#i’m built different bc I want to top HIM

[adrieennas]

every time i see bad takes ab astarion this is what i think of lol

[giddlygoat]

i wanted to experiment with dave and buck fits and how they might dress if they didn’t have a dress code. some thoughts on the design process below :’D

i want to keep dave’s rose motif going strong in my art bc i feel like the rose at the end of his cutscene is really important to his character. the music note pin on his lapel is based off my chum @megalophobic-astronomer’s headcanons :]

he also has a big, bold zoot suit because i feel like it represents him very well. the butterfly collar is always a must and a staple of my design for him lol. golden box chains around his neck and hanging from his waist are mostly me projecting my taste upon him but i think he would wear chains and jewelry pretty regularly!

buck is all over the place bc i wanted to incorporate a bunch of different styles into one mess of a fit. my main inspirations boil down to Punk Butch at Poker Night lol. i think buck’s taste extends far past this look, and we know he wears a suit well, but i think he would be very adventuresome in his style. at the end of the day, i want him to look rambunctious, jagged and fun.

along with the built in chip dispensers in his arms, he also wears a vintage coin dispenser on his belt, card pouches organized by suit on his thigh, and fuzzy dice for luck on his key ring. this guy jangles! oh, and i’ve had lots of hcs about buck’s body for a while but haven’t drawn them too much yet. here’s a kind of outdated ref that still stands

he has a [convoluted and under-referenced] card shuffler in his chest and a roulette wheel in his belly because i said so <3 the gold trim and detailing is inspired by vintage slot machines and i wanted to give him a kind of cheap tin look.

i don’t have all my hcs for dave’s body drawn out yet, but i’m thinking of giving him accordion bellows in his lower torso and i know for sure he has radio dials on his forearms along with more speakers on the top side. i want to cram as many musical motifs as possible into his design and hopefully i will come up with more ideas for buck too!

[jellipuff]

Little one.

Pairing: Jeonghan x reader

Genre: Smut (18+, Minors dni!).

Wordcount: 1.9k

Summary: He lays by you in his silk pajama shirt that’s buttoned a bit too little and hangs a bit too low. His chest suddenly makes you aware of your all too empty mouth. Being the attentive lover he is he can’t have that now can he?

Warnings: Dom!jeonghan, Afab reader (no gendered terms are used.), One mention of reader having a chubby 🐱, this is literally just about sucking his nipples, Marking, Slight mutual masturbation (bc he’s a lil meanie & reader doesn’t even notice bc they looove him.), Pet names: Reader (sweetheart, little one, baby), Jeonghan (hannie.), Mentions of reader telling him not to run his fingers through their hair/undo it, Him finding a way to play with readers hair that leaves them both happy bc he loooves them. Implied bottom!jeonghan, he mentions letting reader fill him up cause is it a story of mine if men aren’t needy for that? Implied pegging/topping. (I think that’s it!)

A/n: Hi guys! this got 🚩so i’m having to repost with a community label bc i think that’s what i’m supposed to do if this happens? (leave knowledge/tips on that if you can plz!!) i love pretty men that give their partners pretty love & guide their partner to their pretty chest. So i wrote about it! this is so soft yet the thought makes me spin. LOL but I hope you like it! Also, don't like, don't read‼️ No need to burn me at the stake friend.  Feedback is appreciated :)

You lay flat against the pillows waiting for Jeonghan to finish drying his hair. You watch him point the hairdryer underneath causing his long hair to fly up. He focuses longer there and at his ends knowing they take the longest to dry. He finishes and walks over to where you lay watching, giving you a warm smile causing your heart to skip.

You love Jeonghan, everything about him is your comfort. He’s your home in so many ways that you only yearn for him at the end of the day. Not your bed or a hot shower, just his embrace and love.

He hasn’t even laid beside you yet and you can already catch the scent of vanilla with a tinge of spice. The scent itself encapsulates your lover perfectly. He is so sweet and caring, always seeming to know what makes you happy, what makes you laugh, and what makes you feel safe.

Your lover is also very alluring; his existence alone teases you. Leaving you craving at all hours and leaving him; your attentive lover to know what you need. 

Finally, he's by your side lying to your right as he props himself onto his left side making his front face you. From this position you can't help but feel small, jeonghan feels as if he's towering over you even if he's not. His presence alone makes you want only to listen, never to lead. It makes you want to only please him, the thought of your pleasure vacant from your mind. 

He makes the hand that is behind you busy by playing with your hair. He doesn't run his fingers through it, he doesn't pull apart the work you've done because you've told him not to. Taught him other ways to busy himself there. So as he slightly pats your hair in different spots, leaving a bit more pressure here and a small scratch there you can't help but think you’re lucky. 

You notice his silk black pajama top that manages to slightly shine under the dim lights. You notice the way it’s barely buttoned, leaving it to slide slightly off of his figure. His position of lying beside you makes it stay open, giving you a peek inside. 

You've always loved his chest, the slight muscle that has built up there never fails to make you want to bite him. Just as much as seeing his pretty nipples makes your lips tingle with the need to wrap around them.

Jeonghan must see you staring because he calls you. You look up, finding him smiling at you. He scans your face before bringing his hand to it, dragging the knuckle of his index finger across your cheek. His eyes never leave yours as he caresses both. You try to not blink but your mind is against the idea. You want to close your eyes to feel every shock his touch sends through your body. 

“Can I kiss you little one?” he asks. His voice not cutting through the serenity of the quiet only seeming to add to it. You open your eyes to stare into his, feeling his love be conveyed. “Yes.” you whisper out. 

There is no need to be louder when he goes to close in. His lips never fail to leave you floating. The gentle way they take yours has your senses heightened. Leaving you to try and feel more. 

More of their softness and more of the warmth that starts in your lungs reaching your throat until you disconnect.  You are both so close it's as if you breathe in and out the same air, your bodies finding another way to connect. 

“What were you peeking at earlier baby?” he questions as he messes with your baby hairs that have wisped up. “Your chest.” you answer, eyes moving across his face. Admiring the way his skin glows under the moonlight that casts in from your windows.

“Mhm, do you like what you saw?” he asks. You both know the answer, know that you will always like what you see. 

“Yes, your chest is so pretty. Already so handsome and your chest is getting fuller & stronger. It's making me go crazy.” you confess, letting your eyes scan down to where you only see a glimpse of what lies underneath. Jeonghan preens at the hearts he can practically see in your eyes. His baby obsessed with every part of him, your attention nor lust ever straying anywhere else. 

“You wanna see 'em, baby? Want to see how strong they’ve gotten? Feel how warm the shower made them?” he whispers gruffly into your ear, leaning away with a kiss at your quick nod. He leans up to undo the two buttons that are barely holding the shirt together. 

You watch as the last one is undone, his shirt opening to reveal the slight indent forming between his pecs. Showing the efforts of his recent lifting. The slight muscle paired with his pretty nipples is making you needy.

They perk at being fully exposed to the chilly air, a slightly darker shade of dusty rose is what meets the eye. They’re small yet the perfect size to make your teeth itch with the need to bite them. You get lost in the moment of what you consider a reward, you'd go to sleep peacefully even if all you got to do was stare…Horny but peacefully!

“It's almost like you forgot I was even here, so caught up on them.” he laughs as he slips the shirt off of his left arm only. He moves back to your side making his scent cloud your senses once more. “Never could forget you, love you too much” You slur slightly and he smiles. Jeonghan loves you much more. Finding your seriousness to his teasing so cute.

He pulls your head closer to his chest. You immediately try to grab at it but he stops you. 

“Don’t disappoint me, love, What do you say?” he inquires sternly. “Please hannie?” you plead easily, leaving him satisfied with your obedience. “Go on sweetheart.”

You don’t waste any time as you suck on his left nipple. Taking the bud into your mouth earnestly. Laying your tongue flat against it as you move it up and down & using your hand to pinch at the other. 

The warmth of his skin radiates. You being so close makes it seem as if he's warming you up. Under your palm, on your tongue, against your cheek, all of him causing heat to envelop you. 

You hear him sigh, petting your hair back as you switch actions. Taking his right nipple into your mouth; flicking it with the tip of your tongue. “Look at you baby, does it feel good?” he asks and you moan against him. The vibrations seem to add to the stimuli of your mouth on his nipple causing him to whimper softly. 

“You look so cute sucking on my chest sweetheart, almost makes me want to let you fill me up. You’d like that wouldn’t you little one? Filling my ass up and feeling me all around you.” he says between moans, you having started to rub him through his matching pajama bottoms. The thin silk does little to omit any pleasure. 

At the thought of filling him up, you detach yourself from him. Moving around his chest to suck at the skin, watching pretty blotches bloom. You leave bites along with the kisses you press. Leaving a few darker ones in the middle of his pecs, and around his areola. Seeing your teeth indents fuels you to continue. 

“Leaving marks all over me. You want everyone to know I’m yours baby?” he pushes his chest closer to your wandering mouth, seeking your answer and your lips.

“Only mine, pretty chest is only for me.” you groan possessively. Feeling the need to suck harder, apply more pressure to your bite, and make him cum from your touch just to prove a point. He's only yours. Your powerful boyfriend, your attentive lover, your gentle hannie.

Yours, yours, yours.

He spreads your legs, leaving your soaked panties to his eyes. “Look at how needy you are. Is this all for Hannie baby, all for me?” he asks as he slides your panties to the side, chubby lips keeping them at bay. “Always for you, Only need you.” you moan out. 

The way he slides through your folds gently reminds you that if you did that it would feel like nothing. Yet when he does it it's so good, when he does it you would say thank you a million times as you cum from his slender fingers. 

“Sucking on my chest and stroking my dick alone gets you like this? I barely even grazed your clit and you're leaking so much baby, how adorable.” he teases.

In your hand you feel him twitch, from where you lay you can feel his chest rising as his breath quickens. The smell of mint hits your nose as his breath fans against your ear. You want to cum with him, want to feel his cum puddle in your hand. You wanna feel his cock jump as your hole clenches in unison. You, Hannie’s sweetheart, get to cum by him, cum with him.

You go back to biting his nipple, pressing the bud between your teeth before soothing it with your tongue. So tiny, so biteable. Your boyfriend is so alluring, so handsome, making you forget how you even used to cum without him.

You lift your hips trying to seek more pleasure from the feather-like touch but he stops you. Taking his hand away from your heat and replacing where yours held him with his own. Tugging at his cock with a cocky laugh, one you can't get mad at because it's so close to your ear you have to close your eyes.

“Ah ah, little one. You can’t cum yet you know that. I said you could play with my chest, not touch my cock but you did. You were working so hard so I let it slide.” he admits, his breath hitching slightly as he toys with his tip.

“So don't get greedy. I was even thinking about taking your hand and using it to finish. You love it when I use you sweetheart but now you only get to watch me touch myself. How sad.” he berates you, his tone cocky. He wants to be a little mean because he's curious as to what you'll say now that you've been told you can only watch as strokes himself, that you can't make him cum. That you're not allowed to cum. 

Though he only sees your eyes light up, mind only hearing that you were working hard and that you get to watch him get himself off and that's enough to make you happy.

─﹒☆﹒���

Later that night Jeonghan is the one left craving and he simply can't be left there alone. Telling you to stand up as he goes to get the strap, picking out the dildo he needs to feel you fuck into him right now. He moves to kneel on the bed before leaning down on his hands, back arched pretty and cock leaking below. He turns from where his face is pressed against the mattress; “You know what to do little one, make me cum with your cock, and maybe I’ll give you mine?”

[justallihere]

im joining the train of being physically ill and your fic giving me the motivation to continue with life (allergies and contact dermatitis are kicking my ass. my eyelids are swollen)

I love how soft these two were for each other in this chapter.

XADEN IS WHIPPED. I feel like if he could live in/under Violet's skin he would 💀

exhibit a

“I can kill him for you,” he offered. 

exhibit b

“No, I don’t want you to move,” Xaden grumbled

exhibit c

“I’ll do whatever you want, my darling wife.”

exhibit d

he was sure his heart stopped beating in his chest for a moment before it resumed its rhythm again. 

exhibit e

Something warm bloomed in his chest at the sight of the ring on his finger, a physical representation of the two of them twined together, from now until they entered whatever life or world followed this one. 

