#i refuse to put my cards on a service like that

[rathockey]

insanely curious about this

[the-kipsabian]

gonna badly rate my taxi driver brb

[libraryofgage]

Librarian Steve :)

Was talking to a friend about people (specifically this one kid that gives such Dustin energy hfjdks) I meet at work (I'm a librarian) and that evolved into this plot bunny so:

Librarian Steve, rock star Eddie, and the 5 times Steve pretends he doesn't know who Eddie is while they flirt + 1 time Steve reveals he knew about Eddie's rock star status the whole time

There is also, definitely, at some point, going to be a second part where the kids keep just barely missing Eddie and refuse to believe Steve is actually dating anyone but especially not Eddie Munson of all people

As always, if you see any typos, no you didn't

One

Steve stares at the man on the other side of the circulation desk. He's wearing a Metallica shirt, ripped jeans, a guitar pick necklace, clunky rings on each finger, and an expression that says he's bracing himself for something painful.

Here's the thing: Steve knows who Eddie Munson is. It's hard to listen to alternative rock or punk or any other genre like that and not know Eddie Munson. It's hard to be a librarian who works primarily with kids in middle school and high school, all going through that painful, angsty phase that they express through music, and not know Eddie Munson.

So, yeah, Steve takes one look at the admittedly (incredibly) attractive guy and immediately knows he's Eddie Munson. Like, of Corroded Coffin fame. Of Rock n Roll Hall of Fame fame. Of platinum-level album sales fame. Of--okay, his point has probably been made.

Anyway, yeah, Steve knows this is Eddie Munson, and while he'd love to say he's a fan and smile at Eddie and maybe ask for an autograph, Steve also grew up as a Small Town Rich Kid. So he knows that look on Eddie's face, the one that says he's bracing himself for someone to start fawning over him and potentially ask for uncomfortable favors or his number or any other request that's definitely crossing the line into invasive.

Steve easily makes the decision to pretend he doesn't recognize Eddie. So, he puts on his customer service smile and says, "Hello, how can I help you?"

The sheer relief in Eddie's eyes is more than enough to tell Steve he made the right choice. "Right, uh, this is my first time here," Eddie says, shifting slightly before placing his hands on the counter and drumming his fingers.

"Oh, congratulations," Steve says, his tone and smile becoming more genuine. "Did you come here to print something?"

Eddie shakes his head, reaches into his pocket, and pulls out a library card. "My friend has, like, a...hold? Yeah, a hold on something and asked me to pick it up," he explains.

Steve nods once and takes the card when Eddie offers it. He scans it and watches the computer load for a few seconds before opening an account window for someone named Asher Katz. "Since you aren't the cardholder," Steve says, navigating to the "Additional Information" tab in the account, "I'll need you to tell me the four-digit pin or code word connected to the account."

He clearly wasn't expecting that requirement, and Eddie flounders for a moment. "Is that a requirement?" he asks.

With an apologetic smile, Steve nods. "Yeah," he says, stretching out the word as he tries to think. "Oh, you could also call him and have him tell me the pin. Then I could confirm that it's okay for you to check out materials on his behalf."

"This is a lot of hoops for a book," Eddie says, frowning slightly as he takes out his phone.

"We have to make sure people's materials are secure. Also, we have to keep track of what people check out for the library's stats report at the end of each quarter."

Eddie looks like he understands about half of that, and Steve once again flashes an apologetic smile. After a few taps on the screen, Eddie glances around the library, ensuring it's empty, before putting the phone on speaker. The moment it picks up, and before Asher can speak, Eddie says, "Hey, man, I'm at the library. Can you tell, uh--" Eddie looks up to check Steve's nametag "--Steve what your pin is so I can check that book out."

A few seconds pass before Steve hears a sigh on the other end of the phone. "1234," Asher says.

"Seriously?" Eddie asks.

Steve glances at the account page, confirms the pin, and nods. "Could you also provide me with your code word?"

"Password."

"Dude!" Eddie says, staring at the phone like he's once again being reminded that his friend is a dumbass.

Steve checks the account again and nods once more. "Great, thank you. Could you confirm that...," Steve trails off, looking at Eddie expectantly.

Eddie blinks like he forgot Steve didn't know who he was and hesitates before clearing his throat and quietly saying, "Eddie."

"Thanks," Steve says, flashing another smile before looking at the phone and continuing, "Can you confirm that Eddie here is allowed to check out holds on your behalf?"

"Uh, yeah, that's fine, man."

"Great, thank you," Steve says, checking the card number once more before heading to the hold shelf behind the desk. He crouches and starts scanning stickers on the spines for Asher's last name and the last four digits of his number. Behind him, he hears Eddie say goodbye, his voice sounding a little strained for reasons Steve can't really figure out at the moment.

He finds the right book after a few moments and pulls it off the shelf. "Here it is," he says, walking over to the desk and pulling up the check-out window on his computer. He scans the library card once more, carefully pulls the sticker off the spine, and scans the book.

"It's due in two weeks, but if your friend needs more time, he can just give the library a call," Steve explains, passing the book and card back to Eddie with a smile. "Was there anything else I could do for you?"

Eddie just stares at him for a few seconds, his cheeks looking a little pinker than before, and Steve wonders if the building's A/C somehow gave up on life. Again. But he can hear it running so that definitely isn't it. "Uh, nope, that's it," Eddie says, gripping the book tightly in his hands, his rings pressing into the cover. "Thanks, Steve, appreciate it."

"Of course, man. Have a good day," Steve says with a genuine smile and wave as Eddie heads toward the door.

With a slightly awkward wave back, Eddie walks out the door, glancing back over his shoulder once before the door completely shuts. Once the library is empty again, Steve hears the door to the backroom open, and Robin practically slides up to the counter, leaning onto it next to him.

"Was that?" she asks. Steve instantly translates the question in his head: Was that Eddie fucking Munson?

"Yep."

"And did you?"

And did you just pretend you didn't know him?

"Yep."

"Did he?"

Did he catch on?

"Nope."

"Do you think?"

Do you think he'll be back?

Steve shrugs, glancing over at her. "Don't know," he says, pausing for a moment before adding, "He's hotter in person."

Robin barks out a laugh. "Maybe you'll actually get to flirt next time," she says, and Steve grins at her, kind of hoping she's right.

Two

Eddie returns exactly two weeks later, and Steve is lucky enough to once again be working a desk shift when he walks through the door. He's wearing a Nine Inch Nails shirt this time, and his hair is pulled back into a messy bun with strands escaping to frame his face. He goes up to the counter, focused on Steve and completely ignoring Robin sitting at another computer, and sets the book down. "I wanna return this. And get a library card for myself," he says.

Steve can't help a clearly amused smile as he takes the book and scans it in. "Do you have an ID with you?" he asks, sliding the book along the desk to rest next to Robin.

He ignores the glare she shoots at him before grabbing the book to place it on a reshelving cart for later.

"Yeah, do I need anything else?" Eddie asks.

As Steve shakes his head, he leans over to grab a library card application from a small organizer. He places it in front of Eddie and passes him a pen as well. "Just fill that out," he says, leaning forward on the counter as Eddie picks up the pen.

"So, uh, what can I do with a library card?" Eddie asks, glancing up at Steve briefly before focusing on carefully writing. His letters are blocky but awkward like he's consciously thinking about how he's writing each one.

Maybe he just doesn't want to risk his writing being recognized, too? From what Steve remembers of the signatures he's seen, Eddie's handwriting is fairly distinctive.

"You can borrow up to 75 materials at one time, place items on hold, use the computers, and you get one dollar of printing credit that renews each day," Steve lists, tilting his head slightly as he watches Eddie write.

"That's it?"

Steve snorts, raising an eyebrow at Eddie when he looks up. "Oh, that's not enough for you?" he asks, unable to help a slight grin, "You can use it at any library within our system, too. So you'll still have options if you get banned from this one."

"Oh? And what would I be banned for?" Eddie asks, his writing pausing long enough to meet Steve's gaze once more and smirk at him.

"I wonder," Steve says, not missing the way Eddie's gaze drops to his lips for less than a second before moving back up.

Holy shit, he's flirting with Eddie Munson.

"I can also help you find books to read based on what you've liked previously," Steve adds, somewhat clumsily pulling back from the flirting. It's only Eddie's second time here, and he doesn't want to let himself get too caught up in...well, Eddie when there's no guarantee he'll be back.

Eddie hums softly as he looks back at the application. "Oh? What would you recommend for me?" he asks.

"What's your favorite book?"

"The Hobbit."

"What did you like about it?"

"The adventure and the characters."

"Do you prefer fantasy? What about sci-fi?"

"Yeah, those are fine."

Steve hums softly, thinking as Eddie sets the pen down and slides the application to him. "Thanks. I also need to see your ID," Steve says, opening a drawer in the desk and pulling out a library card. He scans it, a new account window popping up and waiting to be filled out.

"What's the ID for?" Eddie asks.

"To confirm that you live in our service area," Steve explains, taking the ID when Eddie offers it. He glances at the photo briefly, confirming that it is, in fact, Eddie Munson, and then double-checks the address. It matches what Eddie wrote on the application, so he nods and slides the ID back to him.

"That's it?"

Steve nods, beginning to type Eddie's information into the account page. "Yeah, that's it," he says, glancing up and smiling at Eddie, "Anyway, I think you'll enjoy the Murderbot Diaries. It's about a cyborg that hacks its control module, thinks about maybe going on a killing spree, and then discovers TV instead. It then just goes on adventures through space while fighting, like, capitalism and corporations."

"Sounds pretty badass," Eddie says, leaning forward on the counter like he wants to get a peek at the computer. "How long is it?"

"It's mostly novellas, so they're quick reads."

"Got any copies here?"

Steve hums, entering the last of Eddie's information. "I can check," he says, "but first, I need a code word for your account. Like, if you forget your pin or have someone else come pick up a hold, this word will confirm it's you."

Eddie thinks for a few seconds, his gaze dropping to Steve's nametag once more. "Stevie," he says.

Steve's fingers falter, accidentally typing an incomprehensible key smash into the information field. He glances up at Eddie. "...as in Stevie Nix? Don't forget, this has to be something you'll remember," he says, raising an eyebrow.

With a playful grin and a wink, Eddie says, "Well, I think you're pretty unforgettable, Stevie."

A beat passes as Steve stares at Eddie, feeling a rush of heat to his cheeks. He clears his throat and looks back at the computer, hesitating for a second more before typing "Stevie" into the field and saving the account. When he's done, he slides the card to Eddie along with a Sharpie. "That's your card, please sign on the back."

He notices Eddie stiffen at the request, but Steve doesn't comment. As he instead searches the library's catalog, he tries to ignore the sheer panic coming from Eddie as he tries to figure out how to sign the card. Eventually, Eddie picks up the Sharpie and writes his name in the same awkward, blocky writing he used for the application.

"So," Steve says, getting Eddie's attention once more, "we don't have any copies of the first book here, but I can put it on hold for you. It should be here in around four days, and you'll get an email when it's available. Does that work?"

Eddie nods as he places the Sharpie down. "Sure, I'm happy to swing by and pick it up," he says, his tone and smile and the playful look in his eyes telling Steve there are more reasons than that for him to come by the library.

And as Steve places the book on hold for Eddie, he can't help a tiny, eager smile.

Three

The D8 sits innocently on the counter in front of Steve, marbled colors of blue and red with streaks of gold to complement the gold-painted numbers. Steve had immediately recognized it as Will's when he was cleaning the meeting room, and he knew the kid was probably losing his mind right now searching for it. He feels kind of bad knowing Will is going to lose all hope of finding it before his next visit to the library.

At the same time, though, he's looking forward to the expression of sheer joy on Will's face when he next comes in and Steve gives it back. Maybe it'll even score him a bonus point with Mike, and he'll be a little less of an asshole. Though, knowing Mike like he does, Steve is sure he'll just get jealous that Steve made Will smile like that instead of himself.

That kid is incredibly skilled at finding new grudges to hold.

"Whatcha got there, Stevie?"

Steve blinks, looking away from the D8 to find Eddie leaning on the counter, a familiar grin tugging at his lips. His hair is loose today, falling over his shoulders, and he's boldly wearing a Hellfire Club shirt, like he's confident that Steve won't recognize any of Corroded Coffin's merch.

Which, sure, Steve is great at pretending by now. Especially after he and Robin made a bet on whether Steve could keep the secret until Eddie asked him out. Steve has incredible faith in himself; Robin says he's too dumb and gay to last that long. So far, after around two months and multiple visits from Eddie, Steve is still going strong.

"A D8," Steve says, holding it between his thumb and forefinger so Eddie can see it clearly. "One of the kids left it behind yesterday."

"They were playing D&D here?" Eddie asks, tilting his head slightly as he holds his hand out.

Steve drops the dice into his hand, watching as Eddie inspects the gold numbers and hums softly with appreciation. "I host a weekly D&D program," Steve explains. "A group of regular kids plays, and they were getting a little disruptive when they played in the common area--" Steve gestures to the cluster of tables where the kids used to set up "--and the program gives them the meeting room for a whole afternoon."

Eddie looks up at him like he's just said he's a volunteer firefighter on the weekends. It's not an awe and appreciation that Steve really deserves, but he also can't help the slight puff of his chest when it's coming from Eddie. "Do you play, too?" Eddie asks.

"Sort of?" Steve frowns slightly, trying to remember how Dustin and Will explained his role during the campaign to him. "I'm, like, extras. Their DM, Will, wanted his, uh, NPCs? Yeah, NPCs. He wanted the NPCs to feel more real, so he'll give me, like, a little script before each session and then have me voice the NPCs and give me signals to guide my interactions."

"Signals?"

"Yeah, like, if I'm a shop owner and the characters bargain for stuff. He'll give me a signal of when their, like, rolls are effective or when they suck. And if I'm a villain NPC, he'll give me a signal of when to die and give dramatic monologues," Steve explains.

And Eddie grins again, his eyes practically sparkling with amusement and curiosity. "I kinda wanna hear a dramatic monologue," he says, propping his chin in his palm and looking at Steve expectantly.

He's clearly settled in to watch a show, and Steve isn't one to disappoint. Steve does a quick sweep of the library and confirms that it's just as empty as he remembers. Then, he sits up a little straighter in his chair, clears his throat, and tries to remember his whole dying monologue from the most recent session.

When he speaks, it's with a raspy voice, laced with pain and anger at being defeated, "Curse you, adventurers! You may have won the battle, but the war! The war yet rages, and you will be caught in its carnage! Savor this victory now, for it will be your last, and you will fa-"

Steve cuts off, grinning when Eddie blinks and pouts. "Why'd you stop?" he asks.

"Mike's character killed me before I could finish. Said my monologue was boring."

Eddie snorts, raising an eyebrow at that. "It sounds like your monologue was going to reveal info about the BBG."

"Yep. It was, but Will refused to tell them what the rest would've been, and Dustin threw his dice at Mike for killing me."

"He's lucky it was only that," Eddie says, completely serious, "I might've just killed him."

Steve can't help laughing, imagining Max leaping over the table to tackle Mike to the floor. She's done it before, actually, and the only thing that keeps her from attacking again is the knowledge that Steve will ban her from the library for at least a month if she gets violent again.

"He's lucky none of them want to be temporarily banned," Steve says.

"Oh? That's all it takes to get banned?" Eddie asks.

Steve smirks at the teasing lift to Eddie's question. "Yep, so you'd better watch yourself, Munson. I expect you to be on your best behavior," he says.

"I've never been very good at behaving."

"Great, you'll fit right in with the kids."

He looks up to see Eddie's smile growing wider, and Steve suddenly finds himself wondering how it would feel to kiss that smile away.

Four

Something library school never prepared Steve for is how overwhelmed certain days would make him. That's the thing about working with the public: some days are just never-ending, a line of patrons needing something practically wrapping through the stacks, meaning Steve can't turn off his customer service voice and smile.

Usually, he'll just escape to the back, lock himself in the employee bathroom, and take five minutes to cool down. Robin has gotten great at knocking on the door when the five minutes is up, pretending she needs to use the bathroom so the other staff members don't suspect Steve of breathing away a breakdown.

