#if i have to babysit them for another minute i will lose my mind

[shortnsweetgf]

group projects are gonna be the end of me

[queen-of-the-avengers]

Game Day

Pairing: NHL!Steve Rogers x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~1.9k

Warnings: fluff

Summary: You're a nanny for a famous NHL star player whom you have a major crush on. You take his son to one of his games, which he loves, but it's revealed later on that Steve wasn't playing for his son... he was playing for you.

Squares Filled: engagement (2021) for @avengersbingo

Author’s Note: any and all comments are appreciated <3

x

You’ve been sitting in the driveway for five minutes just contemplating whether or not you should go inside the house. This is your job. You shouldn’t be nervous. You’ve been coming here for two years. Should you look for a new job? Would that make things better? With a shake of your head, you get out of your car and head up the porch steps to the house.

You don’t even have to knock. Steve knows you’re coming over.

“Steve? I’m here,” you announce as you enter.

Steve doesn’t come down right away and you breathe a sigh of relief. You’ve had a major crush on him since you started working for him, but you’re his kid’s nanny. You can’t do anything with him anyway. Instead of facing your feelings, you push them down in hopes you can survive another day. It sucks because you love babysitting his son, Jasper. He’s such a sweet boy and has grown into a very energetic kid. You’ve been with Steve and Jasper since Jasper was born after Steve’s wife left him.

“Y/N!” Jasper squeals when he sees you.

Jasper runs over to you on little legs, and you scoop him up when he gets to you.

“Hi, Jasper! I’ve missed you so much!”

“I miss you!” he grins and hugs you tightly.

Steve comes jogging down the stairs to the left of you and your mouth immediately goes dry at his outfit. He is on the New York Rangers NHL team so he’s dressed in skin-tight clothing that will go under his official uniform. However, the skin-tight spandex stretches over his chest so deliciously that it’s taking everything in you not to set Jasper down and feel his bulging muscles. He has a game he needs to get going to so he asked you to babysit last minute. His sister was going to take him but she backed out at the last second due to medical reasons.

“Thank you for coming on such short notice,” he says.

You put Jasper down and he runs off presumably to get something for you.

“It’s no problem. I love being here.”

“Well, you know my schedule and everything about Jasper. I won’t have my phone on me so if you need anything, call Bucky. I asked him to be on call if anything happens.”

“Steve, don’t worry about any of this. I got this.”

“You’re the best.” He brings you in for a hug which causes you to stiffen up. His clothes don’t do a good job of hiding how strong he is. He is built like a monster even though he is one of the sweetest men you’ve ever known. “Oh, I’ll be home late. The team will probably want to hang out afterward, win or lose.”

“You guys are going to win,” you smile and pull away from him, “but I don’t mind staying a bit later. Be careful, it’s snowing a lot.”

“Nice to know you worry about me,” he winks.

Just like that, he’s gone. You let out the breath you’ve wanted to let out since seeing Steve in his uniform. Jasper comes back with a picture he was coloring shortly before you got here.

“Alright, Jas, what do you say? Want to surprise Daddy at work?”

“Yeah!” he giggles.

“Okay, let’s get ready.”

You were planning on going to the game with tickets you bought yourself, but what better way for Jasper to show his support than to be there for one of his dad’s games? Steve knows you love going to his games so he’s reserved seats for you if you ever wanted to go. It doesn’t matter if you go or not, those seats will always be available to you for every single game he plays.

You and Jasper get ready before getting into the car, and you make the careful yet short long ride to the stadium he’s playing in. The snow is coming down but not hard enough to keep people off the roads. Luckily, you’ve lived in New York all your life so you can navigate a few icy roads.

When you pay for parking, you two head inside and find your seats quickly. They are some of the best seats in the house, right in front. There is a small ledge between the glass and the wall that someone can stand on if they’re small enough. Jasper is only two, so his small feet fit perfectly on the ledge. You allow him to stand there while holding his legs so he doesn’t fall over.

Steve and his team skate onto the ice, and Jasper gets so excited that he starts doing a little dance and clapping his hands. Damn, he looks so good in his hockey uniform. He doesn’t have his helmet on yet since the game hasn’t started.

“Daddy!” he grins and taps on the glass with his tiny hands.

Steve skates around to get used to the feel of the ice beneath him. He looks at the audience in curiosity when his eyes lock on yours from across the rink. A smile breaks out on his face but he keeps himself from skating over to you. He waves at Jasper who waves back and you almost melt at how cute their relationship is.

The game is about to start but he is going to do his best to make every shot knowing you’re out there watching him.

The game starts off without a hitch, and you sit on the edge of your seat hoping Steve’s team wins. It’s neck and neck until the ref calls for a timeout to settle a disagreement on the points the Rangers just scored. Steve takes this moment to skate over to you and Jasper while taking his helmet off. He puckers his lips which means he wants a kiss from Jasper, and the small child kisses the glass since that’s the best he can do. Steve kisses the glass right over his son’s before winking at you.

It’s the smile combined with the wink that makes butterflies erupt in your stomach. Why did he wink at you? Was he hinting at something more? Was it just friendly? He’s sending you mixed signals that are making you confused, but the last thing you’re going to do is ruin it and confront him about it.

The rest of the game went really well for the Rangers, and they won 38-30 just as the buzzer sounded off. Everyone who is in the stands are Rangers fans, so almost everyone cheers for that team. Steve and his team had to get off the ice fairly quickly and into the locker rooms so you didn’t have time to catch him after the game. Plus, he did say that he and his team are going to hang out afterward, win or lose, so it’s time to pack up and get back home.

“Alright, did you like that game?” you ask Jasper when you walk into the house.

“Yeah! Daddy was awesome!”

“Yeah, he was,” you grin. “I’m glad you had a good time but it’s nearly bedtime. I’ll read you your favorite story.”

“Okay!”

“Go brush your teeth and I’ll be right there.”

He runs off to his room while you grab a boxed dinner from the freezer. It has to microwave for ten minutes so you pop that into the microwave and heat it before going to Jasper’s room. He’s not a fan of brushing his teeth at night which is why it only took him thirty seconds to do it, but you’re working on getting him to do it longer.

Storytime only takes six minutes because Jasper is wiped out by today’s events. He didn’t do a lot of running around but he did do a lot of cheering and eating stadium foods. Bedtime has always been easy for Jasper, which you are grateful for.

By the time you got changed into comfier clothes, your dinner was done. For the next two hours, you eat dinner, drink some wine that Steve bought specially for you, and watch one of your favorite TV shows that you’ve seen a million times.

You don’t even realize you fell asleep until Steve got home two hours after that. He shakes off the snow from his jacket before hanging it up and finds you sleeping on the couch with the TV on low volume. Your half-eaten meal and empty wine glass sit on the coffee table, and he lets you sleep a little while longer as he cleans up your mess quietly.

“Doll, wake up,” he whispers and moves some hair away from your face. 

You jerk awake but calm immediately when you see it’s Steve. You look at the time and almost curse because it’s so late. You weren’t meant to fall asleep but you had an extra glass of wine that put you right out.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

“I don’t mind. I only woke you up because you can sleep on something much more comfortable than this couch.”

“No, I should just go home. It’s pretty late.”

You get up and stretch, and Steve can’t help but look at the patch of skin that shows when your shirt rides up slightly.

“Y/N, it’s snowing pretty bad out there. I had a hard time seeing the road while coming back. Just sleep in my guest room. Honestly, it’s not a problem.”

You should have said no. You should have insisted on going home, but you didn't. Instead, you nod in agreement and follow him to the guest room. You have kept some of your clothes in here from when you had to stay the night previously, so you use those for tonight. After brushing your teeth and doing half of your skin-care routine, you get into bed. Snow isn’t as loud as rain when it hits the window, but you can see it through the shadows and patches of moonlight outside.

It’s hard to fall asleep knowing Steve is only a few doors down from you. Suddenly, there is a knock on the door and you know Jasper didn’t do that. You get out of bed and tread through the darkness to the door. Steve is standing outside fiddling with his hands. There is enough moonlight to light up his face so you don’t bother putting the lights on.

“Is everything okay with Jasper?”

“Yeah, he’s okay. He’s sleeping. I just didn’t thank you for bringing him to the game today.”

“I was already planning on going and figured what harm could it do to bring him along? He had a lot of fun, and he loved seeing you on the rink. You played really well.”

“Yeah, I had someone I needed to impress out there.”

Your heart beats faster at his words but you try to keep the conversation neutral.

“Well, your son was very impressed by you.”

Steve raises his arms to lean them against the frame of the door and moves a bit closer to you. Even in the darkness, you can see how blue his eyes are.

“That’s not who I was trying to impress.” You don’t think you can say anything to him even if you want to. What would you even say? He leans in closer until there is only a few inches between you. “Were you impressed by me?”

“What are you doing?” you whisper.

“If you tell me you’re impressed, I’m about to kiss you. So, were you impressed?”

“Maybe a little,” you tease.

He leans in the rest of the way and kisses you, and just like that, everything between you two changes. He only kisses you that night but makes it a point to do so after every game he plays for the rest of the season. Even when the season is over and done with, he still kisses you as if you’re the only woman that matters to him… and you are.

x

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[in1-nutshell]

Hi! I wanted to ask if you could write the TFA autobots and elite guard reacting to finding a batmobile Bubby on earth?

Bubby was lose during the war and is the around the same age as Ratchet and Ultra magnus. And maybe have a little romance with Ratchet.

Thanks! :)

This is something new! Batmobile Buddy it is! One of the best detectives on Cybertron! If this isn't what you want, please let me know.

Hope you enjoy!

Bot Buddy who's alt mode is a Batmobile with Ratchet, Ultra Magnus, Optimus Prime, and the Jettwins

SFW, Platonic, slight romantic, Cybertronain reader

TFA

Buddy was one of Cybertrons best detectives during the war.

She was hailed with finding many lost Autobots and catching Decepticons off guard with her swiftness and skilled martial artistry.

She had some teaching from Master Yoketron but decided to leave the dojo to help High Command in the war.

Buddy met Ultra Magnus as his personal bodyguard.

The old one had taken leave to get repairs and some of the back up guards had been called into the draft.

Buddy was personally called after Magnus had heard of her reputation.

Even though the job was temporary Buddy took her job seriously in guarding Ultra Magnus.

They bonded during that time from the near-death situations to potential strategy plans suggested.

“Ultra Magnus.”--Buddy

“Buddy? What seems to be the trouble?”--Magnus

“If I may be so bold…”--Buddy

“You may.”--Magnus

“Is it wise to move the troops in this sector? We would be leaving this flank completely unguarded.”--Buddy

“We would need to take that risk.”--Magnus

“But there is also a chance that the assault team could come in. We have a refugee camp in that area, it will be vulnerable.”--Buddy

“Hmm… you are right. We will need to alert the troops at once.”--Magnus

“Absolutely, sir.”--Buddy

Magnus had offered Buddy a spot in the Elite Guard once the knew guard had arrived, but she politely declined in return for wanting to go back and do her detective work.

The two did stay in contact, especially once the number of hostages they were finding grew in numbers.

It was during one of these cases that Buddy met Ratchet.

Buddy had returned another group of Autobots to a nearby relief camp.

Buddy wanted to know the status of each patient admitted.

“How are they?”--Buddy

“Sweet Alpha Trion! Don’t you know better to scare a field tech?!”--Ratchet

“Sorry, I just wanted to know if the Autobots are okay.”--Buddy

“If you don’t mind waiting a couple of hours, then of course.”--Ratchet

A couple hours later, Ratchet is wrapping up everything up when he sees Buddy taking a nap on a chair nearby.

“You really waited here for all this time?”--Ratchet

Of course, so… do I have to wait more?”--Buddy

“Lucky you, I have all the reports. They are all going to be fine. Some better than others, but they’ll live.”--Ratchet

“That’s good. That’s good.”--Buddy

“Why did you wait?”--Ratchet

“I like to know whether my work was good or not.”--Buddy

“Really. Is that all?”--Ratchet

“…Maybe…”--Buddy

“You kids and you’re words.”--Ratchet

“Hey, I’m your age!”--Buddy

“You don’t act like it!”--Ratchet

“…”--Buddy

“…”--Ratchet

“Hahahahahah!”—Buddy and Ratchet

That was where their friendship began.

The two kept in communication after Buddy left the camp.

They talked about their daily lives every now and then. There would be rare times when the two would be able to meet up in person.

Everything was fine.

Until Buddy went radio silent.

Ratchet had tried to reach Buddy multiple times, even going as far as picking up some favor from the higher ups.

No one had any notation on Buddy.

Timeskip to Earth

Optimus was tired.

He had been dealing with Sentinel’s attitude all day and now he had to babysit the Jettwins.

Why?

Sentinel had promised them to visit the Plant, but he had bailed out at the last minute… and Optimus was at the mercy of the twins ‘puppy dog’ optics.

When the three of them came into the dark Plant. A single light was turned on in the middle of the common room.

“Where are the others?”--Jetstorm

“Yes! Where? Bumblebee told us about this video game—”--Jetfire

“Wait!”--Optimus

“What?”—Jetfire and Jetstorm

“I just remember something… the Team is out on patrol.”--optimus

“Then why is there a light on.”--Jetfire

“That’s because… we aren’t alone.”—Optimus

Optimus grabs his axe while the twins power up.

The light flickered until it finally turned off.

None of them are ready for the sudden ambush. They thrashed around feeling kicks and chops to their armor before they felt stasis cuffs on their servos and pedes.

The lights turned on.

There was a stranger who looked like a Decepticon with their dark colored paint job, but the red Autobot badge begged to differ.

The bot came over to the Prime and looked at his Autobot badge then turned and saw the twins’ badges.

Silently the bot clicked a button.

The cuffs came loose.

“Sorry about that. You can’t be too careful now a days.”--Buddy

“Who are you?”--Optimus

“And how did you do that!”--Jetfire

“That was so cool!”--Jetstorm

“Do you have powers too?! What powers do you have?!”--Jettwins

“Woah, woah, woah calm, down kiddos. I’m a detective from the Autobot High Command. The names Buddy.”--Buddy

“Detective? How come I’ve never heard of you?”--OPtimus

“Special ops. I look out for the bots who suddenly go missing and no one wants to look for them. I’m the one they call to look for them or I find out and go looking for them.”--Buddy

“Oooohhhh!”--Jettwins

“Who did you come looking for?”--Optimus

“I take it you’re Optimus Prime.”--Buddy

“Yes?”--Optimus

“I came to look for you and your team.”--Buddy

“Oh! Who called?”--Optimus

“… A dear friend of mine was on your team. I didn’t get a chance to tell him what happen on my pass assignment… I found out after some digging. Its hard to figure out space bridge engineering when you don’t know a lick about it.”--Buddy

“Who was your friend?”--Optimus

“A brilliant field tech named Ratchet.”--Buddy

“The Doc-Bot!?”--Jettwins

“You know him?”--Buddy

“He is our field tech along with our friend Sari.”--Optimus

“What’s a Sari?”—Buddy

That was when the rest of Team Prime had decided to show up.

Now it was understandable that the Team was on edge seeing a dark armored bot looming over the three Autobots on the ground.

But one of them quickly gets everyone to lower their weapons.

“Put those weapons down, that’s an Autobot!”--Ratchet

“An Autobot? They look like a Decepticon to me!”--Bumblebee

“Put it down!”--Ratchet

“You know them?”--Prowl

“Yes!”--Ratchet

“Ratchet!?”--Buddy

“Buddy!”--Ratchet

Buddy ran to Ratchet hugging new dents into him.

“Oh my—”--Prowl

“That bot did the impossible!”--Bulkhead

“She’s hugging Ratchet! And he’s hugging back!”--Bumblebee

“Shut it!”—Buddy and Ratchet

The two Autobot looking at each other before laughing.

