#it’s a ficlet I suppose

[johndoeslostpinky]

Most days it’s easy to forget that John was once part of the King in Yellow. His soft skin and charming awkwardness so far from the King’s many hollow facades.

But somedays Noel wakes up with a bone deep ache screaming down his limbs and a migraine hunting his steps. Somedays he wakes up and just knows that it’ll be a bad day.

Last week had one of those days. Noel tried to fight it off but the foul mood reached a crescendo after dinner. Arthur and Oscar were in the other room pouring over a new tome. John was idly sitting at the kitchen island while Noel finished up the dishes.

If you asked Noel exactly what happened next, he wouldn’t be able to tell you. The memory playing back like a broken record, skipping and distorting.

He remembers his head pulsing in time with his heartbeat, the feeling of the dirty dish water quickly becoming too much to bear and John’s voice.

The god fragment was asking him if he wanted to go see a film with him. When Noel declined, John’s tone shifted, becoming cough syrup sweet, golden, manipulative, he barely got a few words out.

Next, Noel remembers being on his knees on the floor. John beneath him on his back, staring up at Noel.

Noel’s hands around John’s neck. Squeezing, screaming that the King couldn’t take him back.

More hands, at his back, pulling, tearing. Voices muffled and distorted. “Noel stop!”

John’s hand, cradling Charlie’s face.

[woahjo]

APHRODISIAC! (Bakugou x Reader)

masterlist 

Pairing: Bakugou x Reader

Summary: Katsuki gets hit with an aphrodisiac quirk. You decide to check in on him. What could go wrong?

Chapter Content Warnings:  fem!reader, dubcon, smut, porn with little to no plot, aphrodisiac quirks, quirkless reader, prohero!katsuki, rough sex, borderline free use, biting, creampie, multiple orgasms (fem!receiving), masturbation, edging (kinda), manhandling, katsuki is dominant but also not idk he's desperate, possessiveness, overstimulation, size kink, scent kink, some light aftercare! woo hoo!, friends to lovers sort of

Word Count: 4.5k

A/N: yeah ik this isn't what i typically write but idk where this came from. i had a thought and it spiraled bad and now i have this. there is no deeper message. there is no meaning. i wrote this to make him FUCK and be kinda weird and desperate and pathetic about it. i needed to see him physically overpower us while also so desperate that it makes him look stupid. i feel violent. this bad boy is not going on ao3 lol. anyway, enjoy, heed the warnings.

Katsuki paces around the one bedroom apartment he rents in downtown Musutafu. His skin is tingling. Every nerve he has burns like it's been set on fire, needing some sort of touch to soothe it. His cock aches between his legs, hard and leaking against the side of his thigh. Katsuki grits his teeth, running his hands over his hair and then letting his palms slide down the sides of his exposed biceps. 

Sweat collects on his skin, the kind that comes from desperation or maybe a fever, and he feels it on his palms when he lets them drop to his sides and clenches his fists. Fuck, he can't believe he got hit with a non-fatal quirk and had to be sent home. It's humiliating. What's worse is that it hasn't worn off yet, rendering him completely useless. 

He sits on his couch, his legs spread wide, and leans back against the couch cushions, wincing as he reaches to unbutton his pants. He's never been this sensitive in his life and it almost hurts to grab his cock and pull it from his pants. Katsuki watches it twitch for a moment, rigid between his legs and leaking pre-cum from its angry tip. He doesn't even have to think about anything in particular, he's just turned on. Unbearably so. 

Katsuki wraps his hand around the base of his cock and jerks upward once, sucking in a sharp breath through his teeth at his own sensitivity. Then, the desperation sets in fully and he squeezes the head of his cock with a wince and a low groan before beginning to slide his hand up and down. He pauses to spit into his palm, desperate for some sort of relief from the tension weaving its way through his body, his hand moving faster and fast over this dick. Katsuki only pauses when he touches his overly sensitive head, swallowing down an audible moan as he moves his hips to desperately fuck his fist. 

He tries not to think of the humiliation in this, instead focusing on chasing a high that seems to get farther and farther. He stays like this for a while, desperately fucking his fist with low groans and whines. His face is completely flushed, sweat beading on his brow and forehead, covering every inch of his skin with a pathetic, glowing sheen. God, he's almost fucking angry. The frustration, the sheer desperation for release, is making it difficult to control his temper and he knots his free hand into the soft pillow beside him, raising it to his face and using it to cover his head so he can be a little louder. 

He's desperately humping his fist when his doorbell rings. At first, it's only once and Katsuki thinks he can ignore it, but then it comes again, five more times and consistently more aggressive. 

"Katsuki?" your voice calls through the wood paneling of his door. "I heard you got hit with a quirk and sent home. Let me in." 

He furrows his eyebrows at the irony of the last person in the world he wants to encounter at a time like this. Pretty, quirkless, you. His long time friend and recent dispatcher at his agency. Someone he secretly wants to fuck even without the aphrodisiac quirk floating through his bloodstream. You really get under his skin. You’re exactly his type, right down to that annoying little attitude of yours that drives Katsuki insane. Of course, he's always respected your friendship a little too much to do anything about it, but tonight, he doesn't think he'll be able to and he sits in silence with his lip caught between his teeth while he fucks his fists and hopes you'll go away. 

"I know you're in there," you call again. "I can see the light on." 

You bang three times on the door and then ring the doorbell again, pushy and insistent the way you always are. A match for his stubborn attitude. 

Katsuki swears and stands up, his hands shaking as he tucks his sensitive cock back into his sweatpants and flips the head up into his waistband with a hiss. 

The crazy thing is, he can literally smell you through the door. The scent of you, that sweet and rounded perfume you wear, wafts under the crack of his apartment door. He pauses outside of it, resisting the temptation to open it, to welcome that smell into his apartment and use you to relieve the aching in his cock and lower belly. 

"Katsuki?" You ask, a little quieter now. 

Jesus fucking christ, don't call his name like that. 

He swings the door open, letting his hand rest on the side of it so that it is positioned above his head. You look taken aback at his appearance, covered in sweat and flushed from the neck up, his chest exposed and heaving. 

"What?" he says, looking you up and down. 

Katsuki bites back the urge to yank you in. Why is it he can literally smell the sweat on your body and every prick of your emotions? It's like he can tell exactly what you're thinking, or maybe it's what he wants you to be thinking. 

"Don't get on my ass about me still technically needing to be at work," you start, stepping forward. "I heard something happened and I just came to check and you look like shi-" 

Katsuki blocks you from coming in with his body. You stumble backwards lightly and raise your eyebrow at him. There's a pause as you register that you've just run into a solid wall of muscle, sweat covered and glistening, while Katsuki eyes you like you're meat on a platter. He knows he's doing it, but he can literally smell every turn of your scent, soft and sweet. And he may be fooling himself... but are you... turned on? 

"Let me in?" you say with a small laugh, side stepping to go around him. He blocks you again, his fingers gripping the door frame so hard that his knuckles are white. 

"Go home," he says quietly, his voice tense. 

"What? No," you furrow your eyebrows at him. "What's the matter with you?" 

You duck under his arm and place your hand momentarily on his chest. Your touch makes him tingle all over and he sucks in a sharp breath. 

"I'm not fucking around," he says. 

"Okay, me neither," you respond with a bit of an attitude. "I expected you to be worse for wear but you look like crap. Like you're... I don't know." 

You trail off a little. 

"Let me help," you say, shaking off whatever thought had come over you. "I'll make you some food." 

"Look, no offense, but I don't think you want to help me with this," he says, a frustrated bite in his voice. Food isn't exactly what he's hungry for. 

"That's too bad," you say slowly, seemingly put off by the desperate air about him and settling into his kitchen. You move to open the fridge.

Katsuki walks up to you quickly, taking your wrist from the door and holding it between the two of you. Cool air hits his exposed chest and arm as the door falls shut again. 

"I'm dead serious. Get the fuck out of here or I'm gonna do something I regret," he hisses through a clenched jaw. Your skin is warm on the pads of his fingers, wrist held flush against his palm. He bites back a genuine shudder. 

Your eyes are wide as you look back at him, glancing between where he's caught your wrist by your head and his eyes. Katsuki's gaze roams over your face, pausing as he hits the top of your blouse where a few buttons remain open. When he returns his eyes to yours, your mouth moves to open before a heady understanding settles over your features. You're so pretty. Everything about you is pretty, so delightful and delicate. Your eyes look glassy and wide. Katsuki has always found them tempting, but today he can't stop himself. 

He leans forward and kisses you, holding your wrist to his chest as his mouth comes messily into contact with yours. You squeak and freeze and it takes all he has to pull away from you. 

"Go home," he says again, his lips tingling. Katsuki feels the color creep onto his cheeks, his hand still holding your wrist. 

You don't say anything, looking at him with those pretty eyes. He swallows thick and feels the saliva drag against his throat. Then, his mouth dries completely, his expression twisting into discomfort as his cock throbs between his legs as the scent of you takes on a sharper turn. He's never felt anything like this before, something animal. 

Katsuki tightens his jaw, staring at you for a moment. Then, he takes a step towards you. You take one back, though he doesn't feel like you're afraid. Rather, you tilt your head down to look at him through your lashes. He lets out a breath through his teeth and walks you back until your ass hits the counter, his free hand coming to gingerly touch your waist. You inhale when he leans in to kiss you again, screwing your eyes shut and reaching to grab at his shoulder to pull him closer. 

Every touch tingles. It burns and he drops your wrist to manhandle your hips. You suck on his bottom lip, wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling him down to you. He ruts his hips against yours, desperate for any sort of friction to relieve the ache, and you gasp a little and let your mouth fall open. Katsuki takes the opportunity to bite down hard on your lip with a low groan, slipping his tongue into your mouth as the pads of his fingers press harshly into you. You whine, eyebrows pulling up. 

Katsuki’s eyes are slightly open, just so that he can look at you. Every aspect of his senses feel heightened and the relief of your mouth far surpasses that of his hand over his throbbing cock only minutes earlier. 

He pants, taking your hips and lifting you onto the counter so that you’re seated, pulling away for just a moment to lift the hem of your shirt and expose your breasts. Katsuki puts his face on the pillowy tops of them, biting and sucking at the exposed skin as his hand teases its way up the skin of your back to unclasp it. He thinks you’re probably looking at him, but if you are, he doesn’t have the mind to care about what sort of behavior he’s exhibiting. He can practically smell how wet you are from just a little touching and if he weren’t so fucking desperate for a little relief, he’d tease you for a few hours just to watch your pussy drool over him. 

The cool air of his apartment hits your exposed nipples. Katsuki takes it upon himself, without even a second thought, to roll the hard bud under his tongue. He feels the way goosebumps rise on your skin, his hands coming to rest over the tops of your thighs. Katsuki bites lightly on your breast and you fucking whine at it, tipping your head back and rooting your hand into the tufts of his blonde hair. 

His cock jumps in his pants and he’s no doubt leaked enough to leave an evident wet spot against the gray of his sweatpants. He stands to his full height, pushing your skirt up and pressing the outline of his cock to your crotch. Heat bleeds through your panties, the kind that makes him feel like he’s going absolutely fucking insane. You gasp, putting your hands on his shoulders and pulling him close again. 

Katsuki’s mouth hits yours messily, breathing hard as he ruts his hips up against your crotch, pulling you forward on the counter so he can feel as much of the pillowy folds of your pussy through the thick fabric as possible. You let him take your bottom lip between his teeth, sharp canines digging into the wet flesh of your mouth. He whines— high-pitched, desperate sound—as you position your hips to press your crotch against the head of his cock. His head falls onto your chest, forehead resting against the hollow of your throat. Katsuki humps at you, pulling you against him to match the rhythm of his hips, grinding your clothed cunt over the bulge of his cock. It’s a desperate motion, completely subconscious as he lets the quirk he’s been hit with take the lead.

His fingers dip into the crease of your thigh, fumbling as they reach for the waistband of the panties you’re wearing. Katsuki’s desperation is so palpable that he finds himself panting as he slips his fingers into the sides of your underwear, yanking them down. You gasp at the force of it and he swears he hears a small tear as he pulls them from your cunt, the crotch sticking to the lips of your pussy. 

He leans his hips forward again, sliding his cock between your folds with a deep grunt. His mouth finds your neck and he bites along the side of it, lathing his tongue over your pulse point. It’s like he can taste you. Salt and that stupid perfume, collecting on his tongue as you dig your fingers into his back, his dick rutting restlessly against your clit. At one point, he almost slips in, his eagerness and your wetness making him careless. Katsuki sucks in a breath through his teeth, his whole body on fire. 

The kitchen light shines down on his back and he can see the outline of part of his shadow on your thighs as he stares down at them, guiding the tip of himself to your entrance. He hears you wine when he presses against it and moves his hand down subconsciously to rub at your clit. An attempt to ease the stretch. 

You tip your head back in a moan and Katsuki takes the opportunity to kiss your neck before settling his teeth against your shoulder and biting down harshly on the muscle connecting your neck and arm. You yelp at the sensation and Katsuki shutters at the sound, willing out a choked I’m sorry as he slides into your wetness. His hands push into the delightfully soft flesh of your upper thighs, the fat spilling up around each individual digit as he uses your legs for leverage, sliding you forward even further to better seat you on him. 

