#i would've tagged it as funny if it wasn't so CURSED

[thekenobee]

Reading 'An Actor Prepares' by Stanislavski made me think of:

(TW: Laurence Olivier's Othello)

[blingblong55]

This town -Simon "Ghost" Riley

pic credits: @ave661 (middle and right)

Based on a request: (Its a long as so I'll link it so you can read the anons idea) Link here ---- F!Reader, childhood!friends, hidden feelings, angst, friends to strangers ---- A/N: Songs that also fit: Too Young- Louis Tomlinson, This Town- Niall Horan, Back to the Old House- The Smiths, Always you-Louis Tomlinson

It's a story to tell over at the old pub you and he used to hang around on the weekends. But how can a man begin to tell the sorrowful story? How can he explain in his bruised hands he holds the locket you gave him when you two were kids? He will maybe ask if this was a curse, the only curse an old soul like his has. 

It could've been something, it would've been something, it should've been beautiful. 

In this world, it was always he and you. Scraping your knees when jumping off the rocks near his home. Playing tag in the street until the moon greeted you and his mother would call his name. It's the kind of beginning all beautiful loves start with. Friends since childhood, went through life together and by 28, he would have proposed to the girl he had loved his whole life, 40s would be of dropping the kids at school, 50s of early retirement and 60s were for the potential grandkids, 70s would've been the stories shared of their early lives.

Would've...what a shit word that became in his life. 

In the teenage years, after you had some glow-up, you became the girl everyone knew. The pretty, popular and funny girl the school knew of. He was the friend of the popular girl, the one people barely noticed or cared for. Simon was the same kid who always had a scar or bruise on his face, compliments from his father. One thing Simon hated more than the bastard of his father was the guy you were with. Bloke knows nothing but how to wank and fuck any living thing, he recalls.

Why were you with such a guy? It was a must. Like those cheesy movies where the pretty girl stays with the popular guy, all for the status of each other. Your feelings weren't real for that guy. He wasn't funny, wasn't smart and he wasn't Simon. The boy you shared a kiss with at age 7 because of an accidental bump whilst running through the grass. 

It was during a small break between classes that you found him drinking water. You smile. He always did look good, even the stupid bruise on his jaw made him look so good. 

"Y/N," he straightens up. "Simon," you smile cheekily. "Oh no, what's that smile for?" He crosses his arms over his chest and you can't help but get lost in his honey eyes. "Well...I was wondering if maybe we can...talk?" You say, unsure of how to word this confession. "Did my mum put you up to this?" 

"No, this is...me just wanting to talk." 

"Go on," his voice softens. Does he always do this for you?

You hesitate, but what is life without words? You breathe in and say, "I like you...there I said it and... don't stay quiet because you know I get nervous and I will continue to just talk and talk and talk and-"

He cuts you off by saying, "I'm sorry, Y/N, I... don't..think..this..well I just don't feel that way for you. We're friends, nothing more," he ends his part of the conversation, pats your back as he walks away and you are left in the corridor of the school alone. 

As Simon walks to his classroom, his heart and mind fight the words that he had just said to you. Why was that mean? Did I even mean to say them? He thinks. 

Graduation happens. You and he never talked after that day. Not even a congrats or a hug, life went on without him in your life. Throughout those last months in school, he felt a feeling of regret when he'd see you with that guys arm around you. He would occasionally walk around the old park just to see if you would still go on your daily walks. 

By the time he was about to leave town, he found himself at the old house. He heard your parents moved to a new part of town, so if this was the last time he heard of you, it better be on his terms. And as he walks through the pavement, he finds himself looking at your window. He leans over a car, lights a cigarette and just waits to see if maybe you or some ghost roamed the home. 

Was it the feeling of losing a friend that hurt or losing his one chance to feel something other than pain and hatred? Maybe it's just nervous, after all, he leaves tomorrow. 

You were both just 16, it was puppy love, nothing would've lasted if he reciprocated those feelings, right?

And if it was, why does he feel some kind of hurt as he packs his bags? Why does he want to run to your new home and call your name? Is there a reason why? It's not love, it can't be love, he thinks. I'm not worthy of that, you've heard my dad, he says out loud. "Simon?" Tommy opens the door. "Tommy, not today," he looks back at his bag. "...Fuck" he whispers. 

It's been a long nineteen years since he last saw you and heard your precious voice laugh at a cheesy joke of his. Nineteen years and the feeling in his chest is still there when he arrives home. Manchester was always home for him, it was the only place he knew best when he came back. 

One day, as he was cleaning his closet, looking for his dog's leash, something fell and hit his head. "What the fu-" he looked down and there it was. 

"Why give me this?" A thirteen-year-old Simon asked you. You smile, "You said you wish you could always be near me so you can feel safe...and since I'm going to my nans for the week, have this locket on you, and I swear I'll be there. Keep it safe, okay?" you kiss his forehead before entering the car. He nods and waves, "Call me, Y/N, please!" he calls out and you nod. "Every day!" you scream out as the car drives further away. 

A smile falls on his silent lips, "...Y/N..." his thumb caresses the design. Once he opens it, he feels as if he is that young again. "Are you still there, Y/N?" He whispers and then, realisation hits. It was never nerves or whatever bullshit he told himself back then, it was love, always has. 

All the dots are connecting. For the past nineteen years, he always had some love or whatever all those hookups and awful relationships were, but never did they stick around. Never did he feel more for them than what he has always felt for you. His cold heart still beating warm when he thinks of you. You are all he has ever known, the smiles, the late-night confessions, stories, the silly inside jokes, the feeling in his chest today. 

He hasn't seen you in years, what if you don't remember him? What if when you see him, your heart doesn't call his name when he screams yours? Will you ever even forgive him? Will you wrap your arms around him and call him home like he has called you? 

He must find you, so he calls and looks for you in every corner of this place. He finds nothing, just more lost hope at every corner he looks into. His heart and mind excited each other at the thought this would be some sappy romance moment. His mind creating a script, all truths, just finding better words to tell you he loves you, loved you the moment you kissed the similar scar on the knee at the park when he cried over the pain. He's loved you from the day he learned to say your name. 

Why does he miss you so much today?

Why must you be the drug his body needs? God does he miss you and your addictive heart. 

He has been around the world, where he could've found a good woman who made him happy but no, his heart has always belonged to one girl. You. 

By the time he gets the street right, he finds you sitting down and as he smiles and nearly runs to you, he stops when he sees this image of you. 

Sitting by the fountain, he sees you and a man. His arms wrap around your body, giving you darling kisses as you chuckle. It was then that Simon Riley knew this was it. He will spend his entire life wandering earth, looking for another soul like yours. You didn't see him of course, your fiance capturing all your attention. Simon was close to not caring and pulling you away from that man, but that would be cruel. And as he tries to make up excuses for this man being near you, he sees the ring. 

Oh...oh you fool, he thinks. 

His heart is near death. It screams your name, trying to find you so it can keep beating but when you don't whisper, Simon nods and lets his heart die. Let it rot, so it can learn its lesson, he thinks. 

It would've never bloomed, Simon and you...right?

It's no use to even go and say hi. The locket that contained your picture was still in his fist. It'll be the last reminder of what was meant to be a life romancing in dark streets through town. 

In his head, the home you dreamed of will forever be just a dream. No four kids, no library, no big kitchen so you and he can dance around at midnight. No you...no him...it'll all be stuck and dead in this town. 

He crossed rivers, mountains, and enemies and survived wounds soldiers like him get, all to come home to you. And all this was for nothing. In his world, he would've married you, given you chubby babies and late Saturday mornings. No gun, no bomb and no other man would've kept him away from you. 

In his mind, he is with you. In his dead heart, he sits by and watches that chubby baby learn to walk. He would've adored seeing you in a white dress, walking to him as he wiped tears away when he d his dream of a perfect life was minutes away from being real. 

What a mess he is as he asks for another drink. A mess he never should have been if he had told you that your name is carved all over his body. 

It was this town that saw him live and it'll be this town that sees him die because if he can't have you, at least he has this place. 

A/N: Remember, I collect tears for potions, so please drop them by for collection, thank you. - The place of tears co.

Tags: @liyanahelena @mangowafflesss @goldenmclaren @ghostslillady @moonsua1 @rvivienner @Krinoid24 @iruzias @frazie99 @idklols @saoirse06 @vampsquerade @Juneonhoth @tiredmetalenthusiast @jinxxangel13 @enarien @Simonssweetgirl @luvecarson @willowaftxn83-87 @ikohniik @nobodys-coffee @strawberrychita @sae1kie @queen-ilmaree @pbcartii @Llelannie @Macnches2 @bbyfimmie @avidreadee123 @talooolaaloolla @skelletonwitch @bittermajesties @Nyx_Flower @honestlyhiswife @who-can-appease-me @ghostwifeyy @konigssultwithghost @kaoyamamegami @beansproutmafia @soapybutt17 @asianbutnotjapanese @a-goose-with-a-knife @foxface013 @sleepyycatt @believeinthefireflies95

[five-oh-thirst]

Springtime Woes

Pairing: Ordo/Maze

Summary: It's mating season, and Ordo is struggling with his body's instinctual needs while Maze is trying to keep his patience in check.

Tags & Warnings: 18+, NSFW, omegaverse, established relationship, mates, mating cycles/heat, alpha!maze, omega!ordo, smut, riding, knotting, rough kissing, bickering/arguing, referenced breeding, referenced m!preg, domestic, light angst, fluff, humor

Word Count: 4.7k

Notes: Happy birthday, @mamuzzy!!! 🥳 I really hope you like what I made 💙 I got permission from ithilia to use this art piece as the header because it kind of matched a scene 🫶🏻 My inspiration for the fic came from a highly unusual source, an episode of Bonanza (an American Western TV show from the 60s). Specifically, the first three minutes of this episode 😂 I'm gonna say loosely inspired, lol.

Prompt Day 6 - AU @ordomaze2024

Read on AO3

Music Vibe:

Maze cracked his stiff neck with a loud pop as he walked towards the beeping caf maker, his eyes barely open as his body moved on auto-pilot. He slept poorly last night thanks to his beloved mate, Ordo. He kept tossing and turning throughout the night and landed several too-well-placed kicks to be considered accidental into Maze's side. It wasn't like it never happened–Ordo was rough with everything, including sleep–but this was too much.

Maze opened the cabinet above the counter and pulled out his favorite mug. It wasn't that pretty, but it was a gift from Ordo, and the words 'GAR's Best Alpha Null' were written in black ink across the white surface. He had to admit it was funny, but Maze thought it would've been smarter to just put 'GAR's Best Captain', so it made sense for both of them to use, but arguing that point wasn't worth it. Arguing any point with Ordo wasn't worth it.

He grabbed the handle of the glass carafe and yawned as he poured its freshly percolated contents into his mug, accidentally overflowing while his eyes were closed. The hot caf spilled over the edge, down the side of the mug, and dripped onto the floor next to his bare feet. He cursed under his breath and placed the mug down on the counter. If this indicated how the rest of his day would go, it would be a bothersome day.

With his right hand, he pulled the towel hanging from the oven handle off and dropped it onto the spilled caf, then used his foot to mop it up because it was too early to exert that much energy before he drank his first mug of caf. Once it was cleaned, he grabbed the mug off the counter, careful not to spill it again, and lowered his lips to suck some off the top so he could walk with it. It was still hot, and he grimaced as it burnt his tongue, but it tasted good.

After a few careful steps, he sat down at the kitchen table and set the mug on the drink coaster Ordo also gave him. This one read 'shabuir' and was clearly in Ordo's handwriting. He then put his glasses on and picked up his data-pad to read the news. The spring solstice had just arrived a few rotations ago, and the news was chock full of headlines like, 'Mating Season Must-Haves', 'How to Boost Your Chances at a Full Litter', and 'Tips and Tricks for First-Timers'.