“…Prime I’m scared.”--Bumblebee

“Me too—I mean don’t be rude.”--Optimus

[mcflymemes]

AS SAID BY COMMANDER SHEPARD  *  assorted dialogue from the mass effect trilogy

it's a big stupid jellyfish.

i don't know what i'd do without you.

you're working too hard.

i'll let you get back to work.

i'm sorry, i'm getting a lot of bullshit on this line.

if i'm walking into hell, i want someone i trust at my side.

oh, now it's personal.

you think we're going to lose?

you'll never be alone.

no matter what happens here... you know i love you. i always will.

i haven't forgotten our time together.

i want you. i want someone i can trust.

i don't know what we're gonna find in there, but i'm not going to lie to you. it's not going to be easy.

i've had enough of your snide insinuations.

it's all just part of the job.

i'm getting a little worried about you, [name].

this shop discriminates against the poor!

consider me officially offended.

you know, [name], if you're not comfortable with this, it's okay. i'm not trying to pressure you.

when should i book the room?

can one of you clarify?

they want to know what we're made of? i say we show them, on our terms.

i should be going.

it's been a long journey, and no one is coming out without scars.

i guess i'm on my own. again.

you don't need to hurt him to get what you want.

you have got to be kidding me.

if i didn't have authorization, how did i get in? you see any other doors?

make me proud. make yourselves proud.

what's that you're drinking?

i just saved your ass.

be alive with me tonight.

sometimes things don't work out the way we'd like. that's just life.

i'm the only thing standing between you and a hole in the head.

i don't argue with plants.

[name], this doesn't have to be hard.

get the hell off my ship.

are you naturally this bitchy, or is it just me?

what are we going to tell them? i had a bad dream?

good times are over.

it's not too late. you don't have to go through with this.

one way or another, we're taking this bitch down.

i told them where to shove it.

you getting soft on me, [name]?

we could test your reach... and my flexibility.

this war has brought us pain, and suffering... and loss.

i assume everything's going well up here?

i don't know what drugs you're on, but stay back and i won't shoot you.

i thought you were a friend of mine. you've got the same suit.

sounds like he needs to get shot.

i've been getting that a lot.

look around you. you're not in this fight alone.

i don't have time to babysit you, [name]. find a way to deal with it.

have you got a minute to talk?

here i am. exactly where i want to be.

never hesitate when you've got the enemy in your sights.

give me what i want. now!

lay it on me, [name]. i love bad news.

i should go.

hell, [name], you were always ugly.

i hadn't heard that. is there anything i can do?

someone piss in your coffee today?

how do i shut this thing up?

i can't promise how things will work out... but i missed you, [name]. i thought about you a lot.

everything we've ever known... it's all hanging by a thread.

something on your mind?

maybe you're right. maybe we can't win this.

keep it up, tough guy. you'll leave in a bag.

you kill people because you think they're beneath you; they're in your way. i kill people because they leave me no choice.

i don't know if i'll be coming down here for these talks anymore.

can we ever be ready for a battle like this?

[skz-sarang]

♡⃕. ⸻⸻   : ׁ ׅ ୨ MIDNIGHT MELODIES ୧ ⊹ ࣪

ʬʬʬ. 2024 Genre. Fluff pairing. Bangchan x (f)oc!member Plot. Chan teaches Lovey how to use drum pud + reassuring chatter in front of a cup of hot chocolate. Words. 1.7 k

☆ …Keep in mind that English is not my mother tongue, so be kind! ⋆˚｡⋆.

"Oppa, I'm bored," complains Sarang, spinning around on the black office swivel chair. It's around 11 in the evening, and Sarang volunteered to wait for Chan to come home, but he's taking longer than expected.

"I'm almost done," mumbles Chan, not taking his eyes off the screen.

"You said the same thing like half an hour ago," she grumbles slightly.

Sarang lets out a small huff. "I hope you're really working hard over there. I don't want to wait here forever, you know."

Chan chuckles softly, lifting his gaze momentarily to look at Sarang with a faint smile. "Wait for another 10 minutes."

The girl rolls her eyes and pouts like a child. "But I'm soooo bored," she complains.

Sarang sighs and, after casting a frustrated look at Chan, continues. "I just hope all this waiting is worth it," Sarang continues as she stretches and surveys the guy's work desk, trying to shake off the boredom.

There's a crumpled energy drink can next to an open but unfinished cookie packet; two large PC screens with various tracks playing and a kind of tablet with colorful buttons that the guy periodically presses.

"What are you doing with that?" she asks curiously, reaching out a finger to press one of the buttons. In doing so, Sarang tries to lean forward on the chair to get a better look, accidentally bumping into the bigger chair and causing him to lose concentration. However, Chan beats her to it, turning towards her with a sigh, slapping her hand before she can approach the illuminated tablet.

"Could you please not touch anything? I feel like I'm babysitting a child," he asks with a hint of irritation in his voice. Chan is patient and sweet, but he hates being disturbed while working; in fact, he usually prefers to work alone. However, he can't resist the younger girl's doe eyes, so he let her stay with him. But he didn't know it would be quite a commitment, a little bit of a thorn in his side.

"It's a drum pad machine, used for creating music. I can press different sounds and beats here; it's part of my music production activity," explains Chan with a slight smile, trying to explain his passion to Sarang.

The girl blushes slightly from Chan's reprimand and nods understandingly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you. But you know, waiting for you to finish is so boring..."

Chan smiles again, this time with a softer look. "I know, little one. Jisung complains the same way. Maybe I can finish a little faster and then we can do something together."

Chan playfully taps the girl's head and turns back to the screen. Sarang, on the other hand, seems to ponder the guy's words for a moment; then her eyes light up with an idea.

"How about this?" she says excitedly. "Teach me how to use that drum pad machine! It might be fun and it'll help pass the time."

Chan's fingers pause over the keyboard, and he glances at Sarang with a raised eyebrow. "You want to learn how to make beats?" he asks, amusement clear in his voice.

"YES!YES!YES! Pleeeeeeeeaase! It'll be so fun!and I'll stop bothering you about being bored," Sarang insists, her eyes shining with enthusiasm.

Chan sighs, but the corners of his mouth lift in a small smile. "Alright, but just a quick lesson, okay? I still have a lot of work to do."

Sarang nods eagerly, scooting her chair closer to Chan's. He picks up the drum pad machine and places it between them, then begins to explain the basics.

"Okay, so this is a drum pad machine. Each of these colorful buttons can be programmed with different sounds. For example, this one here," he presses a blue button, "is a kick drum." A deep thud resonates through the room. "And this one," he presses a green button, "is a snare." A sharp crack follows.

Sarang watches intently, absorbing the information. "So, it's like a mini drum set with all the sounds programmed into it?"

"Exactly," Chan confirms, impressed by her quick understanding. "Now, let's try making a simple beat. I'll show you how to start with a basic four-beat pattern."

He guides Sarang's fingers to the buttons, and together they start tapping out a rhythm. At first, Sarang's timing is a bit off, but with Chan's patient instruction, she soon gets the hang of it. The repetitive task of pressing the buttons seems to captivate her, and Chan can't help but smile at her focus.

"You're getting it, Bubbles! See? it's not that hard, right?" Chan encourages her.

Sarang beams at the praise, her earlier boredom completely forgotten. "This is actually really fun,Channie! I had no idea making music could be like this."

They continue to experiment with different sounds and patterns, and Sarang even starts to add her own flair to the beats. Chan is impressed with her creativity and enthusiasm, and before long, they have a small loop of music playing.

"Okay, I think that's a pretty good start," Chan says, leaning back in his chair and stretching his arms. "You're a natural, bubs."

"Thank you, Oppa," Sarang replies, her face flushed with excitement. "Can we make more music together sometime?" Chan chuckles softly. "I bet I'm even better than jisung-oppa"

"Sure, but maybe not when I'm on a tight deadline." He glances at the clock and realizes that, despite their detour, he's managed to get most of his work done. "Speaking of which, I just need to wrap up a few things, and then we can head home."

Sarang nods, feeling much more patient and content now that she has something new and exciting to look forward to. She watches as Chan finishes his work, and within a short time, they are ready to leave.

Chan stands up from his chair, giving her a affectionate pat on the shoulder. "I think it's really late, and you should go rest. Tomorrow we have a lot to do."

Sarang nods and stands up from her chair as well. "You're right, it's late. Thanks for letting me stay."

Chan smiles at her and starts to turn off the lights. "Thank you for keeping me company, little one. Let's go home now." he boops her nose.

The two leave the room and head together towards the dormitory, continuing to joke and laugh along the way. They enter the apartment and take off their shoes. As they move towards the common area, Chan busied himself in the kitchen, and Sarang leaned back on the couch, letting out a contented sigh. The apartment was quiet, all the members sleeping, the soft hum of the refrigerator the only sound breaking the silence.

"Do you want tea or hot chocolate?" Chan called from the kitchen, his voice slightly muffled.

"Hot chocolate, please," Sarang replied, her voice filled with anticipation. She pulled a blanket over herself, snuggling into the warmth as she watched Chan expertly prepare the drinks.

A few minutes later, Chan emerged from the kitchen with two steaming mugs in hand. He handed one to Sarang and sat down beside her on the couch. She took a careful sip, savoring the rich, sweet flavor.

"This is perfect," she murmured, closing her eyes in appreciation.

Chan sits down next to her, taking a sip of his own drink. "I figured you could use something warm after waiting for so long."

Sarang smiles, feeling a warm glow not just from the drink but from Chan's thoughtfulness.

"Do you ever get tired of all the work?" Sarang asks after a while, looking at Chan over the rim of her mug.

Chan thinks for a moment before replying. "Sometimes. But I love what I do, and I know it's worth it. Plus, having moments like this makes it all easier to handle."

Sarang nods thoughtfully. "I'm really glad I got to learn a bit about your world tonight. It makes me appreciate all the hard work you put in even more."

Chan smiles warmly. "And I'm glad I could share it with you. It's nice to have someone to share these things with."

They continue chatting, their conversation flowing easily. Sarang tells Chan about her day and some funny stories from the dorm, and Chan shares a few behind-the-scenes stories from their recent recordings.

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, sipping their hot chocolate and enjoying each other's company. Eventually, Sarang opened her eyes and turned to Chan.

"Oppa, can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Chan replied, setting his mug down on the coffee table.

"Do you ever get scared? Like, really scared that things might not work out the way you hope?"

Chan looked thoughtful for a moment before answering. "Yeah, I do. All the time, actually. But I try to remind myself why I'm doing this. It's not just for me, but for all of you. For our fans. For the music. That helps me keep going, even when things get tough."

Sarang nodded slowly, taking in his words. "I guess that's true. It's just hard sometimes, you know?"

"I know," Chan said softly. "But we're in this together. And we'll get through it together. You're not alone, Bubs."

She smiled, feeling a warmth spread through her that had nothing to do with the hot chocolate. "Thank you, Oppa. I needed to hear that."

Chan smiled back, his eyes filled with a gentle reassurance. "Anytime, little one."

As they finished their drinks, the tiredness of the day began to catch up with them. Chan yawned and stretched, glancing at the clock.

"We should probably get some sleep. Tomorrow's going to be another busy day."

Sarang nodded, reluctantly setting her mug down. "You're right. Thanks for tonight, Channie. It really helped."

Chan stood up and offered her his hand. "Anytime, Sari. Let's get you to bed."

She took his hand and let him pull her up. They walked to their respective rooms, hand in hand. As Sarang settled into her bed, she felt a sense of peace she hadn't felt in a long time.

With a final goodnight and a sweet kiss on her forehead, Chan closed the door to her room, leaving Sarang to drift off into a much-needed restful sleep, reassured that no matter how tough things got, she had her friends by her side.

©2023 , skz-sarang masterlist

!TAGLIST! : @smh-anon (send an ask to be added to the taglist!)

[mumms-the-word]

Yet another Veilguard update with the usual good, the bad, the ugly, and the me freaking out about minor references and callbacks haha

This one is very long sorry

So since the last update I have done as much side content as possible before heading to the Hossberg Wetlands and later Weisshaupt (which I just completed last night) which included, briefly, unlocking all of the solas regrets murals

And uh WOW was that whole deep dive a doozy. I definitely should have spaced out the murals over time rather than movie-marathoned them back to back. But the things I learned about Solas…it’s insanity

In a good way

In a really horrifying way

I loved that our theories about Solas being a spirit of Wisdom first were confirmed, and I lost my mind over the fact that the first elves were spirits who gained physical bodies by taking Titan blood (aka lyrium). And the fact that Solas CREATED THE BLIGHT by essentially making the Titans Tranquil?? And that’s why Dwarves don’t dream????

Losing my mind. Solas what have you DONE.

I still ahev to process it all haha but I do have a few thoughts

So far, I wish there was more engagement with these elements and the Chant of Light. The companions react and say that these reveals basically dismantle Andrastianism but the Chant has several allegorical parallels to what, apparently, really happened. The Maker’s first children were spirits, and all that…so I kind of wish the Chantry had a bigger presence in the game with more reactivity

But that’s a post for another day. For now, I reloaded back to only 3 murals unlocked so the team only knows the story up to Solas creating the Veil. I’ll rewatch the others later.

I got worried about being locked out of stuff so I went ahead and did as much side content as I could with a couple of exceptions. Turns out, I probably didn’t need to do that and it would have made more sense narratively if I hadn’t. More on that in a minute

The Siege of Weisshaupt mission was SO GOOD!! Like…the main missions are really where this game shines, I think. I have gripes with some of the companion conversations, but in the actual story missions, the action, the intensity, all of it is so good. And I thought Ghilan’nain turning her archdemon into a many-headed hydra creature was *chefs kiss* so cool. I love fighting big/unique stuff like that!

All that said the follow up scene with the team at the table leaves…a lot to be desired

Listen, DA games pride themselves on bringing together a team of companions that players adore and fall in love with. Naturally we enjoy helping out our companions because we like them. We don’t have to be told to help them because we just generally do that…and if we don’t then, rip, suffer the consequences

So I got a bit annoyed when the scene suddenly turned to a very overt “fix our problems” narrative

I don’t know, that feels so…forced to me. Varric literally tells me I have to solve everyone’s problems. Which is like…I was going to! Because they’re my friends! But being straight up told like “hey you have to solve everyone’s problems and stop their distractions or this team isn’t going to function” is like…I’m sorry are we adults or aren’t we? Why am I being told to babysit the team? Can you guys not pursue these distractions on your own rather than wait for me to give you permission? Did we all forget that two gods are out there rampaging? That they’re strong enough to destroy a fortress that stood against the blight and various conflicts for over 900 years? That they haven’t stopped and show no signs of stopping anytime soon?

But no, by all means, tell me in very obvious terms that my job is now to reconcile all your differences before I face the gods again. That doesn’t feel very handed at all.

Let me be clear. I love to help my companion. I love the idea that you build a team that works well because you have shaped them via your leadership skills. I love the idea that your team works well because you have invested in them. That’s really the heart of any DA game—gather your team, earn their loyalty, and see how well the friends you’ve made along the way assist you in the big battles to come.

But…that scene around the kitchen table could have been so much better, so much more nuanced, and far less “Solve their problems.”

To me, that scene should have been everyone fighting, calling out everyone’s distractions and mistakes, and essentially devolving into outright arguments over the table until Rook yells at everyone to shut up. Everyone is mad, everyone is upset. And then maybe the companions are like “sorry Rook, listen, I have a lot on my mind. I’m still going to help with the Big Problem but I’m also going to pursue this Other Thing whether you like it or not.” No suggestion that it’s now your problem to solve, but a heavy hint that it might get done more quickly if you help (which also gives you room to be an ass and not help). In this scenario, everyone ends up being very disgruntled with you, but you still have your hint that you need to pursue companion questlines if you want to see their cool abilities or special items or get them to be a Hero of the Veilguard or whatever…but that’s just my opinion

Basically I wanted subtly and tension. So much more tension.