Your legs are shaking and he can feel the way your nails dig into his exposed shoulder blades. Your bunch up skirt causes the fat of your tummy to fold over in a way that practically makes Katsuki drool. He urges himself to pause, attempting to come back to his senses as the quirk kicks into high gear. There’s relief in being inside of you, in feeling the flutter of your walls around his thick cock, but it also makes him desperate. Katsuki feels like he’s chasing something that he was desperately and it’s just out of his reach. 

You’re breathing heavily above him, he can see the rise and fall of your chest from where his head hangs down, his hands trembling on the tops of your thighs. He looks up at you through his lashes, his vision foggy around the edges as if he were peering through a tube. You’re at the end of it, your eyes glassy and mouth open, returning the look. Your eyebrows are knitted up in pleasure, but you almost seem confused. 

“What are you waiting for?” You breathe out, the first thing you’ve said since he started touching you. 

The tone of your voice is needy, with a delightful whiny lilt that makes him groan out loud. He can barely manage the words that come out next, his brain half mush, and he feels the way his cock jumps inside of you. 

“Don’t wanna hurt you,” he says through gritted teeth, his breath coming heavy. 

There’s a pause and he feels the distinct sensation of you squeezing down around his cock, like the idea turns you on. 

“Use me,” you respond cautiously, your voice still containing that needy lilt. 

Katsuki’s hips fuck up into you voluntarily and he feels the way his breath catches in his throat at the near desperate sound of your voice.

“Say that again.” 

“Use me, Katsuki,” you respond, choking on your words as he fucks his hips up into you. 

You reach for his face, taking it in your hands and drawing it close until it’s just in front of yours. Then, your palms slide down his shoulders and he screws his eyes shut and fucks into you again, harder this time, causing your body to jolt upwards on the counter. 

He curses under his breath, pushing one leg further to the side and fucking his hips up into you roughly. You’re looking right at him, your expression drawn and pleasure-soaked, sweat collecting on your forehead as your mouth drops open into an o-shape. You punctuate his thrusts with high pitched yelps, squeaking out your pleasure and the deepness of where he’s hitting through choked moans. 

Katsuki’s hands move up your stomach to roughly cup your breasts, his mouth so close to yours that he’s practically breathing in the sounds you make in exchange for his own hurried groans. He kneads at the fat of your chest, rolling your breast under his fingers before taking your nipples and pulling lightly on them. 

He’s aware of just how rough he’s being, just how hard his hips are slapping yours, but he feels like he can’t stop. Katsuki chases a high so fucking desperate that his body is on autopilot, reaching and touching and moaning unabashedly as the room fills with the wet sound of his balls on the backs of your thick thighs. 

You push your chest forward towards him, legs spread wide to make room for the width of his hips between yours as he bullies that perfect sensitive spot inside of you. Katsuki feels the way he makes you flutter. Every shift of your body, every involuntary squeeze of your cunt as he drags his cock along your walls, registers as if he were a part of you. His skin tingles everywhere you touch and the drag of your nails over his shoulder blades makes him want to crawl into the deepest part of you. Even the sound of your voice, drawn and desperate and mildly overwhelmed, feels like a drug to him. Every sense he has seems to be acutely attuned to just how badly he needs to fuck your lights out. 

His hands slink down to your hips, resituating you and pulling you flush against him. Then, he drags his cock all the way out of you and quickly ruts back in, moaning as he does. His pace picks up, manhandling you forward on the counter until he is supporting most of your weight. You gasp, your hands gripping his shoulders as you let him use you like a toy. 

Katsuki chases his high, his stomach seeming to wind tighter and tighter but never finding that perfect snap and release. His movements grow faster, using all of his strength to fuck his hips up into you, barreling his cock against your gummy walls and bullying your sweet spot. He feels the way you tighten down around him, your body tensing and fingers digging crescent moons into the tops of his shoulders. 

“Ka-” you choke out desperately, your voice breaking. “Wait, Katsuki, wait! I’m gonna-” 

You shudder, your thighs squeezing around him as he continues to fuck you. 

“Do it,” he seethes, “just fuckin’ do it.” 

The end of his sentence comes out as more of a whimper as you cry out and squeeze down around him, squirming in his grasp as you begin to twitch with every additional thrust. Your body shakes, legs locking around him and struggling to hold him inside as he fucks you clear through your orgasm and then to the other side. 

Katsuki’s voice breaks, almost whimpering like an animal as he buries himself in your pussy over and over again. He wants to smother you, he wants to completely cover your body and get as close as he possibly can. He’s already so much bigger than you, so much broader, how hard could it be to swallow you completely? 

Katsuki’s hands come up under your ass as he wordlessly lifts you from the counter and moves to the couch on desperate, shaky steps. He lays you down, slipping out of you for a moment, before pressing a hand to the inside of your thigh, spreading your legs, and sinking his cock back into you as he crowds his body over yours. 

“You know what?” He says, not really sure what’s going to come next. His head is so clouded with the quirk that he can’t think straight. “I’ve wanted to do this forever. I’ve wanted to fuck you for so- long-” 

He screws his eyes shut, almost angry with the way he can’t seem to hit that high, teetering on a desperate and near painful edge. 

“Those fuckin’ pencil skirts,” he says, unable to control his words or sharp tone. “The way you wear your hair, that damn look in your eye that constantly makes you seem like you’re beggin’ for it.” 

Katsuki whines, a sharp sound from the back of his throat, as you tighten up around him. He meets your gaze, clouded and watery eyes accented by the delightful furrow in the center of your brow. 

“And then you show up here,” he groans, not even sure of what he’s really saying. “Blouse unbuttoned, looking for trouble. I’m gonna fuck your lights out. ‘Till you can’t even think about fuckin’ anyone else.” 

He leans in close, his mouth right up against yours. 

“This is g’nna make you mine, right?” 

You nod, your movements clumsy, and pull him close to you. 

Katsuki loses all of his sense, burying himself in the feel of your pussy and the way he sinks into you, giving into the desperation of the quirk. He can feel just how deep he’s hitting, the way you suck in sharp, whiny breaths with every inward thrust. Katsuki’s hands grip your waist, pulling your ass up off the couch so that his angle is better. 

His cock seems to drag endlessly against your overstimulated, pillowy, insides and you practically drool around. He feels like a dog slobbering over meat, any semblance of politeness completely gone from both his expression and his movements. This is going to fucking ruin your friendship, but he doesn’t even have half of a mind to think about it, so drawn into the delightful feel of your body and the aching in his cock that only seems to subside slightly with every thrust. 

You try to choke out the word “again” and he feels like he knows what’s coming. Your whole body tenses, legs locking around him as you cream over his cock for the second time. 

This seems to get Katsuki somewhere, the sensation of your pussy clamping down finally giving him some leeway to relief. He hits the edge of an orgasm, leading himself to the finish line. 

The tension in his belly grows, cock twitching inside of your fucked out cunt. His fingers dig into your hips and he collapses forward, rolling his body so that the head of his cock catches perfectly inside of you, massaging and churning you up. You’re moaning, though maybe it’s more adjacent to whining, and Katsuki can hear himself mimicking the sounds, his body leading the way. 

Then finally, on a pathetic and broken whimper, Katsuki cums. His whole body tenses, weight pressing down on you as he buries his face into your neck and lets his voice out beside the hollow of your throat. The relief and pleasure is so intense that Katsuki feels the way every muscle in his body tenses and lets go, filling you up with as much of him as he has to give. 

His hips continue to pathetically rut into you, little choked moans escaping his lips as he uses his own cum as lube for his weak little thrusts. Then, he completely relaxes. 

Katsuki feels the way his skin stops burning, the way the desperation at the back of his throat subsides, how his body rids itself of the quirk as quickly as the arousal came on. He shudders, coming back to himself and raising his head to peer at your expression. 

You look exhausted, hair a mess and face covered in a thick sheen of sweat. You still flutter around his cock, your hands gripping his shoulders as you try and ride through the overstimulation of just having him inside of you. Katsuki furrows his brows, exhaustion creeping into his muscles. He raises his hand and uses it to push stray strands of hair from your face with his palm on your forehead. Then, with a clear mind, he leans forward and kisses you. 

You blink at him for a second, before giving a weak smile, raising your eyebrows and letting your head fall to the side. Katsuki winces when he pulls out of you, sucking in a sharp breath and standing to his full height. He places a hand on his forehead like he’s assessing the situation, staring at your body, still fully clothed with your skirt pushed all the way up your stomach and your blouse missing a button at the top. 

He wordlessly walks to the bathroom and wets a washcloth with warm water, walking back over to you and wiping down the exposed parts of your body. You don’t really say anything to him, but you smile quietly while he gingerly wipes you down, your smeared makeup accenting just how much of a mess he’s made. 

“Fuck,” he says. “I’m sorry, this isn’t how-” 

“How you wanted this to go?” You say softly, the corners of your lips turning up. 

Katsuki feels the way he flushes, all the way to the tops of his chest. 

“No, it’s not,” he admits, running a hand over his face as he crouches beside you. 

You laugh a little and he furrows his brows at you, frustrated and embarrassed. 

“You’ve got a bit of a possessive streak, huh?” You tease lightly.

“I got hit with some asshole’s fuckin’ quirk and-” he begins explaining himself, something he probably should have done when you showed up at the door. 

“It was good though,” you say, tilting your head at him from where you lay.

Katsuki blinks at you, his expression completely flat. You should really know just how fucking crazy you drive him. Then, he scowls a little, not because he’s upset, but because he’s currently feeling the opposite and that makes him awkward. 

“You’re into that shit?” He says, a bit incredulously. 

You shrug and give him a coy smile. 

[bats-and-the-birds]

I made a post involving young/feral/perceived cryptid Dick Grayson and someone tagged something about Barry Allen losing his mind when this terrifying child befriends his nephew and I have NOT stopped thinking about this since.

Because like, imagine you're Barry Allen. You've been doing this hero thing for a while, and you've seen a lot of things, but now your nephew has gotten himself wrapped up in this too, and goddamnit, you're worried because you know this life isn't easy.

Then he makes a friend - Ollie's boy, Roy Harper - and you breathe a little bit easier, because you know that however rough this life is, it's worse without friends. Besides, it's sweet. They're young boys, and they roughhouse, and tell stupid jokes, and play video games together sometimes. It's nice to see Wally just be a kid with someone that he doesn't have to hide from. And, yeah, sure, they get into trouble sometimes, pull pranks that go too far, get themselves in danger because they think they can take on something they can't, but it's still a net positive, because you need friends in this line of work, and that's exactly what they've found.

And you think about Robin. Not often, but you do think about him. Because you know nothing about him, and you don't want to, but he still has the face of a boy that's younger than your nephew. You wonder if he has friends.

But really, you don't think about him that much. You don't want to. He's freaky, and generally, thinking too hard about anything to do with the Bat is inadvisable.

Then there's a fight. A big one. You don't even really know who's fighting on your side until everything has cleared. It was basically the entire Justice League, no one dead, but a few injuried. And your nephew's there too. And Roy. And Robin.

No one really goes near Robin, ever. It was an unspoken rule, of sorts, and you're pretty sure it's just because everyone's scared of messing with Batman's little bird, though whether that was due to fear of Batman or the bird himself, you're not sure.

But Wally doesn't seem to know this. Wally doesn't seem to care. He runs up to Robin with a big grin on his face and grabs his hand, trying to tug him over to where Roy was patching up some injuries.

You notice that Robin doesn't go with him immediately. In fact, he looks confused. But if you know anything about your nephew, he's persistent, and eventually Robin lets himself be dragged over. Roy seems unconcerned, but you can tell that the other adults in the vicinity shift uncomfortably, unsure of what they should do, or if they should do anything at all.

It doesn't last long anyway. Batman calls for Robin and he bounds off, but you notice he stops and hesitantly waves a gloved hand at your nephew before he leaves. Wally waves back.

You don't think much of it.

Then, the next time you and Ollie catch Wally and Roy fighting something they shouldn't be, Robin's right there with them. It's the first time you've seen Robin without Batman in close proximity, and you think he looks just a little bit more human. He smiles sheepishly with the other boys when they're chastised for fighting things that they shouldn't, and you watch Roy ruffle his hair like there's nothing to be worried about. You're still worried.

You still don't think much of it though. Even when Robin's there with the two of them the next time, and the time after that.

But then, oh dear god, he's in your house. You don't actually notice him at first, for two whole hours, because it's normal to see Wally and Roy sitting on the couch and playing video games. You just don't realize that there's a third head in between them until you sit down in an adjacent armchair to see what they're playing, because Robin is just short enough that his head doesn't peak over the back of the couch.

You have to blink a few times to make sure what you're seeing is real, because nestled in between the two slightly older heroes in their civilian attire is Robin, sans his gloves, cape, and boots, but otherwise still in full uniform with his mask still firmly in place, holding a video game controller and laughing while Wally elbows his side to try to make him lose.

And you just sit back in your chair and stare, because what the hell are you even supposed to do in this situation? Your nephew has decided to make friends with Batman's goddamn son - the boy that you've seen sneak up on League members with super hearing, break a grown man's femur, and somehow fade into shadows in a bright yellow cape - and it worked. And now he's playing video games on your couch. And you don't know what to do about that.