Maze scoffed and rolled his eyes. He wished one of those stupid articles written by a teenager could help him, but unfortunately, Alpha and Null clones didn't come with basic instruction manuals and all the normal things that normal mates did never worked for them. It wasn't their first mating season, far from it, but the last one was completely miserable for both of them and he hoped this one would be slightly better. A lot of that depended on Ordo.

Speaking of Ordo, the fact that he was still in the bedroom sleeping, and the sun was already shining through the bay window, wasn't a good sign. Morning caf was one of their only civil times together, and if he slept in any later, he'd also miss their mid-morning sparring session. Neither was willing to get soft in front of the other and brawling on a mat to start the day was the best way to prove it. It also was a good way to release pent-up frustration.

The shower afterward always felt good, too. If he won, he could enjoy some hot and steamy shower sex without an argument, but if Ordo won, he usually showered alone. Which wasn't the worst thing he could get for losing. It's not that Ordo didn't like sex, he just didn't like sex with Maze, which also made zero sense. Others, even brothers, found their arrangement odd, but that was their relationship and Maze wouldn't have it any other way.

A loud thud came from the bedroom, and within seconds a sweet and tantalizing aroma wafted past Maze's nose. He scrunched his face and forcefully blew air out of his nostrils to clear the scent before it made its way to his brain. It was pretty powerful, even from a distance, and Maze lifted the mug to his lips to try and mask it. It worked until the hot liquid steamed up his glasses and he couldn't see the news article he was reading.

Several more loud thud came from the bedroom and Maze sighed. Placing his mug down, he got up to see if Ordo was okay. Maker only knew what he was doing in there. As Maze approached the bedroom, the scent drifting out of the open doorway was so strong he choked on it. Maze clamped his fingers around his nose and then flicked the light switch on with the other to shed some light on the situation.

The sight that greeted him made his eyes widen and his jaw drop. Their bedroom looked like it had been hit by a thermal detonator, or two. All the furniture had been moved out of place, but none of it was rearranged, just crooked and unorganized. The bed sheets were falling off the bed, the curtains were halfway off the windows, and their clothing was scattered across the floor. It was as if Ordo attempted to make a nest, but gave up halfway through. 

And then there was Ordo, half-undressed and sprawled out on his back on the bed, like a starfish, with his head hanging over the far edge. His bare chest glistened with sweat and his shorts were visibly damp. He looked completely disheveled and very uncomfortable.

"Null," Maze said, his voice nasally from holding his nose shut.

"Alpha," Ordo answered, not bothering to pick his head up.

"Can you close your legs?" Maze asked. "Your Eau de Omega is leaking out."

Ordo swiped his hand down his sweaty stomach but left his legs where they were. "No. It's too hot."

Maze tilted his head out of the room and looked at the thermostat on the wall. It was set to a nominal temperature and was comfortable to him, but he wouldn't say it was hot. It took a second to click, but when the realization hit him that what he thought was going to happen, was now happening, he leaned against the door frame and sighed. "Of course you're hot. You're going into heat."

Ordo groaned loudly. "Over my dead body."

Maze gave up on keeping Ordo's 'please-mate-with-me' scent away and relinquished his grip on his nose. He took a deep inhale and allowed the strong odor to fill his lungs until his extremities tingled with anticipation. His body shuddered, but he kept his mind in check. It was inevitable at this point and there was no use in trying to ignore it, but his main focus now was getting them both through this mating cycle alive, and with Ordo, that wasn't easy.

He sat down on the edge of the bed next to one of Ordo's outstretched legs and ran his hand down the dampened hair and skin. "You know you can't fight it."

Ordo bent the leg and kicked Maze in the side. "I'm a Null," he said. "I can fight anything."

"Did you forget about last cycle?" Maze asked as he rubbed his side, annoyance already simmering under the surface. He needed to be more careful about touching him.

Ordo was quiet before he responded. "That doesn't count."

Maze smiled knowingly. "And the one before that?"

Ordo sat up, leaving an obvious damp splotch on the bed sheet beneath where he was lying. "This is karking stupid!" he shouted, clearly trying to change the subject from Maze being right and him being wrong. "I wasn't made for this." He scooted forward and leaned his forehead against Maze's back, a deceptively sweet gesture, and panted into his shirt as the heat from his body radiated off of him like the sun.

"Technically, you were," Maze said, noting that it probably still wasn't safe to touch Ordo even though he was touching him. "All the Nulls are omegas."

"And I hate it!" Ordo yelled. He gripped Maze's shirt, clutching the fabric with tight fists. "It's degrading. I'm a cold-blooded killer, not someone's cock-drunk knot-loving baby-making bitch. I'm not gonna push out any stupid babies or push around some karking stroller."

"Do you remember what Kal told you about omegas? Maze asked, trying to redirect his emotions.

Ordo rolled his eyes and groaned into Maze's shoulder blade, biting the shirt there for emphasis.

Maze chuckled. "C'mon, tell me."

"That omegas are highly valued members of Mandalorian society because children and family and blah, blah, blah," Ordo mumbled.

"And you don't think you're a valued member of Mandalorian society?" Maze asked, turning his head slightly to try and get a look at Ordo's face.

"I'm a verd," Ordo argued. "It's different."

Maze snorted. "If you said that to a group of Mandalorian omega warriors, they'd beat your ass into the ground like a tent stake."

Ordo whined and rubbed his sweaty cheek on the piece of shirt he had bitten. "I already know I'm a terrible omega. No need to rub it in…"

Maze sighed and let himself fall backward onto the bed. He landed with a soft plop and laced his fingers together under his head as he stared up at the ceiling fan while his legs dangled over the edge. Ordo was a tough case to crack, and they went around in this same circle every mating season. It was exhausting to constantly reassure Ordo's status as an omega, but it's what he signed up for, and he wasn't about to be called a quitter now.

Ninety-nine percent of modern society was made up of female-oriented omegas, but for some stupid reason, no one fully understood, the Kaminoans decided the first clones would be genetically altered to be male-oriented omegas. Their flawed logic was that they could curb Prime's alpha aggression by splicing his alpha DNA with omega DNA, which statistically would make them more submissive and docile, but it backfired, and the Nulls suffered for it.

Maze turned his head to the side and stretched out his right hand to brush it along Ordo's spine. "Null," he said. Ordo didn't turn around. "Ordo, look at me."

Ordo twisted his torso around to face him and Maze's eyes softened at what he saw. Sweat poured off Ordo's face like raindrops on a window pane, his hair soaked from root to tip, and it looked like he was hiding a painful ache somewhere deep within his body. It wasn't Ordo's fault that he was made like this–an abomination of nature in more ways than one–and it was heartbreaking for Maze to watch his alpha and omega sides war with each other.

"You're not a terrible omega," Maze said. "You're just… a little messed up, like me."

Ordo huffed, but there was a hint of fondness in his eyes. "I'm more messed up."

"And more beautiful," Maze added with a grin. His eyes lowered to the dimples peeking out above Ordo's shorts and he couldn't help but let his mind run a little wild with all the things he wanted to do to him. His alpha instincts were kicking in and kicking in hard.

Ordo looked shocked and whipped his head back around. For a split second Maze thought he messed up, but was pleasantly surprised when Ordo stood up, took his shorts off, tossed them somewhere onto the floor, and then turned around to face him. Maze was dumbstruck at the sight. Ordo's entire body glistened with a sheen of sweat, and his upright position caused slick to ooze out of him. He was the most gorgeous omega he'd ever seen.

"Stop staring," Ordo said, casting his gaze to the side. "It's embarrassing."

Maze propped himself up on his elbows to get a better look, eyes glued to the trails of slick now running wild down Ordo's thighs, then looked up at his face. "Do you want me to take my glasses off?" His voice was hoarse and he took a second to clear it. "You know I'm blind as a bat without them."

Ordo put his hands on his hips and shifted his weight to one leg. "Just shut up and take your stupid cock out before I change my mind."

"Don't have to tell me twice," Maze said with a small laugh. He lifted his hips and slipped his sweatpants off, revealing his large cock that was already hardening with excitement. He wrapped his left hand around the shaft and lazily stroked himself until it was standing firm. "How do you want to do this?"

"Scoot back," Ordo said, gesturing the order with a nod of his head. "I wanna be on top."

Maze did as he was told, moving back up the bed until his full body was splayed out. He didn't have an issue with Ordo taking control; it only meant he'd have to throw his alpha instincts into the backseat. Which wasn't the most difficult thing to do, but it was annoying. He wanted to pounce on Ordo like a regular alpha and omega pair would do, but he couldn't. Mating season was hard enough on normal mated pairs, but this was as good as it was going to get for them.

However, even though Maze followed the instructions perfectly, Ordo still looked hesitant standing in front of him. "Can't you just take it off and let me do it myself?" Ordo asked.

Maze laughed. "If I could, I would." It all sounded like a silly joke, but Maze knew well enough that there was a touch of sincerity in that request, and he took it seriously. "We don't have to do this, you know. They make alpha-sized dildos for–"

"No!" Ordo interrupted. He took a deep breath. "I just–" he shook his head. "I want to be a good omega–I do–but every time I try, I– I mess it up. My brain, my body, my heart, my instincts, and my training can't seem to agree on anything and it jumbles it all up into a big mess in my head."

"Which one is speaking to you the loudest?" Maze asked.

"My body," Ordo said without much thought. "Stars, I need a knot so badly, it kriffin' hurts. I feel so… empty." He visibly bristled and Maze could tell Ordo was uncomfortable admitting that much information.

"Then put the other voices in a box and take them back out later when your body is satisfied," Maze said. "Focus only on your needs at this moment. Close your eyes. Regulate your breathing. Empty your mind of everything other than what you need right now."

Ordo didn't hesitate. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply.

Maze could only imagine what was running through Ordo's head at that moment if anything at all. Nulls were good at separating themselves into neat little compartments to make war easier, but in this type of situation, Ordo needed a little more patience and a little more guidance to get him to a point where he could do it. On a mission? It was completely automatic. But in a domestic relationship? It was like herding tookas.

Ordo opened his eyes after a minute and Maze could tell he had succeeded in the exercise because his pupils were blown wide and slick poured out of him, plopping wetly onto the hardwood floor beneath. Maze was a bit surprised by the major shift and wondered just how much Ordo was holding back and how painful it must've been to do so. But even if Ordo was on board now, it didn't give Maze free rein to do as he pleased.

"What do you want?" Maze asked, his voice low and gentle.

"I want your knot," Ordo said. "Right now."

"Take it," Maze said, releasing his hand from the thick shaft and leaning back. "It's all yours." He knew Ordo still wanted to be in charge, even after he shoved that part of his personality aside for the time being, and he wasn't about to betray his trust by taking it back, even if his alpha instincts screamed at him to slam Ordo's face into the floor and mount him.

Ordo wasted no time and climbed on top of Maze, straddling his thick, muscular thighs, but he leaned forward past the swollen cock between them and smashed his lips against Maze's in a brutal kiss. It took Maze a second to process what was happening, but once he did, his cock twitched with excitement beneath Ordo's stomach and he wrapped his hands around Ordo's thighs, squeezing them until he bruised the skin beneath his fingertips.

Ordo bit Maze's bottom lip in retaliation, drawing blood and smearing it with his lips as he continued to kiss Maze like he owned him. But, before Maze could react to the pain, Ordo broke the kiss and licked the blood that pooled on his lips, effectively swallowing any noise Maze wanted to make in the process. Then he stopped, panting heavily, and Maze could see he was still struggling internally. His eyes were back to pinpoints, and he looked conflicted.