Xaden made Vi blush SO MUCH this chapter and I'm eating it up!!!!!

This line was so funny 😭😭😭. Xaden is such a tease

“Yes, your majesty?” She scowled

Not me my heart breaking for younger Xaden. I hope Vi gives him enough hugs to heal his inner child

Being a dragon rider was one of the only things he had ever chosen for himself, even if, technically, he wasn’t supposed to have it. 

SOMEONE HUG GARRICK PLS. The guilt he probably feels, my poor baby 😭😭

“Can I not be worried about her?” Garrick asked sharply. “She is my queen, Xaden. She isn’t just your wife, she isn’t just Violet. Not anymore. She’s important to all of us, and I have a duty to her. You’re not the only one who failed to keep her safe.” 

EXCUSE ME??? ARE THEY FLIRTING? YOURE HONOR I THINK THEYRE FLIRTING. The second i read that he wanted to take her somewhere outside, I KNEW IT WAS HIS FAVORITE HILLTOP!!!! This moment was so special/monumental for them 😭. Xaden has come so far, from not wanting to share this sacred space/wanting to hate her on principle, to loving Violet and willing to do anything to make her happy (Again, mans is WHIPPED)

“Are you trying to get me drunk, Mrs. Riorson?” Xaden asked in a low voice.  She shivered. “Maybe.” 

HIS RING??? HIS RING????? Of course, Vi noticed how obsessed X is with her hair. nothing gets past her

Xaden's unwavering faith in Vi is so 👌 I dont have words to describe what it is but its top tier husband energy

The fact that Violet reads smut confirms that she's just one of the girls AND Xaden picking the book up to read it ??? Book boyfriend material (Even though he's already her husband)

Questions:

When will Brennan get his head out of the sand and make up his siblings? Stick Xaden on him because B is making Vi and Mira sad!!!!

when was the last time Xaden got drunk/felt comfortable enough to do that?

was the story about malek and his consort's homage to Hades/Persephone but also a reflection of Vi/X's relationship?

She was Amari’s youngest, her most beautiful and most treasured child --- is this foreshadowing to how Lilith views Vi? bc if so... I'm sobbing in a corner

Omg feel better!! Stop being sick!! Why are you all sick!! (normally I’m the one who’s sick all the time 😂)

Waterparks has like dozens of obsessive love songs that I could quote but there’s a line in “I felt younger when we met” (ironically a break up song lol) that says “you moved in behind my eyes and built yourself a shrine” that I think about a lot in terms of how Xaden feels about Violet. Just like, a part of her lives with him permanently now and he can’t and doesn’t want to get rid of it and she’s all he knows and he’s wholly devoted to her

I’m LIVING for the fact that you came with evidence about how whipped he is lmao

They are in fact flirting, can confirm!

To answer your questions: Yes, Brennan will get his act together. The last time Xaden got drunk was, uh. . . so many moons ago I do not have an exact time, but years. And yes! It was a way to say that not only do people see their relationship differently depending on what they’re looking for, but Xaden views himself so differently from the way Violet sees him.

And yeah to that last one as well. I mean she loves all her kids beyond reason, but there’s something in the way she views Violet that’s so special to me

[1moreoffkeyanthem]

If I ask you to gush about size difference Style *cough* big boy Stan and short Kyle *cough* would you?

FUCK YEAH I WILL!!! Lmao how many times have I gushed about size difference style way too many and BY GOD I’ll never stop

My NUMBER ONE reason to be an enthusiast is the Style Carry™️ ugh I love that shit so much especially because angry spicy little Kyle “reluctantly” being picked up by his gentle giant knight in shining armor Stan is just so iconic. Particularly because I will never not find pissed off Kyle hilarious. Stubborn little asshole.

Big boy Stan particularly is dear to me because that boy is a sentimental loser with a canonical hoarding problem and just. Him holding onto old clothes. Staniel that AC/DC shirt from 9th grade is begging for mercy no it does not still fit you. And I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again intimidating at first glance characters being absolute softies is PRECIOUS. The definition of looks like he could kill you is a cinnamon roll. That’s my sensitive son Stanathan.

Conversely Kyle being looks like a cinnamon roll could kill you. Just too good. Even PCE Kyles who tend to lean more towards the less outwardly aggressive side, more the logician, they’re still fiercely stubborn and determined and can out argue anyone but his mother and God. Bro packs a hardcore punch and will not hesitate to if it comes to that, and it’s hysterical when he’s fighting someone much bigger than him. People expect Stan to jump in with a “pick on someone your own size” but Stan knows his super best boyfriend.

Also size difference style cuddles. Kyle using Stan as a pillow, casually sitting in his lap, resting his head on those beefy arms, and Stan coming up behind Kyle to drape over him like a dog that thinks they’re still a puppy, kissing the top of his curls, just AAAA. And honestly there’s nothing more iconic than small Kyle scolding big Stan for something and Stan just folding bc a big guy looking so pathetic and sorry is funny as shit bonus because Kyle can’t stay mad at those sad animal eyes.

Worth noting that the handful of times I’ve written Kyle as the taller of the two Stan’s still a big boy. Elf Kyle may be tall and lithe but Knight Stan is still big and built, just slightly shorter. Yes this is primarily because I want the Style Carry™️ to be relatively natural and easy. I’m a Whumpshot wizard of simple pleasures.

Now, I’ve seen chubby Kyle headcanons and read fics where he’s gotten fat. I like that too. Personally, I prefer Kyle on the thin side, because a lot of people who struggle with self worth and acceptance tend to deal with anxiety and trouble eating, and we do see that in Kyle. That feels very Kyle to me idk. I just see him on the short and skinny side in general, which makes his actual personality that much more iconic. Unassuming in appearance, but a powerhouse.

[whoahoney]

A Girl Called Honey Pt. 2

Eddie Munson x Trailer Trash!Reader

Part 1

Summary: Eddie begins to see through the cracks in the walls Honey built around herself, little by little

CW: 18+ mature themes & language, mentions of abuse, depictions of poverty, trauma, drug use, Juniors got a gun, slight angst, a little fluff, and Eddie’s pervy thoughts

A/N: this took me forever to finish, this chapter has been so many things before this final form, so Im posting it before I decide I hate it 💀 we’re gonna get into their backstory soon, I promise! Thank you to my pal @boomhauer for inspiring this story, go check out her masterlist bc Disjointed is a MUST READ!

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“HONEY!” Jun called to the house one evening as he arrived home from work with the kids. He was the first one out of the truck, bolting to the porch and almost running into his sister who burst out of the house, shushing him profusely.

Eddie stuck his head out the door, passing it off as if he were checking on Wayne who smoked a cigarette on the porch couch. The old man held out his pack of cigarettes, wordlessly inviting him to sit next to him.

“I swear ta God—If you wake up the babies, I’m gonna—“

“—They needa wake up, anyway, or they ain’t gonna sleep later! ‘sides, look at what I picked up off the side of the road!”

“Please don’t tell me you found another deer, I don’t wanna do that again.” Honey whined defeatedly.

“S’not a deer!” Aaron called from the back of the pickup, Junior made Honey cover her eyes before joining him. Honey peeked from behind her fingers, glancing over to Eddie’s porch and blushing at his gaze on hers as he smoked. He smiled, sending her a wink that almost had her weak in the knees.

She squeezed her eyes shut. “What is it, Jun, I got dinner on the stove!”

Cal ran around the front of the vehicle with wide eager eyes ready to explain, “Jun worked on a roof in Loch Nora, the fanciest neighborhood here, and the owners had this—“

“What did y’all take?!” She shrilled, eyes popping open as she tried to get off the porch before they could unload the mystery object.

“They were gettin’ rid of it—it had a sign and all, right Jun?” Aaron hollered over the top of the truck as he strained and the ear piercing screech of metal against metal reverberated throughout the lot. The smaller kids clamped their hands over their ears until it stopped.

Cal finally let Honey down the steps so she could see from the side of the yard, her eyes widening as it hit her, her hands flew over her mouth as she began to practically bounce in excitement. “Oh my god!”

“Your very own dryer!” Jun tapped the top lovingly.

“Wha—Jack! Jack are you messin? Does it really work? Don’t fuck with me, I mean it— if this is just another one of those jokes—“ She pleaded as her eyes stayed glued to the seemingly untouched machine.

“—Yeah, yeah, it works and everything! The owner lady said she wanted a different color for her house, can you believe it? I went and got the vent hook up and everything. Now we just gotta… figure out how the hell we’re s’ppossd to get it down...” He put his hands on his head and tried to figure out from his options of Cal or Janie which would be the most useful.

Aaron’s eyes shifted to Eddie the same moment Wayne tapped his shoulder and stood. “C’mon, boy, time to be neighborly.” Eddie followed without hesitation. Honey turned quickly at her siblings' gazes falling on the approaching figures behind her.

“We can lend a hand.” Wayne nodded at Junior, who nodded back respectfully.

Honey watched them with eager eyes raking over the pristine powder coated white. The knobs were intact and the labels were clear as day! No dents, no scratches— it looked like it came right out of a store. To Honey, it might as well have been.

Eddie hopped up in the bed of the pickup with Aaron while Jun and Wayne surveyed the situation from the sides and found the best spots to grab. “Alright, boys,” Jun started, “If y’all will just scoot it till ‘bout midway, then jump down to help us ease it offa there?”

Honey made her way back up to the porch, thankful she didn’t get roped into doing the heavy lifting again. It had been so long since she had a dryer, sometimes not having the washer at her disposal either. Gone were the days of scrubbing at the blood and mud stains on their clothes in the old sink back home. Gone were the days of frozen britches standing up against the wall in the winter time.

She looked into the house, only having to worry about clearing the way to the laundry room.

After lots of cussing and smashed fingers, the men got the dryer in the house, and all hooked up.

Wayne, being more lithe than Jun, settled himself between the two machines and the wall to cut the hole in the drywall for the vent. Eddie watched from the door way, seeing Honey’s giddy eyes watching them as they worked.

Eddie took the opportunity to take in the home, smiling at the ways it resembled his own; an ugly old couch, stained carpet, peeling linoleum in the kitchen, and smoke stains lining the walls. The little fridge was covered in magnets, art work and graded homework displayed for all to see. It all made his heart warm.

The plates in the sink didn’t match, some of which were chipped at the edges. But they were all beautiful with the floral patterns ringing the edges. Eddie turned his attention to the stove, a smoking pot of Mac and cheese sat burning on the burner.

“Uh, Honey?” He asked calmly, turning to the eager girl sitting on the washer as they worked.

“Yeah?” She asked with an easiness in her voice he hadn’t heard yet. And he was about to ruin it.

“Uh, your maca—“

“MY MACARONI!” She cried, jumping off the washer and flying past Eddie to turn off the burner and assess the damage as she attempted to stir the blackened Mac. “Fuck.” She let her head thud against the cabinet in defeat.

“Y’know, it isn’t all that bad.” Eddie tried to say assuringly, peeking into the pot and spotting the hardened shells. “Shit, maybe it is.” He mumbled, a chortle slipping from Honey as she nodded.

“Is it done yet?” Janie hollered from the other room.

“Oh, yeah, it’s done. For sure.” She joked, making Eddie smile, “It’s like a casserole in a way.” She shrugged, straining as she tried to stir the solid blocks of pasta and cheese.

Eddie snorted and took the pot from her, “Allow me.” He walked it outside, Honey following closely behind until he walked down the porch steps and went behind his trailer. She stopped at the corner of her house and cocked her head.

Eddie turned to her when he noticed she was no longer walking with him, “C’mon, I’ll show you.” Her feet moved before she could think about it, walking around the back of his house to see a few mismatched bowls laying around the concrete slab. Eddie flipped the pot over and the giant block plopped onto the ground with a wet thud. They shared a look and wrinkled their noses before they laughed.