[daisyofwaterdeep]

i have a NSFW Gale/Reader thought

hear me out on this one:

You have trouble falling asleep and tend to pick up potions of sleep when you can. A few sips around bedtime knocks you out and helps you be well rested in the morning. You recently finished off a bottle so when you and the gang are looting some crates, you pocket a fresh potion of the creamy lilac concoction.

Fast forward to that night. You stayed up a bit later than you intended, looking over some new scrolls and books you'd picked up that day, and decide you need a little sleep aid. You take a swig of your new potion and settle down in your tent for bed. But sleep doesn't take you. Instead, your breasts start aching. For a few moments you think that maybe your period is coming earlier than thought, but the ache keeps growing deeper, and when you go to feel your tits, you notice that they feel uncomfortably tight...full. And as you squeeze them, you feel dampness against your palms.

Confused, scared, and fighting the first inklings of panic, you grab the potion and stumble out of your tent. Luckily, you're not the only night owl and can see the warm glow of a candle from Gale's tent.

You announce your presence and he welcomes you inside, closing a book of his own and sitting up as you duck into his tent and close the flap for privacy. His pleasant smile immedately falls as he sees your worried face.

You quickly explain about the potion, how it might have been contaminated or perhaps spoiled. Gale takes the bottle and swirls the contents before uncorking it and giving it a sniff. He frowns.

"It uses some similar ingredients to a potion of sleep, so it's viscosity and smell are quite similar...but I believe I know what this is." He looks at you evenly before asking, "Did you take it?"

You nod, and Gale sighs from his nose.

"What sort of symptoms are you experiencing?"

It's a bit embarassing to admit, but you tell him, and he sighs again. You can see that he's not happy with the development and you quickly apologize for the hassle. His face changes then and he waves his hands in front of himself.

"No, no, it's not you, dear. It was an easy mistake to make. It's just that...How do I put this."

He takes in a deep breath and motions for you to sit next to him. You do, and he continues speaking, his voice slow and careful.

"That potion is used for mothers who are having troubles... shall we say, producing. It stimulates the breast tissue and...well, I'm sure you've realized."

Oh gods. You look down at your night shirt, seeing the small wet spots around your nipples. You look back at Gale (just as he looks away--it seems he was staring at your chest as well) and you ask what you should do.

Gale clears his throat. "Massaging the area will help, but to extract everything...you wouldn't happen to know a hungry baby, would you?"

You know he's trying to crack a silly joke, but it only makes tears spring to your eyes. Gale flounders, his hands fluttering around like scared birds before one lands on your thigh.

"Don't despair, dear. I'll...I know it may be a tad unorthodox, but if you'll let me..."

You tell him you don't care what he does, as long as it fixes your problem. You see Gale's jaw flex. He seems to be calculating something in his head before he nods curtly.

"I'll take care of it, don't you worry. Here, lay down for me."

He quickly grabs some pillows and arranges them comfortably on the ground and you lean back, the pillows propping you up in a half-lounging position.

He scoots close to you, his hands going to the buttons of your shirt before he looks up at you with those big brown eyes, silently asking your permission. You can feel your cheeks flush as you nod. He begins unfastening the buttons from the bottom, and with shaking hands, you start from the top, meeting him in the middle. Your shirt falls open, and your breasts are on full display in the candlelight, visibly tight and full, your nipples hard and wet with smeared milk.

"Do they hurt?" He asks, voice a hush in the night air.

You nod, fighting the urge to close your shirt as Gale stares.

"I won't massage them just yet, then. We need to extract some of the, erm, fluid first." He wettens his bottom lip and scoots a bit closer to you. "Do you understand what I need to do?"

It seems that he's just as nervous about this as you are-- you know what he's getting at, but neither of you seem brave enough to say it out loud. Instead, you nod your head and tell him to do whatever he needs to.

He nods and starts lowering his head hesitantly. "I know it's going to feel odd, but it's necessary."

You return the nod and fight back a shiver as you feel the warmth of his breath against your nipple. You look away just as his lips meet the swollen bud and bite your lip to stop any involuntary noises from leaving you. The feeling of his hot lips closing around your nipple and then the velvet wetness of his tongue cupping around it has heat flooding your stomach and cheeks.

He starts with a light suction, your nipple gently pulled into his mouth. You can feel the milk leaving you as he begins suckling, hot spurts that provide an almost instant relief in your aching breast.

You let out a soft sigh and Gale releases your nipple and looks up at you, his cheeks rosy and eyes darker than usual.

"You alright?"

You apologize and ensure him it's fine, telling him that it feels surprisingly good before realizing what you said and stumbling over your words. You flounder and clarify that the relief of the pressure feels good, and he nods his head quickly.

"I knew exactly what you meant." He adjusts himself on the ground, "I'm relieved to hear that it's working...we'll keep going then."

But before he dips back down, you stop him. You realize that he hasn't spat out what he's sucked from you and ask if you all should grab a bowl or something so that he doesn't have to swallow.

"I don't mind," He says, "It's less cumbersome this way." He stutters for a moment before adding, "U-unless it makes you uncomfortable, of course. I'd be happy to--"

You cut him off and tell him it's fine like this. And then, shyly, you ask him what it tastes like.

"It's...sweet. But not overly so." He gestures to your breast, where a pearly drop dangles from the tip of your nipple. "Try it for yourself."

So you do. You swipe the drop onto your finger and suck it into your mouth, surprised at the sweetness, even if that's how Gale had described it. When you look back at Gale, you see a curious heat in his eyes that he quickly masks before bringing his head down once more.

This time, you watch as he latches onto your nipple. The peek of his tongue as he takes it into his mouth makes you clench involuntarily. And then comes that relief again, that lessening of pressure that has you sighing and leaning your head back.

It's almost hypnotic. The feeling of his lips suckling at you, the press of his tongue against your sore nipple, the pain that slowly ebbs away and is quickly being replaced by guilty arousal. You close your eyes and sigh again, hand coming to the back of his head without thinking.

Your eyes fly open and you quickly apologize again. Gale pulls off of your nipple but doesn't lean up, his words breathed hotly against your sensitive breast.

"No need to apologize...please, get comfortable."

You tell him that he should get comfortable too-- you don't know how long this is going to take, and seeing him leaning forward on his knees is making your own want to ache in sympathy. He laughs softly, sheepishly.

"I do admit, it's not entirely comfortable. In that case..."

He moves slowly, carefully between your legs, looking up at you for permission that you grant with an encouraging nod.

Gale lays himself gingerly on top of you, his face level with your breasts. It's how lovers would cuddle, and it brings your heart to your throat.

"There, that's much better," Gale's voice has a slight tremble as he hovers over your untouched breast, "Is it comfortable for you as well?"

You tell him it is.

"Alright..." He takes his hand and gently cups the weight of your breast, "Let's work on this one a bit, shall we?"

He begins sucking at your other nipple, just as tender as the first one. But this time, with him laying against you and your hand returning to his hair, you find yourself letting out a moan despite yourself.

And this time, he doesn't pull away to ask if you're okay--The sound was purely from pleasure, and he seems to know it. Instead, he responds with a slightly stronger suck, his eyes closed and his long lashes on his cheeks. You try not to squirm, the heat between your legs growing to a point that you can feel your heartbeat in your pussy. You wonder if he can feel the thump of it against his stomach.

You don't know how long it goes on. The gentle pull of his mouth on you, the feeling of his warm breaths against your skin, his soft hair beneath your fingers...it's all so decadently pleasurable and you lose yourself in the feeling.

He swaps between your breasts, his tongue laving at your nipple before taking it into his mouth. The feeling of it makes you jolt and shudder and moan. His hand continues cupping your other breast, gently kneading it in time with each suckle. You feel a warm trickle of milk from your free nipple and watch as it rolls down the swell of your tit before meeting his hand. He unlatches himself and goes to that breast instead, licking the cooling trail up your skin before taking your nipple once again.

His tongue is becoming greedier with each of your noises, licking your areola, his teeth grazing your sensitive skin and his nose pressing into the plushness of your breast. You hold his head firmer against you, legs closing around his body as you fight to not grind against him.

He's fully groping you now, both hands gently squeezing your breasts as his hungry mouth takes turns lavishing both nipples with his attention. His eyes are still closed and his brow is furrowed as he works, panting for air between each switch but never allowing himself to fully catch his breath.

You can feel the flow of your milk drying up. The ache in your breasts has mercifully subsided, leaving them feeling tender and sensitive. But Gale doesn't seem ready to stop-- he sucks harder at them, coaxing out each drop against his tongue.

So you don't stop him. You lean back against the pillows and run your hand over his back, through his hair, letting him nurse from you to his content. And as you watch him, you realize with a cold jolt that he's rutting himself against the ground. It's subtle, almost completely missable, but you can see the way his ass flexes as his toes dig into the ground for purchase.

The revelation finally breaks your control. You moan his name and raise your hips against him, spreading your legs as his teeth dig into your skin.

It's as if he had been waiting for this moment. He's sliding up your body immediately, his hot, panted breaths against your face sweet with your milk.

"Gods, I'm--"

Whatever he's going to say is lost as he takes your mouth, that skilled tongue that has been teasing your nipples all this time now pushing past your lips, that sweetness intensified as he kisses you desperately. His body slots perfectly against yours, his hard cock pressing against your pussy and grinding into it, starved for friction. Even through both sets of your clothes you can feel his member pulsing, and as he dry fucks you he groans into your mouth, his hands hungrily feeling over your body, your face, your breasts.

You cry out as the orgasm that has been building all this time finally breaks within you, and you cling to him as you rut madly against him. Your own passionate ministrations make Gale still, and it isn't until you hear his own throaty groan that you understand why.

Your arched back deflates back into the pillows, and Gale's body follows, as if not wanting to be apart from you. You can feel the twitching of his cock still buried between your legs, uneven jumps and shudders that have him gasping and pulling out of the kiss.

"Gods, I'm...I'm so sorry..." He pants, eyes fluttering open and worry knitting his brow. "That was...inappropriate, to say the least."

You hold the side of his face and reassure him that it's alright. And, you add with a smile, his unorthodox methods have managed to do what you sought to accomplish in the first place.

"I must say, I'm rather tired myself." Gale shares your smile, "Why don't you spend the night, in that case? Besides, it's best for me to be nearby, in case you need more...extracting."

You happily oblige.

[senipsenipsenip]

The Pines family sat at the table, quietly eating their breakfast, when Mabel slammed her hands on the table and shouted “KERMIT THE FROG”.

Dipper leapt forward to right his orange juice glass, gathering nearby napkins to sop up the puddle. “What?”

“Kermit the frog! He plays the banjo!”

“Yyyyes?”

Ford raised his hand. “Who’s Kermit the Frog?”

Stan snapped his head up from his plate. “Who’s Kermit the Frog? The Muppets, Pointdexter, you were around for The Muppet Show. They had a movie and everything.”

Ford frowned. “Muppets.”

“Yeah, they’re a riot! There’s this bear whose got some great puns and this pig who really know how to throw a punch. You’d love it, they’ve even got a scientist!”

Ford raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t realize you were such a fan of children’s television.”

“Children?!”

Dipper stirred his cereal. “I’m just impressed you remember all that. Yesterday you forgot you were married.”

“That’s because The Muppets are forever!” Mabel exclaimed.

“Wait, Stanley you were married?”

“Yep. Twice. Actually, unless I’m forgetting a divorce, I might still be married.”

“You didn’t,” Mabel chirped. “I’d have it on my Romance Chart if you did. You’ve missed a lot of anniversaries.”

“So has he!” Stan argued. “I’m not the only bad husband here!”

Ford spluttered. “Husband?”

Dipper frowned. “I think we’re getting a little too far away from why Mabel screamed Kermit the Frog and knocked my orange juice over.”

Mabel nodded. “Right, so, I was thinking of Mr. McGucket -

“Stanley you have a husband?“

“I was thinking of Mr. McGucket,” Mabel interrupted. “And how he could maybe help around the Shack. And he plays banjo! He could play banjo and people could put money in his lil banjo case like a real musician.”

At the mention of money, Stan leaned forward.

“But like, no one knows banjo music,” Mabel continued. “So I was like, maybe pop hits banjo? But then BOOM! Kermit the Frog! People love that frog. He could play the rainbow song. He’d be a hit!”

“Interesting,” Stan muttered. “Preying on people’s nostalgia to milk them for cash. I love it!”

Ford hummed. “Actually, that’s not a bad idea, Mabel. Activities like playing musical instruments have been proven to help patients with Alzheimers and dementia. Not that Fiddleford’s condition has the same root cause, but it may prove beneficial to memory recovery.”

“Eugh, don’t ruin this for me.”

“If playing an instrument helps with memory loss, maybe Grunkle Stan should learn an instrument,” Dipper suggested.

“Ooo!” Mabel squealed. “What about guitar? Or the piano? OH!” She clutched Stan’s arm with a fervor. “The triangle!”

Ford grimaced. “Maybe not that one.”

“Sorry, kid. I’m not exactly a music guy,” Stan shrugged out of Mabel’s grasp. “Let’s leave that to the professionals.”

Mabel frowned, but let the topic go.

Ford stood from the table. “Well, I happen to be visiting Fiddleford this afternoon. I can broach the topic and see what he thinks.”

