#i havent continued it in a bit but i also left off in the questions arc

[stellarosa]

i'm still in the questions arc of umineko but i love seeing maria and beatrice smoke battler like a blunt

I KEPT FORGETTING I HAD THIS IN MY INBOX. its been so busy hi cora :)

but yeah its awesome i love how pathetic battler is in comparison <3 beatrice and maria are so cool. besties forever

[thelov3lybookworm]

Menace

Summary: She's heartbroken. all it takes to fix a broken heart is a friend who's also a menace.

•○●⛦●○•

A/n: heheh for my baby @garden-of-runar 🥹🥹🥹

i feel like i couldve made this better and i will try my best to improve hehe anyways I HOPE YOU LIKE IT

also was gonna post this tomorrow but i love Runar too much to make her wait and also i havent posted anything in a week so 🤷🏻‍♀️

a treat for everyone ig 🤭

uhhh anyways

ENJOYYYY

°•°•°•○🌑○•°•°•°

Again. It happened again.

She knew she should not have been surprised, she had expected it even. But it still hurt, the rejection still stung.

And it was all her own fault.

She should have bottled her emotions up. They obviously did not matter to the love of her life, then why should it matter to Y/n?

Locking the door behind her, Y/n silently slipped off her heels, hoping no one was awake as she began tiptoeing towards her room. Slowly, one step at a time, she moved, avoiding the planks she knew creaked, her steps light as she cracked open the door to her room.

The sigh of relief escaped her all too soon, and she regretted letting it out when she turned around to meet two perplexed hazel eyes staring at her.

"Care to explain why you are returning at this hour?"

Something about the tone of the statement irked her, and Y/n straightened, the anger and madness she’d been holding captive till now bursting out.

"I don’t see how it is any of your business." She snapped.

He blinked at her, surprised at the harsh tone. Y/n instantly felt guilty. He was not the reason for her bad mood, and she knew blowing off the steam on him was wrong when he probably was just concerned for her safety.

"I- I’m sorry, i didn’t mean to-"

"Why are you sorry Az?" Y/n grumbled, settling down at the foot of her bed, her face in her hands. "You were just concerned for my safety."

Silence, and then the scuff of a boot, coming closer and closer. She felt him settle down next to her, the slight breeze stirring her hair, the mattress dipping next to her, and then the soft touch on her knee.

"Did something happen?"

She did not speak for a long moment, and then- "You ever been in love, Az?"

From the lack of sound, she knew he did not expect that question, and if she was being honest, neither did she. She just blurted out the first thing that came to her mind, and somehow it was one of the most damning thing she could have said. "Never mind- you don’t have to answer."

But he did.

"I… I have been. Still am."

Y/n separated her fingers to peek through at him. She didn’t know what to say, so she just kept quiet in hopes he would continue as she let her hands fall to her lap.

"She… is the most beautiful person I have ever seen. The most kind hearted, the most adorable female. So helpful, an amazing friend."

Despite being so close to Azriel, being his best friend, Y/n had never realised that he was in love with someone. She hated herself a little for it, feeling like she was a bad friend, but it was not the time to have a self deprecating party, so she turned her attention back to him.

"Have you ever told her?"

He sighed, meeting her eyes. "I was going to tell her today… but that’s not the point. Did something happen tonight?"

Y/n swallowed, knowing he wouldn’t let it go. "I… I told my friend I loved her. She… rejected me. Was quite mean about it too."

He stiffened. "What did she say?"

"That she never wanted to be with me and would never wish to be and all that." She sniffled, flopping back into the plush mattress.

He remained silent for long enough Y/n started to wonder if he had left, but when she lifted her head to peek at him, he looked deep in thought.

Knowing Az, he was plotting something.

And with the way his shadows churned and swirled excitedly, it was not good.

Especially for his victim.

"What are you thinking?"

He glanced at her, a glint in his eyes.

"You up for a friendly outing?"

Oh fuck.

After a bit of contemplation, she offered him a smile. "Maybe…"

°•°•°•○🌑○•°•°•°

"Az, I think we may have gone a bit far-"

He shushed her, his eyes unmoving from the door.

Specifically, the door to the home Y/n’s one love lived in. Rhea.

She must be coming out any moment, and with every moment that passed, Y/n’s heart raced.

This could go very wrong very fast.

The door swung open, and out stepped Rhea.

Just as she turned to close the door behind her, a bucket of ice cold water emptied on her head, leaving her sputtering and gasping, her head swinging around wildly.

Y/n ducked further away, her heart climbing into her throat, and despite the fear crawling around her veins, a smile broke on her face when Azriel grinned.

Rhea had just opened her mouth to speak, but then a shower of flowers came out of nowhere, sticking to her wet and trembling form.

The ones that she had an allergy to.

It would be nothing serious, but it would keep her awake and sneezing for at least a day.

Y/n obviously felt guilty, but…

It also made her feel light.

Azriel turned to grin at her, and then he grabbed her hand, dragging her away before Rhea could see them.

They could have easily winnowed, sure, but neither of them were thinking as they bolted away, running until their feet screamed in protest, until their lungs heaved, until their throat ran dry.

Until they couldn’t help but stop on the bridge over the Sidra, hands on their knees.

Y/n glanced at the illyrian beside her, panting.

He met her eyes, a boisterous laugh unexpectedly leaving his lips.

After a moment, Y/n couldn’t stop herself from joining in,clutching his shoulder and her stomach as she wheezed.

"You’re a menace, Az." she coughed.

He stared at her, his smile making his face practically glow.

"Only for you, sweetheart."

he started walking again, knowing Y/n would follow.

And she would have, but something made it impossible to move.

Y/n stared at his retreating back, her smile slowly fading.

Soon, he realised she wasn't with him, turning to call her name. she hurried after him, a feeling she was all too familiar with beginning to take root in her stomach.

Sweetheart.

°•°•°•○🌑○•°•°•°

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[guniniz]

─ falling asleep on facetime with zb1. ့ ◌๋  ✿

# genre … fluffy scenario’s of how i think zb1 members would react to you falling asleep while on facetime, some are romantic relationships and some are just friendships !

# note … i havent written anything in a while so im sorry if its messy lol. also didn’t proofread it oops. was gonna do all the members in one part but i got tired so hanbin, jiwoong and hao it is !!

── 彡 [한빈] HANBIN

you and your best friend hanbin had been working together on a mix & max performance for studio choom.

you guys had spend the entire week working on the choreo trying to perfect every little detail

it was a very long day and it was starting to get late so the both of you decided to call it a day and grab a quick bite to eat before heading home.

conveniently hanbin picked out a spot that was almost directly in front of your house so you didnt have to walk home for that long. (though he insisted it was just cause he really enjoys the food there).

while waiting for you order you were lightly dozing off to which hanbin suggested to just get take out so you could head home but you insisted you “weren’t that tired”.

after finish your meal he dropped you off at home and was about to leave when you told him to call you on facetime so his walk home would be less lonely and to “protect him”.

he laughed at the silly remark but humored you and called you as soon as you closed the door.

as he was walking home you were getting ready for bed and talking about some random stuff. he was another 20 minutes away from his apartment when you got into bed.

hanbin told you you were going to fall asleep and to just hang up but you persisted you would stay on the phone until he got back home.

a few minutes passed and hanbin wanted to ask you something about the choreo but when he looked the screen he could see you had fallen asleep.

as he thought about you so heavily insisting you weren’t gonna fall asleep he laughed a bit to himself. he knew this would happen, he is your best friend after all.

he continued his walk without hanging up enjoying your “company” until he got home. as he got in to his apartment he whispered good night to you and finally hung up.

he couldnt help but to text you “what happened to protecting me?” after though.

── 彡 [지웅] JIWOONG

jiwoong and you became friends after both of you getting cast in a webdrama a few years back at the beginning of both of your careers.

recently the director of said webdrama reached out to you again to see if you were interested in staring in his new higher production drama.

to your surprise the director had asked jiwoong the exact same question and he also accepted the request.

as soon as you found out jiwoong had accepted too you texted him to set up a time to do some script reading over facetime

but due to both of you having busy schedules the only time left to do it was towards midnight.

jiwoong called as soon as you got back home from you busy day and you guys exchanged some small talk before you started reading the script.

as you were reading you could feel your eyes slowly closing no matter how hard you tried to concentrate, in the end you lost the battle against yourself and had fallen asleep.

a few more minutes go by and jiwoong finished reading his script, as he is about to ask you if you finished reading yet he notices your eyes are closed.

not knowing for sure he half whispers your name to see if you’d react. he couldn’t help but laugh a little when all he got in response was a small snore.

he slowly started to put away the script and clean his desk trying to be as quiet as possible as to not wake you up (he didnt think about the fact that he could’ve just muted his mic)

and even though he confirmed you were asleep and he could hang up he decided to stay on the call a bit longer looking at you peacefully sleeping.

as he was looking at you he started to think that maybe acting out romantic feelings towards you won’t be so hard.

── 彡 [장하오] ZHANGHAO

as you and hao were currently doing long distance you guys decided to watch a movie together online.

after some light bickering hao ended up getting to pick the movie you were gonna watch.

you took your phone with you to the kitchen to get some dinner ready while he did the same, you both made the same meal to feel a little more connected.

as you were getting settled on the couch hao was setting up the movie you guys were gonna watch on some site.

you guys were enjoying the first bit of the movie while eating your dinner. the movie was alright and didnt really pique your interest but it was your bf’s favorite movie and he was enjoying himself which honestly mattered more to you.

you finished your dinner and put your plate away to get even cozier on your couch, you snuggled into you blanket as you kept watching the movie. hao stealing a quick glance at you and smiling at how comfy and cute you looked.

you were pretty full from dinner and felt very comfortable in between your blankets on the couch and you could feel yourself slowly getting tired, trying your best to keep your eyes open.

you almost dozed off when suddenly you heard hao calling out to you.

“y/n dont fall asleep we’re almost at the best part of the movie!” he said as you quickly fluttered your eyes open. you were going to protest that you didn’t fall asleep but you knew there was no point.

you continued watching the movie and tried very hard to concentrate so you wouldn’t miss your boyfriend’s favorite part.

as it passed hao kept checking for your reaction to see how u were enjoying the movie so you gave him a smile and he went back to enjoying the rest of the movie.

as the ending credits started to roll hao asked you what you thought of the movie but when he looked at the direction of where he propped up his phone all he could see was you wrapped up in your blankets and laying down.

he grabbed his phone up and just looked at you smiling to himself. he had really missed seeing you like this. he always thought u were the cutest when you were sleepy.

before he hung up the call he took some screenshots to tease you with later, mentally adding this moment to the tally of how many times you’ve fallen asleep during a movie (and definitely not just cause he missed you so much and thought u looked adorable)

— pt.1 | pt.2 | pt.3

[saintmagx]

Chamber of Horrors 😈

Grayson Waller x reader

an: just came across Grayson Waller on Chamber of Horrors with Scarlett and Shotzi and it gave me some inspo 👻 IF YOU HAVENT WATCHED IT, YOU SHOULD! He is literally polite, respectful, funny and hella scared. This story doesn’t follow the video exactly because my memory is bad and I started writing this so long ago I forgot so much stuff, plus trying to rewrite a video is kinda hard 🫣

‼️ Warning: swearing, bad story telling, cringe writing, not proof read, just rambles no actual good storyline‼️

“Our final guest of the night is the current WWE Woman’s Champion y/n!” Kayla says excitedly.

Walking out into the cozy studio my nerves settle slightly, I’ve never been on the bump before, nor had any kind of chat show interview before, so I’m a little overwhelmed. I make my way over to the other guests Scarlett and Shotzi and sit down next to them.

“So welcome to your first ever bump appearance, how has it taken us this long to get you here?” Kayla asks.

“Honestl-”

Cut off before I could even answer, a strong accent fills the studio, Grayson who was also a guest - who was joining us via video chat - had to pipe up - it’s what he does best.

“Let me answer that.”

“You see, yn wouldn’t come on the show unless yours truly was also a guest. I mean can you blame her, who wouldn’t want to be on the same show as the Aussie icon.”

“Ah yes Grayson of course, every time they asked me to come on the show I would say unless you have thee Grayson Waller on your show, I ain’t interested.”

He smiles and slightly chuckles, unable to retaliate.

We continue to hype up the next PLE. Shotzi and Scarlett then go onto speak about the release of more episodes of Chamber of Horrors.

“Yn we would love to have you as a guest on the next season! It would be so fun.” Scarlett suggests.

“Absolutely not.” I say - little too quickly.

“I might come across as someone who is tough but deep down I’m scared of most things. And being in an area that is high on the paranormal activity is a definite no for me.”

“We would be there, nothing would happen to you. It’s completely safe.” Shotzi tries her best to convince me to appear in the show, but her words fill me with little confidence.

“I’ll go on if you do yn.” Grayson declares.

“What?”

“If you do the show, I’ll do it with you. Moral support and all that. Plus if you get too scared you can always hold my hand.” His signature smirk creeping onto his face.

Feeling like my back was against the wall I agree to appear and anyway they might not ask me to be on it for a long time and we might not even go to somewhere that is extremely haunted. I was unfortunately wrong on both fronts.

The call to appear on an episode of Chamber of Horrors came all too quickly. It was decided that we would go and see Bloody Mary in New Orleans, which involved a seance and an independent ghost hunt around the haunted house.

Sitting around the table in a circle, Bloody Mary describes how the evening will go and says a few incantations to start of the seance.

“First we will go around the table and introduce ourselves to the spirits. Squeezing from left to right on our hands.” She tells the table.

She introduces herself then squeezes my left hand. My turn I guess

“My name is yn.” I then squeeze Grayson hand for him to start

“My name is Grayson Waller, Maddison square garden main eventer.”

“I’m Shotzi”

“I’m Scarlett”

We continue to hold hands until Bloody Mary continues. She introduces us to a doll named Henry. Scarlett picks him up and places him onto a clearly uncomfortable Graysons lap.

“He likes the ladies, he’s a bit of a flirt.” Bloody Mary explains to us.

“Aw yes lad! We could be brothers.” Grayson says, “however I have to move you closer to Shotzi and Scarlett, can’t have you making moves on people you shouldn’t be.”

I look at Grayson confused, why would he say that?

“So is it true someone at this table hasn’t seen a horror film.” Bloody Mary questions. Looking around the table I find it hard to believe. Shotzi and Scarlett are literally horror queens and I’ve dabbled in horror movies myself, like who hasn’t. That only leaves Grayson…

“You haven’t seen a single horror movie? Like ever?” I quiz Grayson.

“Nope, I just like laughing. Why would I watch something that would make me scared?”

Stunned.

“The fact you haven’t seen the all time classics, I’m shocked. We have to change that.”

With a playful glint in his eyes he reply’s “are you asking me on a date? I mean I suppose if you were there to hold my hand I wouldn’t mind watching a scary film.”

And that right there is the famous Grayson Waller charm. I roll my eyes and laugh off his flirtation.

“I’ll ask theory to show you some of the classics. It’s gonna change your life.”

“I’d rather you show me them. I think I’d appreciate them more with you.”

He smiles slightly and shifts his attention back to Bloody Mary. Not noticing how his response had affected me.

The part I had been least looking forward to, the ghost hunt. We had been given free rein around the house to look and interact with any spirits we may encounter.

There had been a few words here and there but nothing that was concrete evidence that the spirts were among us. It could all be explained or passed off as a coincidence until I heard Scarlett and Grayson in the bathroom.

“Shotzi, yn come here quick.”

We entered the bathroom and were met with both Scarlett and Graysom standing in the bathtub. We join them without question and wait.

“Can you tell us your name” Scarlett asks the spirits

“Zach”

“Zach is there anyone else here with you?” She continues

“No”

“Killed her.”

“Sorry”

Scared, I find myself gravitating towards Grayson who instinctively grabs my hand. I’m not sure if he sensed my fear or if he too was scared however in that moment we were a comfort for each other.

“Killed who?” Shotzi asks this time. However there is no reply.

“Hey Zach can you say hello to Grayson?” She continues

In a mimicking tone

“Hi Grayson”

The mood is slightly lifted and I can’t help but chuckle this spirit has went from confessing to horrific crimes to making fun of Grayson and I’m here for it.

Unamused Grayson replies “oh, you think you’re funny do you?” The spirit did indeed think it was funny.

We move to a different room due to the activity in the bathroom dying down. The room we enter is a playroom, legend says that the small cupboard is where a small child still plays. We decide to have a game of rock paper scissors to see who will go in the cupboard. Shotzi is our first, then Scarlett.

“Can’t you just go in the cupboard? I think I would die of fear if I had to go in.” I say pleading with Grayson.

“Sorry love, fairs fair. Ready?” He replies.

Rock, paper, scissors shoot. I went with paper and Grayson well he went with rock. With a smug look I go stand next to Scarlett and Shotzi awaiting for Grayson to climb into the small cupboard.

“I’m literally in skinny jeans, I can’t do this.” He complains while backing into the small enclosed space. Not even a minute later he is screaming and scrambling to get out of the cupboard.

“Something touched me. Something touched my leg.”

“What?” We all ask.

“When I was in there I felt something grab and pull my leg.” He reiterates.

Finding his way next to me, he slides his hand into mine, again to find comfort. I squeeze his hand as a reassurance that everything was going to be okay. Looking down at me I can see the appreciation in his eyes.

Scarlett sits on the floor and asks the spirits some final questions - much to our dislike.

“Do you like Grayson?”

“No”

Grayson on hearing this throws a little tantrum

“I’m here, I’m trying to learn, I’m being respectful” before he can continue the spirt cuts him off

“Nerd”

The mood once again has been lifted at the expense of Grayson.

Shotzi continues to question the spirit.

“What about yn? Do you like her?”

“Yes”

“Pretty”

“You’re damn right she’s pretty. But ima have you ask you to back off mr ghost, she’s off limits.” Grayson replies

Shotzi and Scarlett share a knowing glance while i remain calm and composed- on the outside that is. On the inside im screaming.