Today, though, Steve can't hide in the bathroom because of the music Robin is playing in the back. It's grating on his ears, scratching against his brain and down his spine like nails on a chalkboard, made all the worse by his interactions with an older patron with a voice that was rough and somehow rounded with sharp edges at the same time.

If Steve asked, Robin would definitely turn off the music, but he also saw her tense shoulders, how on edge she was, and how the music was the only thing helping her calm down. So Steve couldn't. Instead, he just said he was going to shelf-read the non-fiction section.

Because nobody goes into the non-fiction section. At least, nobody goes to the part of the section filled with encyclopedias. It's a safe corner, tucked into the back of the library where few people wander unless they're desperate for an outdated book of information that has no real bearing on their life.

So here Steve is, sitting on the floor with his knees pulled up to his chest and his eyes closed. This part of the library is quieter, but he can still hear the general ambiance of the building: people talking in hushed voices, the keyboards clicking as people type, chairs scraping against the floor as people pull them out.

And quiet footsteps coming closer. They're accompanied by the gentle sound of metal bouncing against itself. Steve doesn't open his eyes, but he does know that it's Eddie, and he's not at all surprised that Eddie managed to find him deep in the stacks.

It makes him feel a little warm, actually.

When Eddie reaches him, he doesn't speak. He just sits next to Steve, close enough for Steve to feel his presence without their shoulders touching. And he seems content to stay in silence for as long as needed, but Steve doesn't want silence. He wants to hear Eddie's voice; maybe it will override the discomfort of the music and the patron from earlier.

"Could you talk?" Steve asks, his voice soft and barely audible.

But Eddie hears him and scoots a tiny bit closer, letting their shoulders brush.

"I have opinions about library shelving because of you now. Like, why are science fiction and fantasy shelved together as one category? They're two different genres; they represent different things. One is a reflection of our society and all that it could be, an escape into something new, and the other is a reflection of what our society was through the eyes of a new world. And, like, it's not even the ones you think. They both embody different lessons and values and pairing them together is, like, demeaning to the hallmarks of the genres and what they can do for readers."

Yeah, that definitely sounds like an opinion about library shelving and cataloging. Steve can't help a soft laugh escaping him as he finally opens his eyes and looks at Eddie. "What started this?" he asks.

"There are Star Trek novels right next to, like, Seven Blades in Black on the shelves, Stevie. It's horrendous. What the fuck?"

Steve smiles a little, gently knocking their elbows together. "Unfortunately, I can't control how our cataloging department works," he says.

"Sounds like a skill issue to me," Eddie says, "Maybe you should just get good."

Steve barks out a laugh, covering his mouth with his hand at how loud it sounds. He glares at Eddie, his eyes holding no real heat.

Eddie grins right back and leans in a little closer. "Feeling better, sweetheart?" he asks, his voice soft and gentle and brushing against Steve's brain like a cool stream of water on a hot day.

It makes his shoulders relax, something in his stomach uncurling and draining all the tension from his muscles. "Yeah," he replies, "thanks."

"Anytime, Stevie," Eddie says, smiling at Steve like he's capable of hanging stars in the sky, like he'd do a backflip with a broken spine if Steve asked.

And Steve...Steve finds himself getting lost in Eddie's eyes, and he has no plans to find his way out anytime soon.

Five

Most of the library staff hates reshelving books, but Steve loves it. He doesn't have to use his brain beyond remembering the alphabet, and he can listen to music while he works, easily zoning out so the time passes quickly.

Which is what's happening now. He's probably been shelving for a while, but he's been listening to a Corroded Coffin playlist the entire time, humming along to Hellfire and Chains. His head is bobbing along to the music as he works, and he turns to grab another book off the reshelving cart only to find Eddie standing right behind him.

Steve jumps, his heart leaping into his throat as he chokes on air and Corroded Coffin notes. Eddie is staring at him with wide eyes, somewhere between afraid and infatuated, and Steve can't help asking, "What the fuck, man?" in a whispered voice.

"Whatcha listening to, Stevie?" Eddie asks, ignoring Steve's question.

Oh. If he admits to knowing Corroded Coffin's music, then he'll probably be giving up the whole "I know you're famous" thing, and based on Eddie's somewhat terrified look, that's not a great idea right now. But he also can't lie about the music because Eddie's going to recognize his own songs.

"Uh, Corroded Coffin, I think? I heard Lucas playing one of their songs. It sounded catchy and he sent me a playlist he'd made on Spotify," Steve explains.

It's not a lie, technically. That is how he discovered Corroded Coffin, but that was almost two years ago now.

"And, uh, what do you think?" Eddie asks, glancing at the earbuds still playing in Steve's ear.

Steve studies him for a moment before smiling. "They're really good," he says, turning around to continue shelving books. "I like stuff from their second album best so far."

"Do you usually listen to metal and rock?" Eddie asks, glancing at the shelving cart before passing Steve another book.

Steve almost tells Eddie to let him do the shelving, but then he sees that Eddie passed him the correct book for this section, so he bites back the words. Instead, he nods and crouches to slide the book into a bottom shelf. "Yeah. More older stuff, I guess. Guns N' Roses, Metallica, Nine Inch Nails, Queen. That kind of stuff," he says.

"Holy fuck, you're perfect," Eddie says, his voice soft and full of awe and Steve is about to laugh when Eddie adds, "Marry me."

Steve blinks, nearly losing his balance and falling on his ass. He saves himself at the last minute, quickly standing up again so he can look at Eddie. "Seriously?" he asks, wondering if maybe he had just misheard.

He did not. And this is proven by Eddie moving around the shelving cart, grabbing Steve's hand, and getting down on one knee. "Incredibly. Your music taste is fucking immaculate, sweetheart. Also, you're funny, hot, and sweet, and I've recently developed a librarian kink, I think. So. Marry me," Eddie says before using his teeth to pull off one of the chunky rings on his left hand so his right hand doesn't have to let go of Steve.

He then holds the ring up, and Steve really shouldn't find that as hot as he does. Like. Really hot. And he almost considers saying yes. But then he fully processes Eddie's words and almost laughs. "You've developed a librarian kink? So, what, you'll drop me the moment another librarian starts ranting about the Dewey Decimal system?" he asks.

"Okay, fair," Eddie says, nodding once. "Let me rephrase that. I've developed a Librarian Steve Harrington kink. Only you, big boy. Nobody curses out the Dewey Decimal system like you, sweetheart."

That might be the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to Steve, actually. "It's a shitty cataloging system," he says without thinking.

Eddie nods in agreement, still on one knee, still holding up the ring (it's shaped like a coffin, now that Steve spares it more than a quick glance) and still looking up at Steve with an infatuated smile. "It is," he agrees, voice a little softer than before like he's ready to just kneel through Steve's passionate rant about it.

And Steve thinks that might be the final straw for him. "I'd prefer at least one date before marriage," he says, grinning down at Eddie and pulling him back to his feet.

Eddie follows his lead, standing a little too close considering Steve is, technically, still at work. He turns Steve's hand over so it's palm up and drops the ring into it. "Of course, Stevie. How about lunch tomorrow? My treat," he offers.

Of course, Steve says yes.

+ One

"I still think there are funnier ways to tell him," Robin says, crossing her arms and pouting as Steve leans against the counter, his back to the door.

Steve sticks his tongue out at her. "You're just mad you lost the bet," he says. Telling her she lost had made Steve's entire week, especially since it means Robin is finally (finally!) going to dress up with Steve the next time they go to a basketball game together. He's got a jersey and shorts ready for her; he's had them ready since the first game he invited her to. They have her name across the back, are the ugliest shade of mustard yellow he could find, and match his perfectly.

"That jersey is the work of the devil," she says, her nose scrunching in disgust at the thought of it.

Steve just grins. "You never know, maybe a nice girl will be enraptured by your awkward lesbian swag," he says.

Robin is about to answer when she looks over Steve's shoulder and grins, her eyes lighting up. Steve looks over his shoulder to see Eddie smiling at him. "Hey, Stevie," he says.

And here it is. The moment of truth. Steve grins right back at Eddie and turns around, letting him see the graphic on his shirt. It's one he bought at a Corroded Coffin concert a year ago. It has the band's first album cover emblazoned across it with Eddie front-and-center, playing his guitar with the other band members around him as bats swirl in a red haze above their heads.

Eddie stares at the shirt, his smile freezing on his face and his body tensing. Panic starts to fill his eyes, and he glances up, looking ready to explain himself only to stop when he sees Steve's soft, endeared smile. He pauses, studying Steve's expression for a moment before laughing a little awkwardly and tugging on a lock of his hair, using it to cover his mouth. "So, uh, you knew the whole time," he says.

"Yep," Steve replies, leaning forward on the counter so it's harder for Eddie to avoid looking at him. "I did."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Eddie asks.

"You didn't want me to," Steve says. Then he considers his words and corrects, "Or, you didn't want to be recognized. When you first came in, you were bracing yourself for it, and I figured you'd feel more comfortable if I pretended not to know you."

"What about all the other times?"

Steve shrugs, his smile becoming reassuring. "I figured you'd either tell me when you were ready, or I'd tell you when we went on a date because you'd probably get all in your head about having a secret like that while we were dating."

And Steve is right. Eddie would have freaked out over the secret, and he would have struggled with telling Steve at just the right moment, and time would have stretched on and on until it had been too long to tell him anything. It would have been agony for Eddie and left Steve concerned and just not a good time for anyone.

"So, uh, how long have you been a fan?" Eddie asks.

"Well, I wasn't lying about hearing your music from Lucas, but I did lie about the time. It was two years ago," Steve explains.

Eddie slowly nods and then starts to grin. "So, how's it feel dating a celebrity?" he asks playfully, leaning closer and wiggling his eyebrows at Steve.

"Like a Wattpad fantasy come true," Steve deadpans, nearly cracking when he hears Robin lose her shit behind him, her laughter turning into wheezes within seconds.

Eddie laughs, too. It's loud and bright and makes Steve feel warm and happy, like every problem could be solved simply by making Eddie laugh just like this.

Steve is eager to find out if that's true.

[mamaclownhunter]

As a writer- I am turning SQH in my head like a rotisserie chicken.

He has a golden core but his spiritual presence is very weak (this makes for great spy work as he can move undetected)

He has a very short temper but fucking has killer customer service

This man can fucking multitask he has machinations on schemes on tasks and he is fucking good

While SQ has a better handle on the lore SQH made the world- idk if you ever world built before but even if you can’t pull it out of the top of your head it is there and I have a really fucking funny idea that like some times SQH BS’ stuff like he will be like “idk there is probably a “purple dragon fang” flower that like- makes you wanna bite people in this area- and sure enough there is bc SQH thought of it and it is his world.

SQH fucking knows his people- so funny he forgets demon cultures but that is what SQ is for (I love LBH pointing out MBJ’s crush but LBH was raised by human and goes to humans for advise on flirting with SQ so I don’t think he instinctively knows Demon’s courting rules- but MR I know fucking all the lore and how demons flirt bc that was Sha Hualing’s plot device to introduce Meng mo and also wife 20-29# Erica- plus he is a gossip monger- he knows all the details and knows MBJ is married to SQH and he is such an asshole he only tells LBH so he can keep getting updates for his husband to see)

LBH is the hero- but SQH is the creator. While he can’t beat LBH through brute force he has the ability to get around the plot armor. After all- all stories need the hero to be beat every once in a while! He can’t outright kill LBH but he does know all weaknesses and limits. That is his son

While the human realm (outside his disciples who are much more cut throat now bc of him) doesn’t really see the appeal of- demons are fucking intimidated by the King of the North’s consort. SQH made a fucking name for himself ordering demons, being untouchable outside consort SQ. But he is nasty and fierce and since they are demons SQH doesn’t feel as bad lashing out (not physically)

SQH knows his characters too. Mostly canon but I love that idea that to an outsider SQH knowing your name before anyone tells him is a red flag he has his invisible fingers in your pie- no one knows how he is so successful ofc (weak core) but no if he really knows someone by face it is bc he spent a week screaming in a pillow coming up with a voice and thought process.

The world of PIDW/SV is a complex beautiful world- per SY SQH is fucking talented but he had to eat- the man can tell and weave a story like a champion if put on the spot, he could be a DM. But SQH is very cautious bc he doesn’t know if he can accidentally make stuff

He doesn’t write much anymore which sucks bc that is a huge comping mechanism and reliever before it became his biggest stresser

That being said when he does realize he is a queen and has some time off- he writes again. For himself. For Mobei, never for SY but he gets copies all the same. But since he isn’t worried about food or money any more… he writes what he wants and lets that talent flow. He is annoyed the RPF is still popular smut but SQH had insane complex beautiful mysteries and fascinating war.

He brought up ripping off Harry Potter but make it gay and no fucking golden snitch. SQ fans himself and says “knowing you it will be done in three days I will be happy to read.”

He still writes shitting porn even after he loses his v card.

But his other works are inspired and SQ is furious he could have had this as a story and not PIDW how DARE YOU

sQH refuses to write anything for the PIDW/Sv world. All his books take place somewhere else- in the “future”- fantasy- just not in this world so he doesn’t add more to their crazy world

I have more but I am so tired

[kurosagi-h8r]

My headcanon on the ghouls in bed 🔞

Idk if anyone talked abt this already but as always you can put them in any place, it's just how i imagined them in my head. This is for funsies ☆

Detailed explanation below. Minor DNI!

Jin would almost say no to bottoming unless he's too lazy and you're too needy. But i feel like he's too prideful to go that way so he'll probably force you to nap with him instead. It's likely that you'd wake up to him taking the initiative first. "Didn't you ask for it?" And he doesn't care if you're still in the mood or not. He is now and it's your responsibility too.

TOHMA SKDJFHSKHD definitely a service top when you're good but becomes a sadist when you deserve to be punished. Either way he enjoys playing both roles and is good at them.

I feel like Luca is one of the best when it comes to aftercare. From the beginning to the end he priorities your need above his and will switch depending on your preference. Guy probably takes it like a study when it comes to please you– excited to learn about your body and all.

Kaito is a pathetic bottom. A perfect subject for mindbreaking. Will cry upon first orgasm and a whimpering mess if you're not stopping (yay overstimulation). So much thank you and sorry despite forgetting his name during the whole thing.

To me Alan is more of a service top but would bottom at first bcs Alan is Alan– he would need guidance on what you like and what you don't like and also reassurance that you're enjoying everything. A submissive top, perhaps. The type to put your needs above his. Probably would take too long fingering you bcs he's afraid he wouldn't fit.

Leo mayyyybee secretly wants to film you going down on him. Will act all sadist at first but really he just wants to see how much it'd take to trigger you. If you give in and be submissive he'd lose interest in an instant because you're too easy. I mean come on do you actually believe people who like spicy food is not into pain? If you want him so bad then take him. The fact that he might resist at first shouldn't be an obstacle to you. He's a brat bottom at its finest.

Sho is pretty simple i guess. Top leaning and would take some convincing to let you overpower him. He'd secretly be addicted to it after the first time but it's because you look hot doing it.

Depending on how his day went Haru would either top the entire session or bottom. A service top most days but would say no to a blowjob or handjob when he has no energy left. I hc him being softer with it when he's drunk bc when the two of you do it sober he'd tease you here and there. But at the same time Haru is still Haru, he has some pent up stress and could let it out through you. So please push him as hard as you can– slap the shit out of him if you need to when it gets uncomfortable.

Should I explain about Towa 😩? He seems sweet at first but the second you show no signs of going along with his tune... also he's probably into roleplay. "Let’s reenact those love stories you've told me before, Dandelion ♡~ You'll say yes, won't you?"

Ren would absolutely refuse being the bottom. Even if he's positioned under you his hands would be on your hips controlling all of your movements. Surprisingly can hold himself being cockwarmed– gotta push rank a bit if he doesn't want to get kicked out of the guild. A bit of a masochist, would force you to be quiet as he destroy you from the inside despite knowing that's what gets you being too loud. Pretending to bottom only to tease you and make you realize how pathetic your attempts were.

Taiga is Taiga.

Romeo is meticulous with everything but everything has to be romantic and worth his while. He's secretly kinky and needs to have all the power on his hand but if you play your cards right, you might just see that side of him that he will never show anyone else. Hot top, pretty bottom.