Fiddleford, as it turns out, loved the idea. To the surprise of everyone, Fiddleford admitted that he had always wanted to play in a jugband when he was younger, but could never get over his stage fright enough to audition for the local band. Then he went off to college and then…everything else.

“Maybe I zapped away that scared bit enough to play!” he had cackled, knocking at the side of his head with his knuckles.

It was settled. “Fiddlin’ Fridays at the Mystery Shack with Fiddleford McGucket”. Dipper tried to point out the title didn’t make sense since it was a banjo, not a fiddle. Stan argued that “customers are suckers for alliteration”. The set up was just Fiddleford dragging an old rocking chair onto the porch and opening up his banjo case. Mabel had made a large glittery banner, but it was quickly absconded by Fiddleford’s raccoon.

“Tell your wife to give me back my banner!” Mabel had yelled, chasing the raccoon into the bushes.

“Ex-wife,” Fiddleford sighed sadly. “Apparently I was too emotionally available.”

Ford pulled at his hair. “Did everyone get married without telling me?”

“Excuse me?” A voice piped up. Fiddleford and Ford turned to see a little boy standing at the bottom of the porch. He was dressed in hiking clothes that were obviously new. In the distance, a young woman was unstrapping a baby from its seat in an SUV. Obviously city folk coming to the “wilderness” for the first time.

“Are you a real hillbilly?” The boy asked. Suddenly the door slammed open, Mr. Mystery striding through, eyepatch in place.

“Sure is!” Stan grinned. “Our very own genuine hillbilly just waiting to play you a tune! All you gotta do is put some of your mom’s money in his case there.”

The little boy’s eyes widened, turning around to race towards his mother.

“Stanley,” Ford admonished. “Fiddleford isn’t some show monkey to throw money at.”

“During work hours he is.” Stan turned to Fiddleford. “So, did Mabel teach you that song she was so excited about?”

Fiddleford sat frozen, watching the little boy yank at his mothers pants to try and get her attention, the baby beginning to fuss.

“Well…” Fiddleford cleared his throat. “Some good news and bad news fellas.”

Ford furrowed his brows. “What is it?”

“Good news is, my mind ain’t all broken.” Fiddleford hugged his banjo and turned to look up at Ford. “Bad news is I knows it ‘cause I still got stage fright.”

Stan scoffed. “Stage fright? C’mon it’s one kid and a couple o’ city slickers who would probably think you playing three wrong notes and spitting is ‘authentic’.”

“Stanley, be supportive.”

“I am! Look I’ve been at this job forever. All you gotta do is smile and if something goes wrong, you blame a ghost or something. They eat that up.”

Fiddleford shook his head. “But this is music. If’n I mess up music, ‘specially somethin’ they know. Music is real special to people, I can’t spoil it.”

Ford knelt down next to Fiddleford’s chair. “You don’t have to play that song Fiddleford. You don’t have to play at all.”

Fiddleford looked anxiously between Ford and the family. It seemed the little boy had finally gotten his mother’s attention and was excitedly pointing toward the porch.

“I…” Fiddleford shook his head. “I can’t let the little ‘uns down. ‘Specially not those ones.” As he said this, he gestured with his chin towards the other end of the porch where Dipper and Mabel sat bickering in lawn chairs. Mabel had returned from her raccoon chase covered in twigs and holding a surprisingly docile raccoon. Dipper was leaning away from the pair while trying to convince Mabel to stop feeding it gummy worms before it developed a taste for human food and tried breaking into the Shack.

Ford's gaze drifted to the twins. "Alright," he relented. "But you still don't have to play Mabel's song."

Fiddleford bowed his head.

"Yet!" Ford offered. "Not yet. She'll understand I'm sure."

Fiddleford frowned, looking unconvinced.

"Of course not yet!" Stan interjected. "You can't go playing the grand finale right out of the gate! You gotta warm 'em up first, keep 'em wanting more." Stan slapped his hand on Fiddleford's back. "If you give 'em what they want right away, they won't come back! Hold that one off until tomorrow or...uh...next week. Tease it or something."

Stan had started rubbing the back of his neck with his other hand as he spoke, a tell Ford was quick to recognize. It was the same one he did when he would "begrudgingly" let Mabel choose the movie for movie night or let Dipper rope him into another game of Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons. Covering the most vulnerable part of his body while he let his emotions go soft.

Fiddleford seemed to perk up at Stan's words.

"Well," Fiddleford offered. "I do know some proper jugband music. Only, it don't have the same ring to it without a jug."

"We've got a jug!" Mabel cheered from the other side of the porch. It seemed the raccoon argument had reached enough of a truce that the twins were once again paying attention to the concert. "I used to keep pond water in it, it's in the kitchen!" She hopped off of her chair, lugging the racoon along with her like it was a rather expensive lap cat.

Dipper followed her. "Why did you have a jug of pond water?"

"Because, dummy, if I met a frog prince he would need something in the shack to remind him of home."

"Aren't you supposed to turn him into a person though?"

Whatever Mabel's retort was to be was cut off by the door swinging shut.

"There ya go," Stan grumbled. "You're getting your jug. Just in time too." He gestured toward the SUV. The mother was walking toward the Shack, one hand holding the baby, the other gripping tightly to the little boy's hand. The little boy gripped a few dollars in his fist, eyes alight with excitement.

Fiddleford looked frantic. "I can't sing and play the jug at the same time!" He gripped at his hat, pulling it down over his ears.

Ford sighed. "Then don't play the jug."

"It won't be the same!" Fiddleford shook his head. "A jugband without a jug that's...that's like a body with no heartbeat!"

The door swung open and Mabel emerged with an old ceramic jug.

"Here it is!" she exclaimed. "And it only sort of smells like pond scum."

"I don't think that will be necessary," Ford smiled gently. "It seems Fiddleford can't play both simultaneously."

Mabel frowned. "But it's a jugband. It's in the name!"

"How about we wait another day," Ford offered, patting Fiddleford awkwardly on the back. "Maybe someone in town will join you."

"Oh for Pete's sake, give it to me." Stan snatched the jug out Mabel's hand, sniffing at the top and giving a grimace.

Fiddleford stopped pulling at his hat, peeking out from under the brim. "You'll play?"

Stan grunted. "I'm not missing out on good money just because you have a case of the heebie jeebies. Besides, how hard can it be? It's like blowing on the top of a beer...er...I mean soda bottle."

Dipper crossed his arms. "Grunkle Stan, we know what beer is."

"Not from me you don't."

Mabel squealed. "It's happening! Grunkle Stan is learning an instrument!"

"It's not an instrument, Pumpkin. It's dishware."

"It's a scrapbookortunity!"

Mabel dashed into the house once more, leaving Dipper to grin at their Grunkle Stan.

The family was only a few yards away now. Fiddleford looked between Stan, Ford, and Dipper, and straightened up in his seat.

"Alright. Alright!" He clapped his hands together. "Stanley, you get down here with me, otherwise your feet are gonna get mighty sore from standing." He yanked at Stanley's hand until he sat beside the rocking chair with a grumble.

"Now when I tap my foot," Fiddleford instructed. "You blow on the jug. One short note at a time." Fiddleford tapped his foot in demonstration. "You got that?"

Stanley rolled his eyes. "Gee, I don't know. Seems pretty complicated for the guy without a PhD."

Mabel burst through the door, camera clutched in her hands. "Got it!"

"Excuse me?"

The little boy stood on the porch, approaching the banjo case with far more trepidation than before. Eyes darting between the assembly, he dropped a few dollars in the case.

"Is this enough to play a song?"

Fiddleford didn't bother looking at the money. He turned his gaze to Stanley, who shrugged and raised the jug to his lips.

Fiddleford grinned. "You know ‘Boodle Am Shake’?"

The little boy shook his head.

"Well you're about to!" And with that he was off.

By Fiddleford's standards, it wasn't a horribly complicated tune. Ford had heard him pluck out more complex riffs while waiting for the coffee pot in their dorm room to brew. But Fiddleford was smiling. His shoulders had dropped from around his ears, and he was nodding at the little boy to tap his feet along with him. Ford hid his smile behind his hands as he watched Stanley, eyes focused on Fiddleford's bare foot with as much attention as one would give to diffusing a bomb. Next to him, Mabel was snapping pictures of the pair. Dipper stood on his other side, wearing the small smile he tended to get when feeling introspective. Ford laid his hand on Dipper's shoulder, and Dipper leaned into the touch.

The mother was smiling at her little boy, her baby having finally stopped fussing. Maybe it wasn't the grand attraction Mabel had planned, but Ford thought it was worth far more than those few dollars anyway. Nothing could be worth more than his family standing around him, his closest friend singing again.

I know this song, it don't mean a doggone thing. Just do that good old Charleston swing. When you sing...

[walkingstackofbooks]

A 9-year-old Julian Bashir who has had nightmares about evil doctors in an alien hospital for as long as he can remember. He doesn't tell his parents though because "he's a big boy now" and nightmares are for little kids, so he knows he should deal with them alone. And even if he'd like a hug sometimes, his mum only gives him hugs for doing well, not for doing badly, so he figures there's no point bothering her

A 15-year-old Julian Bashir who realises that the nightmares he used to have were based on the apparently very real alien hospital his parents had taken him to as a kid, and spends hours trying to figure out what were real memories and what his mind had made up over the years as he slept. The nightmares come back with an intensity, but they're nothing compared with how he's feeling when he's awake, and pretty soon they become a normal background noise of his life.

A 19-year-old Julian Bashir who's finally been moved into a solitary room after his third roommate in as many weeks complained about the almost-nightly screams. His advisor asks if he wants to speak to anyone: he claims they're just night terrors and he doesn't actually remember them. Besides, even if he could talk about what was in them, he probably wouldn't, because he's fine - he's used to them by now.

A 24-year-old Julian Bashir who gets woken from his nightmares by warm hands and gentle kisses, and learns what is like to be soothed back to sleep by the soft voice of Palis Delon

A 32-year-old Julian Bashir who has a different nightmare every night. The last year's been difficult. But then, it's been difficult for everyone, and he knows he's far from the only one to be suffering from nightmares at the moment.

A 34-year-old Julian Bashir who can't stop dreaming about the torture he went through four weeks ago, who's missing Ezri and who Miles is increasingly concerned about. When the O'Briens offer him their spare room for a while, he warns them multiple times about his nightmares, and is pathetically grateful when that doesn't change their minds. "We have nightmares too, Julian," says Keiko. "We can cope with yours."

A 34-year-old Julian Bashir who is confused when, three days later, Miles remarks, "You are having a bad run of those nightmares, aren't you?"

"They've been better than usual, actually," he replies awkwardly. "It's been really nice being able to go back to sleep afterwards, for once -- you and Keiko have been so generous in coming and checking on me."

"Course we're gonna come and check on you," says Miles gruffly. "You woke up terrified. We're not letting you do that alone."

"I'd be fine, Miles," Julian reassures. "I'm hardly going to expect one of you to come in every night."

Miles pauses. "...How long are you expecting to have them 'every night' for?" he asks, with some concern. "I mean, after a thing like this, how long does it usually take them to settle down?"

Julian stares at Miles. "I... have nightmares, Miles," he replies, frowning. "Just like you. Nightmares happen every night."

"No, they don't," says Miles, equally confused. "Don't get me wrong, they can do: after something big then sure, they're like that for a few weeks - a couple of months, even. But eventually they fall down to once, twice a week..."

Julian is looking at Miles incredulously. "That might be how it works for you," he says. "I guess my brain's different to yours. Mine don't stop, they just... mix. Change. Get confused with one another, eventually. I've had more dreams about being genetically modified by Sloan in the Dominion camp than I care to remember, you know?"

Miles' concern has turned into abject dismay. "You're saying you've had nightmares every single night since the Dominion took you?" he exclaims.

"Well, maybe not every single night!" retorts Julian, a little unsure what Miles is getting so het up about. "I do have some days when I don't... But yeah, pretty much. I've had nightmares most nights since I was fifteen, it's just how my brain processes stuff."

"Fifteen?"

...

A 34-year-old Julian who finds out that having nightmares every night for two decades is, apparently, "not normal" and something he should be seeking help for.

If Ezri comes back alive, he supposes he might take it up with her.

[steddieasitgoes]

just a little something for @steddiemas prompt 'confetti'

Thinking thoughts about Rockstar!Eddie, whose band somehow gets asked to perform in Times Square on New Year's Eve. Of course, he thinks it's pretty lame, but he convinces the producers to let them perform on top of one of the buildings.

Little does he know the building is also where all the confetti throwers are stationed, waiting for the clock to strike 12:01 to send confetti hurling down on the masses. Most of them are older people who have been doing it for years, except a handful, including Steve, who hates crowds but loves the electric feel of being in the city on NYE, so he and his best friend, Robin, have made it a tradition to volunteer.

Eddie gets one look at Steve and instantly falls in love, making it his mission to kiss the handsome stranger whose name he doesn't even know yet at midnight. And what do you know? Steve must have made the same New Year's Eve wish because just as the clock strikes midnight, Steve is abandoning his confetti post and locking lips with the handsome and downright freezing rockstar.

[blindmagdalena]

A Taste of Heaven

18+ 1.3k homelander x afab reader, no pronouns. breast play/sucking, pet names, coming untouched. written for this ask from @chubbunnyy 🖤

Homelander just can't help himself. He's addicted to you.