What we got instead was a couple of annoyed comments and then Emmrich being like “oh dear we’re all distracted by the things that bother us” and everyone offering up distractions that, yes, need to be resolved…but it’s very easy to be like “hey bud the Hand of Glory and the Nadas Dirthalen can wait until the gods aren’t threatening to destroy the world I think.”

It’s not the worst scene in the world, but it could have been reframed better. Either frame it as “Sorry Rook but none of these factions trust you enough to aid you in the fight, you have to prove yourself to them” (and loop in the companion questlines that way) or show your team literally unraveling because they can’t get along or agree with you—now you see the evidence of what you need to fix, and nobody has to outright tell you to “solve everyone’s distractions.” It’s just implied. Because you saw them fighting. A lot.

Like duh I knew I’d have to resolve everyone’s problems if I want them to like me or stick around! That’s just what I’ve come to expect from RPG games like this. It’s an expectation of the genre. But I don’t want to be told that’s my job now. If anything it triggers my contrarian nature and now I want to see what bad ending I get when I don’t listen to the game’s extremely heavy push for me to deal with everyone’s issues

I won’t, but I’m tempted

I just…wanted it to be better. I want see everyone bitching at each other until everyone leaves in a huff and Rook just sits at the table, head in their hands like “oh my god everyone hates me and they hate each other and we’re going to die if everyone can’t get their shit together”

Then maybe Varric sits down next to them and goes, “Hey kid, did I ever tell you about the time Hawke tried to convince a Rivaini pirate, a weird abomination, a Dalish blood mage, a stiff-necked captain of the guard, a broody elf who glowed in the dark, and a few other friends besides to all agree to fight as a team to stop a qunari invasion in Kirkwall? It worked, more or less. By the end of the night, everyone had worked together enough to end up with one dead Arishok and an entire city’s gratitude.”

Maybe Rook looks up and says, “And how’d they manage that little miracle? Without everyone trying to kill each other in the process.”

And maybe Varric smiles and shrugs. “They had their differences, trust me. Half the time you couldn’t put two of them in a room together without a fight breaking out. But they all believed in one thing. They believed in Hawke.”

Then maybe there’s a pause, as he lets Rook consider that for a moment, before he stands up and says, “It’s a good bedtime story, in any case. I’ll let you sleep on it.”

Sigh. It just would have been cool…

Now in all fairness the scene felt even clunkier because I had actively been doing side quests and helping out my friends so it was like…it felt weird to have this implication that I’m not already helping them. It makes me think I shouldn’t do any of their side quests until after the Siege of Weisshaupt but who knows

I keep pendulum swinging back and forth between moments of brilliance and moments that leave me baffled and wondering who made some of these narrative/writing calls. I don’t hate the game by any stretch of the imagination. Like I said the Siege of Weisshaupt was amazing! And I loved the callbacks to precious games! You should have seen me live reacting and screaming about codexes in the Weisshaupt library haha But it’s like whiplash when something that good is followed up by a scene that feels excessively more hamfisted in comparison.

Anyway I am very busy this weekend and dunno when I’ll get to write another update soooo if you’re following for more, hope to give you more updates in the near-ish future!

[stardropsaloongossiptrain]

Bachelors and Having a Baby

I saw another hc blog do this and I wanna do my own take~

Sebastian --

Extremely shocked when you tell him you're pregnant, but would react with a blank face and "oh, huh. Interesting." It does not sink in for a few minutes to an hour, and then he's losing his fucking mind.

Never thought he would be a dad, and convinced himself he would be a bad one. Even if him and the farmer weren't using protection, it still blindsides him

He cuts back on freelance work to help more around the farm, especially in the last trimester. The farmer is NOT allowed to do anything more strenuous than play video games. He will prob call on Abigail and Sam to help, he's not exactly the most athletic guy in the world.

Despite his fears that he wouldn't do a good job, he certainly works to make sure they won't come true. Reads a lot of parenting books and talks to Robin a lot. Those talks heal a bit of the rift between them.

Robin jokes that she's too young to be a grandma, but Demetrius cries when he's given a World's Best Grandpa mug. Maru happily steps up as an aunt and will spoil the baby with custom made toys and a ton of STEM for baby books.

Abigail and Sam are the chaotic aunt and uncle I imagine Shane was to Jas. They will babysit (mostly Sam) but expect funny pictures and wacky situations.

Elliott --

He is overjoyed when you tell him the news. He's going to be a papa! Lots of hugs and swinging you around. He doesn't strike me as the type to seek parenthood, but would lovingly embrace it once given to him.

It doesn't hit him for a while that a baby is going to mean changing his lifestyle quite a bit. No more all nighters, he won't be able to write for hours and hours at a time anymore. He finds it worth changing that aspect of his life to adjust to this new addition, a physical manifestation of your love.

Starts to change his habits early on so he'll be better suited after the baby arrives. Fully supports when you go nest mode and will move the furniture around as much as you want.

Has had a list of names for years before you even meet him. And all of them are beautiful

Leah takes on an aunt type roll, and loves teaching the baby about art and colors.

Sam --

Panics hard at the announcement. It doesn't matter that you're married, he still feels like he's sixteen sometimes, and he's worried about getting in trouble

Jodi and Kent are overjoyed at becoming grandparents, and Vincent thinks it's cool he's going to be an uncle.

Abigail and Sebastian make fun of him for being so worried about it, and help him get ready mentally to be a dad. They may need to remind him how much he helped with Vincent.

Once he calms down and realizes his family isn't going to be mad and his friends will stick around, he's extremely excited. He helped make an entirely new person! Someone he can teach music to! Can you skateboard with a baby?

Happily becomes the stay at home dad and handles a lot of the childcare.

Absolutely writes banger after banger of goofy songs for his kid

Alex --

I think he would be the type that always wanted to be a dad, just to spite how bad his was. When you tell him he's going to be one, he's over the moon. One of the few times you ever see him cry is when you tell him about the pregnancy, and again when the baby arrives.

Immediately befriends all the moms in Pelican Town and joins their gossip groups so he can get their advice and help as you prep for the baby. They adore him. He's like their pet.

Gets into what-to-expect books and takes over farm chores basically as soon as you tell him. No, you don't need to be doing all of that. He's got it. Which, I do think he would be pretty involved on the farm. I don't think he's the type to slouch while his spouse does everything. You can trust that he'll do well.

Evelyn and George are shocked by the news. George especially didn't think they'd live long enough to see it. They both love the little one quite a bit, and despite George's general attitude, he only speaks sweetly to the baby.

Haley will absolutely bury you in baby outfits as gifts.

Harvey --

Probably the most panicked on the list. He's not an ob/gyn but he IS medically trained and knows how easily everything can go wrong.

This doesn't mean he isn't thrilled and amazed in equal measure. Sure, you knew it was a possibility, but... He's so happy. He always wanted to be a dad, and now it's happening! He gets very misty-eyed.

He starts taking over cooking to be sure you're getting all the nutrients you need. You will find snacks in your bag, all healthy.

He also wants you to cut back on the farmwork, maybe hire someone for a season or two to hold it down. He would take over if he could, but being the town's only doctor keeps him too occupied.

He will absolutely do every type of birthing partner class.

He also helps set up the birth plan. He handles your medical needs until the birth. The plan is to go to Zuzu City about when the baby is due, deliver in the big hospital where he can be by your side and let someone else be the doctor. This plan fails when you deliver early and he has to step up. Everything goes well.

Shane --

He never thought he would be a dad. He didn't think he was good enough to take in Jas, and for the longest time, he didn't think he was good enough to be involved enough to have a kid.

He's come so far since when you first met. He's still got his issues, but he has a healthy grasp on them anymore. He isn't filled with loathing when you tell him, but tears up and holds you close. He feels incredibly lucky to have someone that loves him enough to welcome a child from him.

He is excited to prep for the kid. He was around when Jas was born, so he still remembers a fair bit about the baby years.

Jas can't wait to be a big sister. She likes playing with Vincent, but it would be even better to have a brother or sister. Marnie tears up when you both tell her the news. She's already a great-aunt to Jas, but looks forward to welcoming your baby as well. If you call her Grannie she will melt.

Shane absolutely faints in the delivery room. Man thought he could handle it. He cannot.

He's a very attentive dad. He never, ever wants this part of him to feel like it's not loved or good enough.

[hbyrde36]

Chapter 9!

Steve Harrington: Vampire Hunter

Clandestine meetings at the Waffle House

ao3 link

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8

Steve merged onto the highway at the first possible opportunity. It served the dual purpose of getting them as far the fuck away from that cemetery as possible, while also getting them to their meeting on time.

“I’m surprised you didn’t want to stay back and try to kill as many of those things as we could. You’re usually more worried about leaving innocent bystanders in the line of fire and all that.”

“Well for one thing, Brenner is controlling them somehow, so I don't think they’ll go too far without orders. Alsooo…” Steve trailed off as he dialed a number on his cell, allowing the call to connect to the car since he was the one driving. 

“Preternatural investigations hotline, how can I help you?” An overly perky voice answered when the call connected.

“Hi, I'd like to report a pack of rabid ghouls at Thatcher’s cemetery.”

“Oh my, that is serious. Can you give me your name and a few details, sir?”

“Sorry, I might lose you, I'm about to go through a tunnel and..”

Click.

Nancy snorted. “You think the PD will be able to handle all that?”

Steve offered her a half shrug. “Hopper knows what he’s doing. Maybe if we’d have had a flamethrower or something we could have made a dent in their numbers, but otherwise they would have overwhelmed us in no time.”

-

Within 15 minutes they were pulling up to park in front of the Waffle House. Steve hadn’t really thought about it at the time, but the wide panoramic windows of this place left the diners inside kind of exposed, especially at night. He supposed he’d have to trust that if the wererat king was comfortable enough to suggest this location to meet, he must have thought it was safe. 

The bell above the door dinged as they entered the restaurant, and Steve quickly scanned the occupied tables for a familiar face, realizing a little too late that he had no idea what Gareth looked like in human form. 

He gently coaxed a little bit of his power to the surface of his mind. He didn’t really know what he was doing when he tried stuff like this. He was comfortable enough with raising the dead, obviously, and he knew he had a little immunity from vampire shit even before Eddie got his hooks in, but he also knew deep down that he had other abilities too, one’s he mostly ignored, and he could probably sense the wereanimal’s energy if he tried. 

Steve just…didn’t love that part of himself. It all felt a little too woo-woo to him, unreliable, intangible. He preferred to work in the physical world. You see a vampire, you kill it. Shotgun, silver blades, stake and hammer, you can feel what you're doing with your bare hands, and see if with your own eyes. He might have to start getting used to more of the mystical stuff though, because the way things were going in his life, he would need all the leg-up he could get. 

The magic flared to life, or that’s how he imagined it in his mind's eye, like a flame. He immediately sensed the presence of two supernatural beings in the corner of the room. Unfortunately, he sensed them a little too strongly, likely due to the boost he got from his link to Eddie, and it threw him quite literally off balance. Nancy steadied him with a strong grip to his upper arm, and he smiled at her inbashful apology. 

Every eye in the place was on them then, and Steve cursed himself for not practicing more. If he lived through this he’d have to find a teacher or something. Maybe Wayne would be able to help, of course that would mean being willing to explain about the whole human servant business. A problem for another day.

The two boys in the corner were looking right at him. Both had short to medium length brown hair, and slightly mischievous eyes, and yea they were definitely adults in the technical sense, but they reminded Steve too much of the kids he used to babysit for him to call them men in his own head. 

Steve tilted a nod in their direction and moved towards the table, knowing Nancy would follow.

On their approach, the taller of the two boys stood, extending a hand to each of them in turn. “I’ll spare us all the embarrassment of you trying to guess, and just tell you that I’m Gareth. I’m aware that you’ve only met me in rat form. This is my partner, Will.” 

The other boy, Will, offered them each a small shy smile and a wave, while he kept himself tucked tightly into his king’s side.

“This is Nancy, she’s working with me on this particular..project.”

Gareth waved them to the chairs on the other side of the table as he took his own seat.  Will, in an overly formal gesture considering they were in a hygienically questionable 24-hour diner, waited for everyone else to be seated before taking his own chair. It reminded Steve that Gareth was not just the leader of the wererats, he was their king, and maybe that distinction meant something more than he knew. 

Before they could get down to business, a server came by to ask if they were ready to order. Steve wasn’t sure if this would be that kind of a meeting, but when Gareth and Will each ordered a coffee and a meal, he and Nancy followed suit, neither having eaten all day. That was the moment Steve realized he didn’t feel the ravenous hunger that had been plaguing him recently. Was Eddie not pulling energy from him anymore? Had something happened to him? No, that didn’t feel right. Steve got the sense that he would know, somehow, if Eddie was dead. Maybe the vampire finally felt guilty about the whole thing. It didn’t matter, Steve reminded himself, Eddie was still a bad guy even if he felt bad for what he’d done. 

When the waitress finally walked away, Gareth asked, “So, what is it you think I can do for you, Harrington?” 

“I was hoping to convince you to lead us into whatever secret passageway you used to enter that basement room where you found me under the corroded coffin.”

“Not to be too blunt, but why would I do that? What's in it for us?” Gareth said, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the table. 

“You hate that Billy has power over you, right?

The rat king nodded.

“Show us the way in, and we’ll take care of that little problem for you.” Steve didn’t know Gareth that well, but he knew what it felt like for someone to have power over you, and he was willing to bet that the wererats would do anything to get rid of the master of the city.

Gareth tilted his head side to side, making a little show out of considering his offer. “You already know where he is. Just get in yourselves.”

“We can’t just waltz in the front door. Even in broad daylight, especially in the daylight, Billy will have guards there. We’d be killed on sight.”

“Hmm, true enough. How do I know I can trust you? If you fail, and he finds out we helped, me and my people will be in an even worse position than we are now.”

The waitress appeared, balancing a tray of coffee mugs and forcing them to put their conversation on hold. Steve smiled at the woman gratefully and sipped at his cup. He’d been tired enough on his own after waking from his too short nap, and his fatigue had only gotten worse with the fading adrenaline from the fight with Brenner’s ghouls. 

Nancy took the opportunity to speak up when their table was left alone again. “I know you don’t know me, and you barely know Steve, but this is what we do, and we’re damn good at it. When I say I can promise you we will end the master of the city, I mean it.”

Gareth subtly sniffed at the air as he looked her over, considering.

“I can only get you in there, we can’t help any more than that. I can keep the small rats and my people from coming to Billy’s aid for a while, but we wouldn’t be able to fight him beside you. His pull on our kind is too strong.”  

“That's no problem.” Steve was quick to comment. “Just sneak us in and we’ll do the rest.”

“Okay. I'll do it.” Gareth agreed.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me, Steve. There's a part of me that truly thinks I'll be sending you to your deaths. If you survive this, I'll be shocked.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence there, Gare.”

The rat king blinked at Steve for a moment, and then burst out laughing. “When do you want to go in?” He asked.

“Tomorrow, after sunrise” He didn’t want to waste any more time. 

Gareth raised an eyebrow, clearly not expecting them to want to get to it so quickly. “I like you, Harrington, I hope you don’t die.” 

Their food arrived shortly after they finished making arrangements to meet in the city at dawn. As it so often does, the act of sharing a meal let the small group relax around each other a bit more than they might have otherwise. The only exception was Nancy, who remained quiet throughout. It didn’t surprise Steve in the least, she was one of the most private people he knew, and for good reason, though he was sure she was listening intently to every word the others shared. 

Gareth told the story of how he and the younger boy met. He had just won a fight against a challenger to his crown, and Joyce, Will’s mom, was the nurse who patched him up. Luckily, Will had taken his older brother’s place in assisting her that day. The two boys took one look at each other and the rest was history. 

Steve didn’t have much he was willing to share by way of a personal life, but he happily told a few stories about his years babysitting back in his hometown, finally letting slip that Gareth and Will reminded him of his young charges, a fact that made even the shy boy laugh. 

“Not to give too many of our secrets away, but we’re older than we look.” Gareth said.