That has got to be the most frightening experience of my life. The cameras have stopped rolling and we are standing in front of the Bloody Mary’s ready to part ways.

“Okay, I’ll admit it was kinda fun, however under no circumstances will I ever come back on your show.” I tell them.

They both laugh and tell me I’m a baby.

“I don’t know how I’m going to sleep tonight.”

Grayson jumps in “oh I don’t mind helping you out there. I can think of a few ways to help you sleep.”

Scarlett and Shotzi dismiss themselves sensing we need some time alone.

“What’s with the heavy flirting? You’ve been at it all night?” I question.

“Well what normally happens when a guy flirts with a girl?.”

“You’re not just any guy though, you’re Grayson Waller. Serial romancer.”

Slight offended he replies “I thought my actions would have been louder than my words? I like you yn, I like you a whole fucking lot. My mind, body and soul is captivated only by you.”

Silenced by his confession in struggle to think of the right words to say. I want to tell him I feel the same. I want to tell him how my every fibre and being yearns for him. Slowly I see the hope in his eyes fade as I’m taking too long to reply.

“Listen if you don’t feel the same way just say it I need to”

Before he could finish his sentence my lips meet his. He returns my kiss with a need and passion I’d only ever read in books. This is what he needed, this is what we both needed. Each other. Pulling away our foreheads rest on each other while catching our breath.

“How about a nightmare on elm street? A classic franchise to break that horror movie virginity of yours.”

He chuckles “as long as you’ll be there, I’ll watch anything.”

I honestly dunno what this turned into but here we are…….if you would like tagged in any of my stories let me know and I’ll add you to the list.

Tagged:

@jeysbae

@blueflowermentality

@co-sharkie

[taki118]

Yakuza Fiance ep 5 Manga Comparison

After the overstuffed ep 4 ep 5 is a breath of fresh air still some context missed but not as badly, as always the differences are below, and I'm using fantranslations cause I'm lazy.

So thankfully they did keep the conversation I said the dropped last time. Re-ordering things is still dumb to me (I think the Renji talk would have been a better cold open) but at least its here. Though again there are some differences

For one they took out Yoshino noticing all the missed calls/messages from Kirishima which is a funny thing. The anime does make up for by actually having Yoshinos head move around the room as Kirishima points out weak points which is a nice gag that takes advantage of the medium (wish they would continue that)

(Not relevant but I think the box of sauces they show at the end of the scene is reference to an extra the manga had about Tokyo not having a bunch of sauces that Osaka has)

For once the anime adds in a scene that isn't ominous starring, giving us Yoshino looking at test results to flow into her fears about the actual exams, which is nice.

So its not a change here but due to pervious change the dialogue in the anime makes less sense. So as I said in ep 4 when Yoshino is talking to Kirishima about her dad he lets her in on the fact he's looked into her family so when Yoshino asks him here how much he knows about Tsubaki it makes sense. Because the anime dropped this bit the anime view has to assume that like Yoshino assumes he did this.

So here is a bit they dropped during the conversation after meeting Tsubaki that I feel like is a waste

Yoshino more explains what she means when she says Tsuabki is such a Kyoto girl, noting they went all the way to Ise once and just had food from a Kyoto restaurant chain. Its funny and sad to see it go but overall ok to drop.

This isn't like a dialogue change but a shot change kinda I havent mentioned it much but a lot of the shot choices the anime makes are odd but this one is a bit of a loss. When Yoshino looks at the sandals in the anime she just does a height comparision with Kirishima and its cute but

But its not as cute as Yoshino tugging Kirishima by the arm to look with her. Also it cuts that Tsubaki is starring at Kirishima who's obviously enjoying the attention.

The conversation Tsubaki has with Kirishima about his behavior towards Yoshino (which FYI is really important and I could talk more on) is pretty accurate a few reorderings but this was dropped and i just think its a shame

Its good insight, and an added visual to help bring everything across.

Anyway the lead into Tsuabki and Kirishimas "date" is much the same the big drop is this bit with Yoshino

It again shows that she is a lot smarter than she gives herself credit for, knowing what they'll talk about.

So the ferris wheel scene is pretty accurate but they left out a rather important bit where Kirishima is explaining his theory about Yoshino having never lost a kidney.

They don't show HOW Kirishima knew the scar wasn't quite right for kidney removal, in the anime the assumption is that he looked it up in the manga they note that he had a specialist take a look this specialist being one of his friends with benefits. This is important because this lets you in one WHY Kirishima is primarily with these women (and they are all women) all of them have something he needs, connections, information or skills that he does not have access to normally. He's not just sleeping around for the fun of it even Ayano the girl we see in ep 3, she's a model with boyfriend who has connections. This is subtle set up to pay offs down the line as Kirishimas actions are better explained. Its a rather important loss and really eye opening on re reads as things begin to click.

and this leads into another thing where technically its the same but subtleties are missed. The anime just has Tsubaki note this is an odd convo on a ferris wheel and questioning why Kirishima is so fixated on Yoshino, before Kirishima talks about the train ticket.

The manga however first has Kirishima state he wished he could be on the ferris wheel with Yoshino, which adds context to why Tsubaki asks her question. Then Kirishima hesitates, he thinks for a moment before bringing it up because he knows this information will get to Yoshino and he's weighing his options. It adds weight to what he says letting the reader know that this is indeed important. Also it removes a line where Kirishima explains he wasn't given any extra funds so he had to scrape it together another hint for later.

So the rest of the ep is pretty accurate, nothing I can really take too much note of, not as much as other episodes but what was dropped is pretty disappointing in many ways.

[beplerblurbs]

reactions when you play with their hair

(s.hanbin, lee jeonghyeon, zhang hao, ricky)

hii i havent been posting because of finals,, but i saw the finale and i really like the lineup!! i really wish keita or phanbin also made it, but i will be listening to ciipher and waiting for a wakeonez debut :)) enjoy this though

fluff, shorter!reader, trainee!hanbin, unistudent!jeonghyeon, musicteacher!zhanghao, boyfriend!ricky

s. hanbin

your boyfriend just came home from a long day of training. thankfully the agency was close to your guys’ apartment, but that also meant his sweat was fresh too…

“welcome home!” you cheer as you prepare dinner for you two.

“hi honey,” his sweet voice comes behind you and looks over your shoulder to see what you’re making, about to hug you from behind.

“hanbinnn, i told you to shower when you get home” you shimmy forward and look up to him with a lighthearted pout.

he laughs, “i don’t even smell that bad!” you furrow your eyebrows, waiting for him to accept reality. he sighs, “okay okay, i’ll be quick, love you!” walking to your guys’ room to wind down and shower.

…

hanbin comes out of the room in his pajamas and a shower headband in a shape of a dog’s face, hair still damp. you can’t help but chuckle, “i’m glad you like my gift,” he smiles “whatever”

you guys eat dinner and talk about each other’s days, quieting down just to enjoy the food and quality time. you wash the dishes together and get ready to watch a show in bed.

hanbin realizes he’s left his headband in for a bit too long, “ah, now my hair dried all weird” he mops sitting up in bed. you coming out from the washroom, finished your nightly routine, smiles. “its okay,” you laugh “here, i’ll fix it.” you walk up to his side of the bed.

you take off the headband slightly, hanbins looking up at you with a warm smile. he wasn’t wrong, his hair was disheveled, half up, half drooping. you dont say anything though, you just run your fingers through his hair, fluffing and loosening it while combing it down to its normal state. hanbin sighs and leans his head into your chest, “this is really nice” you smile and continue playing with it a bit.

“okay you’re handsome as always now, lets watch this episode, i heard from hao that its really dramatic” you open up the blanket hanbin is under so you can sit between his legs and lean back on him. he was so greatful to have small moments like this with you.

lee jeonghyeon

jeonghyeon and you were studying the the same course at your guys’ uni apartment… more like you were forcing him to study.

he goes on and on talking about being some genius lee and thats why he doesn’t need to study. however, his recent test grades say otherwise, which is why you guys are studying together now.

when you guys were studying together, he had some questions about some topics and he seemed genuinely interested in getting better for his grades. you were charmed by his lost looks and wanted more, so you teased him.

“hey y/n what does this term mean again?” jeonghyeon points to a word you know but you can’t give it to him so easily when he looks so cute with a small pout.

you smile and lean in close to him, you can see it in his eyes, he’s freaking out a little bit, trying to focus on something other than your pretty face. “hmm, i’ll tell you if i get a kiss” you grin without teeth. his ears were getting red and he leaned back, he didn’t want to give in so quickly, even though his heartbeat doubled in speed.

“w-why ? you didn’t do this when i asked before?” jeonghyeon couldn’t even sound calm, your hand was on the table so close to yours, making him even more nervous. you go back to your original position, “okay you can figure it out on your o-“ you were pulled in for a warm kiss. he holds onto your hand.

immediately reciprocating, you scoot your chair closer to him and deepen the kiss. after a minute, you guys pull apart out of breath. you were so surprised with his immediate affection, you were now with the red face.

“can you tell me the answer now?” he smiles lightly with swollen lips. you still find him so cute like this, knowing he just wanted to kiss you but acting like it was for schoolwork.

you smile, let go of his hand in order to play with the ends of his hair on the back of his head. “i think you made me forget,” he shyly smiles looking away but still letting you play with his hair.

he pulls your head into his shoulder, “you know i really like this, we should study more together.”

zhang hao

you work as a freelancer, mostly online, so naturally as your boyfriend, zhang hao, is busy studying to be a music instructor, you spend most of your day alone until he comes from practice.

around an hour before hao comes home you prepare dinner, but you know his busy schedule can be unexpecting. to make sure he has a hot meal ready, you keep the food covered on the dinner table. so you can reheat the dinner once he gets home.

waiting for hao, you sit on the couch while watching a reality show. you sit properly but slowly lean your head back and dose off.

you woke up when you felt a shift in your lap. you also realise the feeling of a neck pillow around you. oh whats this… you slowly rub your eyes open, your show is still on but muted. looking down in your lap you see zhang hao, still in his outside clothes and sound asleep.

he looked so calm and affectionate, snuggling closer even in his sleep. you felt so grateful to be his safe space. you couldnt help but run your fingers through his soft hair and rub the back of his neck.

hao being a light sleeper wakes up and peeks one eyes open, “mmm i love you,” he mumbles. you smile. “i love you too hao, you must be hungry” you lean to the side to get your phone but hao grumbles cutely, eyes still closed.

“can you keep doing that for a little?” you were confused, “do what?” you see the time, it’s already too late for dinner.

“playing with my hair,” he usually isn’t this straightforward, but his tiredness seemingly made him this cute.

you giggle, “anything for you.”

ricky

sipping your hot latte, you’re waiting for your boyfriend, ricky, to come in the neighbourhood cafe for a quick coffee before your actual date, a fun couples art session.

you were sketching in your book, planning out what possible artworks you guys could make together. 15 minutes has past of when you guys had agreed on meeting and he still hadn’t come yet. did he change his mind or something? you couldn’t understand why he was late

feeling sad, you plug in your earphones, put your head down and doodle to distract yourself. you were on the verge of tears when you feel a tap on your shoulder.

“surprise!” you turn around and see ricky with a messy bouquet of flowers. he sees your glossy eyes and bends down so your eye to eye.

you take a tissue and dab under your eyes, “where were you?! its been 20 minutes since you said you’d come” you lightly shove his shoulder and pout.

“im sorry babe i saw all the flowers out while walking here and i thought you’d like them… sorry i kinda got carried away with picking pretty ones for you,” he awkwardly laughs and hands you the bouquet wrapped in todays newspaper.

you couldn’t help but smile, ricky has always been so sweet to you, and you know you could not stay mad at him. you’re heart swelled as you took the bouquet, seeing familiar flowers. he put his hand on the table.

“babe i forgive you, but these are our neighbours’ flowers they’re gonna be so upset” you smile, no more tears threatening to leak. he shyly laughs. you knew he already did it and there was no point on drilling it in on him.

you set down the bouquet in your lap and held his hand on the table. “nevermind that actually, thank you ricky, i really appreciate it,” you ran his fingers through the back of his hair and played with the ends. “you did well”

rickys ears turned red, looking away slightly smiling. “hm? what are you thinking?” you ask,

he looks at you, “i really like this, i should come late more often” ricky leans his head back slightly in satisfaction.

“ugh whatever,” you pull away, he smiles seeing you blush. “well? we have an art session waiting for us, i’ll get a coffee and we’ll go?” you nod happily.

he walks up to the counter and you look back at the bouquet. growing even more appreciation for him.

[definitelynotshouting]

Hiya!! back again, i require the cat lore. why is he named anarchy?

also have you heard of los campesinos? their songs too many flesh suppers and we are beautiful we are doomed remind me of hunger au

in too many flesh suppers they have the lyrics : "They found two dogs hung from electrical pylons By their hind legs, just down from my road You slit their bellies open, left the knife inside They'd ripped off our collars, we had nowhere to hide" which makes me think of grian and his perception of himself as a monster and the connection of the lifers to cattle "Walk so far, blisters form and heal" sort of literal, chapter 1 "Too many flesh suppers, too many scents linger" also quite literal "You don't pay back the debt you owe your parents for birth By giving grandkids in return" The watchers, what they expected from him, yknow all that "You watch them die Through your declining eyes" they're going distinct and he's dying with a sorta morbid pleasure "My clandestine, broken cage We'll keep them secret 'cause there's no other way You ripped off my flesh And my heart gripped the ribs like a prisoner" just felt similar to your imagery we are beautiful, we are doomed: "As you squint and you grimace, we both know your heart's not in it" the way they know he's lying (the leather boots, the banter that's a bit too dark) and the things that used to be fun are tinged with darkness "I'd like to meet them but they loathe me and I hate them back" the bitterness towards the hermits since he got kicked but they were also his family "Absence makes the heart grow fonder, fondness makes the absence longer" since he was gone people began to question the choice to kick him but now that people want him back he's even more desperate to end it quickly "Length loses my interest, I'm a realist, I'm insatiable Stopped counting days until I fly, with hours before your reply" to him there's no way to continue living without hurting people which is not what he wants "And you feel terrified at the thought of being left behind Of losing everybody, the necessity of dying Oh we kid ourselves there's future in the fucking But there is no fucking future" its a whole thing, people you care about and you miss and you want them to be ok and to be in their life but its one or the other and you're actually a worm in a human skin suit "I'm just practising my accents, picking at old sutures" practicing his lying to mumbo voice "I cannot emphasise enough that my body Is a badly designed, poorly put together vessel Harbouring these diminishing, so called vital organs Hope my heart goes first" the whole thing. its not- he's a worm but he's grian but he is worm he's not a player and all that complicated-ness

this got way longer than i thought it was going to be but i hope you enjoy? and i hope its somewhat cohesive??

-🍁

BEHOLD THE CAT LORE

Also omg???? I ADORE THIS ANALYSIS THATS SO COOL...... i havent ever listened to this band before but i'll look them up and give these songs a listen :DD i love how much thought and effort you put into this, leaf anon!!!! Absolutely wonderful, this was a treat to read!!!!

[redthesizeshifter]

The Contract - Chapter 1.5

So I had to separate Chapter 1 into two parts since it was 6k words long jeezuz.

But fret not! I have here the missing part of Chapter 1! Enjoy!

In case you havent checked out Chapter 1

After the event organizers turned on the lights inside and rearranged the tables so it would resemble a restaurant again, Eliot had gone up to the frontman to tell him that they were both a couple now and that they wanted a table. The frontman nodded with a smile on his face and let them inside again. They looked around to find a table and sat down.

Eva ordered a margarita and Eliot ordered a tequila on the rocks for himself. Eva chuckled, amused.

“Straight up tequila? Wow, I didn’t know you were such an old man” She teased with a giggle as she handed the menu back to the waiter and thanked him for the order.

“You youngin´s just don’t know how to appreciate a good tequila!” He said with a gruff voice as he shook his fist in the air and leaned his head forward, emulating an old man, prompting a loud laugh from Eva as she quickly stopped it and cleared her throat. Eliot noticed that immediately and tilted his head to the side.

“What was that?”

“What was what?” Eva said, trying to evade the question.

“You laughed and you stopped yourself, I like your laugh.”

“Ugh, no, no one likes my laugh, it's hideous, loud, and obnoxious.”

“Are you kidding? I laugh like that all the time, don’t feel like you need to hide yourself from me, okay?”

Eva had been looking away, evading his gaze until he mentioned not hiding from him which made her turn slowly, looking directly into his eyes. She slowly smiled sweetly her hand in front of her mouth as her eyes fluttered slightly at him. Her cheeks slowly lifted, slightly squishing her eyes as she nodded slightly.

“That’s grand coming from someone who hasn’t told me their name or is it Rudolph? Hiding your name from me is rude.”

Eliot blushed deeply. He forgot to tell her his name?! What was wrong with him?!

“OH! AH! Sorry, I thought I did tell you my name! Gah… The name is Eliot. Eliot Martinez”

He extended a hand towards her as he does usually at work to his clients. He realized that was a bit dumb as he began to take his hand back until he felt her fingers wrap around his hand as Eva had reached over to take his hand and shake it.

“Eva Morrison. One and only.”

His chest did the thing again. A smile slowly revealed itself on his face as he shook her hand confidently.

“Pleasure to meet you, Eva Morrison. Lore-keeper of the books of Tolkien”

He added as he pulled her hand over to him and kissed the top of it before letting it go.

“Oh? We are giving each other titles now?” She said keeping the smile that Eliot had brought out in her as the drinks were left on the table. Both their eyes didn’t look at the drinks. Their eyes were transfixed on each other´s. An intimate connection slowly being woven. Their banter, their interactions, their attraction to each other´s bodies, the fluttering of their hearts on their chests, they were enjoying each other´s company and they both loved it. They lifted their drinks with a small cheer and drank their respective drinks. Eva began to down the drink bit by bit as she kept her gaze on Eliot. Eliot did the same, downing the tequila straight.