It starts with Homelander's head in your lap, face tilted away from you as the two of you watch a movie together. He's barely paying attention to it, eyes half-lidded, every blink a little slower. The sound of your nails scraping deliciously along his scalp has long since drowned out the drone of the television.

It doesn't take much longer for his waning attention to fall solely on you. He brings his head forward to stare up at you, the sight of you bringing a loose, charmed smile to his face. Your attention is still set on the film, lips slightly parted as you watch.

The curve of your breasts is a particularly tantalizing view.

Licking his lips, a pang of arousal shoots through him like a bolt of lightning that settles neatly between his legs, growing into a steady, warm throb.

As if feeling his eyes, you glance down, huffing a soft laugh when you realize he's staring. "What?"

"Nothing," he says, though you clearly don't believe him. As you shouldn't. "Don't mind me. Watch the movie."

Though your eyes narrow with a touch of suspicion, they do drift back to the screen.

Smile turning sly, Homelander nuzzles into your lap, inhaling deeply. The comfort of your scent—your heat—is unparalleled. With your plush thighs cradling his head, he brings his ungloved hand up over his shoulder, hooking his fingers into the space between your thighs, his index finger pressing in against your cunt through the layers of your clothes.

He gives your thigh a squeeze before he starts to rub back and forth. Although you resiliently keep your eyes trained on the movie, he can sense your excitement in the shifting cadence of your breath. Hear it in the skip of your heart. Feel it in the steady way your body warms, blood rushing to flush your skin.

His cock begins to fill out, the signs of your arousal sending his own into overdrive.

The way you pretend not to notice makes it feel like a game, like he's doing something he shouldn't, turning these otherwise understated, intimate touches between lovers into an exciting taboo.

Running his tongue along his teeth, he pushes further on your restraint by moving his hand to the hem of your shirt, toying with it a moment before bypassing it entirely. The backs of his knuckles slide up your torso, sensitive enough to feel the goosebumps prickling your skin as he does.

Your fingers have gone still in his hair, which tells him that—regardless of where you're looking—every ounce of your attention is fixated on his touch.

Perfect.

Reaching further, he cups the underside of your breast through your bra. He uses his thumb to rub slow circles until he coaxes your nipple into a solid peak. He squeezes, wringing a rough little exhale from you that goes directly to his fully hardened cock.

He bites back a groan, shifting subtly. The leaking head of his cock presses up into the curve of his cup, the miniscule amount of friction more than enough to rattle him while he's so intensely fixated on you.

The longer he works you with his warm palm, the hotter you get. The shallower your breaths become. Watching the effect he has on you is intoxicating, as is the way you try to resist him in this unspoken game.

He's half tempted to ask if you're enjoying the movie—despite knowing full well that you're not absorbing a single word of it—but he doesn't want to risk breaking the captivating spell his touch has over you.

Greedy for more, he catches the middle portion of your bra between his fingers and deftly snaps the fabric, freeing your breasts, which startles an inhaled little noise from you.

Every sound you make feels heightened, more delicious and hard-earned than the last. Eager to pull more of them from you, to satiate his own burning hunger for you, he withdraws his hand and hooks his fingers under the hem of your sweater, shifting it up until he can finally see the naked curve of your breast, nipple swollen from his teasing.

It makes his entire body throb.

Mouth watering, he swallows the hard lump of anticipation in his throat and parts his lips, shifting close enough to take your breast into his mouth, moaning into the soft pillowy feel of it.

Your fingers tighten in his hair, coaxing another muffled keen from him. The build to this moment has worked him up to the point where he's rocking his hips against nothing, seeking relief for the desperate ache of his leaking cock while his tongue swirls hungrily over your nipple, cheeks hollowing slightly when he sucks.

"Mmm, fuck," you breathe, composure shattering against the wet, hot pull of his mouth. You drag your nails all the way down to the back of his neck before taking another firm handhold of his hair, cradling him to your chest.

His eyes flicker halfway open, lids heavy, eyes glazed over. He nudges in against your breast in a half-hearted nuzzle, alternating between swipes of his tongue and sucking, swallowing as if he's drinking you down, and not just his own wet mess. You start to murmur mindless little nothings, encouraging him, your own eyelids flickering.

The praises falling from your lips wash over him like sunlight, adding to the feverish heat building under his suit. He's thrusting more shamelessly now, one boot planted firmly on the ground, the other propped up on the couch.

You're watching him, all former pretenses dropped. Your eyes are blown black, your own pleasure etched into every line of your face. You taste incredible, sweet and slightly salty on his tongue. He's certain he'll never be over the novelty of you, of this body and heart of yours that you give to him without hesitation.

Mine.

He pants softly through his nose, wishing you'd touch him, slip your hands into his pants and jerk his aching cock.

Anything to relieve the mounting pressure.

Instead, your other hand cups the side of his face, thumb stroking his cheek. "That's good," you coo, making his rhythm stutter. "You feel so good."

His brows pinch tightly together, eyes screwing shut. Like a mind reader, you manage to press every one of his buttons. His thrusts grow jagged, his breaths turning into soft whines as he chases the climax building between his thighs, his entire body practically vibrating with it.

He comes with a muffled cry, his legs lifting clean off the couch with it. He might drift away entirely if not for the way you hold him through it, moaning your own pleasure so very sweetly as he comes untouched in his pants, worked into an absolute frenzy by the feel, taste and smell of you.

Wave after wave of pleasure rolls through him, turning his vision red hot. He keeps his eyes tightly shut, still and silent until he has breath enough to gasp wetly, finally releasing you from the molten heat of his mouth.

Gravity returns gradually and his lower half drifts bonelessly back down onto the couch, his iron-wrought muscles reduced to the structural integrity of jello. Still cradling the back of his head, you bend down. He weakly pushes up into the kiss you press to his forehead. His lids are heavy as you stroke his hair, his face, soothing him through the aftershocks of his release.

Once enough of his senses return, he opens his eyes, smiling lazily up at you. Only then does he become aware of the movie credits playing in the background.

"Good movie?" He asks, a slight slur to his words.

You laugh. The sound of it is more divine than any gospel.

"My new favorite, I think."

His smile widens, the taste of your skin lingering on his tongue.

It tastes like heaven.

[zvahlne]

headcanon: shadow knights can't cry.

it takes him a long while to notice. he had never considered himself much of a crier. it wasn't that he thought there was anything wrong with crying. he was just one to keep moving, keep doing, show the people around him and under his care that it would be alright, no matter what had happened. some might accuse him of bottling for this, though whether it was selfless for others (so they wouldn't worry; so they could cry while he carried it) or selfish (so he wouldn't have to think about it, wouldn't have to feel it), up for debate. either way, he would disagree, and had whenever someone close enough to him to notice the pattern mentioned it (usually cadenza).

...the last time he remembers crying was with cadenza. it was about joh.

he didn't cry in the nether (no water can last long there; how could he? your eyes could never get wet enough. every blink in the nether is stinging).

he didn't cry when he was brought back, not for his sight, not for ungrth (more surprising, but he was in shock. nothing felt real in those days, and after, he had things to do, people to care for).

it's when he loses 15 years and he comes back to his father's death and can't shed a single tear that he finally thinks he really ought to be crying. but he isn't. he can't?

he goes to ungrth's grave and he thinks of ungrth and he thinks of hayden and he thinks of joh and he thinks of garroth and he grits his teeth, he digs his nails into his palms, he gets a headache from how tight his brows furrow, he feels an ache so intense in his chest he's gasping for breath, but his eyes are as dry as they've since the day he died (he wants to cry, he should be crying, why isn't he crying?).

his life is taken from him, replaced with facsimile. the man he trusted more than himself betrayed him, and is now lost a dimension away. he's lost fifteen years, his father passed without him present, his friend's grave has been desecrated, the places he lived in and loved and protected fallen and rebuilt, all in his absence, all to be discovered all at once. he loses nearly everything, he watches helplessly as he loses even himself. and yet...

laurance can't cry.

[saturnneedsspace]

After Cas confesses his love, but before he pushes Dean away, he pulls something out from his trench coat and slips it into Dean's pocket. Cas pushes him down and gets taken by the Empty, followed by Billie, leaving Dean alone on the bunker floor. As he cries, he feels something push into his chest, so he reaches his hand into his flannel pocket and pulls out the mixtape. The one he had given Cas as a gift and a secret sort of love confession of his own, thinking Cas wouldn't understand it. But as he stared down at the tape over top that read 'Dean's top 13 Zeppelin traxx', he knew that Cas understood. And he feels his heart break even more. Cas knew. Cas knew how he felt, yet he never said anything until it was too late. They were both too stupid to understand and just tell each other.

As Dean held the mixtape firmly in his hands, shoulders shaking with his sobs, he noticed that something felt off about it. The texture was different. He would know. He had flipped the cassette over and over and over in his hands before giving it to Cas, trying to decide on what to say to the angel.

Dean used his sleeve to wipe the blurriness from his eyes so he could see what was wrong with it. It still took a few seconds to adjust, and when he saw the large crack down the center of the tape, he gasped and brought it closer to his face. More tears spilled down his face. Cas' last move was to give this back to him, to show him that he understood their love and reassured Dean that, though he never said it, he knew how much he had meant to him. And Dean had broken it. The last thing Cas had ever given him besides the bloody handprint forever imprinted on his coat.

But as Dean's hands held on, finergrtips rubbing over the surface again and again, desperate to feel some kind of comfort in his hopeless situation, he noticed something attached to the back of it. He sniffled, wiped his eyes again, and flipped it over. On the backside, there was a piece of paper taped there with his name written on it. He quickly ripped it off, causing the cassette to re-split in half, obvious that the piece of tape being all that held it together, and opened the note.

Hello, Dean.

I just wanted to write you this before I give back your tape and apologize for breaking it. I'm really really sorry. I know I'm not super good at apologies, but writing makes it a lot easier, so I'm writing it for you. I hope you'll forgive me. I didn't mean to break it. I know you spent a lot of time picking the songs specifically for me because you knew I'd like them, though I had trouble understanding some of the parts. I'll never understand why humans love music so much. It's so much noise and there's so much going on, but I know it's important to you, so I will learn to like it. I'm very sorry for breaking it. I don't ever take it out of my trench coat, just in case I need to listen to it during an emergency, and I fell onto it. :( Please forgive me, Dean. I'm very sorry.

As Dean read, he watched tear drops stain the paper. He laughed a little as he continued to cry, noting how the letter was the most characteristic Cas letter he could think of. And he was happy. So happy that he didn't break it himself. It was already broken.

Cas knew how much the weight of handing over a mixtape was, especially a Zeppelin one for Dean, and he acknowledged it. Dean squeezed the letter to his chest as he leaned back against the wall and continued to cry silently.

[thursdayinspace]

I started writing porn during my work breaks to torture my friends (as you do) and sometimes it turns into feelings, so whatever, I'll drop this here. Possibly part of a WIP now because isn't everything these days? (My poor WIP folder.)

They spent so much time apart, first because he was dead, then because he distanced himself from her after coming back, and then because he was in hiding. Now that they’re back together, they can’t stop kissing, they can’t stop touching. They’re always connected, holding hands, standing with their sides pressed together, small pecks hello or goodbye turning into long, hungry kisses, hands clawing at each other to get closer, closer, always closer.

At night they fall asleep with their legs tangled, her head on his chest, or him spooned up behind her; they fit together so perfectly. Words are still difficult. So much has happened. He feels endless guilt for leaving her alone, leaving her to deal with the fallout of their decisions all on her own. She feels guilt heavy in her heart for giving up their son, for depriving him of his chance to be a father, she feels like the destroyer of their little family.

Touch comes easier to them and they tell each other what they can’t say through letting their bodies speak for them. It’s hard and rough some nights, pure desperation, don’t ever leave me again because I’d die, mark me, make me yours, ruin me for anyone else. Most nights it’s unbearably slow and tender, laced with a melancholy sadness mixed with tentative hope growing in the shadows that hold both danger and promise. It’s apology and affirmation, I’m sorry, I love you, here’s my heart for you to keep, it’s always been yours and always will be.

She opens her legs for him and he pushes into her slowly, coming home, covering her with his body as she holds him close. He doesn’t move, just kisses her, and she kisses back. This is what they need, connection, physical metaphor for everything language can’t yet express. When he starts rolling his hips it’s slow and shallow; they’re full of need, burning with desire for release, but every time they fall over that edge it means it’s over. Until next time. And they never take next times for granted anymore. Not after everything they’ve lost.

His forehead rests against hers as they breathe each other’s air, as her hands roam his back and he fucks her so gently, with such soul-deep devotion it brings tears to her eyes as she clenches around him, holding onto him so tightly with every part of her being.

They’re still unpracticed, they’d only just started when he was taken from her, they didn’t have a chance after he returned. But they’re learning, learning each other, learning this new language. The sounds that mean they need more, or less, or that it’s perfect.

She comes first, and he knows what to do, how to move to make it good for her, to keep her coming and coming until her moans turn into whimpers through that final crest before her body goes soft under him, and only then does he let himself go, spilling into her with a broken sound escaping his throat. It’s an ending and an oath, a beginning, a confirmation of continuity: them against the world, forever. In this moment, they’re a part of each other, their combined pleasure stronger and more meaningful than any marriage vow could ever be.