Steve couldn't help but to tease them. “Oh I'm sorry. Here I was thinking you were a young spry 20 year old. What is it then, a decrepit 24, 25?”

“I’m only 35” Will said with a little smirk. “But,my king is…” Before the boy could finish, Gareth slapped a hand over his mouth. 

“You know it’s rude to share a man’s age!” He gasped with exaggerated offense.

Steve gaped at them. “You can’t be serious.” 

Jesus, he was younger than both of them. He tried to wrap his head around that fact as Gareth chuckled. “A little tip for you, Harrington, wereanimals age slower than humans. Don’t underestimate one of us just because we look young.”

“Duly noted.”

-

When all was said and done, Steve and Nancy decided to go back to her hotel in the city to get some rest before the morning, agreeing that it was the safer option than Steve's house with Brenner still on the loose. 

Her room housed only a single king bed, which would have been awkward with any of Steve’s other exes. The fact that it wasn’t was a testament to how nonexistent romantic feelings were between the two of them. Steve enjoyed his first dreamless sleep in far too long, and woke rested and refreshed. If he also rose with a vague sense of disappointment, he chose to just push that feeling way, way down. 

-

The meeting place wound up being, more specifically, behind a dumpster in an alley next to a restaurant, which was fitting, and sort of hilarious, Steve thought, considering they were about to be led underground by giant rats. 

Gareth and Will were there, which surprised Steve. He had assumed the king would put some lackey’s on the job. He was further surprised when the middle aged woman who joined them turned out to be Joyce. Steve took an instant liking to her, she was very friendly and simply exuded kindness. 

She toted along a backpack with her that, when he saw the first aid symbol on the outside, Steve realized must hold medical supplies. The wererats were clearly planning on him and Nancy getting hurt today, at the very least. He decided to view the gesture in a glass-half-full kinda way. If they were planning on administering medical attention, that must mean they think he had a chance, right? No point in bandaging a dead man, after all.

There was one more addition to their group, an older boy named Jonathan who quickly identified himself as Will’s older brother. It seemed this was a family affair. 

All present and accounted for, and heavily armed in the case of Steve and Nancy, Gareth led the way down through the cellar doors and into the basement of the building. From there, they entered the city’s sewer system through a grate near the floor. Steve grimaced as they sloshed through the foul liquid in the dark and tried very hard not to think about how gross it all was. 

Now that they were in the tunnels, Gareth, Will, and Jonathan all transformed into their rat forms, only Joyce remaining human. Their senses were stronger this way, that much Steve knew, and it would be helpful for getting the group where they needed to go. 

It didn’t take as long as Steve expected to reach their destination, only about an hour or so. The trip could have been made quicker if they’d been willing to run, but there seemed to be an unspoken agreement amongst the group to try and splash as little as possible, for obvious reasons. 

Gareth approached an opening, not unlike the one they had used to gain access from the other building, and waved Steve and Nancy closer. 

“The Corroded Coffin’s basement is through there. We’ll wait down here in the tunnels until dark. If you’re not out by then, I'll assume you failed. If you do manage to kill Billy, I'll know, and we’ll come out to help you if we can.”

Steve nodded at him and yanked on the grate, it was loosened just like the other one. The bars were meant to be welded in place, but someone had come along and cut it free. It could be propped up to give the illusion, but pulled away easily. 

He went through first, not knowing if the room would be occupied, though Nancy tried to pull rank as the better shot. The opening was small and close to the floor, and they had to all but crawl to get through. 

On the other side, Steve stood up and started across the room, coming to an abrupt stop as he stared at a point on the wall.

“What is it?” Nancy asked, hackles up.

“This is where Chrissy died, chained to the wall like an animal.” Steve’s voice broke.

Nancy clenched her jaw. “I’m sorry, Steve, really I am, but we can’t afford for you to be distracted right now.”

It would’ve been easy to get mad at her, in fact he wanted to. Anything to stave off the tidal wave of sadness and guilt that was building up inside of him for failing to save the girl.

But Nancy was right, and there was no reason to take it out on her. He did his best to push it all deep, deep down, to be dealt with at a later date. He felt like he’d been doing a lot of that lately, and he wasn’t looking forward to the day when he finally had to unpack it all. 

“Sorry. I’m good now. Let’s go.”

Steve took the lead again, quietly tiptoeing up the stairs and out to the hall. Luckily, the door wasn’t locked. They would have had to shoot the handle off otherwise, he realized, and that would have entirely defeated the purpose of the sneaky entrance. 

He peeked around the corner, shocked to find the immediate area deserted. The vampires would be asleep for the day, but still, he had expected someone to be lurking. Heather at the very least should have been around here somewhere. She was Billy's servant after all, and as a technical human she wasn’t a slave to the sun like he was. 

The pair took their time traversing the halls and checking doors until they finally found the coffin room. Each box sat on a little stone dais to keep it up off the floor. They were all different, some larger, some smaller. A few were made of natural wood, stained and adorned with cheap brass fittings. Others were painted and polished to a high shine, more like the modern one’s Steve was accustomed to seeing. 

They went for the closest box first. Nancy covered him with her shotgun as Steve opened the lid. He didn’t know this vampire’s name, but recognized him as Chrissy’s overly enthusiastic dance partner from that first night at the club, the one who had looked so perturbed when Steve evaded his mind tricks. He was also present for the debacle in the small graveyard the night of the freak party, and was definitely on Billy’s side of things.

Steve drew a long silver knife from its sheath and readied himself to plunge it into the thing’s chest. That, and a few twists of the blade would shred his heart. A shotgun would be easier, but it would also be messy and loud. He’d have to cut the head off at some point anyway, so the knife would be getting used tonight one way or another. 

Nancy stopped him with a hand on his elbow, before he could strike. “I might have an easier way. Have you ever used silver nitrate?”

Steve hesitated, lips pursed.“Like, from the movie Blade? Does that work?”

Nancy rolled her eyes, pulling a small vial of silver liquid and a syringe out of an inner pants pocket to show him. “Yea it works. Any idea how old this one is?”

“No more than a hundred.”

“Better go for a full dose then.” She filled the syringe, leaning over the body as Steve covered her with his own handgun full of silver bullets. 

Nancy unceremoniously jammed the needle into the vampire’s neck and depressed the plunger. The body began to twitch, startling Steve, but it fell limp again after only a minute or two of spasms. He stared at it, waiting for some sign that the creature was really dead. When it didn’t seem like anything else was going to occur, he finally took his eyes off of the body to look at Nancy.

“Is that it?” He asked, sounding more than a little disappointed.

“Pretty much, yeah. Why, what did you think was going to happen?”

“I don’t know, just, something more than that I guess?”

Nancy crossed her arms over her chest. “You were expecting him to blow up, weren’t you.”

“I absolutely was expecting that. Yes.” Steve grinned.

She shook her head but smiled back at him. “You’re an idiot, Steve Harrington.”

“Maybe, but I'm still cutting his head off before we leave here. I’m not taking any chances.”

“Suit yourself.” She shrugged. 

The next coffin they checked was empty. It probably belonged to one of the murdered vamps, Tommy maybe, or at least that’s what Steve told himself. Surely it was too early in the day for any of them to be awake

The next was similarly unoccupied, and then they found Neil. 

Again Nancy had pointed her gun at the casket while Steve raised the top. He curled his lip in a snarl when he laid eyes on the monster’s face. Not only had this piece of shit bespelled and threatened one of Steve's friends, but he bore half of the responsibility for Chrissy’s death. He almost regretted doing it like this, when the vampire was all but helpless. A real, god's honest fight would be much more satisfying to his craving for revenge, but it would also be needlessly risky.

This time, it was Steve who loaded up the syringe. Nancy had advised that at Neil’s age they should do two full doses of the liquid silver just to be safe. Steve stuck the needle deep in his neck, quickly administering the first shot, anxious to refill it. Before he could so much as pull the needle back out, however, Neil sat up, eyes still closed as if he were half asleep. The move would have sent Steve sprawling to the ground, but as the vampire surged upwards, he gripped Steve by the throat, lifting him clear off the ground.  

His ears started to ring as he fought to think through the panic of having his airway cut off. He grabbed on to the vampire's wrist with both hands, pulling to take as much of the pressure off his neck as he could. He kicked his feet, trying desperately to dislodge himself, but Neil’s grip was like a vice, and it became clear that Steve wouldn’t be able to get free unless he chose to let go, or died. Fuck. 

Nancy appeared suddenly on Steve’s other side, the only vantage point in the room that would give her a clear shot without risking him. She aimed, and fired nearly point-blank into the side of Neil’s head. Red fluid splattered across Steve's face, and immediately the hand that had been holding him up let go. He crumpled to the ground, sucking in greedy gulps of air as he wiped the  blood from his eyes. 

So distracted by his own situation, Steve didn’t realize for a moment that Neil hadn’t entirely gone down. His head was a red mess of meat and bone, but his body hadn’t quite gotten the memo yet, and it was grappling hard with Nancy as she tried to gain enough distance from the thing to get another shot off. 

Though he was still a little lightheaded, with spots dancing across the edges of his vision, Steve waded into the fray, carefully slicing through the air with his blade to capture the thing’s attention. He got a few good cuts in and it was distraction enough to give Nancy time to line up her shot. 

“Steve, move!” She howled.

He didn't need to be told twice. Steve threw himself down and to the side. He even put his hands over his head for good measure. Nancy’s second shot rang out, deafeningly loud in the enclosed space. He hadn’t even registered the sound of it the first time. Steve shuddered, realizing how close he must have been to passing out to have not noticed. 

Her bullet hit home, going straight through Neil's chest and out the other side, leaving an impressive exit wound. Finally, mercifully, the body fell limp to the ground. He was dead, permanently this time.

Nancy pulled Steve to his feet, scanning him top to bottom.

“How are you holding up?” She asked.

“I’m fine.” He said, voice rough from the damage to his throat. 

She stared at him silently, unblinking.

He sighed. “It looks worse than it is. Come on, let's get this done.”

Steve limped to the front of the room, where the final three coffins were placed. The one in the center, a glossy black lacquer number with gilded handles, had to belong to Billy. Not only because it was the fanciest of the bunch, but because the two that flanked it were wrapped in heavy chains with small crosses dangling from their links like some sort of twisted charm bracelet. 

He could tell Nancy was considering blasting a hole through the side of the box with her shotgun, anything to avoid another jack-in-the-box style surprise, but even if she did it would never be a killing blow. 

Steve approached the coffin, holding his breath as he lifted the lid. He wished he could say he was surprised when he looked down to find nothing but white satin, but he wasn’t.

“Looking for me?” Billy drawled from the back of the room. 

He and Nancy turned towards the voice at the same time, both lifting their weapons to eye level on instinct. 

“You didn’t really think at my age that I needed to sleep off the entire day still, did you?”

Steve gulped audibly. Up until he saw Neil’s form move in the daylight hours just a few moments ago, he had thought that. 

“Aw, it seems you still have so much to learn, Harrington. Why don’t you put those silly little guns down and we can work this out.”

“There’s nothing to work out, Billy.” Steve said through gritted teeth.

“Sure there is! Look, I know I killed your girl. I would say I was sorry about that, but I don't like to make a habit out of lying. As far as I see it, now that you’ve killed my father, we’re even! Trust me, I don't even mind that you took him out. Saved me the trouble of doing it myself some day.”

“Don’t move.” A female voice said suddenly to Steve's right. 

He glanced over to find the human servant, Heather, standing behind Nancy, holding an old fashioned pistol to the back of her head. Her arms were already in the air, and Heather snatched the shotgun from her with her free hand, tossing it to the floor. 

“You better drop your weapon too, Steve-O, wouldn’t want Heather to get nervous and shoot your pretty friend there by accident.”

Steve glared at him, but dropped the gun and the knife he was holding to the ground. He had other knives on him, they could have those. 

Brenner appeared in the doorway behind Billy. He didn’t look particularly happy to be there. 

“Oh good, you’re finally here.” Billy snarked, not turning around but still clearly addressing the man. ”Be a good boy and help Heather check these two over for more weapons.”

Brenner scowled at the back of Billy’s head, but quickly crossed the room to do as he was told. 

Heather started to frisk Nancy, while Brenner approached Steve. 

“Does he know what you’ve done?” Steve whispered to the older man.

“Shut up.” Brenner hissed as he kicked Steve’s legs apart, doing a much more thorough job at searching him than Steve had been expecting. 

He couldn’t be sure if Heather had found all of Nancy’s goodies, but unfortunately, Brenner had found all of his. Even the small knife that he liked to keep tucked in his boot was now living in the other man’s pocket.

“Would you like to see what we’ve been up to while you two were busy sneaking around and killing my father?” Billy asked.

Steve didn’t respond, it wasn’t like he had an actual choice in the matter, so why entertain the vampire with an answer?

“You really know how to take all the fun out of things, you know that pretty boy?” Billy huffed. “Escort them to the basement.” He commanded the two lackeys.

Steve and Nancy found themselves being roughly pushed out into the hall, and he didn’t need three guesses to know where they were going. Back to the same fucking torture chamber of a basement room he was becoming all too familiar with. He wondered if they ever called it a dungeon, it was a fitting name for the awful space.

The small group paraded down the stairs and stood in an awkward half circle.

“Come on out, sweetheart.” Billy called towards one of the dark corners.

There was a soft shuffling sound as something moved in the darkness. Slowly, a small figure with a petite frame and strawberry-blonde hair was revealed under the single dim light that hung in the middle of the room.

Steve sucked in a sharp breath. He should have seen this coming, in hindsight, but this was cruelty beyond his imagining, even for someone like Billy. 

“Chrissy?” His voice broke as he whispered her name, before rounding on Billy and shouting nearly right in his face. “Why?! Why would you do this?!”

The motherfucker smiled like a Cheshire cat. “To torture you mostly, why, is it working?”

Steve raged inside. He wanted to lay Billy out, to spit in his smug face, but he had no wish to set the guy off. Had it only been his own life on the line, he might have risked it, but with Nancy here he had to hold it in. He forced himself to take several steps back.

Billy laughed, so obviously amused with Steve’s struggle to control himself. “Actually, to be honest, I had Martin raise her before you arrived. As an animator I'm sure you’re aware that murdered zombies have a tendency to pursue their murderers, and since Neil landed the final killing blow… let’s just say, I thought I'd give Chrissy here a fair shot to get back at him while he was asleep for the day. Your showing up to witness her impromptu resurrection was just a happy accident.”

Steve gaped, somehow still surprised at the vampire's level of depravity. “He would have destroyed her all over again. That’s…sick”

Billy shrugged. “When you’ve been alive as long as I have, you have to find new and interesting ways to entertain yourself.” 

The vampire’s mouth twisted into a predatory grin as his eyes began to glow with blue fire. Steve averted his gaze. 

“Speaking of which.” Billy continued. ”Drop to your knees and crawl to me, human.”

Steve stared at the floor and braced himself for the pull of Billy’s power, though knew they had cleaned the bite thoroughly. He felt nothing.

The vampire growled, and Steve chanced a look at his face. He looked pissed.

“What have you done?”

“Just a little routine cleaning with holy water.

”I suppose next time I'll just have to keep you with me to stop that from happening. Or, if you prefer, I could make you into one of us. You could take Tommy's place. It’s really the least you can do since your lack of finding the vampire murderer led directly to his death.”

Steve shot a sideways glance at Brenner’s nervous face before he spoke. “I’d die first”

“One way or another that’s where we’re headed, baby boy.”

Chrissy, who’d been hovering near the edge of the group, mostly looking around in confusion, seemed to finally realize where she was. Steve heard her gasp as she ran her hands lightly over a spot on the wall. He watched in agony as she clawed at her throat, clearly remembering the moment it had been ripped apart, and screamed. She collapsed to the floor sobbing.

Steve tried to lunge for her, desperate to offer what little comfort he could to this echo of his fallen friend, but Heather grasped him by the back of his shirt, shoving her little pistol roughly into his ribs.  

