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collectivecloseness · 1 year ago

Note

Robin Buckley from st and 9 please

Okay but Bejewelled by Taylor Swift is such a sweet one for Robin haha 💖

(Cw: set in 80s so tiniest mention about society not being super open minded but that’s it, it’s v fluffy)

Robin Buckley x reader

Your girlfriend Robin had had a pretty lousy day yesterday.

She came home nearly screaming, grunting long and hard as she threw her face into your chest as she (just successfully) landed on the sofa and your lap. When you stroked through her blonde hair to ask her what was wrong, she told you about this girl Kelly from her old high school who came to Robin at work and asked her out.

You were a little stunned, blinking and giving a small “Wow” as you kept petting your love’s hair. Robin at least turned her face up from your boobs, glaring up at you with that sharp eyeliner around those shiny blue eyes. Groaning “Uh huh!!” In exasperated agreement.

You were shocked Kelly had even been so blunt to ask, knowing what the townsfolk around here are like, but you lightly massaged Robin’s scalp as you let her explain, vivid hand gestures clanging her bracelets around, and all.

“Steve didn’t know whether to go to the store room, or stay and back me up, but like, I didn’t even know Kelly was gay! And she was always so mean in high school, I didn’t know if she was trying to out me or something.” Robin explained, cut off from her ramblings as she looked up to your huff in suspense at the small noise, cutting off her train of thoughts.

“Oh baby, I’m sorry.” You frown a little, stroking her freckled cheek with the back of your hand where you held her.

Robin just made some vague waving hand gesture, quickly moving on to keep up with what she wanted to tell you. “So yeah I said something like ‘Uhhh... no thanks! Sorry, no, I mean, I won’t tell anyone of fucking course’, goddamn!” Robin sighed annoyed “‘But yeah, sorry, not for me-‘ you know polite crap like that.” Robin looked up at you nodding, and you of course nodded back in solidarity.

“You’re very polite babe.” You sort of half lied, confidently though.

“Yeah! Exactly! But then she went all... mad! And started asking me ‘Ugh, what’s your damage?!’ And saying that I wasn’t hot anyway and she had plenty of dates lined up anyway!” Robin rolled her hands in the air, wafting near your face. “But then, like, why ask me out at all? Asshole! She clearly couldn’t handle me.”

Robin looks up to you, serious eyes from where she lays in your lap. And you can’t lie, sometimes you find the side of Robin that can be confident, mean, sarcastic, that side of her, pretty hot. And with her tone and her expressions right now, she was definitely hitting that part of her personality.

“She wanted you babe.” You nod seriously, and Robin’s blue eyes widen, some pink flushing beneath her freckles as she leans up so fast you have to swerve your head back, now sitting on your lap as she slaps her hands down to her knees, tucking them up with her. “That’s what I’m saying! Plus I wasn’t sure if she actually meant it or not, I mean she was never exactly ‘nice’ to me before.” Robin makes air quotes with her ringed fingers. “And then she turns around and says I’m ugly anyways even though she came to my work to try and pick me up!” Robin scoffs loudly.

And what your girlfriend is saying actually distracts you from the fact that just as much Robin can’t sit in a chair properly, she doesn’t really do the same in your lap either.

“Wait, she called you ugly?” You ask, a big expression of disgust turning on your face now, your hand going straight for the side of Robin’s chest where you can hold her, as it’s your turn to scoff. “Wow, you must’ve really demolished her self esteem Robin babe. I mean, to be fair, who can survive being turned down by you?” You exhale incredulously, pissed off someone would say that to Robin, even though you both knew they were just deflecting, but deciding to turn it around so the both of you could continue slating this complete loser, which is clearly the vibe that was happening right now.

“Right!” Robin throws her hands up one more time, before sighing, and turning her attention to cupping and stroking your face between her long fingers and sharp nails. “Well at least I never had to do that to you.” She smiles, finally feeling as vindicated as she knew she would be, coming home to complain with you.

And you let Robin pull you in for a kiss, that you more than happily joined in with. You let her be her more dom self as you carried her up to your room too. Although you knew Robin wasn’t done. Even if it wasn’t for her staring up at the ceiling in bed, and also stroking her hands kind of evilly.

Robin had a plan in mind. And she was more than happy to wake you up just as you dozed off on her chest, to ask you if you knew if Eddie and Nancy were free tomorrow night also.

One of the first things she did after smacking loads of kisses on your face until you were awake, and after the moment she said hello to you, was running with a blanket wrapped around her into the hallway; just as you’d woken up enough to be about to roll over, and cuddle her.

But it was easy to tell when your girlfriend was on a mission. You hear her saying “Steve! Listen!” But that’s about it, and you’re not surprised she woke him up too, at least it made sense where she was running off to.