One thing that they had both also established is that they were competitive and wouldn’t back down without a fight. As the last of their drinks was drank and both cups hit the table, their smiles intensified as Eva shook off the alcohol from her system and leaned closer to Eliot to say teasingly:

“Now. Question time, I want my 20 bucks.”

“You’re on, aut”

…

Both of their laughs could be heard echoing inside the restaurant and even outside as they got to their sixth drink, their minds dispersed, and their words slurred as they continued to talk. They had been asking questions to each other about Lord of the Rings but suddenly Eliot began asking questions that related more to Eva while she returned the favor.

“What is your body count?” Eliot had asked

“What a forward old man you are! How could you ask-? Five.” She said at first sounding offended and then uninterested as she drank her sixth margarita.

“5? Hmm, interesting. I just wanted to ask, now ask me. Ask me anything!” He said as he drunkenly leaned back on his seat.

“What is YOUR body count Mr. I-get-all-the-bitches?” She asked him with malice as she eyed him quizzically.

“Hmm… one”

“ONE!? NO SHOT!” She had said a bit too loudly, some of the people at the place looked at her a bit weirdly but carried on their night. Eliot covered his face with his hand embarrassed of his answer as he looked away with a goofy smile on his face.

Eva loved talking to him, especially to tease him, she felt a sense of security and familiarity with him. She had loved asking questions, getting to know him, and seeing him blush, smile, and get embarrassed, he was cute. Really cute. A wicked idea sneaked into her mind, the same one she tried when she asked the last question at the blind date event. It didn’t work at that point but now, she would make sure it does. Her heel lifted and the front of her other shoe pressed down on the back of it, her socked foot slowly and seductively sliding out of the shoe.

She felt her brain warn her not to do this in public, that this was inappropriate, but she didn’t care. It was so fun to see him blush and squirm slightly. She found a lot of pleasure seeing Eliot squirm under her, almost like she was seeing a tiny bug writhe under her, but the bug could speak and also looked human, and also looked like Eliot. A tiny Eliot. That idea would be so cute to see. She lifted her leg and put her foot above his thigh under the table. Eliot yelped in response, a visible deep red invading his face instantly as he looked at Eva with an adorable expression. Eva loved watching him squirm under her, he was so precious when he got flustered, her eyes locked onto him as she saw the panic across his face, probably from him being flustered to oblivion and back. She chuckled lightly and pondered on the question that she had asked until the words slurred out of her mouth, the alcohol invading her judgment to not be so forward, but she just found him incredibly attractive and craved more.

“Want that body count to go up?” she mouthed over to him

She could’ve sworn he shifted downwards on his chair, right as she said that. Her foot pressed playfully onto his thigh and climbed up slowly as a gentle chuckle escaped her mouth, massaging it slightly. She was going to bring this guy to her apartment, whether he wanted to or not.

…

DON’T SHRINK DON’T SHRINKDONTSHRINKDONTSHR-

His mind raced a million per hour, his drunkenness did NOT help him control his senses and size. Her foot was now slowly massaging his crotch teasingly, causing his already pulsating cock to react happily against the sole of his attacker. She did want to tease the hell out of him! He tried to make a snarky remark, but his words were stuck at the bottom of his throat. On queue he felt himself slowly dwindle smaller, centimeter by centimeter he felt himself go down in size. Shit! How much height did he lose up until now? 5 full inches from what he counted. He had to accept her deal for now, so they could at least go to a more private area.

Although this was more for convenience to get out of there, he also deeply desired to have her tower over him, to step on his tiny form as she stared seductively down at him.

His drunken imagination wandered, he imagined how he would slowly shrink in front of her naked form, taking in the size he was losing and letting her chuckle at his slow shrinking until he was but an inch tall to her. He looked up at her from between her feet as she lifted her foot and knocked him back with it, laughing above him seductively, his face lit up badly.

Snap out of it!

He desired it more than anything but couldn’t bring himself to trust this human. What if she couldn’t be trusted? What if this was too good to be true? Maybe he should get back home on his own and not think about this anymore.

His throat slowly began to untie itself as his hands lifted her foot off his crotch to make a statement firmly. He was going to tell her that he had had an amazing night and that it had been fun, but he needed to go back home. He took in air and looked at the confused expression on Eva´s face as he put down her foot.

“W-Where do you live, hun?”

Huh? That was not what he was going to say.

…

In the cold air of the night, the two lovebirds walked towards Eva´s apartment. Or more likely they stumbled towards Eva´s apartment. She was trying to balance herself on the cracks of the street as Eliot carried his suitcase and Eva´s bag, watching her, amused at her drunken behavior. Not that he wasn’t drunk, he felt plastered, but Eva was acting so adorably that he couldn’t help but chuckle sometimes which would prompt her to turn her full body around and reply with a drunken:

“HUH? Whatcha lookin' at, Rudolph?”

“Oh nothing, you’re just acting so cute” He would tease as she would frown at him and turn away, a small blush forming on her face. Eliot felt this was a slight revenge for her teasing. But what had happened? He wanted to respectfully deny her invitation. Why did he say yes?! Any other interaction with her like the ones at the restaurant would probably send him straight to microscopic size! Not that he had ever reached that height but still, drunk, in love, and horny was not a great combination in any case.

Eva began singing a song as she waddled forward on the sidewalk.

“Would you take the wheel,

If I lose control?

If am lying here,

Would you take me home?

Could you take care

Of a broken soul?”

Eliot recognized that song. It was the one that was playing at the restaurant before they left. Eva had made the off comment about how the song was so powerful to her and how she loved it. She then hopped over to Eliot and held onto his arm affectionately as she snuggled it. Eliot smiled up slightly at the drunken Eva… wait, up? Right, he had lost a couple of inches… how many? He had been slightly taller than her but now he was looking up at her slightly. He honestly lost count, but he just needed to not lose control again, easy right? He held one of her hands onto his and sweetly planted a kiss on her forehead. Eva stopped in her tracks and looked at him with a surprised expression, a small blush slowly began forming onto it. Eliot laughed loudly, amused at the sight, oh how the mighty have fallen.

“You got so flustered! Not so funny when you´re the one being teas-”

Eva slowly leaned in closer to his face. The puff of smoke touched his nose and lips as she neared closer. Eliot´s chest swelled with excitement and fear, warming it up slightly. Their faces neared closer and closer as their lips slightly touched. As if they had felt a jolt of electricity they immediately backed away for a second as if not entirely sure if to continue or not. Eliot´s heart pounded in his ears, the blood rushed through his body and that feeling he had felt when he saw her outside the restaurant for the second time came back to him, the warm feeling he felt on his abdomen. He wanted her. He needed her. Life would be impossible to live with a woman like her. Their chemistry is blatantly obvious and their likes are also obviously similar.

He felt his worries flood into his mind suddenly. She might find out about you. She might exploit your ability. She will leave you in the morning anyway. He backed away a bit further before suddenly feeling a hand envelop the back of his head the slim fingers going through his hair and scratching his scalp slightly. A shiver went down his back.

“Kiss me, you idiot” Eva would say before she pulled him into a passionate kiss.

Ecstasy.

The world around him became alive, the noises surrounding them became livelier, his body heat skyrocketing, his thoughts blank. He returned the kiss passionately, he didn´t care about his size or her seeing him small. He really didn´t care, let her take everything. Let her take his pain, his feelings, his size, his secrets, everything. This woman had been a delight to meet and talk to for the past few hours and he liked everything about her, her body, her personality, her interactions with him, and her competitiveness. He craved nothing more to be with her and to have her looming above him, whispering sweet things into his ear.

He had only talked to her for a few hours, and they had connected better than with any person he had been with. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she pressed herself against him, her waist pressing against his, her kisses were lustful but there was also something else to them. In a way, he sensed she felt the same way about him. That word that had lingered in his mind before came back. He didn’t want to say the word, but that’s exactly what he felt for her at that moment. He felt like he could linger in this moment forever, kissing the woman he liked in a passionate and loving kiss that could last for eons.

All that was left was just to let himself go. He felt the warmth in his abdomen take over his whole body. Before he realized what he had done he was already falling through the cold air of the night. Shrunken.

[lady-fenikkusu]

Hi! I'm probably going to be in your inbox frequently because I need to tell you how much I love your story. (Not a play by play because that'd be annoying but like. Every so often. If that's okay.) This might get a bit long so I apologize.

Okay so first, like before, Love soft Nari. Second, I absolutely adore the lore you've given to make the other cults and bishops more realistic. A lot of fics I've read (i havent read a ton. Working on that) have started after TOWW gets usurped so starting at the beginning is a different take that I love. I also really like that the side characters you normally see on crusades are at the camp teaching and training. Amazing.

I'm still in darkwood and I love the rituals and lore bits you've given to Leshys cult (and making me want to give the poor worm a hug). I like that you've expanded on what their thoughts are and going back and forth between what's happening with Leshy and what's happening at the camp. (I was going to cry if Crescent didn't make it.)

I'm very excited to continue reading your story!!!

(I don't have an ao3 account yet and I'm reading it all at once because my work wifi sucks so whenever I get a chance I can just pull up and continue where I left off)

💖

Hello! By all means, come and chat, I have tea and cookies to share, (and a whole backroom worth of tissues, blankets and pillows to hide in when the feels hit.) I love knowing people like my story so please, feel free either here or on A03 to comment. The lore and how everything came to be the way it is comes from an old headcannon since in game after the Heretic pack add on, you could randomly find followers in small villages or towns and only by answering their question correctly could you then recruite them, so it made me think that maybe there are some pockets of both the Lands of Old Faith and rest of the world where their are smaller Cults who scrape out a living under the Bishops or away from them. The NPCs being there is based on my own gameplay, as all through Darkwood and Anura, I constantly had Forneus and Ratoo showing up midway though my runs so as a nod to that I brought them into the grounds. Leshy and the Darkwood Arc were fun to write, (I like to think Leshy would like hugs a lot.) Happy reading friend, remember your tissues and water bottle!

[trickstarbrave]

i havent proofread this. i just wrote whatever my little heart wanted

heres some childhood friends voryn and nerevar with trans nerevar

slight romance but theyre like. 10-14/15 in this (in human years???? elves are weird) so. its nothing more than little kisses.

also used she/her pronouns until voryn would know differently. bc its mostly from his perspective

The first time Voryn saw Nerevar, he knew Nerevar was someone special. Short, fluffy white hair, bright blue eyes, and a devilish grin had Voryn wanting to be closer and closer to the strange elf. 

In all honesty, he thought Nerevar was a boy when they first met. She had that sort of boyish charm, that mischievous look. The name didn’t help either--it wasn’t distinctly feminine or masculine. Not to mention the way she carried herself, the dirt under her nails, and the wooden sword on her belt all screamed “boy”. 

The day they first played together it was warmer than usual. Typically in Kogoruhn the wind carried the cold air from the sea of ghosts inward and gave it a pleasant, cool breeze even in summer. But instead the wind carried the heat from Red Mountain down, making it hot under the blazing sun. Annoyed, Voryn eventually discarded his shirt before picking up the large branch to continue play-sword fighting with Nerevar, and soon after Nerevar did the same. They were about to head back into town when they were both thirsty and their shoulders were just turning red, when a familiar man came out into the ash, a glare on his face. He recognized the man by his pale hair--Nerevar’s uncle. 

“Young lady--” Nelvon Mora snapped, partially covering Nerevar’s body with his ash cloak. “Where is your shirt?!” He was clearly furious, only confusing Voryn more. Nerevar wasn’t a girl--or if she was, Voryn didn’t see what the problem was. It was hot outside, way too warm to be playing around with a shirt on. When his mother took him to Mournhold lots of children played shirtless in the city, running around carefree. 

“It’s in my bag.” Nerevar replied, before her uncle dug it out and started wrestling her back in it. “It’s hot--!” Nerevar began fussing, only to get a firm tug on the ear making her yelp. 

“You’re a young lady now, you can’t be running around without a shirt on no matter how warm it gets.” Nelvon looked annoyed and disgruntled. 

“I said she could.” Voryn spoke up, trying to defend his friend. “I did it first.” 

Nerevar’s uncle looked his way, before sighing, still keeping a tight grip on Nerevar’s arm. “I understand, young lord,” Nelvon began, “But you’re a young man. What might be appropriate to you isn’t appropriate for a young lady.” 

Voryn didn’t understand what that even meant. If Nerevar was a girl, what did it matter? Why was Voryn allowed to not wear a shirt because he was a boy, but Nerevar wasn’t? 

He’d asked his mother afterwards why Nerevar was in trouble for it. His mother only sighed, sitting him on her lap. 

“You and Nerevar are nearly at the age your bodies start changing and you begin to grow into adults.” Voryn cocked an eyebrow, confused. “The two of you will grow in different ways, and her uncle just doesn’t want her in the habit by the time the changes start.” 

Voryn was still a bit too young to understand, but he nodded his head and didn’t question any further for the time being. From that day on though, Nerevar was given linen and cotton shirts that breathed easier or wrap tops that left her arms exposed. Yet, she seemed more self conscious about them as they were distinctly more feminine. 

--

As they got older, Voryn became interested in romance. He slunk around the library when he had time to himself, pulling the few romance novels off the shelves, reading in the corner. He liked the way they described fluttery feelings, held hands, and professed their love. He liked it more so when it was two men who fell in love, usually in times of war or battle, exchanging blows to measure their hearts. 

Voryn really only saw himself kissing and holding hands with another boy, when he fantasized about it. Heirs were supposed to get married and have kids, but the idea of a wife never really appealed to him. He didn’t find himself attracted to the poetic descriptions of princesses in long, flowing dresses and snake-like smiles. He much preferred the raw strength of the warrior-heroes and their rugged looks. Besides, he found it easier to get along with boys, why wouldn’t he want to kiss them too? 

Well, there was one exception. His heart always fluttered when he thought about kissing Nerevar, but… Nerevar was different. She wasn’t delicate and feminine, but just as boyish as Voryn. Hell, Nerevar was more boyish than Voryn in many ways, preferring the sword and physical activity, enjoying nothing more than wrestling in the ash and mud with the boys. 

“What are you doing?” Nerevar was suddenly at his shoulder while he was deep in thought, causing him to jump and drop his book. Nerevar snickered as he rolled his eyes. 

“You’re going to make me lose my place…” He groaned, picking the book back up and trying to get to the previous spot he was at. Nerevar wrapped her arms around his shoulders, practically hanging off him as he flipped through the pages. 

“What are you reading?” She asked. Nerevar had learned to read shockingly fast. Her eyes flicked across the words as he skimmed as well, looking for the page he was on. 

“It’s a novel about a war between two clans.” Voryn explained. “The main characters are two men who were friends before the fighting broke out and decide to work together to stop it.” Voryn finally found the spot he was at, where the two characters finally confessed, kissing one another in the rain. 

“... Two boys can kiss?” Nerevar asked quietly, her eyes wife as though marveling with the revelation. 

“... Yeah.” Voryn answered back, his cheeks feeling warm. “Araynys has a boyfriend. And there’s lots of stories like this.”

“Can I read with you?” She asked, and when Voryn nodded his head she got comfortable leaning against him, now just resting her head on his shoulder as they read in silence. 

--

Nerevar’s uncle left her at Kogoruhn. When he asked Nerevar about it, she just shrugged, looking indifferent. It was supposed to be a good opportunity for Nerevar; here she could get a good education and find a good job or husband. At that comment though Nerevar would glare and roll her eyes, proudly declaring she’d never get married. 

With her uncle now gone she could cut her hair shorter, at least, something she seemed to really enjoy. With short, choppy hair she looked a lot happier, smiling as bright as the sun. 

They’d just finished playing with some of the other children in town and the stronghold. They said they wanted to play a game of capture the princess, but Nerevar, despite being the only girl, refused the role of “princess”. Instead she volunteered Voryn, who was now grumpily sitting in her lap after she spent most of the game running around with him in her arms. 

“You always make me the princess…” Voryn grumbled, annoyed. They were just about to be teenagers and here Nerevar was still bossing him around.

“But you’re cute like a princess.” She teased, still with that wolfish grin that made Voryn’s heart race. “Besides, how are you going to pick me up and carry me? It’s way easier for me to carry you.” Voryn rolled his eyes, messing up her hair with his hand, making her laugh more. 

“You’re even cuter when your face is red--” She continued, and Voryn glared.

“Shut up.” Voryn could feel his face and ears turning an even brighter shade of red. 

“Cute~” Nerevar teased, poking his cheek, and Voryn huffed. 

“You’re cute too.” Voryn looked away, still flustered. At that, Nerevar got offended. 

“I am not!” 

“How am I cute but you aren’t?” Voryn replied, indignant. 

“Because I’m not!” Nerevar glared, and Voryn could tell it wasn’t a playful glare. She was actually mad. “I don’t want to be cute!” 

Voryn didn’t know why she was mad. Why was it okay to call him cute, but not the other way around? 

“Well you’re not ugly,” Voryn scoffed, “What else am I supposed to call you?”

“... I don’t know…” Nerevar’s voice went quiet, her ears drooping slightly. 

“... Handsome?” Voryn offered, and Nerevar’s ears perked up again, her cheeks turning red slightly as she looked away. After a moment, she nodded slowly, as if unsure, her hands playing with the hem of Voryn’s shirt. 

There was tension in the air again, as was so often the case with the two of them lately. A fluttering feeling came in Voryn’s stomach as he leaned closer. “Doesn’t the princess usually kiss the warrior who rescued her…?” Voryn offered, and Nerevar’s face turned even redder. She nodded again, closing her eyes. 

Voryn leaned in, pressing a soft, gentle kiss to Nerevar’s cheek. Nerevar’s arms tightened around him, as Nerevar then turned and returned the favor, kissing Voryn on the cheek in return. 