“Do you really think i’ll just stand here and watch you torture that poor girl even in death?” Steve snapped, whirling on Heather with a vicious snarl. “You want to shoot me for it? Fucking shoot me then!”

Billy stepped between them, suddenly the picture of cool, calm, and collected. “Let’s just everyone calm down. Why don’t we play a little game.”

“Why?” Steve spat. He didn’t understand why they didn’t just kill him already. Billy knew he was never going to join him willingly. Was he really this enamored with playing with his food?

“Maybe i just want to see how good you really are, besides, if you win i’ll let you comfort poor Chrissy there.”

What other choice did he have? 

“Fine.”

Steve was given back one of his knives and told he was to fight Heather, who had apparently trained in many forms of combat over her years with Billy. The rules were simple. If she killed him, she won. If Steve drew her blood, he won. It almost sounded like a fair fight.

Heather looked like a small, unassuming young girl, but Steve knew now more than ever just how much looks could be deceiving, so he didn't let his guard down one bit as they circled each other.

He was pretty good with a blade, Wayne had insisted on training him heavily with them even more so than firearms, because ‘knives can’t run out of bullets, son’.

Still, Heather was better, and she managed several shallow cuts on both of his arms before he could get anywhere near her. She was fast, and she was toying with him. He needed to find a way to gain the upper hand here, and quickly.

“I know who the murderer is.” Steve said casually, never once taking his eyes off his opponent. For a moment, all movement in the basement ceased except for him, and Heather. 

“What did you say?” Billy hissed.

“I know who killed your vampires.” Steve reiterated.

Martin spoke over him. “Don’t listen to him, surely he’ll say anything now to save his own skin.” 

“Quiet, Martin. Tell me who it is, Harrington, or I'll kill your partner.”

Steve risked a glance at Nancy then, only to find that Billy had stepped up behind her, her hair fisted tightly in his hand. 

He opened his mouth to answer, but Brenner interrupted shouting, “NO!” As he pulled Steve’s own handgun out of his suit pocket and aimed.

The room fell into chaos. Billy dropped his grip on Nancy and appeared in front of Brenner like magic. The man had no time to react before the vampire reached up with both hands and snapped his neck. 

Heather had finally looked away to watch her master work, and Steve used the opportunity to step into her, and plunged his blade deep in her chest. She wasn’t a vampire, but she was tied to one, and Steve was betting she could be killed like one too. 

She stared at him wide-eyed, as she stumbled and fell to the ground. Steve plucked the weapon she’d been using out of her hand and slid it in Nancy’s direction. She caught it, and they both turned in tandem to face Billy. 

The vampire had dropped to his knees, weakened as his human servant lay dying. It was everything Steve had hoped for. He’d been told that a human servant would live as long as their vampire master. Which, if you thought about it, translated to, if their master died - so did they. Steve had thought if that was the case, then maybe the reverse could also be true. 

Billy tried to gather his power, Steve could feel it in the air, but he was too weak for tricks. Nancy made a go for him first, lunging and slashing but unable to make contact before Billy grabbed her arm, spinning her hard into the nearest wall. Steve came at him from behind as he threw her, aiming as best he could for the man’s heart. The knife penetrated his body, but he must have missed the mark. 

Billy heaved himself off of Steve's blade with a grunt, only to be met with Nancy once again in front of him, having recovered quickly from ricocheting off the wall. She jammed her blade down into his chest and he tipped sideways to the floor. Nancy remained above him, holding the knife in place while Steve scrambled for his gun where it had fallen out of Brenner’s hands. 

He leveled the weapon at Billy’s head.

“Nance!”

It’s all he had to say. She pushed with her feet, scooting back on her butt to get some distance from the half-dead vampire. 

Steve screamed as he shot round after round into Billy’s head until the gun clicked empty, and Nancy had to force it out of his hand. He’d lost time somewhere, he hadn’t seen her get up, let alone approach him. 

He blinked at her, and watched as she knelt by Heather's unmoving body to check for a pulse. 

“She’s dead.” Nancy said simply.

The vampire’s body was similarly still. His head was utterly destroyed and Nancy’s knife was still sticking up out of his chest. Steve would want to burn the body to make sure, just as a precaution, but it seemed Billy’s reign of terror was finally over. 

Steve made his way slowly over to where Chrissy still cowered in the corner, not wanting to spook her when she was already terrified. He sat down next to her and took one of her small hands in both of his. 

She looked at him with sad eyes, though she was no longer crying. “I’m really dead, aren’t I?”

Steve whimpered. “I'm so sorry.”

She fell against him, and Steve wound his arms around her, rocking them back and forth for a long time. There was so much he wanted to say to her, and none of it was good enough, so he just held her until she was ready to let him go. 

Eventually she pulled back and looked Steve in the eyes. “Can you put me back? I know I'm not supposed to be here, I want to go back.”

“Yea, I can do that.”

-

When Steve returned from laying Chrissy to rest, the wererats had come. Joyce wanted to treat him, but there were still a few things to be dealt with before his work here was done.

Brenner lay in the spot where he dropped, neck bent at a very wrong angle, but still alive. Steve didn’t know much about the magic that had been keeping this man alive, but he did recall an old rule of thumb he learned from a colleague. A spell can usually be reversed by the opposite of whatever is used to feed it. He’d always liked the idea, it had a certain amount of poetic symmetry. The power in Brenner's necklace was fueled by vampire blood, and what’s the opposite of vampire blood? Steve hoped he knew the right answer.

He knelt by Brenners head and held a shaking hand out towards the man’s throat. The necklace had fallen out of his shirt in the fall, and Steve dragged one of his bleeding cuts along the chain, making sure to leave a fat droplet of the red liquid on the cluster of stones that made up the pendant. 

Steve watched the light fade from Brenner’s glassy eyes and felt no satisfaction. He just felt empty. 

Joyce again tried to coax Steve to sit down and let her look him over, but he still refused and told her to check on Nancy instead. 

He felt eyes on his back as he climbed the stairs, but ignored them, he had one more thing to take care of before he could rest.

-

Back in the coffin room, Steve searched until he found a key hanging from a hook on the wall. He unlocked the chains from each of the boxes and dragged them off. He knew who was in the two coffins, he could have left right then knowing that when the sun came down Dustin and Eddie would finally be free to leave their confinement, but he couldn’t walk away. Not yet.

He opened the lid of the first coffin and sucked in a breath when Eddie’s face was revealed to the lamp light. His eyes were closed, and if he wasn’t so still Steve could have believed he was sleeping peacefully, but that sort of stillness wasn’t natural. This wasn’t sleep, this was death, temporary as it might be.

He stared down at the vampire's beautiful face and wondered what the right thing to do was. He thought he could save himself a lot of trouble in the long run if he took care of Eddie now. It would be easy to kill him while he was sleeping, while Steve wouldn’t have to look into those big brown eyes. While he wouldn’t have to listen as those pink lips that he’d become so familiar with in his dreams begged for his life. 

In the end it came down to Chrissy, and respecting her wishes. She wouldn't want this. She had trusted Eddie. He may have let her down as much as Steve had, but maybe he could be there for others, for Dustin. So, he replaced the lid and turned to the other coffin, hoping his decision wouldn’t come back to bite him in the ass. 

Dustin, Steve finds, when he opens the other coffin, looks a little more worse for wear than Eddie had. Of course, the younger vampire hadn’t had someone to feed off of while he was locked up. 

He knew he should go, but he couldn't stop staring at the boy’s face. Steve had been to a lot of funerals over the years, where the body of his loved one was put on display, but this was one of his kids. He knew Dustin wasn’t really dead, and that in just a few hours he would rise, and he would feed, and he’d be fine, but it still made Steve's chest tight to see him like this.

He heard the soft footfalls behind him as someone entered the room, but didn’t bother to turn around. He already knew it would be Nancy. 

When she reached his side and peered over the edge of the box, Steve tensed. 

“I hate that he’s done this to himself.” She said softly.

He watched her carefully through his peripheral vision. “Me too.”

Nancy frowned at him. “You can relax Steve, I'm not about to suggest we kill him or anything. I knew him too.”

He believed her, to an extent, but he also knew how much she hated vampires, and it worried him. She might let Dustin live for now, only to come back for him later.

“I’ve spent a little time with him over the past few days, Nance. He’s still Dustin. Almost infuriatingly exactly as you’d remember him, just, with fangs.” Steve explained, trying to keep the pleading tone out of his voice. 

“I know it might seem that way sometimes, Steve, but…”

“No, I'm serious. It’s him, and…you know I didn't talk to him, haven't talked to him since he transitioned. I thought I was doing the right thing, but all I did was rob us both of our friendship. Promise me you won’t go after him.”

“I won’t. I swear. I don’t think Mike would ever forgive me if I did.”

Steve wanted to say, I wouldn’t either, but he didn’t think he needed to.

“What about that one?” Nancy asked, pointing at Eddie's coffin. 

“That is, something I think I'll call - ‘better the devil you know’ - and all that jazz.”

“I hope you know what you’re doing there.” She said.

“Me too.”

-

Steve finally let Joyce treat him after that. The wererats promised to clean up the mess and take care of any remaining Billy supporters. Steve thanked them profusely, and soon he and Nancy were walking out the front door of the theater. He was forced to call Robin to pick them up, no uber or taxi would have stopped for them in their current state.

She picked them up, no questions asked, and she even let him get away with silence until they had dropped Nancy off at her hotel. They parted ways with a hug and Steve thanking her endlessly for her help. She assured him it was her pleasure, and that since the master of the city was in fact killed, she would still be getting paid by her client. If anything she should be thanking him, she assured him.

Once they were alone in the car, Steve filled Robin in on everything she’d missed. They didn’t even pick up his car, he was too tired to drive anyway. They could always get it the next day. 

He was still going over the play by play of their fight with Billy when they arrived at his house. Robin helped him inside and coaxed him right into the bath, sitting on the edge to keep him company and he finished his story. 

“What are you going to do about Eddie?” Robin asked, as she trailed her fingers through the bath water.

“I don’t know. Ignore him until I can find a way out of this mess?”

“Babe, is that, like, healthy?”

“I don’t know, I'm too tired to figure it out right now.”

All Steve could think about was getting out of the tub and falling into bed. He wouldn’t have minded some platonic best friend cuddles either, but he didn’t want to put Robin out even more than he had already. It turned out, he didn’t even need to ask.

“Do you want me to stay with you tonight?”

God he loved her.

“Please’

Chapter 10

Author's Note: This fic has two pretty definitive halves, since the au inspiration comes from two separate books. This chapter marks the end of part 1, and puts us at the halfway point of the original plans I had for this story. Now, I'm considering making this into a series to be continued past the end of the main fic. There will be a conclusion of sorts by the end of this, but there will still be so much that could be explored past that. Please, as we continue, let me know if you would like to see more when this main story is over.  As always, thanks so much for reading. I hope you enjoy this chapter, I can’t wait to dive into the back half of this fic!

[justrambles]

(Beauty and the beast steddie)

No.5 — Door

Eddie hesitates in front of the closed door. With the the hallway lights now turned on he can see that the door is heavily scratched, especially around the doorknob.

Dustin told him that this was Steve's room. He also told Eddie that this mansion was Steve's house originally, so Eddie wonders why he doesn't stay in the master bedroom that Eddie's staying in right now. He gathers up his courage and knocks.

"Hey, um, Steve? This is Eddie, the guy who came to your house last night. Hi, uh- Can I come in?"

He hears someone stumbling behind the door. He waits for a minute, and then asks again.

"Steve?"

"No."

It's almost a shout, and Eddie is taken aback by the fierceness of the response. The rejection is so different from the welcoming responses of the other kids in this house, it seems a little strange. But hey, everyone's different. Maybe Steve doesn't like people.

"Alright, sorry about that. I just wanted to say thanks for... for the meal. You didn't have to. Didn't have to do anything. I'm only a stranger passing by– and honestly, I would've understood if you just made me stay off your house. But you didn't, so... Thank you, man. You're a really nice person."

There's a silence between them. As Eddie accepts that Steve is not going to answer and is about to go back to his room, Steve's voice comes through the closed door.

"The boys like you. Uh, I mean that I should be thanking you, too. They haven't been this excited for a while. Dustin talked my ears off today about how you seemed like a really cool guy. And it's no trouble. You can... stay as long as you want to."

Steve sounds nervous, and Eddie gives him a sheepish grin even though he knows Steve can't see it.

"Thanks, Steve. Dustin told you I seemed cool?"

Steve chuckles at the smugness in Eddie's response.

"Yeah, the little shit don't usually admit that kind of thing, it's a real compliment."

"That's nice. For the record, I think Dustin's a cool kid, too. Smart kid. You his brother?"

"Brother? No, it does feel like it, though. They're all the kids I babysit. Well, used to, I guess."

Steve's voice sounds a little pensive, so Eddie does what he's good at doing: he spins out a tale to get Steve's mind off whatever he's thinking —it's probably about being cursed and stuck in time— and talks about befriending freshmen who get lost in the social hierarchy of high school and the troubles it caused. He can't see what's going on behind that door but imagines Steve being attentive to his story, hopefully finding it amusing.

After the story, there's another silence, but it's a more comfortable one than from before. Eddie realizes the time is quite late, he didn't notice it getting much darker.

"Steve?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm gonna go back to the room now, it's late and you should rest too."

"Oh."

"Yeah, so... Goodnight, Stevie."

"...Goodnight, Eddie."

***

What he sees as he enters his room is a black kitten padding on his stuff. It's so much smaller than the other kids that Eddie guesses the kitten is younger than them. And the little kitten looks so fluffy with the softest fur, with bright eyes... Eddie can't help himself but let out an "aww".

"If you 'aww' at me again, I'll bite your ankle off so hard you'll lose your foot."

Okay, he did not expect that.

"The nerds were all acting like you were some kind of a hero, so I came to see what this was about. Turns out, you are a nerd, too. Well, even a bigger nerd. No wonder why they like you, nerd."

He was so not expecting such comments. Eddie gapes, trying to come up with a rebuttal—

At the same moment, Lucas scurries in and shouts, "Erica!"

[logically-asexual]

OKAY IT HAPPENED

i saw a spoiler that i SHOULD NOT have seen. but its a funny story so im going to scream about it under the read more and once im done im going to go pirate those 7 episodes i have left even if i have to watch them in french im losing my absolute mind.

dont click on this if you havent finished the show dont make my mistake aksjdhasjdh

SO i keep acting without thought and snooping some miraculous posts that appear under the recommended thing that sometimes shows below my own posts. and a while ago i saw a post that said something about gabriel not being technically adrien's father and i thought that was stupid and i chose not to believe that as a spoiler. also because i had just read a fanfic posterd years ago that decided emilie had been a villain who cheated on gabriel and that's how she had adrien and i just do not like the idea of emilie having been secretely a bad person. and i just didn't like the idea of adrien having some other father. but it wouldn't leave my mind. the only thought i had was that maybe felix and adrien shared the same father and it was the guy who died? but i didn't care much for that.

THEN i watched the episodes i posted live reactions to these past days, which include these two episodes where we finally learn felix's intentions with the peacock miraculous. and okay. i got it when he said the thing to kagami about having a responsibility towards the "beings you create" i got that it was a thing about "our parents shouldn't control us". i just found it cute and interesting and it hasn't left myh mind because i really didn't expect to see this soft side of felix ever.