You had an idea why she was eager to go talk to Steve, but Robin all but confirmed it for you when she came back, and told you she has a plan.

“That’s great babe.” You said right into the pillow you were face down in, with a pointed thumbs up, literally about to fall asleep again.

But then, Robin’s slender hands were running up your bare shoulder blades that the quilt just wasn’t covering. And you were smiling even before you opened your eyes, as you turned your head so your cheek was laying on the pillow instead, to see Robin standing above you. A different kind of devious smirk on her face and sparkle in her eyes.

Robin had said for you to hang out with Eddie and Nancy maybe, just to have some fun today! Because she needed to go out after lunch to meet up with Steve.

You kissed her goodbye after sharing a salad bowl together, and smacked a kiss onto your hand before slapping that on Steve’s temple, as he waved at you from the drivers seat, besides where your girlfriend was getting in.

“Thanks.” Steve gave you, eyes crinkled from the sun, and your sudden hand on his face, looking up at you, before you said bye to them both and waved them off.

Robin had told you before she left that ‘you’re all going out tonight’, having sounded very convincing on the phone to both Nancy and Eddie, as they also knew what side of Robin’s personality was shining today.

You were all meeting up at Steve’s house, which was the designated hang out zone, and luckily you all had keys, so you let yourself in pretty early in the day. Nancy had spent the past hour and a half with you in Steve’s home, and Eddie have arrived about twenty minutes later, all of you waiting for Robin, and Steve, as you played some Uno while waiting.

You all turned your heads up, different sounding “Hey!”’s from all three of you, when you heard the door finally open and shut. But you could barely spot a flash of your girlfriend, Steve right behind, and seemingly being dragged by Robin by the hand, as they both rushed up the bannister.

“Sorry babe, guys! We’ll be down later! Keep hanging out!” Robin encouraged you all. And even though you and Nancy shared a look of intrigue, Eddie already helping himself to more of the popcorn you’d brought out a while ago, you heard Steve’s bedroom door slam. And with a shrug, decided to leave Robin and Steve to it, they’d come down when they were finished. ...With, whatever it is they were doing.

You hadn’t even noticed that well over half an hour had gone by, until Robin was calling you from the stairs.

“Are you guys ready?”

You, Nancy and Eddie quickly got up, you sending her and Steve a “Yeah!” As you three stood up in the living room, waiting on in intrigue, until Robin and Steve finally walked through the door.

Robin walked down in a drop dead sparkly dress, glittery and her colour, with beautiful eye make up, and her shiny lips smiling open mouthed in anticipation at you, and all her friends. Steve was in a matching sparkly jacket too, that he’d been ‘persuaded’ to wear by Robin. With a long shirt tucked mostly beneath his going out pants, Steve could make anything look good you swore it was a superpower. But your girlfriend... your jaw dropped to the floor, in a wowed and breathless laugh.

When she walked in the room, the whole place lit up. Reflections of her dress by the lamp illuminating the room, and a bright beam on her face, causing the whole room to shimmer and glow, or maybe you just truly felt that, looking at how happy and stunning your girlfriend Robin was right now.

“Woah!” Eddie breaks the silence first, clapping his hands together once as he takes in the pair. While behind you Nancy gives an “Oh my God.” As you’re already on your way, running up to Robin.

“Wow babe.” You admire.

Robin opens her arms up, with a bright grin on her beautiful face. “Baby love.” She calls you, as you wrap your arms around her back, her own hands cuddling your arms in your hug.

Your hands run up her bare shoulder blades - that feel really silky smooth right now, wow - as you hug her close. Pulling your head back to look her up and down, admiring every little detail Robin poured into herself. “Wow... you look beautiful Robin.”

Robin bounces in her flats, rubbing your own biceps a bit - you’re sure she must’ve put some cream or powder on her hands too because they are just, so soft - before she leans in, to peck a small kiss to your cheek. And you can feel the sticky lip gloss leaving a small mark there too. “Thanks my love.” She smiles, still bouncing eagerly.

You hear Steve laugh at something Nancy says, seeing her pinch the fabric of his sparkly jacket between her fingers, both giggling. Eddie paying attention too, nodding approvingly at Steve. “Yeah, you polish up real nice Harrington.”

Which is met with a response of “Shut up.” By Steve who bitch flicks Eddie’s hand away from where he is, admittedly, prodding at him. But Steve smiling all the same, and it makes you smile too, even though he’s not looking at you.

You love to see him so happy helping Robin out, that’s he’s genuinely not upset at her taking his day away to get him all dressed up to match with her in a big sparkly outfit for her plan, or to have his friends staring and poking at him for it, any of the sort. He’s not complaining about the outfit, in fact no ones making fun of any of them, and to be fair, they’re styled so well they actually look amazing. But you do sincerely love, that Steve is your girlfriends best friend. You couldn’t imagine anyone better for that role for the love of your life. And you’re glad Steve has Robin too.