--

Voryn hadn’t seen Nerevar in three days. Whenever he came by her room, she either pretended to be asleep and refused to answer, or she told him to go away because she didn’t feel well. After long enough of being ignored and feeling helpless, he grabbed the healer who had attended to her and demanded an answer. The healer, seeing his concern, merely laughed, patting Voryn on the shoulder. 

“Young lord, please don’t worry too much.” The healer reassured him. 

“She hasn’t come out of her room. What’s wrong with her?” 

“It’s nothing serious.” The healer answered. “She just got her first period is all.” Voryn blinked, confused. He’d been taught what menstruation was; while some noble families preferred to keep their sons in the dark about such matters, Morvani Dagoth was not that kind of woman. She said it was embarrassing for a man to not know about such matters or find a normal bodily function taboo. It would be humiliating if one of her sons actually managed to marry a woman clueless about what menstruation even was. “A lot of girls are sensitive about it, but I assured her it’s perfectly normal. It just means she’s a young woman now, becoming an adult, but I think she’s still coming to terms with it.” The healer attempted to reassure Voryn. “Don’t worry too much about it.” 

Voryn grit his teeth. He knew there had to be more to it. Nerevar wouldn’t get upset about that for no reason. Not to the point she’d refuse to see Voryn. He turned and marched his way back, more furious than ever that the healer wasn’t taking this seriously. 

He knocked again, and Nerevar groaned. 

“Go away!” She shouted. 

“Let me in please.” Voryn asked, now desperate to see her. Normally he’d respect her wishes, but he needed to make sure she was alright. 

“I don’t want you to see me…” Nerevar answered, her voice cracking to show she’d been crying. Voryn felt his heart break a little more. 

“Wrap up in your blanket?” Voryn offered. “I’m just worried about you… Please?”

There was nothing but silence for a few minutes. Voryn was about to ask again, when he heard Nerevar finally answer him. “Okay…” 

Voryn cracked the door open to reveal Nerevar sitting in the dark in bed, wrapped up in a blanket to the point only her face was showing. Her eyes were red and irritated, still sniffling. Nerevar never cried, not even when injured, so Voryn was really worried now. 

“You don’t want to come out?” Voryn closed the door behind him, moving to sit beside Nerevar. Nerevar shook her head. 

“I hate this…” Nerevar’s shoulders began to shake, another sob coming from her throat. Voryn wrapped his arms around her without thinking, pulling her in close and keeping the blanket wrapped around her. “My stomach hurts… My chest hurts…” 

“That’s all normal.” Voryn tried to reassure her. “Do you want some medicine for the pain?”

“I don’t want it to be normal!” Nerevar snapped. “I don’t…” Tears ran down faster as she buried her face in Voryn’s robes. “I don’t want them to call me a woman. I don’t wanna be a girl! I don’t like that my body is doing this when I don’t even want it to and I can’t do anything about it!” Voryn stiffened. It was the first he’d heard of it, though the rest of Nerevar’s behavior over the years seemed to click for Voryn. The boyish charm, short hair, insisting on not playing pretend as a girl, not to mention the fact Voryn liked boys and liked Nerevar for all the same reasons he liked boys usually… “I just want to be like Boethia… He can be a man whenever he wants to even if people call him a girl. I wanna be like that…” 

“You can be.” Voryn reassured him now, holding him closer. “Nerevar you can be, I promise.” 

“I want a deeper voice like yours…” Nerevar’s tears were stopping now at the reassurance at least, now nuzzling against him. “And a flat chest…”

“I’ve read a few books like that.” Voryn stroked the white, fluffy hair now peaking out from the blanket. 

“R…Really?” Nerevar asked, still too nervous to look up at him. 

“Yes,” Voryn answered. “One was a Boethia cultist who was born a man. She went to Boethia and prayed to be a girl, so Boethia transformed her in a rainstorm of blood.” He explained. “Another was a man who asked Mephala how to change his body and she taught him the alteration magic needed.” Now Nerevar was looking up at him, eyes wide with wonder. “I can call a mage here if you want.”

“Really?” Nerevar sat up more, the blanket now falling down his shoulders. Seeing how excited he was, Voryn couldn’t help but smile. 

“Of course,” Voryn ruffled his hair, before wrapping the blanket back around him for comfort. “I’ll tell Mother right away, and ask them to come quickly.” 

Nerevar wrapped his arms tightly around Voryn, holding him close. 

“Thank you,” He mumbled into Voryn’s shoulder. “I… I mean it…” Ah, Nerevar was crying again, this time in what seemed to be relief. Voryn stroked his head, holding him back. “Thank you so much…” 

“It’s no problem, Nerevar.” Voryn closed his eyes, nuzzling against him, “I just want you to be happy.” 

[ven-dett-a]

HAJIME (the yankee) HC (rlly testing what hc means in this case ig)

Okay so my favorite one other than the tattoo artist is flower shop (keep in mind im trying to keep in mind the timeframe the game happens in the best i can. Also that im a filthy American so idk japanese customs for some things heart emoji) Some basics that im not explaining just yet is i dont believe hajimes family is the best off financially, stable enough now but when hajime was younger there was alot more struggle. Id also like to add, My hc that while hajimes mom was japanese, Hajime was born in america and they only moved back to japan when he was 8. Theres reasons to this that tie into the hc above (specifically the fact im not mentioning his father) that ill explain later. I havent found any proof for hajime or tsuginos ages around this time so i imagine theyre 16 --- There was a flower shop owned by this little old woman, only opened during the spring and summer. It was located in a small strip with two other stores beside it, an old building a few feet behind the flower shop, between them was an alleyway where the dumpster for the flower shop sat. A bit far from the exit but she managed. One night when she walked out, there was a boy laying against the dumpster, no older than 12, hands pressed against bleeding wounds and his mouth and he tried to regain enough strength to get home. --- (This is set long before he meets tsugino for knowledge) As we know in canon hajime got into fights, tsugino mentioning this detail when describing hajime early on in tsog, "he would tell me stories on how he had defeated men who had tried go get in his way, or how he had beaten a shoplifter to a pulp... Such unimportant sagas." I imagine he didnt just start that suddenly, it had been going on for a while. And he seems prideful in the fact hes won, so its likely hed never tell tsugino about the losses. The beginning of this headcanons simple, Hajime lost a fight badly, he was over cocky and bit off more than he could chew. what little stuff hed brought was taken from him and he was just left there. The owner of a shop infront of the alleyway had gone to throw away the last bits of trash from the day and had found him groveling, hand covering his mouth to keep the noises of pain as quiet as possible as he was trying to stop the bleeding from some of the more serious wounds. The old lady had brought him into her store quickly, using what she had to help bandage him up. Violence outside wasnt uncommon, but for a young child.. While fixing the young boys wounds she had given a slight lecture about fighting, in response he turned his head away, if it wasnt for the fact he was hurt he wouldve just left. The old woman sighed as she continued working on bandaging his wounds. --- The shop owner continued bandaging the boys arm, but after a spout of silence.... "...who started it?" The woman asked as she knotted the bandage off. The boy didnt look at her for a moment, eyes glued to the floor, worrying his already busted lip between his teeth. It took him a few moments to finally grumble out the answer. "I did.." "Now why would you do that?" The old woman questioned his motives on a whim, she didnt know this boy, but wanted to know non the less. This is where hajime would go silent again, the woman beginning to work on cleaning up his blackened eye. --- The headcanon above comes into play here, hajime did provide an explanation finally, he did it for the money, street fighting had a payout and he was pretty good at it, his mom needed the help but places didnt want to hire a kid. The woman was silent after that until shes gotten him cleaned up. Before she sent him home however she told him to come back to her shop after school the next day. Surprisingly he did. A small loaf of bread in hand aswell, telling her it was from his mother as a thank you for helping him the night before. -- The old woman waved her hand. "Im not in need of that sweetie.. but if youd really like to thank me, could you help me get this display moved? Its hard on my poor bones.." --

he did. Hed help the woman with a few more things aswell. He didnt see the problem with it, despite everything he was taught manners. Once hed finished however she'd handed him an envelope, upon opening it there was money. She told him shed see him again tomorrow. He continued that process until the end of the season, it wasnt an official job persay, the lady explained once that he was being paid under the table, but it was still money. It was still helpful. Hed return the next season, and the next, and the one after that. Soon he was being paid as a normal employee. He didnt stop fighting, often times showing up to work with a few cuts and bruises, a black eye here and there. The woman stopped scolding him after a while, changing to asking if hed atleast won this one. Hajime had stayed working at the flower shop every season until his death. Visiting his grave youd always find new bouquets every week. its important to bring up why i think this fits him The old lady is there because i wantwd him to have mor interaction outside.of tsugino, but i think a job at a flower shop doesn't contrast his personality that much The concept of him being a delinquent but being one of the only people to like tsugino the way he is is very similar to him getting into fights but working at a flower shop for a elderly woman

[quintiliusheartripper]

For that profession ask meme, as many of all the general and all the profession-specific questions you feel like doing for any OC of your choosing (because the only ones with names I can remember off the top of my head are Quint and Uriah (I think u have a Uriah??), but I don’t remember which professions they are 😅 Necro and engi, maybe?).

Quintilius:

(Doing what i havent done yet)

4. Quint would consider himself an expert. Maybe theres other necromancers who can do other spells better but when it comes to blood magic he is a master.

5. Only thing atypical would be using it for torture? Honestly that feels normal. Maybe its more his combat style that is more odd. He uses his magic to enhance his close combat fighting. Hes a charr who has had to adapt to a blood legion frontline. A lot of his magic uses self harming blood magic because of this.

6. I honestly dont know how others feel about him. I feel he doesnt care either way.

What matters more is how others view him and at one point would have been more about the way he is regarded by blood legion soldiers and the use of magic. The kodan are another thing entirely… he tries to hide it. (I see the kodans form of necromancy being more spirit based- more like the ritualists) and his mates dont like to see the gashes that come from his magic. He mostly works like a warrior who can go into a reaper shroud within kodan society.

Uriah:

1. Uriah did not exactly choose his profession but he was good at building things with scrap so when he started to grow into more masculine visual traits (he is intersex) his flame legion shaman of a shitty father pulled some strings to get him apprenticing under a engineer. Kytt did not want to be embarrassed by his cub doing womens work and while looking masculine but uriah has no magical ability.

2. Uriah did have a teacher! An engineer who taught him how to weld. He was a good teacher who took pity on the boy. Uriah would have a bit of a secret crush on him lol.

3. Uriah hasnt dabbled with other professions. Hes happy just being a pact welder.

4. I would say hes quite the expert in the way that uriah can take something and make it into something functional. However some may find him a novice for not knowing common stuff that your average iron legion engineer would know. He can macguiver a prosthetic arm or make a suit of armour to wear mecha style but he may do it in a way that others would normally stay away from.

5. The most atypical thing uriah would have done would be construct the steel cages for the flame legions to use on effigies.

6. Uriah is regarded as a weird little welder who seems scared of other charr engineers.

7. His first invention was taking left over scraps from the flame legion trash and making his mother arms. He continues to improve them- they currently are hollow and attune to her magic so she can move the fingers and wrists.

8. Excellent at being without his gadgets. He was born a fledgling engineer with trash and he can make do with anything. Its how he survived being in the first fleet to maguuma.

9. his engineering style tilts more to magitech. Its stuff that attunes to the users own magic. However he is planning to turn his eyes towards flame legion magic again and to using the kralk and aurene crystals as a energy source for his newest items.

10. Uriah is pretty conservative . He works as a pact welder helping keep up bases and his own personal pet projects are done with the utmost detail. Maybe burns and shocks at most. Minor stuff. His biggest regret and “mistake” would be when he was forced to make flame effigies, cages, chains, and other iron devices for gaharon to use.

Tryphon:

He is a revenant but ill also talk about his former profession as a gaurdian

1. He became a gaurdian because his mother was one and he also loves to help. He had a talent for it. He can boost peoples moral and he can protect you. He can teleport and be a key point that can turn the tide in pirate battles. He didnt not choose to become a revenant. He was reawoken with no memories of how he became one- just that he was now. (He died by his recently risen mother and was pulled back by a necromancer crewmate)

2. His mother was his teacher for being a gaurdian. She was always kind and proud of what she did, away from the legions and in love with the human she shared a deep bond with. He had no teacher for being a revenant. He had to learn that himself

3. Technically yea considering him going from gaurdian to revenant. However i dont imagine that he lost his former skills and still knows and uses some gaurdian skills.

4. Who is to say if he is a novice or a expert. What matters is he can save lives as a gaurdian and use his massive body to win his fights. Id say he was in the middle and close to being an expert just from experience for fighting. As a revenant he has enough of a grasp that with a massive draining of magic he can teleport his ship into the mists and back. His best skills are teleportations as a revenant and probably fairly novice with some exceptions.

5. His uses to transport his entire crew theough the mists to escape or to ravage and steal from the mist wars (wvw) that he thinks are pathetic capitalist excuses. (Says the pirate who steals something and makes a profit even if he sells the goods for cheaper than market pricing to people in need. He did give it away for free sometimes)

6. To be honest i dont know but he was well respected enough as a gaurdian.

Gaurdian questions:

7. To protect and to help the down trodden was his main conviction.

8. Protecting and healing his enemies and teleportation aspects of gaurdian were his main things. He has a big fuck you hammer and his 10ft and fat body to crush people with.

9. He wont be as quick and slippery but he will be competent without his magic just because of his charr body being a weapon in its own right.

10. Tryphon has a aggressive fighting style but can quickly switch to supportive with a flick of a teleportation spell.

Revenant questions:

7. He can channel the legends alright. Theres one that he knew personally in the past that haunts him and i imagine he has lost control but not in a rampage way and more in a drinking yourself unconscious kind of way. However with him being retired in his mainline story they are more harder to tamper down when he eyes something shiny.

8. All tryphons legends are not in game. They are famous pirates and mariners of the past. Like pirate dalvis in pvp, sykox steamshroud, cobiah a made up legendary skritt pirate, anyone you would hear about in lions arch history really. Along with one person he personally knew that haunts him but is it actually the mists or is it ptsd manifesting itself? Who knows

9. For tryphon the mists is a tool but also a place to plunder and explore. Sometimes he gets the urge to get himself back up and pirating to feel the mists energy in his fur but his spinal injury stops him from truely being like that again. He sometimes helps the pact because of his one husband (@velakthetraveller) is a medic that works in the mists.

10. Most of his relationships are cooperative. He is a jovial man who can easily make friends even if things have twisted a little to adversarial when he has to be a good charr and not steal anything not nailed down in the black citadel. Hes struggling to deal with the figure from his past

Lady Muisi:

1. muisi is a small 5ft chubby shroom sylvari who became a warrior to fight back against bullies and kidnappers haha

2. No teacher other than i guess what the tree gave her in knowledge upon awakening in the 2nd generation.

3. No dabbling but it does feel like spell breakers are in a way dabbling in something in its own way haha.

4. Some would probably consider her a novice since she doesn’t have a strong grasp on a lot of weapons but what she can use shes a expert. Daggers, axes. Her fists.

5. Her use of her profession isnt that abnormal i think.

6. Classic warriors from the norn and charr cultural perspective probably see her as weird. shes this small chubby priory sylvari who doesnt look like a warrior until she picks your ass up and throws you. Not as strange as it would be from an asura but she looks like she wont hurt a fly from the outside world.

7. Muisi incorporates a lot of magic and its how shes as strong as she is. Not only is she a spell breaker but shes also uses magic to give her that warrior super strength. She can pick up and throw a norn without a sweat.

8. Muisis weapon collection is small. Now if we talk about her book collection….

9. For casters and long ranged enemies she has counter magic and also throwing things. Eat a chair loser. Also she now has a pistol from her lover uriah so. Gun.

10. muisis raw physical strength without magic is… eh. She can lift heavy books and does some general normal stuff. Depending on what and how shes lifting shes stronger with some muscles than others. Now if you add that sweet sweet magic into her muscles she can pick up her 11ft charr lover Farren and chunky 6ft Uriah.

——

Might come back and add more. Maybe as a reblog or as a seperate post. I want to do the older generation’s: vytt, kytt, cruciata, and octavos as well as the next generation like quints cubs, muisis ans uriahs cubs, and tryphons cubs.

[she-is-juniper]

Put It Into Practice — Steve Harrington x Reader (chapter four)

Pairing: Scoops Ahoy era Steve Harrington x f!Reader (she/her/hers pronouns, AFAB)

Rating (by chapter): M (Mature)

Summary: “King Steve” Harrington had been the subject of swooning for every girl in their right mind back in high school. But when his sexual dexterity comes into question the summer after graduation, Steve is not about to let his reputation become marred quite so easily. Luckily, Steve is offered the help of his new friend—to give him advice, a few pointers, and maybe a bit of healthy practice…

Word Count (by chapter): 9K

Content: sooo much fluff, very dialogue-heavy chapter (you’re going to love Steve even more than you already have), some angst, some cursing, Steve and Reader finally hash everything out lmfao

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction and is not intended to be taken as truth or fact. I do not claim to own Stranger Things or any other affiliated names or fictional events. Other details, such as names, locations, and events, are also fictionalized.

A/N: Hi friends! I'm so excited for you to read PIIP chapter four! I’ve literally never struggled so hard to finish a chapter ever... It wasn’t even necessarily hard to write; I’ve just been beyond wiped out from my new job. I’m on my feet 6-7 hours straight during the day (and getting BANK for it) but it’s been simply exhausting. I find that I have absolutely no mental or physical energy left when I get home to write with the same intensity as I had earlier this summer. So I just wanted to say, I’m really sorry to everyone that I haven’t been churning out as much content in recent weeks 🥺 I still absolutely love writing and I’m excited to continue doing it! But I really really appreciate your patience with how slow/inactive I’ve been ♡ This chapter is verrrrry fluffy and dialogue heavy. It's becoming a bit of a slow burn which I know we all will love 👀 and I pinky promise there's smut in the next chapter!