He stays inside her as long as he can and they part reluctantly, only to come back together later, always. There are no guarantees, but there are promises, there’s love. They’ll make it work.

[averycutesalamander]

thoughts about public woohoo with boothill? i feel like he'd be into it sometimes

public woohoo 😭😭😭 ur so funny omg

i think he matches your vibes on it? in the sense that when you're into it, he's SUPER into it, but when you're not, he's perfectly happy without it. he definitely doesn't shy away from risk, and he especially loves taking risks when you're involved.

i kinda think he's of two minds about it. on one hand, he absolutely has a possessive streak, so making everyone know you're "his" is super appealing to him. (on that note, pull out the ol' "i'm yours" on him, and he'll go crazy. like, hands and teeth and everything all over you kinda crazy.)

on the other hand, he's... well, pretty greedy about you. there's a line in DHCS that acknowledges this pretty directly...

He's nearly overwhelmed by the suffocating urge to kiss you; to bite marks into your delicate little throat; to bend you over this counter and have his way with you, onlookers be damned.

(Hm. Maybe not that last one – he’s far too greedy, far too possessive, to expose you to a room full of strangers. He’d much rather keep you all to himself; his to covet, his to adore, his to break.)

in regards to a scenario? well...

(read on ao3 if you'd prefer)

Boothill has decided that he absolutely hates this new contact.

First of all, she's cagey as fuck, and she constantly dances around the point. Secondly, she only ever communicates in the most obtuse code he's ever seen. Thirdly, she absolutely insists that, for his next lead, he has to find her at a masquerade to receive the information in person.

She's lucky that her intel is so damn valuable, or he'd have wrung her neck a hundred times over by now - and unloaded his revolver into her a few times for good measure.

He rants and raves to you for quite some time, venting his frustration as he swears up and down that he's never turning to her again once this whole affair is done. By the time he runs out of steam, he's slumped against your shoulder with his arms wrapped around you, utterly drained. You pet his hair soothingly, letting him cool off before quietly asking, "Is there anything I can do to help, honeybee?"

He's quiet for a long moment, before finally lifting his head to look at you, a peculiar look in his eye. "Well..." he's begins hesitantly, "would ya put me in an early grave if I asked ya to come with me, sweetpea?"

You laugh, shaking your head in open amusement. "I suppose I can spare you, just this once." You press a quick kiss to his forehead, your smile turning a bit mischievous. "Get me a dress and treat me to ice cream after, and I'll do whatever the hell you want."

The very next day, he brings you to a shop - pleasantly small with an obscenely well-crafted selection. You balk when you walk inside, immediately stunned by the space, because this isn't just for rich people, this is for rich people. The moment you turn to him to argue that this is way too nice, you find that he's already grinning and shaking his head.

"I don't give a hoot what ya say," he drawls, openly delighted. "What the fork else am I gonna burn all this IPC cash on, huh? Let me treat ya, sunshine."

And so, you end up getting the most extravagant article of clothing you've ever touched in your life, guided by an incredibly sweet attendant that doesn't even blink at your cluelessness. Boothill lingers in the dressing room, whistling obnoxiously every time you step out in a new dress; he practically faints (whether or not it's a joke is up for debate) when you walk out in a comfortably tight underbust corset, his eyes trailing lasciviously from the curve of your waist to the swell of your chest. (He thanks every higher power he can think of that his cock is kept in an internal compartment, because lord fucking knows he'd be so horny that he'd risk busting his jeans open.)

Once you settle on a dress and have it sent off to be tailored to your size, you keep him company while another attendant takes all of his measurements for a suit, fitting him into one to test how well the jacket hugs his waist. He grouches about how this doesn't fit his style at all, but shuts right up when he sees the look on your face. (Maybe wearing a suit won't be so bad if you keep staring at him like you want to eat him alive.)

In the following days, the date of the masquerade looms over you - and all the while, Boothill eyes you with a look you can't quite decipher.

Finally, it all comes to a head the day after you pick up your newly tailored outfits.

His eyes are dark when he holds up a remote-controlled vibrator - one that syncs to his neurochip, which lets him control it with a simple thought; there's an app as well, which would let you shut it off on your own if you ever got too overwhelmed. He tilts his head in question, and the gesture might've seemed innocent if not for the untamable hunger in his eyes.

If you decline, that's the end of it, and the entire masquerade passes without too much incident. Once business is done, you dance and chat, berating the event's selection of alcohol and quietly mocking the outfit choices of every aristocrat you see. If you accept, however...

The night of the masquerade arrives on your doorstep, heralded by the anticipation bubbling in your gut. The atmosphere is so taut that you both get ready in silence, but his hungry eyes tell you everything you need to know. He helps you into your dress, does your hair for you (he's shockingly good at it), and, if you'd like, paints your nails with his unfathomably steady hands. You help him with his tie, braid his hair neatly, and straighten out the relatively simple black, silver, and red mask on his face. And all the while, he stares at you like a wolf sizing up its prey - watching, prowling, waiting for the time to strike.

Finally, the time to leave arrives. You stare at each other for a long, tense moment before he finally rasps, "Back against the wall, doll. Spread your legs and lift your skirt for me, won't ya?"

Oh, you're already done for, and the night has only just begun.

He gets down on his knees in front of you, easing down your underwear with cold fingers. He's ready to prep you, but to his delight, you're already getting wet. He looks up at you with piercing eyes, grinning wickedly. "Filthy girl," he scolds without heat. "I haven't even touched ya, n' you're already soakin' your panties?"

You whimper when he grazes your folds with his fingers, openly admiring the way your slit trembles. "Can you blame me? You've been looking at me like you were gonna fuck me before we even left."

He laughs, dark and gritty. "Oh, you're barkin' up the wrong tree, cutie." Then, he lifts the toy, pressing it right against your entrance. "I'm gonna make you work for it first."

Without further preamble, he slowly, agonizingly eases it inside, and when it's fully seated, you have one end nestled right against your g-spot, and the other pressed tauntingly against your clit. For a moment, you think that's going to be the end of it for now - but then he eases it out ever-so-slightly, giving him just enough room to lap hungrily at your clit. You gasp and shake on your feet, clenching one hand in his hair so tight that he growls into your cunt. You throw your head back against the wall and moan all pretty for him, helpless as he circles your bud with his tongue.

He holds you there, just like that, subtly thrusting the toy against your g-spot, winding you tighter and tighter, and just when your breath hitches, just when your thighs start to tremble, just when you're about to tip over the edge-

He pulls away, sending you crashing back down to earth.

You whine in anguish as he settles the toy back inside you, sliding your panties back on like he'd never been there at all. He kisses your thigh tenderly in what might've seemed like sympathy if not for the devilish glint in his eye.

"Sorry, honey," he hums, not sorry at all, standing back up and licking your come from his lips. "Gonna have to wait."

(Oh, if only you knew.)

The ride over to the event is quiet and tense, but rather peaceful - until he starts testing out the vibrator, that is. He holds you in his lap and wraps his unrelenting arms around you, which might've looked sweet to the chauffeur, but you know better. You keep your jaw clenched tightly, trying to get yourself into the practice of stifling all of your noises and reactions - but he seems to take that as a challenge, because he hikes the intensity higher and higher until you're trembling like a leaf against him, your fingers wound in his suit jacket. And just when it nearly overwhelms you, just when you think you might reach your peak, he lowers it back down to a subtle hum.

And then you arrive to the masquerade, and the true depth of what you've signed yourself up for hits you full force.

He lingers with you for a time, keeping the vibrator rather low, even turning it off on occasion. He grants you the small mercy of adjusting to the crowd in relative peace, but you're already so wound up that it doesn't do that much good. Eventually, he kisses you sweetly on the lips and murmurs, "Gotta go take care of some business, sweetpea. You gonna be alright?"

It's a genuine question, so you answer genuinely. "As long as you don't torture me the whole time you're gone."

When he smiles, you feel like you've just stepped into a trap. "Of course, baby. I'll be back in a jiffy."

He's nice enough to let you get situated in a quiet corner with a drink before he starts fucking with you. To his credit, he sticks to his word...

But only to the letter, and not to the spirit.

He torments you for most of the time he's gone, but not quite all of it. For the most part, he sticks to the lower settings; you seek him out through the crowd, and he meets your gaze across the ballroom while he speaks to someone you don't recognize, his eyes glittering with promise. You thank every Aeon you can think of that no one tries to talk to you while he's gone, because he won't stop randomly spiking the intensity, higher and higher until your fingers are quivering around the stem of your glass - then he drops it right back down, leaving you stewing in a mix of grief and relief.

You completely lose track of time, your eyes going distant and hazy as you put all of your focus into keeping yourself together. He scares the hell out of you when he finally returns, looping one arm around your shoulders and leaning close to your ear, purring, "Hey there, sugar. Is somethin' wrong? You're lookin' a lil' faint."

The look you give him is positively murderous, but he just laughs right in your face. Then, with mischief in his eyes, he invites you to a dance - and how could you ever say no to a face like that?

He might find the music stale - nothing will ever beat the music from back home - but it's all worth it to watch you squirm. Just before the first song begins, he leans right next to your ear and whispers, "Count how many times ya come, and how many times I deny ya. You can do that, can't ya, princess?"

When you hesitantly nod, his smile turns lethal, sharp enough to cut both ways.

(What he doesn't tell you is that you aren't going to come at all. Only he gets to see you like that. Only he gets to feel you tremble. Only he gets to hear all of the pathetic little noises that spill from your lips.)

He edges you the entire fucking time, and he keeps you on that dance floor for as long as you can stand it. Again and again, he builds you up, then breaks you down, guiding you seamlessly every time you stumble or trip, the toy jostling against your g-spot with every step. If you ever get too quiet for his liking, he turns up the vibrator until you can't help yourself. The little noises you make are lost to the crowd and the music, but not to his enhanced hearing. Get too loud, and he turns it back down until you pull yourself together - over and over and over, until your brain feels like liquid in your skull. Before long, you're leaning into his shoulder, using his body to shield the way your jaw drops whenever he brings you to the edge again.

And every single time, you whimper that ever-increasing number in his ear, and every single time, he purrs in delight and croons, "Good girl."

He murmurs filth into your ear the whole time, his breath washing over you as he describes in ruinous detail all of the things he's going to do to you later, all of the ways he's going to break you.

Eventually, he leans close and murmurs, "How wet are you, doll?" The timbre of his voice so close has shivers skittering up your spine. "Bet you're soaked by now."

Just to fuck with you, he hikes up the intensity of the vibrations right when you open your mouth to reply. You trip over your own feet, but he sweeps you along without batting an eye, somehow making your slip-up look natural.

When he finally turns it back down and you compose yourself, you grit out, "I was soaked before we even got here, you fucking basta- oh!"

He smiles with the most unconvincing mask of innocence the world has ever seen as he raises the intensity again, your backtalk dying in your throat. Then, as he lowers it to a more reasonable level, he turns his head to press a kiss to your temple to hide his wicked grin from any onlookers. "Poor baby," he croons, so demeaning that it has your walls shivering around the toy. "You drippin' down your legs yet, sugar? Bet it's smearin' all over your thighs."

You answer him with a pretty little whimper, and he can't help but chuckle, low and husky in your ear.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. Once I'm through with you here, I'm gonna take ya somewhere nice n' quiet, and then I'll get down on my knees for ya," he rumbles. "I'll hold ya up against the wall and lick your thighs clean, 'til you're beggin' me to put my tongue in your pretty lil' hole, 'til you're beggin' me to suck on your clit."

On and on and on he goes, until you're so fucking drenched that the entirety of your inner thighs are slick with your wetness, until you're so desperate to come that you think you might fall to your knees and beg for it, audience be damned.

Just when you're about to tap out, right when you're about to cave and beg him for mercy, he sweeps you into a grand dip at the end of a song, and you're trying so hard to keep it together, and just when you think he's going to finally let you come-

The vibrator goes completely still.

When he finally pulls you up, he wraps a strong, possessive arm around your waist, guiding you off the dance floor with the poise and seriousness of a man on a mission. You're so out of it that you barely register when he sweeps you into a bathroom, but you certainly snap to attention when he wheels around and pins you flat to the door with his hands tight around your hips. The lighting casts his face so starkly in shadow that all you can see are the red pinpricks of his pupils.

Without saying a word, he cranks the vibrations to the maximum, and watches you fall apart.

You moan and whimper helplessly under his stare, and as your peak rapidly creeps up on you, you can't stop yourself from begging. You whine and beg and plead for him to let you come, completely shameless in your need.

"I've been good," you gasp, your throat closing as you race toward the edge yet again. "Please, please, please, bee. I've been good!"

He stares, utterly silent, pinning you with his unwavering gaze.

Your orgasm is so close you can fucking taste it, and your heart is pounding with anticipation, because you still don't know if he's going to let you come, if he's going to deny you again, if he's going to keep torturing you, if he's going to leave you stranded on this edge forever and ever and-

Oh- Oh, fuck, you can't take it- You can't-

You come so hard your vision goes white.

You can feel the pressure of his lips against yours, swallowing up the broken wail that escapes you, drinking it down, down, down as you spiral in the clutches of your orgasm. Your knees collapse from under you, but he supports your weight like it's nothing, keeping you pinned like a moth against the door. As you ride out the waves of your climax, your fingers wound tightly in his suit jacket, he gradually eases the vibrations lower and lower, coaxing you down; finally, you go completely boneless against him, fully trusting him to keep you upright, and he shuts off the toy entirely.