Steve noticed you smiling at him then, turning to face you. And as you caught his brown eyes, your smile only warmed. And Steve, the true friend he was to you as well, kept smiling back all the way.

Nancy comes to give Robin a quick hug, both holding each other’s elbows as she asks about what stores Robin has been to all day, when Eddie came over and pat Robin’s shoulder too, and she turned up to smile at her friend.

“That actually suits you too Buckley. And when you made your grand dramatic entrance, with all the lights and shit,” Eddie waves his hand in the air “you aura was totally moonstone... or like, diamond, or... shit which one of them is really sparkly?”

Robin just snorts, looking up at Eddie with a hand to her mouth. And Steve has that mom look on his face again, the one where if Robin saw it, she’d definitely laugh harder.

“Did you smoke before coming here?” Steve does the gesture to his lips, asking Eddie.

Nancy popping in, telling Steve and Robin “He says he had an edible maybe two hours ago? I don’t think he’s exactly down yet. At least because we all know Eddie’s stuff works pretty well.”

Eddie just beams, full teeth, straight at Robin and Steve, with his hands proudly behind his back, rolling on the balls of his feet.

You roll your eyes, smiling at your friend, but turning to Robin. Holding both her hands outstretched in each of your own, your thumbs rubbing softly across the knuckles of her cool fingers. “I declined.” You inform her.

Robin gets that big, put on ‘that’s surprising, in a delightful way’ sort of look on her face, as she tilts it at you. “Wow. Oh my God, you didn’t accept Eddie’s free weed this time?”

You shrug, still swinging your hands between both your bodies. “I knew it was gonna be your special night!” Is all you needed to respond with.

And God, if Robin doesn’t love you so much...

She gently grasps your hands as she leans over, pecking your lips solidly, and smiling at you the entire time she leans backwards. “Thank you my diamond.” She calls you, and you tilt your head with a smile at the new nickname. But when she turns to face Eddie after those words, with her raised brows and a knowing look on her face, it all makes sense.

You giggle, getting her attention swiftly back, and her blue eyes only twinkle more as you raise her luxuriously soft hands up with your own, and kiss over the backs of both of them.

“Mmh!” You can’t contain your excitement for Robin. Letting go of one of her hands and raising the other, twirling her grinning when she squeals and whoops with the movement. Making sure you focus on catching her in your arms because you know Robin’s not the most balanced when she’s wearing her usual sneakers, never mind flats.

With her in your arms, you just want to playfully growl and happily kiss all up her neck, burying your nose in there to kiss fast and lots, but you know the others around may not be quite as appreciative as Robin would be. So you settle for planting a sweet kiss to her jaw, lifting her back up straight, but still holding her in your arms, as you ask what you’ve been wanting to all day.

“So? What is the plan? Why are you and Steve all dressed up? I’ve been dying to know.” You hold onto her hand and wrists, Robin leaning in close to you, and you definitely notice her eyes not peering anywhere but your lips as she smiles. Even as Eddie and Nancy ask the same as you.

Eventually Robin looks up, seeing Steve was waiting for her to explain as the floor was hers, if she wanted it, and Robin stood up straight, rather than leaning into you, although she still kept you holding her.

“We’re going to the club tonight. Brava. The one where Eddie can get us in because he helped them fix their sound one time-“

Eddie bows, so lucky accidentally walking past and knowing *something* about speakers actually gave him and his friends a free pass to one of the better clubs in Hawkins.

“And it’s the one where Kelly works at.” Robin looks pointedly at you, and you slowly nod as you begin to get it. Steve’s nodding along too, clearly the first privy to Robin’s master plan.

“We are going to turn up there, looking stunning. We’re all going to dance, a full group of friends, we’re going to drink and have fun. And I’m going to be able to show you off.” Robin points her nose out close to you, her face adoring and admiring, and twinkling with delight at her scheme.

You smirked. Some people may be glad Robin wasn’t going there just to, maybe, show herself off to Kelly, as if to say ‘see I’m hot’, but you very much want to go to the club and praise that fact. I mean, you’d love being able to show everyone how smoking hot your girlfriend is, whenever the chance arises.

Robin smiles at your in on the plan expression. And she turns to everyone else, giving a coy shrug. “If she’s going to show up at my work and cause a scene, then I’m going to let her know what it feels like. Except I’m just going out and having fun with my friends and girlfriend.”

You squeezed Robin’s hip in approval. Kelly doing all that at Robin’s work was out of line. Plus, she was lucky it was only Steve around to hear, as you knew Robin was already out to him, not like Kelly would have. It’s nice to see that side of Robin coming out to kick ass, and go girlboss mode, as she rightfully should.

Nancy and Eddie eagerly agree with the plan, happy them all having a good night out and getting vengeance on behalf of their friend can be done at the exact same time.