It's tempting to put Ed in each square. Who knows he's probably the creator of this top switch bottom thingy MAYBE HE INVENTED S3X IDK. Like, he's probably had his fair share of doing everything in the bed. Want him to top? He'd love to! Just surrender your whole being and let him become your God. Want him bottom? Sure. Just be careful and don't get too rough, his joints can only take so much (lol). Either way things will likely be memorable with him.

Ritsu is a top if it's for duty and bottom if you provoke him enough. Bully him; call him a momma's boy and he'll lose his mind soon enough. He would take some time to tame but it won’t be an issue if you like the process.

I imagine even when stripping Subaru would want you to look away and when it's your turn he would be too bashful to look at you. Keeping eye contact is important for him, let him know that he is the center of your world and you'll gladly accept him with open arms. Yes, he couldn’t help but look away everytime, but as long as you distract him with your lips on his he'll ease up bit by bit. He'd probably feel bad not taking the lead but his skill lies on the aftercare (despite him being the one that needed it more sometimes) so please let him take care of you as you did for him.

Haku (lord help me again with this man) will become a greedy bastard if you keep indulging him. "No more round? What a shame. I love hearing my name on your lips." To him being with you feels like a guilty pleasure that's far more dangerous than being addicted to nicotine. He tends to be lazy with other things but will gladly take on the invitation to do it with you whenever you want. "You're tired? It's fine princess. Let me get you some water, ok? Stay right here." And if you think he's stopping after that you're dead wrong. He'll do all the work while you just lay there being pretty. Let him take care of you, ok?

Feminist king. Words of affirmation in the air every five seconds. KING OF PRAISE KINK! Everything you do is beautiful; you are simply an art sent from heaven for Zenji to witness, feel, and devour to his hearts content. I feel like he's secretly a pervert but only to the right person... You are an exclusive muse for his creations that he will never share to others. Everything you want to do to him, he'll agree with no questions asked.

Rui despite being flirty and wanting you to think he's kinky, he preferred to be a gentleman on bed. Don't know how he did it back then with the casual flings but after he's no longer cursed he would cherish every second and every inch of you. Worshipping your body with everything he has until you're sick of it. Mouth, hands, whatever and however you want he'll grant it. Just keep using him as you please; make a toy out of him, he doesn't care as long as your eyes and attention stays on him.

A bundle of nerves in the beginning but if it's driven by instinct Lyca won't even stop when you want him to. He would have his way with you bcs he's too impatient, so you have to really bare your fangs if you want to put him in place.

Yuri is a mess of a bottom. Similar to Kaito but unlike him Yuri's mind will resist before fully submitting. How will he finally submit? When you deny him of his own orgasm. The longer you edge him the more he's losing his mind. He would never admit it but he's grateful that you know when to not go all out, especially when he's tired. Even better when you simply go down on him to be his stress reliever in such state.

Doing it with Jiro is a bit embarrassing at first bc he need you to go verbal with how you want him to do things 90% of the time. Don't get him wrong his mind could break at any moment too (or pass out from exhaustion) so if you make it known to him that he can do whatever he wants... oh boy you're in for a ride. He's looking forward to all the expressions you can make with all the positions he'll try with you, and he'll only stop when he pass out.

[soaringwide]

Pick a Card: Finding the right career

Hello :p

Today's reading is a career guidance, where we're going to look at your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to your career, what motivates you and the potential for growth to see what career would suit you the most.

This reading is meant for people who are wondering about what path to take, or those wishing to make a change. We'll also look at how you'll be able to tell it's indeed the right choice.

As always this is a general reading that may not apply to everyone 100%.

Note that if you like my reading style, I offer private readings. You can learn more about that in my pinned post.

Pile 1

Cards: 5 of Cups, 6 of Swords, Justice, the Lovers, 2 of Cups, 3 of Pentacles, 9 of Swords, 5 of Swords, Knight of Swords, King of Wands, Knight of Wands, Ace of Swords, Knight of Cups, 6 of Wands

It seems you are not that driven by money, but rather, by a strong sense of righteousness. It seems you are well aware of the human pains and struggles. You know how fragile life can be, and you think it's important to do something meaningful, not only for you own sense of purpose, but also for the sake of others.

Really, where other would pursue careers for fame or money, for you it's just about following your truth and speak your mind and heart. There is a real quest for meaning and doing what's right and a relentless pursuit to leave what doesn't align with truth behind. Where other would just accept what's not fair as something that cannot be changed, you refuse to take that stance and strive for change.

However, I see that you have a hard time with social or collaborative jobs. You don't like mingling with people, a networking event is probably your own personal hell, and you'd rather work on your own without having to rely on anyone's opinion. Could be a problem in your line of work since it's showing up strongly in this reading. It's also possible that you tend to be very critical of those around you, because you see their flaws clearly, and it's stopping you from seeing the good in people.

You are motivated by the idea of building something worth marveling for. You want to create something that will inspire and educate those around you and have a long lasting impact on your community. You want to be seen as a reference, and even though you don't want to have other people put their nose in your work, you still want to contribute to humanity's knowledge with the results of your hard work. There is the idea of a common effort towards a greater goal.

However, for you it'll be important to develop some skills. The cards point at some inner work that have to do with putting yourself down, devaluing yourself by comparing yourself to others. It's a source of great despair for you and something you need to work on. People are not metrics, we are all different in one way or another and comparing yourself to others the way you're doing it is actually detrimental to the quality of your work, as well as your well-being. It's also possible that all the conflicts in the world affect your mental health a great deal, connected to what you witness in the world. It will be important to keep going and not burn yourself out.

There is a lot of raw potential for growth in the realm of ambition and leadership, which it seems you haven't fully embraced yet. You can be a figure of authority in your field, leading with your sharp mind and ambitious assertiveness. You have the potential to be a strong willed, determined professional that can't be stopped by anything and will tackle the most difficult project.

For these reasons, I think the career it's pointing at has to do with the realm of communicating ideas, perhaps writing, academia or journalism. You will be able to cut through lies and outdated ideas with your words, seeking to bring clear communication. There is again the idea of service made to others, led by your sense of purpose and thirst for truth. This career would put you in the public eye where you would be celebrated openly for your work and ideas. I see this pile as someone who investigates, either matters of the world, society, politics, economics or science. In all cases, it allows you to combine your cleverness, your empathy and ambitious nature.

Finally, you'll be able to tell it's the right path for you because it will ignite your passion. You won't be able to think of anything else but the task at hand, and what to do to achieve it. The greater the challenge, the more fiery your determination will be. It will definitely not be something you hesitate on and will feel like a calling.

Pile 2

Cards: the Emperor, Judgement, 2 of Pentacles, Page of Pentacles, 5 of Pentacles, the High Priestess, 9 of Swords, King of Pentacles, 10 of Pentacles, the Hierophant Rx, the Tower, the Hanged Man, 3 of Cups, 8 of Swords, Queen of Pentacles, 9 of Wands, 7 of Swords

Your qualities when it comes to this career are about being a reliable figure in the life of those you help. The helping aspect comes up strongly as it will show in this reading, and basically it already show in your strengths. It's like you help people come to life again in some way. You are strong when it comes to leading the way towards transformation, and have a strong impact on people. They can sense they can come to you for support and you give a vibe of wisdom and order.

However, it seems that you are also quite inexperienced and this is making you hesitate quite a lot. There is probably a strong learning curve when it comes to this career and you're not quite there yet. You may be lacking something, whether its the status or the resources, in order to fully embody your qualities. So it seems your situation right now is a weakness, and that it's not so much coming from you.

What drives you is, again, the desire to help those in need, those in pain who don't know where to get help from, when it seems there is no way out or hope left. You see their pain clearly and it somehow motivates you and gives you a sense of purpose in life. You might be religious or spiritual in some way and this feeds your motivation to help and care, like some type of mission.

When it comes to skills you can to develop here, there is a need to remain detached in the face of adversity to not let it submerge you, perhaps to let go of your own fatalistic vision of life. There is a lot of talk around you, and perhaps you listen to the words of others too much and it's making you confused and directionless. You must get your mind in order and be firmly set into your own stability, by being pragmatic and protective of your own well-being. Stop listening to everything everyone says and remain grounded in your own judgement.

So all that is telling me that your career has to do with helping the sick, be they mentally or physically impaired. You show up as a very nurturing figure, someone who wish to see people thrive and get back to health, and I see you surrounded by people with bandages, or people who are disabled in one way or another (again for some of you it could be mentally or physically). Your future career may be nurse, rehabilitation or support worker, or even doctor of some kind.

It seems that for some of you, this career will be embraced after you've been somewhat forced by life to take a different turn, something you hadn't anticipated and shows up as a surprise. For others, it could simply mean that you will be surrounded by catastrophic accidents and unforeseen circumstances, and I'm picturing an emergency room when I'm writing this. Like, you will be forced to grow because the chaos surrounding you will call for someone to do something, and you've got what it takes to do so.

You will know this is the right path for you after contemplating your decision for a long time. You'll mull over your choices and options, and even discuss it with loved ones in order to make sure its the right one for you because you don't take it lightly as it will come with some type of sacrifice for your time and energy. Basically you'll need to dedicate yourself fully to this and you know this. But overall, once you're decided, you'll be very happy of your choice and eager to enjoy the good sides that comes with the job.

Pile 3

Cards: 8 of Swords, 2 of Pentacles, 3 of Swords, 9 of Wands, King of Cups, the Fool, the Star, the Empress, 10 of Swords rx, 2 of Swords, Death, 5 of Wands, Page of Pentacles, 10 of Pentacles, the Magician, Judgement, 7 of Cups

When it comes to your strengths, you're someone who can fuel themselves with the shit that life throws at them, never fully loosing their balance. You know how to get yourself out of tricky situation where you're blinded, and you're able to transmute your pains and power through the difficulties, never giving up even when it seems all odds are against you. What makes other abandon just make you angrier and more determined to succeed. You are extremely resilient and this gives you an outlook on life that anything is possible. If something doesn't work you discard it and move on to the next thing.

However, it seems you are sometimes too eager to try something new without committing to one thing for a long time. You're a Jack of all trades and it's hard to get you stay in the same spot for long. It's like, you keep wanting to try to see if this path is better than this one, or if this thing would be more exciting than this other thing, and so on. You emotions also tend to shift easily and influence the way you see things, it's like, you feel things so intensely it's overwhelming and that's just the way you function and it's hard to live differently.

When it comes to what drives you, you get a great sens of purpose coming from beauty and aesthetics, or even arts. The path towards beauty and pleasure, is the highroad to heaven for you. You are truly an aesthete at heart, and want nothing more than to honor what you find sublime in the world, as for you it is the purpose and the meaning of life.

When it comes to what skill you can develop, you got two cards signifying blockage and defeat, which makes me think this has a lot to do with overcoming you own issues surrounding your creative expression, which stem from your mind. It's like, nothing is really getting in your way but your own thoughts. You have trouble releasing your perceived failure so you're stopping yourself from trying anything different, fearing it will only confirm your loss. Perhaps that's the reason you keep switching things all the time, because can you really fail if you never tried until the very end?

There is a deep potential for growth though, and it has to do with the way your compare yourself to either other people, or to your own ideal self. It's like, you've got this image in your mind of what you should achieve and you're tormenting yourself for not being able to achieve it. What you don't understand it's that it's counter productive and that you have to put an end to this way of thinking. You need to break the pattern in order to be free.

All of this makes me think that your job has to do with some type of artistic or creative career where you bring ideas into the world, pulling them from a space unique and special to you. The idea of transforming things, putting values into question, bending rules is also quite important, as well as is the idea of communication to a larger audience. I will also add that you might not box yourself into just one type of creative expression, but rather  dabble into many different things. It seems you are  not so much passionate about one medium but rather as I said earlier by the pursuit of beauty in all its form, so I totally see you trying out different things and it seems that you'll be good at most of them naturally.

You will know it's the right path for you because it'll allow you to have a vision. It's like, you'll find a tiny window with a tiny opportunity and it'll ignite you mind, making you think about all that's possible in every different direction, and the legacy you could leave. It's really all about triggering your long term motivation and what will make you want to dedicate your life, or long time anyway, to. As we saw earlier, you have commitment issues regarding your creative pursuits so this will have to do with sticking to it in the long term, even if that means doing multiple things in parallel or taking breaks and coming back to things.

[s0fter-sin]

prince!ghost and lord in waiting!soap

ghost is a warrior prince, next in line after king price and it’s always been accepted he would be the lone ruler; never one for entertaining the courts or indulging foreign rulers trying to consolidate their power. he hardly acts like a prince at all, in name only when he spends more time as a pseudo captain of the guard. price has never begrudged him that, not when he himself has been a lone king since his inauguration

though he’s a warrior prince, he’s never lost the favour of the people; many see him as a guardian even if he doesn’t interact with the people as much as benevolent and stalwart king price. who he does interact with is the kingdom’s children; always ready to bend a knee and listen to bright voices, to praise stick swords and shields or hear the plight of a struggling family. it was a common belief that if he wasn’t out protecting, then he was with the protected; face covered, blonde curls shining in the sun

soap’s always loved ghost. as his lord in waiting, it’s been his job to attend him since they were young and even as a child, he’d idolised him; his skills in battle, his surety. he thought his life would be nothing but service, clothing a brat prince and making sure his shoes shined. but ghost has proven more than that; he treats him as an equal, consults him on strategy and court politics and over time that idolisation turned into love

and ghost has always felt the same. he’d begrudged the idea of a lord in waiting, not wanting someone always in his business but then came this spitfire who never missed an opportunity to push back on him; to make him dig deeper. johnny is more than some mere servant; he’s his confidant, his best friend, his… everything. he could be simon with him, not prince ghost

but simon figures that out too late

king price gets word from king shepherd, a kingdom they’ve only recently stopped feuding with and he’s offering up his son, prince graves, as a way to bond their kingdoms together and firmly put war behind them. price is ready to deny him, he doesn’t fear war from shepherd, when he sends some ancient laws that leave him unable to refuse. he hates it, hates that he’s ruining ghost’s happiness and feels like he’s betraying his adopted son but there’s nothing he can do

graves comes to their kingdom within the month and it’s clear from the moment he walks through their gates that he’s the opposite of ghost; arrogant and conceited, his ceremonial armour glossy and untouched by battle. he’s dismissive of their servants, of their ways, of their people and ghost hates him

graves insists that the wedding happen as soon as possible, pushing the craftsmen and cooks beyond their limits to prepare and every moment ghost spends with him, the more he dreads his wedding day. every evening he retreats to his room, exhausted, and it’s all johnny can do to keep him afloat; trying to keep him positive as ghost falls away and simon breaks in his arms. he wants to whisk him away like the old tales, the pain his oldest friend and love is in making his heart ache but all he can do is promise to be there with him

but it seems graves wants to take even him away

“soap’s been my lord in waiting since we were children,” ghost protests, voice barely clinging to civility. “i wouldn��t want to lose such a valuable worker.”

“there are plenty of decent servants in our kingdom; you’ll forget this one soon enough,” graves waves away, carding a possessive hand over his curls and it’s only bc he’s looking for it that soap sees ghost’s jaw twitch beneath his neck gaiter. “it’s custom for one marrying into our kingdom to embrace all that it has to offer, leaving who they were behind to become someone better. you’re entering a new life with me; you don’t need the baggage of this dreary place.”

soap feels sick as he walks behind them, his blank expression hiding all sign of his breaking heart.

“soap is beholden to me,” ghost declares. “we were sworn together by the old laws. i’m afraid a custom isn’t enough for me to break a vow to the gods.”

graves lets out a disgruntled noise, tugging harshly at one of ghost’s curls with only a thin veil of fondness; his conceding smile not reaching his eyes.