I ALSO haven't been able to stop thinking about WHAT the hell did Emilie want with the peacock miraculous. because again, i don't want her to be evil. i want her to have mysterious secrets, yes, but i want to know what non evil purpose she could have with the miraculous.

so THIS VERY MORNING. A FEW hours ago my mind randomly put these three dots together while i was having breakfast and watching QuintonReviews talk about crazy theories for nickelodeon sitcoms and said "WHAT IF.... Emilie couldn't have children for some reason and adrien is a sentimonster?"

and i thought.. haha... that's INSANE. im going to remember i had this thought because its SO silly and i want to laugh about it when i have finished the show and have all my answers... how funny LOL.

and just. forgot about it. until A COUPLE MINUTES AGO I ONCE AGAIN GO SNOOPING. and i skim over a post that's like "marinette in season 1: juggles babysitting, being ladybug, idk what else, felix in season 4" and mi think its alright to read this because it said SEASON 4. but then it said that he finds that adrien and him are actually not kasjdh i dont know how they phrased it because i ran away as fast as i could but nowmy WORLD is crashing donw.

because . i did think it was silly. but now EVERYTHING makes sense????? when adrien was going to kiss marinette and he hear gabriels voice in his head saying no and he stopped and i thought he definitely had dont something to him but then maybe it was just a way to represent how adrien's mind works under the abuse of his father but no that wasn't it.. it was GABRIEL FUCKING CONTROLLING ADRIEN BECAUSE HES A SENTIMONSTER IKM ADKFJASHKDJHASKJFHASDKJFHKJFHKASHGFLasd

im losing my mind

is Kagami one too?????? do they control them with their rings?????

so i told my friend that i would wait for her to watch up to episode 20 like i just did before w both together would find the last episodes online and watch them but no. IM watching those fuckers right now because every minute that passes is another minute im pacing around the room and having these revelations in the style of Rapunzel when she figured out that she was the lost princess and she just crashes into a mirror adn breaks it with the force of her shock. im like that. i needthe episodes to tell me this stuff i can't keep going like this.

WHAT THE FUCK GYUS

[purpleturtle9000]

*slips a note under your door before bursting through anyways*

Hi sorry I’ll fix that in a minute but please how did each future turtle carry little baby Casey around how did they interact with Infant did any of them ever have to defend teeny tiny Casey during an attack (either Krang or sibling who wanted the baby but they weren’t Done wait your TURN dealers choice)

I assume the turtles did their best to celebrate Casey’s birthdays whenever they could, but is the reverse also true? Did Casey ever try to do something birthday related for the turts during the apocalypse?

Okay that’s all I got for now love you thank you I hope you have a FANTASTIC day *rehangs your door and puts a little star sticker on it*

*the note from earlier is actually a sticker sheet full of baby turtles*

STICKERS

the future turtles an Casey are near and dear to my heart <3

Angelo never had any intention of being a dad because he was busy trying to keep his family together and relatively sane. Fatherhood did not seem like something he could juggle on top of that (and it was obvious from the beginning Leonardo would fight him to the death anyway).

He did like being an uncle! Or aunt, as the day went. And his mystic magic let him entertain Casey easily - Angelo could replicate fireflies and Casey was absolutely entranced with them ever since he was a baby. Angelo could also float Casey around, which neither of them ever got tired of even when Casey was a teenager. Casey was, however, mildly disappointed that he did not have his own magic powers.

When Cass died, it was Angelo who was the only one who knew how to help Casey process his grief. It wasn't the best circumstances for them to bond further, but Casey appreciated every single time that Angelo would get up early or stay up late for him. Losing Angelo broke his heart, poor kid </3

Distractions were a dime a dozen for Angelo, so Casey got handed off to a family member fairly often. But if Angelo wasn't the one initiating the handoff, anyone trying to steal little Casey, was going to end up tied in a corner with mystic chains. He's protective, what can I say?

That also made him a very good protector from the Krang! He was the best at long-range protection, because of his mystic chains, and Casey always thought it was super cool how Angelo could do that. Personality was another bonus - out of all the turtles, Angelo was best at making dangerous situations seem less scary.

Leonardo was a dad from day one. He did not intend to be. Their first meeting is a drabble here. Casey's cape is the sling that Leonardo used to carry baby Jr around in! And Leonardo outlined the red stripes on Casey's mask so Casey could colour them in.

Jr was constantly running away from school, babysitters, etc, so he could go find His Dad and see what he was up to. This caused quite a few problems as he was constantly scaring the shit out of whoever was supposed to be watching him. Eventually they just assigned babysitting duties to Leonardo to skip all the problems.

Leonardo did not mind this at all. Despite their rough beginning, he adjusted to fatherhood easily, and he and Jr are bonded in the same way as Leonardo and Tello. When he lost his arm, he got full-time babysitting duty during recovery, and it helped him settle a little. Plus he got to cuddle Casey the whole time.

Trying to get Casey away from Leonardo was a dangerous business. It involved biting and even some blunt force trauma. Out of the whole entire resistance, Cass and Tello were the only ones who could do it safely. They tried a schedule but Leonardo had no respect for it (Angelo's words) so they just waited until Leonardo fell asleep and sneaked him away.

Were it not for Casey's loyalty to his mom (and eventually his mom's memory), he would have wanted a sword just like his dad. Since he was often found near Leonardo, and Leonardo was one of the best fighters in the resistance, Casey saw a lot of swordfighting! And the occasional twin fight, gotta settle sibling squabbles somehow.

Red would let Casey climb all over her like a jungle gym. As a kid, he was just small enough to fit between the top of her shell and her shoulders, and he would nap there while she was sitting and doing something. Every so often she'd forget he was up there and stand up and then have to catch him. He always thought it was funny and she always found it vaguely nerve-wracking.

Getting Casey away from Red was, technically, the hardest. Casey would climb up to sit on her shoulders and nobody else would be able to reach him up there. He found this extremely funny, especially when it came to Cass who's five-foot-nothing.

I've mentioned this before somewhere, but Red always knew she was going to be the first one to die. She's the family's protector, and that's what happens to protectors. So she let Casey get away with murder and doted on him 24/7 because she wanted him to remember her as a fun aunt.

And he does! When he remembers his aunt, he remembers some of the most fun times of his life, and he remembers always being held and feeling safe. Red couldn't be more delighted. He also remembers being in absolute awe of how Red could punch anything, and hoping he'd grow up to be that tall too (he's getting there).

Tello was Casey's third favourite family member after his parents. They let him do Science Things, which varied from explaining how that cool bug hunted prey, to making a ten-foot-tall baking soda volcano. Tello was always ready to set things on fire or blow them up, which immediately endeared them to a rambunctious little kid who also liked setting things on fire and blowing them up.

Also, Tello lost their legs the year before Casey was born. So by the time Casey was old enough to be interested in cool-looking things, Tello's prosthetics had gone through enough refinements to look pretty damn cool. Casey loved asking questions and hearing about all the details, even if he didn't understand most at first.

His interest in tech began with Tello. When Casey was a baby, and it was time for Tello to babysit, they'd explain their current project to him (y'know, rubber duck debugging?) Casey picked up enough to become interested and Tello was delighted to have an apprentice. It wasn't long before they started teaching him officially. Eventually Jr even learned how to keep all the tech Tello gave him in good order!

Tello had one of those bubble backpacks that you see for cat sometimes, except it was reinforced to stand up to anything, and that was how they carried Casey around when he was a baby. After that, there were Iron Man-style rocket boots (until they ran out of fuel) and Casey had his own transpo drone that could pick him up (until it got smashed by a Krang).

They were also the best protector, because they would bite, kick, and claw at anything that came near their little Junebug. Usually this was some kind of Krang - they were not impressed with how it tasted when they bit down on a tentacle once - but occasionally it was blue thing wanting to cuddle The Boy before they were ready to let go of him.

YES there were apocalypse birthdays. Mikey always had stashes of art supplies on hand, so getting a birthday card from Casey was a staple of things when he was a kid. Angelo kept his in a hatch on his prosthetic shell, Tello kept theirs in their battle shell, and Leonardo kept his in his biggest belt pouch. Casey Cards were universally seen as Very Special.

As Casey got older, and was allowed to go on supply runs, he began bringing home birthday presents. Or the supplies to make birthday presents! He made Tello a weighted turtle plushie, for example, that Tello carried with them everywhere just like the cards. And Casey and Cass have matching letter necklaces.

[llamamamareads]

An Illyrian Baby: Part I

Part II | Part III

Azriel x Reader

You’ve been mated for a while and have watched your friends have children. It’s finally getting to you that you can’t have them with him due to the complications of a Fae female having an Illyrian baby.

Feyre and Rhys asked you to babysit for them while taking Nyx to practice flying. You typically volunteered to do so and it doesn’t usually bother you; however today you’re having a rough go of it. You lean against the doorway of their nursery and watch as their second child sleeps soundly in her crib. Your arms are crossed tightly against you as you allow the moment to sweep you away, soundless tears sweeping down your cheeks.

You and Azriel have been mated for a number of years. You were made well aware of the complications of childbirth with Illyrian babies in non-Illyrian females and had initially been perfectly fine not having kids. You never thought the day would come that you’d want them. No, need them.

After watching Nyx grow, Feyre become pregnant again, and now seeing Nesta pregnant with Cassian’s child, you can’t help but wish it could be you. Baby fever has hit you hard for a number of weeks. It’s worst when you agree to take care of the kids, but how can you say no? No one is aware of how its affecting you and you’d prefer to keep it to yourself, so you’ve simply decided to endure the pain.

You hear the soft whooshing sound of someone winnowing nearby and the almost nonexistent sound of Azriel’s footsteps down the hall. You quickly wipe away your tears so he won’t see them.

“She’s sleeping?” he asks in a whisper as he slides his arms around your waist, pressing his lips against your shoulder.

“She’s been down for a few minutes now. I was just enjoying watching her,” you murmur. It’s the truth. It really is. Just not the whole story. You feel his lips quirk up into a soft smile against your shoulder and can’t help but allow the pit in your stomach to drop a little further.

“What’s wrong?” he asks, feeling you tense up. He turns you in his arms and frowns when he sees a rogue tear on your chin. “You’ve been crying, are you hurt?”

“No, it’s nothing. I’m fine.” You swipe away the tear and curse inwardly. “Seriously. Just a little moody today.”

He frowns but allows it for now. “Since she’s asleep we can head downstairs. They won’t be back for a while I’m sure, but I don’t want to wake her.”

Taking his hand, you walk back to the living room where you’d been playing with the baby and, together, you clean up the toys and blankets. With each item you hold, the pit in your stomach grows and your mind chants baby, baby, baby knowing full well that you’ll never conceive his child. By the time the two of you are finished, you don’t even notice the traitorous tears rolling down your cheeks.

It’s then that Azriel reads the situation and understands completely. He pulls you into his lap on the floor and rests his chin against the top of your head as you let yourself fall apart. You bawl against his chest, clinging to his shirt while he comforts you.

“It pains me that I can’t give you this,” he sighs. “Of all things. I’d give you the world, Y/N, but I can’t lose you. Or them, for that matter. It’s too dangerous.”

“I just wish there was a way,” you sniffle against his shirt. “I’m sorry. I know it’s something we talked about when we first got together, it wasn’t something I wanted then.”

“I know. I didn’t either,” he takes another heavy breath and pulls back to look at you. “It’s not easy watching Feyre and Rhys’s kids grow and now with Nesta pregnant. I want nothing more than to see you pregnant with my child. To see you flourish as a mother.” He holds your face between his hands and swipes your tears away. “I love you. That’s all that matters.”

You shake your head and avoid his gaze. “I love you too, but it still bothers me. I’ll never experience what they’re experiencing. I’ll never feel what it’s like to grow life inside me. It’s just so bittersweet to watch all of the babies around us. Even walking through the city. There are children everywhere. It’s just not fair.”

He pulls you back against his chest and rubs your back. There was nothing he could say to make this better and he knew that. He held you until you were calmed then bundled you up in a blanket on the couch. When Rhys and Feyre got home with Nyx he had a whispered conversation with them before leaving with you. They didn’t say anything to you about it, but the idea that he told them what you were feeling was mortifying.

Later that night, you’re lying in bed reading when he comes into the bedroom. He yanks his shirt off and crawls up the bed toward you, sliding his arms beneath you and resting his head on your stomach. You run your fingers through his hair, holding your book with one hand and he hums in delight at the feeling.

“I’m going to talk to Madja in the morning,” he says softly after a bit of silence. “She was doing research before to try to save Feyre. She may be able to find an alternative for us.”

“I don’t want to worry about it, Az. I don’t even want to think about it right now,” you sigh, flipping the page of your book.

He lifts his head and takes your book from you, placing it face down and open on the night stand so he doesn’t lose your spot. He gives your hips a small squeeze where he’s wrapped around you and sighs. “I want to talk about options with you. I don’t like that this is hurting you so much.”

“I know, but there’s not a solution. Madja looked into it before. The only thing that saved Feyre was Nesta giving up her powers in exchange for the alterations to their bodies. There’s not a way to alter my body. So it’s either have a human or Fae baby, adopt, or be childless. None of those options are what I want. I don’t like the idea of carrying someone else’s child. I don’t mind adopting, but its not the same. Right now, we’re childless. I just need to deal with it.”

He tips your chin to force you, gently, to look at him. “We will find a solution. I’ll talk to Rhys. We can utilize his resources. I can talk to Gwyn and see what she and the priestesses can come up with… I just want to make you as happy as I can. I feel like –“ he stops and shakes his head. “I hate seeing you hurting.”

“You feel like what?” you ask, frowning slightly.

“I feel like I’m failing you,” he mumbles.

You sit up, forcing him to sit up in front of you. “It’s not your fault. I’m the one who’s failing you. You don’t need to jump through all of these hoops just for me.”

“Yes, I do. You’re my mate. My everything. Maybe we won’t find a solution, but what if we do? It wouldn’t be hope for us alone. Other couples would be able to utilize the information.”

“Our friends have enough to worry about. They don’t need this too.”

“They’re family. It’s what families do for each other. I’ve already spoken to Rhys. He’s going to ask around and get as much information as possible. He still has the information from when Feyre was pregnant with Nyx. Anything is possible.”

You sigh as he pulls you down on the mattress and cuddles you against his chest. “I love you. I’m sorry,” you murmur against his collarbone.

“I love you, too. Don’t be. We’ll find a way,” he promises.

[trashiewrites]

More girlboss ghost's wife plz 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

HAHAHAHAH!!!! MORE BAD BITCHING AND I LOVEE IT!! btw for those who have sent in requests, I am doing them in the order I get them! I don't have that many but work has been killing me recently!

Don't Fuck with That~

Ghost x F!Reader (Never really mentioned gender-wise)

Rating: B for Boss Bitch

Warnings: Harsh language to women, and alcohol? yeah

Words: 1150

One thing you may expect about the life of a mother of two is chaos, especially with your husband gone for long periods of time. It's a lot, you will admit. Yet, you bring the Bad Bitch you were and made it looks like child's play. To be honest, you didn't know how the fuck you did it yourself, but you managed! After a month or so you do start to lose your mind, saying that you barely have any free time after handling things. Luckily you have the best husband ever!

On days when Simon would return home after a mission, the first thing he does is take the kids to go see your family! Or if that isn't available, he'll ask the boys to babysit for the night. Usually, Soap loves to babysit the little monsters. In any case, the kids are out of your hair! Simon takes this to have you go buck wild wherever you want. This time you chose to relax and have drinks at a dive bar! Nothing is more distressing than the one day you can pump yourself with your favorite alcohol!

Simon, during this time, stays relatively sober just to watch the chaos unravel. You being drunk is what he calls a spectacle. "You know Simon," you looked over at him taking another swig of your glass, "how did you of all people end up with such rowdy sperm monsters??" You growled as you leaned upon the table. Simon chuckled, sipping some more whiskey.

"I don't know," he placed his glass down, "why don't you ask their mother?"

"Yeah, you're right!" your face lit up for a mere moment before fully taking in his words, "wait a fucking minute you bastard! I'm their mother!!" 

"Exactly," He took another sip, "Look at yourself, I love you but those rascals get it all from you." Simon chuckled before looking back to see you gulping another glass. 

"Bartender, another glass for me please!" You spoke in a mopey tone, "Imma need more to drink away the sorrow of my husband's harsh but true words!" Having said that, you burst into laughter. Leaning against your husband's shoulder as you tried to grasp your breath. Simon shook his head, leaning his head upon yours. 