“I wanna really dance with you there!” Robin says facing you. Your heart pumping as Robin brings her hands to the side of your chest. Rolling her palms along your skin and muscle, as her fingers slither to your spine. Catching yourself opening your mouth halfway, as if you let Robin in to kiss you. And you have to admit, a certain throb ran through your thighs when you saw a smirk just light up on her face, as her eyes found your lips, and you knew she’d realised what had just happened.

But, extremely unfortunately for you, Robin couldn’t grant you what you wanted because Steve who’d completely missed those subtle movements was wrapping his arm around Robin, and giving a big speech to Eddie, Nancy, and also you, about how wrong this girl was and how they all have to go out and defend their friend. Robin smiles and hugs into Steve’s side as he went on passionately, sticking up for her even in a room full of people who love her. And you absolutely just have to love Steve, no matter if he interrupted a kiss or not, there was no way you could care about his himboness traits coming into affect around his lesbian best friend.

Eddie cheers along with Steve’s little speech, and you and Nancy cry along too with approval. Steve bouncing happily on his feet at doing so well for getting his point across for Robin, and he looked down at her still underneath his arm, and with the way she was grinning, Steve felt proud for not only helping her get through a pretty crappy time, but really making it wonderful for her.

Although Steve did mention how he and Robin had been sharing a bottle of champagne upstairs while they were getting ready, and probably mostly talking and talking and talking, as per usual, due to how long they took. You presumed he got it from his parents cabinet, although you were slightly surprised to learn this because you just thought Robin and Steve were happy, because those two were usually the ones to get drunk first, if they were drinking together. Maybe they were slightly tipsy. You did want some of the champagne though if they hadn’t finished it off.

“You guys pre’d without us?” You ask, faux offended.

Robin extended her arm out at you. “You guys could’ve been drinking all evening if you wanted! Steve still had to drive us back.”

Eddie mentions something about how he should’ve brought booze and weed tonight, to which Nancy just shakes her head, at least with a smile, at him. Causing Eddie to smile back.

But you ask Robin and Steve for some champagne, and they both nod. No one here cares about swigging from the same bottle as each other. You’re well passed that.

“We’re definitely drinking tonight, especially with Eddie’s free pass for us all at Brava.” Robin points out, and she wraps her arm over your shoulders. “I’m tired of being a good girl right now. I feel like I’ve been doing that for at least a month.” Robin moans. “We’re going out to the club, we’re all drinking, and when we get back I am really dancing with you. And maybe if no one’s passed out we can see about Eddie’s thing.”

Steve and Nancy fake groan at Robin’s suggestive nature of how she’d be dancing with you when it would just literally be them in a room together, but Eddie’s too busy fist pumping the air at being right about bringing edibles with him to the party just in case tonight.

“In fact, to not only show off our dazzlingness, but to all be on theme together, Steve and I have got you all matching sparkly outfits!” Robin finally reveals, and Steve laughs as he��s finally not having to hold that detail back anymore.

“Oh my God.”

“Holy shit!”

“You’ve got to be joking.”

You, Eddie, and Nancy all chorus, as Steve goes and brings three bags out from the hallway, you and your two surprised friends gasping and grasping onto each other, shocked but so eager to see what’s in store.

Nancy’s was simple, and had some glittery tights and sparkly jewellery, to go with the outfit Nancy had said she was bringing, as when Robin had called her she’d asked about the fashion code tonight and what everyone was wearing. And Robin already knew what outfit Nancy was bringing, knew what to buy to go along with the set.

Steve head actually been the first one to spot the sleeveless denim jacket, that had the shiny silver spikes on the shoulders. You were trying to tell if some other parts were rhinestones, or just other spikes, or silvery buttony parts, but Eddie was already too busy moving it all about as he admired and inspected it.

To be honest, you knew no matter what, and you thought so did Robin and Steve buying this piece, that Eddie would 100% be down for commitment to the bit, and that he didn’t care about standing out. Especially when not all of you would be standing out ‘shining’.

“And of course,” Robin turned to you, Steve did too. The excited looks on their faces making your heart pump. Your eyes swivelling from them, to Nancy and Eddie who were now fully paying attention to you too, and down to where Robin’s double ringed hand reached down into the bag. “I bought a dress for you.”

Your jaw drops, a smile still on there of course, and Robin’s big blue eyes are delighted up at you. “I also got you shoes as a present. I wanted your outfit all to match.”

Your cheeks are heating with every extra stretch of your wide smile, your hand darting out and gently landing on top of Robin’s wrist in the bag. “Ohhh no, sparkles or sequins are not super my thing.”

Steve was the first one to respond, placing his hand down behind your neck. “Yeah, well, tonight it is.” He just smiles.