He holds you while you recover, petting your hip with his thumb, cradling you as you piece yourself back together.

"I think I just died," you mumble into his jacket, your mind still heavy with fog.

He chuckles softly, pressing his lips into your hair. "Well, I guess I'll have to revive ya," he murmurs as he pulls away, grasping you by the chin and forcing you to face him, and his voice is thick with gravel when he says, "because I'm not done yet."

You're not quite sure what expression crosses your face, but whatever it is, it makes him grin wickedly.

"How many times did I deny ya, princess?" he rumbles, as if he hadn't been counting alongside you the whole time.

You take a trembling breath, clearly needing a moment to piece your brain together. When you finally answer, your voice is as fragile as a breath of wind.

"Oh, I'm sorry, sweetheart. Didn't realize I'd done so many," he lies blatantly, smiling in a way that might've seemed apologetic if he weren't grinning like the cat that caught the canary.

Then, his hands trail slowly downward, and he kneels on the tile in front of you, gradually raising the hem of your skirt higher and higher. You instinctually take it from him with shaking fingers, hiking it up to expose yourself to him. Sure enough, you've completely soaked through your panties, and drops of your slick trail obscenely down your legs. Ever-so-slowly, he eases your panties downward, licking his lips at the sight of you.

"Lemme make it up to ya, baby," he murmurs, his eyes fixed shamelessly on your cunt. Then, he looks back up at you, his eyes dark and all-consuming. "I'll make ya come once for every time I cut ya off. Ain't I generous?"

He's going to kill you. He's going to eat the fucking soul out of you. He's going to break you apart until your mind is ground into dust.

He eases the toy out of you, and a heavy stand of your come stretches and snaps as he pulls it away. Without a moment of hesitation, he laves his tongue across it, moaning obscenely at your taste. You watch with an intoxicating mixture of awe and arousal as he cleans the vibrator end-to-end, licking up every drop until nothing remains; then, he tucks it nonchalantly into his pocket, utterly unbothered.

"Don't forget to count, doll." He grins up at you with too many teeth, leaning closer to your pussy. "And... make some noise for the folks outside, won't ya?"

@opheliaflavoredinstantnoodles @ikeagroceries @shadowstadium @theswashbucklingspy @cosmo112 @fxngtasy

[ambriel-angstwitch]

Tim: We’re they really your parents if you’re relationship with them isn’t complicated?

Dick: What do you mean by that.

Tim: I mean starting with me my parents cared about me, but were never around. Like my dad died for me but he wouldn’t cancel a business trip to spend time with me.

Tim: Then there’s Bruce who I had to pull out of a depressive spiral and I wasn’t really even his son at that point. I was basically the parent but hes trying now even if he’s emotionally stunted.

Dick: Well I that’s just one person.

Jason: No Tim’s right on this one. I mean my bio dad went to jail and my mom was a drug addict but she tried to take care of me even though turns out she wasn’t my bio mom. Then I found my bio mom and she got me killed and Bruce wouldn’t avenge my death.

Dick: Jason isn’t the best example he’s the token child for parental issues.

Tim: Ok but even you’re an example. Sure your bio parents were great but then they died and gave you a whole bunch of trauma and you were planning revenge at 9.

Tim: Not to mention how much you and Bruce fought when I first showed up.

Dick: I suppose that’s true

Duke: I have a complex parental relationship too. I mean my parents were great and I love them but now visiting them isn’t a lot of fun because all they do is laugh.

Steph: My dad’s a super villian and my mom struggled with addiction.

Cass: My mom wasn’t there and my dad trained me to be a weapon

Dick: I think we are pulling from the wrong group of people to create an accurate study. We’ve all had more than two parents which instantly makes things complicated

Damian: I haven’t had more than two parents

Dick: How dare you after all the time I spent taking care of you?

Tim: Besides even without having 3 or more parents you still have parental issues.

Damian: I suppose. I mean I was raised as an assassin by my mother and then told by my father that I wasn’t allowed to do what I had been trained for.

Tim: Exactly

Steph: And Bruce doesn’t exactly have normal parental relations either. I mean he watched his parents die and then got raised by his butler.

Duke: Do you think Alfred had a normal relationship with his parents?

Steph: He’s a British man in America. You think anyone who leaves their birth country has a normal relationship with their parents?

Duke: Fair enough

[shares-a-vest]

Prompt: Lifeguard (Discord Drabble)

"What ever could be the matter, my dearest companion?"

Eddie huffs and folds his arms. He can hear Robin's shit-eating grin behind him. Buckley is practically breathing down his neck, probably relishing in his bristling demeanour as he looks out over the chaos of Hawkins Public Pool on a hot summer's day.

When he discovered that his new boyfriend – Steve Harrington, The Hair, The Myth, The Legend himself – would resume his old position as head lifeguard at the local pool, Eddie figured it would be a lot different to this.

Steve's glistening suntanned skin. Eddie lathering up all that musculature with copious amounts of sunblock. That hairy chest heaving with exertion. His boyfriend acting like the real hero he is. That Speedo, stuffed full from every angle, plump ass to girthy –

"You are so pathetic," Robin laughs, playfully slapping Eddie on his (light lobster-red) shoulder as she comes into view.

"Shut up," he hisses, more at the sting of his skin – even if he did use an absurd amount of sunblock on himself.

"No need to flash those sad doe eyes at me," Robin chuckles, "How about I buy you an ice cream for your troubles?"

Eddie hums as he looks up at Steve, perched like a King on the lifeguard tower at the far end of the pool.

"I guess I could sit by Rapunzel's Tower and deep-throat a popsicle..."

"Maybe not that," Robin grimaces but links their arms nonetheless, "I have a much better idea. Come on, I think we'd better move our towels into the shade."

Eddie follows along, ignoring Robin's tone and her clear gawking at the colour of his shoulders. Instead, he watches Steve, enamoured now as his boyfriend peers over the top of his Wayfarers to look down at a bunch of dweebs causing a ruckus with excessive splashing. They are clearly bothering a mother wading with her kid at the shallow end and Steve shuffles forward in his seat.

Eddie gulps as he thinks – nay, hopes – that Steve's teeny-tiny red Speedo is riding up a little.

Steve readies his whistle and Eddie grins. He loves it when Steve gets all bossy.

He licks his lips as he conjures up ways to maybe get Steve to use that whistle on him.

But he doesn't get time to think up any kind of scheme because, in a flash, Eddie feels water splashing against his feet. Upon realising he is indeed a mere inch from the edge of the pool, Eddie turns, only to catch a glimpse of Robin's wicked smile.

And then he is falling.

The last thing Eddie hears before he falls into the pool is Robin's delighted shrieks calling for Steve's heroics.

[after-the-end-times]

Under The Light of the Worm Moon

Rating: T🌕Words: 3,450🌕Tags: Established Relationship, Werewolf Steve, Magical Eddie, Transformation, Mild hurt/comfort in that Eddie is suddenly a worm For: @stmonstercalendar Prompt: Worm Moon🌕 Ao3

“Would you still love me if I was a worm?”

Even on the brink of sleep Steve heard Eddie murmur his question into his pillow. Sighing, he rolled over, ending up flush against Eddie. He threw an arm over his back and pressed a kiss to Eddie’s shoulder.

“Baby, do you love me when I shift?”

“Huh? ‘Course, I do.”

“Even my beta shift? When I look like a monster out of someone’s nightmares?”

“Not a monster. Hot”

“Mmmm, debatable. But yes, Eddie. I’d still love you if you turned into a little, squiggly, wiggly worm,” he said, tickling and wiggling his fingers over Eddie’s back. Eddie squirmed, giggling into his pillow.

“Ok, ok! I get it!” he laughed, Steve ceasing his attack to pull him tight against his body, pressing kisses to him again. “We love each other in every form, huh?”

“That’s right,” Steve muttered into Eddie’s shoulder, sighing, letting sleep take him again. “Love you. Any form.”

The next morning came too soon with a squawking, shrill beep beep beep!

“Eddie. The alarm.” Steve waved a hand over Eddie’s side of the bed, trying to wake him, but the bed was empty.

Steve reached over to turn off the alarm and sat up to look around the room. He was sure Eddie didn’t mention any early morning plans and his shoes on the floor proved that. The weird thing, though, was that Eddie’s blankets were still across his side, not shoved aside.

A ridiculous thought flashed through Steve’s mind. Huffing at himself for giving into to fanciful impossibilities, he flipped Eddie’s blankets back.

And there was a worm.

Where Eddie should be laying.

Steve side eyed the room, half expecting Eddie to burst from the closet yelling psych! But nothing, just the still quiet of predawn on a work day.

Steve threw off his blankets, getting out of bed, and spoke loud enough to be heard into the hall and bathroom. “Ok, Eddie. Enough is enough. I get the prank. It’s a nice little youworm, but we’re now going to have to change the sheets and bedding before bed and you hate doing big laundry.”

Steve walked around the room, getting ready for work, the silence of the apartment getting more and more eerie.

“Eddie. Come on.” He called out to the apartment, pulling his shoes one. “You’re gonna be late if you don’t get ready now. I swear, I love the little worm, ok? It’s very cute and you-like.”

He finally flipped on the bedroom light, heading over to grab the worm, planning on walking it around til he found Eddie’s hiding spot. Maybe give him a bit of a scare for this.

The worm had already wiggled back into the blankets, so Steve shifted them around gently, not wanting to hurt it or anything. Finally, he saw the tip of its tail trying to dig its way farther into the bedding. He shoved his hand under where it was heading, scooping his hand under its body and pulled it into the light.

It was black.

With a silver band.

Steve pulled in a shuddering breath, eyes tearing, and asked quietly, gently, not wanting to voice his suspicions. “Eddie?”

The little Eddieworm’s head lifted up, wobbling back and forth in the air, before lowering and nosing gently at Steve’s hand. Like a little kiss...from a worm.

“Oh. Oh, no.” Steve said, before collapsing on the edge of the bed, cupping Eddieworm close to his chest, a gasping cry punched out of him. “Eddie.”

Letting himself cry for a few minutes, he eventually sat up straight to take a few deep breaths, making a mental Turn Eddie Back to-do list.

1. Make Sure It Is Eddie.

With the full moon tonight, Steve’s senses were as heightened as they’d ever be. He pulled the Eddieworm up to his nose, hoping to smell earth, dirt, animal. Instead, it- he smelled only of Eddie and mate.

2. Call Out of Work for Both of Them.

Calling out of their jobs for a family emergency was pretty easy, especially when we didn’t mask how upset and freaked out he was. Both places would have to find people to cover them, but he couldn’t worry about that.

3. Call Their Pack Alpha, Hopper and then Call Eddie’s uncle.

Getting Hopper to wake up enough to believe that this wasn’t some elaborate prank of Eddie’s took a moment, but he eventually heard the seriousness in Steve’s voice. He told Steve that he and Joyce would be over shortly. As their pack’s magic user, hopefully it was just a spell she could easily undo.

Steve hesitated before calling Wayne. If Joyce could just undo whatever had happened, he didn’t want to worry him unnecessarily. However, if Eddie was going to be a worm longer than a few hours, Wayne had a right to know.

“Hey, Eddie.” Steve held him up to eye level. “Do you want me to call Wayne? Just shake your head yes or no.”

Eddieworm jerkily bobbed his head up and down.

“Ok. And- uh, do you want me to get you some dirt or something while we wait?”

Eddieworm started to bob up, before changing to back and forth.

“You want me to wait? Get some afterwards?”

Eddieworm bobbed.

“Ok, yeah I can do that. Let’s call Wayne.”

The call with Wayne was short, as it usually was with him, he agreed to grab any family history books. It wasn’t especially common for someone to present a magical spark in their 30s, but it wasn’t entirely unheard of. Wayne also said he’d call Eddie’s grandma, Wayne’s mom, to find out if there were any sparks of magic in their family line.

Steve stood up from their kitchen table, walking over to the couch and plopped down, Eddie still cupped in his hand against his chest. “Now we wait for them to get here. We’ll probably make another Get You Back To Human to-do list then, but at least we might get some answers or at least a path to answers. Do you want me to get something to sit in?”

Eddieworm rubbed his head against Steve’s chest, pressing his little body against him as hard as he could.

Tears pricked Steve’s eyes again. “Yeah. I won’t put you down. Keep you right here with me.”

Steve brushed a gentle finger down Eddieworm’s body as the tears broke free, rolling down his cheeks.

“Don’t worry, baby, we’ll get you human again.” Eddieworm curled up in his palm. “And if not, you can live in my hair, I guess.”

Eddieworm perked his little head up fast, starting a quick wiggle up toward Steve’s body again.

Steve laughed at the clear excitement. “Not right now! We have people coming over!”

There was a knock at the door.

“See? They’re here. Ok. Let’s get this figured out.”

Having the adultier pack adults there helped Steve feel a little more confident about the situation being fixable, even if they did still have to wait for Wayne to arrive.

While they waited, Joyce did whatever she does, to see if there was a spell or curse on Eddie. She said there was something, but it didn’t feel like it was something done maliciously to him, that the magic gave off a calm, serene aura.