“i never made a vow to the gods,” johnny points out later. “price gave me to you because he was sick of me setting fire to the kitchens.”

simon hums and sets his freshly cleaned armour aside, turning to him with a twinkle in his eyes he’s barely seen since sheperd’s missive. “you pinkie swore that you would never leave me; that’s more powerful than any promise to the gods,” he says and soap’s thrown back fifteen years, to a willow tree big enough to touch the sky; to two boys from different stations who didn’t care that one was dressed in silk and the other in scraps.

johnny feels a lightness he hasn’t in a month as simon winks at him. “besides, do you really think graves is smart enough to figure it out?”

the days pass quickly, graves’ veneer of affection growing ever thinner, and before either of them are ready, it’s the eve of ghost’s wedding.

he’s said nothing, done nothing but stare at the wedding robes graves had tailored for him in the fashion of his kingdom and johnny doesn’t know how to break the silence. he draws out each second as he fusses with the cape piece and ensures the shoes shine in the fire light until he has no more excuses.

he sighs as he straightens up, brushing off polish onto his pants. “i suppose this is where i leave you,” he says with a weak smile but it quickly dies when simon still doesn’t look at him. “i’ll be here in the morning to help you get ready… good night, simon.”

johnny bows and makes for the door, trying to convince himself he didn’t just say goodbye.

but he’s stopped by simon’s hand loosely wrapping around his wrist.

he looks back as simon finally tears his eyes away from the robes, looking at him with such clear longing it almost brings him to his knees.

“i don’t want graves to be the first man to touch me, johnny,” he confesses and johnny’s breath hitches. “i don’t want to be married to another… not when the one i’m set to wed isn’t you. but if i have to do this… please let me feel loved one final time.”

simon’s thumb brushes the back of his hand; their kingdom’s greatest warrior caressing him with a touch light as silk. he doesn’t pull johnny in, doesn’t need to; johnny’s already sinking into his touch.

desperation and love tinge every movement; johnny dancing his fingers over simon’s neck gaiter until he all too happily removes it, baring his scarred cheeks and lips. johnny kisses each one, willing his love and his touch to linger above all others as they move together; sharing breath, sharing body, sharing soul the way they wish they always have.

when ghost makes his way down the aisle, it’s not in the fine embroidered robes graves had laid out for him. he’s in his battle armour; dark and weathered, the sign of the ghost, the warrior prince, going to battle. the only thing missing is his helm, tucked under his arm.

showing his hair; curls gone and shaved tight to his skin.

a thing done only in a time of great mourning.

graves looks irate and it’s the only spark of joy ghost feels as he stops before the altar; set beneath the willow tree where johnny promised himself to him. one final insult.

ghost is silent throughout the ceremony and in spirit and in grief, so is the entire gathered kingdom until the priestess reaches the final vows and suddenly, a great roar rises above the crowd as seemingly every child in the kingdom swarms the altar.

ghost is too shocked to do anything but let them push him away from graves, bullying their way between them like they’re preparing to protect him just as he’s always protected them.

graves is furious but the children stand firm in the face of his threats until he moves to strike one-

and freezes as soap’s blade finds his throat.

“you would dare hurt these children?” he growls, sword following graves as he stumbles back. “you’ve kept up your charade the entire time and here is where you show your true colours. i think it’s time i show mine.”

graves splutters as johnny turns to the priestess and king price, falling to one knee and offering up his blade. “your grace, i wish to challenge prince graves for the hand of prince simon!”

his voice rings clear and he feels the eyes of every person in the kingdom.

but he only cares for one man.

who is watching him with more love than he’s ever felt.

“who are you to challenge me?” graves sneers. “you’re nothing more than a servant; no better than the dirt on my boots.”

johnny doesn’t bother to look at him, too caught in the love in simon’s eyes and the grateful look on king price’s face. “then you should have nothing to worry about. you’ve been crowing your accolades from the rooftops since you got here; let’s see if you live up to the hype.”

because simon only ever introduced him as his lord in waiting.

never as sir soap- his second in command and one of the greatest swordsmen their kingdom has ever seen.

[7nessasaryevils]

Things that made me scream during ep 5 of Wandee Goodday

- Dee can remember every single person's birthday but he hadn't memorized Yak's yet

- Yak pouting when he realized Dee didn't know his birthday

- YAK COUNTING THE FUCKING SECOND OF HOW LONG HE AND DEE HAVE BEEN TOGETHER (read: TOGETHER, not fucking/ FWB)

- that whole fucking interaction with Cher and Yei (yes babes! Complain that you haven't gotten fucked for a while you deserve to be dicked down!)

- Kao being the King he is and offering valuable suggestions for Dee and Yak on how to improve their lives (and sex lives) using his furry accessories ♥️

- Dee offering good fashion advice... sir thank you for your service in getting Yak out of those (delectable) elephant pants - but... Taem is probably better at putting him in clothes that work

- grammammamamamamamana I love her and she is now the communal granmama

- DICK PLUSH TOY (seriously where can I get one??)

- granmama knows

- STEPPING OVER THE LINE!!! THE GASP I GUSPED (also wandee my precious my baby protect your heart please yak is gonna be a little stupid I know it)

- brb screaming crying throwing up because NEITHER of them can sleep without holding each other

- the pouting, cuddling, "need you to recharge me" YORYAK!! GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR PERT ASS YOU DUMB JOCK! This is boyfriend level behaviour!

- Dee's smile as he curls into Yak 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹

- the only time I screamed in rage: how dare you ask Dee if Taem would like while you hold motherfucking Wandee in your arm- I'm going to snap a boxer's neck (what did I say about yak doing something stupid?!)

- FUCKING WHEEZING GRANMAMA YOU ABSOLUTE QUEEN

- ... he took Yak to see his parents... I'm fine gwenchana gwenchana

- SJAXHWKZNKSJXNWKSW YORYAK YOU BUFFOON- don't you want to introduce your BOYFRIEND to your parents?! someone hold me back before I smack this idiot

- Cher doing the sneaky sneak and failing 🤣 also Yei not taking Cher with him because he knows his boyfie doesn't like the macho assholes 🥹♥️

- Yak dressing the way Dee told him to... fucking hell

- yak showing up to help his boyfriend thanks I wanna throw up

- Dr. Wandee using his and Yoryak's furry sex personas to help tell children a story was not on my 2024 bingo card 👀

- yak wanting to celebrate with Dee rather than his friends... this idiot

- I CAN EAT YOU WITHOUT WAITING- YORYAK PLEASE

- domestic food fight my beloved (also yak refusing to let Dee do anything cooking wise because he doesn't want to poison Granmama 🤣)

- I do so love an aptly placed song that perfectly explains the conflict of our main characters ♥️♥️

- sir. Yoryak. For someone who claims they like Taem, you sure do lean in to kiss Dee a lot 👀👀👀

- THAT CAPTION... gonna go yeet myself off their building thanks

-... couple toothbrushes... COUPLE TOOTHBRUSHES

- wandeeyoryak vs. Yoryakwandee... help me

This show is everything to me right now and I will hold onto it with my dying breath

[cosmogone-spectacles]

I, for one, would definitely be interested in learning about your flondon main, if you're willing to share

Oh, I suppose I can go ahead and share a tad... presuming my poor, skittish heart survives the ordeal. ^_^;; +++

"D. T. Oversol, Silverer. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

(Portrait by my good friend Cheru at @cheru-art-time!)

Primary Skills: Persuasive / Dangerous; Glasswork / Artisan of the Red Sciences

Feel free to send a calling card! Lengthier character introduction beneath the cut. +++

Mr. Oversol (or Oversol, as he is commonly referred – he seems rather particular about sharing more than the initials of the rest of his name) is an immensely private individual. Whilst he is semi-commonly present at a variety of high-society events, and, of course, the occasional apocalyptic threat to London, he always seems to subtly direct conversation towards topics related to others rather than himself. This aire of mystique, as some have put it, is only furthered by the bombazine-dark veil he has not been seen without in many a year. ...In fact, one might note, he wears black gloves, too, and a high-collared shirt, and even dark spectacles beneath hat heavy veil... God forbid one foregoes manners enough to ask about all the pomp directly, of course. High society leaves little room for such straightforwardness. A silverer by trade, his services are peculiarly difficult to obtain. First comes the mere challenge of locating the blasted man, should you not find yourself fortunate enough (or, em, unfortunate enough?) to be inundated with party invites. Oversol's offices lie somewhere in the twisted back-streets set about the foot of the Bazaar, and the longer one searches the clearer it becomes he may not want it to be found. Does he even have clientele? And why, for goodness sake, is a silverer rumoured to turn away all of the Bohemian-and-creative sort? Truth be told, Oversol is a bit of a hermit – mostly due to a displeasure with rowdy environments, a few too many suitors, and a healthy appreciation for his own privacy. This most certainly has nothing to do with a rising paranoia that has grown steadily over his years in the Neath, and irrational fears over what exactly some unsavory party might do with information on his good self. He makes true companions exceptionally slowly due to this, and finds himself primarily in the company of one Dola Hallowrove, monster hunter (@peliginspeaks), and a Captain-Correspondent Ren Haarsink (@indefinitely-sealed). —Er, perhaps not the latter. Not at current. Not after recent events. Regardless of the man's paranoid tendencies, and resulting stiff public face, he is exceptionally warm and loyal to those he considers his trusted and beloved few. They, of course, are welcome at his office any time of any day (set just beneath his lodgings, in fact; both are decorated in expensive fashion, yet stay within the line of good taste), aside from the middle of his appointments, and may even be allowed knowledge of his dear young daughte– ahem, feline companion, Boo. Sure, his gifts tend to be inordinately and unnecessarily expensive, and he will most certainly refuse a romp through Prickfinger or any other destination lacking a proper road, but you can always count on him to lend a good ear and as many perfectly-steeped cups of tea as you'd like. (Oh, ah— One last little thing. You would be well-advised not to allow him inebriation; he's a nasty rash streak with a little alcohol in his system. Last time he took drinks at a bar, he ended up across the zee on Gaider's Mourn daring pirates to most unreasonably dangerous competitions. Ghastly, that hangover was. Ghastly, and awfully zalty.)

('Portrait' by me, on MSpaint with mouse, because my tablet is broken.)

[harrysdaydream-tpwk]

part 1 - how you meet

summary: part one, harry and y/n meet for the first time. it isn’t smooth sailing, but shes intrigued.

warnings: none

pairing: harry styles x fem!reader

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

“Fuck, shit!”, you swore, hitting the espresso maker, once and then again, when the only thing it did was to spew more steam at you, fogging up your glasses.

“You alright?”, one of your coworkers asked and you nodded, though defeated.

“You think you can take over preparing the drinks for me, while I’ll handle the register? If I have to fight this machine one more time, something will be broken and it will either be my hand or the coffeemaker.” You looked at him desperately, your hands folded together in a silent plea.

“Alright, alright”, he laughed, “Don’t want to call an ambulance because you couldn’t control your anger. At least I won’t have to deal with asshole customers anymore.” He passed you and you blew him a bunch of exaggerated kisses before sliding right behind the cash register, slightly more motivated to finish the rest of your shift than before.

It was unusually quiet for Friday afternoon, normally all of the tables would’ve been taken- from desperate college students trying to finish their essays to single mothers, hoping to rekindle their failed love life. Although the job was a pain in your ass and barely covered all the bills and loans you had to pay off, it always had something to offer for your personal entertainment.

But now, as you waited for something to happen, other than the few fifteen years olds throwing straws at each other in the corner booth, you felt terribly bored. Your elbows quickly found their way to the counter and you put your chin in your waiting hands, blowing a strand of hair out of your face.

The nameless indie music idling out of the speakers above your head lulled you in a state of trance as you stared at the passer-by’s outside of the store, the big glass front not sparing you any detail. Even your coworker, who was the only employee inside the store besides you, had sat down on a few cases of soda stacked together, blasting TikTok and its annoying sounds throughout the whole store, but in this moment you couldn’t care less.

Then, suddenly, you were ripped out of your daydreaming by the bell ringing above the door and you stood up fast, startling not only the newcomers, but yourself as well.

“Hey, welcome in. Is there anything I can get started for you?”, you asked, peering at the three men, who just stared for a moment, as if assessing the situation. Weird.

The place you worked at was in a small side street, away from the bigger crowds, with quirky names for almost all of the things you had on your menu, so you gave your new customers a second to understand and choose something from your assortment.

Before you could turn away and pretend to be busy, one of them spoke up, though quietly, you could barely hear him.

“Hi. Sorry, we didn’t expect such an enthusiastic greeting. Is there anything you would recommend?” His voice was deep and gentle and you couldn’t help but admit that he looked exactly like the kind of man you would usually go for.

“I don’t know”, you reply, your voice now back to its usual octave and enthusiasm- or rather the lack thereof, “I usually just get the Iced Caramel Macchiato.”

To this day, you still refused to read any of the actual names of the drinks out loud.

“I’ll take that one then”, the man said, smiling at you. You nod as you type his order into your register.

“Anything else?”, you asked, smiling your “customer service smile” as your friends jokingly called it and the other two men nodded, replying with their orders.

“Alright, will that be to-go or are you staying in?” You waited for a second while they looked at each other and thought to yourself “That question couldn’t have been that hard”.

Finally, the guy with the long, brown hair mumbled “To go, please.”

“Okay then, swipe your card whenever you’re ready. And I need a name to call when your coffee is done.”

“Harry”, the guy who spoke to you first replied and stepped forward, pressing his card on the card reader. You nodded satisfied.

You turned around briefly, to check if you coworker, Charlie, got the order. Pleased that he was already on it, you directed your gaze back to the front of the store. Startled, you reeled back. Harry, who was the only one still standing in front of the counter, was starting at you intently. The other two had fallen back, standing near the door, as if they were waiting- no rather watching out for something- or someone.

“Is there anything else I can get for you?”, you inquired, observing how his shoulders rode up defensively. He was wearing a long, blue jacket, a hat and sunglasses and if you were honest, his outfit looked absolutely ridiculous. Paired with the black nike shorts, he looked a bit mismatched, like he was unsure whether it was warm out or not. You could’ve easily answered that question, seeing as you had been sweating profusely since you left your studio apartment this morning.

You were sure you looked disgusting, your uniform clinging uncomfortably to the body parts you most certainly didn’t want them to stick to, mascara probably smudged from the humidity from the steam that had been blowing in your face earlier.

How he managed to still look fresh, even with the thick jacket on was an absolute mystery to you.

“No, no, sorry. I like your button”, he answered, referring to the grumpy cat pin your mother had gifted you a while ago. It was ridiculous and cheesy, but it reminded you of home, so you wore it anytime you felt even slightly homesick. You debated telling him as much, but you weren’t up for much of a conversation, so you settled on a polite “Thank you.”

He smiled and nodded.

“Order for Harry?”, Charlie called and the man looked around, rather paranoid, as if he was scared someone was going to jump up from behind the counter any second.

“That’s me”, he said, still shyly smiling at you before turning towards the pick-up station.

“Have a nice day”, you called out sarcastically behind him and he waved, walking out the door, his company joining soon after.

You exhaled deeply and turned towards Charlie again, who suddenly squealed loudly. “Oh my God, what?”, you said, clutching your hand over your chest.

“Do you know who that was?”, he asked, excitedly, “Harry fucking Styles. And I think he liked you with all that staring he did.”

“No, it wasn’t. Was it?”, you asked disbelievingly. He nodded, “Oh, yeah. It was him. I’d recognize him anywhere. I think he’s actually having a show in town tonight.”

“But why would he come in here out of all places? I mean, we’re far away from anything slightly entertaining or fun.” You looked at Charlie quizzically.

“I don’t know.” He shrugged, “Maybe that’s exactly the point. What are the odds of getting recognized by hoards of fans in a small shop like this?”

“I guess so.”

You grabbed a wet cloth from the sink, starting to wipe down the counter, not able to shake the fact that superstar Harry Styles just walked into your workplace, however annoyed you might’ve been at that moment, it had felt oddly right and somehow meaningful. You touched the pin on your apron carefully, smiling at the chipped feeling of the plastic fading at the edges.

-

Two days later, the incident- which was how Charlie kept calling it, was nothing but a fun story you could tell your friends and something to be teased about by your coworkers. Yes, you had been kind of rude to him, maybe you could’ve been a bit nicer. Treat People with Kindness or whatever he always preached. But it was in the past now. It wasn’t like you would ever see him again.

At least that’s what you told the part of yourself that kept insisting that maybe he would return- the nagging voice that believed Charlie, who kept shooting you meaningful glances whenever one of Harry’s songs played on the radio.