Robin shoved whatever was in the bag back down, removing her hand, but when you catch her eyes, her shoulders lift up, and she grins at you very excitedly, lighting up like a kid on chirhsmas.

Robin grabs your hand, and drags you up to Steve’s room with an eager screech. And as you follow suit quickly, so you don’t fall, letting her pull you with her thrilled sounds, as Eddie and Steve bellow laughter from downstairs, you are pulled into Steve’s room, Robin closing the door to show you what she picked out, and let you get dressed.

You fawned and gasped, and ooh’d and ahh’d when Robin spread your dress out on Steve’s bed, already eager for you to try it and make sure it definitely fit.

You were definitely glad she at least got you a style she knew you wore. And as you ran your hands over the lush material, you turned to face your awaiting and encouraged girlfriend, who you didn’t realised had her face just inches from yours, happily anticipating.

Giggling, after your initial tiny flinch, you leaned those three inches in and kissed her lips. Robin allowing herself a small moment of calm, kissing them back sweetly and shortly as she looked to you.

“Thank you sweetheart. It’s really pretty. I’ll definitely wear this more than once. Even if I have to purposely find an occasion to do so.” You smiled, your heart bursting as Robin laughed with glee, so happy you liked it!

You really did! It was sparkly and pretty and the dress was very much in your style, Robin knew exactly what to get you that would match the group, and specifically match her intentionally too, but also was something you’d like, even if you wouldn’t have thought it before. Because Robin knew you, and your clothes, and your style so well by now.

The shoes were actually very comfy too, especially for a first time wearing them. You supposed if after a club night in new shoes the comfort factor went extremely down hill, you had at least three people out of the four who’d be able to carry you home, back to Steve’s. Honestly actually, you wouldn’t put it past Nancy to do so if it was life or death enough either.

You place your hands on Robin’s face, finally in the quiet of an alone room together, and you look deeply at your wonderful love. Robin matching your expression and looking back. Her hands tenderly coming up to rest on your forearms, her head leant into one palm as you kept holding her face. Robin’s eyes trailed to your lips, then back up to your eyes again, but her own were now hooded after a glance there.

You smoothed your thumbs over her cheeks, getting Robin to stop leaning in the second she was about to move another slow centimetre or two, and looking to you as you softly spoke, a loving smirk on your face. “You know, if we’re gonna complete your look, your eyeshadow needs to shine too.”

Robin’s eyes, surrounded by her smooth make up, shone in excitement, and you removed your hands to look in the bag you still have strapped over your shoulder, having been ready for her when Robin came downstairs with a camera in there, although getting caught up in the moment.

You whipped out a massive make up bag, with nearly all the make up you’d collected over the years, having a feeling you’d need it tonight with the hints you were able to pick up from Robin, whether she’d meant to give you all of them or not. Robin clasping her hands together and linking her fingers as she gasped happily down when you opened up the colourful bag.

Throwing it next to the bottle of champagne, courtesy of Steve, that you and Robin would be finishing up soon.

“Okay, get on the bed,” you ordered Robin “I don’t want the floor to ruin your pretty dress.”

To which Robin eagerly agreed, with a small closed mouthed scream. Lying flat down on Steve’s bed, you crawled slowly over her body. Sitting yourself down on top of her lap, your legs either side of hers. Before slowly leaning the top half of your body down. Your chest just about touching, with every little breath or movement around. Your eyes excited and with that cheeky love there that you both used to feel when you’d just be ‘being playful with each other’ when you both had a mutual crush. Flitting them all over Robin’s face, as you watched her eyes shimmer with the exact same look. Pink flushing hard underneath that pretty make up and those gorgeous freckles. Biting down on her bottom lip, a look you really couldn’t tear your eyes away from. As her hands came running up your thighs, to gently secure your hip, to hold you safe while on her.

Resting your hand caressing on Robin’s soft cheek, you can feel her eyelashes brush over your thumb, when she leans into your hand. Just as you apply more sparkly eye make up to her first layer.

Focusing really hard, even if you’re constantly smirking down with such adoration at Robin, as you gently hold her face, while she carefully holds your hips. Brushing your fine make up over her, and taking lots of care into making sure it worked well with what she was wearing, and all was done properly to perfection. Making sure Robin really would shine out tonight.

Knowing your girlfriend will give you the same treatment back at some stage. Whether she’s on top of you and doing your make up with care before, in between, or after you’ve gotten undressed, and changed into her very pretty dress. That Robin got just for you, and for her special night.

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luckyricochet · 3 months ago

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Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4

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Eilidh arrives at Thorpe Abbots.

A/N:

I'm back! I'm so sorry for the wait, but thank you for being patient! Grad school got the better of me but I've managed to pull myself together for an updated. If you are still reading, I appreciate you so much for putting up with the long absence!