And as always, PLEASE comment if you enjoyed this, for the love of all that is holy—your powers supercharge me!!—thank u in advance ♥ Love, Juni

chapter one \ chapter two \ chapter three

NEXT CHAPTER TBA (or check my masterlist)

✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷

“Hi, sweetie, how was the fair?”

You glance up at your mother as you close the front door behind you and kick off your shoes. She’s in the living room with a novel in hand, from which she’s hardly looking up to even acknowledge your arrival. In the reclining chair, your father is asleep, and his snores are drowned out only by the background noise of the television.

How was the fair? you think to yourself. Which part? The part where Steve Harrington and I got each other off in the Hall of Mirrors? Or the part where we made plans to sneak out tonight to see each other again?

“It was fun, Mom,” you say instead, as simply and calmly as possible. Inside your chest, your heart races with anticipation. You mentally go through a checklist. Tell her goodnight. Take shower. Pretend to sleep. Sneak out window. 

“That’s wonderful,” she says absently as she turns the page of her novel. 

“I’m going to shower and head to bed, I’m super tired,” you lie as you walk to the kitchen to fill up a glass of water to bring upstairs. It was part of your nightly routine, and you didn’t want her to be suspicious at all. Not that you had any reason to worry. Your mother, as expected, seems completely unsuspecting of your clandestine evening plans. 

 You go to her, kiss her on the cheek, and say, “Night, Mom.”

“Goodnight, Y/N, sweetie,” she says back. As you head up the stairs to your bedroom, you hear her turn off the TV and shake your father awake, telling him it’s time to go to bed.

That’s one of the perks of being the normal, trustworthy teenager of two overworked parents. When you really wanted to break the rules, they wouldn’t even bat an eye. 

You’d always been a good kid, but that’s not to say you havent been involved in your fair share of teenage mischief. You’d simply gotten highly skilled at evading the less-than-watchful eyes of your workaholic parents. It had been all the usual, harmless milestones of teenagehood; underage drinking, going to parties, hooking up in cars. Nothing really out of the ordinary or truly egregious. For a while, the craziest thing you had ever done was sneak onto the roof of the high school gymnasium at midnight to smoke weed with Carol and her rowdy friends during your sophomore year.

Now, a new deed takes the cake; hooking up with Steve Harrington in the Hall of Mirrors at the Fourth of July fair. 

It had been reckless, certainly. And illegal. But the thrill of getting caught, combined with the added tension between you and Steve from your prior argument, had made it all the more exciting.

You and Steve are now more than just friends.

You could have stayed in that Hall of Mirrors with Steve forever, just holding him and kissing him among the endless reflections, blissfully poking fun at each other for the mess you’d made in between your thighs and on his hands. But the sound of the security guards nearby had spooked you, and you and Steve hastily exited the attraction and booked it to the parking lot, giggling even more uncontrollably as you ran. 

Neither of you had wanted to go home. But while Steve’s parents couldn’t have cared less about what their son was up to, you knew you had to at least make an appearance at home so your parents wouldn’t worry. And that was where the plan was hatched; you would tell them goodnight, convince them you were going to bed, and then sneak out your bedroom window. Admittedly, you’ve never snuck out of the house before, but there was a first time for everything.

You make haste in showering and shaving, keeping a close eye on the clock; Steve had promised to pick you up at 10:30. Every time you think of him, your heart gives a little flip. His doe brown eyes, his playful smile, his stupidly perfect hair. Now that your feelings for each other are more or less out in the open air, you’re bristling with new and exciting feelings for him. 

Before going to your room, you wrap a towel around your chest and pad downstairs to check on your parents again. Their bedroom door is closed with the lights off, and your father’s snoring continues. Perfect . You tiptoe back up to your room and scour your closet; what is one supposed to wear when sneaking out of the house to meet up with her no-longer-just-friends friend? You consider another sundress, but you settle on a pair of jeans, a tee shirt with the logo of your favorite band, and your trusty white sneakers—the ones you remember Steve complimented once, a few months ago. Back when you had been just friends.

What are you now? Will he want to talk about it tonight? Or will tonight just be for… well …?

You don’t know what to expect from Steve tonight. He had been hesitant yet enthusiastic to help you sneak out of the house— “You don’t have to do that if you don’t want to, but fuck, Y/N, I’d love to see you later,” he’d said. And of course, how could you have said no? 

And for you, you’re eager to continue where you’d left off from your earlier escapades in the Hall of Mirrors… but you’re also itching to talk about what’s going on between the two of you.

It’s nearly 10:30. You stuff a few pillows haphazardly under your comforter in the shape of a sleeping body, on the off-chance that one of your parents would check on you during the night. You turn off your lamp, and with a breath of courage, you heave open your bedroom window and creep onto the roof over the back porch. The summer night’s air had become slightly brisk, rife with adventure and youth and the residual smell of gunpowder from the fireworks at the fair. You carefully meander down the lattice wall above the garden and land with a gentle thud. Smiling to yourself, you make your way out the side gate, squinting down the quiet, suburban Hawkins street.

Right on time, a car pulls around the bend, flooding the street with its headlights. Steve’s BMW. You smile a bit nervously and saunter over to it.

As you approach, Steve steps out and leans on the driver’s side door, looking you over with excitement. And then, as if he’s come to some realization about your approach, he rushes over to the passenger door and opens it grandly. “Your chariot awaits,” he says with mock formality.

“Ah, so now it’s your ‘chariot’?” you call out. “Robin told me you always call it it your ‘Babe Mobile.’”

“Hey, watch your mouth,” Steve jests back, rubbing the burgundy exterior. “She’s a she, not an it. She’s sensitive. And besides, is Robin wrong? I mean, you’re a girl, and you’re about to get in the car, sooo…I’d say the Babe Mobile’s living up to her title.”

You laugh. Steve’s smile grows with yours. Witty banter, just like old times, back to normal. It’s as if the whole argument from earlier never happened. 

“You’re such an idiot,” you giggle as you hop into his car. You’ve ridden in it a few times before, mostly during hangs with Robin to and from work or each other’s houses. You could never forget the first time you ever heard Steve’s god awful singing voice; it was at the beginning of the summer, and he had taken you and Robin out to pick up pizza and VHS movies after a long work week, and he had turned the radio on and started belting along with Don’t Stop Believin’ in a manner that more closely resembled a dying cow than a human voice. You remember the way you and Robin had groaned and laughed at him before joining in with your own voices. It was one of those summer memories that would last forever.

And looking over at him now, as he hops into the driver’s seat and gives you an easy smile, you wonder if this will be one of those forever summer memories, too.

“So you managed to sneak out without them noticing?” Steve asks as he shifts the car into drive and accelerates down the empty street. 

You nod. “Not that they care enough about me to notice, anyway,” you replied lightly.

But Steve’s brow furrows a bit. “Oh, come on, I know your parents care about you.”

Knowing Steve’s rocky relationship with his parents, you realize you probably shouldn’t have exaggerated like that. “They do,” you amend, “but they’ve both been so busy lately that I’m probably the last thing on their mind. All that to say, we’re in the clear tonight.” 

“Good,” he smiles as he drives. You notice he’d showered too, his hair still slightly wet, no longer perfectly styled in his usual way, although you decided you almost preferred seeing it damp and slicked back so casually like this. And he’d changed clothes from the attire he’d been wearing at the park. He’s wearing a new pair of jeans and a yellow crewneck sweatshirt that fits his torso perfectly. He smells like soap and linen and spice. 

The radio’s on, softly playing Drive by The Cars—what a perfect song for this moment—and Steve’s got the windows rolled down so the summer breeze ripples through the car, bringing a slight chill to your arms. 

“Where are we going?” you ask, realizing then that you hadn’t discussed a plan for where or what, just when he’d pick you up. 

“You’ll see. I’ve got something fun we can do together.”

“Oh?” you ask with a suggestive tone.

Steve glances over at you and grins before drawing his eyes back to the road. And then he bites his bottom lip, and you can’t tell if it’s from excitement or nervousness. “Do you like surprises?” he asks.

“Sure,” you say apprehensively.

Steve chuckles at your tone. “Wow, what didn’t sound convincing at all.”

“I kind of hate surprises,” you admit.

“I figured,” he laughs. “Alright. Well, in that case, we’re going out into the woods. There’s this field I know—”

“The woods?” you interrupt him. “A field?”

“Don’t freak out,” he says. “I’m not going to, like, murder you or anything.”

“Oh, whew, that’s a relief,” you say sarcastically.

“It’ll be fun. I’ve got a buddy who works at the fireworks tent off of Randolph,” Steve explains. He gestures to a medium sized box in the backseat. You twist around in your seat to peer inside; it contains about a dozen assorted fireworks.

“I guess it is still the Fourth of July,” you muse. Setting off fireworks with Steve in the middle of the woods did, actually, kind of sound like fun. 

“We gotta be pretty smart about it, though,” Steve admits as he pulls onto Cornwalis—one of Hawkins’ main road—and starts driving north. “The cops in this town are like hawks about fireworks this year. But I know a place where we won’t get caught.”

Won’t get caught… You wonder if his words have a double meaning.

“Alright, alright,” you drawl, deflecting from the sudden wave of awkwardness that washes over you. ”But if we get mauled by a bear in the middle of the woods and there’s no one around to hear us scream, I’ll kick your ass in the afterlife.”

Steve laughs. “Don’t worry, I’ll fight it off any bears for you.”

You give him a level look. “You? Fighting off bears?”

He gives you a face like it’s obvious. “Uh, yeah. Easy peasy.”

“Oh, really? With what weapon?”

“Well…I’ve got a baseball bat spiked with nails in my trunk, so I think I’d probably use that,” he says.

You stare blankly. It had obviously been a joke up until now, but this didn’t sound made up. He’d answered too quickly. “You have a baseball bat spiked with nails in your trunk?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Why?”

“...You don’t wanna know.”

You let it go. “Alright, I guess that makes me feel a tad bit safer.”

“Good.” Steve’s hand that was resting on the gearshift inch has now inched across toward you. You notice now that his pinky is barely brushing against the denim on your thigh. You feel butterflies in your stomach. “You changed clothes,” he notes.

“I did.”

“Looks good,” he compliments.

You smile shyly, letting his compliment wash over your senses. “You changed, too,” you said. “I like it.”

He looked pretty good a few hours ago with his hair all messed up and his cum all over his hands, too, you think to yourself. But you suppose the yellow sweatshirt look would do, too.

“We were kind of a mess back there,” he says with a sheepish grin, almost as though he had read your mind. 

“We were,” you agreed—both in the literal and the metaphorical sense. His acknowledgment of the incident brings back vivid memories of it. You crossed your legs and squeezed your thighs together absently.

There’s a lot more that you want to say, but you don’t really know how to say it or where to start, so you and Steve drive in a comfortable quietness down the road. Eventually, he passes all the establishments in the central part of town—the schools, the arcade, the library—and continues on into the woodsy north neighborhoods.

 When I Wanna Know What Love Is by Foreigner comes on the radio, Steve shifts his hand from the gearshift so it’s next to yours on the passenger seat. You flip your palm over in a silent invitation, and he takes it in his own, squeezing his fingers. The action feels overwhelmingly intimate and romantic. You realize you’d be content just holding his hand like this forever. His touch brings you a strange feeling of reassurance, despite the uncertainty of your relationship thus far.

Hawkins looks strange tonight, the trees taking on a carefree sort of quality beyond Steve’s headlights. Maybe it’s the excitement from the earlier festivities still resonating through the town. Maybe it’s the thrill of sneaking out, despite the fact that you’re an adult and graduated from high school. Or maybe it’s just your imagination, overactive from the adrenaline of being with Steve again. You stick your other hand out the open passenger window and flatten your palm against the wind, riding the wind with your hand like a surfer on a wave, just like you used to as a kid.

“Hey, Y/N?” Steve asks after a while.

“Yeah?”

“I just wanted to say… I’m, uh, I’m really sorry.”

You turn to observe his expression; his brows are furrowed as he glances between you and the road. “Why?”

“I’m just sorry for, uh, what happened back…there. I wish it hadn’t happened.”

Your heart thuds, and you fight to mask it. Did he mean the argument, or the hookup? When he hesitates to continue, you struggle to think of a response suitable for either meaning. “Things did get a bit, uh, heated, didn’t they…”

He squeezes your hand again. “I really shouldn’t have raised my voice at you,” he says. “Or said, like, half the things I said. I really wasn’t saying what I was meaning, like, at all.”

So he is talking about the argument. You squeeze his hand back before releasing it, and then you’re wringing your hands together in your lap. “You and me both, bud…but I’m sorry, too. I took things way out of proportion.”

“Well…” He combs his newly freed fingers through his hair. “I could see why you were mad at me.”

“I wasn’t mad at you—I’m not mad at all,” you reassure him. “It was just…the whole situation.”

The whole Steve-going-down-on-you-but-then-weirding-out-when-you-offer-him-a-blowjob situation. And the Steve-kissing-you-in-the-hallway-and-then-completely-avoiding-you thing. And then the Steve-never-got-over-Nancy-Wheeler bombshell that Robin had dropped. And then there was the whole Lisa-R-coming-onto-Steve-in-front-of-you ordeal.

Jesus, no wonder you had snapped back there.

“A lot had happened,” you continue, “and I was just…overwhelmed, I think. But I’m not mad at you, Steve.”

“You sure?”

“Positive.”

“Okay,” he says with relief. 

“Are you mad at me?” you ask in turn. 

“No, not at all.”

“Okay.”

There’s a lot more you want to say but you can’t find the words to express your thoughts. Looking over at Steve, you imagine he’s feeling the same way. It means a lot to you that he apologized about the argument, but the whole thing still doesn’t sit right with you. You know a solid, honest conversation is in order for tonight…but it might take a few fireworks before either of you will be able to find the right words.

“I’m in the mood to light some shit on fire,” you say, segueing into a lighter topic.

“Oh, yeah, well, you know what they say,” Steve remarks. “When the goings get tough, the tough…light shit on fire.”

“Yeah, that’s definitely the saying,” you say sarcastically.

“I think we should get that printed on a shirt and everything.”

“ You’d definitely wear that shirt,” you jest.

“Oh, absolutely,” he says. “Unironically. That’d be a dope ass shirt.”

“Yeah, maybe for pyromaniacs.”

“Hey, you’re the one that said you’re in the mood to light shit on fire. So you started it.”

“It was your idea to bring fireworks in the first place, dingus.”

“Don’t call me that,” he groans. “I already hear ‘dingus’ enough from Robin. She’s rubbing off on you too much.”

“What else am I supposed to call you when you’re being a dingus, then?”

“Uh…how about, just ‘Steve’?”

“Okay, Just Steve, but I think we’re gonna need to get you a better nickname.”

“Oh, yeah?” he says with a mocking tone. 

You pretend to ponder. “Hmmm…maybe doofus?” 

“That’s literally the same thing as dingus,” he complains.

“No, it’s different.” You gaze at him with mock seriousness. “Doofus. Yeah. That works perfect.”

Steve rolls his eyes, but he’s smiling under his guise of annoyance. “You women and your nicknames.”

“Well, I can’t always call you baby, I gotta have some variety,” you giggle.

You’re referring, obviously, to the way you and Steve had called each other baby —at first, in your basement last week, and then most recently in the Hall of Mirrors. In both instances, the term of endearment had kind of just…slipped out. But it felt right, in those moments. But baby was just one of those nicknames reserved for cringey couples in love. And, on occasion, for the casual hookup. But only in that context and never outside the bedroom.

Or basement. Or Hall of Mirrors. Whatever. 

Point is, you’re wondering when you and Steve would call each other baby again. And under which context…cringey couple, or casual hookup?

Right on cue, Steve’s expression changes, and he admits quietly, “I like it when you call me that.”

“Really? You do?”

“Yeah. Don’t get all weird about it, though” he says defensively. The pout on his face is so irresistible.

“Don’t worry, I won’t, baby,” you tease. He groans. You laugh at him. “Sorry, sorry.”

“No, I like it… Maybe a little too much.”

You can’t fathom the meaning of his words, but he doesn’t elaborate. You deflect the awkwardness again, shifting back to your teasing tone of voice. “I’ll use it sparingly, I promise. But doofus?” You shove his arm playfully. “I’ll be using that one a lot.”

“I really thought you were more original than that,” he taunts. “I mean, c’mon, stealing Robin’s M.O.? What a copout.”

“I’m sure Robin would be honored.”

Your conversation is halted by a police cruiser driving past in the other lane. Steve straightens behind the wheel, although the cruiser passes without a hitch. You snicker at him.

“Right here, he’s right here, cops!” you jeer. “The pyromaniac with the high-maintenance hair!”

He runs his hand through it self-consciously. “You love the hair,” he says conclusively.

You couldn’t lie. “Yeah, I do,” you sigh, taking a chance and running your own hand through it. His face softens and he leans into your touch. It’s becoming far too addicting to touch him. “Why do you think the police will care about us setting off fireworks, anyway? They set off a bunch at the fair.”

“Noise ordinance, I think,” he responds. “You know how the cops in this town are. They got nothing better to do. They’ll impose any rule to keep the ‘meddling kids’ off the streets,” he adds with air quotes.

“Well, if we’re gonna have to drive out the middle of nowhere, where no one can hear…I guess we’ll should just make the most of it, then, yeah?”

You didn’t intend to sound suggestive, but as the double meaning of your words settles between you, Steve fights a grin. You can’t help but smile, too, knowing full well that you and he are thinking of the same thing. 

Steve pulls off the main road and onto a short residential street that ends in a col-de-sac, beyond which extends a dense-looking patch of woods. He parks along the curb at the end of the street and moves to get out until he sees that you’re frozen in your seat.

“You ready?” he asks.

“Are we…hiking?”

“Just for a bit.”

“We’re hiking…through the woods…in the pitch black…at 10 pm…?” 

“Don’t worry, I came prepared,” he grins, pulling out a flashlight and clicking it on. Even then, you still feel apprehensive. Steve touches your hand softly. “It’s not very far, I promise.”