You were in a middle of a lunch rush, the small room of the shop packed with people, when your wishful thinking suddenly became reality. Right in the middle, as if the crowd had split in two, he appeared. Or maybe he had just entered through the door like everyone else did and patiently waited in line. You couldn’t be sure.

“Harry, hi”, you greeted sincerely, when he approached the counter, “What brings you back?” You smiled ruefully, thinking about your last interaction.

“Hi. Slightly better mood today, huh?” So he had picked up on it last time. Your eyes travelled down his body quickly- you couldn’t help it, sue you. He was wearing a white button down this time, messily tucked in a light washed pair of denim shorts- although he managed to make it look stylish- and no sunglasses. His hair was hidden by a yellow crochet bucket hat. Cute.

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that. I didn’t know who you were and I wasn’t having a good day. What can I do for you today?”, you apologized.

“I think everyone deserves kindness, even if they weren’t popular. But it’s alright, can’t always be nice, especially in customer service. I get it, worked in a bakery for some time back at home.” He took his own shtick quite seriously you noted, but smiled politely.

“I would love to talk to you some more, but the place is packed right now. Is there anything I can get for you?”, you tried again.

“Yeah, yeah”, he chuckled, “I’ll get the Iced Caramel Macchiato again, it was really good the last time and also-“, he paused for a second, looking at your display of pastries, “One of the vegan carrot cakes, please.”

“Sure, anything else?”

“No, that’s all, thank you.”

You finish the transaction and say goodbye before tending to the next customer, a middle aged woman raising her eyebrows impatiently at you.

The rest of your shift goes by smoothly, with only a few minor incidents disrupting your flow. It all felt to good to be true, your interaction with Harry still in the back of your mind. The conversation had left you unsatisfied, craving more.

You didn’t know much about him, besides that he was Harry Styles and apparently currently on tour. He shared something with you and you couldn’t help but wonder if there would’ve been more if you had just let him talk. That’s what you reprimanded yourself for as you took of your apron and the shirt you wore for work in the locker rooms, pulling on a black hoodie with a nonsensical print on the front.

“I’ll see you tomorrow”, you yelled in the general direction of the store as you leave through the back door, a cigarette already waiting to be lit in your right hand. It was a bad habit and you were desperate to stop smoking- but on days like this it was the only thing keeping you sane.

“Hey”, a voice suddenly called and you shot up surprised, the cig almost falling out of your mouth. You took a quick drag before lowering it. Turning around, you spotted Harry of all people leaning against the wall of the back of your shop.

“Jesus Christ, what are you doing here?”, you asked disbelievingly, clutching your chest dramatically.

“Sorry, one of your coworkers told me what time you get off. They also told me your name”, he explained, peering at you with his green eyes. Fuck, why did he have to be so handsome?

“Stalker-much?”, you couldn’t help but ask, only half joking. You brought your cigarette up to your lips again, inhaling deeply, before blowing out the smoke through your nose- welcoming the rush the nicotine gave you.

“I just wanted the chance to have a conversation with you, Y/N”, he said, rolling his eyes, but smiling at the same time. It was weird hearing your name out of his mouth.

“Why?” He shrugged helplessly, observing you smoke for a second before answering.

“Fuck if I know. Couldn’t stop thinking about you, even on stage, and my friends kept teasing me. I’m in town until tomorrow, then I’m off to Cardiff.”

“Yeah, I get it. My coworker Charlie kept wagging his eyebrows at me everytime he saw someone wearing your merch. He was the one preparing the drinks for you.” You hoisted up your tote bag, which kept slipping of your shoulder.

Harry chuckled. “He did a pretty good job if I do say so myself. The Macchiato was really good. Cashier had some perks too though.”

“He’ll pass out if I tell him what you just said. But tell me more about this cashier. Were they cute?”, you flirted back, a smirk on your face.

“Oh, very. I was hoping it’d get her number by chance”, he tried as you threw the butt of your cigarette on the pavement, stomping it out with your checkered Vans.

“Well, you’re in luck. It’s not everyday an international pop-star asks me for my cell. Can’t resist your charm”, you said quietly. His shoulders dropped slightly, as if remembering his position in the world, but he caught himself.

Harry hands you his phone and says, “Just type it in yourself. It’s always easier this way.”

You nodded, taking his phone with clammy hands. What a weird, surreal world you were suddenly thrown into. The fact that he trusted you enough to just pass you his phone. The fact that he was standing opposite you, watching you, being interested in you. You wondered if this was all a dream you’d suddenly be woken up from.

But no one did. This was reality, you realized as you pressed the cellphone back into his waiting hand, brushing it with the movement. You looked at each other for a moment.

“The cute girl from the coffee place? Really?”, he asked and you giggled. Honest to God giggled. What has your life become?

Harry pocketed his phone, letting his hands hang loosely at his sides. “Well”, he cleared his throat, “I have to go. Rehearsals and all that. I’m already too late. I’ll text you?” He looked at you hopefully.

“Sure”, you answered, smiling softly, “I’ll be waiting.” You step closer, standing on your tiptoes and pressed a light kiss to his cheek- a barely there brush of lips, but he still blushed.

“I’ll see you around, H.”

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

well, this marks the first part of my first ever series on this account. i’m actually so excited to see what people think. don’t forget to leave a like& follow for more<3 stay tuned!

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

aita for wanting a 200$ refund on a 400$ model that was REALLY below par in both quality and customer service?

This was one of my first monetary experiences with my own credit card and account, to preface.

So, I'm learning SFM and have regular dates with my boyfriend in vrchat. Between the two of us we knew enough to make models of myself in both, but not enough to make one for my headmate that me and her would both be satisfied with.

TL;DR, the first modeler we went to cancelled after we proved too impatient for them and they didn't need the comm money, so we put out a post calling for 3d models and asked our moots to spread it on here and on Twitter.

Eventually, we found a few artists that were within our post-high-school graveyard shift budget, but then an artist appeared in our asks that was interested in our order. Now, from the very BEGINNING they were blaring Sus alarms in our head with how they typed, their profile, their portfolio, the whole thing, but we still talked with them about it and eventually got to dming on discord over it.

We agreed on 350 with a down payment for the model, and she went to work. Somewhere along the line it increased to 400 with a down payment but I don't remember the circumstances for why.

I was a little impatient at times, but she still did good work, even if she misinterpreted our suggestions sometimes and was high at least once when we asked for an update.

We'd assumed that she would rig it for SFM and VRC as a part of the main payment. She then told us it would cost extra for the rigging.

We were understandably miffed but she justified it with money problems, so we sighed and went with it. When it was finished, she sent us a ZIP file holding all of it, and...then we didn't have any idea how to get it working.

She helped us, thankfully, but the whole thing was really annoying for our computer illiterate phone-dwelling ass. And then we had no clue about unity because it had been years since we'd made the other model with a base. Then she joked about having a $140 fee for it and that was pretty much the final straw for us, deciding to just pay someone else to port it for us because we were getting genuine headaches from it.

Since then, we've been using the model as planned, but have noticed a lot of clipping issues with it, it turns out the person we found to port it actually does similar quality models from scratch for like a FRACTION of the price, and despite us telling her it was going to be used on Oculus(i refuse to call it Meta) Quest, it was INCREDIBLY unoptimized for it.

This is a first world problem to hell and back and I'm not actually going to do it because I don't want to deal with her again after all the miscommunication but

Aita for being suspicious enough I've been scammed/fed a sob story to want at least a partial refund here?

What are these acronyms?

[englishstrawbie]

For the fluff prompt list, Marina: :)

“I could never not love you.”

“I can’t think of a life that doesn’t have you in it.”

Thank you for the prompt and for being patient while I write it! I hope you enjoy this. 😊

>>>>>>>>>>

Carina is quiet when they get home. Maya watches her from afar as she puts Liam in his cot for a nap before heading into the kitchen to make tea. Her lips are pursed, her expression downcast as she keeps her eyes trained on the steam that rises from the boiling water she has just poured into her mug.

Maya leans against the wall, her hands tucked into the pockets of her pants.

“Are you okay?”

“Hmm?” Carina turns her head over her shoulder, but doesn’t life her gaze to look at her.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Her question causes Carina’s back to tense as a gentle sigh escapes from her mouth.

“No,” she says quietly.

Maya can’t really blame her. They have just spent two hours at the lawyer’s office talking and planning.

The final steps of Liam’s adoption had brought tears of happiness as they had signed the papers to officially be his moms. Liam had been unperturbed as they had cuddled him tightly, more interested in the plush teddy that Vic had sent from Washington a few weeks ago which he has refused to put down since it had arrived. 

They had started the process of Maya’s adoption of the baby girl that will arrive in a few months. Carina had been the one to raise it, wanting to make sure that Maya’s status as mama would be equally recognised in law. Naively, it was only then that Maya had realised how few rights she would have over her own child if it wasn’t for a piece of paper.

Sometimes she hears Mason’s voice in her head, no matter how hard she tries to block it out. She knows he is wrong, but sometimes she can’t help but let a bit of doubt creep in – the voices of her past haunting her. Carina always notices it, as if reading her mind, and, the next thing Maya knows, little reassurances will start to appear. Last week, Maya had arrived home from work to a card from Liam, decorated with his handprints, declaring her kisses to be his favourites. It is still sat proudly on the shelf above the fireplace.

Maya knows it is not these things that have brought about Carina’s silence.

It was the talk of death and living wills and advance directives. It was thoughts of more loss, when there has been too much of that already. It was Maya’s adamance that she did not want to be hooked up to a machine and the thought that one day Carina might have to let her go. It was the image of a future without Maya by her side. It was the terrifying fear of leaving behind their two babies if their nightmares became real.

Maya pushes herself away from the wall and walks over to where Carina is stood, sliding her hands around her waist and placing them on the small bump she carries, her chin resting on Carina’s shoulder.

“I love you,” Maya says, grateful when she feels Carina’s demeanour soften a little.

“I’m okay,” Carina says, putting her hand on top of Maya’s and squeezing it gently. “I just…” She shakes her head a little. “I can’t think of a life that doesn’t have you in it.”

Maya knows it is hard for Carina to imagine the worst, having lived through so much heartbreak already. For Maya, it has been drilled into her ever since she joined the fire service how important it is to have your affairs in order; and she has always been able to compartmentalise it – until now.

Now, she has a wife and a son, and a daughter on the way. She knows what it is like to love and be loved.

Now, she knows true happiness.  

Now, she has something to lose.

“Me neither.” She brings her hands to Carina’s hips and encourages her to turn around. “So… I’ve been thinking.”

Carina’s eyebrows arch with curiosity.

“I want to talk to Chief Ross about my options within SFD and whether she’ll support my promotion to captain.”

Maya catches the way Carina’s left eyebrow crinkles.

“Not immediately,” she clarifies. “I want to stay at 19 for a while, to support Andy, especially with so many changes to the team lately. But I’m ready and it’s what I want, one day. And being captain takes me out of the fires – most of the time, at least. And that’s good for us, for our family.”

Carina inhales a shaky breath. “And what if Chief Ross says no?”

“Then I look at my options outside of SFD,” Maya says resolutely.

“No, bella, I would never ask you to do that,” Carina starts to say, but Maya cuts her off.

“This is my decision. For you, for Liam, for our little bambina.” A smile crosses her lips as she runs her hand over the bump between them. “I will do whatever it takes to make you feel better.”

Carina responds with a bone-crushing hug, pulling Maya into her arms and holding on to her tightly.

“I love you, Maya.”

Maya smiles into her thick dark hair. “I’m glad to hear it. And I’ve gotta make sure you keep on loving me.”

Carina straightens, her hands lifting to cup Maya’s face. “Amore mio, I could never not love you. No matter what our future looks like, my heart will always be yours.”

Tears prick Maya’s eyes as she smiles. “And mine will always be yours.”

She draws Carina in for a kiss then, hard and slow, feeling every bit of tension falling from her body. Carina relaxes in her arms, the tea forgotten, left to go cold on the side.

“Come, my love,” Carina says in between kisses. “Let’s go to bed before our little principe wakes up.”

[saltedpeppermintmocha]

MONSTERS DON’T DO BACKGROUND CHECKS - 2/?

-UFSans x Reader

Chapter One

Summary: Moving across the country and starting your life anew on the basis of a rumour may not be the smartest thing you’ve ever done…but, well, you’re here.

If only you could stop running into that asshole skeleton, life would be pretty good.

Tags: underfell au, bara Sans, afab reader, enemies to lovers, fluff, eventual romance, eventual smut, slow burn, swearing, alcohol, smoking, past abuse, plot

Notes: Currently at 84k words and 11 chapters on AO3. Also, objectively bad decision are made below.

Chapter Two: Monsters Don't Like Compliments

2 Weeks Later

“Here is your keycard. The room number is written on the card.  Please use the elevator to your right. Enjoy your stay at MTT Resort.” You finish your spiel with a smile. The monster -some sort of round fish monster- walks away without responding, but that’s okay. They rarely do. 

Even after a full month of working at the resort, the monster guests still don’t seem to know how to actually respond to you. At first, you kinda wondered if they were just being rude, but now you’re not too sure. Chandace explained it was your ‘humanness’ that put them off, whatever that means, but the star monster -whose name you never learned but it’s way too late to ask now- doesn’t act any differently than you with guests. Hm. 

Well, at least monsters have proven to be better guests than humans. Mostly. They do have some odd requests and necessities, but that's not bad. One or two have tried to intimidate you into some sort of upgrade. But, well, you’re hard to intimidate and any yelling in the lobby immediately brings Chandace out of her office, ready to throw hands - hah! One look at her and the monsters quiet down rather quickly. 

You look down at the computer, humming quietly as you watch the time tick away at the top right-hand corner. It’s getting close to noon, when you normally take your break. Woo. 

“Uh, hi.” 

Your head snaps up, surprised at the sudden appearance of someone in front of the desk. Why are they all so damn quiet?! The first thing you notice is his colour: a really pretty blue. Then you fully realize that the monster in front of you is a bunny. A bunny monster. You haven’t seen any of those yet. Huh. This monster does seem a bit familiar, somehow, though you don’t think he’s a guest. 

“Hi!” Your customer service smile comes back full-force. “Welcome to MTT Resort! How can I help you? Are you looking to check in?”

“Oh, no!” The bunny shakes his head, cheeks darkening slightly. Aw, cute. “I’m actually here to uh, introduce myself.” Oh? Your expression turns a bit confused. “Yeah, my uh, partner, speaks of you a lot and, I figured it would be a good time to-” A pause. “Oh, shit. Is this not a good time?” 

“Your partner…?” You press your lips together, thinking. Wait. “Do you mean…BP?” The cat monster had mentioned a partner once, but only in passing. He refused to elaborate despite your prying questions.

“Yes!” The bunny looks happy. “That’s right."

Your customer-service smile turns genuine. “Well then, shit. It’s nice to meet you!” You introduce yourself, holding out your hand. 

The bunny stares at your hand for a moment in surprise before taking it, shaking it softly. “My name is Guy. You can call me, uh…Guy.” 

You can’t help but chuckle at that. Fuck, this monsters is cute as shit. Not exactly who you’d immediately imagine to be with that snarky cat, but you definitely see what BP might see in him. Though, honestly, you are a bit surprised at this whole situation. You kinda just assumed that the cat saw you as an ‘annoying friendly acquaintance’ more than anything. The idea that he spoke about you enough to his partner that said partner went out of his way to meet you is…sweet. 

In the month that you’ve been here, you’ve found it a bit hard to connect with most of the monster staff. You try, but they seem just as confused as the guests on how to actually hold a conversation with you. The only one that you’ve managed to actually get to know is BP. Even though you’ve started bringing your own food, you still often find yourself in the MTT Burger Emporium, chatting with him.The cat might be snarky, but he’s funny as hell. 

Maybe you endeared yourself to the guy last week when you offered to ‘cover’ for him so he can have a quick smoke break. Not that you go and work in the Emporium, but you’ll text him during down-times whenever the coast looks clear and he’ll take the opportunity to go out back for a quick smoke. You keep an eye on the Emporium and let him know if any customers go in. MTT Resort doesn’t lose any money, and Chandace is none the wiser. It’s a good system. 