The Diss train station was small but seemed just as busy as any Eilidh had seen. The entire train disembarked here, everyone probably all heading towards the same place, she thought as she hurried to catch the vehicle that would take her into Thorpe Abbotts, and then, past that, to the air base. She kept her head down but couldn’t help but observe the rush of people around her. It seemed likely she would end up seeing at least some of them again at one point or another.

The villages that the truck trundled past were small. Before 1939, they had probably been sleepy little hamlets, Eilidh guessed. They were all serviced by one main road, the old stone houses charmingly decorated with ivy and moss in the front and fed by farms and gardens maintained in the back. It was the type of place that made St Andrews, with its three whole streets and town and gown relations, appear downright urban.

Eventually the sparse villages became even sparser, until the truck was rumbling along large open fields on a smooth, newly-laid road. Eilidh watched the green land flash by with mixed emotions. It was beautiful and should have lifted her spirits, but as it passed outside the window, she only felt a cold distance. It was fresh and pristine here, hardly touched by the ravages of the Blitz at all. If only Will had found it within himself to leave London and work somewhere else, had he not been so stubborn…

The road was narrowing, dotted with men and women in uniform. The truck pulled up past a large white sign that read ROYAL AIR FORCE THORPE ABBOTTS. Above it, another sign warned, NO UNAUTHORISED PERSONNEL ALLOWED. I guess I’ll be authorized soon myself, Eilidh thought. A man dressed in olive green came out of a white hut to talk to the driver, and then they were waved in past more long yellow-green fields. After a while the road joined up with what was unmistakably an aircraft runway. Beyond this, Eilidh started to see buildings, bizarrely-shaped like giant cans cut in half vertically and laying on the flat sides. She had seen pictures of them in magazines, but never in real life. The truck came to a stop in front of one of them. Eilidh grabbed her suitcase and approached a man in a uniform who was corralling the new arrivals like her.

“I’m Eilidh Hamilton,” she said with a deep breath. “British Red Cross?”

“Check in’s down that way,” he said, directing her down another gravel road. A short queue had already formed, spilling out of one of the giant cans. A big white sign with a red cross painted upon it had been hammered into the dirt by the door. Eilidh got into the line and a girl with dark hair promptly smiled at her.

“I’m Beth,” she said. “Who are you?”

“Eilidh. Nice to meet you,” Eilidh replied.

The girl’s grin widened. “Are you a Red Cross girl too?”

“Well—assuming they don’t strike me from whatever inspection they’re doing in there,” Eilidh said, nodding toward the office.

“Hey! Keep it moving, ladies!” a voice shouted at them.

Both girls jumped, and, after recovering, shuffled sheepishly inside the hut. It was set up with three rows of desks all along the inside, each staffed by an man doing intake. Eilidh felt a knot in her stomach, even though she had no reason for one. All of her security and background clearance had already been approved as part of her application, months ago; she was pretty sure this was just the military equivalent of attendance in school, making sure everyone who was supposed to be there was accounted for. Another person at the door directed Eilidh towards the back of the room, where she sat down.

The man before her pushed a piece of paper and pen toward her. “You fill that out. I’ll need to see your national identity card.” He tapped some ash off of the cigarette he was smoking. The smell of the smoke was bitter but oddly enticing after her journey.

Eilidh gave him her identity card and glanced down at the form he had slid to her. She filled it out quickly—it was easy, just a repeat of her personal information that she was sure they already had. When she looked up, the man was squinting at her card. He opened up a metal box sitting next to him, rifling through its contents until he extracted another card. He held the two next to each other, peered at her, and then nodded to himself.

“All right.” He grunted and got to his feet. “Turn your chair that way, so your back is to the wall. We’re going to take photo for your badge.” Eilidh did as she was told while the man readied a small camera. She heard it click a few times.

“These are yours.” The man handed her identification card back and then a second, flimsier one. “This one is your temporary security badge for the base. You’ll have the permanent one with your picture once we can get it printed. Until you get it, you don’t leave this base. But you keep your ID on yourself at all times, Miss Hamilton, even if you do leave the base,” he instructed her. “It’s your proof that you’re allowed to be here, so don’t lose it. You do and it’ll be more paperwork for us, and we won’t like that…Got it?”

“I understand.”

“Good. Now go on back there, they’ll show you around.”

And there was a lot to see around the base. Fifty concrete hardstands or along one of the three runways, the longest of which was nearly two thousand meters long and somehow the most impressive thing around, Eilidh thought, even though it was really just a glorified road. Not far from it was a control tower, a squat and square structure topped with a viewing deck. Everyone was most excited about the officer’s club—empty as of yet and still needing tables and chairs, but the two-sectioned space was enormous. Big enough for a band to play on one end, explained their guide, along with a cozy fireplace at the other. Other sites, Eilidh felt confident she would have no reason to ever be near again, so she took advantage of committing their presence to memory, the things like fuel storage facilities and the ammunition dump site. She was more interested in seeing the places that she knew she would actually frequent—the mess halls and the barracks. It was here that their truck driver ended the tour and told them to disembark, conveniently so they could find their beds and begin to settle in. Eilidh was content to find where she would be sleeping; although it was only the afternoon, she was exhausted.

