’s also a senior at Hawkins High, most of the girls at the Academy are. I didn’t talk to her or anyone much, my shyness getting the best of me. I always had Nancy until she quit last year. Mom says I need to “put myself out there more” and make new friends at the Academy. The proposition sounded like a death sentence.

I sigh in relief, revealing a small smile. “It’s okay.”

“I just wanted to say, you did so well in your routine. I think Madame Petrovna made a great choice picking you to be lead.”

The audition process for lead was grueling and downright nasty. The girls at the Academy were extremely competitive and I didn’t have a competitive bone in my body, choosing to have fun and enjoy the experience. It didn’t mean I wanted the part less than the other girls. Deep down, I really wanted it and practiced every day after school until the auditions with help from Nancy, Barbara and Mom on technique and presentation. The voice at the back of my mind constantly nit-picked my skills. Taunting me with cruel words and insecure thoughts. You’re too short. You’re not good enough. You can’t dance. You will never be like Mei Wong or Sophie Miller. If it weren’t for Nancy, I would’ve made up an excuse to not audition.

Two weeks later in the front room of the Academy, I held my head high as I walked to the bulletin board and saw my name across Lead Marzipan.

“Thank you,” I say. “It means a lot coming from you.”

“Don’t thank me, you deserve it. Have you ever thought about Juilliard?”

Juilliard? Last month, Madame Petrovna announced that Mei Wong applied for Juilliard. That was huge for us small-towners. Unheard of even. Juilliard was Emerald City to us at Belov Dance Academy. A place where hopes and dreams can come true.

I shake my head, toying with my pendant. “No.”

“I think you should. I can definitely see you going there.”

I blink unable to comprehend what I heard. Mei Wong is by far the best dancer at the Academy and she was telling me she can see me at Juilliard. The Mecca of all things art. The magical place far from home. Mei looks at me, concern etching her features and I realize I’m staring at her.

“R-Really?” I stutter.

“Of course!”

“Oh, wow.” I answer, sounding breathless in my ears.

Mei nods her head in response and I sense the conversation is over. The silence is awkward and a wave of acid wells up in my stomach. I have so much to ask her, but the words are caught under the lump in my throat.

“I’m gonna get ready with Ben. I’ll talk to you later?”

I nod cursing violently in my head for being so…awkward. When Mei was far enough, I groan plopping myself down on the floor. Stretching my legs in a straddle split, I watch the girls in Waltz of the Flowers. I don’t pay attention because the acid in my stomach turned into butterflies. Juilliard. I never thought about the school until last month and now Mei thinks I should consider auditioning.

You know dad won’t let you go.

I lay down on my stomach resting my chin on the back of my hands. The butterflies in my stomach harden to knots. Juilliard is in New York. Dad wouldn’t even let me see Prince in Indianapolis. The closer to Hawkins, the better. Dad didn’t appreciate change. He was at peace in Hawkins and its simplicity. If he found out his baby girl wanted a life outside of Hawkins…I’m sure it’ll break his heart and I couldn’t stomach the possibility. The look on his face.

I shake my head, pushing down the thought. I just started sophomore year and had more than enough time to think about college. Especially Juilliard.

CHAPTER 1: THE VANISHING OF WILL BYERS

#stranger things rewrite #black fem reader #stranger things #stranger things fic #steve harrington x female reader #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson fanfic #ballet #DianaSinclair #sinclair!reader #eddie munson x black!reader #steve harrington x black!reader #eddie munson #eddie stranger things #Eddie Munson fanfic

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