"Honestly, what do I do with you." He chuckled as the bartender motioned that this was your last drink. Wasting no time, you took a large gulp; letting out a refreshing sigh you flashed Simon a content smile. "Enjoy that drink, It's your last." You placed your hand over your mouth, so close to spitting out your precious booze. You leaned your head back downing what you had in your mouth. 

"Says who!" You clutched to Simon in desperation, "How could you deprive me of my only day off!" Simon finished his glass, motioning for another. He pointed to himself; the bartender nodded.  "How come you get another!"

"One, the bartender. Two, I'm going to be here for a bit." Simon nodded as he swapped his old glass for a newly filled one, "Lastly, cause I'm not nearly as drunk as you." You huffed in defeat, despite being hammered, you could tell you were HAMMERED. You downed the rest of your glass, standing up from your seat. 

"Imma head to the restroom," you kissed his cheek and left. Simon took a moment to look around. Most things you'd see in a bar were there; The noisy folk, the drunk asleep in the back corner, and groupies of all varieties. One thing caught his eye, more like he had caught their eye if anything. A group of ladies whispered among themselves as they looked over to one of them and then back to him. Not necessarily an uncommon sight for him, saying he is fairly attractive without his mask on. Yet he looked away, paying no heed to the group and returning to his drink. Surely no one is stupid to hit on him seeing he had been hanging with you this whole time... keyword he thought...

"Hey, there Handsome," a voice called out next to him. He ignored it despite no one being on the other side. Until sadly, someone poked his shoulder. "I'm speaking to you sir; can I buy you a drink? " Simon sighed, a frown staining his face. 

"No thanks, for your sake you should leave; I'm happily married." 

"To that wreck? Oh, honey, I can show you a real woman." the woman cackled as she leaned closer, "I can rock your world baby; just give me a chance. ~" she spoke in a seductive whisper into Simon's ear. He placed his hand on her shoulder, gently pushing her away. 

"One last time, it's best if you leave." 

"Oh, come one, leave with me, baby!" She beckoned, "you'll send those papers after one night with me, trust me. ~" 

"I wouldn't fuck with that if I were you," Simon turned to face you, "you must be blind 'cause I'm sure you and your group of whores knew he was mine." Your eyes flared with anger. You cracked your knuckles, leaning your head to the side with a cynical smirk. The women slowly turned around, seeing the demon incarnate festering with glaring eyes that could kill. She went pale as a ghost, "Now, I suggest you turn tail to your groupie before I shove something in those open legs of yours that you won't find pleasurable."  The woman gulped loudly, comedically loud. Rushing off to return to her little gang, you laughed loudly as you watched her run, "Go on run faster bitch; pick a better target next time!" You sent a kiss in her direction and returned your gaze to your husband whose eyes were on you the entire time, admiring you with a soft grin. "Liked the show?" 

"I believe that's your best performance yet." You walked to him, and instead of sitting in your seat next to him, you sat promptly on his lap. He wrapped his arms around your waist, resting his head on your shoulder, "Extremely attractive, if I may add; Despite all these years, you continue to amaze me, dove."

"Can I have one more drink then?" you turned to face him, hitting him with big puppy eyes. Simon sighed, never one to give in to puppy eyes, yet perhaps today will be his exception. 

"Fine," He motioned for two more, "last one, so enjoy it." You cheered happily, grabbing Simon's cheeks and giving him a big smooch. 

"Thank you, thank you! You're the best husband ever, Simon!!" You hugged him tightly; in response, he rubbed your back, "I love you so much, Simon..." You spoke softly. 

"I love you too, (y/n)," he whispered in return. Taking his glass in hand and handing you yours, "Cheers?" You stared down at your glass and then back to him with a warm smile, both sharing that longing for each other. 

"Cheers." 

[neon-junkie]

Logically, It Made Sense

Summary: A shiny attempts to hit on you whilst you're at the bar, and Tech is there to play the fake boyfriend role. However, he has no idea what he's doing, and in his tipsy state, decides to do the first thing that pops into his mind. Pairing: Tech x Reader

Reader Description: Reader is female, and uses she/her pronouns. This fic does not include any descriptions of her appearance. Word count: 1.7k Tags: First kiss, Mutual pining, Making out, Drinking, 79′s, Awkward flirting.

Notes: A little something for Tech Tuesdays, based on a dream I had the other night :0)

(Gif credit, my beloved @kybacrystal​ )

Another night, and you've found yourself getting dolled up, going out with your boys to 79's. The club is already pounding away by the time you all arrive, and after handing over a small bundle of credits, you all enter. Neon lights are glazing overhead, and the bass is jittering through your body, soon trailing to a subconscious part of your mind as you adjust to the nightclub setting.

Drinks are the first thing on everybody's mind, and after you all purchase one each, and a shot to get things going, the Batch find a cozy booth to coddle for the night. They're not really dancers, minus Wrecker, who is always happy to groove with you, but you're content with relaxing, drinking, and nattering the night away.

That is, until your body calls out for more liquor, and you find yourself falling into a tipsy state, as do the others! You've all been here for, what? two hours now? Time is swiftly becoming a blur, not that you mind - there's plenty more hours of the night left!

"Kark, again?" Hunter grunts beside you as you suggest grabbing another round. Your previous drink lasted a few minutes, an estimate of four, according to Tech.

"Yeah?" you rhetorically ask, playfully rolling your eyes at your Sergeant.

"Someone else can go with you. I'm not babysitting you when you fail to make it back to the booth," Hunter chuckles.

You're about to brush him off and say you'll go on your own, until Tech chimes in and states that he also fancies another drink. Needless to say, it's rare to see Tech drunk, and he seems to be slowly creeping in that direction. He's a handful of drinks deep, watering down his walls, and relaxing his ever-ticking mind.

You take him up on his offer, and lose yourselves in the crowd surrounding the bar, Tech on your tail. Before you know it, you're at the front of the queue, patiently awaiting one of the servers to pick up on your thirsty aura. Tech slips his hands into his pockets, keeping your light conversation flowing as you two natter away. It's nice to see him (and the others) dressed up for once, sporting fine and formal attire, and Tech's swapped his goggles out for a pair of round glasses - so, he really does need them? His goggles aren't just there to make him look even cuter?

Finally, a bartender takes your order, and you're about to turn your attention back to Tech as the server goes off to make your drinks, until you feel a tap on your arm. You tilt your head to the side, expecting to see that somebody has accidentally bumped into you, only to find a generic clone standing there.

The first thing that you notice is his lack of colours, more specifically, the shiny, white armour that he's wearing. He's a fresh as clones come, yet to decorate his armour in his troop colours - if he even has one yet.

"You look lonely," the stranger flirts, and you have to bite back a cringed expression, knowing exactly where this is going. Ugh, is it not obvious that you're here with someone? Well, you're not here with Tech, but he's stood right beside you, quirking a brow as he watches this desperate stranger's attempt.

"Oh, I'm not," you reply, hoping that he'll pick up on the hint, and back off.

Maybe it's his first time here, or maybe he's testing out the blessed Jango Fett genes. Either way, he doesn't back down, and attempts to slide another cheeky comment your way. "Are you sure, beautiful?"

"Yep," you say with a stern nod. "I'm already here with someone."

The shiny peers over your shoulder, and laughs when he locks eyes with Tech. Anger begins bubbling in your chest, and not wanting to cause a scene, you turn away, snatching Tech's focus from the shiny.

"Is everything alright?" Tech questions as he notices your frustrated expression. It's likely that he didn't hear what the stranger was saying over the pounding music, so you simplify the stranger's desperate attempts as you explain what's happened.

"He's trying to hit on me," you mutter with disgust. "I said I'm here with you, and he doesn't seem too certain about it."

"Oh," Tech sighs. The neon lighting does a good job at hiding the heat rising to Tech's cheeks, turning red at the image of being here with you, or more specifically, being with you.

Before Tech can murmur up any kind of reply, your brows furrow once more as you feel the stranger tap on your shoulder again. You ignore him, and meet Tech's gaze as you ask for assistance. "Please pretend to be my boyfriend," you plead. This isn't the first time that the Batch have stepped in to fake date you, but it is Tech's first time, seeing as it's usually Hunter or Wrecker playing happy families with you.

Tech blinks heavily as he realises what you've asked for. He's obviously going to accept, but... how? How is he meant to pretend to be your boyfriend? Karking hell, what do couples even do when they're out in public?

"How?" Tech stutters, and you bite back a laugh at the image of Tech being stupefied for the first time in his life. Really? Is this all it's taken to confuse his poor, exceptional mind?

"Uh, for starters, put your arm around me," you suggest.

Tech, like the blind fool that he can be, places his hand in the most platonic area he can think of - your upper back.

You face plant, only for your expression to turn into a groan as you feel that dreaded tapping on your shoulder again. "Lower," you mutter, and finally, Tech moves his hand down to rest (or more specifically, hover) over the small of your back.

Knowing that this stranger won't give up without a fight, you snap your head over your shoulder as you state, "I've told you, I'm already here with someone!"

"Are you sure?" the shiny chuckles, and gestures to how awkward both of you look. "Poor guy looks like this is his first time around a woman," he snickers.

This time, Tech does overhear his comment, and glares at his poor excuse for a vod. Instinctively, his hand tightens around your waist, pulling you closer to his chest, and the overwhelming urge to snap almost takes over him, until you unintentionally prevent it from happening.

You turn back to Tech, ready to suggest that you two ignore the stranger, or even move away from him (seeing as your drinks have been placed on the bar top), but before you can even meet Tech's gaze, your vision turns back as your lashes flutter shut, instantly melting into the sudden sensation of somebody's lips pressed to yours.

In the heat of the moment, Tech has done the most logical thing to show that you two are 'dating.' Yes, maybe he should have asked for your permission first, and yes, maybe he should have held back on his anger, but the liquid courage running through his veins has given him that little push - directly onto your lips.

The fear that Tech has overstepped a boundary slips from Tech's mind when he feels you kissing him back, and even more when you slip your hands up and around his shoulders, pulling his chest tightly against yours. The kiss doesn't last long, a few seconds tops, but Maker, it feels like a lifetime.

However, both of your eyes are wide as you gaze at each other, coming to terms with what's just happened.

"I apologise," Tech instantly spits out, and loosens his grasp from your waist, leaving warm patches on your skin from where his hands were sitting.

"What?" you stutter. "Oh, no! Tech, it's fine!"

Whilst attempting to reassure Tech, you peer over your shoulder, only to see that the stranger has finally gone. Well, it worked, but at what cost?

"No, it's not fine. I apologise, I really should not have done tha-"

"Shut up, and kiss me," you mutter against Tech's lips before pressing your own to them.

You're certain that you both heard and felt a soft moan slip from Tech's lips before he deepened the kiss, his hands finding your waist once more. All questions and theories over your and Tech's 'friendship' is finally answered, and given how well his lips slide against yours, it's clear that you two should have started doing this a long time ago.

Tech's head tilts slightly, and with it, his glasses bump lightly against the bridge of your nose. You can't help but chuckle at the minor gesture, but your soft laughter is enough to catch Tech's attention. "Something funny?" he mutters against your lips. Oh, Maker. His tone of voice is nothing like you've ever heard before, deep and lustful, drawing you even closer to his frame.

"Just your quirkiness," you say with a soft laugh, and Tech chuckles along with you, before distracting your laughter with kisses. You're about to intrude by parting your lips, and sliding your tongue over his lower lip, until an irritated stranger mutters 'get a room!' within earshot.

Both you and Tech giggle as the kiss breaks. You finally pay attention to your drink sitting on the bar top, taking a sip and keeping it in your hand, whilst Tech moves one hand from your waist to pick up his own. As he turns back to you, you suggest a change of plan, rather than returning to the others.

"Would you like to find somewhere quiet?"

"To do what?" Tech sarcastically questions without missing a beat.

You smirk at his feign innocence, and Tech's expression matches your own. He's going to make you say it, but you can play at his game, or at least attempt to. "So I can teach you how to pretend to be my boyfriend, in case, you know, another stranger tries to chat me up," you explain with a shrug.

"Oh?" Tech quirks his brow. "You'll be the one teaching me, for once?" Tech chuckles, and you nod as your hand finds his, ready to pull him away to a quiet part of the club.

"My dear, I am always interested in your lessons," Tech smirks, and allows you to take the lead, weaving through the crowd, disappearing from the Batch's line of sight, who are all sitting with their mouths hanging open, questioning that random turn of events.

You two will have a lot of explaining to do when you finally make it back to the ship, unless if you beat them to it? For, you know, more private lessons?

[spotaus]

I really... I have an idea. A scheme, if you will, but it must wait a smidgen longer

Okay! Gonna try abd remember everything because!!! Bangers!!! The whole rb!!!

Night was definitely treated more like a child consistently. Dream, despite being the more childlike of the two, was forced to grow up too fast (kinda gaslit into getting fast-tracked into training and magic too young + sparring ppl far too old for him). Meanwhile Night, who was really doing all the adult things, was still treated largely as lesser by everyone.

Cross crying at recieving the mask probably would've given Night the fright of his life because ??? No one else cried??? Do you not like it??? Are you afraid of cats I'm so sorry??? And. Cross just tugs him in close for a hug!!!! I have to imagine someone found them 20 minutes later after having a quick heart-to-heart where Cross finally speaks his mind, which caused Night to get emotional and start crying too, because they're both huge softies, and Cross finally understands he has a home and family for real. And like, they look like they just finished watching the saddest play of the century or smth.

Hello??? Dream trying on Night's mask??? MY HEART- I kid you not at this part I literally made a little sound because it's just SO GOOD. AUGH. This entire section just hurts so so so good and I love it. I want to make commentary but like... picture a bunch of seagulls going ham on a package of fries. Okay? Yeah the seagulls are me. That's my opinion on that <3 (/pos)

Okay. Uh. The whole Dream having Night I haven't talked about enough- but exactly! You got my drift perfectly, Dream had been trying to show Night all the people who were hurt 'by the Knights' and teach him a new perspective on the kingdom and his 'control'. Of course, Nightmare at this point is under the impression that Killer is either badly hurt, or very dead. (In his absence, they end up putting Dust up as the figurehead until Night is back. They claim he and Killer are busy with important plans. Killer is the one who takes over when Night is sick, so Killer not being there cements it in his head that Dream hurt Killer so bad he can't lead in Night's absence.) So hearing they're planning another attack (ontop of a huge infodump of bad things he didn't even know were happening in his kingdom) he just loses all composure and can't help it. He's so embarrassed, but he'd do anything at this point to make Dream just *stop*.

And it works, and Dream can't calm him until after Dream post-pones the meeting and brings him away from the prying eyes of his group. Only thing is (He realizes after) Dream doesn't risk bringing him into the meetings anymore, so he's blind to what's going on.

You got my jist exactly with how Blue takes the babysitting duty on as a show of trust, too! He's heard nothing but Dream lamenting about how he missed his brother, and dreaded having to inevitably lock him away until they fixed him somehow, and now his brother was back, and small, and not a threat, and clearly (not) just a pawn in some bigger scheme. Dream is positive he can help Night, but since he leads everyone, he really hates to drag Night around when he's still 'recovering' from his 'situation', and he knows his brother is still the same. He hates crowds, he hates being in the limelight. The crying was the last straw, because Dream can't stand to see Night cry, he was always so strong when they were children. So it's a show of trust exactly that Blue is asked to watch over Nightnare. Blue knows how much Night means to Dream, and he wants to help! (Plus, Dream and him like, are never far from eachother's hip, so it doesn't hurt them to let Blue stay behind a bit and get updates later.)

I think that Blue manages to get to know Night in this time, just a little bit. Enough to understand why Dream adored him so much, at least. Nightmare is at least usually stationary when he's with Blue, and Dream gave him plenty of books to occupy himself with, but eventually Nightmare gets anxious.