For now, anyways. You’ve been trying to broach the topic with Chandace of the monster staff having breaks too. It’s been unsuccessful, but you think you might be wearing her down a bit. You are careful not to be too pushy or annoying with her, you are still a rather new employee after all. So you have resorted to being a bit sneaky. You’ve been leaving articles indicating the benefits of breaks pretty much all over her office. Hah. 

“Do you know where he is?” Guy asks. “I don’t see him in the emporium. I can text him but…I don’t want to interrupt if he’s with someone.” 

…speaking of which. “Ah, yes. I have an idea.” You respond. “Just hold out here for a moment.” The bunny monster nods. You turn and head towards the back door. 

You peek out. As expected, BP is there. The cat monster is leaning back up against the building, looking up to the sky with a cigarette in his mouth. He looks like some punk band album cover. You try not to giggle at that thought, muttering a small.   “Hey.”

BP looks over, confusion immediately on his face. His gaze flicks down to the cellphone in his hand. No missed messages from you. 

“Your boytoy is here.” You grin. “He’s cute.” 

The cat monster blinks, dots connecting in his mind. When they do, he frowns, flipping you off with one hand as he throws his cigarette on the ground and stomps it out. Moving quicker than you’ve ever seen him. You snicker as he walks by you, following behind.

The two of you make your way to the front. While he heads around to the door leading to the lobby, you go back to your reception area. “He’s coming.” You tell Guy as you walk back out.  

“Thanks!” The bunny monster smiles. It’s funny, you know the exact moment that BP comes out by how much Guy lights up. It’s like the monster becomes a little taller, a little brighter, his smile a little wider. 

He walks out of view, and you can’t help but lean over the counter -practically laying on it- to watch whatever is about to happen. You’re glad you did, as Guy practically jumps at BP, enveloping him in a hug. The cat monster doesn’t seem shocked at all, just loosely hugging back.

“Hey.” BP says as Guy steps back from the hug, voice softer than you’ve ever heard it. “What's up?”

“Can’t I just come see you?” Guy responds.

“Aww.” You whisper. Apparently not as quiet as you hoped, as both monsters turn towards you. Oh. Exposed. BP levels you with a glare, but you don't retreat, just giving a cheeky smile back. “C’mon. Ya’ll are too cute.”

Guy snorts. “I like her.” 

“Well, that’s one of us.” BP grumbles, placing a hand on the small of his partner's back. “Let's go to the Emporium. There'll be less eyes there.” He gives you a pointed look.

Grinning, you mouth ‘love’ and do finger hearts as BP. His eyes widen and he turns away, flipping you off subtly using the hand on Guy’s back. 

“It was nice to meet you!” Guy calls out, waving as he’s walked away. 

“Right back at ya!” You smile, before standing up.

-----------------------------------------------------------

1 Month Later

“Come on!” You lean against the counter, grinning. “Look alive! This is a momentous occasion.”

BP raises an eyebrow. “It’s fifteen minutes.” 

“-thaaat you didn’t have before!” You continue, giving a big smile. “I expect gratitude in the form of expensive gifts ooor the opportunity to talk to your cute boyfriend again.” You wink. 

The cat monster rolls his eyes, but doesn’t respond, taking off his apron. He grabs a sign from below the counter and places it on top. You can’t help but smile at the -kinda badly, if you’re honest- written message: ‘be back in 15 minutes’.

It finally happened: Chandace caved. Two months of being bombarded with articles and definitely-not-subtle suggestions, and she finally agreed to implement fifteen minute breaks for the monster staff. Not perfect, but at least it’s something, a start at least. 

So, for the occasion, you manage to get BP to agree to spend his ‘first break’ with you outside the resort. You just know that otherwise, he’d spend the entire time on an extended smoke break in the back. Sure, he’ll probably do that most breaks…but why not make this one a bit more special? You had come to BP when the fifteens were announced with a bunch of arguments to state your case, but he gave in surprisingly quick.

Walking out of the resort with BP -during the day- feels weird, but in a good way. It’s sunny and warm out, and you breath in the summer air happily. “Ah, this is life.” 

“ This is life?” BP mumbles beside you, looking around the parking lot. “That’s dramatic as shit, little buddy.” He takes out a cigarette and lights it. You roll your eyes, knocking your shoulder against his -well, his arm, he’s much taller than you. “So, where are we going?”

You hum, looking around. Okay, maybe you should have had more of an actual plan for this grand occasion. “I guess…want to just walk through the park? Fifteen minutes isn’t long but we can get some exercise and, uh, nature?”

BP shrugs. “Whatever. As long as I can smoke.” 

The two of you walk through the parking lot and cross the street to the park. You look both ways before crossing out of habit, but you doubt you’d even need to. There are never really any cars on the street in Monstertown. Entering the park, you follow the little path through it. The cat monster stays in step with you. 

The park itself is a good size, and actually pretty well maintained. You absently wonder who has been looking after it. The grass is green and healthy, and groups of flowers litter throughout. It's pretty busy, with monsters going this way and that. A few stare at you, but not as many as when you first started living here. You recognize quite a few monsters from the resort or just exploring Monstertown. 

In the middle of the park is a playground. It looks exactly like the ones you used to play on as a kid. The only difference is the monster children playing on it. It’s interesting to see the differences in how the monster kids play versus human children. Monsters have so many different…limbs and additions. As you walk, you watch a bird monster kid fly to the top of the monkey bars, grab onto the bars with their feet and start swinging themselves around, gathering momentum. Haha. That’s pretty cool. 

“What were the playgrounds like underground?” The question is out of your mouth before you even think much of it. Oh, shit. It’s always been this sort of unspoken rule to not ask about the underground. Even before you moved here, when you were researching, it was always on those ‘things not to do when interacting with monsters’ lists online. Even monsters don’t talk about it too much. You have the feeling it wasn’t too great of a time. So you look over at BP and apologize. “Shit, sorry.” 

BP takes in a long hit, breathing out smoke that swirls in the air. “There weren’t any.” It takes you a second to realize he’s answered your original question. No playgrounds? At all? 

“No?” You ask. Your friend only shrugs. “Huh. That’s sad. What did you do as a kid?”

“Train, mostly.” BP said. “Always gotta be prepared.”

Prepared for what? You leave it there, feeling like you’re getting into a much more intense topic than the day called for. “Well, what did you do for fun then?”

“Me? Not much.” BP said. “I worked a lot. Too much. Hung out with Guy sometimes.”

You can’t help but snort. “So not much different then.”

“Hm. I wouldn’t say that.” The cat monster replies.

You open your mouth to ask more when suddenly you freeze, your peripheral vision catching onto something unmistakable. Something horrible.

A skeleton. 

No way. That can’t be. You turn your head, feeling almost like the world suddenly went into slow-motion. As your eyes fully focus, you come to a terrible realization. That’s him. There’s no way that’s not him. That asshole skeleton who stole your mustard right from your fucking hands. 

“Oh, fuck off.” You mumble at the universe. 

Sure, it was almost a month and a half ago now. He probably doesn’t even remember you. You should definitely be over it by now. But, fuck that. You ate shitty sandwiches for a week until you finally gave in and went to the human side for another -way more expensive- bottle. Every bite you took of a sandwich that definitely needed mustard, the annoyance came back. Hard to get over a situation when you were consistently seeing that smug-ass face in your head.

The skeleton himself is behind a stand advertising…hotdogs? It’s surprising, he doesn’t seem to be the type to be in any sort of customer service. Who knows, maybe that's' why he was such a dick, finally had someone he didn’t have to be nice to. The guy looks bored, leaning his head against his hand on the stand.

Suddenly, as if aware he’s being stared at, his eye lights slide towards you. They immediately catch your gaze. You watch as his eye sockets widen, and that mouth ticks up into a grin. Oh. He definitely remembers you. Ass. Mouth pressing into a line, you flip him off. 

“The fuck are you doing?” BP asks beside you. 

The skeleton's grin sharpens, and he sits up only to flip you off back. 

Don’t do it. Be the bigger person. It’s not worth it. He’s working. Be the bigger person. Be the bigger person-

“Be right back.”

BP’s complaint doesn’t reach your ears. You march forward, focused and fueled by stored up indignation and embarrassment. Last time,there was nothing you could do. Not really. The skeleton is obviously bigger and stronger than you. But now, he has to be some sort of polite, right? He’s at work. You are not normally the type of person to fuck with someone while working, but this is your best chance. And this guy just deserves it. 

…Not that you’re exactly going in with any sort of plan. You’re kinda winging it. 

The skeleton watches as you approach, that smug look on his face only growing as you get closer. It doesn’t help that even sitting down behind the stand, he’s still taller than you. Tall fuck. 

“I want a hotdog.” You say, crossing your arms in front of your chest. 

An eyebrow-bone raises. “well, yer shit outta luck.” He says, odd tone to his voice. “i don’t sell those.”

That makes you pause. “Wait, what?”

“ya have two eyes. use ‘em. ” The skeleton says, pointing down at the sign. You look down at the sign and groan, whispering a quiet ‘fucking hell’. 

“I’ll have a ‘dog then.” You say through gritted teeth. “With ketchup and mustard.” I’m going to make you give me mustard, you dick. 

…maybe not your smartest revenge, but something nonetheless. 

He chuckles, seeming quite amused as he reaches down to grab a bun. A ‘dog is placed in the bun with a regular amount of ketchup and mustard on top. He passes it over to you. You look down at it. 

This is it, right? It’s done now. You’ve made your point, as dumb and shaky as it is. You can walk away, and forget about all this. However rude this monster was, you really shouldn’t be going around picking fights with him, right? 

That’s your thought process, anyways. So, you really have no explanation as to why you hold out the ‘dog and say. “You really think that is enough mustard?”

The skeleton looks down at the ‘dog and back at you, taking in your expression. He shrugs, and reaches over to squeeze out another layer of mustard. 

“More.” 

Another layer. You feel a bit vindicated.

“More.”

Another layer. It’s starting to drip slightly off the front and back. 

“More.” You meet the skeleton's eyes, challenge evident. But the look on his face isn’t anything you expected: not confusion, or dismay. The monster in front of you looks completely delighted. That should have been your warning to stop.

“ya asked for it.” As you watch, he easily flips the top off the mustard. The entire container empties itself on your ‘dog. “that enough for ya?”

Shocked, you can only stare down at the ‘dog in your hand. It’s a liquidy mess, mustard sliding down your hand and arm, dripping off to splatter on the ground. You open your mouth, but nothing comes out. What can you say, that you don’t actually want what you asked for? 

That’s it. You’re stuck.

“It’s…perfect.” You choke out, hoping you don’t sound as pathetic to him as you do to your own ears. 

“great. that’ll be ten.”

You tear your eyes away from the horror in your hand to look up at the skeleton, who is back in his casual lean position. “Wha-wait. Ten?! How can this be ten?!”

He shrugs. “extra product. extra cost, dollface.”

That damn nickname again. Desperately, you look back down at the sign. Nothing. There’s no price at all, nothing you can quote to say he’s wrong. He has you. He knows he has you. 

Grumbling, you reach into your purse with your free hand and grab your wallet. You fumble quite a bit trying to open it with one hand, face reddening under the skeletons gaze. But, eventually, you’re able to shove a ten onto his stand. 

As quickly as you can, you turn and walk away. Your face heats more as you listen to him laugh at your retreat.

“...what was that?” BP asks, bewildered, as you step up to him. You just grumble and continue walking. The cat monster gives one last look back before matching your stride. Once out of sight from the stand, you throw the ‘dog away in the first trash can you can find. A waste of food, but there’s no way you could eat it how it was. 

“Who is that?” You ask through gritted teeth, trying to flick remaining mustard from your hands into the bin. 

“The giant fucking skeleton you practically ran at?” BP says. “That’s Sans.” 

Sans. You finally put a name to the face. Grimacing, you rub your hands together to get the last bit of mustard off. Your hands are stained yellow, and you have a feeling they’ll smell even after washing. Ew.

“Seriously. The fuck is going on?”

You take a deep steadying breath, and turn away from the trash. “The asshole stole my mustard.” You explain what happened in the MonsterMart as you both continue to walk. The story isn’t exactly long, but you can practically feel the judgment and stress coming from him as you speak. 

“Shit.” He whispers as the story comes to an end. He pauses to take a deep hit of his cigarette. After exhaling, he turns to you. “You have no idea just how lucky you are, little buddy.”

Huh? You look over. “What does that mean?”

But he doesn’t answer you. “C’mon. The fifteen is almost up.” BP picks up his pace. You have to rush a bit to keep in line with his ridiculously long legs. 

Unfortunately, you do have to pass by the stand again on your way back to MTT resort. This time, you don’t look. 

--------------------------------------------------------

You marinate in your embarrassment, frustration and regret for the rest of the day. 

Ugh. Why did you do any of that? If it was ‘revenge’ or something, why did you go in without a plan? Why did you even care about ‘revenge’? That’s not like you. Not really. You’re good at remaining neutral, at just moving on from difficult situations, being in Monstertown is a testimony to that. So, why does that skeleton's smug face fire you up so bad? Why do you have such an intense want to just ‘get one over’ on him? Now, all you’ve done is make a fool of yourself again . Fuck.

Luckily the guests don't seem to take any offense to your mood. Even Chandace doesn’t seem to notice that you’re a bit off your game. You still have your ‘customer service smile and voice’ to fall back on, but in your head you’re just a mess.  It doesn’t help that you apparently missed out on some actually good food with your shenanigans. BP doesn’t compliment things often, but even he says the ‘dogs are pretty damn delicious. So you embarrassed yourself, wasted your money and wasted good food. Great. 

When your shift is finally over, you head directly for the stairs. You go straight to your room and flop down on the bed. The plan for the night is simple: drown your feelings in shitty tv and junkfood. It works, for a while. You’re able to get yourself reasonably invested in some random movie and forget your problems. 

But it doesn’t last forever. As the credits roll, your traitorous mind starts to replay the embarrassing events of today. Ugh. You let out a groan and collapse backwards onto your bed. Honestly, you’re still trying to figure out why you’re letting this guy bother you so much. Something about him just ticks all your ‘annoyance’ boxes: he’s rude, smug, and uses his sheer size and strength to win over others. 

… fuck. You know who he reminds you of. You think about this for a long time, staring blankly up at the ceiling. Another movie starts on the tv, but you pay it no attention.

Bzzt. 

Your phone vibrates beside you. Reaching over, you grab it and hold it over your face. A new message has popped up on your screen.

[BP]: hey

You blink, surprised at the text. Sure, you’ve had each other's numbers for a while now, but your messages have pretty much only been about covering his sneaky smoke breaks. He’s never texted you just to chat or anything.

[You]: Hi! Whats up?

[BP]: Guys having a party at his apartment next weekend. Wanna come?

Well, fuck, that makes you sit up fully. He’s inviting you to a…party? Well, that’s unexpected, but damn it sounds like fun. You haven’t been to a party in a long while. You are pretty sure that you’re working at least one of the days, but you don’t really want to pass this up. Not to mention, you can’t help but feel a bit happy that Guy and BP are even inviting you. 

[You]: yea, sure! thanks!

[BP]: k, i’ll let him know.

[BP]: just dont be weird.

Okay. Rude. But fair. Especially after the shit you pulled today. You respond with an emoji and lay back on the bed.

You’re going to a party. Shit. You wonder what it’ll be like, how big it’ll be. Honestly, you can’t imagine BP of all monsters being comfortable around a huge group, but who knows. Either way, you bet their friends are pretty cool. It’ll be a good time.

Oh. You’ll need to get alcohol. There’s no way you’re going to show up empty-handed.  

…

Wait. Suddenly it hits you. This will be a monster party. 

You stare at the ceiling. 

I’m going to a monster party. 

--------------------------------------------------------------

1 Week Later

BP only occasionally joins you on breaks going forward, mostly due to timing: when you want to eat, the Burger Emporium is too busy to just leave unmanned. Sure, Chandace has been a bit more accommodating, but you have no doubt she will stop allowing the monsters breaks entirely if they start losing revenue. 

So, today, it’s just you, but that’s a good thing. You have a plan: head to the human side and get alcohol for the party. You’ll need the full thirty for that. 