Maze lifted his head and nuzzled Ordo's neck with his swollen, bleeding lips, skating them over the faded mating mark he made the cycle before. He'd need to refresh that at some point, but not now. Following Ordo's jawline, he strung together a set of kisses to his earlobe and nibbled on it gently. "Don't forget what you need," he whispered. "You can murder me afterward."

Ordo growled and sat up. Maker, it was a glorious sight to see Ordo sitting on top of him, sweat running down his sculpted chest in narrow rivulets, slightly curving around his raised pecks, and then collecting at his navel where it mixed with the precum that leaked from his stiff and neglected cock. It was a shame that Ordo didn't understand how beautiful he was as an omega, but no matter how hard Maze tried, it never sunk in.

Another deep growl rumbled out of Ordo's chest and he ground his hips down, letting his first moan of pleasure fall from his lips. Now he was stalling and Maze was getting impatient. Maze grabbed his cock and squeezed it with exaggerated movements, trying to get Ordo to focus his attention on what he really needed. If Ordo didn't take his knot, then this whole thing was a waste of time and they both would be worse off than when they started.

"C'mon, Ordo," Maze goaded as he continued to stroke himself seductively. "Don't tell me you're afraid of it. Big, bad Null afraid of an Alpha's cock."

"I'm not afraid of anything," Ordo sneered, still grinding his hips in a rhythmic motion against Maze's thighs.

"Then kriffin' sit on it already!" Maze yelled, finally allowing himself to verbalize his frustration. "I don't have all day." He didn't enjoy being rough with Ordo when he was in this kind of vulnerable state, but it was either that or lay there and get blue balls while he waited for him to make up his mind.

Ordo stopped moving and twisted his face into a snarl. "Don't yell at me!"

Maze snarled back. "I wouldn't have to yell at you if you would just stop being a pussy and sit on it!"

"Fine!" Ordo shouted. He lifted his hips and lined up his opening to Maze's cock, then slammed himself down. The movement was so precise and quick that it made an audible smacking sound and the rapidly displaced slick made an obscene squelch.

Maze felt the wind get knocked out of his lungs when Ordo's full weight smashed down onto his cock, squishing his already full balls painfully between his legs. He had to consciously tell himself not to vomit from the pain, because if he did, Ordo would probably let him drown in it and suffocate to death. It was a big maybe, but it wasn't a maybe that Maze wanted to play around with while Ordo had him pinned.

"There," Ordo said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Happy now? I'm sitting on it."

Maze's response came out as a strained wheeze. "You did that on purpose."

"I did what you told me to do," Ordo said with a mocking tone. "Not my fault if your instructions were unclear, Captain."

Maze thumped the back of his head against the mattress and groaned. He didn't understand it. He'd never understand it. Every mating cycle turned into the same thing; a fight. Outside of the mating season, they could have mostly normal, ordinary, everyday sex like everyone else in the galaxy, but something about mating season always got Ordo's panties in a bunch and it turned out like this. And now, his patience for their game was almost gone.

Maze picked his head up after a minute. "Can you at least move a little bit?"

Ordo shrugged. "You didn't ask me to move."

"Maker, you have a smart mouth," Maze said, narrowing his eyes. His annoyance meter was narrowly away from its breaking point. "Maybe I should stick my knot in your mouth instead. At least you'd shut up for a while."

Ordo clenched his jaw and leaned over Maze's chest, giving his cock a little taste of the friction it desired, and brought his eyes only millimeters away from Maze's. "I will slit your throat in your sleep."

Maze knew it wasn't an empty threat, none of Ordo's threats were fully empty, but he smiled and took the opportunity to capture Ordo's lips with his. He thought Ordo would fight him, but he didn't, so he slid his tongue across the crease of his lips, tasting his blood from earlier, and Ordo surprisingly opened his mouth to let him in. Seizing the best opportunity he had, he went to work exploring Ordo's mouth with his tongue.

However, it was also a sneaky little trick and he slowly smoothed his hands down Ordo's back and sides until they settled on his hips. As he deepened the kiss, he gently pushed and pulled Ordo's hips back and forth, guiding him into a steady rhythm to give them both the friction they so desperately needed. Eventually, Ordo began moving his hips on his own and releasing short, puffy moans that Maze enjoyed.

"That's it," Maze praised into Ordo's neck. He thrust his hips up experimentally and Ordo moaned louder. "That's a good boy."

"Don't–ah–call me that," Ordo said, but his words had no bite, not while he was pleasuring himself on Maze's cock. "I'm not–ah–your good–ah–boy. Ah!"

Ordo sat up, hands braced on Maze's stomach, and rocked his hips faster and harder, now meeting Maze's thrusts in earnest. His pupils overtook his irises once again and his mouth fell open to release heady moans of pleasure. It was music to Maze's ears, seeing Ordo return to being his horny omega; so desperate and needy for his cock. Now all he had to do was stare up at his beautiful mate and focus on finishing strong.

It wouldn't take long with the way Ordo squeezed his cock. Normally, during mating season it would feel cavernous, like it could never fully be filled, but not this time. This time it was tighter, and every time Ordo slid himself up and back down, the drag on the head of his cock made him see stars. He didn't need to reach the end of it, he didn't need to hit a goal post, he just needed the drag against Ordo's ribbed walls. It felt incredible like it always did.

"I'm gonna come," Maze said, his voice breathy. He could feel his balls tightening and his knot began to inflate, catching on Ordo's opening. His brain was turning to mush, but he still needed to hold out for a little bit longer to make sure Ordo didn't try to rip his knot out after it inflated. "Do you want it? You gotta tell me you want it."

"Maker, yes!" Ordo moaned, seating himself on the bulbous base after the last downward stroke. He wiggled his hips and nestled down to let it fully inflate inside him. "Please. I need your knot."

That was all Maze needed to hear before he allowed himself to pursue the building tension in his lower abdomen. He was so close, but he needed just a little more to push him over the edge. He focused on Ordo's delicious moans, then it suddenly snapped like a taut wire and Maze came with a convulsing cry. The feeling of hot cum gushing out and filling Ordo was overwhelming, and as his knot inflated, binding them together, they both experienced pure bliss.

Maze's mind flooded with instinctual thoughts of how many babies he was making, what Ordo would look like pregnant, and how they'd raise their ik'aad together, but those thoughts were gone as quickly as they came. It's not what Ordo wanted, at least not right now, and if he drilled deep enough into his own psyche, he probably didn't want it either, but it was nice to fantasize about it. It was part of his alpha nature, and so he let himself feel it in the moment.

Ordo collapsed on top of Maze's chest, panting heavily into his neck. Maze nuzzled Ordo's flushed cheek with his own and licked a bead of salty sweat that ran down his nose. Maze could already tell that Ordo's bodily needs were being met and the pain that he felt earlier was being replaced by euphoria. It was also in these small moments that Ordo fully surrendered to the omega part of his personality and let Maze pamper him for a bit, but not long.

"You did good," Maze praised. He wrapped his arms around Ordo's back and massaged his hands up and down the length of his spine, feeling the once-heated skin finally cooling down. He would probably start shivering soon, so Maze briefly removed one of his hands from Ordo to grab the blanket that was half falling off the bed and tossed it on top of him.

Ordo nuzzled in further and groaned, saying something too muffled and incoherent to understand.

Maze nudged Ordo's face out of his neck so he could hear him. "Can you repeat that?"

"Don't tell them," Ordo whispered, his face was still flushed, but it wasn't from the heat. "Please don't tell them I begged for it."

Maze smiled and planted a few strategic butterfly kisses where he could reach. "I won't. That stays between us and only us. No one needs to know what we do behind closed doors."

"And don't ever leave me," Ordo added quickly, gripping Maze's shirt possessively. "I know I'm not easy to deal with, but I can't imagine going through this without you."

"You're a pain in my shebs," Maze said with a light chuckle. It was rare to have Ordo get sappy on him, and as much as he liked it, he knew it was fleeting, and they'd be back to bickering as soon as his knot deflated. "But I wouldn't have it any other way."

Ordo shifted on top of Maze to get more comfortable, but he pulled at the knot in the process and they both moaned at the feeling. "I hate spring," he mumbled.

"Me too," Maze said. He didn't hate it as much as Ordo did, because, in reality, he did have the nice end of the deal, at least in his opinion, but it was still annoying to go through all the motions and emotions so many times. Unfortunately for them, spring had only just begun and there would be plenty more arguments, fights, and aggressive mating sessions before summer rolled around and they could get back to their normal life. "Same time tomorrow?"

Ordo nestled against Maze's chest and closed his eyes to rest. "Only if we have to."

[captain-mj]

Monster handler?

With a portion of PriceGraves on the side please?

Yeah, I can do that :) Little short because I did not have much time

Price looked at Graves. Their mission, unrelated to Graves's project but he agreed to tag along for the fun of it, had been a perfect success.

Graves looked radiant. His wings were a silkie color and they fit his frame well. But just like with Alex and Ghost, he looked wrong. There was an air. The shadows were darker. Proportions wrong. When he looked at him though, his heart skipped a beat.

"John." He tilted his head. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm good." Price smiled. "It's been fun, doing missions like old times."

Graves hummed. "I did miss your attention." He smiled, looking just like the sergeant Price met once.

Price reached over, tracing the little scar on his cheek. "Graves, can I ask you something?"

"I'll try to tell you the truth." Graves smiled and leaned into his hand.

"Did you volunteer for this?"

Graves laughed. "John, you're so funny." He pulled away from him and pulled away. "Exfil is going to leave soon."

Price grabbed his wrist and was immediately yanked forward so hard he fell to his knees. Graves dragged him along and he had to just get his feet underneath him or fall. "You didn't did you?"

"I just got back. Six years I haven't seen you and you can't put this aside for now?" Graves looked at him, scowling. "Not important. What's important is I am what I am and I've done well for myself." He let go of Price who quickly found his footing.

"I'm just checking in. At one point, I was your lieutenant. I worried when you just..."

"Don't." Graves marched forward, shifting as easily as sand moving. "I did just fine without you."

Price winced, but he followed him. Like he would've done back then. Like he wanted to do.

It was selfish and stupid and it was good that he was stopped from just deserting.

But God he would've followed him anywhere.

-

Laswell sighed and patted Ghost's head. "Darling, it's not like that."

Ghost was more embarrassed by his little outburst than upset right now. He could tell Soap was trying not to get upset and he couldn't blame him. Soap sat in the other chair in Laswell's office but he wasn't looking at him.

Laswell continued when he didn't respond. "Graves is an old friend of his which is why he volunteered. Shepherd was the one who said you should be handled by someone else. Nothing you did wrong."

Ghost hated that she was so good at making him feel better. She reminded him too much of his mom. He eventually stopped her head pats, overwhelmed by the touch, but he nodded.

"Thanks, Katy."

"Anytime." She smiled. "Don't freak out so much okay?"

Ghost nodded, again feeling really embarrassed. Soap had been a genius to ask.

"Take the day off. Both of you."

Soap was rushing out the door and Ghost was on his heels. Before he even got down the hallway, Ghost grabbed him and picked him up.

"Hey! Put me down!" Soap lightly hit his shoulder and kicked his feet.

Ghost thought for just a moment and went outside. He ignored the Scottish cursings in favor of going straight up the building. Soap quickly quieted in exchange for holding on to Ghost for dear life.

"What are you doing?"

"Simon?"

"Okay, listen, I promise not to try to be your handler anymore okay? It'll just be on paper. We can just be friends, fuck buddies whatever you want, please just don't throw me off the building."

Ghost stopped at the top. "You really think I was going to kill you?" He turned around and sat down, pulling Soap securely to his chest. He put his head on top of Soap's.

Soap froze underneath him, a little overwhelmed and refusing to look down. "Uh... Maybe?" His grip tightened.

"No. This is my favorite spot on base. I wanted to show it to you."

Soap nodded. "Uh huh... why?"