Eddie walked back to stand with Honey, the girl turning to leave before he caught her arm. “Wait.” He said quietly. She scrunched her brows at him and looked back to the pile of pasta. In a few moments, one by one, cats crawled out from the tall grass or out from under his trailer, licking at the offering. Honey smiled at the sight, a few kittens milling around the larger cats.

“Aren’t they cute? The most I’ve counted out here at once is 20! People really need to spay and neuter their pets, man. But these guys are pretty cool, I think.”

“I’ve always liked the strays.” She mentioned, leaning against the house and looking to the west, the sun was setting. Tonight it threw magical gradients of orange and pink, half the sky already shrouded in gray blue. The clouds were massive, the colors breaking through the cracks in beaming rays. Honey sighed contently and took it in.

“Me too.” Eddie agreed. “The strays are always the best.”

Eddie looked at her again, glancing to the sunset she admired before looking back to her, his gaze going unnoticed for a few moments much to his delight. This light made her golden. Her eyes were even more spectacular in this moment, like shining, melting ice. Then she looked at him. “What?” She asked.

Eddie shook his head, not bothering to look anywhere else. “Nothing. Just looking at you.” He said.

Honey chuckled and shook her head with pink cheeks. “Alright then.” She stared back at him, noticing how pretty his eyes were in the light too.

“Want me to stop?” He asked. She tried to place the color of his eyes in the sunshine. She used to think his eyes were black, too dark to be brown. But now she knows she was mistaken.

She shook her head, “No.” she said simply.

Eddie’s mouth lifted in a smile. “Good, cause I’m not gonna.” His smile widened when he saw how she rolled her eyes and blushed deeper. He loved how he could make her change colors.

She stared at him a moment longer before it hit her, his eyes reminded her of raw honey right from the pot. She averted her eyes to the ground beneath her bare feet. “C’mon, I gotta fix new supper.” She said, easing back toward the house. Eddie followed her without question.

Before they could make it around the front, they heard Aaron calling for Honey. “Where’d they go?” He muttered.

“Ran off to Mexico.” Honey answered as she turned the corner, making Eddie chuckle as he carried the pot limply at his side.

Aaron chuckled, “Yeah, like you’d ever go back down south.” he said as he went back through the door. Honey rolled her eyes and climbed the steps.

“Next time I burn something, I’ll be sure to feed your cats.” She said without turning around. Eddie smiled as he followed her back inside.

“I think they’d like that a lot.” He said with a smile, placing the pot in the sink and watching her start anew.

“Thank you for your help, Mr. Munson.” Jun said when they were done, offering the old man a glass of ice water and a handshake.

“Anytime, and jus’ call me Wayne.” The older man smiled with his tobacco stained teeth. Honey smiled right back at him, giving him an eager handshake of her own, “Thank you, Mr. Wayne.” She said giddily before running off to start the laundry.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Another day, Aaron walked over and knocked on the screen door, knowing Eddie and Wayne were inside. “Come in!” The old man hollered.

“Hey there, Aaron.” Wayne said as he tied his work boot laces on the coffee table. “What can I do for you?”

“I was just coming to see if you and Eddie—“

“What about Eddie?” Eddie exited the bathroom, looking at Wayne first before he saw Aaron. “Hey, man.”

“Howdy. Honey wanted me to see if y’all wanted to eat supper at our’s tonight.” Eddie’s heart leapt at the offer.

“Oh, I’m about to head out to work, but Ed’s free.” Wayne clapped the boy on the shoulder. “I’m headin out. Be good.” He said like he always did. The screen door snapped shut behind him.

“You wanna eat?” Aaron asked.

“Is that even a real question?” Eddie answered as he headed towards the door.

When he crossed the threshold, Eddie took it all in; the wood paneling, the long worn couch that looked so tempting to sink into, eyeing the long table in the center of the room, pillows thrown around it where they’d sit to eat their meals. He could smell the cheesy hamburger helper simmering on the stove, his mouth watering. Honey stirred the large pots, then checked the oven for her roasted vegetables and dinner rolls.

He smiled when he saw how wild hairs escaped the bandana and bun atop her head, then shifted his gaze to the way she bent over to open the fridge for the butter dish, his favorite part of her greeting him from under her red shorts. He bit back his smirk at the sight.

Before he walked in here, he was looking forward to the canned ravioli he set out. But now all he could think about is the way Honey had something cooking on every burner of the stove, large portions with spices that he’d only describe as homey tickling his senses.

He looked back at the table, traces of the dark brown wood showed through the worn paint. But the green was still prominent and beautiful.

If they were in a larger house, like the Harringtons, a table like this would’ve been compared to one of those traditional Japanese dinner tables, and would perhaps be presented with a sushi spread across the top complete with saki and matching decor. Something rich people would’ve loved to see and experience.

Here, it was just an old table with the legs cut down, but Eddie hadn’t seen a sight that made his heart feel the way it did right now, his heart’s smile reaching his mouth.

Aaron took two couch cushions and tossed them down on two spaces near the end of the table. “S’not much, but, uh, we try to eat together. Honey said something about it keeping us out of jail or somethin’” he shrugged as he settled himself on the floor, Cal joining them on the other side of Aaron with his own bed pillow acting as his seat.

“She said she read a magazine with a statistic that said having family dinners decreases the risk of kids engaging in sexual activity and drugs, so for the past year she makes us all sit down together and eat.” Cal explained easily. Eddie raised his brows at the thought, thinking of how long ago Wayne started the night shift and then tried to remember if he ever ate with his parents.

“Janie! Would you put out the plates, please?” Honey hollered from the other room.

Janie rolled her eyes from the chair she always seemed to occupy and tossed her book back on the shelf. “I guess.” She said exasperatedly, walking to the counter and grabbing the large stack of mismatched plates.

“It’s not like you do it every day, or anything.” Cal said with an eye roll as he joined her to scoop up the tin of forks and knives and set them out behind her as she went.

Honey’s voice rang out once more, “Cal, could you—“

“I got it.” The boy called back.

Honey finally reappeared from the bedrooms, Frankie walking in front of her, stark naked, with a blanket trailing behind him, Randy on one hip, and a baby on the other. Eddie remembered the baby from the first day, though he couldn’t remember ever seeing or hearing it since.

Terry and Tommy ran out of the hallway behind her, arguing about who was at fault for the broken mobile above the baby’s crib, Honey biting back her thoughts as she worried her lips and set the baby in the play pen.

“Jesus Christ, Honey, get his pants on!” Janie whined at the sight of the feral child. Aaron rolled his eyes and pulled Frankie over to his lap, covering him up with the blanket he brought with him from his sleep, smelling faintly of detergent and… urine maybe?

“Fuck off, Janine.” Honey mumbled from the laundry room, tossing a load of clothes into the new dryer. Eddie and Aaron stifled their laughter, Cal disappearing for a moment before returning with a pair of small briefs, and tossing them at Aaron’s head.

Frankie stood, shamelessly naked and looked at Eddie as he worked on putting his feet in the leg holes. Eddie noticed the marred burn scars trailing down the boy’s shoulder and arm. Eddie averted his eyes to the tabletop, an etched face in the wood staring back at him with a downturned mouth. Frankie, now properly covered, then turned to Aaron. “Will you read me later?” He asked with difficulty in his R and L sounds.

Aaron feigned a groan as he stretched, “Oh? I s’ppose.” He drawled, and ruffling the boy's brown hair that stuck out every which way, resembling Junior’s, now that he thought about it.

Terry and Tommy were shaggy little menaces, their bushy bangs reaching well below their eyes, their smiles wide and silver capped. They were currently turned towards the staticky television, their hands pushing their bangs back to see the screen.

Eddie assumed Junior looked like their dad, the youngest boys resembling him the most, while the older kids favored Honey. But it was obvious they all belonged to the same people.

Aaron and Janie were the only two with deep dark hair, resembling each other the most at first glance.

Cal favored his oldest sister the most, through and through. His eyes were the same shade of gray while Aarons were brighter and bluer like Janie’s.

Honey’s eyes always seemed gray and heavy, though they never lacked depth, containing a story to be told about whoever had stolen the light from behind them. Nevertheless, Eddie always loved the color gray.

It was then her eyes fell on him, and his place at her table. “Hi.” She said in her southern drawl, managing a shy smile in his direction.

Eddie smiled back unabashedly, fighting the urge to stand up to greet her properly. “Hey, Honey.” Is all he managed, too enthralled with her eyes on him to realize how gooey and dreamy he might’ve looked himself.

Cal noticed before Aaron as he settled back down in the seat next to him, nudging his brother with his elbow and nodding to the scene. Aaron glanced at Eddie, who was still smiling dumbly at his sister, too wrapped up in her attention to notice when he turned to share a snicker with Cal.

Janie kneeled in her seat next to Cal, setting various cups of ice onto the table. “S’there tea and lemonade?” She asked her sister, though Honey didn’t notice, still stuck on Eddie as she stepped through to the kitchen.

“Honey!”

“What??” She bumped into the cabinets and finally looked at Janie. “—yeah, in the fridge, Y’know that.” She ducked down into the fridge to pull out the two pitchers and set them on the counter. Cal and Aaron picked up their cups and walked to the pitchers, Eddie following suit.

“I’ve been lookin’ forward to this tea all day.” Junior groaned as he entered the room with a wet head and clean clothes, a towel still slung around his shoulders as he walked past the table and grabbed a cup, joining the crowd gathered by the refreshments.

Aaron and Cal fell into conversation that blended in with the rest of the chatter as Eddie found Honey again, except she was setting the food out on the table and getting the youngest kids back in their seats— or cushions. Frankie and Randy sat in their places across from Janie and Cal, sword fighting with their forks as Honey settled the baby next to her place at the end of the table.

Next to Eddie.

He blushed at the realization, and smiled at her when she glanced at him with her own flushed cheeks.

“Y’all knock it off.” Junior said from the kitchen, Terry and Tommy dropping their forks on their plates with stifled smiles that showed they weren’t afraid of a little trouble. Eddie and Honey chuckled and met eyes again, the moment feeling shorter than it really was.

Cal cleared his throat, twice, before his sister looked up at his and his siblings expectant and waiting faces. Honey crinkled her brow and shook her head, “What?” She whispered, clueless.

Junior takes a seat on a short stool at the other end of the table and sets down Frankie and Randy’s plates, stirring the pasta and meat entree and blowing as if he were the big bad wolf, oblivious to the googly eyes set on his sister.

“Can we… eat?” Aaron asked with raised brows, his eyes flickering between his friend and his sister. Honey’s shock was gone in a second, only flashing across her face briefly before nodding profusely, “Yeah! Yes—eat. There’s enough to go ‘round but don’t get greedy.” She looked at Aaron, piling three dinner rolls on his plate before he passed the basket to Eddie. Honey reached over and snatched one off her brother's plate, leaning over Eddie as she did.

“Oh, c’mon!” Aaron whined, mouth full of roll as he whined. Eddie snickered and snuck a glance at Honey, her eyes shining playfully in a way he hadn’t seen before, her smile parting to lick the top of the roll and then bite into the buttery fluff she'd been dying to eat since she popped them out of the can.

Eddie couldn’t help but notice how long her tongue was. Or how white her teeth were. And the way her lips bunched when she chewed.

How he wanted to see her lips do different things.

Eddie took a generous sip of his tea, not noticing how Honey’s eyes lingered on his bobbing adams apple. He filled his plate as the dishes came around, not having a home cooked meal like this as far as he could remember. Sure, he’d had hamburger helper, but he never had it served with mashed potatoes and gravy, roasted vegetables, and warm oven baked rolls. The sweet tea was ice cold and so sweet he thought he might fall into a sugar coma later.

Honey had made enough food for every belly to be filled. She waited until the scrapes of silverware against the ceramic plates sounded to scoop her servings. Eddie glanced over to see her portions so measly he wrinkled his nose at it.