There was hardly any rest to be had, though. Already in the hut she would be staying in were a few other young women, including Beth, the one who Eilidh had met earlier. Eilidh was so tired she was in no mood to talk to anyone, so it was with some reluctance that she went over to introduce herself to their fellow bunkmates. Mary, Susannah, Fran…who’s the other? I’ve already forgotten. Beth, Eilidh soon learned, was happy to do enough talking for the both of them. So Eilidh let her, smiling woodenly and nodding until they were called for supper and a whole new wave of faces met them.

It was like the first day of university. A bunch of strangers thrown together, from all over the country. A little nervous but excited too. As Eilidh’s energy flagged, she forced herself to remember her first days at St Andrews. You liked it there. You’ll like it here too, she told herself fiercely.

It was wishful thinking more than anything else, but at this point, it was all she had.

Eilidh Hamilton’s Diary

14 February 1943

I arrived at Thorpe Abbotts today. There was so much to do and see that I’m quite frankly surprised I’m still awake. The facilities are enormous and really quite nice since they’re brand new.

I must have met dozens of people. Everyone seems so cheery—so committed to the job and all. Not jaded or anything. I can’t fake that sort of thing very well. Maybe for an hour or two, but it’s a lot. I did try my best today, really. I don’t want to disappoint Mum and Dad again by coming home. But I think a lot of the other people could tell that I wasn’t talking much. Maybe they’ll just think I’m quiet. Ha. Wouldn’t that be the irony of the century.

We have to be up at six o’clock tomorrow, so I’m going to sleep soon, right after I write Mum and Dad very briefly.

Eilidh Hamilton to Victoria and James Hamilton

14 February 1943

Dear Mum and Dad,

I’m writing at the end of my first day here. It’s been a lot to take in, so I’m nodding off as I write this but wanted to dash off a few lines to let you know that everything has gone well so far. I’ve met up with the people I’m living with but there hasn’t been much time to get to know them yet and there were so many people to meet that I hardly even remember their names. I do remember the girls’ names, though. There’s Beth, Susannah, Amelia, Mary, and Frances, plus me, for six in total for our quarters. The barracks are bigger than I might have thought. We all have our own bed and even space for a vanity and places to hang up clothes, shelves, that sort of thing. There’s a stove in the middle of the hut so it’s not cold and there’s enough room so that we can put our chairs in a group for when we want to chat. Overall it seems it will be comfortable.

We got a tour of the entire base—it’s absolutely massive. One of the men said we should save up for bicycles if we can, so I’ll probably follow his advice because otherwise I’ll be too tired to do anything else from all the walking.

Tomorrow we have an early start to our lessons on everything we are meant to be responsible for. The base isn’t active yet, so until it is we’re supposed to be training. The biggest thing is learning how to drive, I don’t think there’s any of us who know how to do that, and certainly not with an ambulance. Can you imagine? I’m sure that’ll be a laugh. I’m hoping I can just spend all my time making biscuits and scones, but I’m guessing it won’t play out that way.

I’ll write again in a few days. Love to all.

Eilidh

The next day was no easier than the first. Starting before the sun rose and running only on coffee and a slice of toast, Eilidh and the other girls shuffled into another Nissen hut close to their barracks. Dozens of seats had been arranged lecture hall-style in the rows at one end of the hut, but the rest of the space was a little bit more cozily made-up with a small kitchenette, plush chairs and sofas, bookshelves, and a radio. After a few minutes of the girls whispering conspiratorially about what was going to happen next, the door burst open. A tall woman wearing glasses and graying hair tied sensibly at the nape of her neck strode business-like up the aisle and stepped up to the dais.

“That’ll do,” she said to quiet them.

They all fell silent like schoolchildren, an effect compounded when she reached to her feet and lifted an enormous stack of paper to the podium. The woman split the stack in half and handed one to each side of the front row, a single gesture of her finger indicating they were to be passed around, along with a tin full of pencils. Eilidh glanced at the booklet she had just been handed. Stamped on the front in black letters were the words, British Red Cross—Thorpe Abbotts Station 139. The eponymous cross was emblazoned underneath it. Eilidh fanned the pages open and caught a glimpse of various headings: The Red Cross Girl’s Attitude, Writing the Bereaved, How to Prepare Coffee…

“I am Mrs. Eleanor Thackeray. I’m director of the British Red Cross chapter based here at Thorpe Abbotts.” The woman surveyed them over the rim of her glasses. “For as long as you ladies are here, I will be your supervisor. If you have any problems, you come to me. Let’s be clear that despite working on a military base, you are civilians. We will be working under a different chain of command than the airmen, understand? If you have a dispute involving any of the military personnel, you come to me and we will sort it out, in conjunction with the military, if need be.”