Ghost buried his face in Soap's hair, wings curling around him instinctively. "Oh... i just.... You know."

"You're apologizing."

Ghost didn't say anything.

"You're hoping by showing your underbelly, I'll forgive you yelling at me."

Ghost sank further into him. "is it working?"

Soap laughed. "Ghost, i wasn't... mad. More just upset. It felt like you were pushing me away, again." He turned to him. "I've been putting everything I got into making you comfortable. Doing my best to keep you healthy and here."

Ghost kissed him for a moment, holding him tight. "You're doing great... I'm sorry for being... difficult."

Soap shrugged. "After everything you've been through, I think you earned the right to be a little difficult."

Ghost didn't want to be though. And he wouldn't. He wanted to be better. Earn those praises Soap gave him so easily. He didn't tell Soap this though, instead just kissing him senseless where no one could see them.

Taglist: @nalawayward @joltom @azure-winter-crow @korym @cod-hyperfixation @thychuvaluswife @revenge-of-the-bucket-demon @commie-ghost

[fountainpenguin]

Small 'Fic Posting News

I moved a lot of early FOP character studies and warm-ups to my unrevealed Riddle WIPs collection on AO3, so they're easily on hand for me to tag and post when I feel ready.

A lot of these are things I enjoyed, but didn't feel comfy sharing back in 2016/17. They're cool to look back on and I'm ready to let them go. Some are suggestive, some are emotionally intense, some are very simple character studies, so as always, tread with care.

I also think they're neat because they don't build on each other, so they're pretty low-brainpower reads (imo), which some people may like.

I don't expect to post one of these old things every week, but they'll probably show up on Mondays or Wednesdays or something like that (Once Life of a Loser stops posting on Wednesdays, which is in two weeks).

As per the norm, M and E works will be under the ScarletPenguin pseud, so if you know that's not your cup of tea and you see the email, you can delete it without needing to open it or check tags.

These old pieces will be exclusive to AO3 (Organization, easier for my brain, etc.) On the off chance anything becomes a Prompt, it will go on FFN.

Not planning to do Tumblr announcements or cover images for them. They're off to the side for the people interested. Might shout out a few favorites, though.

AO3 series to subscribe to or avoid at your preference:

🌈 Rainbow Train - All FOP 'fics that aren't 130 Prompts (i.e. It will include these old pieces). 🖤 Off the Rails - Stuff that doesn't fit my main AUs (Cloudlands, City Lights, Reedfilter). Most old pieces will go here since they're non-canon now. ❤️ Red Train - Romantic or sensual works (All FOP AUs).

Additional reminder:

🚂 130 Reasons Why I'm Fairy Trash - Everything in this one-shot series is G or T. If you feel uneasy about Rainbow Train, you can filter M and E stuff out by subscribing just to this one!

Under the cut, I have examples (i.e. screenshots of these WIP titles and summaries like what you would see when scrolling AO3) to help people get a feel for the vibe.

Suggestive or gross summaries & commentary; proceed at own discretion. Obviously, #ridspoilers.

Reminder - These are WIP screenshots. The pieces will have proper tags and meta before they're posted. Titles may also change.

Bonus disclaimer: If you see a line in an old WIP that seems familiar... I do yoink things from these sometimes because I wasn't planning to post them, yes <3

This will be the first one:

Exactly what it says on the tin- Super simple.

Here are a few more examples (No specific order)-

A scene from Frayed Knots I've always regretted cutting even though it was for the best, but y'know what? It deserves to be shared because it's funny :)

Another moment from canon translated into my style! There's also a "Flappy finds out Gary and Betty knew about magic the whole time" bit somewhere in here that I had to throw out after "Solo" happened.

I will not apologize for my deity break-up drama. I might apologize for Prince Thursday's seasonal torment, but he's the nature spirit of Leaves, so-

Unpleasant non-con / dubcon situations... We know how this goes.

And the obligatory sequel to the above. That pixie sure can character arc!

Very cursed flirty pixies, my beloved...

Do you have any idea how weird it feels to post pre-reincarnation pieces out of context... skldjf...

It's gross! It's goofy! Cupid's ancestors took her mobility aid because they're unpleasant people! We just keep winning!!

Uncut version of the Ambrolara scenes! I sadly cut some of my favorites lines from "Hate That I Love You" because it would've crossed the line... but I love them....... my cursed OCs who are awful for each other.

No one understands Sanderson's mind, not even me 7 years later... He can do whatever he wants forever.

Foop's romantic scenes during the late-Prompts era are some of my favorite warm-ups... He's here, he's queer, he's having a mental breakdown spitting and crying over his dad not noticing him sneaking in a girl, he was forced to marry someone he desperately does not want to be intimate with, he loves his mom, he's losing the power struggle against his alt personality, he's this close to losing his inheritance, he calls his wife his mistress's name... No one is doing it like him. Probably because he's doing SO bad!!

The preview scene you see in "Trouble Beyond Paradise" finally broke me... It's been a favorite since 2017 and I just really want to share... That one's a multi-chapter and I hope you guys like it. I love Foop/Anti-Marigold and their weird situation... Like, of COURSE if Poof has severe anxiety about accidentally forcing them into dubcon, Foop's genius idea is to get the first time over with before Poof/Goldie can bind them into it. So funny. They are silly little guys... the people have a right to know...

Very old anatomy study. It's about bees ripping apart when they mate. It's... sort of cute? Mostly horrific and full of pain and sobbing? :'D If you pick this up, you will very quickly see why I never intended to post it, but... It's 2024, baby! Welcome to my mind...

- This one will likely get a new title, so be careful if this is one you want to avoid. - Where is that post that goes like "Why do all my ace friends write the most bizarre sex scenes?" followed by "Have to throw in something interesting for us." sdfkj. Yeah... It's me, I'm that guy. And this kind of guy.

And more!! I hope you like reading these old pieces, but if they are not your thing, that is perfectly fine. Some of these are not even my thing, but sometimes you have to write it to know that! Sometimes you knew that and wrote it anyway because ??? idk.

I think it's neat to see my style change over the years. I hope you get some joy out of them, even if they're hyperspecific.

[drawnecromancy]

WIP questions tag

Tagged by @leotheponderer, thank youu :D

Rules : Answer as many (or as few) of the questions about your WIP as you can.

I'm going to answer these for (spins wheel) Le prix du sang.

1. What was the first part of your WIP that you created?

The skeleton of the first chapter... out of a weird ass dream I had one time.

2. Who are your favourite character(s) and why ?

Hélianthe because he's incredibly annoying but I am in love with him. I need to punch him in the face and hunt him for sport. I'd let him bite me. Etc.

3. What has been your biggest struggle while writing your WIP ?

Consistency, lol. Both in how often I write and how much I write. I am cursed with can't concentrate disease and while meds helped with trying to write once a week, it still. Wasn't as much as I would've liked to. That and school doesn't help at all.

Also not making characters better than they are supposed to be, because they're all supposed to be assholes, but because I liked a secondary character, I started trying to give them morals or whatever. Thanks, Anne de Monthaut, for making my life harder.

4. Are there any animals in your story ?

Horses, sometimes.

5. How do your characters get around ?

Horses, mostly. And feet.

6. What part of your WIP are you working on right now ?

None, technically ! I've finished the first draft and am taking a break as I research some things for believability. I'm not making historical fiction, so I don't NEED to be historically accurate, but I want my story to be cohesive and believable, you know ?

7. What aspects of your WIP do you think will draw people in?

Hopefully ? The inherent shenanigans of terrible people doing terrible things for the audience's pleasure. They're all assholes. It's incredibly funny.

Also maybe the fact that both of the romantic leads are bisexual or something but I don't particularly intend to make this a selling point; it's going to be there whether people are prepared or not.

Under the cut : the original 9 questions; including the few i haven't been able to answer. Also the people I'm tagging.

1. What was the first part of your WIP that you created?

2. If your story was a TV show, what would the intro song be?

3. Who are your favourite character(s) and why?

4. What other pieces of media could share a fan base with your WIP?

5. What has been your biggest struggle while writing your WIP?

6. Are there any animals in your story?

7. How do your characters get around?

8. What part of your WIP are you working on right now?

9. What aspects of your WIP do you think will draw people in?

Tagging : @isabellebissonrouthier, @the-stray-storyteller, @holdmyteaplease, @jezifster, @ceph-the-ghost-writer, aaaaand @multi-lefaiye ! As always no pressure if you don't feel like it lol.

[numericalbridge]

"#(most likely imo him stopping being friends with odalia over whatever happened during the rats play)"

I'm sorry this may come out of nowhere but I just can't get over this tag because it makes it sound like the Darius & Alador/Odalia rift was over Raine of all people and is just sounds so fucking funny to me like holy shit.

Raine: I just ended a 5 year relationship.

Lilith: OMT are you ok?

Raine: I'm fine, it wasn't my relationship.

Absolutely not canon but funny as hell that image may forever live on my head now, you placed a curse upon me and I wanted you to know.

Haha, 😆

To be fair - since this is my theory only for the case where the old hexsquad was not one single friend group and instead people Eda had particular memories about - it would be not because of Raine specifically, but more like Darius standing up for what is right/realizing Odalia had crossed the line.

Longer explanation if you are curious:

Obviously this is based mostly on the vibes and there are way too many variables and i feel like even things that were initially planned since s1 can be changed/retconned, so, as i've said, i find it hard to speculate, but when i tried picturing what a raeda-focused old hexside spin off would've looked like as a mini-series or comic - and i don't think it would work as anything longer - it seemed like the Rats play was meant to be an important event, and, lets be honest, i don't think it would be very likely for Darius to get a lot of screentime judging by the way the main show handles its characters, so tying up development of several supporting characters to the Rats play could be a possibility, even if that wasn't the initial pre-shortening plan for the Darius, Odalia and Alador friendship break up. And in Eda's memory in Kings Tide: compared to Odalia, Darius seemed to be placed closer to Raine and Lilith and his expression seemed more open to me (although everyone was off-model in that image, lol), so i assume Eda had some positive memories of him.

So my speculation is that Odalia could've done something that crossed the line, Darius, who previously might have been somewhat 'antagonistic' towards Raine (like pestering them about their acting abilities etc), wouldn't support it and eventually stoped being friends with Odalia, while Alador for one reason or another wouldn't and that caused the rift that just continued to grow. Darius standing up for what is right/for other kids would also tie with ASIAS.

But the thing is, i don't actually want this speculation to be true, lol, because i would much prefer 1. Darius and Raine being some kind of actual friends in school and then drifting apart, even if doesn't fit Eda's Requiem and 2. i love the headcanon that Darius used to be much more open in his school years and more like s2 Willow - though still petty and somewhat bitchy - and became more closed off and cold with years, and that's something that he has to work on, post-canon. And the above scenario might not fit with this headcanon.

And my personal favourite headcanon for Darius and Alador friendship break up is either disagreement over some fundamentals of abomination magic and/or just petty teenaged drama that spiralled out of control (though i dread to imagine what fandom's reaction would've been).

[consistantly-changing]

[Image descriptions in order: screenshots of reblogs on this post.