Heading out of MTT Resort, you breathe in the fresh air and head towards your car. A few monsters you recognize as you walk, so you give them a small smile. You’re in a good mood today. Honestly you’ve been in a good mood since the party invite came. You, at a monster party? How cool is that?! You honestly have no idea what to expect…but you’re excited. 

Sliding into your car, you program the directions into your phone and get going. It doesn’t take long to leave Monstertown, it’s not like there are enough cars on the road to create any sort of traffic. Once you hit the human side, that changes. You almost immediately run into traffic. Still, you’re not going far, so it’s too not long before you pull into the liquor store parking lot. 

It’s…a bit surprising just how weird it feels to be surrounded by humans after almost two and a half months of living in Monstertown. You actually pause for a moment in the doorway, taking it in, before someone walks up behind you forcing you to move. It feels so odd not to be completely overshadowed by beings so much bigger than you. You’re normal here. There are no stares, no funny looks, and no children pointing at you. 

It doesn’t take you long to find your liquor of choice, but you admit that you might walk around the store a bit longer, just reveling in the feeling of being ‘nothing to look at’. You stand in line behind someone shorter than you, and the cashier doesn’t give you a second look as he rings in your bottle. 

Or at least, he doesn’t until the end. As you’re grabbing the paper bag to head out, the cashier speaks up. “MTT Resort?”

Huh? You give the cashier a confused look, but he’s not looking at your face. He’s looking at your chest -which is majorly off putting, but you’re not wearing anything revealing. You look down. Oh. Your nametag. “Uh, yea?”

“That’s…in Monstertown, right?”

“Yea.” You look back up, frown on your face. “I work there.”

The cashier seems to go through an entire range of emotions, all obvious on his face. Eventually he settles on disgust. “But, why?” He asks. “I’m sure there are plenty of decent human places hiring if you need a job.”

“I’m good.” 

The conversation ends there. Only because you make it end. The cashier furrows his brow, opening his mouth for a comment that you are suddenly very sure you don’t want to hear, so you quickly turn and walk away without another word. Asshole.

If you blast your music just a bit louder on the way back to work, only you would know.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Guy’s apartment is a few blocks away. It’s a nice building, and the elevator actually works well, which is great since the monster is on a high floor. If you had to take the stairs, you’re not entirely sure you’d even make it. 

You hear the music the moment the elevator door opens, a deep bass rumbling through the floor. Its a wonder the neighbours haven’t said anything. Who knows, maybe they’re at the party? You wander down the hall until you reach the right door. Even without the number, you’d know which one to go to. 

Honestly, you doubt that you could knock loud enough to hear over the music, so you type out a quick text to BP. 

[You:] here

That done, you tap your foot to the beat as you wait. It’s catchy, though definitely nothing you’ve heard before. As one song ends and the other begins, you find yourself tapping your fingers against your thigh too. 

Shit. You’re nervous. 

It’s normal, you think. This is a completely new situation for you. Despite trying to get info from BP on what monster parties are like, the only response you ever got was ‘it’s just a party’. The useless shit. So you don’t really know what to expect behind the door. 

After a few moments, the door opens. Instead of the cat monster you expect, Guy pops his head out. He smiles and holds open the door, waving you in. “Hi! Glad you could make it!” You return the smile and walk under his arm into the apartment. As you step inside, Guy closes the door behind you. 

You are quickly aware of many eyes staring at you. Looking around the nice living room that you’ve walked into, you quickly note that you are definitely the only human here. Not surprising at all. 

It’s not packed by any means, but monsters of different shapes and sizes litter throughout the living room. The couch and chair are full, along with a monster and a dog (?) sitting on the floor. A few stand a bit further away, chatting in an archway that you’d guess leads to a kitchen. The only one you recognize is BP, who looks up at you from his place on the couch. He raises his hand in a quick, lazy wave. 

“Whose the human?” A buff mer…horse (?) monster says. He’s sitting on the other side of the couch in the living room, hand holding a solo cup filled with liquid. 

“Everyone!” Guy calls out, voice surprisingly loud. He puts a hand on your shoulder and introduces you to the group. You smile -a bit awkwardly- and wave -definitely awkwardly- to the group. 

“Oh shit.”  A mouse monster speaks up from their place on the floor, voice surprisingly loud for such a small body. “You’re that human that works at MTT Resort!” 

“Yup, that's me.” 

One of the two dog monsters -kinda romantically- sharing the chair pipes in.“Didya bring any treats?”  

Treats? You flounder for a second, before remembering. “Uh, I brought alcohol, if that counts?” You respond, digging out the rather large bottle of alcohol from your purse. You hold it up.

…

….

“HUMAN ALCOHOL!” Aaron woops. A cheer goes out through the room, monsters raising their cups in the air. 

That was…an unexpected reaction. It’s like any apprehension is instantly gone, the room falling back into what you assume was its previous level of chill.

“Well, you won them over quickly.” Guy laughs. You look over at him, confused. “We can’t buy human alcohol. It’s kinda a luxury.” 

“...really?” You ask. The bunny monster nods the affirmative.“Well, that’s dumb.”

Guy chuckles. “Yea. I think so too.” His voice then gets louder as he addresses the rest of the monsters. “I’m gonna go get more cups. Who wants to try?” A few monsters put their hands up.  

You pass him the bottle, and the blue monster goes off towards the kitchen. You watch him disappear into the archway and weigh your options. After a moment, you make your way towards the group by the couch. They go mostly silent as you approach, waiting. You sit down on the ground beside the dog - or dog monster (?), you can’t really tell- and the mouse monster. 

The group is clearly waiting for you to say something, so you speak the first thing that comes to your mind. “So, what’s all your names?”

--------------------------------------------------------------

Everyone is actually really nice, not that you really expected any different from friends of Guy (BP is a 50/50). They are all big, and a bit scary looking, but you’ve found that’s par for the course with monsters. But, while most interactions you’ve had so far with monsters have been short and stunted, this is really nice. The group here seem to have quickly gotten over their initial surprise, and seem to be treating you like anyone else. 

You’re in the middle of laughing at a rather raunchy story that Aaron -the buff merhorse- is telling, while petting Lesser Dog -still not sure if a monster or a dog- when the door opens again. Looking up from where you are on the ground, you see someone new enter the apartment. 

…a skeleton.

A familiar skeleton.

Aw. Fuck. 

He looks around the room, eyes quickly falling on you. Seemingly as surprised as you feel, his eye sockets widen, mouth going slack as he stares. For a moment, it seems like both of you can agree on one thought: what the fuck. 

He recovers first, shaking his head. Without acknowledging you further, he walks past the couch and through the archway to the kitchen. 

“What’s your beef with the skele-bro?” Aaron asks. BP lets out a groan from his spot on the couch, leaning back to look at the ceiling. 

Turning your gaze from the kitchen, you answer. “He’s just an ass.” 

“I’ll drink to that!” He holds up his cup. 

You laugh, and hold up your own. You have a feeling this monster would drink to pretty much anything. Another cheer goes up around you, and everyone takes another drink. Even BP, who doesn’t look particularly happy to do so. A whimper comes from your lap. You look down, taking in Lesser Dog’s pouting face. 

“Oh, sorry little guy.” Reaching over, you attempt to reach the jar of dog treats on the coffee table. Your arm is a little short, and you can’t reach further without pushing Lesser Dog off of your lap. Damnit. “Hey, Guy. Guy! Can you pass me a dog treat?”

The bunny monster sits up from his spot leaning against BP on the couch. He’s able to reach the jar easily and grabs a treat, tossing it to you. You catch it quickly and pass it to Lesser Dog. The pup gives a happy ‘woof’ and re-settles in your lap. 

Somehow, you manage to practically forget about the skeleton in the apartment. He doesn’t leave the kitchen, and the other monster guests are just too funny -if not a bit wild in their stories- to focus on anything else. You never really know what to expect, but that’s the fun of it. They ask many questions about humans, and have no problem with you asking questions back. It’s nice, a refreshing change of course from many of the monsters you’ve met too far, who are too surprised to hold even a base-level conversation.

Maybe it's the alcohol?  You are for sure feeling its effects. Not too much, just a bit tipsy, a bit more loose than before.

Either way, you’re having a good time. It takes a good hour or so before you’re forced to remember the only thing that could bring your mood down.

“I’m outta juice.” You shake your empty cup sadly. It was bound to happen, with as many times that Aaron tried to get everyone to drink. A ‘boo’ is heard all around you. Chuckling, you move Lesser Dog from your lap -the pup just stretches out on the floor- and push yourself up into a stand. “I’ll be right back.” 

You head into the kitchen, blinking a few times to clear your slightly wobbly vision. It’s surprisingly big, with an island in the middle and everything. The counters are covered with alcohol bottles and snacks -monsters don’t play around, it seems. And of course, the thing you don’t want to see is there. The skeleton is leaning against the island, opposite the fridge, looking down at his phone. 

Why come to a party if you’re just going to stay in the kitchen?

Not wanting to ruin your good mood, you decide to just ignore his presence, and walk over to the fridge. Looking in, you find the remains of your bottle of human liquor. Probably just enough for one more glass. Damn. Grabbing it, and a soda, you place the items on the island and prepare to make your drink in silence. 

It’s then that you notice another cup. It’s on the other side of the island, near the skeleton. Hm. It looks pretty full. Probably just poured. 

…

Do you do it? Your heavily injured pride wants you to do it. 

….

Sensing an opportunity, you reach far over the island and grab his drink, quickly sliding back out of reach. 

“the fuck?” The skeleton looks at you. 

“Payback, bitch.” You respond, words maybe coming a bit too easy from the alcohol.

A moment of silence, then his grin returns. “fine. drink it then.” He says it like a challenge, which…frightens you a bit. You look down at the drink. Is it…toxic or something? It looks normal enough, exactly what the monsters had been drinking in the livingroom. A quick shake of the cup shows it to move like normal alcohol. 

You glance out the archway, where the other monsters are. It’ll be fine. Right? Fuck it. You take a small sip at first, just in case. It tastes…delicious, actually. Surprised, you look up at the skeleton, before taking another sip. It goes down smooth, warming you from the inside. 

“Dude, human stuff is way worse than this baby shit.” You say, unable to resist even the smallest jab. “I could drink you under the fucking table.”

“oh yea?” His grin widens, eye lights intensifying “wanna bet?”

“You know what.” You grin. “Sure. Let's go Sans.”

The mention of his name has the desired effect. The skeleton looks actually surprised. Sadly, it only lasts a moment, before his expression falls back into its typical smirk. “so ya asked the cat?” He says. 

You shrug, giving nothing. 

“alright.” Sans places two hands down and leans against the island, his large body allowing him to cover almost half the distance over it. “whats yer name, then? only fair.”

You remain silent, not wanting to give up something you have over him. Even if it's something as small as your name. It doesn’t take long for the skeleton to realize you’re not going to speak.

“well.” He starts, voice rolling deep. “i’m sure i can come up with somethin’ to call ya if you wont tell me.” 

….wait.

“sweetcheeks, doll, sugartits, bitch, cumdr-”

You jump forward as the names become increasingly insulting, practically climbing onto the island to slam your hands over the skeletons mouth. “No no no! Absolutely not!” You frown. “What the actual fuck is wrong with you?!”

It’s only then that you realize just how close you’ve gotten to the large monster. You look at him with wide eyes. Up close, you can see the various scratches along his skull, and have a front-row seat to those red eye lights growing in size. Weird. 

There is movement under your hands as he grins. Then, a wet feeling slides across your palm. 

“Ew, what the fuck.” You jump back, just barely keeping yourself from falling. You look down at your hands, noticing that they are wet and tingly.  How the…?! But he’s a skeleton ?! You look back up at that satisfied face. “Did you just...lick me?!”

“What the fuck am I walking into?” A new voice interrupts whatever Sans is going to say. You look over, eyes widening at the huge fish-lady walking into the kitchen. Woah. She’s ripped. 

Sans straightens up, no longer leaning across the island. “why’re you here?” 

The fish monster waves away his question. “Not important. What I want to know is who are you?” She looks directly at you, pointing. “And what, exactly is happening here?”

Feeling oddly intimidated, you give in immediately and introduce yourself. “-and, uh, nothing’s happening exactly.”

“Uh-huh.” She doesn’t sound like she believes you. “Well, I’m Undyne.” Introduction apparently over, the fish monster heads towards the side of the island that Sans is on. “Mind heading back out there for a bit? I need to talk to this guy.” Why does that sound…threatening?

“Uh, yea. Sure.” You agree, sliding off the island onto the ground. Moving quick, you grab the monster alcohol -your victory souvenir, damnit- and head out of the kitchen. As you walk out the archway, you can’t resist a look back. While you can’t see or hear what they are talking about, Sans looks nervous in a way you’ve never seen him. The look on his face is one of dread, and red sweat (?) beats appear on his skull. Huh. 

Well, you decide to not let yourself think too much on that, and head back into the party. The livingroom is pretty much the same, though Aaron is missing from the couch. You plop down beside Guy and BP, happy to not be forced back onto the floor.

“Welcome back!” Guy smiles. “You were gone for a while.”

You shrug. “Did I miss anything?” 

“Aaron got a call from his girlfriend.” BP says, smirking. 

“Oh yea?” You ask. “Is that…bad?”

A chorus of laughter erupts around the room.

“Oh yea!” Dogamy laughs. 

“Shyren’s a bitch.” Dogaressa says. Then she pauses. “Wait.” 

You can’t help but laugh, leaning back into the couch to bring the cup to your lips. The monster alcohol tingles as it goes down your throat. 

--------------------------------------------------------------

In the end, you’re glad you don’t try to go head-to-head with Sans. Monster alcohol, as you find out, hits a bit later. So despite the total of one human drink and one monster drink that you consumed, you’re already quite passed tipsy. Luckily, you’re not a messy drunk. A bit more introspective, sure, but you’re not exactly planning anything wild. 

Still, after a while the heat in the room gets a bit too much. You need fresh air. Standing up from the couch, you mumble a quick ‘be right back’ and wobble your way towards the balcony. The sliding door opens easily, and you walk out.

For a moment you close your eyes, feeling the refreshing cold air hit your skin. Then you open them. 

“Oh for fucks sake.” You immediately groan. 

He’s here. 

Sans looks over at you from his position leaning against the railing, those intense red eyes glance at you. He looks…upset isn’t necessarily the word. But something about him looks ‘off’. 

You briefly consider going back inside, but the fresh air just feels too good. With a sigh, you close the sliding door and step forward until you are also at the railing. “Just don’t push me off.” You mumble under your breath.

“i wouldn’t need ‘ta push ya to hurt ya.”

“Alright, Mr. I’m–so-edgy-and-dark-boohoo.” Too quickly, you turn to face him. You get one brief look at his affronted face before your vision starts to swirl from the movement. It takes you a moment to collect yourself before you continue. “Of course I know that most of the monsters in here could hurt me. I’m not fucking dumb.”

…or at least you think that's what you said. The skeleton doesn’t react to your words, but his eyes move up and down your body. “monster alcohol was too much for ya, huh?”

Completely derailed, and brain simply not backwards compatible at this point, you simply react. You gesture at his large form. “Yeah. Well, I’m not built like a fucking double…double-door fridge.” 

The skeleton snorts, but doesn’t respond. That’s…surprising. Nice, but surprising. You turn away from him and look out. It’s dark in Monstertown, the streetlights don’t remain on after a certain time, but the human side is lit up like a christmas tree. You wonder why. Shit, you really need to do more research into this kind of stuff. 

A shuffling sound makes you look back over. Sans is also looking out, lost in thought, as he flips a cigarette through his bony fingers. Without even really thinking about it, you reach into your pocket and grab your lighter. “Here.” 

“huh?” The skeleton looks surprised by your offer, but takes it. It looks almost comically small in his fingers, but it works. The cigarette lights to life. He passes the lighter back to you quietly.

Sans takes a deep hit, and when he exhales, you’re surprised to see a plume of red smoke go up into the sky. It swirls unnaturally, creating almost sparkly patterns of red in the wind, before slowly disappearing. You watch it with wide eyes, leaning forward against the railing as if to somehow get closer. It's like your woozy mind is completely entranced by the sight. It's beautiful...huh.

You don’t remain on the balcony for too long, but the time you do spend there is unexpectedly peaceful. Neither of you speak another word, too lost in thought.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Oh god, it's way too late. 