Steve’s not quite sure what that meant, though he’d never really understood her magic. His shifting just worked naturally, easily, he’d never had to think about how it worked, it just did. So, seeing other magic users who needed books and plants and whatever else just to use their magic baffled him. He hoped Wayne’s information would shine a little more light on the situation.

“Maybe we should get Ellie over here, see if she can check in its head to double check if it even is Eddie,” Hopper said. “Don’t want to be doing a bunch of magic on a normal worm, just for Eddie to walk in ‘cause he went out early and didn’t say.”

“Yeah, uh, I don’t think that’s necessary? I’ve already asked him several questions that he’s answered, so.” Steve knew he didn’t mean anything by it, just wanted to do right by his pack by being sure, but Steve thought it was so obvious the little worm was Eddie. How could anyone look at him and not see Eddie?

“Besides, he’s my mate, so I can sense him, right? And this little guy is definitely him.” Steve held Eddieworm up to Hopper.

“Is that right?” Hopper leaned in. “You Eddie in there?”

Eddieworm squiggled around until he was facing Hopper, he lifted and held the end of his tail up at him. Steve laughed at Eddieworm clearly and definitively flipping Hopper off.

“Need more proof?” Steve laughed, running a finger up and down Eddieworm’s back,

“Nah.” Hopper grumbled. “That’s definitely Eddie.”

Another knock at the door; Wayne’s arrival perfectly timed.

Eddieworm had nodded his assent to be held by Wayne, so he was updating them on his call with the family matriarch while holding his nephew.

He held Eddieworm high up on his chest with his left hand and gently rubbed his back with a single finger of his right hand. Steve almost cried again when he realized why the scene hit so hard; he was looking at Wayne holding his child, comforting him as he would have years ago when Eddie was young.

Yes, even as a worm, his family loved him dearly; Steve really hoped Eddie never doubted that again.

“Steve? Did something happen last night?” Joyce asked, pulling Steve’s attention back to the room. Looking around at their expectant faces, he’d clearly missed something.

“Sorry, it’s been a long morning, what was that?” he asked.

Wayne answered with zero hint of exasperation. “Ma said there’s a history of magical sparks popping up in the family tree without warning. Doesn’t seem to be a pattern, so no one really knows in who or when magical abilities might show themselves. Said that it’s cropped up in young kids and a few got it later in life.”

“It seems,” Joyce took over, “there’s usually an emotional component and a magical component. And last night, as you know, was the first night of the full moon, the worm moon.”

“Oh.” Steve looked at Eddieworm, feeling lost in a way he hadn’t in a long time, really since he met Eddie. Wayne reached out, letting Eddieworm wiggle over to Steve’s hand. Steve tucked him against his chest.

“Um- last night, when we were going to sleep, Eddie asked if I would still love him as a worm. ‘Course I said yes. ‘Cause I would and do. Told him I would love him in any form. Could that be the emotional component?”

The adults looked at each other, talking without speaking.

“It could be that easy.” Wayne said, responding to a look.

“He should wait for the witching hour to test it. The moon will be at its zenith and most potent.”

“Uh, guys?” Steve cut in, sweeping one hand out in confusion.

“Sorry, son.” Wayne said. “We’re thinking it’s a True Love spell. Eddie must’ve accidentally cast it last night. So, tonight, at midnight, you gotta give your wormfella a kiss.”

“It’ll either work immediately in a flash or you’ll have to go to bed like last night and wake up to human Eddie,” Joyce explained. “It depends on the caster and well.”

“I guess we’ll see tonight then,” Steve said.

Hopper and Joyce left soon after, though Wayne offered to stick around for a few hours. Wayne held Eddieworm while Steve made them some breakfast and then took a shower. It was just a waiting game at that point.

Normally, during the day of a full moon, Steve’s wolf would get restless, making him anxious for night to come, just waiting until he could shift and run with his pack. Today, though, his wolf just wanted to hunker down and curl up around his mate.

They eventually turned the tv on for sound, letting mid day soup operas and game shows play. Steve got out a deck of cards and they played a few games to pass some time, Eddieworm gently laying in Steve’s hair as a little treat.

Steve kept offering to get some dirt for Eddieworm, but he always just shook his little head “no”. Wayne supposed that since Eddie was a human magically turned into his subconscious’ idea of a worm, they weren’t really playing by real worm rules.

By late afternoon, Wayne headed out, gently patting Eddieworm on the head, and Steve needed to make the decision of whether to go to the pack’s full moon dinner.

“What do you think? I want to keep you safe and unsquished and you know how the kids are when amped up on the full moon. So, we could just wait here til midnight. Do you want to go?”

Eddieworm looked up at him for a long moment and then bobbed his assent.

“Ok, well, they’ll definitely be pulling on me to see you and I don’t want to drop you. So, maybe I’ll make you a little, like, carrier or something? Not a cage, obviously, but maybe just a little open box? Ah ah! And this is why we keep all those good boxes! For a time like this!”

Steve crouched in front of the kitchen cupboard they stashed all the boxes they couldn’t bring themselves to get rid of and found a small one nestled in the middle that would work perfectly.

He lowered Eddieworm in to see how he liked it. He wiggled around, checking the space, nosing at the corners, and finally looked up with a nod. Steve brushed a finger over him, picking the box up to head to pack dinner, it was about to get really loud.

Dinner went as well as it could with a bunch of rambunctious, curious pups and a favorite pack member turned worm.

Dustin got out a notepad to try to ask and document a bunch of yes/no questions for “scientific discovery”. Steve shut that down, citing that he’d be back in a speaking human body in just a few hours.

Elle did use her magic to check that Eddie was comfortable and feeling safe inside his worm body; he was, Steve was relieved to know.

The others waffled between wanting to hold him and being afraid to hurt him. Steve erred on the side of caution and let them pass around the box holding Eddieworm, but not letting them take him out. It seemed to make the kids feel more comfortable, too.

Robin sidled up beside him, watching the kids gently handle Eddieworm. “You ok?”

“Yep. I mean, ok, so I’ve cried more times today than I’ve ever cried in my entire life, but yeah, I’m good. We have a plan for turning him back, that’s what matters, right? What else is there to be upset about?”

Steve glanced over at Robin, hoping she wouldn’t use their mind meld powers this one time, and just let it go.

“Uh huh. Sure. ‘Cause waking up to find your partner suddenly not human and completely reliant on you wouldn’t be upsetting at all. Suddenly being in a worse case scenario without your partner to lean on totally wouldn’t throw you into survival mode.”

“Robin. It’s- I’m fine. I handled it and now we’re just waiting for midnight. Then it’ll be over.”

“Mmhmm. Well, don’t think we won’t be talking about this more later. Though, Steven,” she turned and slugged him on the shoulder, “you did good, kid.”

He laughed, pulling her into a hug, speaking into her hair.

“Thanks, babe. We’ll talk later. Promise. After Eddie’s Eddie again.”

As the sun set and the moon rose, the Pack gathered outside amongst the trees to shift and run. Steve stood on Hopper’s back porch with Eddieworm cupped again against his chest, watching their Pack yip and bound and wrestle.

Joyce and Elle came out onto the porch. They sat, piling themselves with blankets, Joyce pulling out a book and Elle turning on the new Gameboy she had saved up for. Normally, only the Pack humans stayed behind to hold down the fort during the full moons. So, this was new to Steve, watching them all head out, staying still, staying behind. He suddenly wondered how Eddie would feel about coming out in the woods with them during the next full moon.

He pet a finger along Eddieworm’s body. “Thought you guys sat around here drinking and watching tv or something. Never really thought about what it was like for you to stay behind. Never thought you of you sitting here, watching us leave. Next full moon, baby, want you to come out with me.”

Joyce tossed a blanket and magazine onto an open chair to her side. Steve took the offer, settling down in the chair, placing Eddieworm in his hair. They spent the next few hours like that; Steve reading random articles and quizzes out loud to Eddieworm, Joyce finishing her book, and Elle playing her game. A nice, quiet evening, all things considered.

Near 10:30, the pups were corralled, tired and whining, back to the house to get ready for bed, the adults planning to stay up playing cards.

Getting them all in bed and asleep took some time, the full moon energy still coursing through their bodies. They’d all stopped to tell Eddieworm good night, that they’d see him in the morning.

So, it was past 11:30 by the time Steve got out the backdoor again, carrying a bag of Eddie’s clothes in one hand and Eddieworm, in his box, in the other.

He walked into the forest, heading toward the clearing in which he and Eddie first confessed their feelings to each other. He planned to use every bit of love magic he could think of.

Steve sat down cross legged in the clearing, holding Eddieworm in his palms in front of him, the bright light of the full moon shining down on them.

His watch beeped midnight.

He brought Eddieworm up and pressed his lips to his little head, pouring his love into him.

“Eddie. Please, I miss you,” he whispered against the little body, a tear slipping down his cheek. “I miss your laugh. I miss your voice. I miss your teasing. I miss your kisses. Please, Eddie, I miss you. I love you.”

The moonlight suddenly flashed bright, so brilliant Steve fell forward, shielding his eyes.

Cold panic clenched his stomach. He couldn’t feel Eddieworm in his hand anymore.

Squinting his eyes tight he tried to look around, on the ground, in his lap, but it was too bright and too late. Eddieworm was gone.

Fear that he might squish his mate kept him still and more tears slid down. “Eddie.”

“Steve.”

Steve jolted, gasping and looking up, tears blurring his vision, he saw him. In all his glorious human form.

His Eddie was back.

And he was naked.

“Eddie!” Steve stood up, pulling him into his arms and holding on tight. “I missed you so much. I held you all day and, still, I missed you. We gotta call Wayne. And the Pack. The kids are gonna be so happy to see you. I brought you clothes. They’re in the bag. Didn’t want you to be cold walking-”

“Baby. Stevie. Breath. Please. Can you do that for me? You’re shaking so hard and talking too fast.” Eddie started taking slow, deep breaths, his chest rising against Steve’s for him to copy. “Come on, baby. In and out, slowly. There we go. You did so good today. Took care of me so well. Love you so much. I knew I was safe with you, no matter what happened.”

They held each other until the moon dipped toward the trees; Steve holding Eddie like he was afraid he’d slip through his fingers if he let go, Eddie murmuring reassurances, sweeping a hand over Steve’s back.

Eventually, Steve’s body heat was no longer a match for the March cold and Eddie started to shiver. Taking a steadying breath, Steve crouched to grab the clothes out of the bag, holding the pants for Eddie to step into and standing to pull a shirt over Eddie’s head. He crouched again to pull out shoes, holding them while Eddie stepped in, a hand on Steve’s shoulder for balance.

Steve stood with the bag in hand and held out his other for Eddie. Fingers laced together, they headed for the trees, Steve gazing over at him.

“I love you, Eddie. Any form.” he pulled their linked hands to his lips, pressing a kiss to Eddie’s knuckles. “But, this one is definitely my favorite.”

[mikhardwheat]

Dustin is the only one who can communicate with a cursed man, who turned into a bat. Can be read without context, I suppose?

Steve is hanging out at Dustin's house (he gets lonely). Dustin does his hw, pointedly ignoring how Steve is petting the bat he told him multiple times is actually a human being.

Steve: I think, he likes me

Dustin:

Steve: don't you look cute, little thing

Steve: come here, come to da-

Dustin immediately turns in his chair. Steve stills under his glare, refusing to look his way.

Dustin: don't you dare finish that sentence

Steve: but-

Dustin: it's a grown-up man you're holding

Steve: he doesn't mind?

Steve looks at his chest, where the bat is plastered, wings all over his shirt.

Steve: you don't mind, do you?

The bat nods eagerly.

Steve: see?

Dustin: I have a better question for you

Dustin: do you hear?

Steve: now, that's just rude

Dustin: I'm not talking about your hearing, dumbass

Dustin: I'm talking about the Bat's thoughts

Dustin: do you hear them?

Steve: no?..

Dustin: obviously.

Steve looks at Dustin, then at the bat, then again at Dustin.

Steve: what's he's thinking about now?

Dustin: he...

Dustin:

Dustin: DUDE.

Steve jumps, the bat leaves his chest to sit at the Dustin's desk. It does some weird moves with its wings, clearly arguing about something.

Dustin: I don't care

Bat does some wiggling.

Dustin: keep it in your fucking non-existent pants

Bat looks warily Steve's way for a moment. Dustin's arms are now crossed over his chest and he looks pissed.

Steve: what's happening?

Dustin: nothing

He makes a pause, clearly listening to the bat.

Dustin: don't touch him anymore

Bat stills.

Steve: why

Dustin: I'm just repeating his words

For some reason, Steve's expression changes.

Steve: I- I just assumed he liked it too

Steve: I'm sorry I didn't ask for permission

Dustin: it's not-

Steve: I didn't mean to make him uncomfortable, I'm sorry

Dustin: Steve-

Steve: I- I probably should go, sorry aga-

Dustin: STEVE

He only now notices the bat crawling up his shirt. He stops in the middle of standing up to cup a hand around it, so it won't fall.

Dustin: you didn't make him uncomfortable

Dustin: the only one who's uncomfortable here is me

Steve: I'm not sure I follow?

Dustin: you make him... happy?

Steve: you mean, he likes me?

Dustin: I mean "he wants to fuck you", but close enough

Steve: oh.