Images in the first reblog:

moregaythanyourealized: i was at an antique store in Austria once and when I went to check out they guy was like "Oh, that was my wife's. Oh well, she'll be okay without it!" I felt a little guilty]

[takk: #bought a ceramic seal at an antique store and the woman at the counter said 'do you know what this is?' and i said 'a seal?' and she said #nothing else]

[vintagegarf: #this has happened to me multiple times #I tried to buy a lamp they were using for light that got unplugged #they let me buy it but i had to haggle for a bit]

[tackyflamingosarah: I was in a local used bookstore once and they had an original finalized script for The Breakfast Club. That was pretty cool to see. Still have no idea where they got it from]

[shakespearerants: #ahahaha throwback to the one time I went into THEE most expensive antique store in the city to ask about a ring that was haunting me #and the about 90 year old sales lady a. didn't recognize the peice b. immediately told me if she'd have seen it earlier she would've kept i #for herself c. turned the tag around and was surprised to find a price in her own handwriting d. deduced I don't have a job by my manicured #for-once hands e. offered me a 100€ discount because she liked my vibes f. immediately invited me to come to her property and meet her #horses after I expressed the slightest interest. when I say property I mean castle with grounds. when I say horses I mean own private stud. #OH YEAH and this whole interaction started with her wanting to throw me out of the store as soon as I walked through the door bc she had a #private client coming in 10 minutes. #vladi speaks]

[cosmic-courtroom: #me when i find radioactive glass in some random persons booth and it's just labelled 'green glass $2.50' like. #stares. girl. and the owners of the store see my blacklight in hand and go 'oh so is it [uranium/depression] glass??' and i flash it with #light and sometimes it's the brightest shit they've seen like. Hey That's a Really High U Concentration Actually.]

[agdab: #this was how i got a cursed ring #i had to bury it in a graveyard to get rid of it]

[chikinan: #still thinking about the cow fetus]

[horneboy: #omfg no i got a 60s soviet union biscuit tin from a vintage shop #and the guy was like wtf whats this never seen it before #and i was like it's your shop blud]

[thirdchoiceurl: #love when they ask why I picked something out and I get to tell them about all the uranium they have]

[Images in the second reblog:

abyssalterrors: #me w my collectible nsync marionnete puppets #jt i WILL find you]

[therebloger22: #the employee going i don't think we have postcards cause postcard lady hasn't been in lately and then here i come with postcards]

[ghostphy: #i once tried to buy a little Pikachu figure from a thrift store #and they would NOT sell it to me #because they were convinced it wasn't from the store #so they just took it and kept it #like. ok]

[phi-says-bullshit: One was at an antique store, he asked "where did you find this?" I said, in a bucket marked a dollar? And he gave me a handful of things from the bucket for free. What a score]

[tinygreenbug: #one time i bought an atrocious lamp because it was only $4 and i thought it was funny and she went 'oh thank god']

[chrono-of-june: #me: waltzes up to the counter with a pink frilly parasol and a gruff also plush #*gruffalo #the lady there: ?????]

[mothmanns: #one time i found a little ceramic piggie at the antique store #not my first but one of the early ones #and i fell in love with him instabtly even though he is missing an ear #and i took him up to the counter and said 'i know hes broken but i love him so much' and the owner smiled at me #and she said 'he was broken when he got here but i kept him because i knew someone special would want to take him home' #and she gave him to me for free and also i cried #im looking at him rn !!!]

[speakingofdoorknobs: #I once found an autographed photo of the Professor from Gilligan's Island at an antique store #yes of course I bought it how could I not?]

[bubsu: #i went to an antique store with a basement and nothing had price tags #also you could only access stuff on the perimeter of the absolute pile of stuff #i took a pic of chairs i wanted and the guy was like oh yeah i remember those i sold them and then bought them back #couldnt buy them lest i find him in my apartment taking his chairs back in the middle of the night #also they were $400]

[stan-pines-mullet: contrary to mom n pop thrift stores, where you can go to the deepest corner of the shop, find a tunnel created by chairs and dressers, crawl into it, be meeted by diverging paths but eventually picking the path less trodded, and at the end you'll find like a cute lamp or something and bring it to the desk and shes like "ahhh yes the lamp" and probably tell you exactly when she got it and who gave her it".]

[Images in the third reblog:

fairyundead: #Or the store is owned and staffed by just one dude who knows exactly when and where he got each and every item #And while he's ringing you up he tells the story of how he found the item and how he had planned to do XYZ with it #He seems almost sad to let it go but when you're like "you don't have to sell it to me?” He's like no no it's yours now #And it makes the item just a bit more special to you whenever you see it]

[idyllic-idioms: #bought a hat at the charity shop yesterday and the guy at the checkout was like #is this hat yours #and i was like ????? #and he was like did you find it in this building or bring it in yourself #and i was like oh yeah it was in that bin over there #and he was like hmm interesting]

[sleepysuccubi: #either that or they have extensive knowledge about the random Pyrex bowl you found in the basement]

[ereborne: #when I got my cuteass little teapot I wanted a little trivet to keep on the floor in the corner of my room for my teapot to perch on #and the first of the little antique/consignment shops we went to didn't have any trivets we could find #the second one I found a trivet in the first main room and I was much encouraged! I marked its position in my mind and kept looking #and by that point my family had gone farther in (an acknowledged fact that I am always the slowest and should be left) #and the lady behind the little desk asked if she could help me with anything so I told her I was looking for a trivet #but also we were all just there to poke around no worries and she was like 'oh well I don't think we have any trivets but enjoy!' #and I was like 'ah well you do have at least one. right here. on this shelf maybe two yards from where you spend all your time' #very funny to scoot a milkjug aside and lift a bunch of plates to show a little cast-iron maple leaf trivet and see her be like oh!!!!!! #that is the trivet I ended up buying but they did have at least four in the shop. maybe more hidden where I didn't see them #and also actually we never went to the other floor so who knows how many there! but yeah at least four and the first in that front room

mariedemedicis: #quoth queue quoth i]

[dreamshappytrail: #this happened when i bought a clown once #cashier had. never seen it before ???? #so they let me have him for free :3]

[roominthishell: #this happens in normal shops too if the customers are insane enough #ive had people come up to me with our wall decorations that we like nailed onto the wall trying to buy it #and i have to be like 'where did you get this from????']

[uncivilliberties: I bought an eight inch tall cast iron Michelin Man coin bank the other day and the cashier looked at it blankly for a full thirty seconds and then just whispered "what"]

[everlastingrandom: #me every time I find a new lead crystal piece #that guy at the counter is like 'we had that in the store???' #and I'm like yeah man #:3 treasure hunting]

[wierdrocks: #bought a framed cross stitch when i moved #and the guy at the antique store squinted at it and was like #i... sold this #were there two?? #guess there were two]

[lachlame: #bought a sword at a thrift store one time #had a price tag and everything #but that cashier swore on a stack of bibles that theyd never seen it before]

[Images in the fourth reblog:

lichensings: #a friend of mine when she found a doll that looks exactly like her in the back #(they let her have it for free)]

[fisherkings: #once someone semi accusingly asked if i got my sweater there and i said no and she said hm. well i wish we sold it. okay?]

[ivytwines: #the walk of shame to show them the rando booth you picked it up at]

[aquilathefighter: #the awkward description of which booth and what dusty corner of said booth #listen gertrude i like to DIG through all the musty crap]

[obfuscatingintelligence: #i found what i think was a Christmas tree topper from the Soviet Union #hammer and sickle and everything #still no idea how it showed up in small town lowa]

[turtledactyl: #my friend once found a large jar of various stones and jewelry and the person working was like idk where you found that but its uhhh $20 #there was like hundreds of dollars worth of stones and cabachons in there]

[pumpkabitch: #i know ive reblogged and tagged this before about this #but i wanted to look at this little gold frog in a case and the guy opened it took the frog out and said Ive never seen this thing before]

[goosefeathered: #one time it was a rat #the only thing worse than being a customer is being the customer that finds that rat #she put it in a jar and gave it to me? #i let it go in a creek #weird day]

[berry-femme: #me like hello I want those three musical ceramic wall masks please #and they're like #the what now.]

[comradecrab: #that one lamp shaped like a ship i bought with little sails and an anchor #at least five older ladies crowded around me to watch me see if it turned on and cheered when it did #cashier was like i swear i have never seen this in my life anyway that'll be $15]

[Images in the fifth reblog:

ectogasm: #found this absolutely fucking DELIGHTFUL antique store in keyport the other day #just packed to the gills #some of the strangest shit just piled onto shelves #religious pamphlets from 1895 thrown into a bin stacked next to a shelf that had uranium glass plates and an old box of antiseptic dressing #nixon political pins and a BOTTLE OF MERCURY and antique rolls of film #i wanted to move in #anyway i bought a pair of earrings and had this exact exchange w the shop owner]

[thesunshookwithjoy: #shout out to the lady at the antique store who said 'what the hell is a gyroscope' while we were buying said gyroscope #and then I think just guessed at the price #it's really cool though it's from an old boat]

[midnight-herald: #LITERALLY #there was this antique store in boston i would go to after moving #because there was so much good kitchen stuff in the basement that the owners forgot about #so they'd cut me a crazy deal #i'd be trying to add up how much for everything i had grabbed based on what the signs downstairs said #and the guy working the counter would just look at this shit and me with my calcualtor (not even joking) and say '$35' #ever september we would do this song and dance #got a rlly nice cast iron skillet from him this way]

[shower-man: #everytime i come up to check out with the dustiest crustiest doll that looks like it no longer believes in light]

[bohello: #"oh yeah theres a mannequin in the bathroom btw" after getting jumpscared by the mannequin]

[tyronetoastertime: #me when I got my hand caught in a bear trap at an antique store]

[ghxsttowns: #i love tiny cutlery. like tiny tiny. and whenever i find any in antique stores and go 'hi how much will it be for this' theyre like damn #those are minuscule where were they ??? u can just take them Imao dont worry]

[songsfordustmites: #usually they dont comment on my purchases but last time they did #yes there are captain kangaroo records out there. yes i did get a great deal on that bag of colorful thread. #yes the little toy that i bought is so cute. thats why i bought him.]

[cookinguptales: #I also love the opposite #when you bring some little tchotchke up to the front desk and they're like oooh do you know what this is #and you're like yes it's a little kitty with a pumpkin and I love him #and they're like THIS is a FIGURINE that came packaged in TEA and people COLLECTED them #and you're like fascinating thank you I've named him timothy]

[maximum-snoot: I briefly worked at an antique mall in highschool, the kind where they rent out spaces to different vendors and whatnot... Well one day a customer brings this skull up to the register and like, that's fine, a lot of vendors have the occasional animal skull, but we had to be like UHHHH WHERE DID YOU FIND THIS because it was a fucking PORPOISE skull, which is EXTREMELY illegal to own and even MORE illegal to sell and I guess the vendor who was trying to sell it somehow didn't know this??? So we had to be like "Sorry, you can't buy this. Nobody can buy this. We shouldn't even have this. Please don't tell the authorities."]

[Images in the sixth and final reblog:

zooophagous: #"i got it from the booth full of santa claus decor" #i also love the random booths that are selling clearly brand new items and handmade soap #like girl youre lost this place is for mildew covered magazines and racist salt and pepper shakers]

[autisticmisabel: #my favourite thing is when they're so confused about you wanting whatever useless knick knack #that they just give it to you because they can't think of a reasonable price #it's happened to me twice now i think]

[goomygoomygoomy: #me at river market all the time #'where did you even get this' in a dark corner of the basement floor dw about it]

[quillkippsisalilbitchandilovehim: #one time i asked the guy behind the cash desk about something and he tried to walk over before realising he was literally trapped behind the #desk because of all the stuff piled up around him. had to help this dude climb out lol]

[catskincass: #when I bought a pair of vintage rare binoculars for pennies because they put the decimal in the wrong place]

[siixxeyes: there's an antique store across the street from my house. i collect vintage poodle related things (i show poodles) and i found a really gorgeous poodle brooch from the 60's. the owner looked at me and said "where the fuck was this?" and proceeded to write down my name and put the word POODLES next to it. i get a phone call every few weeks when they either find something or get something new.]