Junior asked the kids to tell him something good about their day and something they learned about at school. Honey turned to the baby, spooning mashed potato’s into their mouth. Janie launched into a story about the new friend she made at the library, while Eddie scooped up a mouthful of pasta and plopped it onto her plate. Honey just missed it, checking her plate and then looking at Eddie with suspicion before turning her attention back to Janie’s story.

“Her names Erica! She’s in my grade but we don’t have any classes together, well, we have lunch! So maybe I’ll have someone to sit with now!” Janie shined. Honey smiled at that and nodded, ready to say something until she heard it again, another plop.

Her eyes darted to his in shock as he repeated the action, another mouthful onto her plate. “What’d’ya think you’re doin?” She whispered, turning as the baby fussed for another bite. “Bi! Bi!” They urged with an open mouth leaning towards the spoon before successfully wrapping their mouth around it.

“Your plate is pitiful.” He remarked, another mouthful on her plate.

She gaped at him. Eddie scooped a mouthful of potatoes onto his fork and took a bite, meeting her eye again before he rolled his eyes dramatically. “So freaking good—you should try some.” He garbled. Honey giggled at him, Janie giving Honey the side-eye for giggling out of turn as she talked.

“—and we were assigned our books for the semester, but I dunno about it all that much.” She stabbed her roast carrots on her fork.

“What is it?” Cal asked.

“S’called The Hobbit by some guy—“

“Tolkien! That’s my favorite book! You have Mr. Freeman?” He asked, nodding with her when she did, “He was awesome, he made us read it back in middle school, it’s really good. I’ve read it like 7 times since but that’s probably down playing it.” Eddie smiled, looking around the table as he spoke before he looked over at Honey. Her eyes sparkled as she listened to him, taking a bite of the food he insisted she eat more of.

Janie looked more hopeful about the assignment after Eddie’s review of the book, the conversation falling onto Terry and Tommy as they spoke about rock wars at recess, cleaning chalkboards and erasers for their rock wars, and long division.

“I’s just mindin’ my business when Jacob come walkin’ up to us and kicked my tower over.” Terry explained.

“Yeah, and I didn’t like that shit.” Tommy added.

“Thomas!” Honey scolded with red cheeks.

“M sorry, please don’t whoop me!” He whined.

“Boy, I ain’t gonna hit you, jus—eat your dinner.” She clipped, stabbing another carrot onto her fork. The boys turned their faces back to their plates, scooping up mouthfuls of food to clean their plates.

The baby shoved every piece of food into their mouth, a ring of potatoes and cheese on their cheeks and nose. Eddie smiled at the baby’s light eyes. To his surprise, the baby smiled back with milky teeth and a throaty laugh, smearing their messy hands around their belly.

“Look at ‘em.” Janie muttered to Cal and nodded to the baby, “James Harrison, what’re you doin? Gettin all messy for the bath?” She asked in a small voice that made Baby James cackle. The whole table giggled.

Honey used her napkin and wiped James’s mouth the best she could before cleaning his hands. “Janie will you run his bath, please.” Honey asked without asking. Surprisingly, Janie was compliant and scooped the baby up to take to the other room.

Aaron used his last roll to wipe his plate clean before biting chunks out of it. Honey sat with her knees to her chest as she listened to Cal talk about his first weeks as the youngest freshman, meeting a group of nice kids that were in the A.V. Club that invited him to sit at their table for lunch.

“You think I could hang out with them after school sometime?” Cal looked at Jun first before Honey, though he kept his hopeful eyes locked on his sister. They sat for a moment as she thought for a minute before nodding.

“I guess so. They seem alright?” She asked, looking at her plate again. Cal nodded earnestly, “Total nerds, all of ‘em.” He insisted. Honey chuckled and nodded. “Okay, then. You can hang out with the nerds. Just call me to tell me where you are and when it’s time to come pick you up.”

Cal nodded and ate a few more bites of pasta before launching into a new formula he learned in math. Eddie didn’t miss the way Honey’s eyes lit up the way they did. She leaned forward on her fist to listen intently, nodding along when Cals eyes fell on hers as he talked about algebra I and letters mingling with numbers and how it fascinated him.

Honey shook her head in proud disbelief, looking down into her empty cup as Aaron began talking about their time in Mr. Gregory’s shop class.

“A kid nearly took his eye out with a nail gun today! Who was that guy, Ed, Richard somethin?”

“Ritchie—“

“Ritchie! Yeah! That guy don’t know up from down. Nail when clear through the ceiling, it was awesome.” He chuckled as Jun rolled his eyes.

“I said something you learned, dumbass.” Jun chided.

“Duh, I learned nail gun safety!”

She stood to fill her glass, listening as Aaron mentioned the class giggling at his accent in English when he was called to read aloud. “It was embarrassing at first, but this girl—this beautiful, beautiful girl, Pamela DiSantis— turns to me and tells me she thinks it’s cute.” He gushed to Honey, sinking into his chair with pink cheeks.

Eddie chuckled and nudged the boy's arm, “I heard from Carla and Chrissy that she was talking about you at practice too.” He smirked as Aaron clutched his heart and swooned, the table erupting with giggles.

Honey chuckled weakly before picking up her clean plate and taking it to the sink, slipping out the front door without a word.

It took Eddie a moment to notice she wasn’t sitting next to him anymore, let alone not in the house. Aaron had begun picking up all the plates and scraping them off when Eddie joined him, placing his own cleared dishes in the sink and grabbing the last few. Junior walked over to the middle of the table, reaching under and unlatching a clasp before it popped apart into the two pieces Eddie saw them carrying in about a month ago.

Aaron started running hot water into the sink, eying the pots on the stove as Eddie spoke, “Think I’m gonna step out for a smoke, s’that alright?”

Aaron raised his brows and glanced out the open door and back to his friend with a smile. “Sure, man. Go for it! Hold on—“ Aaron fluffed Eddie’s hair and dusted off his shoulders until he swatted his hands away and rolled his eyes to hide his blushing cheeks.

“Okay, okay!” He fussed, weakly slapping Aaron’s hands away.

“Go get her, slick.” Aaron said, flicking soapy water at Eddie’s back as he walked away.

Junior watched the exchange wearily, his jaw clenched as he debated taking a smoke break himself.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Honey hated that she was feeling this way again.

She hated how sensitive she could be.

It was beyond her that physical pain didn’t ache this deeply. Blows to the head didn’t make her this dizzy. It bothered her, that she had no idea what to call this feeling. Or how to make it go away.

She lit her cigarette as soon as she stepped out onto the porch, puffing three quick times and not wincing away when the smoke stung her eyes and made them water up.

She plopped down on the step and ran a hand over her face with a deep sigh, resisting the urge to dig her nails into her palms or thighs the way she had as an angry child.

She settled for biting her nails as she stared at the grass and thought about what pretty girls Carla and Chrissy must be. She wondered how they did their hair, if they wore the skirts she wishes she could afford, if they went to the mall after school to look at clothes and boys. If they were smart.

She wondered how many girls talked to Eddie every day at school. And how many of them he said the same sweet things to. How many of them he shared cigarettes with and called sweetheart.

He only said their names, that they were talking about Aaron. She reminded herself, taking a drag and wiping her eyes as she heard the familiar pop and clank of Junior taking apart the dinner table, and the squeak of Aaron turning on the faucet.

She sighed in relief at the thought of him cleaning up without being asked, hoping he doesn’t throw out the leftovers again, but was too tired to care enough to rush back in to set out the Tupperware.

The tired screen door jolted Honey from her thoughts, “Hey, there.” Eddie said softly as he stepped onto the porch, closing the door behind him. Honey turned in an instant, his footfalls growing nearer until he sat in a chair on the porch to light a cigarette.

“Hi.” She smiled, the ache fading. He pulled the chair next to him closer and patted it. She obliged immediately, which Eddie loved.

She looked him over as she got comfortable, his long legs somehow looked sexier as he sat, his knees slightly bent and spread. He must’ve caught her looking cause the next thing out of his mouth was, “See something you like?”

She was stunned at the question, her mouth trying to form all the defenses she could, but none came to mind.

What's so wrong with a little flirting? She wondered. He is flirting with me right?

She nodded instead and averted her gaze to her hands. Eddie scooted his chair closer to her with a lit cigarette between his lips. He took it away and exhaled. “Oh, I see… tell me about it then.” He nodded and waited for her answer as she puffed a couple times. “Clamming up on me now? Cat got your tongue?” He teased.

Honey glowered with a smile nagging at her lips, “No, I just—I uh, I like… your clothes.” She muttered.

Eddie bit the inside of his cheek to conceal his growing smile. “Thanks, babe—like yours too.” He said more cooly than he felt and winked. He stole a long look at her legs stretched out in front of her, scarred and bruised in some places.

“Y’know, letting me stay for dinner is just about the same as feeding a feral cat? I’m just gonna keep coming back now.” He nudged her shoulder, his dimpled smile coaxing her own out of her.

Honey shook her head and took a drag. “Well, whenever you wanna meal.”

“Don’t tell me that, Honey, I’m a weak and hungry man.” He chuckled at the lift of the corners of her mouth before they fell again. He glanced down to her hands, her cigarette cradled between her little fingers, her once healthy and polished nails now short, chipped and jagged. He knitted his brow.

“You okay, Honey?” He asked quietly.

“Mhm!” She nodded around her cigarette, “I’m good! It’s been a good week. A really good week.” She reminded herself with another nod. A tether tugging in Eddie’s gut told him she was lying, but didn’t have any reason to believe otherwise so he nodded.

“That’s great.” He nodded.

This is so stupid. He whined internally.

“How was school?” She asked.

Eddie groaned and leaned back, “The usual torture, y’know, iambic pentameter, decimals and fractions, the ever stupid and useless Pythagorean theorem.” He rolled his eyes.

Honey tilted her head in confusion, her eyes seemingly vacant though she was panicking behind those beautiful eyes. Eddie’s eyes widened before he leaned forward, “English and math are hard for me. Along with science and history and everything else. I’m barely scraping by, actually.” He felt a pang of guilt in his chest.

She nodded her head as the tension eased. She put out her cigarette and for a moment he worried she would leave again. Instead she turned in her chair to face him better. “Could you tell me?”

“What?” Eddie asked with quiet alarm.

“What’s.. iambic pentameter mean?” She asked quietly.

Eddie could only stare back for a moment before clearing his throat and answering. “Uh, well, it’s uh… S’like…” he took a puff to buffer and blushed when she chuckled. He smiled, comfortable in embarrassment, “—See I told you, I’m not good at school!” He shook his head and continued to struggle for the right words, but met her eye when he heard the sound of her soft laughter. Immediately his thoughts stopped, his heart pinching when her eyes flicked to him behind the cigarette.

He felt the dumb smile tug on his lips as he stared unashamed. She pulled her knees to her chest as her cheeks flushed. “What?” Her smile still lingered as she ducked to hide a little behind her bent knees.

“Oh, uh.. nothin’— just uh—” He shrugged it off casually as he lost all remaining bits of his facade, flaking apart the longer she smiled at him and laughed at his foolishness. Being laughed at never felt so good before.

“—Saw something you like?” She asked daringly just above a whisper. Eddie chuckled and blushed, pressing his lips together to keep from smiling as wide as he wanted to. He failed as he nodded and leaned forward.

“Yes, ma’am.”

She took a long breath in and out to steady herself and bit back her smile. “Tell me more.. about school.”

“Tell me more about you.” He countered. She quirked an eyebrow at him.

“You didn’t answer my question yet!” She shot back, leaning back in her seat and taking a drag. Eddie’s eyes gleamed at her playfulness.

“Iambic pentameter…” he thought with searching eyes, “It’s…like a way to write poetry. Like a rhythm you follow or something.” He shrugged, “Your turn.”

“I… uhm,” she sighed, suddenly rigid. Eddie softened, the playfulness fading away.

“You said you like to be outside?” He offered. Her eyes caught his, questions forming behind glossy crystalline eyes. She nodded, “Yeah, yeah, of course.” She chuckled.

Eddie smiled, “What else do you do outside?” He handed her his cigarette.

She smiled as a thought hit her, “I like to garden, plant flowers an’ all.” She nodded and smoked. Eddie smiled, because of course she would.