“What is ‘it’, exactly?” you ask as you hesitantly exit the car. And then it hits you. “Oh my god,” you realize. “Please don’t tell me you’re taking me to Skull Rock.”

Skull Rock is this infamous makeout spot in the woods. In fact, rumor has it that Steve practically invented it. Gross. The idea that he would take you where he’d taken countless other girls makes you scowl at him.

But Steve just laughs. “No, no, we’re not going to Skull Rock. That’s in the other direction.”

“Wouldn’t you know,” you mutter.

He just gazes at you endearingly like he finds your anger adorable. “C’mon, trust me. There’s a huge clearing, just north of Lover’s Lake. It’s just a few minutes walk from here. Just follow me, okay? It’s really cool. You’ll see.”

He gives you a warm smile before locking the car. As soon as the car’s headlights go off, the scene around you and Steve becomes engulfed in darkness, save for the dim yellow streetlamp and the moon on the horizon. Steve hands you the flashlight since he’s holding the box of fireworks. You try to keep it steady as he leads the way into the woods, where the cacophony of summer insects and birds swells like a nocturnal symphony.

After a few moments—and at the sudden hoot of an owl that makes you jump—you finally say, “Steve, not to be dramatic, but who do you think will be speaking at our funerals when we inevitably die tonight from an angry bear?”

“We’re not going to die,” he reassures you with a laugh. “But…I guess if we did, Robin would probably do a pretty decent job at a commemorative speech. And Dustin. Probably your parents—”

“I didn’t need to hear that,” you groan, tightening your grip on the flashlight. 

“You asked!”

“I’m just saying, it’s not too late for us to turn around and grab that spiked baseball bat you were talking about.”

He waves his hand dismissively. “If anything comes for us, I’ll just show them my super slick ninja moves, and they’ll get scared and run away.” He attempts a really bad roundhouse kick on a nearby tree, muttering, “Ow.”

“Loser.”

“Hey, there’s a new nickname.” He straightens and adjusts his grip on the box. “Wasn’t that hard being creative with it, huh?”

You know he’s trying to soothe your nerves about being in the forest at night, and it’s working, but only a little bit. “This better be worth it,” you mumble.

“You know me, would I ever take you somewhere that’s not guaranteed to be super cool?”

“There was that one time you made me and Robin meet you behind the mall to look at a satellite in the sky because you thought it was a UFO.”

“It was totally a UFO!” he retorts.

“Satellite.”

“...Fine, whatever, but what if it was a real UFO, and you and Robin missed out on it? Then you would have really been pissed off at yourselves.”

“Ooh, yeah, and maybe then the aliens would have abducted you and we would never have to hear you mope about working at Scoops Ahoy ever again.”

“Oh, come on, if I got abducted by aliens, you’d miss me and you know it.”

“Don’t flatter yourself too hard, Harrington.”

“Just stating the facts.”

At last, you can see a break in the trees ahead. Once you and Steve emerge, you realize you’ve reached the town’s power lines, a series of tall metal poles connected by soaring wires. The trees have been cut back width-wise from the power lines, leaving a huge clearing in the woods as far as the eyes can see in either direction. Above the huge poles, the moon is bright and almost full, washing everything below it in a pale blue light. 

“This way,” Steve says as he leads you under the lines and across the clearing. You keep right behind him for another few minutes as he follows the path of the power lines. After a few minutes, you see a large divet of clearing out to the right, where the trees have been cut back even further. As you near, you realize it’s a wide field, perhaps an old patch of farmland, beyond the horizon of electrical wiring. The field is about a football field across in length and width, with no poles or trees to obstruct it. Peculiarly, at the other end of the field is an old flatbed truck.

“Wow,” you note, looking around with your flashlight. “How did you know this field was here?”

“Tommy and I found it a few summers ago,” Steve replies. “We used to skip school and come out here to smoke, drink, hit golf balls in the woods, do stupid shit like that.” He leads you across the field to the old pickup truck.

“Do I even want to know how this got here?” you laughed. 

“It’s Tommy’s uncle’s,” he explains, slapping the roof of the truck with a metallic thud. “Basically just scrap metal at this point. It doesn’t run anymore. But” —he grins at you as he sets his box on the truck’s bed— “This is where we’ll sit to watch the show. Best seat in the house.”

You try once and fail to hoist yourself up onto the open truck bed, which just gives Steve an excuse to help you up onto it with his hands on your waist. His close proximity means that you can smell the cologne on his neck. You make the mistake of meeting his eyes as he lifts your hips onto the truck, and you think to yourself that it should be illegal for a boy to make you feel this delirious. 

Steve doesn’t remove his hands from your waist right away when you’re finally sat on the truck bed. He keeps his hands there, his fingers pressing curiously into your skin through your shirt as he situates himself between your legs, which are now dangling on either side of his body. He looks so good from below you, his body outlined by the dim flashlight, his teeth glistening, the slightly nervous expression on his face. Oh my god , you think as he suddenly leans in, and you fear—fear?—he’s going to kiss your lips. But he’s much too far down for that, so instead he kisses the top of your thigh. First the right one, then the left. And then, casual as ever, he backs away, grabs a firework and a lighter from the box, and says, “Time to light shit on fire, baby.”

Your mind still spinning, you just choke out, “Okay.”

He trots out into the open field with his supplies. You follow his path with the flashlight, and when he realizes where you’re shining the light, he turns to you with a playful expression and places his hands on his backside. “Don’t look at my ass!”

“How could I not? It’s right there.”

He tries covering it with the firework in his hand and you snicker. Once he reaches about fifteen paces away from the truck, he turns toward you, gives you a cheeky grin, and sets the firework in the ground. Once he has it lit, he sprints back and launches himself like an energetic child onto the truck bed beside you. You giggle even more. 

The firework launches into the air and bursts into golden stars. The whish-boom is so loud that the birds and crickets stop for a second. 

“Cool,” you whisper. 

“Another one!” Steve announces. He repeats the process, trotting out to the field with a firework, lighting it, and then speeding back to the truck to propel himself onto it beside you. You and he both look up to watch it in the sky. 

“You know,” you say after the boom of the firework—red and green this time— “you don’t have to sprint back over here every time.”

“But I wanna sit next to you to watch them go off,” Steve says. 

Your heart swells, and because you don’t know what else to say, you respond, “Okay, fine, doofus.”

He nudges your shoulder with his before hopping down to repeat the process again. He lights firework after firework, coming back each time to sit right next to you to watch it explode in the sky together. It’s really quite endearing of him, even though he’s starting to pant with the exertion of running back and forth. You’ve not seen this side of Steve before tonight—so silly, free-natured, smiley, with almost a boyish sort of energy. But you love it. 

Some of the fireworks are the typical ones that launch into the air like a rocket and explode in a circle; some crackle like a massive sparkler, illuminating the field in rivulets of golden light. One firework even launches a multitude of glowing stars that spiral into the air and dissolve. You and Steve make conversation about them, commenting on your favorite colors and patterns, making jokes with each other. Before you know it, he’s down to the last two fireworks in the box.

“Okay, so this one’s me… And this one’s you,” he says, designating one of the cylinders for each of you—red for him, blue for you. 

“Are you gonna light them both at the same time?” you guess. 

“Yeah, and whoever’s goes higher, wins.”

You scoff. “Oh, it’s on.”

“That’s exactly what a loser would say.”

“Wait,” you say, scowling at him. “How will I know you’re not cheating by lighting mine after yours?”

“Because…” —he pulls out a second lighter from his picket and waggles his brows— “You’re gonna light it yourself, at the same time as me.”

“Hmm. Seems fair. And what does the winner get to do?”

“Oh, by winner, you must be referring to me.”

“Don’t get so cocky, Harrington. You’ll regret it.”

“When I win,” he says, leaning in threateningly toward your face, “I get free chocolate chip cookies for a month from you at work.”

“I already give you free chocolate chip cookies,” you complain. “And you already give me free ice cream. That’s a stupid reward.”

“You’re right, you’re right,” Steve admits, tapping his chin. “…How about…” His gaze grows devilish. “Loser has to take off their shirt.”

You look around wildly. “In the middle of the woods?!”

He shrugs. “Not like there’s anyone out here to see.”

“That’s so not fair. You’re a guy . It’s completely different when you take off your shirt.”

“Hmm, sounds to me like something someone who’s scared of losing would say. Are you scared? Is that it?”

“No,” you huff with a competitive smile, rubbing your arms. You think but don’t say aloud that you’d tear your shirt off for him right here right now if it means you’d continue where you’d left off in the Hall of Mirrors…but now you’re determined not to lose this game. “I’m not scared. You’re going down, Harrington.”

He looked smug. “Hmm, we’ll just have to see about that, you dork…”

You follow Steve out to the middle of the field, the two of you shoving each other with playful competitiveness. You crouch down side by side, and Steve counts down from three. When he reaches one, you hold the lighter up to the fuse at the exact same time as Steve, and the two of you fall back, wringing your hands with anticipation. 

The fireworks shoot off together, in two broad arcs that at first seem to repel each other before arching back and crossing paths. The red explodes first, followed by the blue, which soars high into the air before bursting. 

“Ha!” you cheer, jumping up and down. “You lose!”

Steve clenches his fist and sighs, “Shit.”

“You know what that means, Stevie boy…”

You mime taking off your shirt with a suggestive face. Steve huffs a dejected sigh and pulls off his yellow sweatshirt and the white tee he’s wearing underneath in one swift movement. He looks good, of course, but mostly he looks absolutely pitiful with his bare shoulders sagging and the look of sheer defeat on his face. You can’t help but giggle at the way his plan had backfired. 

You jump up on the truck bed again, this time helping Steve up by giving him a hand for leverage. The fireworks show had served their purpose at dissolving whatever residual awkwardness had still remained from your argument with Steve earlier at the fair. You feel elated, now, even as the echo from the thunderous fireworks has subsided and the quiet stillness of the night has returned in full force. And as Steve situates himself beside you—even as he balls his sweatshirt up in petulance and throws it at your face like a child—you wish you could bottle this feeling up forever. 

“Gotta say, ‘Loser’ looks pretty good on you,” you jest, giving him a once-over with your eyes. The light from the flashlight, which you had propped against the side of the truck bed, was enough to illuminate the details of his torso. His chest hair, the hollow of his throat, the trail on his tummy, his lean shoulders. 

“That was actually my plan all along, so joke’s on you,” he pretends to boast. 

But the bravado of your earlier banter seems to fade like the smoke from the fireworks in the evening breeze. What is left between the two of you is a strange, mutual sort of buzzing…the hyper-awareness of his body next to yours, his familiar clean fragrance, the way his leg dangles off the truck bed so close that you can feel it brush against your skin. He’s utterly alluring. And something in his eyes indicates that he feels the same about you. 

You switch off the flashlight and sit in comfortable silence beside Steve for a few moments. The sounds of the forest resume their serenade, and the afterimages of light in your eyes from the fireworks start to fade. As you adjust to the dark, a new source of light catches your attention. 

“The stars,” you exclaim quietly, gazing up.

Steve follows your gaze, and the two of you watch in awe for a long time. There seems to be a million times more stars out tonight than any other old night in Hawkins, despite the moon on the horizon. Perhaps it was just that you’ve finally become aware of the stars again long enough to sit and observe them. Perhaps it was a message from the universe or something cheesy like that. But for whatever reason, the sky is truly dazzling tonight. 

“Do you wanna know a secret?” Steve says after a while. You nod your head, and he continues. “I…used to be a Boy Scout.”

“No way.”

“Yeah. For a few years.”

“Why’d you quit?” you wondered. 

Steve shrugged. “My parents got busy, so they couldn’t take me to meetings anymore.”

“That sucks.”

“It’s whatever.” Steve lies on his back on the truck bed, heaving a sigh. “I didn’t really like it much anyway. But I did get my Astronomy Badge before I quit.”

“Steve.”

“What?”

“Please tell me you’re not about to point out the constellations right now for me like we’re in some cheesy John Hughes movie.”

“What? No.” He smiles. “Ew. No. I would never do something that sappy.”

“Of course you wouldn’t.”

A breath of silence. “But, let’s just say,” he says, “for the sake of the argument…that we actually are in a John Hughes movie…”

“Oh no.”

“And if we were… I’d probably lean in close, like this…” He leans his head closer to yours and points to the sky. “And I would show you the star Vega…and there’s Altair…”

“Oh my god, Stevie, so romantic,” you say in a mocking voice.

“Here—” he takes your hand in his and manipulates your fingers so you’re pointing now. And he shuffles himself closer to your head so you could share his line of view. “So there’s the Big Dipper…and if you follow the star right here on the corner and draw a line…you’ll find the North Star.” He tilts his head towards you and smiles. “But it would all just be a ploy, a plot device.”

“A plot device for what?”

“For the boy to get close enough to the girl so he could kiss her.”

Out of nowhere, he leans in toward you, still smiling, and plants a single kiss on your lips. Although your mind reels, you manage to keep your composure at the feel of his warm lips.

“Or something like that,” he whispers. “I dunno. John Hughes movies are kinda cheesy, aren’t they.”

“Kinda?” you echo, giggling. “That was the cheesiest thing you’ve ever done.”

“You loved it though, didn’t you.”

You did love it. “Steve Harrington, you are such a cliché,” you joke. 

But the joke doesn’t go over very well, it seems. He hesitates, and then the energy changes a bit. He lets his hand fall with yours but doesn’t let go of it. “Do you think that, for real?”

“What?”

“That I’m a cliché.”

You blink at him in the darkness. “I was just joking, I promise,” you reassure him. 

“I know, it’s just… Someone told me that before, a long time ago. And I’ve thought about it ever since.”

“Someone told you that you’re a cliche?”

“Well, granted, I kinda was , back then.” He scratches his head. 

You ponder that. “Was it…was it Nancy?” you guess. 

Steve nods. “Yeah—how’d you know?”

“Just a guess,” you say. Steve and Nancy had been an unlikely pair when they had first gotten together. Nancy was always quiet and kind, smart, never dreamed of stepping out of line. Steve was always loud, brazen, handsome, dripping with charm and wealth, too cool for school—and too cool to give most people the time of day. Of course, though, they both seem to have changed drastically since those days.

You’re curious to know more, but you decide against asking him. It isn’t your place. Instead, you say, “I don’t think you’re a cliché, Steve. Anything but, really. I think you’re pretty…extraordinary, to be honest.” You squeeze his hand and look over at him, before gesturing up to the sky. “And I actually really like hearing about the stars from you, jokes aside. Every girl secretly loves the cheesy romantic stuff, deep down.”

It’s probably the most candid you’ve ever been about your feelings toward him. And it felt good to say it aloud, but you feel shaky with adrenaline now. 

“I knew you couldn’t resist a good ol’ romantic stargazing moment,” Steve grins.

“You got me.”

Steve sighs deeply again. “I don’t really wanna be that person anymore…the person Nance said was a cliché. I’m…” —he shifts uncomfortably— “...I’m not proud of a lot of things I did back then.”

You wonder what he meant by that. “That was a while ago,” you reassure him. “You can get a fresh start now that high school’s over.”

“Yeah, there’s just a lot of things I wish I had done differently, though.”

“With…Nancy?” you ask softly.

You can’t see it, but you can tell by his voice that he’s frowning. “Yeah, but just…overall. I was kind of a dickhead… And with Nance, I felt like a better man when I was with her. But I was still… I guess I get why she broke up with me, is all. She definitely deserved better than me.”

“I feel like you’re not giving yourself enough credit,” you respond with genuineness. “I mean, there was a reason you stayed together for almost a whole year, right? Relationships are…they’re two-way streets. And I’m willing to bet you were probably a really good boyfriend to her.”

“I got better, I think…” Steve seems to come to his senses, then, as if he realizes who he’s talking to and what he’s been talking about. “God. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring that up. That was really shitty of me—”

“No, no, it’s okay. It’s okay. I promise.”

He squeezes your hand and brings it up to his chest. You’d almost forgotten he still isn’t wearing a shirt; his bare skin feels warm against your hand. There’s a reinstated moment of silence between you two, and yet, a thousand thoughts swim around in your brain.

Carefully, you break the silence again. “I’m glad we’re talking about it.”

“Yeah, but I just know how it feels when you have to listen to someone complain to you about their ex.” He laughs humorlessly. “I mean, at this point, I’m just being pitiful. It was six months ago, and she’s moved on, and I’ve moved on, too. I mean…” He rubs your hand with his thumb. “I mean, I wanna move on.”

“Listen,” you say. “I can tell you really cared about her, Steve. And that you still do. And…I can tell it still hurts. And that you’re still grieving it.” You roll over so you’re on your stomach, propping yourself up with your elbows so you can look at him in the moonlight. “And I want to be here for you. But I don’t want to get in the way of that.”

“But Y/N…” Steve brushes your hair out of your face. “I like you. A lot. I really, really like you.”

It’s the first time you’ve heard him say anything so definitive. Your face heats and you smile to yourself. “Really?”

“Yeah, really.”

“For a while I really wasn’t sure that you did,” you admit.

“You’re a doofus. Of course I fucking like you.”

“Well, I don’t know! I mean…god, I was so confused, Steve. I thought that you did, but then you, like, ignored me for a whole week.”

“Yeah, I’m an idiot.” He runs his hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, Y/N. Things just got really… real for me all the sudden, last week.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know if you knew this or not, but I…hadn’t really been with anyone since Nancy. Not seriously. Not until…you.”

So Robin had been right. Of course she had. Was Robin ever really wrong about anything? You need to start giving your mutual friend some more credit, you realize.

“You haven’t?” you ask.

“Nope. That’s why I freaked out in your basement last week…and ignored you for a week…and then blamed it on you. Wow. I really fucked this up already, and it hasn’t even started yet.”

You lean down to kiss his arm gently. “You didn’t fuck anything up.” Steve shivers at your touch; you realize then that the temperature has dropped. “You can put your shirt back on if you want,” you giggle.