[asstrainmcfucktruck: #'who let you into the forbidden relics section' 'fred??' 'NOBODY NAMED FRED WORKS HERE']

[carneflower13: #not even the creators of the labyrinth are truly aware of what lurks within it #memes]

[zzazu: #once found a 300 year old history book and the store owner was like #where did you find this? weve been looking for this for 8 years]

[night-creeps: #the best and only time I went to an antique store #i was like 3/4 years old #i dont remember if i was with my mom or my aunt #but near the counter they had their small/ easily steal-able things in a glass case #and i saw this set if two wooden cats that are vaguely reminiscent of lucky cats #but they were painted black and with slight floral detailing #and i was obsessed with cats as a kid #and in my brain i was like convinced they were super valuable because they were in a glass case #and the lady who owned the place thought i was adorable and let me hold them #and i was begging to get them but was told we couldnt #but the lady gave them to me anyway #now that im older im p sure they arent that valuable #and i only have one becayse i gave tge other to my best friend in elementary school #but I was so wowed as a kid that the lady let me have something i was convinced was extremely valuable]

/End ID

i love antique stores you go to check out & theyre like “where the hell did you get this”

[rehkkuma]

she's all yours | okuyasu x reader

summary: unlike his partner in crime, Okuyasu lacked experience in the dating field. Once he believes that he may have a chance with his crush, his best friend begins to get in the way.

words: 1.8k

disclaimers/tags: fem pronouns, modern AU (basically just phones being involved), tiny bit of angst, fluff, and cursing.

He was staring again. The poor 16-year-old boy couldn't help but notice every single detail about her: the slight tilt in her walk whenever she went up the stairs, how she would tie her shoes, and the unfortunate glint of light in her eyes whenever she spoke with his best friend.

Y/n L/n was someone extremely special to him (whether she knew it or not). She could read his expressions so clearly, sometimes knowing more about Okuyasu than Okuyasu did himself. The emotions he couldn't quite put his finger on, she always had an answer to. At times, he felt undeserving of the friendship he had with her. After coming to terms with his developing feelings for the girl, of course she began to get closer with his best friend.

He was painfully aware of the difference in treatment he received compared to Josuke. While Josuke could be referenced as Morioh's pretty-boy delinquent, Okuyasu was more like the intimidating ruffian that stood by his side. Obviously, Y/n did not think of Okuyasu in that way, but her perception of him didn't matter if he was considered nothing more than a friend.

"Hey," Josuke called out, concerned for his friend.

"Y-Yeah?" Okuyasu stuttered, trying to regain his thoughts.

"Whatcha lookin' at?"

Okuyasu silently thanked Y/n for standing in a crowd with other students. If she stood any further from the school's front entrance, it would've been easy for Josuke to pinpoint who he was eyeing.

"Nothing, really. Just thought I saw a cute girl."

Josuke shrugged his shoulders, repositioning himself so his back laid more comfortably against the tree. "Well, if you do see one, ask 'em out or somethin'. I wanna see you have your first kiss before we graduate," he chuckled.

"Mhm, yup," Okuyasu responded, eyes now glued to the grass he was sitting on. He was about to spew out a self-deprecating joke but stopped himself once he noticed Y/n approaching the two of them. Immediately, he recognized Josuke's energy shift from disinterest to eagerness.

"Y/n!" Josuke cheerfully said, waving at the girl.

"Hi, you two!" she waved back. Once coming close enough, she sat down along with the boys, her knees lacing together in a criss-cross position. Because of the short distance between her and Okuyasu, the boy could smell the flowery essence emitting off of her body. He wasn't too fond of fragrances, but the one Y/n had was light and sweet-- perfectly suiting her personality.

Before he knew it, Okuyasu was staring again. The only thing that got him to snap back into reality was the cry of laughter Y/n let out after Josuke made a funny remark.

"Did you hear that Okuyasu?" Y/n choked out, leaning back with both hands on her stomach.

"Y-Yeah." Okuyasu fake laughed, really having no clue what the hell was going on.

"God," Y/n sighed as she wiped off the faint tears forming in her eyes. "I wish I could hang out with you guys a bit longer, but I just wanted to drop by and say hi. I gotta help out with some chores tonight."

"It's all good," Josuke smiled. "But only if you promise to call me tonight."

The girl rolled her eyes while getting up from the ground. "We'll have to see about that, Jojo!" She then stuck her tongue out before scurrying off to her house.

Josuke chuckled, slowly placing his chin on the palm of his hand. "She's pretty cute, isn't she?" he said, eyes glued to the girl's figure in the distance.

"Yeah, she sure is."

* * *

Okuyasu could remember the first time he met her as clear as day: his hands were tucked deep into his pockets, feet dragging along the sidewalk while he was on his way to school. Unlike his regular routine, Josuke was unable to walk with him due to an argument breaking out between him and his mother. It seemed like a bummer at the moment, but maybe it was actually a blessing in disguise.

"Fuck!"

In front of Okuyasu's feet laid a girl. Her uniform was stained with a bright red juice and its can rolled next to her. He didn't recall exactly what happened, but he did feel someone's face hit his chest before hearing a thud.

"I didn't get any on you, did I?" the girl asked with panic.

Okuyasu, hands still in his pockets, shook his head. "Mnn. Don't think you did."

"Okay, thank God. These stains are so hard to get rid of."

That was one of the first things that Okuyasu remembered from Y/n. Her casual way of talking was enough to make any stranger feel like a good friend. Something about this girl piqued his interest.

"Guess it's not your first time, huh?" he hummed.

"You'd think I'd learn my lesson after the third time."

After the small accident, Okuyasu took the girl to the laundromat. Classes would begin in any minute, but neither one of the pair minded skipping it.

"Oi, what're you gonna be wearin' in the meantime? Don'tcha think the teacher's gonna kick your ass for showing up like that?" Okuyasu pointed at the revealing tank top she wore.

"Yeah, definitely. That's why you should totally let me borrow your top," she winked.

"Don't get too ahead of yourself. I don't even have a clue on what your name is."

"L/n." she replied crassly. "It's Y/n L/n."

That was several months ago. Since then, their relationship started to significantly grow. From sending short texts to sharing a few inside jokes, to hanging out every other day after school. In Okuyasu's eyes, it was inevitable for him to fall for a girl like her.

Right before he could spill about his crush to his best friend, Josuke had already introduced himself to her. It crushed Okuyasu to see the girl he loves slowly start to move on from him-- to his own best friend nevertheless.

All of his frustrations were best to be kept to himself. No way could he express his jealousy to Josuke or Y/n. Out of all the girls that fawned over Josuke, why did she have to be one of them?

**Brring**

Okuyasu rolled his body to the other side of his bed. On a nightstand was his phone that rang. The alarm was just loud enough to break through the pessimistic thoughts roaring through his brain.

"Who's this?" he asked, too lazy to check the contact number.

"It's me, Okuyasu! Why, is it that hard to use a second of your time to check the contact name?"

He recognized that voice anywhere. It was her.

"Aw, look. I was in bed, alright?" he smiled, feeling his mood change immediately after speaking with her.

A small giggle echoed from the other end of the phone. "Alright! I wasn't here to nag you all night anyways." The girl then cleared her throat with a cough before soon speaking again. "I was thinking we should hang out tomorrow. For ice cream, maybe. Just us."

Small butterflies began to form in his stomach from hearing the last sentence. "Just us" had never sounded better.

"Sounds good to me."

"Great!" she nearly interrupted. "A-Ah, sorry! I just got excited. It feels like we've been parting ways the past couple of weeks, but I promise tomorrow's gonna make up for it!"

"It's alright," Okuyasu sighed. "See you tomorrow?"

"See you tomorrow!" she repeated.

* * *

Was it just Okuyasu or did she look way cuter today? The makeup she wore differed from the one she usually had on, her accessories managed to compliment her eyes even more, and she even put an effort into customizing her uniform like Josuke and Okuyasu despite expressing her laziness multiple times. She looked like an absolute doll.

"Hmph." She huffed. "You've been doing that a lot lately," she said flatly.

"Doing what?"

"Staring at me like I'm some crazy person."

Okuyasu internally panicked for a few seconds but composed himself. "You just look pretty lately, that's all."

He expected a cheeky comeback in return but was left with a bashful smile from her instead.

"Let's just hurry up and get ice cream..." she said, eyes faced to the ground.

Okuyasu nodded at her suggestion and began to walk, making sure his pace wasn't too fast for Y/n. He'd occasionally give a glance at her direction to know if he was walking at a comfortable speed for her.

Several minutes of walking and a few casual conversations later, the duo made it to the ice cream shop. Y/n ordered a mix of her two favourite flavours while Okuyasu ordered two scoops of mocha almond fudge. Feeling a bit more gentleman-like today, Okuyasu insisted on paying for the both of them.

"Thanks for the ice cream!" the girl said, taking a small lick of the cone. "I feel like the more I hang out with you, the more things I owe you back," she chuckled as the two left the shop.

"Don't sweat it. Hangin' out with you's enough for me." Okuyasu smiled.

"Ah, really?" she blushed. "That's... really sweet of you."

There she did it again. No witty comeback. Just a flustered reply.

"Somethin' up with you? Eat something bad today?" he asked.

"Hm?"

"You're just actin' a bit different, that's all. Not sayin' it's bad though. I kinda like it." Okuyasu continued to walk on the sidewalk but stopped once he realized Y/n was frozen still. "Hey, you comin'?"

Y/n began to slowly jog her way to Okuyasu. When she caught up with him, she paused once more, now looking into the young boy's eyes. "I feel like you don't hear yourself talk sometimes," she said. "I can't tell if you're flirting or you're just naturally this oblivious."

He didn't know how to respond. He was starting to get nervous from how close their faces were. If he wanted to, he could practically count each beauty mark on her face.

"Well?" she said.

"Well..." Okuyasu tried to come up with something but found himself paying more attention to the girl's lips. They looked plush and soft with a slight glossy coat from the ice cream.

Eventually, the girl noticed where he was looking at. Slowly, she closed the already small gap between the two.

"Okuyasu," she breathed out with a gentle tone. "I really like you."

"I-" he stuttered. "Not Josuke?"

"Josuke?" She covered her mouth with the back of her hand and chuckled. "I don't know what you think is going on between us, but it's not that. He's not exactly my type either."

Okuyasu couldn't believe what he was hearing. Before he could say anything back, he felt her lips against his right cheek. It was a delicate kiss. Maybe a bit sticky, but it made his heart do several backflips nevertheless.

Once her lips left his skin, she stood awkwardly in front of him. The way she looked up at his eyes with that lovestruck gaze made Okuyasu realize something he didn't before: he wouldn't need to jealous of other guys. It was clear that Y/n L/n was all his.

[kaeyas-beloved]

Can you write a funny friendship where people from class 1a and genshin impact of your choice react to their friend eating something they aren't suppose to eat and when they ask, "what are you eating?" and friend starts chewing faster

Characters: Bakugou

Genre: A little crack, a little fluff, a little general

Warnings: Cursing

a/n: So requests are technically closed but I got too excited at the thought of writing for Genshin so I just, y'know wrote it :) Since it's a mix of two fandoms I'll be making a separate post to split them up!

Genshin version (Diluc, Kaeya and Venti) here!

=================

-- Bakugou

"It's three in the morning dumbass, what are you eating?" To say you nearly dropped the dish in your hand and either spit out or choke on the food in your mouth is an understatement. The gravely voice of your classmate and friend has you scared stiff. If you didn't have a mouth full of food (or recognize who it was) you're sure you would've screamed bloody murder, waking the entire dorm.

Everyone was suppose to stay asleep! you mentally cry, doing your best to keep the spicy noodle cup out of his view; he'd kill you if he caught wind of you snacking on his stash.

In the wake of your silence Bakugou tched, rubbing at the corner of his eye. "Are you deaf weirdo? I asked you what you're stuffing your face with.” While the blond's tone wasn't as intimidating as he is during the day, the pull of sleep still weighing on him, you still semi-feared for yourself. He may not sound threatening at the moment, but that doesn't mean you're safe from his attitude flipping in an instant.