“Ooh, are you gonna have flowers in the spring?” He asked with an interested smile. He could already picture her long hair tied up while she spent time weeding and mulching— bare knees on the grass and hands stained with soil clinging to her fingernails.

“I sure hope so!” She smiled in wonder, “Tulips, begonias, marigolds, roses, ugh. And all the colors!” She gushed.

For a moment Honey forgot about the girls and even the worries following her from Oklahoma. Eddie listened intently and asked little questions about planting just to see her eyes widen and make more words come out of her mouth.

But then a white Pontiac pulled up to Eddie’s trailer, the top down and stuffed full of cheerleaders and letterman’s.

Eddie sighed, “Shit.” and stamped out his cigarette. “I have some business to attend to, sweetheart, but will you be here when I get back?” Eddie asked with a small pout and puppy dog eyes. She looked nervously from him to the waiting car, Eddie whined and gave a pathetic “Pwease?” that made her grin until her eyes almost closed. She pushed his shoulder with her hand.

“Yeah, I will. Go on now.” She answered softly with a tensed smile, unable to look at him and looking ahead at the trailer across from their lot instead. Eddie’s eyes softened as he nodded at her, “I’ll be right back.” He stood up and took large strides towards his home with his hands shoved in his pockets.

Honey didn’t miss the way two cheerleaders hopped out of the car, smiles on their faces as they bounced over to Eddie with eager greetings. She glanced to the rest of group in the backseat, the remaining boys looking at her shamelessly and exchanging murmurs.

She knew their kind, too well. She hardened her face and took another heavy drag on Eddie’s cigarette before closing her knees and drawing them to her chest, suddenly aware of how short her shorts were.

Her eyes darted back to Eddie, hearing his easy laughter as he held the door open for the girls walking inside. He didn’t spare her a glance as he followed them, the ache in her chest blooming again.

“Hey, cutie!” The boys whooped and hollered to Honey. She didn’t look their way at first, opting to take a drag instead. “What’s a pretty little thing like you hanging around the likes of the freak?” A blond boy hollered, catching her attention at the mention of Eddie. The guy hopped out of the car, two more of him following as he approached her.

Honey hopped up and turned to walk back inside, “Oh, c’mon, I just wanna talk! How come I haven’t seen you around before?” He asked before she spun around, letting the door snap shut before she grabbed the abandoned shovel from Terry and Tommy’s hole digging.

The boys let out amused chuckles, staying on the grass before the first step to the porch. She clenched her jaw and stared the boy down. “I’m new.” She gritted.

The boy nodded, “You, uh, you goin’ to Hawkins High?” He asked as his eyes raked her over again, his friends snickering behind him.

She shook her head no, looking to Eddie’s door again, willing it to open any second. “You should come hang out with us.” The boy said, the other boys agreeing. “Got some drinks, some snacks, getting some party favors from Munson… gonna go down to the lake to swim later. Do you like to swim?”

He seemed almost genuine, Honey almost answered his question, but before she could answer, the screen door behind her busted open, Aaron charging outside with Jun hot on his heels. “What the fuck are you doing here?” Aaron asked with bile on his tongue.

The boy looked surprised when he saw Aaron behind Honey. “Oh my gosh, Aaron Haller! Why am I not surprised to see you here of all places?” The jocks snickered yet again, the scene being good fun for the likes of them.

“I asked ya a question, Jason.” Aaron took a step forward before Honey blocked the way and Jun placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

“Nope, nope.” Jun muttered quietly, as if to say ‘not yet.’

Jason turned his attention back to Honey, “To answer your question, Aaron, I’m here to pick up from Munson. But you should know all about that don’t you, farm boy?” He asked, mocking his accent.

Honey scrunched her brows and looked to Eddie’s trailer, where the girls were emerging with a fairly large brown paper bag in hand, Eddie behind them, smiling until he followed their line of sight. His eyes were wide when he saw her, clutching her shovel and looking like a wild animal backed into a corner.

“Jason!” The blondest girl shouted from the car, “Quit messing around, we got the stuff.” The two girls looked at Honey once more before exchanging words and smiling to one another, it made Honey’s stomach churn. Jun sighed and turned to the door, disappearing inside.

“That’s enough.” Eddie muttered, shoving his way between Jason and Honey on the stairs, the boys retreated slowly as if they didn’t even want to risk touching him, except Jason.

“Why don’t you let her tell me that?” Jason asked, his eyes back on Honey.

Her mouth opened to respond, but Eddie was faster, a mocking chuckle leaving his smile before he said, “You think she’s holding a shovel for fun? Get outta here, man, you got your stuff, now get lost.” Eddie’s jaw was clenched as he waited, wondering if this was about to turn as bad as he suspected it would.

“Last time I checked this isn’t your property, freak.” He spat.

Just as Eddie was going to speak, the door burst open, hitting the side of the house to reveal Jun looking more tired than anything as he held a broken over shotgun at his waist, casually sliding shells inside, “Yeah? Well, it’s mine,” he racked it, Aaron yanked Cal and Janie backwards against the house at the sound, “—so get the fuck out.”

“—Honey?” Terry rasped through the screen as he rubbed his tired eyes. Janie made a break for the door, scooping up the boy and wordlessly running into the house to lock the door behind her. The sound made Jason almost shiver.

Jason stared at him with wide eyes, fear filling them before they eased as of a realization came to him, making him chuckle half heartedly. “D-Do you know who I am?”

“I don’t care who your daddy is, you little shit.” He raised the gun, “I ain’t afraid of another charge. I suggest you get a move on.” Jun warned one last time. “One…” He started.

Jason stood, the only one still left on the patchy lawn. Jun cocked his brow at him daringly.

“Jason, come ON!” Another girl shrilled.

Jason swallowed hard at the vague threat. “Just trying to be friendly, sir, that’s all.” He raised his hands as he retreated to the car.

“I’ll see you around.” Jason muttered, his eyes not leaving Honey’s until he was in the car, driving away.

No one moved until the car turned onto the main road, then Honey sighed and dropped the shovel with a heavy clunk.

“Fuck, Jun, you didn’t have to pull a gun on em!” Honey scolded at her brothers back, the man knocking in a set rhythm before the locks clicked and the door opened back up to reveal Janie’s tear stained cheeks. “You really wanna be that family here too? You want people to think you’re a criminal??”

“And what, let ‘em get comfortable on the porch? Not everyone that turns up on our step is the welcome wagon, Honey!” Jun hollered as he unloaded the gun, letting the shells clatter to the floor.

“I didn’t say that—I coulda handled it!” She followed him as he went to hang up the gun on the wall.

“Yeah, sure looked like it, were you planning on using that shovel or?”

“If you would’ve given me a chance to—“

“Jason Carver doesn’t take no for an answer.” Eddie piped up by the open door, his arms crossed in front of him as he leaned against the frame. Aaron nodded. Everyone’s eyes were on Eddie.

“He may seem real nice and all, but when he isn’t with his girlfriend,” Eddie stared into Honey’s eyes, “He’s with anyone else.” The words were sour even at the sound. The phrase burned Honey’s chest.

Anyone else.

“Thanks.” She said dryly, her tone cutting through Eddie and making him almost flinch. “Janie, will you put Terry back in bed?”

“Aaron’s gonna read to all us.” Terry said into his sisters shoulder as she walked, the older boy sighing and walking along reluctantly, tossing Eddie a ‘be right back.’

“I’m gonna hit the hay.” Jun said, walking down the hall to his room.

Then it was just Honey, Eddie, and Cal, standing in thick silence. Cal cleared his throat and made an excuse about homework before escaping to his room with the boys.

Honey sighed when she heard the door shut and finally took a peek back up at Eddie. His eyes were already on hers with concern. “Are you okay?” He asked.

She nodded unconvincingly, “Yep. ‘M fine.” She unfolded her arms taking a couple steps back, Eddie spying the slight tremor she had in her hands.

“I don’t believe you.” He whispered, taking a step closer, daring to catch her hand as she turned. Her eyes snapped to his again, her heart pounding in her throat. “Those guys—those guys can get very scary, very fast, you know what I mean?” He asked gently. Honey’s eyes softened as she nodded understandingly.

“I know you’re tough, Honey.” He stepped closer again, still not dropping her hand, “I know you can handle your own. Hell, if I needed someone to fight, you’re the first person I’d think of— don’t tell Aaron I said that.” He joked, smiling a bit when her frown cracked from its place. “But I don’t want, uh, I don’t want Jason Carver—or anyone else— messing with you—guys. So if anyone starts shit with you, you tell me. Okay? You tell me.” He nodded, moving to bring his hand up to her cheek until she flinched away.

Eddie’s mouth parted with a gasp before she yanked her hand back, stepping into the kitchen and wiping her face with her hands as she assessed the dinner mess. She nodded, “Yeah, uh, I will. I’ll let you know, Eddie. Thanks.” She glanced at him as she opened the fridge, putting on a semi-convincing smile before she ducked to grab the lunch meat, bending at the waist.

Eddie watched the fabric stretch over her ass as she did, but the sight didn’t bring him joy the same way it always did. A heavy sigh escaped him before she shut the fridge and opened a cabinet, pulling out stacks of Tupperware and brown paper bags. “Thanks.” He said dejectedly.

He watched her work in silence before walking up behind her, closer than he’d ever been before. He placed his hand on the counter next to hers. She smelled him before she felt him behind her, the heady sweet smoke following him and making the back of her mouth tingle with want. “Honey, are—are we okay?”

Honey looked at his hand first, debating on slipping her fingers through his right there to tell him what was on her mind. About the pretty girls that made her feel bad about herself, about the weird, scary way Jason looked at her. She wanted to tell him a lot of things. She put down the spoon but didn’t turn, their fingers brushing but not overlapping just yet. She sighed as words failed her and settled for “Course we are.” instead.

Eddie’s eyes looked sad when she finally peeked up at him. He shook his head ever so slightly, “I don’t—“ the sound of a bedroom door opening jolted them apart, Eddie stepping back to lean against the sink while Honey returned to her leftovers, boxing the last of it up for Jun’s lunch.

Aaron came out of the hallway with a sigh, “Dr. Seuss never lets me down. S’like magic sometimes, don’t you—” He stopped just short of the kitchen, looking at his sister and then Eddie, “What’s up? We good?”

The pair nodded and confirmed, “Yeah! Great!”

“Absolutely.”

Aaron looked less than convinced before he flopped on the couch, “Alright, weirdos.”

“I’m gonna go.” Eddie said, turning for the door.

“See ya, man.” Aaron said as he looked around for the remote. Honey was setting out all the bread she’d need for the kids sandwiches when she looked back to sneak a peek.

When her eyes landed on the door, she found him waiting for her with one foot in and the other on the porch, his eyes set on her, “Bye, Honey.” He said in the quiet, dreamy way he always did sending a little wave her way. He waited for her to say something back— for that assurance.

She sighed before her face softened, “Bye, Eddie.” She wiggled her fingers the way he did, turning back around before he could spot the blush and smile blooming again on her face no matter how much she bit it back. She shook her head at herself as the warmth faded into that ache again, and slapped some mayonnaise on the white bread.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The next day at lunch, Aaron flopped down in his chair next to Gareth, digging out his sack lunch from his bag as he voiced his loud opinion on the schools ‘no hats’ policy, then tossed another to Eddie at the end of the table.

Eddie looked at the boy like he had two heads, “What’s this?” He opened the top and peered inside.

“Sister sent it for you.” Aaron said through a garbled mouthful of sandwich, bouncing his eyebrows suggestively. Eddie dumped the contents out on the table, a ham and cheese sandwich, a ziploc bag of chips, a small red apple and a Twinkie. He smiled to himself before he noticed the yellow sticky note still stuck inside the bag.

“No fair! She gave you a Twinkie and I got a ding-dong, what the fuck!” Aaron complained, looking at his own lunch. The guys chuckled and made awful ding-dong jokes as Eddie carefully extracted the note from the bag without drawing attention. He took a bite out of the apple and looked to the paper in his lap, only to find a simple smiley face looking back at him.