You’re in the kitchen, grabbing a snack, when you see the time on the oven. Shit. You really need to get home. It’s either that or pass out here, which, as nice as everyone has been…no. Just no. With an internal groan, you toss your cup in the garbage and head back out to the livingroom.

It’s quieter than before: Aaron left after the call with his girlfriend, and Dogaressa and Dogamy disappeared while you were outside on the balcony. Nobody seems to know where they went, and nobody seems worried. Sans, also, never returned from the balcony, but you didn’t actually see him leave. Must have been when you were in the bathroom or something. 

Undyne had already taken your spot on the couch when you returned from the livingroom, so you took the chair. She’s in the same spot, chatting with BP and Guy when you come out of the kitchen. 

“Hey.” You say. “I’m gonna get home now.”

“Uh.” Guy looks at you, both eyebrows raised. Then he elbows BP.

The cat monster narrows his eyes when elbowed, but the frown on his face was there before. “You sure that’s a good idea?”

“I’m fine!” You nod. 

The cat monster doesn’t look convinced. You’re about to say more, when another voice pipes up. “I’ll take you back.”

You blink slowly, fuzzy brain taking a moment to realize what Undyne had said. “What?” Then it clicks. “Oh. No. You don’t need to do that.”

“I do.” She stands, stretching her back. “I’m staying at the resort anyways.”

Well, shit. With no other reasonable argument popping into your mind, you can do nothing but accept that you’re about to walk home with this monster. You say goodbye to the remaining monsters, before turning to BP and Guy.

“Thanks for inviting me.” You smile at your friends. “It was fun.”

“Definitely!” Guy smiles back. “I’ll let you know when we’re having the next one.”

Fuck yea!  You give a thumbs up to BP, who just rolls his eyes. You don’t expect anything else.

After that, you get ready in silence, sliding on your shoes. With a quick wave, you and Undyne head out. The two of you quickly exit the building and make your way down the dark streets towards MTT Resort. 

You think, maybe if you were sober, you’d be too intimidated to actually speak to her at all. God, you really don’t intimidate easily, but something about this woman has you on edge. 

But you’re not sober. 

“So…are you…working at the resort?” You ask. 

“What?” Undyne looks over. “Pfft, that shithole? No way!”

Oh. Ouch? “Uh, okay then.” You pause, then try another avenue. “So, where are you visiting from?”

“You ask a lot of questions, human.” Undyne responds, looking at you through the corner of her eye. The suspicion is clear in her voice, which you can understand. 

You shrug. “I live in Monstertown with a bunch of unsocial monsters. If I don’t ask questions I never get to know anything.” As you walk, you kick a small rock, watching it roll into a newarby alley. “That’s how I became friends with BP. Just annoyed him ‘till he gave in.” 

“Hah!” She laughs. “Guess that’s true.”  A pause. You look over. The clear suspicion is gone from her voice, though you doubt it's’ that easy to win this monster over. “I live in Ebott.”

“No shit?” You reply. “That’s cool. Why’re you here then?”

“Monster business.” She says vaguely. You know better than to push on that. Luckily, she continues. “I’m here with my girlfriend.”

“Oh?” You smile. “That's fun! How long have you been together?”

Undyne smiles. “Stars, it’s been years now.” Apparently, you’ve found the golden ticket. Asking about her girlfriend is the way to go. Undyne goes off on a tangent, explaining just how smart and passionate her girlfriend is. You get to walk in silence and just listen to her words.

“-and now she gets to work with Asgore on the special projects in Ebott and I can’t be more proud-”

Asgore. You’ve heard that before. 

You blink. “Wait, the King? ” 

She doesn’t seem to care that you interrupted, luckily. She just responds. “The King, yea. Why?”

“Holy shit…” You mumble, eyes wide. The King of all monsters. He looked terrifying in every picture you’ve seen. Definitely a monster you have every intention of avoiding. “That's…really cool!” You try. “You’re lucky to know someone like that!”

She snorts. “Well, I’m definitely lucky, but not because of-” A pause. “...do you know who I am?”

Uh… is this a trick question? 

“You’re…Undyne?” You answer, voice echoing your confusion.

She stares at you, eye wide. “Wait. Did you really not do a lot of research before moving here?”

“...no?” You respond. “I mean, not really. I looked up like etiquette and stuff. Just enough to live here in peace.” 

“Hah!” Suddenly she laughs. “Fucking hell, human.”

You don’t really have a response for that, so you walk alongside her in silence -feeling dumb for a reason you don’t even know- as she laughs. Eventually she calms down. “Well, I can get behind that level of bravery!” She looks over at you. “You got guts, kid.”

“Thanks?” God, are you not following this conversation because you’re drunk or is she just confusing as all hell??

The two of you reach MTT resort not long after that. You pause in the lobby, deciding that for once you might take the elevator. The stairs just…don’t feel like a good idea right now. Not with the way your head spins.You could see yourself missing a step and face-planting on the concrete steps. You do not need any facial bruises. As Undyne goes to walk towards the stairs, you speak up.

“I'm gonna take the elevator." You say, turning towards your unlikely companion. "Thanks Undyne, for walking back with me. I appreciate it."

“Don’t worry about it!” She pats you on the back, hard. Ouch. “See ya later, punk!” With that, she starts towards the staircase. 

“See ya…” 

The elevator thankfully works fine, and you make it to the third floor in piece. Without the cold air to wake you up, you find you are wobbling a bit more on your way to your room. You fumble a bit with your keycard but manage to get in just fine. Once you do, you immediately collapse on your bed. 

 It doesn’t take long for you to fully pass out. 

[Next Chapter]

[lez-exclude-men]

At the risk of sounding like a grandma, I'm refusing to do my laundry at my apartment's on-site facilities. The washing machines require you to have AN APP. You have to put your card information INTO THE APP and load money onto a VIRTUAL LAUNDRY CARD. AND while the machine costs $2 (which admittedly is the best I've seen in a while), the lowest amount you can add is $10!!

Furthermore, I don't trust the apartment complex to have vetted this app. The complex has an "answering service" for their office phones that, if someone at the office doesn't pick up, sends you to either a) a company's advertisements or b) a "congratulations you just won a gift card!" scam. They're slimy motherfuckers and I don't want to give this fucking laundry service they've contracted with my card information when I can just go find a 24/7 laundromat that will let me swipe my card or trade for quarters/cash like fucking normal. Like everything used to be, has been, until recently.

The sign in the laundry room for the app was like "an easier way to do laundry!!" FUCKING HOW??? you're adding steps, acting like a microbank, and undoubtedly harvesting my data. Instead of just letting me swipe my card or put some coins in and press start!! There's no easier way to do it!!! Fuck off!!!

[the-clay-quarters]

Okay this took me three days bcus I spent Way too long thinking about it but! here's my guys in @t6fs' template!

The only bit of this that was left blank for non character reasons is the dreams- I avoid all the dream cards in game to avoid nightmares, so I don't really know the vibes oops. Oh, and the key items are distinctive things they carry regularly, excluding things they'd own at home. Otherwise, detail bits under the cut! I ended up with a lot of notes and wanted to ramble, it's really fuckin long <3

Silverstein

"His" pet is Pembroke's Half-Wild Mandrake (from bag a legend). They both agree that it is still hers, it's just hard to take care of in the middle of the city so it lives out with him. Otherwise, he keeps no pets.

Apathetic but also opinionated: On most things, he's very apathetic, simply agreeing with other people's decisions. On the other hand, though, he is strongly revolutionary and aiming for a lot of change... Not that he'd tell you that, not that you should know.

Dreams: It's canon that clay men can't dream :( No rights

Habitat: He likes being out and about, he spends most of his day out in the streets. He does a lot of "low skill" but high strength work, like moving services or construction.

Both hot/cold and coffee/tea are Neither for clay man reasons: Very high and cold temperatures cause him issues in different, equally annoying ways, and he can't eat/taste either, so no preference on food or drink.

Items: The gloves are clay stained, actually, and primarily on the inside. He started collecting first city coins for heart's desire and just has a habit of keeping some on him now. Horse head amulet... fear of death and uncertainty about the particulars of clay men :)

Flower, white rose: Did you know all the funky coloured roses (ie blue or rainbow) are made by dying white ones? :)c

Animal, saint bernard: Big but fairly gentle and lazy, would be a guard dog if asked but is mostly content to just sit

Element, rock slide: Change! Upheaval! Rocks :3

Pembroke:

The pet is her hunting dog, lovely lil thing <3 She doesn't keep many pets as she's a very busy person (and wouldn't want to put that on her poor housekeeper) but a good dog is always useful.

Rude-polite range is because she defaults to, and is usually, quite polite but often is also overcome with the need to be an absolute lil shit. Duality of man <3

Lodgings: Rooms above an ex-bookshop, now her tailoring shop!

Enemies: See: habit of being a chaotic lil shit. Apparently people don't like it when you think their party is too boring and try to spice it up smh

Items: A wedding ring with no match. A pocket watch to keep a tight schedule. A weapon of some sort, picked from a diverse collection. A travel sewing kit for rogue buttons and popped stitches. A hat pin, back up weapon :)

Flower, green dahlia: .......This one's mostly a pun off of Delia ngl

Animal, borzoi: Fancy and elegant looking, but still a hunting dog. Pretty but vicious~

Vincent:

The pet listed is a frost-moth but they have so. many. bugs. The phosphorescent scarabs are also pets. They have spiders. They keep any and every type of bug to either study or have as a pet. Please never visit their flat if you don't like bugs.

Gender: Bureaucratic misunderstanding. They filled out various forms wrong when they were first travelling to the neath, rolled with the neutral pronouns, realised they like it more than they probably should, and simply refused to think about that at all

Logic-emotion range is them trying to lead with logic but also having high anxiety

Lawful-chaotic and apathetic-opinionated are also anxiety, honestly. Though, for the latter, they are just quiet about their more out-there opinions, especially in the realm of politics. It's a culture thing kinda sorta, if I get into that here it'll add like 3 paragraphs at least.

Cultural identity: Catalan! Very proud of that! But won't default to that and will usually say they're Spanish. I can't get into that for the exact same reasons as the last point oops

Allies: This guy ☝ is depressed and isolating themself

Remember vs forget: When you're this far from home, your culture comes just from your own memories that you can't afford to lose. But also fuck wouldn't it be nice to simply forget the things causing you anxiety.

Items: Big round glasses to counter their shortsightedness. Bugs. Anti spider goggles that aren't prescription, both because they were originally lent and because they don't usually need to see very far with them on. Catholic rosary, worn under their shirt. Bugs. Surface currency, specifically Spanish pesetas, sent from their parents. Bugs. Bugs. More bugs.

Flower, forget me nots: Blue, anxiety coded, pretty <3

Animal, mantis: Awkward looking, vibes <3 Also, specifically hierodula papua bcus it's blue!

[lavellenchanted]

Might I persuade you in sharing some of that Steggy Persuasion AU you have gifted us with over the years? No worries if not, just wanted to share how that story has been living in my mind rent free ever since I stumbled upon it

Awww, thank you so much! It is one of my favourite AUs. And since you asked so nicely:

--

“Well, perhaps we may have the opportunity to dance one day.”

“Oh, but we can have the opportunity now!” Sharon replies brightly, and Peggy realises with a slow sinking feeling what she will say next. “We can push the furniture back and Aunt Peggy will play something for us - won’t you, Aunt Peggy? Please say you will.”

Her niece turns to look at her, dark eyes wide, the same pleading look that Peggy has simply been able to refuse since she was first pinned with it when Sharon was only three years old and trying to wheedle just one more jam tart before bedtime. And in truth she has no reason to say no, as much as some ugly, mean part of her would like to - there is nothing inappropriate in her playing a reel or a quadrille so the company might enjoy a bit of dancing.

So putting on a smile that she can only hope looks less tight than it feels, she says, “Of course, if you wish.”

“There, you see, Captain Rogers? Come, help me push the chairs back.”

Sharon springs to her feet and the rest of the company follow, obediently moving the chairs and settee back to the edges of the room so there is a large, clear space in the centre of the room that provides plenty of room for them all to dance.

Settling herself at the pianoforte, Peggy shuffles through the music that Ana already has out and finds a copy of Grimstock - one she knows well and that will do nicely for the small company and intimate space. She glances to the side to see if they are all in place and finds everyone has taken to the floor - even Michael is on his feet, to partner Mrs Barnes’ sister. A good thing, then, that Peggy is required to play, as she would have been the only one without a partner otherwise.

A lump seems to have stuck in her throat as she looks back at the music and begins to play, but she swallows it down, concentrating on the notes. It is not a difficult piece to play; it was one of the first country dances she ever learned on the piano and she has lost count of the number of times she has played it over the years. It doesn’t take long for Peggy to get into the rhythm of it, to feel her fingers flying across the keys - and, unfortunately, for her mind to wander.

She resolutely keeps her eyes on the music, but she can still hear the others as they move around the floor. Mrs Jarvis compliments Mrs Barnes on how graceful she is, to which Natasha replies that she used to do a lot of dancing in Russia, and between beats Peggy catches snatches of Miss Belova teasing Michael that it has clearly been a while since he took to the floor. 

And the sound that Peggy tries the most to ignore but that she cannot quite manage to do so is Sharon’s laughter, bright and merry. She’s peppering Captain Rogers with questions about his naval service, and Steve answers each one patiently, voice low enough that Peggy can’t make out every word - but enough to hear the smile as he describes his shipmates and describes life at sea.

“I thought you said you were a poor dancer? You have sorely misrepresented yourself Captain,” Sharon says at one point.

“You do me too much credit,” Steve replies quietly. “Perhaps I am merely more fortunate in my choice of partner since last I danced.” 

A cold, jagged pain spreads through Peggy’s breast at the remark, wondering if he meant for her to hear. She could certainly tell tales of his poor dancing, were she so inclined.

When they knew each other those years ago, Steve had not known how to dance. He had admitted it with some shame and frustration when she had asked him if he was planning on attending the assembly rooms in town, hoping he might claim a spot on her dance card. It had been clear he expected her to judge him for it, but instead she had offered to teach him.

That had been how they really got to know each other, slipping away for dance lessons where no one would see them. Steve had been smaller and skinnier then, though it had been clear that with time he would grow and broaden, and he had  stumbled his way through their dances more by luck than judgement - Peggy’s toes had been stepped on more than once as she tried to guide him through the steps. 

But she hadn’t minded. She would happily have bruised every single toe for the chance to be near to him,, and he had used each stumble as an excuse to grab her hand and let his fingers linger on her skin, his thumb brush over the pulse on her inner wrist. It had made her heart leap then, and it made it ache now to recall it. She remembered spinning around him until they came face to face, his eyes meeting hers with blazing intensity that felt like it seared her through to her very soul.

She had dreamed of the day they would be able to dance together in public. A waltz, was her hope, that she would be in his arms as they moved around the floor.

Another dream never to come true.

It is a good thing that she knows Grimstock so well, for she suddenly realises with alarm that the sheet music is blurred and she cannot see it. There are only a few bars left, so she hurriedly blinks away the tears before they can fall and betray her, and when the dancers finally come to a halt she is smiling placidly once again. 

“That was lovely!We can hardly stop now. Do play another one, Aunt Peggy - a reel perhaps? Or a jig?”

There was a reel in the pile of music so Peggy obediently pulls it out and waits for them to get into formation.

Just before she starts playing she catches Natasha saying to Sharon, “Perhaps after this one of us might swap places with your aunt, so that she might dance as well?”

“Oh, no, Aunt Peggy never dances,” Sharon replies blithely, just as the music begins - but it’s not Natasha that answers. 

It’s Steve.

“Never?” 

“No. Not since I was a child. She’s always said she doesn’t care for it - she would much rather play.”

Steve says nothing in response, which may be because he needs to focus on the dance, or maybe because Peggy is bringing her fingers down on the keys a little more forcefully than is really required.

But as she plays on, she feels a prickling at the back of her neck and knows he is looking at her. Perhaps realising more has changed about her than just her looks, wondering where the girl he knew eight years ago has gone, perhaps.

It’s something Peggy wonders about herself, and the worst part is that she’s not really sure what the answer is any more.