Unfortunately you still had seven too many strings of deliciously seasoned noodles in your mouth, hindering you from answering him. And as you continue to remain silent, attempting to swallow all the noodles without choking, Bakugou grows more suspicious by the second.

Impatient and always one to get to the root of the situation, you reside to your fate when a forceful grip latches to your shoulder, spinning you around and exposing you of your crimes.

A series of emotions cycle through red eyes, confusion; disbelief; calm; nothing; before finally landing on irritation.

"WHAT THE HELL!? THAT'S MINE AND YOU KNOW IT! HEY! STOP EATING IT DUMBASS AND LISTEN TO ME!"

And wouldn't you know it, the whole dorm is now wide awake.

Kinda salty in the morning but gets over it sooner or later

Next time he goes to the store he buys extra so you don't eat his - might even put his name on his cups in thick black marker

=================

Tag list: @tickotaku // @decora-peaches // @dorkylittleweirdo // @thylocalcrackhead

. . .

Wanna be tagged in future works? Consider filling out this form! And if you want to be removed just DM or send an ask into my inbox!

[Masterlist]

[BnHA Masterlist]

[kyber-crystal]

An Accidental Confession

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader

Words: ~3.1k

Summary: In which you decided to a record a message explaining your feelings for Steve in case you didn't make it out of your mission alive. You don’t have any intention of it actually being heard by him, but you have no other choice to face your fear when it’s accidentally broadcasted across the entire compound.

Warnings: none, this is pure fluff haha with hints of a cocky steve hehe.

A/N: Some dialogue credits go to Descendants of the Sun! (yes, this is a oneshot of a scene from it, bc I love that drama with my whole heart) 

Tags: Dedicating this to @sylvie-writes​ because she’s an absolute SWEETHEART. I LOVE YOU BB. go follow her!

"Hey, Y/N, check this out!"

You glanced up from where you were furiously typing away at the computer to see Peter with a wide grin on his face. "Hm?"

"Look what I found! Mr. Stark's old speaker set!" The teenager went around to behind the table and rolled out the speaker in front of you. "It was a bit souped up, but all it really needed was some TLC and here it is, good as new!"

"Found this old thing while he was cleaning up," Tony explained, "you wanna hook your phone up and give it a go?"

"Uh...sure, why not," you shrugged, standing up and pushing your seat in, making your way over to the two of them. You took your phone out of your pocket and plugged it in.

"Check, one, two," Peter spoke into the small microphone. "Check one, two, three. Hey! It's working!"

You couldn't help but grin at his enthusiasm. "How old is this thing, anyway?"

"Older than me, that's for sure. Now play something!"

"Alright, alright. Let's see..." you scrolled through your playlists until you found the one you wanted, pressing 'play' and putting it on shuffle. "There."

"Fly Me To The Moon! May played it for me all the time when I was little," Peter exclaimed. "She always insisted I educate myself on older music. Now I'm glad she did."

Bucky and Sam stopped screaming at each other as they battled it out in Mario Kart, quieting down and humming to the beat as they held their controllers tightly. Wanda smiled to herself as she stirred the pot of soup on the stove, Bruce on the verge of falling asleep as he sipped his coffee at the kitchen island and read a news article on his phone. The energy within the compound seemed to lighten significantly as Frank Sinatra's soothing voice echoed off the walls.

You went out to the patio to relax, crossing your arms and closing your eyes as the sounds of chirping crickets and music mixed together in one soothing melody, the moonlight reflecting over the water. For a brief moment in time, you were at peace - and you relished in the temporary feeling of serenity. The 'city that never slept' was sleepy, for once. It wasn't all that late, but you were already beginning to succumb to fatigue's temptations.

But then, the song came to an end and switched off to something else.

"Hey, Steve. I hope this message never finds you because if it does...it means I'm most likely dead-" your all-too familiar voice came over the phone, thick with tears as you struggled to contain your sobs. "God, what am I even doing here? I have a gunshot wound that most likely pierced a vital organ so I'm just gonna bleed out here alone- why am I even doing this? I don't even know how much longer it'll be before you arrive with the evac team...so I just want to apologize in advance for not coming back to you like I promised. If I'd known I'd die in a foreign country, I would've lived a more carefree life instead of constantly worrying, like you always told me to just relax sometimes, I'm so, so sorry-"

Your eyes widened in realization and you rushed across the facility as fast as you could possibly go to the labs.

"Leaving words like this before dying is so uncultured- please, Steve...are you on your way? Please tell me you're on your way. If I'm really dying here I don't wanna die alone. Please hurry...I don't think I can last until you get here. Even so, you'll be the first to find me if I die, that is, if my corpse isn't dragged away or some shit like that - God, this hurts- I almost forgot how much it hurt to get shot...damn...I really underestimated the power of a bullet, huh?

Steve's bandaged fists fell to his sides, the punching bag swinging back and forth so wildly that it would've knocked him over if it weren't for his muscular figure. His brow furrowed in concern and he felt a small ache his chest upon hearing your voice crack - you never cried, and even if you did, which was extremely rare, you were good at hiding it from others.

But then a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips - you did ramble sometimes, and he found it rather adorable. It was, in fact, one of the main reasons why he admired you so much.

"FRIDAY? Where's the source of this audio?"

"It's playing from Mr. Stark's speaker in the lab, Captain," the AI responded.

"Thank you."

He unwrapped the tape from around his hands and exited the training facility, going into a light jog as he headed up to the lounge.

"If I knew that I'd die like this, then I would've told you my true feelings. That I'm in love with you and I really wished you'd kissed me when we were watching that movie together- it was Die Hard, wasn't it? I really wished you'd done something. We were sitting so close, and...I couldn't stop thinking about it. I was tempted to just run my hands through your hair and kiss you. And I almost did. I'm so in love with you, hopelessly in love with you...and if there's anything that scares me more than dying alone, it's probably thinking of a way to tell you, and the fear of being rejected by my best friend, my partner in crime-"

A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. You were in love with him? He felt his heartbeat pick up speed at the thought. He always held that small bit of hope in his heart that you'd feel the same way.

Just as Steve arrived at the labs, you came bursting through the doors with a look of sheer panic in your eyes, your face drained of all color. You quickly unplugged your phone from the speaker as he watched on in amusement.

"Want some, Mr. Stark?" Peter offered through a mouthful of popcorn, holding the bag out to his mentor. "Seems like we're in for a treat here."

"Where'd you get these, kid?" Tony questioned as he reached over and popped several kernels into his mouth. "Mm. Caramel, a classic."

"I always keep some with me. Never know when drama will break out."

Steve laughed and shook his head as you quickly turned around on your heel and sprinted out of the room. It was so unlike you to act like this - normally you were rather guarded and stoic. To see you as anything but was not only amusing, but adorable in his eyes - it was one of the many things he loved about you, in fact.

"Music...really changes a lot of things," Peter cleared his throat awkwardly.

The super-soldier cracked a smile. "I seem to be in the center of that change."

He said a few quick goodbyes went to find you, as Peter and Tony continued enjoying their popcorn together.

"Oh my god, I'm so stupid, oh my god, why did I even record that damn message," you muttered, finding yourself going back outside again. You needed to clear your head and get away from Steve. The secondhand embarrassment you just knew was waiting for you was almost too much to even think about - what would he think of you now? What would everyone else think of you?

Steve had beaten you to it and was already out there, leaning against the glass railing  with his arms crossed over his chest, wearing an amused expression on his face.

"Oh my god! You scared me!" your voice heightened to a shriek. "What the hell, Rogers? How are you here? Why are you here?"

"I know you like the back of my hand, sweetheart," he chuckled lightly. "You always come out here whenever you're restless or stressed out. Figured you'd try to flee as soon as you heard," he gestured back inside, "all that."

"That was none of your business!" you squeaked. "It was a private message, not meant for you to actually hear! It wasn't for you!"

"Well, you did announce it, publicly," he defended himself, pushing himself away from the railing and raising his hands in surrender. "And it sounded like it was for me. You said my name."

"It wasn't for you!"

"Then why'd you say Steve?"

"It's a different Steve?"

"A different Steve with a stealth suit, Quinjet, and evac team?"

"Y-yeah! B-but it's really funny. Why are you listening to other people's recordings?'

"Like I said, doll," your face flushed at the nickname, "it was broadcasted publicly. I didn't listen, I heard."

"Because you heard it, you carelessly hear it all the way through?"

He smirked. "You know, you're really cute when you're upset." He smirked, taking several steps towards you. You instinctively stepped back. "But why are you running away? When you were about to die you wanted to confess." With each step he took, you took another backwards. "But since you lived, you changed your mind?"

"Confess? That wasn't a confession. That wasn't me."

"This cell phone is yours," he held up your hand that tightly gripped your phone.

"This isn't a phone- Y/N, what the hell are you saying? Stop talking," you cursed yourself under your breath.

"It's an honor knowing I'm in your will," he said kindly.

"If you know then that's enough," you exhaled, stepping around him to leave. Steve stopped you by placing a hand out in front, before moving it to grip your wrist. You felt your skin heat up rapidly under his touch.

You gasped. "Look! Thor set the toaster on fire!"

"I'm not fooled, sweetheart."

You moved to try and leave again, but he only tightened his grip. "Whether or not it was a confession, I'm going to listen to it, so let's not run away, shall we?"

You were silent for several moments before responding, swallowing hard. "Okay. I got it. I'll answer you so let go of me and let's talk. Really."

"Really, right?"

He obeyed, releasing his hand from your wrist. You quickly moved around him and ran back inside. Steve just laughed to himself, shaking his head in disbelief.

"She finally did it," Sam nodded in approval as he and Bucky finished their Rainbow Road deathmatch. "Good game, man."

"Yeah, good game," they shook hands, "but if I'm being honest...I didn't expect things to go down like that. If anything, Steve seems like he'd be the first to confess. The way they're dancing around each other like oblivious monkeys...damn."

"Couldn't have described it better."

...

You flopped onto your bed, panting heavily as you stared up at the ceiling. Your heart was beating so fast that you felt like passing out. Maybe I'll just die like this and I won't ever have to confess for real, you thought. That sounds much better than death by blood loss from a gunshot wound.

"Hey, darling."

You sat up and let out a short scream as you saw Steve leaning against your doorframe, that damn smirk still on his face. "What the hell? You can't just ambush me like that! How long have you been standing there for?"

"Long enough," he chuckled, sliding his hands in his pockets and stepping inside. This time, you were too lazy to push him away, and just allowed him to sit down next to you at the edge of your bed. Steve propped his hand on his chin as he gazed at you, smiling.

You sighed and let your head fall into your hands. "This is all your fault."

"My fault?" Steve tilted his head in confusion. "How is this my fault?"

"Becau- never mind. I'm busy. I gotta go check up on the new lab I'm working on with Bruce."

You stood up abruptly, but he reached out and grabbed your wrist again. "I'm going to go to the labs, too. He asked me to help with a few things. I think you just found yourself an escort."

"I can go by myself, Rogers. I'm an adult," you gave him a pointed look.

"Ouch. That stung," he pretended to look hurt. "Last name calling? I thought we agreed on sappy pet names. And besides, you know what happened last time you went somewhere alone. You got shot."

"Whatever."

"Hold on," he tugged you back so that you had to sit down again. "Why do you keep running away from me? You confess your feelings in your will and then you run."

"It wasn't my will."

"You said you were scared to die alone."

"It wasn't me. Where is your bout of confidence even coming from?"

"I'm not asking how you feel about me at the moment. Don't feel bad that I found out how you feel about me. Because I'm in love with you too, and nothing can change the fact that I like you even more now."