-

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💖Taglist darlins (please lmk if you wanna be added or taken off!) 💖

@gaysludge @feminist-mina-harker @superbcoffeedrinkersubparwriter @superbreblogger @dylanmunson @miarosso @madmaxoolitchi @bimbobaggins69 @cherrycolas-things @big-ope-vibes @k8loo @loving-and-dreaming @jadequeen88 @josephfakingquinn @v0relino @newshade

[sewer-freak]

LONG ASS MESSAGE WARNING!!!! I have Things to Share! You've not been super online lately so I've complied sum shit that may be of interest to you.

(turning off my pink text bc normal text is easier on the eyes for big messages likethis)

I've Accepted that my instinctive feelings toward your buddy Cain are. Different from yours and uhhhuhhhhh usually try not to make Too big a thing of it. (TBH, I get an instinctive bad vibe from. Most people. So that on its own isn't enough to go off of anyway.)

however!!!! I have reason to believe that he is The Kiwi Creep. (<- I gave him a name like they do for prolific killers)

Firstly, I present to you: These posts! I'm not a huge fan of this girl's either, but it is super useful that people just confess their dark incriminating secrets to her sometimes.

https://www.tumblr.com/heavensentofficial/757394760772337664/everything-is-alright-yes-its-just-not?source=share

https://www.tumblr.com/heavensentofficial/757737395132186624/apologies-for-the-late-acknowledgment-thank-you?source=share

(The second one has confirmation that this the same person that's been harassing you!)

"Anyway, I’ve been intentionally misleading people. Or, one particular person.

She’s someone I truly hold dear and appreciate, yet I’ve been anonymously sending her sadistic, lewd fantasies I have about her. They make her scared and uncomfortable, but every time I send them, she comes to me for help. …Without knowing it’s me."

"I can’t keep up the act anymore, I feel as if everything’s blurring together. I’m hurting her. Yet I’m the person she seeks comfort from. She’s coming to the very person who’s causing her issues in the first place and she has no idea."

Sound familiar???

I find it interesting too that The Kiwi Creep instead of going to Cain like you suggested went to this totally uninvolved person! (Kind of like how you never see Batman and Bruce Wayne in the same room!)

Coincidence? I for one think not!

If this isn't enough, he recently announced he'd be going on break.

https://www.tumblr.com/divinetouchdown/757916668887515136/hello-all-i-have-an-important-announcement-to?source=share

To do what? To handle an issue offline with higher ups at the temple. Guess he decided the coal-walking wasn't enough...

I don't usually go there anymore bc the local temple is built on abuse, puritanical hypocrisy and stuffing people into nasty, hard to clean chastity devices, but because I wanted to get to the bottom of this, I dressed up as Edin, who he'd trust, to see if I could get footage of him doing the things The Kiwi Creep said he'd do. I have some videos I can send you in DMs if you want em.

To top it all off, I got an account of his character from someone else that knows him.

https://www.tumblr.com/poorsadorphanposting/757925978181943296/hi-hi-%CB%86%E1%97%9C%CB%86-i-hear-youve-talked-to-one-mr?source=share

I personally think it's pretty fucking damning but you ofc are free to reach your own conclusions.

Anywayz I hope you're alright n I know this ask is probably kind of overwhelming gihfuoji;kl ... Idk if putting it all out there like this is even helpful but I feel Strongly about The Truth being important. Feel free 2 take your time n figure out how you feel about this info n stuff idfk

hi. yea sorry idont have a good consept of timr. im mot on here alot. immrlyy truing to thnk words but its hard. id o not feel well.

i also get bad vibes feom everyone but idk idk cain i felt like. like he proved hilmself to me like he was different he said he was and he was but ffXKKNG KIWI SAID HE WAS DIFFERTN AND FHAT IF I KNEW WHO HE WAS I wouldd dhnage my tone oh nnyhod im going to be sick

wwwhhatt do yiu mean “shes comjing tothe bery peraon who is causing her jssues” hes so nice why WHYDO I MAKE EVERYUONE WANT TO HURT ME?! clearly he doesnt eant to feel like that he told me it frustrated him and hedidnt know what to so with the feelings i provoked him i always dducking do this i shojldnt interact with anyone evwer

ii i i dont kniw alot about the temple 8 only know whathes told me .,,, i thought he wpuld twll me to join but he neverdid it was alwaays more like “come to me with ur issues i can fix them!” idk idk idk

can

can you send me the vjdeos

i fffrll so horrible idont know what to do

[maxicaiman]

I don’t think I’ve seen you post much about it yet but if you want you should totally info dump a little about ur repo au!! I’m really curious about it

Of course only if you want (or if ur waiting to spill about it that’s chill)

I would LOVE to infodump about my silly AU!! I’ve posted some art and such but not much with in-depth lore, which I’ve been adding to for the last few days!! So I’ve got,,,, a lot. I’ve got a basic introduction to the AU written out in google docs, which I’ll share here, then ramble just some basic information!!

Based on Repo! The Genetic Opera (which I highly recommend to watch as it will give some insight into this au and some dynamics / relationships) this AU focuses on the aftermath of an epidemic of T-Cog failures. After medics and surgeons across the factions were instructed to work together to help replace infected T-Cogs, the factions changed. Megatron was less worried about defeating Optimus Prime and the Autobots and more concerned with the repayment of those who’d gotten the surgeries. Oftentimes, bots couldn’t afford to make their payments, and Megatron would send his mercenaries after them.

The war still goes on in the new society, one driven by greed and the repayment of debts. Optimus Prime now runs a smaller group of bots designated in helping those who need it, while Megatron runs an empire built on greed and corruption.

An important thing to note (and something I’m often asked / the au is compared to) is this is not an infection au of any kind!! I have considered making one but wanted to focus more on the aftermath of the epidemic and such. This AU ended up being pretty focused on relationships and me being able to make my ships / rarepairs canon in SOME universe.

This AU is kind of a mix of IDW, TFP and TFA. I’m mixing in a lot of characters from different universes (Strongarm and Hound, who have never met in a single universe that I know of, are a married couple and I love them so so much). This is also partially bc I overthink worldbuilding and get WAY too into it than I should

BUT YEAH SO Cons now work as mercenaries, at least those who had no surgery / were able to pay their debts. A LOT of those who fell victim to in epidemic were Cons, as they had larger numbers and it spread quicker among them. On top of this, Autobots were able to pay their debts off easier, as higher members of the faction (Optimus and his close team) would help to pay off their debts. So this results in a lot of the mercenaries going after old friends. Megatron is basically tearing his own team apart because he’s greedy and selfish

And Optimus is just. Not having a good time. He’s constantly worried for his team, especially Ratchet (who has chosen to stay with Megatron full time to work on a more permanent cure and definitely not because they’re starting to like one another and Megs wants Optimus to be jealous) His amazing wife (love Elita One sm she’s so) is there to help him and just generally be a girlboss while her husband is having a panic attack in the corner. He just feels super guilty for not being able to stop Megatron earlier on

I literally just got this idea in the middle of writing this out but the movie is focused on a teenager who’s sick and her finding out her family secrets and such and oh my fucking god Rodimus could play that role. Optimus wants to keep him away from Megatron and the Cons, because he’s VERY anxious and wants some form of control over someone (because no one takes him seriously due to his immunity thanks to the Matrix)

UHHHHH YEAH that’s kinda all I got for now!! I’m working on writing out info for the main characters and such, and will eventually post this document for everyone to read and such! thank you for letting me ramble to you heheheh

[merlin-wolfgang-trades-hale]

I took 3 melatonin last night and fell asleep reading McDanno and watching Magic Mike XXL and so as I was falling o was thinking about a recent gay romcom…it’s either called Bros or Bromance I think????

But anyway, Danny befriends a young hot gay guy who looks like the poster child of what Abrocombi and finch(I was never thin enough or rich enough to shop there so idk how to spell it) would look like but he’s a total sweet heart! And his gaydar is very spot on! Plus after a single day he knows this is a friendship that’s worth it. He helps Danny return to being true to himself. He’s known he’s not straight for a long time but after he married Rachel a lot of the less understanding people in his life thought he “finally chose a side” or “god it out of his system” and that took a toll for the whole time he was married. Dating after that was hard bc the divorce left him angry and bitter and he wanted to focus on being the dad Grace deserved.

And also the man he wanted he wasn’t sure he could get. Steve was everything he could hope for but nothing ever happened…No matter how much he made it obvious. And any time he wanted to be bold himself something happened. And he wasn’t immune to being human and wanting to fix Grace’s family for her sake but that’s really why he even looked at Rachel that kind of way when her marriage to Stan seem to weaken…

It’s an accumulated to having to be content with the strong family he’s built on the island bc of Steve…that’d have to be good enough.

That’s the story he tells the group of hot young gay guys as he’s dragged out to a gay club on one of his free nights. He also protects the group from both a creeper in the club and a homophobe in the streets.

In thanks they buy him drinks and listen to him go on and on and on about Steve.

Of course they begin to plot. But after Danny’s tired they all go back to his place and they put in Top Gun and make points of how gay the navy is (I’ve yet to watch either top gun movie but I’ve been lead believe it is v gay)

But anyway, in romcom fashion (and I’m not one for romcoms…The situations to make it work carry a lot of embarrassment and it gives me second hand embarrassment and I just can’t, but fic is different) Steve arrives at Danny’s…unannounced, with a key, to find Danny sleeping nestled between a lot of hot, young, ripped guys who are in different states of dress and are all very comfortable.

That’s all I got for now. I’ve been chasing inspiration all month and it’s been trying…so I’m glad of any ideas.

[indigosprite]

Felt like droning on about Squalo and xanxus so here’s the prior brainrot but I have to fill in the gaps

(Each explanation is for the photo below it not above.)

But first the start

This is about how I think xanxus views his second in command in a way. I doubt he thinks anyone is better than him but I bet he does think they were naturally afforded his opportunities and that’s fckn annoying.

Possibility of Xanxus getting (or feeling like he does) a different kind of respect from his peers. Also it’s about his perception of things not reality. But in a fun world this is the reality bc the mafia in khr is so hypocritical to me. They’re so black and white in this ridiculous way. Especially when it comes to them trying to be seen as good dmkdkdjd like yeah the dude that hired Dino to kill gokudera if he betrayed Tsuna is so good and keeping balance in the world psjdsjndnd. Also I was deep in brainrot about the state of the mafia beyond the Vongola and how peers might see them and interact with them. Unlike the boys everyone else was raised in the mafia world and that is their general world view and I’m interested in the perspective of a mafiosi that gets up and reads the gossip about other families instead of news a commoner would read. How would they view the Vongola drama from the standpoint of their norm vs what feels correct

Also I could not find the message but the last bit abt the just wanting the top spot I said something along the lines of : he is content with the name that the family has for itself, and even though he believes he’s great, and worthy and capable of leading a family like that, and absolutely should be the one in charge of that he would never go on and create it himself. He doesn’t care that way to make a family. He cares about being in charge of something that matters not making something that matters if that makes sense. He’s kind of the opposite of Byakuran in that sense. Byakuran went and built things utilizing uni and her family when he likely could have just taken over one somehow. but he likes a game and needed it made by him for him.

To me Squalo , like gokudera and Dino were raised in mafia society and probably retain a lot of their traditional values and practices. So the way xanxus and Tsuna sort of enter in to this and want things their way or question intentions and the way things are could never be him. He probably even follows and respects xanxus because of those values albeit with a little deviation, “Xanxus deserves this title because it’s what’s right” sort of way.

I liked this possibility of silent internal conflict because it’s about more than Xanxus being obnoxious but respected by him. It’s not even about whether they can stand each other or not , the dislike poses a much bigger question that’s easily hid in mere disscontempt. I like it because it offers some sort of questioning and resentment, he would never step out of line with the mafia that’s not who he is. But feeling like they are doing something he does not fully agree with and questions some aspect of is such an interesting arc to me for those kinds of characters. Maybe he likes xanxus for his drive and the fact that he should be the successor but resents him for sitting on this title kind of in his way of what was meant for him.