“Thanks,” he whispers and sits upright to pull his tee shirt back on. Not the sweatshirt, though. “Do you wanna wear this?” He offers it to you.

“That’s okay,” you decline, although the night air has brought goosebumps to your arms.

“Don’t be silly, your hands are freezing.” He nudges you with the sweatshirt until you give in and pull it on over your head. It smells so deliciously good. “It looks good on you,” he compliments.

“Thank you, Steve.” You shimmy next to him again; he stretches out his arm like a pillow for your head. Being this close to him feels like heaven. 

“I should be the one thanking you,” he murmurs. “You’ve been nothing but patient and forgiving to me, even if I don’t deserve it.”

“You deserve it, dummy. And for the record, I really like you too.”

He shivers again, and you snuggle closer to him. With the arm that’s nestled under your neck, he plays with your hair absently. “I don’t want you to think that the stuff with Nancy changes anything between us.”

You don’t say anything at first.

He stirs beside you. “Y/N?” he prompts.

“What…exactly… is between us?” you ask him.

You’re thinking back to the stupid rules you and Steve had set for each other back in the basement last week. Rule Number Two, stay friends no matter what. There’s nothing you fear more than losing Steve as a friend. Which is why the idea of being more than friends terrifies you as much as it excites you.

“I don’t know,” Steve replies with a smirk, “but I’m down to play it by ear if you are.”

Play it by ear. “That doesn’t sound half bad. But…Steve?”

“Yeah?”

“I get the feeling that it’s not really just about Nancy.”

“What do you mean?”

“I just mean… All summer, you always joked about how you’re a washed-up version of the Steve Harrington you used to be. I don’t think you’re washed up… I think you’re pretty amazing as is. But I don’t think you really think you’re washed up either. I think you’ve come a long way from who you used to be. And you should be proud of that. But I also get the sense you feel a little lost…like you don’t know who you are if you’re not the same Steve Harrington you used to be.”

There’s a breath of silence as Steve shifts beside you. “Damn, alright, Sigmund Freud.”

Yikes. You probably shouldn’t have said that much. “I’m sorry… That was really out of line for me to say, wasn’t it.”

“No, I mean…you’re not wrong. I guess I don’t really know who I am anymore.”

“There’s no rush to figure out who you are.”

“But, like, I don’t even know what I like, or what I’m good at.”

“I could tell you one thing that you like and that you’re good at,” you say suggestively. “...Sorry, bad joke.”

But he laughs and kisses you again, out of the blue. It’s a shallow, almost chaste kiss that still manages to steal your breath away, but before you know it, he’s trying to roll on top of you, planting kiss after sweet kiss on your parted lips.

“Hey,” you laugh. “We were…having…a conversation.”

“It can wait.” Steve pins you against the truck bed with his body, attacking you over and over again with his lips. Oh, how you’ve longed to feel his body weight atop yours like this. Each kiss brings a feeling of indescribable lightness, like the feeling of a giggle bubbling up from your belly, like the drop of a roller coaster, like gravity has gone away. 

As much as his pecks bring you joy, you long for that heavy feeling you got in the back hallway of the mall when he kissed you as if his entire life depended on it. So, right when he’s no longer expecting it, you push Steve’s shoulders off of you and roll on top of him, trading places. His eyes are wide in the moonlight, and you plan a kiss above each one, on each of his eyelids. 

“Kiss me like you mean it,” you command.

“I do mean it.”

“Then prove it.”

Steve snakes his arms around your back and holds you securely as he pulls you down to kiss him deeply. Fireworks, just like the ones from earlier, seem to pop off between your bodies, and you’ve never felt so irrevocably his until this very moment.

“See, I told you, you are good at something,” you murmur when he finally breaks away.

“How can I make a career out of this?” Steve feels up and down your body with open palms and an expression of sheer reverence.

You laugh and brush his hair from his face. “There are plenty of careers you could have,” you say seriously.

The conversation from earlier resumes. “Yeah, but…” Steve’s lips purse in thought. “It just feels like, while everyone else was figuring out who they were in high school, I was stuck trying to be what everyone else thought I should be, and I didn’t let myself explore who I wanted to be.”

“Well…What were some things you were good at in high school?”

“Nothing,” he insists. “I sucked at every subject.”

“Did you suck, or did you just not try?”

“...Okay, fine. I didn’t try. But I didn’t really care about school anyway. It never interested me. Still doesn’t, really. Like, I am not looking forward to community college.”

“Okay, well, what were some things that you did find interesting?”

“...Sports…parties…”

“I mean, we can work with that. You’re a people person, Steve. You like people. And you’re good with them. And from what Robin told me, you’re good with the kids, too,” you add with a jab to his side. He twists away and scowls.

“Yeah, I know, my only friends for the last part of high school were a gang of middle schoolers. Tell me that’s not the most uncool thing you’ve ever heard.”

“Actually, it’s not. You’ve got a heart for the youngins; so what?”

“Shut up.”

“Okay, I’ve got a good direction for you.”

“What is it?”

“...Little league coach.”

“Actually, that doesn’t sound too bad.”

“It was either that, or ‘Stay-At-Home Dad.’”

“...That doesn’t sound too bad, either.”

You laugh and kiss both corners of his mouth. “I don’t really know what I want to do either, for the record.”

“Yeah, but you were at least good at school. Like, weren’t you telling me that you got into Purdue?”

You did get into Purdue, but there was a distinct reason why you weren’t going in the fall…that reason being money, primarily. “I still don’t know what I’m doing with my life, though,” you insist. 

“Is it bad if I say I’m kinda glad you’re not leaving for college in August?” he smiles shyly. “We get to spend more time together.”

“No. Not bad. I’m glad, too.” You had deferred your acceptance to community college so you could work full-time for half a year. And the idea of spending as much time as possible with Steve during that time was more than a little exciting. You kiss his lips once more before rolling off of him, resuming your position in the crook of his arm. “I’m just saying, you and I have time. There’s no rush.”

“To figure out what we’re doing with our lives, or to figure out what we are?” Steve asks.

“...Both.”

“You’re right.” Steve kisses your head beside him. “Hey.”

“Hey what?”

“...I know what happened back there at the fair was kind of a lot… Really sexy, don’t get me wrong...”

“Really sexy,” you agree with a giggle.

“But is it okay if we take things a bit…slow?” he asks. “Maybe, like…warm up to the rest?”

You nod understandingly. “Yeah. Yeah, that’s a good idea.”

“Okay,” he sighs in relief. “Good. Maybe in the meantime…we could go on a date. Like a real date.”

“Are you asking me on a date, Steve Harrington?”

“Hell yeah I am,” he says. “We’ll do the whole shebang. The fancy dinner, the movie. I’ll get you some roses and shit.”

“Now that’s cliché,” you laugh. “But I kinda love the idea.”

“Friday night?”

“Pick me up at 7?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He gazes down at you. “But…is it okay if I kiss you again?”

“I’d be upset if you didn’t.”

And so he does The novelty of the feeling of his kisses is starting to fade, but the bubbly feeling inside your stomach remains. You could kiss Steve Harrington like this all night long—nothing more, just kisses, laughing with each other, and the stars. Simple as that.

And that’s exactly what you do.

✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷

A/N: Helloooo! Yayyy, they finally had an honest conversation LMFAO. I’m dying to hear your thoughts about it! Please note that I write fanfiction for free; my only request for repayment is a genuine expression of your thoughts, opinions, likes/dislikes, and predictions about the story. Whether it’s simply a “Wow, I loved it!”, a keyboard smash, a series of convoluted thoughts in the tags, or even a full-out review, please know that any and all feedback is welcome!

Much love ❤︎ from Juniper

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[technowoah]

Wait imagine a fic where Jack and the reader are long distance or something and when Tubbo and Tommy are doing the man hunt irl the reader surprises Jack.

That would be cute I think 🤔

Just One Livestream

You surprise Jack with a spontaneous visit to the UK, little did you know that they were livestreaming.

- Jack Manifold x gen neutral!reader

- Anon Requested!

⚠︎ swearing, fluff!, not proofread

an// I hope yall enjoy! Much love! And sorry it came out so late I have no inspiration rn but imma get it done! Also I used the difference of American hours to London hours so sorry of

Navigation!

"Love, why are you up early?" Jack asked through the phone.

You two were facetiming eachother as he propped his phone up on his dashboard while he started to drive. It was around 1 am for you and 6 am for Jack. Sadly you two were in a long distance relationship. You had met Jack when you were on a college trip to London to study abroad for 3 weeks. You were sad that you had to leave your home country, but this was a opportunity you couldn't oppose.

During this trip you had found a cafe that you would go to often. The first time you sat at the cafe alone you always noticed it was only you and this other man in the cafe. He was always on his computer and sat by a window, he always came early too, even earlier than you. As the days went on you continued to see him around more and he seemed to notice you as well. You made a note to yourself to always try and show up a tad bit earlier to the cafe to stay around the same time as he did.

You two got to know eachother throughout the three weeks you had to stay in London. The small nods became hellos, and the hellos turned into full on conversation by the window. He had told you his name was Jack Manifold and was kind of surprised when you didn't immediately know who he was. To him it was refreshing not to be immediately noticed based on his appearance. You both had exchanged numbers one day and after each morning you two would text non stop even during your classes. Luckily trying to get to know Jack changed your sleep schedule and because of that you always made it to class on time.

Jack was such an amazing guy to you, but during the first week you had developed a small crush on the man, and he had developed a crush on you too. The second week you two had ventured out onto different territory than the cafe. Jack started to call those small outings after class, dates and you weren't opposed to the dates at all you loved them. The second and third week were mostly dates and the night before you left he asked to be your boyfriend and of course you accepted not knowing the pain of a long distance relationship.

You had to answer his question on why you were up so early. "Yeah- Um, Im up because of you." You chuckled. "You changed my sleep schedule ever since I met you."

"Well you're welcome, because before me I heard you were missing classes." Jack payed attention to the road but still talked to you.

"Because I told you! And I am grateful, but there is nothing to do at one am here." You sighed while you started to walk around your room as you lied to him.

Jack was talking to you while you did a clean sweep around your house to check if you had everything for your trip.

Two weeks ago you had decided to pack your bags and take a trip back to London. Right now your flight will be leaving early in the morning and that's why you are up so early.

You wanted to surprise Jack instead of straight up telling him that you will be in the country. You missed him dearly, and this will be a great way to spend time together instead of seeing eachother across a screen. One of you had to make that sacrafice and that would be you.

While Jack continued to talk you checked everywhere to make sure you arent leaving anything behind.

"What are you doing, darling?" Jack asked and that snapped you out of your trance. "Are you even listening to me? Im hurt." Jack faked being hurt.

You smiled at him and shook your head. "Im sorry I wasn't listening. What were you saying?"

"I was saying, when you were ignoring me, that I'm going to the cafe right now and that we should plan a trip soon. I miss you." Jack confessed and you awed.

"I miss you too Jack! I hopw we can see each other soon." You tried to contain your smile as you hid your surprise.

"Me too."

Your plane finally landed as you let out a sigh of relief. You had collected all of your shit fast so you could finally get off of that horrible plane. Every stereotypical airplane scene happened to you in the hours you were on that plane. You had a child crying behind you with a mother who couldn't keep that child calm, you were sat next to a man who snored the whole ride here and you just felt cramped.

Sadly you couldn't return any of Jack's messages or calls that you saw when you were in the airplane terminal. You tried calling him twice but they both went to voicemail while you rolled your bag through the huge building. Finding yourself outside you ordered an Uber and once you did that your phone began to ring showing Jack's name and picture of you two together on the screen.

You quickly answered the phone. "Hey!"

"Hi!" Jack chuckled. "I called like, 17 times!"

"I know! Im sorry. I was busy." You weren't lying getting a plane and basically leaving early in the morning and arriving in the afternoon in London. "So, what are you doing today?"

"I am hanging out with Tommy and Tubbo at the park! Im picking them up now!" Jack responded and you heard him close his car door.

"Which park?" You asked quickly as you saw your Uber arrive.

Jack started to laugh. "Uh I'll text you the park I guess. Why would you want to know?"

"No reason! I just want to make sure you are safe. Dont make me call 999." You tried to joke around and take the attention off of your question.

"I cant believe you still remember 999." Jack laughed.

"I still do!" You said as you got inside your Uber and gave the driver the directions to your hotel forgetting that Jack was on the other line.

"Wait hotel?" Jack questioned through the phone.

"Hotel? What are you talking about?" You acted oblivious.

"I- I thought you were talking about a hotel." Jack hesitated.

"No!" You tried to cover up your mistake.

"Well Im going to pick up Tommy soon. I'll talk to you later okay? Answer my calls this time!" Jack chuckled.

"I definitely will!"

You had recived the name of the park you were surprising Jack at. You began to walk around the parking lot after you got dropped off and noticed his car sitting there. There were tons of people at the park today and you didn't know where he would be. As you walked on the dirt trails of the park your thoughts took over, what if you made a mistake and should've told Jack that you were here in London and wanted to meet up at the cafe?

You looked at people as they passed by you ok the trail wishing that you had that energy that you had before, thinking that you would find Jack easily when in reality you were in a busy part of the park and he could be anywhere.

When you thought all hope was lost you heard some loud voices on the trail to your right. You were already walking aimlessly through the park and your first instinct was to go left and walk away from the loud voices, but then you heard something.

"Tommy this was a bad idea!"

"I dont think it was!"

You stood in the "intersection" of the dirt trails thinking that you heard those voices right. You rounded the corner and followed right to see Tommy and Jack doubled over, out of breath while Tubbo was still standing up breathing heavily. There were far away from you, but not far away that you couldn't see them clearly.

You began to call out to them. "Tommy! Jack! Tub-"

They quickly turned around and took off running. Confused on why they were doing that you took off running after them trying to tell them to stop. They were yelling and you were yelling and getting weird glances from stangers, and you dont blame them. You're chasing after your boyfriend and his two friends in a quiet public park. You continued to hear their groans of tiredness and their speed started to slow down.

"Jack! Tommy! Wait up!" You yelled out of breath as you slowed down as well.

"We give up! We give up!" Tubbo yelled and came to a complete stop while trying to catch his breath. He turned around to finally face you. "Y/N?!"

"Wait what?!"

"You're here?!" Jack ran up to you and gave you a bone crushing hug, rocking you two back and forth.

"I am! And Im our of breath thanks to you three." You said while still hugging Jack.

"M'sorry I thought you were a fan and I took off and they followed suit I guess." Tommy rubbed his forehead.

"A fan?" You questioned and Tommy and Tubbo lifted their phones up gesturing that they were recording.

"We're doing manhunt in real life, darling." Jack kissed your temple and wrapped his arn around your waist, holding you tight.

"Next time look before you run okay." You smiled still out of breath while kissing Jack's cheek.

"Enough with the PDA!" Tubbo yelled still recording you two.

"We havent even started!" Jack yelled back giving you a huge hug. Jack closed the distance between you two and gave you a passionate kiss on the lips while the two boys groaned in disgust.

"I think that's enough streaming for today boys." Tommy sighed.

"Sorry again, love. That won't happen again."

You and Jack walked hand in hand down the streets of London. People had to walk around you two because you were basically taking up the whole sidewalk and you weren't letting go of his hand anytime soon.

"It better not! I dont want to run after you again." You smiled as you bumped shoulders.

"And you wont have to!" He smiled back at you as you two continued to walk and people dodged the two of you.

"Have you ever thought of moving here?" Jack asked out of nowhere.

"I have actually! On the plane ride here I thought of leaving and moving to London." You thought about it constantly. It was nice being close to Jack and it was a major risk.

"Well wherever you're ready, I'll be here for you." Jack kissed your cheek. "And I wont run away when you come here!"

You two finally made it to your destination which was the cafe you two met at. It was busy at this time because it was the middle of the day and not the beginning. You two entered and took your seats by the window where you two usually sat.

"I love you. I missed this." Jack said.

"I love you too! And of course I missed this. Maybe you can show me more places around London and convince me to stay longer." You gave him a proposal.

"Longer than what?" Jack asked.

"Four weeks." You grinned.

Jack grabbed both of your hands and kissed the back of them. "Hell yeah. I get you for more than four weeks?!"

"That's if you show me places to stay longer." You teased.

"Okay babe. You like ferris wheels?"

[gxdsfavgal]

ANON

Pairing: Tom Holland x Designer!reader

Warnings: first person pov, both of them are a tad bit cocky! but FLUFFFF

Summary: you’re an anonymous clothing designer who has partnered with the biggest luxury brands. You decide to visit your parents and in the moment you also see your best friend and childhood crush who you lost contact with.

A/N: this was better in my head & it’s shit writing

-

-

It’s been a while since I visited my parents and my old neighborhood, living between New York and Paris was stressful but it was the dream.

Right now is the calm before the storm, the storm being fashion week, New York, Paris, Milan, you name it. As a stress reliever, I decided to just book a flight back home and surprise my parents.

It’s been only three years since I up and left my town, leaving everything behind. I lost contact with everyone except my parents. It was a healthy fresh start.

Once I arrived at the beautiful and old Kingston and surprised my parents, they decided to throw a small Welcome Home party later tonight. They invited their close friends and our neighbors.

I settled into my childhood room that didn’t change one bit, and I started getting ready for the little get-together.

Little by little groups of people started crowding the lawn and the house. I made my way down and got hugs and kisses on the cheeks from people who watched me grow up.

“Y/n!” I heard a familiar voice say.

“Harry!” I pulled Harry into a hug and moved to hug Sam and Paddy.

“Where have you been? It’s been so boring here especially with Tom always gone, plus you don’t post on social media!” Paddy groaned with an eye roll.

“Traveling, and I like to keep my little side hustles private. Where’s Tom?” I asked the brothers.

“Interview for Uncharted in London, don’t know if he’ll be able to make it.” Sam shrugged his shoulders.