You swallowed hard.

He smiled again. "And you look beautiful today, doll."

"Stop with the pet names," you mumbled. You couldn't stop the tremor in your tone as you spoke

"Hey hey hey, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" Steve brought a hand up to your face, lightly skimming the tip of his thumb across your cheekbone to wipe away the tears that had fallen. "Hey. Tell me what's wrong, darling."

As soon as that last word left his lips, you lost it. A broken sob escaped from your mouth before you broke down, and he felt guilt settle in the pit of his stomach. Sure, he was lightly teasing you - but he didn't intend for his jabs to hurt you in any way. That was the last thing he wanted to do - to see you cry. He hated seeing you cry.

"Oh, God, I'm so sorry," he whispered, carefully wrapping his arms around you and pulling you to him, rubbing circles onto your back. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have taken the teasing so far. I'm so sorry, Y/N-"

It took nearly twenty minutes for your sniffles to die down and another ten for your crying to stop completely, but he patiently held you until you did. And when it finally stopped, it still took you several moments before you could bring yourself to meet his eyes.

"I look like a mess," you muttered, quickly ducking your head down to wipe at your nose. "I'm sorry you had to see me like this-"

"You look lovely, regardless," Steve murmured, kissing your forehead. "You'll always look beautiful in my eyes."

"You're such a sap," you mumbled, closing your eyes. "I hate you."

"You know you love me, Y/N."

"No I don't."

"That message told me otherwise. You sounded like you were pretty in love, judging by the desperate tone in your voice-"

"Shut up!"

"Make me," he challenged, a smirk appearing on his face.

You huffed and stood up, crossing your arms. "You're a pain in the ass, you know that, Rogers?"

"Watch your language-"

"Make me."

"Using my own words against me, are you?" Steve raised a brow as he stood up as well, walking towards you. You kept walking backwards until you felt your back hit the wall and internally panicked when you realized there was nowhere else to go.

"Shit," you whispered. "I'm not escaping this one, am I?"

"Not a chance," he chuckled wistfully. You felt your heart do somersaults and your stomach twist itself into knots as he met your eyes, a softened look to them that you'd never seen before - what was it? Just a few minutes earlier you'd find yourself squirming beneath his intense gaze but for some reason, you stayed put.

When his lips pressed against yours, you felt a crackle of electricity across your skin and the world fell away. It seemed as if time stopped and held its breath as it watched the two of you, his arm curving around your waist as his free hand rested at the back of your neck, pulling you flush against him. Though you were taken aback by the sudden gesture and terrified you wasted no time in reacting, sinking deeper into the kiss. You could feel him smile against your lips and fireworks exploded inside your chest - if there was a way to describe pure magic, this would definitely be it. And he felt it too - and he swore to himself that he'd never felt a bigger rush of adrenaline before until now.

You looked absolutely stunning to him in that moment as you pulled apart - with your half-closed eyes, reddened cheeks, and swollen lips - his doing, no doubt. Your gaze slipped down to his equally swollen lips and you felt your face flush at the sight. Steve was quick to catch what you were doing and pulled you back in for more.

This time, it wasn't as innocent and quick. It was more needy, passionate - months, no, years of pent-up frustration he didn't even know he had seeping into it. Years of not being able to tell you finally being poured out into one grand gesture - years of finally getting closure because he now knew the girl he'd loved for as long as he could remember felt the same way.

"Oh my fucking shit."

The two of you were practically gasping for air as you broke apart a second time to see a smug-looking Sam.

"You just- I didn't interrupted something between y'all, did I?" Sam cocked a brow. "Looked like you were this close to-"

"No," you exhaled, "we weren't."

"I'm a GENIUS for fixing that speaker! If I hadn't done so you guys never would've gotten together!" Peter squealed as he appeared by the Falcon's side. "I believe a thank you is in order!"

"I hope my timing isn't bad, but I have to ask," Steve cleared his throat and looked you straight in the eye. "that was a confession, right? And you didn't do it just because you felt compelled to. Be honest with me."

You let out a sigh of defeat. "Yeah...it was."

He broke into a gorgeous, million-dollar grin that made you weak at the knees. He leaned down, lips ghosting over yours as if he was going to kiss you again - but pulled back, much to your disappointment.

"I guess I'm the victor of this battle, huh," he whispered before releasing his hold on you and walking out, leaving you to stand there utterly shell-shocked and speechless as Peter and Sam began teasing you.

[mocurlyshepard]

Demons II | Curly Shepard

Description: A short story in which Curly Shepard is forced to face the pain of his memories. It always gets worse before it gets better.

Warnings: Cursing, mentions of abuse

"Who the fuck took my shit?" Curly yelled through out his small cell while throwing things randomly, frantically trying to find his lost picture.

His mattress was pulled off his bed and his belongings thrown on the floor. He had looked over his stuff about 10 times and he still couldn't find it.

"Shepard, you need to calm down." the c.o says through the open slot.

"Shut the fuck up!" Curly yelled back.

Curly huffs out a breath before throwing a random item out of frustration. He slides down the wall, holding his head in his hands. Things had already gone wrong, now he lost her one and only picture that he had of her.

He heard the door open and close but he didn't bother to look up. He just couldn't wrap his head around how he lost the damn picture. He always kept it under his pillow, so he was sure he didn't lose it. He was betting that the damn guard took it to get under his skin.

"Curly."

Great, just the man Curly wanted to see.

"I don't wanna talk about my damn feelings right now."

What he wanted to do was find the God damn picture. He ran his hand through his hair as Doctor Anderson sat on his titled mattress.

"I understand that you lost something dear to you." Dr. Anderson says quietly.

Curly flicks his eyes up to look at him. He's angry, no he's pissed.

"I didn't fucking lose the picture.. Someone took it."

"What was the picture of?"

Curly shrugs. He'd rather not tell him who it was. He could guess who it was if he was smart enough but he knew that he'd start asking him questions.

"I'm not answering anything until I get my picture back." Curly says while throwing his head back against the wall.

It was hard, cold.

"Can we make a deal, Curly?"

"Depends on the deal." Curly said while looking over at Doctor Anderson. He wasn't an idiot, and he wasn't agreeing to anything unless he knew exactly what he was getting in to.

"If I help find this picture, can you speak with me?"

Curly licked his lips and bit on his bottom one. He could just bullshit his way through the therapy session, he was good at doing that. It would be a waste of time but at least he'd get his picture back.

"Okay, yeah."

Dr. Anderson smiled before getting up and shutting Curly's cell door. Curly sat up and put his room back together, carefully looking through every item, just to make sure he didn't look over it.

It seemed like forever for Dr. Anderson to come back to his room. But it had only been 15 minutes. He did come back eventually with the photo in hand.

"She's very beautiful." he said while handing the photo to Curly.

Curly gave him a half smile while looking the picture over. Out of all their memories, this was by far his favorite. Her smile had been sincere.

"She is, ain't she?" he says.

He tucks the photo under the mattress this time. Just in case that stupid guard wanted to take it again to give to the other kids in this reform school. He looks back over at Dr. Anderson and stands up.

"Well we got a deal right?" he sighs.

They walk to his office, this time he doesn't have handcuffs. He couldn't believe that this Doctor was such an idiot. If he really wanted to, he could do anything he wanted to him. How could he be so trusting?

"I 'spose you wanna talk about my episode from yesterday." Curly began.

He sat in the seat across from Dr. Anderson and crossed his arms with raised eyebrows.

"Not if you don't want to. We can talk about other things." he suggested. "I know you said you had a brother and a sister. We can talk about them."

Curly nodded and leaned back in his chair. He thought of the time where Tim was annoyed from telling Curly to stop leaning back in the chair and he kicked the leg which made Curly hit his head on the counter.

"Me and Tim don't get along no more. Got into about my broad 'fore I came here."

Tim was fine with losing people, he cut their loses and forgot about their memories. Curly didn't, he felt like you should remember those who passed.

Curly had a cat who ran away, Curly searched high and low through the neighborhood for him until the sun rose. Tim on the other hand got a good night sleep and found another cat for Curly the next day.

"Did that cause tension in your relationship?"

Curly smirks to himself. Did it cause tension? No it caused a fist fight.

"He said I should get over her, I'm only 17 and we probably would've broken up anyway." Curly says while tapping his arm. Tracing his tattoos.

"Do you agree?"

"No. I knew I woulda married her." he smiles to himself thinking of her.

He could remember every single detail about her, the way she smiled at him when he complimented her. How angry she'd get when they argued but made sure to call him later that night.

"You know you shouldn't blame yourself over what happened to her." Dr. Anderson says slowly. "I'm not sure what happened and I don't want to press it out."

He's careful, he doesnt want Curly to get angry and walk out. They were making progress today, a lot of it.

"Its my fault. So I do blame myself."

He closed his eyes as it came rushing back to him. The noise, the screams, her cries. Her blood was covering him, his shirt was stained red.

"What're you thinking about?" Dr. Anderson questioned.

Curly didn't reply at first. He needed to get himself together before he spoke or he'd choke. He took a few deep breaths, in and out, he told himself.

"When you hear those thoughts, you should try reassuring yourself."

"Reassure myself?" Curly scoffed. What the hell was there to reassure. His girlfriend literally bled out in the seat next to him while he couldn't do anything.

"Maybe you could try take deep breaths. Think of something else until the moment passes. Something happy or funny to you. "

Curly didn't reply. He had never really thought of it. He had a lot of funny memories, but lately he just wasn't in the mood to be happy. He didn't deserve to be happy.

"I think blaming yourself comes from a deeper part within you." Dr. Anderson said. "You said yesterday your childhood was bad after your dad died."

Curly again didn't reply. He was bringing things up again, making him remember things he didn't want.

"Curly, in order for us to really solve this we need to attack the root of the problem." Dr. Anderson explained.

How the hell did his childhood have anything to do with now?

"My ma started doing drugs with her boyfriend, Mike."

"How do you know she was doing drugs?"

"Because I saw her on a trip. She was out of it, man, needed to go to the doctors."

It was a nightmare for him. She was talking of things, really explicit things. Telling him about stuff only she could see.

"Were you and your father close?"

"I don't remember him much. Him and Tim were close..i mean I remember Christmases with him."

He remembered his old man getting him gifts and letting him get on his shoulders. But that was about it, anything else was a big blur.

Dr. Anderson scribbled in his notebook and looked back up at Curly to continue.

"Then she started dating Mike. He was nice at first until he started drinking."

"How so? Tell me about Mike. "

Mike was the darkness of Curlys childhood. He wasn't ever really happy since he showed up. He ruined things. His mother let him.

"Mike is an asshole who slapped me around as a kid. Before I could hit him back."

Curly could remember the nights he would cry on the floor because Tim wasn't home. Or how he'd get beat with the belt buckle for knocking into a vase. The bruises and welts that would leave scars.

"How often would Mike hit you?"

"Whenever I did somethin' wrong. Like knock something over or fuck something up."

"Did anyone intervene?"

He used to hide his bruises from Tim. Until one day he could barely walk because his legs and ribs were so sore. He passed out on the way to school.

"My ma knew but I hid it from Tim. I mean he found out eventually and got into a fight with him."

Curly flinched at the memories. He didn't want to talk anymore. This was enough for him, he'd just end up exploding again.

"I'm done talking now." he told Dr. Anderson.

He stood up and knocked on the door for the officer to cuff him. Curly was feeling sad, whenever he was sad he'd push his feelings to the bottom and kept moving.

It was something about actually talking about it that made him sad. And he wanted to cry but that isn't what he did. He didn't cry.

He sat in his bed and stared up the ceiling. And when the voices came, he thought of a better time. And it worked but just for the moment.

Tags:

@queenkelsey2020

I'm gonna make this maybe 5 parts now. Theres some things I don't wanna squeeze in.