[khaleesiofalicante]

Damn I feel like it's been forever for some reason lmao. Last week's hell is finally over and I get to relax this week! I'm going out with some friends on Friday and I've also cleared my phone and organized my notes!!! It feels so good😭 Now I have some thoughts about last chapter BECAUSE WOW

First of all fuck Mallory, I hate her and I will never get tired of saying this and I am now divided between wanting to read the next chapter so bad and dreading it with my whole being 🙂

My heart broke into a million pieces with the first part!!! Rafael's fear for Max is shown so damn well and Max's thoughts are messy and all over the place and the way you can see him moving in and out of reality is overwhelming!!

I kinda guessed the "why isn't he smiling?" part but fuck if it ripped my heart 😭😭

"Tears of grief" Max loving him so much he literally recognizes his tears and knows these ones too.... And saying he looks as if he is grieving something that was his everything, not knowing David was grieving him. Grieving them. The life they had built. Gone.

"I wanna see daddy" WHEN I TELL YOU I WAS SCREAMING INTERNALLY ON MY FLOOR!! When we first saw on the first chapters I was so confused and now that the dots connected I am in pain 😭. And you wrote that scene so beautifully, their pain and horror and how you see Max slowly losing himself because it's just too much. The pain is too much. Losing David, Lance's pain, his job, his home...

And the scene with Magnus!!! GOING TO MY FAVE COLLECTION 🥺. Also him giving the band to AJ later, because Magnus said he could give it to someone else when it hurt just a little bit less HOLY SHIT😭😭

I can go on a three hour analysis so Imma stop jdhdjdjkd. BUT THE PRESENT TOO JFC

Max's growth. That ends me everytime. Seeing how much he has changed and how he survived through all of this. Thinking of the was Alec told him how proud he is of Max because he made it. Not the way he planned. But he did it. He got so far, and that took so much strength but he still survived. Same Alec, same🥹

But also the fucking parallel:

"He was careful now (...) Just in case. Just in case he'll get his heart broken all over again."

///

Not without an explanation. Not without getting his heart broken into a million pieces one last time.

Then, just like everything else in life, things slowly got better. This whole fic is a prove of it and I can't even-

YES LANCE CALL HIS IDIOTIC SELF OUT!!! TELL HIM DAVID LOVES HIM MORE THAN LIFE ITSELF!!! I WILL NEVER GET TIRED IF HIS SASS BTW

You once said that tlnd was was about acceptance and healing, but IALS is about forgiveness, about learning to forgive the people we love, but mostly about learning to forgive ourselves (I have the receipts don't @ me) and this scene portrayed that so well. Even though Max knows it wasn't his fault he still blames himself. Because knowing is not the same as accepting it. As Max said, shit is hard to internalize.

THIS GOES TO MY TOP 10😭😭 LANCE AND MAX TALKING TO EACH OTHER IS EVERYTHING I KNEW I NEEDED FROM THE VERY START I AM SO EMOTIONAL!!! Also Lance and Max's detective skills together??? ✨ Iconic✨

Tell me how to love you as you want to be loved and I'll do it to give you the comfort and safety you deserve is something I'll never get tired of😭😭 istg I could go on a whole speech about this part because it's so true. Sometimes parents don't love us the way we want to be loved, but that doesn't mean there's no love there. It's just different of what we expect. And sometimes people go their whole lives not knowing of that love and that's just sad.

That is one unproblematic child,” Max noted. “Really doesn’t fit into this clusterfuck of a family.”

“I’m waiting for him to set Hollywood on fire,” Lance informed. “Don’t lose hope yet.”

HOLY SHIT I JUST REALIZED I'M THE ARTHUR OF MY FAMILY. WHAT DO I DO WITH THIS KNOWLEDGE???

I have so many feeling about that apartment and Harry and them but I will not unpack them bc this shit is already long enough 🙂

Their conversation. The way they've both changed so much. Talking about how they wished they were there for Lance and for each other. I was in TEARS

Everything of the last scene was *screams internally* David fucking pushing Max to the wall, stronger than hate. "He's scared of something". Fucking Mon ange, *what did Mallory do to you?"

I just want you to know I will combust into confetti or tears in the next chapter. Probably both...

Anyway this turned long and I better go. Take care and drink lots of tea!!!!

💙.💙.💙.

This made me so 😇😇😇😇 and gave me some motivation to write the next chapter 😭😭😭😭 Thank you 💚💚💚

This is Lance sleeping in Arthur’s room 🥰🥰🥰

[outpost51]

😭

🌳

for the snippet asks fuck me up man

Snippet Asks

🫡 with gusto! let's hurt ourselves with helix bc the prologue really popped off actually

😭 share a snippet that will break our hearts

None of the sticky-outie bits on a turian were attached to the skeleton, and even if they were, all of his sure as hell weren’t anymore. In a fight with just biotics, the trained spec-ops bastard would have won. She hadn’t been taught by anything more substantial than a few shoddy extranet videos she watched in secret. Her amp was barely functional, much less combat-ready.

Maybe the Alliance was scared of the rabid animal too.

She caught sight of her reflection in a dark store window, hunched over and heaving, mouth and hands dripping blue as the mutilated remains of what was once a person only in physical form twitched and gurgled at her feet. Maybe they were right to be.

“Jesus Christ, Janey,” came a wheezy laugh behind her. “My pops woulda loved your ass on Shanxi.” Jerry had already struggled himself free by the time Jane made it to his side; she had to catch him as he stumbled away from the wall.

She hacked up a wad of blue blood and phlegm over her opposite shoulder. “That one just looked like a regular blade,” she remarked. The manic wobble in her voice betrayed her confidence. “Just gotta get you gelled up, you’ll be alright.” The further they got, however, Jerry’s weight kept increasing as he leaned on her more for support, and with how much she’d used her biotics and moved around in general without eating, she didn’t think she could make it all the way back to her brother.

“Janey, I gotta… gotta sit down,” Jerry rasped. He gave her no choice in the matter, sliding off her shoulder to drop heavily onto a bench. “Just go on ahead, I’ll read a magazine or something.”

She shook her head. “Nobody left behind, Smith.”

“Don’t you go backtracking on me now, Miss N5.” His weak smile was interrupted by a coughing fit. They both ignored how the bloody saliva didn’t even make it halfway down his chin before it congealed. “That Icarus-Texas shit hurts like a bitch.”

Because it’s thickening your blood in your veins, her brain helpfully replied. She closed her mouth tighter so the echo wouldn’t make it out. “I’ll get Cohen, steal one of those electric carts—”

“You know that’s not gonna do anything, Janey.”

She did. It didn’t mean she didn’t want to be ignorant of the fact. To let herself be foolishly optimistic. “We’ll come back for you.”

“You better,” he chuffed. “Don’t let ‘em put me in those stuffy-ass blues.”

Jane pretended to clean the blood from her face with her sleeve and coughed to hide her sniffle. Alliance Marines didn’t cry. N5s didn’t cry. The leader of the Tenth Street Reds didn’t cry. But she’d be the only witness left alive, right? Jane Shepard could cry. Just a little. She’d earned it. She slumped onto the bench next to him and leaned over until she could rest her head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry,” she said softly.

“For what?” He sounded tired.

She shrugged. “Everything. Being a dick. Snubbing all of you. Cutting myself off.” A bitter laugh built under her breath. “You know I really thought about going to that stupid dance?”

The weight of Jerry’s cheek settled on top of her head. His scruff tugged at her roots with his smile. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” she snorted. When he dropped his Firestorm in her lap, she didn’t push it away. “I couldn’t find a dress that made my arms look pretty. Didn’t wanna make you the talk of the town for the wrong reason.”

“Shit, Jane, you’d be pretty in a trash bag.” Jerry nudged her with his shoulder and nearly slipped off the bench. “I’d a’ still tapped it.”

Jane couldn’t stop the ugly, wet sputter of laughter, but the gentle motion of Jerry’s growing smile could. Had the circumstances been different, she might have called him a pig. It didn’t feel right. Instead, she sat up and held his face steady to kiss him. Just once. Quick, chaste, one last attempt to wrap up his affairs so he wouldn’t be stuck here forever. His cheeks were clammy under her palms. “I’m sorry,” she repeated.

“Give ‘em hell, Janey.”

He was gone before she could fully ease him onto the bench. She was gone before his body could cool further than she could pretend he was just resting while she went to get help.

🌳 share a snippet featuring nature of any kind

They had made it half the short trek to the attached resort when a rush of cold smacked the back of John’s head and sent him sprawling. The bright, breathless laugh gave away the culprit before he even got up to look, but when it turned into a sputter, he panicked, worried that would be it, that they had moved too fast —

Jane launched a retaliatory snowball at Jerry, causing him to miss his next throw and hit Ahmed square in the chest. Ahmed froze. In the alpine forest behind them, a tree branch cracked under the weight of perpetual winter. The entire group whirled on it out of Alliance-honed instincts, then, upon realizing the source, laughed it off and turned back to Ahmed just as he crumpled into the red snow at his feet.

Somewhere in the distance, John heard a muffled shout about snipers. Hands jostled his shoulders, shoved at him, urged him to move. He was vaguely aware he’d told Ahmed to get moving, get to cover, but Ahmed remained frozen, eyes dulling slowly as the life leeched out of him into the steaming slush. He didn’t reach for his backpack, so John grabbed it for him. He could run faster unencumbered. Something solid — a pistol, still warm from its last shot — was pressed into his hands, his finger manipulated over the trigger. Frozen vengeance, blood-red and hungry for more, rose up from the ground and rushed past to crash over another poor soul. Heat splashed onto his face, stinging like bacon grease in the cold.

“Move your ass, John!” Jane barked, a knife still buried in the throat of a flickering ghost —

No. A man. Armored, armed, bearing a tactical cloak and an unknown crest on his pauldron. But Elysium was safe from pirates. It had orbital defense. It had armed guards at the spaceport. They’d only gotten through security with weapons at all because they had prior clearance.

[justagalwhowrites]

Which Pedro asker here… Omg, I love that you chose that picture for NIT bc it isn’t one I see posted often 🥰 And that’s exactly how I pictured for Din!! That scene lives in my mind rent free. In the moment I probably read it like ten times. It was SUCH an amazing face reveal for all the Din fics I’ve read.

Good for them OBVIOUSLY like God damn.

Cannot wait for your next story to start!! You are so giving. Soo many great fics have an age gap which I like but I’m excited for one that isn’t (NIT has been such a nice balance where age is maybe a thing but not really relevant). Also, that era Pedro is just… something else.

Ahhh Hi Bestie!

I LOVE that photoshoot of Pedro. LOVE LOVE LOVE it. Of course, that man is so damn photogenic that put him in front of a camera and I'm going to be happy about it.

And AHHHH OMG I'm so happy you loved that scene! That was one of the scenes that I came up with when I was first thinking about the fic. I knew the dynamic I wanted for Din and Doll, her background, that scene and their wedding. Everything else kind of built out from there but that moment for me was just PEAK.

I hope y'all like the new story! I think it's going to be a bit different. I'm not usually huge on super big age gaps? There certain power dynamic things can make me a little uncomfy with it (no hate AT ALL to people who read or write it, absolutely nothing wrong with it and I definitely understand the appeal, it's just not always my vibe.) BUT that's not a hard and fast rule by any means, @joelscruff 's Feelings on Fire is one of my favorite things EVER in part because of the age gap! It's just not necessarily something I think I'd be good at writing. I do enjoy the tropes of BFD and DBF Joel, though! It's been fun to write those in a slightly different way - where some of the taboo is still there - and I'm glad you're enjoying New in Town!