“Bummer” I frowned a little as I remember how I used to be obsessed with Tom when I was younger, but chose not tell him because I didn’t want to lose my best friend.

I continued to greet and drink wine with my old neighbors and my parents friends. They asked me all sorts of questions, especially why I didn’t go to Uni, a question I try my best to avoid.

Many of the people in my hometown don’t know that I am a clothing designer and have worked with many big luxury brands. I’ve kept my work life off of social media, and luckily it has been going well.

As I was talking to one of my father’s coworkers, I hear a bunch of cheers coming from the backyard. I excuse myself from the conversation to check out what was happening.

When I found an opening, I saw him. Tom fucking Holland, my childhood crush and best friend. Right at that moment, I realized that I don’t think that crush ever faded away.

“Y/n” he held his hand hand out.

“Tom.” we stared at each other, a smile creeping up on each other’s lips. “Come in here!”

We grabbed each other and gave a tight, comfy hug. He smelled good, looked good too. He was still in his clothes from the interview that looked way too familiar.

I got him a beer and we sat on the swing bench out in the garden, the brothers following along with us to get space from the others.

We all laughed and caught up.

“So you live in New York and Paris, and havent visited in four years?” Tom said with wide eyes as he took a swig of his beer.

“Yup, I travel a lot for my job.” I had a big smile on my face, proud of what I do instead of still being in Uni.

“You lost your accent.” he shook his head in disbelief.

“No I didn’t, I have my English accent still intact.”

“Wait what’s your job again?” he raised his brow at me.

“Didnt I just say I travel a lot for it?” I playfully rolled my eyes.

Tom giggles from beside me.

“And what’s funny to you Mister Holland?”

“I-It’s just” he’s trying his hardest to not laugh. “It’s just— I definitely travel way more than your job, no offense.”

The three brothers who were our audience then sent us some ooo’s.

“Oh hush you three.” I playfully slapped Sam’s shoulder. “Anyways, no offense taken.”

“What do you do anyways? Do you have sugar daddies to tend to?” Tom’s words kind of hurt, especially since he thought you were getting money from a job like that.

“Ouch Thomas!” I playfully gripped at my heart. “It’s a fun and stressful job, I get to travel for others.”

“Photographer?” Harry said as he pretended to take a photo of Paddy striking multiple poses.

“Nope, try again.” I took a sip out of my wine glass, a proud smile on my face as we swung slightly on the bench.

I shook my head side to side.

After they all guessed multiple careers, they began asking follow up questions.

“So New York and Paris, it’s a good paying job for sure.” Tom said as he rubbed his chin.

“It pays way too good.” Paddy stretched out the words.

I giggle at all of their confused faces.

“Okay okay, do you guys want me to tell you?”

They all nodded and leaned forward.

“Promise you won’t tell anyone, my job is kind of anonymous.” i held out my pinky and they all brought theirs out to interlock with mine.

I took a deep breath in and out, keeping up with the suspense.

“Tom, you are wearing me.” I learned back in my seat to observe all of their faces.

“Give us more” Sam said as he looked like his mind was spiraling.

“I designed what Tom is wearing, head to toe. That is my collab with Prada.” I took a big gulp of my wine as their minds finally understood.

“No way!” Harry stood up, his hands grabbing at his hair. “You’re ANON”

I felt the heat reach my cheeks as I heard my designer name, ANON.

“You are literally making history with all of the collaborations you’ve done. Do you understand the impact you’ve had?” Harry was so excited while Paddy and Sam were just shocked to see him know this much.

Tom was just staring at me in surprise, he hasn’t even said a single word.

“Oh stop it! You’re making me blush!” I fanned my neck with my hand.

“I can’t believe I’m wearing your creation! You talented piece of shit!” Tom’s hands cradled my jaw, the both of us smiling so hard our cheeks hurt.

He pulled my head towards him, kissing the top of my head as we all laugh.

“Why’d you keep this from us?” Sam asked as he drank out of his beer.

“Well you know, Spidey here is very hard to get in contact with.” I patted Tom’s thigh.

“Me? You could’ve easily emailed my manager for me to wear your art!”

“Well, now that you know I guess i’ll have to dress you for this years MET if you haven’t partnered with a designer yet.” I nudged him with my elbow.

His mouth wide open and his eyebrows lifted.

“Done! I’m telling my team that you’re dressing me!”

Tom took out his phone and immediately messaged his team about finding the designer he’s wearing for the MET.

We all laughed and talked more as the boys asked me more questions about my life being an anonymous clothing designer.

Once the sun set and the spring breeze kicked in, the brothers decided to go back to their house a few houses down; except Tom.

We went to my room and talked about the MET, taking it serious with the theme and how dramatic.

As it started to get late, the both of us were on our stomachs on my bed, computer and sketch book splayed out.

I sketched many designers and Tom told me what he wanted.

“I’m proud of you.” Tom said randomly, his eyes twinkling.

“I’m proud of you too. I mean, c’mon Spiderman!” I twisted to lay on my back. “You got to work with Andrew and Tobey! That’s crazy!”

Tom laughed and laid on his back with me. “Yeah yeah, it is crazy.”

“Geez, look at us. We grew up together and now we are making history.” I rested my head on his chest, patting his hands to a rhythm in my head.

“We did it.” he said as he leaned to place a kiss on the crown of my head.

[b0ba-chan]

gentry of hermatige

zhongli x fem!reader

cw slight spoilers, mentions of blood, soft service dom!zhongli, size kink, cunnilingus, slight teasing, over stimulation, fat dick zhongli, unprotected sex, reader passes out, mating press, reader is an adventurer, i also dont know how housing works in genshin so the funeral parlor is homing for employees too

after the passing of the archon morax and the defeat of osial, liyue has never been more busy than before. the lantern rite has made your workload almost triple, running to do additional commisions given out by the guild. you always end up coming back to your home city all haggard and beaten up.

you trudge the trail back, yawning as you go to sit on the edge of the cliff to look over the harbor. taking a break, you rest your sore legs while humming the soft tune you heard a street preformer sing. a glaze lily starts to bloom as the sun sets in the horizon, blooming in your face while shining a vibrant icy blue. by plucking it off its stem, the sweet scent swarms your nose as you are reminded of the scent of the man you see around the wangsheng funeral parlor.

he tends to have a sophisticated aura around him while standing with respectable posture, knowing almost everying that has happened in liyues history. you had done some of his commissions, but he did follow along each time.

zhongli joined you while you did his errands, seemingly odd as he is paying you for something he can easily do on his own. but every time he was around you, he told extravagant stories about the history of liyue and how it came to be. it left you hanging onto every word he says that now, you try and visit whenever you can to see him at the parlor. and whenever you seem like you were going to be a bother, he was already waiting for you with a second cup of tea.

you stare at the flower in hand before wincing at the feeling of sharp pain running up your arm. the bandage wrapping your arm was soaked red which signals that you should go back to the pharmacy and get checked up.

your tired legs drag you back to walking the trail, making way to your destination. but before you can tell where you were heading, you open the front door of the parlor. his eyes were already looking at you, though a client was standing befor him while talking business. you tiredly smile and wave at him, flower still clutched in your hand.

“excuse me,” zhongli politely waves off the client, telling him that he is off work for the day to tend to your needs. before he says anything, he reaches a hand up to your red cheek with a look of concern plastered on his face. his hand lifts your wounded arm to take a look before leading you up the stairwell to his respective room.

once the door closes behind the two of you, it hits that you realize that you have only been his office but never his room. the room glowed a warm amber from the many lanterns that lit up the area.

“little miss, you must be more careful with yourself. the bubu pharmacy would have been a better location to visit than me,” zhongli sighs and sits you down on the cushioned seat. he takes out whatever material he has to clean and heal you up.

your face turns red as he uses his teeth to pull each at the glove off of each finger, gently folding to place them on the table. zhongli removes his coat and hangs it up before taking a seat next to you. his slender fingers undo the wrapping on your arm and gently wipe down your wound. you were too focused on how close he was to you.

you didn’t realize how hard you were chewing on your bottom lip until a metallic taste dribbled onto your taste buds. zhongli looks up after finishing his wrap and watching you touch your bloody lip.

“i barely told you two minutes ago to be careful with yourself,” he huffs out a breathy laugh and places his clean hand on your cheek, thumbing away the blood. it was suffocating how dense his aura is, feeling as if he was going to swallow you whole right there.

“why not take a bath, refreshen a bit. don’t mind if you get the bandage wet, i can always replace it.” his hand comes to rest on the top of your head. you blush and nod, accepting the extra clothing he hands over to you as he ushers you to the bath.

he lets you have your time alone to wash up, letting the hot steam seap beneath your skin. you havent felt a comfort of a bath in what felt like ages. though you have hopped in some clean springs to wash up whatever you could, the warmth of an indoor bath never felt better.

you clear your mind over how flustered you were earlier, it wasn’t like you to act this way around zhongli. he always felt more like a good friend you could just sit around with for a while, but now you felt as if there was tension between the two of you. maybe you were just overreacting and he’s just being kind.

you sigh and hop out of the bath, drying yourself off with the towel he had provided you. after completely dry off, you slip on the loose fitting clothes he had offer you. you find him still sitting at the table, this time with two cups of tea.

“thank you, for taking me in.” you take a seat and smile at him, cheeks still red from the steaming bathroom, and possibly from how he made you blush earlier. zhongli nods and takes a sip from his tea, enjoying the comfortable silence. you didnt realize his eyes were on you while you sipped your tea.

“why is it that, once you finally get a break, instead of taking a rest, you come to me.”

the question took you by shock and if you weren’t speechless then, you definitely are now. turn to look at him and his eyes bore into yours, and they started to look like they were glittering gold, brighter than his usual self.

“i- i don’t know, i’m sorry.” you stutter as you advert your gaze away from him, shying away from his intense stare.

“there is no matter in apologizing, i am simply curious to why you enjoy my presence,” zhongli gently pinches your chin between his index and thumb to force you to look him in the eye, “though i may know why you come to me now.”

it happened so fast - zhongli’s lips were against yours leading you. it was so gentle yet firm, making sure you know he was in charge. you felt almost breathless the way he kisses you; his fingers were still holding your chin while his other hand holds onto your thigh, squeezing the flesh gently. he suckles on your tongue, peaking his eye open a little to see you dazed and flustered.

a trail of spit connects your tongues as he pulls away, retracting his hands as he prepares to apologize. your hands grab his wrists and whine, trying to tug him back.

“don’t go, please. i need more.” you whine, letting your guard down as his eyes grow softer. you were in such a needy state and had made all this way just to join him. so it didn’t take much convincing for him to lift you up and take you to his bed.

you have spent nights camping out, having no time to go back home and rest up. when coming in contact with the silk sheets has you melting in the soft comfort. not only were the sheets were bringing you comfort, but zhongli’s lips could rival the softness of the bed.

he kisses down the column of your neck, nibbling the skin to draw out your pitiful whines. your arms loop around his neck to keep him close, not wanting for you to leave you cold and alone in the bed, but it was evident that he wasn’t going to be leaving any time soon. and there was that familiar scent again; glaze lillies and the hint of silk flowers made it all more comforting.

“is this alright?” zhongli fumbles a bit with your clothes, only to continue when you nod in confirmation. he undoes your clothing, taking every piece off gently as he knew you were still injured. his kisses were placed intricately onnyour skin, making sure to place more gentle kisses on your injuries. you felt rather embarrassed, being the only one half naked, pushing his shoulder gently.

“speak up, you have to tell me what you want.” he pulls away, taking place between your thighs and massaging the soft flesh under his bare hands. your hands reach out to grab at his tie, tugging on the fabric.

“please take it off, please. this is embarrassing.” you whine as your face flush a brighter red. he laughs a bit and undoes his tie, unbuttoning the rest of his shirt.

“you just had to say so, darling. besides, i would not say no to you.” he shrugs off the rest of his clothing, undoing his pants right in front of you. you stare at his chest, a gold tattoo in a geometric pattern was centered on his sternum. it was as if your hand had a mind of it’s own, coming to touch the somewhat glowing decal. he was warm under your hand, heartbeat thumping normally compared to your own anxious heart. his hand comes to rest on top of yours, pressing it closer to his chest.

“i will explain more on a later date, i know you do enjoy my stories. for now let me take care of you.” his fingers intertwine with yours as he leans down to kiss your inner wrist where your pulse is felt against his lips. you nod, preferring to wait for the story on a later time, wrapping your arms around his neck to pull him close.

your feet kick up when you feel his clothed cock presses against you. you can already tell that he was thick as he grinded up against you, drawling out sweet whines out of your mouth. he trail soft kisses down your neck, kissing between your breast and palming them in his hands. his mouth was then met with the heat kf your clothed cunt. though you were separated by your panties, you could feel his hot breath fanning against you.

zhongli looks up at you, silently asking for permission and once you nod, he slips off the panties. tossing it to the side, he hooks your knees over his shoulders and runs his tongue through your folds gently. your eyes widen and your hands were immediately clutching at his hair.

he hums as he wraps his lips around your clit, sucking on the bundle of nerves. you were already bucking your hips against his mouth, moaning uncontrollably. his hand comes to your mouth and slips his middle and ring finger into your mouth. you moan and suck on them immediately, one hand freeing his hair to grip his wrist.

he pulls away and spits on your cunt, as if you were soaking the bed underneath you already. the hot liquid melds with your slick, running down your cunt. he takes his fingers out of your mouth, a trail of spit connecting your lips to the tips of your fingers. cooing at your embarrassment, he slides a wet finger into your cunt.

“a-ah.” you stutter out, gripping the pillows behind you.

“alright, do we need to slow down?” he rubs your thigh lightly, goosebumps growing on your skin under his palm. you shake your head and grind down against his hand to urge him to continue.

he kisses your clit as he continues to tease you with only one finger, trying not to laugh when you whine. you couldn’t even voice out your needs, only squirming under him.

once he finally slides the second finger, it already felt like perfection. he had his lips still attached to your pulsing nub as he scissored you open, curling his fingers a bit and holding your hips down with a firm hand when you get to squirmy. the familiar tight knot was already forming in your core, gummy walls clamping around his fingers as you try your best to grind your clit on his tongue.

he watches with hooded eyes as you ride out your orgasm, even pushing you past the brink to draw tears of pleasure out of your glossy eyes. only when you start to nudge him off he pulls away, looking down at you flustered body and heaving chest as you try and catch your breath.

your eyes wander down his chest as you try to catch your breath, seeing the noticable buldge through his boxers.

“don’t need to worry about me, darling. this is enou-.” before he can finish his sentence you weakly tug at the hem of his boxers, whining.

“no, need you too, please.” you plea, pushing down the clothing. his hard cock slaps his thigh, hanging heavy and hard from watching you lose yourself on his tongue. he doesn't flinch, but you do; you were shocked by his sheer size. you blush and look away when you catch yourself staring, whining when you hear his low chuckle.

“you wanted this, now don’t look away.” zhongli grabs your face to force you to make eye contact with him. he smiles in satisfaction, releasing your cheeks from his grips so you can watch him grab the base of his dick with the same hand. it was obvious that he was bigger than others, thicker than average, but when he slaps his cock gently against your sensitive cunt, it made it all more obvious.

“this little cunt of yours, so small. will you be good and take all of me?” zhongli leans in to whisper in your ear. shivers run down your spine as you whine out a small yes, wrapping your legs around his waist to pull him closer.

he laughs a bit and positions himself, letting his top nudge at your hole. your breath hitches as he pushes past the first ring of muscle, going tense from the uncomfortable stretch. zhongli knows his size, pausing every once in a while.

he does, however, enjoy how cute you get when he wont hurry up. he sometimes hold his positions for you to adjust because he says he knows what you need. but once he bottoms out, you felt the air knock out of you. your vision goes white as you convulsed under him, thighs tightening around his waist.

zhongli coos as drool dribbles out of your mouth, feeling your walls barely clamp around him. his hand gently pats your cheek, squishing them to shake your limp head. he starts to roll his hips, watching you squirm.

“thats it, good morning, dear.” he smirks as you blink your eyes open. he was trying to hide the fact that he was proud that he made you pass out on him because of his sheer size, but it was evident on his face. you gasp as his tip kisses your cervix, grabbing his shoulder to find some stability.

his thrusts were smooth and slow, letting you adjust to him. but you start begging for more and more, only making him follow your needs. from soft to brutal, his hips were bruising up your thighs with every thrust. you were rendered speechless under him, only squealing when he pushes your knees up, folding you into a mating press.

“sh-shoo deep! t-too deep!” you cry put, clinging to the pillows as he ignores your pleas. he grunts as his bangs cling to his sweaty forehead. your eyes cross and toes curl as hes reaching farther than before.

you couldn’t tell if it was your imagination but you saw a faint golden glow coming from the tip of zhongli’s hair. but it wasn’t the time to think about the cause of light, only having the brain power to go dumb on his cock.

“doesn’t seem like you’re complaining anymore. good girl, i know what yok need.” zhongli growls animalistically, causing you to clamp on him tighter. you squeal and cum once again, squeezing to urge him to cummin you. he groans at the tightening feeling as he releases into you. he continues to thrust to ride out each other’s orgasm, mainly focusing on you. each thrust, more of his cum overflows out of you, making an absolute mess out of each other and the sheets.

you two are panting to the same rhythm, holding onto each other as if it was the the last time you two would see each other. he nudges his nose against yours, pressing a soft kissagainst your lips. you barely could kiss back, letting him do whatever he wanted. he pulls out out of your puffy cunny, flipping over onto his back to hold you to his chest.

“maybe it was the best idea to visit me instead of the pharmacy, my cure seems to be better than anything baizhu could come up with.” zhongli laughs a bit, grabbing your wrist before you could playfully slap his chest. he holds you close for a while, hair still glowing but dimming down as the mood dies down.

“zhongli wha-.”

“how about i explain this all while we take another bath. this slimy feeling is bringing back horrid memories, lets wash up.”