I think there's also some growing to do from Night to Dream's perspective. He's been slowly trying to improve the kingdom, but those he does trust for opinions and suggestions have limited knowledge constantly being by his side. Like, he knows about the trouble with the black markets (Dust used to do smuggling) and the poverty on the borders (Horror) and the refugees from Cross' old kingdom, (not sure how deeply entrenched in politics I want this, but I *might* even add a slavery aspect in, because Killer was once like, a 'servant' before he ran away?) But point is, he has no eyes on the ground. There are plenty of things he's heard here that are legitimate problems he never even heard of. Greedy Lords, rampant tax, bandit routes, overflowing prisons, etc. He doesn't hold it against these people that they're rebelling, honestly, because he wasn't helping them. (<- Bro's paranoia made him stop doing that thing where citizens cone complain to the king about their needs.)

So, I think he starts asking Blue. Begrudgingly. But he refuses to budge an inch with Dream, lest his twin think he's giving into the stupid idea to kill his knights. Blue is his best source of info. And while Blue is not technically from the kingdom, he's heard nearly every story, because Dream had heard every story. Night internally steels himself that he *will* get home so he can start working. Not to prove them wrong, but to improve things just like he'd been slowly doing for so long.

So, by the end of things, Blue recognizes that Night is... rational. Definitely brainwashed by the Knights (blue no!!!) But he's rational, and seems to understand that these are problems. Blue reports this back to Dream, saying he thinks there might be hope for him yet.

And I feel like I'm forgetting smth but... yeag I love these sillies.

Mm, New Age au my beloved (I just knocked out like... a lot of stuff I needed to do, so here's a quick post before I get back to it) oh! And @ancha-aus hiiiii :]

I know I focus a lot on Night but like... Dream! Dream is a huge part of the story!! So here's a tease at wtf has been up with Dream since Night ate the apple.

So... Dream! He was exiled, but he wasn't left on his lonesome. Nightmare contacted a neighboring kingdom that they already had a treaty with, and asked for them to watch over the crown prince, as he was no longer "fit to rule". They'd accepted, and Night shipped him off at the earliest convenience.

Of course, Dream had no clue it was for his own good, so naturally, after lamenting to this other kingdom about what had happened, how everything changed, he garnered pity, and then support, when Nightmare confirmed Dream's story through letters. Though, the kingdom couldn't afford a war, so they just had to stand idly by.

Dream only stayed there a few years, because by the time he was about 17, he'd become good friends with a squire: Blue. Blue worked around the castle, doing all sorts of tasks for the knight training him, but despite his exceptional skill he remained at the level of Squire due to his age. Blue was very devoted to Dream as his friend and self-proclaimed protector. He looked up to Dream, and was positive he would defeat his brother and take back the throne.

And so, when Dream left on his own to gather experience and followers without endangering this kingdom, Blue followed. Blue was never officially Knighted, but their first night in an Inn, alone on the road, start of their journey, Dream honorarily knighted Blue with his power as a prince. (That's why I refer to Blue as a Knight, even tho no one ever *actually* knighted him and he has no affiliations with any kingdoms.)

Dream was picky with who he recruited and when. He and Blue found a nice little abandoned cottage to start their base of operations, and would travel to recruit people they thought would be of value. Dream wasn't versed in espionage or inner-working over the government, but he knew how to talk to crowds. Sway the people. Plus, feeling emotions helped out too. (I like to think that's something the twins have naturally. Dream's grows with Age, and Night (due to lack of training) only has it when he's corrupted and very little hints when he's young.) So over the course of years, Dream gains more and more support. Like a militia among the neighboring countries as well as in Night's kingdom.

Ink and Cross came together. Ink had been looking for a new job, as he was a mercenary (though his talent was really in the arts) and Cross was a soldier who had left the kingdom a few rivers over that crumbled under a coup. Ink liked Dream's energy right from the start and was completely swayed with the idea of getting a lot of easy work for pay. Meanwhile Cross needed a new hope. Despite leaving a crumbling castle with no hope, Dream seemed to be working towards a better future in this kingdom. Of course he joined him, because that meant he'd live to see an era of peace. (<- of course, Cross finds out this kingdom is actually banger and the current king was slowly working through improving each piece of it, ensuring the whole kingdom could thrive one piece at a time.)

Dream never stopped training, and over the years he lost track of just how different Night was. He lost the script, a bit. His childish mind turning Night's actions all those years ago into a conspiracy. He had an echo-chamber of support, with no outside voice (no Nightmare) to remind him of the truth.

This cottage remains their base, and expands into a small town/camp. Nightmare is taken here when Dream kidnaps him from the castle the first time, too. This place is filled with plants and magic and is thriving. The perfect place to find the golden king.

[33roda]

Kaeya X Dom!Reader <3

tags: tiddy sucking (m!receiving), butt fingering, (m!receiving), brat taming kinda, gn!reader I think !!

____________________________________

Yet another exhausting Abyss Order attack, finally over with.

It was a quite difficult one at that, having required a whole army of knights at the gates of Mondstadt, so Kaeya invited the team to a drink at Angel's Share, out of all places. Even after all the energy that used up, he's still in the mood for drinks?

Well, that didn't matter anyway, because either way, you would've been forced to go either by Kaeya or by Lisa. You sat quietly next to Kaeya, listening to him chat with the other knights.

"Ah, another success.. Of course, we couldn't have done it without our Honorary Knight here," he chatted, sounding as sarcastic as ever. "You truly are a new storm after all."

He rested his hand on your shoulder while holding up his third glass of sparkling wine of the night, chuckling at how Amber was already tipsy after one sip of beer. Jean held her up, furrowing her eyebrows tightly, looking for where Lisa went. Probably off to flirt with the new naive bartender. Everyone's enjoying their time here while she had to babysit Amber and Lisa?

"Of course, Y/N. It is truly an honor to celebrate this with our new Honorary Knight." she stumbled as she continued holding up Amber and wiping her drool with napkins, her slurring drowned out by the noises in the background. You let out a polite smile, showing your appreciation to everyone on the table.

"Thank you, Grand Master. It was a pleasure working with you today." The table was awkward. Too formal, too stiff, but Kaeya didn't seem to mind it, just smirking and slowly sipping on his wine. You almost started wondering and fantasizing about when it'd be time to leave, but as soon as you thought of that, you felt Kaeya's hand slide off your shoulder and started gently caressing your thighs. Ah, expected. Of course there had to be an ulterior motive to his invitation, not that you minded. Taking advantage of the loud, distracting chatter in the background, he ducked his head next to your ear just enough so you could feel his hot breath against it.

"You sure look bored, Y/N. Quite rude of you to not respect etiquette," he whispered against your ear and chuckled. "I have something more fun for you later. Meet me outside the bar once the rest leave."

Ha. Finally, something interesting this night. You had nothing to lose anyway, so why not entertain his request? his actions motivating you to just get the night over with, you try to be more friendly with Jean to lessen the tenseness in the air, her unaware of the touching and groping exchanged between you and Kaeya underneath the table.

Lisa would never seem to return, and Jean eventually got tired of the Outrider hiccuping and slurring on her words next to her, deciding it was best for everyone to just go home. Exchanging goodbyes to everyone, Kaeya escorted them outside, looking back and shooting you a wink and a smug smile before leaving the tavern. Oh what you'd do to wipe that smug smile off his face, and you'd be sure to do just that tonight. You started packing up your stuff, taking your sweet time with it, thinking about how you're keeping The Cavalry Captain waiting. You can already picture how he'll be squirming and begging to be touched.. What a pretty sight, you thought, as you exit the tavern door to be greeted with silence for a second; then the husky voice of a grumpy-looking Kaeya.

"Took ya long enough, Honorary Knight," he raised an eyebrow, waiting for an excuse or an apology, getting a figurative slap in the face when he got teasing instead.

"Oh, so sorry, Captain, did my touch make you so needy in there you couldn't wait for a few minutes?," you cooed, giving him as much of a smug smile as he was giving you earlier.

"Hm," he scoffed. Resistance? from a new knight like you? that's new. He was known to be irresistible, to both men and women, being all dolled up with his fancy fur and chains. At least he still has you in his hands, he thought.

Thank Barbatos the streets were empty ‒ if anyone saw you leading the Captain to your house in the dead of the night, the rumours would not sound pretty for either of you. But rumours were the least of your concerns, being in your room with Kaeya holding you against the wall and leaning down to whisper in your ear as you twirled his ponytail in your fingers from behind.

"Getting you here was easier than expected, Y/N," he taunted, "I'm starting to think you've wanted this for some time."

"In your dreams," you looked up at him. To be honest, he was a very attractive man - looking down at you with half lidded eyes and that smirk that never seemed to fade. He shot down to kiss you, but it was too early, you thought. He had to earn it. You grabbed his ponytail, forcing him to throw his head back and expose his pretty little neck to you. His eyes going wide as you started tracing circles on his exposed chest - now that was a sight to appreciate. Funny, he's the captain yet his skin felt smooth and silky against your calloused hands.. now you understand why he liked showing it off so bad. Switching hands to grab him by the face, you snickered, "It seems like you've been the one planning this, Sir Kaeya. Actually, how about you let me be your master tonight, hm?"

"You think it's that easy? Insulting of you, Y/N," you raised an eyebrow at the disobedience, even with your hands grabbing his cheeks, his words coming out slurred. Should've expected that from a smug fuck like Kaeya. "Prove yourself to me."

"You really are a brat. Not surprised, honey." you said, letting go of his cheeks and immediately diving into his chest to lick and suck at it, leaving it with red and purple bruises. Sliding your fingers across his wet chest and under his shirt, you flicked his nipple with your thumb before squeezing it, feeling him shudder standing in front of you. "What's wrong? can't handle it? need to lay down?" you didn't even let him finish before shoving him down into the bed, impressing him with your sudden strength. Giggling, you pinned his wrists down next to his head. "Just let me have my fun with those pretty tits of yours." Surprisingly, he didn't complain - instead, he just bit his lip and turned his head to the side, allowing himself to be touched. "Such a good boy, really,"

"Th-this is just a one time thing, Y/N, don't get your hopes up," he stuttered out between little gasps and squirms, "I promise you, I'll be stuffing you full tonigh- ngh!" he choked, feeling you move his shirt to the side and start lapping at his nipple. If he wasn't hard before, he sure as hell is now. Riling him up was easier than expected - although he'd never admit that. You continued nibbling at him, feeling his hardness underneath his pants on your stomach. Poor Kaeya, getting hard just from this?

"Sensitive, are we?" you commented between licks. "No wonder you love showing off your chest so much. Makes me think how you'd like showing the rest of you off?"

"You'd love to see that, huh?" he remained smug.

"Why yes, I would, Captain," you purred. You started unbuckling his belt and stripping him all the way down to his underwear, leaving so much more area for you to lick, kiss, and just ruin. "Such a pillow princess. Are you like this with everyone else?"

"N-no!" he exclaimed, looking insulted. "Just strip me already, Y/N." Honestly, it was pretty funny how he tried to mask his horniness, even with his dick as hard as ever under you, face flushed and breathing heavily.

"I'm not stripping you unless you call me your master. And if you strip yourself," you held up his chin with your fingers, "I'll just leave you here, naked and horny, with no pleasure at all. Your choice, Kaeya."

"Master.. please, please strip me - I need more, anything, please," he sounded like he was about to cry. How adorable, his pride crumbling right before him, all just so he could have your touch..

"Good boy."

You pulled down his tight blue underwear down to his ankles, freeing his oh-so-pretty cock. He was certainly impressive, but unfortunately, his dick would be useless to you tonight. "How pretty," you hummed, tracing every vein with your fingers, feeling every throb. "You want more, don't you? I want to hear you beg for more."

"More, please, I n-need you to touch me master, please," gasping, he tried rutting against your hand, rubbing himself on you, anything - but failing. "I want it so bad,"

Having the Cavalry Captain being your little bitch wasn't so bad after all. Laughing at his little whines and pathetic attempts to get off on your hand, you grabbed him and started pumping gently, watching his reactions in pure amusement. His usually striking eyes shut closed, eyebrows tight, his mouth wide open - it was all a sight to behold. Groans and whimpers filling the room, he continued trying to thrust harder into your hand, chasing his release. But baby, he had no idea the plan was entirely different than he thought.

He really thought it was just a bit of teasing, then you'd make him cum with your hands, or fuck you tight. But you stopped pumping him, leaving him whining and begging for more, a look of pitiful disappointment on his face. It almost made you feel bad.

"It's not gonna be that easy, pretty boy," you slapped his thighs, "legs up for me baby."

"H-huh?" he looked genuinely confused, still in a daze from the sudden disappearance of your hand on his cock. Not letting him waste any time, you lifted his legs all the way up by yourself.

"Can't even take orders?" you smacked his ass, making it jiggle and let out that filthy noise. You were impressed how loud it was, honestly. "What would the other knights think seeing you like this, Kaeya? maybe you want them to hear you get fucked? see you all spread out for your master?" Not even giving him a chance to respond, you shoved your fingers in his mouth, he could only hum little "mmphs" and nods in your direction. "I never knew our Captain would be such a slut," you watched in amusement as he coated your fingers in drool, looking up at you in desperation. "I'll give you exactly what you want." smiling at him, you rubbed your saliva-coated fingers against his hole for a few seconds before shoving a finger in to prep him. He wanted more, evidently, by the way he kept humping down against your finger with hesitant moans.

"Y-You're doing it all wrong," he slipped off your fingers with heavy breaths, "let me show you how it's done, master," You raised an eyebrow, and as soon as you were gonna grab him by his throat and punish him, he spread himself out even further with his hands, looking to get a reaction out of you. It was his first time doing this with someone else, but he's definitely fucked himself in front of a mirror before. Who wouldn't love to watch his body like that, anyway?

Shoving two fingers inside himself, he started looking for his spot, erratically humping the air looking for more stimulation, anything; but the most you'd do is stroke his thighs with a smile on your face, teasing him even further. He was obviously just trying to put on a show for you, make you watch him stretch himself out and look at him make the most erotic faces for you - he'd even make sure the whole of Mondstadt heard him get fucked, as if he wasn't gonna wear your hickeys like an award in front of the other knights tomorrow. Watching him fuck in and out of himself, listening to the filthy noises his ass made; you couldn't help but cross your legs a little. "Do you like it, master?" he whimpered.

"I know what you're doing, prince," you answered, "trying so hard to get more.. such a desperate bitch, don't you think?" he nodded in agreement. "Well, since you've been so good.." turning him over, you pushed his face down into the bed. He was already arching his back for you - his pretty hole all wet and ready to get fucked. "You'll still have to work for it, though," you laughed, hearing him groan in protest into the bed. Gently pushing your digits into him, you ordered, "Fuck yourself on my fingers, Kaeya."

Immediately obeying, he pushed himself back onto your fingers, dick flailing under him, sobbing and begging for you to just fuck him yourself - maybe if he obeyed for a little, you'd finally do it? "Such a good boy. And to think you wanted to fuck me?"

You wouldn't let go until you found his spot, curving your fingers towards his navel, making his legs give out from all the pleasure - the Captain was simply a doll in your hands to play with. Even when his legs gave out, only then would you finally fuck him yourself, his tears staining your bed alongside his cum. Fucking his spot even when your arms got tired, you had to make him cum again. His moans getting more and more high-pitched with every fuck into him, squirming and grinding his ass against you, he finally came again with a throaty moan filling the room. You pulled out of him and gave his ass a quick smack, letting him take his breath before turning over to face you. His cum all over his stomach and chest was a sight to remember, dick twitching, his face blushy and pretty lips open gasping.

Sliding your fingers across his chest, you picked up some of his cum and put it near his mouth, waiting for him to put his tongue out to lick it. He did just that, making eye contact with you, and even holding your wrist in place so he could lick it all up. "Good puppy."

He'll definitely be limping around the other knights tomorrow.. Not that he minded. He'll absolutely be teasing you again at the Knights of Favonious headquarters, anyway.