The age thing has been a weird spot for me as a writer? I think I'm older than a lot of writers in the fandom (I'm 33 so 🤷🏻‍♀️) and I prefer to write things I think I can connect with. I've never been someone in their 50s and my closest friends kind of top out in the mid-40s range. I don't feel like I intimately know life past like 45 so I'm not drawn toward writing it. But I do like putting Joel with someone more his contemporary for a lot of things. Yearling is an odd one for that, where there is a sizable age gap (Bambi is almost 43 at this point in the fic, Joel is about to turn 60) but since they met when she was in her 40s and he was in his 50s, their ages aren't really considered by each other. They're just two adults who are middle aged, the end. Compare that to Lavender where Joel was just 11 years older than Doc (a much more common age gap, I think) but their relative ages played a much bigger role early in the fic and then became non-existent as a concern. I haven't written a full fic without some kind of age gap for Joel - even though it's not really a focus of any of my fics - so I'm excited to write a Joel and a reader who are my age!

ANYWAY I went off on a tangent there but lol thank you so so much for reading and reaching out! Love you!!!

[ortali]

ortal!!! i’m so happy you had a great time seeing our boys in person thats so exciting and fun 🥺 and that you got to see seonghwa at the pop up too how exciting!!!! what were you favorite parts tell me everything!!

omg luna are you ready? bc this is going to be long 🤣 besides going to the concert, it was also a vacation, so i also traveled to all kinds of places in berlin it was so fun and i took pictures. even without noticing, i saw that i had been in places where even the members of the ateez was there but at different times 🤗 on sunday i went to the popup store, i arrived with my friends towards the evening, we saw a long line waiting to enter the store and we said there is no way we are going to wait in the long line so we thought to go eat at the end. i told my friends that we can move towards the entrance of the store to look from the side bc i wanted to see how they let everyone in and suddenly i see someone approaching with guards, i saw hwa really close he just passed and waved to everyone like a prince, i even managed to take a video. luna he is so beautiful and nice i can't 🤧🥺😍 the truth is i always thought he was tall but he is not 🤭 on monday i went with my friend in the morning to not to wait so long in line and it was so beautiful inside the store i took pictures and bought the lightstick and woo and san photoset. on tuesday was the concert, i fell deep in love with mingi, he was the center, even all the members let him stand out the most and the performance he gives is just perfect and powerful, he also got the crowd to barking. joong omgggggg why he is so perfect???? he speaks in such nice english, he is soo nice to the whole audience and the performance he gives is just amazing. there was woojoong moment in the song "from" and i was so excited to see it. a lot of woosan parts hugging and san touches woo body 🤭😍 woo was wearing bucket hat that covered his eyes and a loose tank top, i think he purposely wore the hat so that we could see the body he work on it and the veins in his hands 😵🥰 there was a part where he forgot how to say happy valentine's day 🤣 so he had a shy smile. yeo is so cute omggggg and his long hair i'm in love with him too. i was happy to see him speak a lot in english too jongho voice in reality is the most perfect to listen, to look at his shy gummy smile on the screen 😍 and there was one part where he imitated the way mingi acts it was really funny. ok san omg everything he did in concert made me scream!! in love with the way he moves and how his body is built, he sends kisses and when he smiles you can see his dimple 🤧 hwa is a prince!!!!!! also brings a perfect performance, the way his voice changes from low to high. yunho now i understand more why everyone loves him and he is the man to bring home to introduce to the parents. i cry in the song mist 😭😭😭 i was waiting for this song so much. when i entered the concert my whole body was shaking and when it was over i couldn't get up from the chair until they told us we had to leave, i'm just happy that all these good things happened to me 💕💝 i'm sure i've forgotten more things, my brain just isn't working. the concert was over so quickly and i felt like i want the concert to go on for hours. thank you luna for asking how it was <3

[trans-mink]

17, 18, 29!!!

17- Your favorite character to write this year?

Kana (my dmmd OC) I loved bringing her to life and giving her a personality even if it was only in a short chapter, I love her

18-The character that gave you the most trouble writing this year?

Sei (also frm dmmd), basically i dont fully understand their lore bcs i havent played a certain route that u need to unlock it but im planning to soon, as far as i know they dont have much screen time anyway so its been good to work out how I want to portray them and their thoughts

29- Favorite line/passage you wrote this year?

I dont like rereading my stuff cos its cringe but I enjoyed writing this bit kjfnjkfb. (from my ongoing wip The House That Mink Built)

“Mink? That old crank’s long gone.”

“Please Noiz just- look, you’re a pro at sticking your nose in other people’s business.” 

Noiz (hacker extraordinaire) sniggered at that and Aoba crossed his arms impatiently. 

“So can you help me or not?” 

He cast his eyes down and pulled at one of his plugs. “I read his prison file before the Platinum Jail stuff happened. It’s important to know who you’re dealing with and I thought I’d get ahead, however a lot of the data was redacted.”

Groaning in frustration, Aoba made a show of cursing out the universe and most importantly, Toue for making the whole operation as painful as possible. 

“Easy, I haven’t tried to recover it since then but I’m pretty sure I can still get access.” Noiz said.

“Huh? Really!” 

“Give me some time to work on it." 

He almost went flying backward, swept into a tight embrace and Aoba thanked him earnestly. A light bulb went off inside Noiz’s head. A filthy smile tugged at the corner of his mouth and he snaked a hand up Aoba’s back, taking enjoyment from making him squeak and wriggle in his arms.

“You gotta repay me somehow.” His tone dangerously sultry, lips ghosting over the shell of Aoba’s ear making his breath catch in his throat.

“Rhyme with me. I’ll beat you this time.” Noiz whispered.

Aoba scoffed and pushed himself free, bright pink dusting his cheeks. “Y- you little shit! I thought you’d got bored of that?”

Noiz shrugged. “I don’t do it so much but I want the satisfaction of taking you down fair and square this time."

The grimace on Aoba's face said it all. All previous offers for a rematch were turned down for good reason, his desire for destruction couldn’t be trusted but…

"Do you want to find the crazy old bastard or not?” Noiz pressed.

"I do." Aoba quietly pleaded.

“Hey." Noiz gave him a light smack on the arm. "Relax. You probably won’t need it after how you played last time, but I can make some armour for Ren, adjust the settings and such, we’ll be more evenly matched. Deal?”

What little memories Aoba had of Rhyme were not fond, but he’d come to understand why Noiz’s life had revolved around it. The sense of humanity and belonging must have been immeasurable.

It was when Noiz had dropped by one day that he noticed it; Starting with an almighty THWACK.

He’d stupidly left open one of the top cupboard doors and Noiz walked straight into it. He hurriedly pulled up a chair for him to sit, it sounded painful, but Noiz continued talking like it was nothing. 

Meanwhile, a bruise the size of a Jupiter formed on his forehead and it turned a nasty colour. Noiz reluctantly took the ice pack offered to him and sat there looking grumpy, as if Aoba was the crazy one for being concerned. How Noiz wasn’t face down in agony he couldn’t understand.

The nerve condition that had so often landed Noiz in trouble prevented him from feeling the swell on his skin, cuts, grazes, burns, the little finger that had broken and healed, bent out of shape at the knuckle. None of it bothered him. A problem like that caused a unique kind of pain; the inability to understand how others felt and perceived each other, “the normal people'' as Noiz put it. 

But Rhyme was a whole different world, it allowed players to take every attack at full force like they’d been physically hit and when it was over they got to leave the game unscathed (in most cases). It’s then that Noiz fell back to the numbness of his own reality.

[the-dalseum-duet]

and so the… shark… fell in love with the… bird…

I have so many feelings abt fangstitch and I need to ramble to get them out. Bc nothing is really set in stone rn but I have many a concept in this junk drawer I call a brain

I’m just going to pretend the little Sutton Valence excerpts don’t exist I kind of hate them now. They were cute! They were fangstitch! But not quite the vibe I’m going for. These characters behave much differently in positions of government authority than in a boarding school 

I LOVE anything with dramatic classical historical energy. And fangstitch perfectly embodies this. An aloof prince of a remote kingdom with an insatiable thirst for blood? A British instigator who’s too nosy and detail-obsessed for his own good? Both of which have uptight manners on the surface but are fucked up in reality? We’re already off to a good start. 

And I think their histories are also very interesting. Gale does everything to feel like he has power and recognition. He revels in the elite. He lies and cheats to make his way to the top (he was supposed to be a lawyer what did you expect) and he hides this through pretending to be a friendly, trustworthy face to The Council. His true nature comes out when he begins working with Sonnet to sabotage Sara and Charlie. He’s a crafty little bitch and I LOVE that about him. I want to crush him like an ant! (affectionate)

I feel like this side of him perfectly meshes with Mako. Mako is fairly benevolent. He doesn’t actively want to hurt anyone, but he has a position of power. He wants to keep his status. He shows kindness to others, but he isn’t the most sincere. He’s actively rude to Crow when he expresses any of his complaints about the elite of anywhere, but especially Dalseum. He’s a prickly little bitch. He is Draco Malfoy deep down. And I love that about him. I want to punch out his teeth (affectionate).

(Side note: still not sure how Gale winds up with Mako. I like to think Sonnet has some sort of divine power that they don’t let on to. Maybe Gale is just destined to find himself wherever the nearest object of worship is. It’s like protons and electrons. But time slash universe travel)

So Gale latches onto this sassy little guy thinking that he’ll fix all his self-esteem problems and Mako latches onto him because he has a cute little guy to boss around who won’t complain about him. 

Gale is also capable of much more than Mako is. He tried to fuckin shoot Adam. He will take a bitch out for someone. Fortunately, so will Charlie. Rip Gale you will not be missed. But Mako definitely uses Gale’s endless loyalty to his advantage. I WILL be using Gale’s endless loyalty to my advantage.

They’re also very dip hellpark coded… one of my favorite ships eveerrrr it absolutely hits. I love ships that are just like… “these two guys are in charge but they both suck at being decent people. so good luck everyone else!” and they fit this oddly specific trope. Like “the world is on fire but I’m going to make out with you regardless” type shit

Also. Their differences in background. Scrumptious. I’m eating them both as we speak. 

Alr just to start I will admit that I do have a lot of HEAVY internalized fatphobia. We don’t talk abt what happened when I got back from GSP and realized I gained weight in my legs. Like. I’m not like that to people I know obviously. But I feel like a lot of those internalized issues are very much reflected in my work. And I’m doing my best to start overcoming that again by NOT having all of my characters built like skeletons anymore. 

And Gale was a prime contender for this imo. Mainly because of the way Noeul has treated him. I do project a lot of my internal biases on Noeul I CANNOT LIE. Noeul would absolutely shove someone to the side because they don’t fit his exact image of what a Council member should look like. Hell, he does it to Sonnet. If you’re going to be associated with Noeul, you must be perfect. Gale fights to keep his position by being his closest confidant. 

All this was to say. Chubby Gale canon fuck you (in reference to myself) 

And because of Noeul’s judgement, Gale does not feel truly appreciated in the slightest. He accepts this ridicule as a necessary side effect to being in power. But Mako? Mako doesn’t fucking care about his size. He just sees a guy with pretty eyes and soft skin who’s perfect to sleep beside. Lanky cold-blooded freak and his portable heater with plenty of flesh to sink his teeth into. It’s economical.

And Mako is very touchy. He’ll just pat you on the back or place his hand on your shoulder. Michelle energy. It’s in his genes to be handsy with people he probably shouldn’t be handsy with. Looking at both Noeul and Kai rn. But this freaks out Gale bc he’s never been respected enough for someone to be affectionate with him, even casually. He’s like “whyyy is this tall conventionally attractive man willing to give me a proper peck on the cheek innit” and mako’s just like “hehe. pretty man gets flustered when I hold his hand” 

it gives them both a power high dw about it

oh yeah and the whole blood drinking thing. It’s unnecessary but it’s DRAMATIC who gives a fuck?? Gale’s probably the only person who isn’t like “HELLLL NOOOO” when Mako mentions it so. They’re compatible there. Gale probably thinks it’s hot let’s be real… he’s not as innocent as he looks. He has most definitely read like. vampire jungkook x reader smut on Wattpad as an adolescent. 

just. I. them. stupid little faggots I hope they crash and die. I love them. i love that they have that soft tumblr fujobait outside but are absolutely rotten weirdos deep within their hearts. my babies i hope they sleep well tonight