Eilidh didn’t question why Mrs. Thackeray began her speech in this manner; cross-fraternization was a given in this situation.

For the next several hours, Mrs. Thackeray expounded on everything they were to be responsible for at one point or another so long as they stayed with the base. How to write comforting notes to distressed families, how to pack a proper care package, how to type welfare reports, how to serve refreshments and libations, and more. They broke at noon to lunch, eating in the same hut and making use of the entire space for the first time. When it was filled with genial conversation instead a single person talking at them, Eilidh realized it was even nicer than it looked. Towards the end of the half hour reprieve, Eilidh stepped outside for a few minutes. She looked up at the overcast sky and took a deep breath, expelling the stuffy hut air out of her body. There was the smell of a threatening rainstorm on the wind.

The afternoon was more practical. A man came and explained to them the basics of driving, and then they all went out in pairs to test their abilities with the different runways as their practice grounds. Eilidh turned, accelerated and slowed, and parked in accordance to the instructor’s strict guidance and with minimal grief, but there was still lots to learn. All of the girls would be subjected to a daily driving lesson from now until when the station activated that summer, and there wasn’t enough practice to be had. They would have to get used to not just merely driving, but also driving at high speeds, on bumpy terrain, and with the base full of people—all knowing that eventually they would be driving in life or death conditions too, with a man in the back screaming in agony. Their instructor seemed disappointed that it hadn’t rained after all, that they would have to wait before they could try driving on slick surfaces with the windshield lashed with raindrops.

So with that fear of God properly instilled in them by their instructor, it was with even greater anticipation that Eilidh filed into the kitchen of one of the mess halls, where another woman showed them the recipe they were to use for baking the biscuits, donuts, and scones to stock the Red Cross clubmobile. Whereas Eilidh had taken meticulous notes in order to get behind the wheel, she almost didn’t pay attention at all during the baking lesson, especially after she sampled some of the wares that were passed around—she could make a better version of almost all of these things from memory. They weren’t bad, but weren’t spectacular either. They were going to stay that way, though, Eilidh realized, as the woman lectured them about the strict need to stick to the recipe so as to not mess with supplies and ingredients and whatnot. After some more time mixing and shaping and waiting, they all marched off to the officer’s mess again for dinner, now with their first batches of Red Cross biscuits in hand. Eilidh nibbled at hers after eating a helping of shepherd’s pie. It was crumbly and a little sweet, but not as buttery or soft as it could have been if she had made it in her own way. When Beth agreed that they were subpar, Eilidh felt a sense of kinship with the other girl for the first time.

Eilidh Hamilton’s Diary

15 February 1943

We had our first taste (literally) of some of the things we are going to be doing as Red Cross Girls. Most of it was fine like the driving and the packages and so on, but my God—I wish these biscuits and things were not so rubbish. Aren’t they supposed to be for the boys for when they go off on missions? We could at least give them something a little better.

#masters of the air #mota #masters of the air fic #mota fic #jack kidd #jack kidd x oc #masters of the air oc #mota oc #mine: writing #rrr #rrr: chapter

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sharpfamily · 2 years ago

Text

Per Aspera Ad Astra

Happy Birthday to our favourite ex-auror potions professor! Three birthdays in the life of Aesop Sharp, brought to you by@tea-withjamandbread and @aesopsharpmybeloved. Part of collections A New Chance at Life as well as The Sharp Family Chronicles. Aesop Sharp x (adult) MC!reader

word count: 9.4 k

tw: mentions of alcohol abuse, depression, suggestive content, tooth-rotting fluff

July 1st 1881

It’s been a few days since he’s been released from St Mungo’s. Again. Dinah still had a few more days to attend to her responsibilities in Hogwarts, however, for the time being, she seemed to trust Aesop not to do anything too crazy until the term officially ended. Aesop soon discovered that all of his liquor bottles, both empty and full, had disappeared. Wonderful. There was not a single drop of alcohol left in his house. At first he felt annoyed. Irritated. Already trying to think of a way to get at least a single drink, just a little something to take the edge off.

He didn’t have an owl, and he couldn’t exactly Floo, much less walk to some shop or pub. Not in his current state. Wiggenweld potion could only do so much, and while it did heal the smaller cuts and scrapes and helped with the pain, his hands were still bandaged in order to keep the healing balm applied to them from drying up while it restored his mangled hands. If he didn’t look miserable before his breakdown, he absolutely looked miserable now.

There was no way he could go anywhere like this… and there was no way anyone would be willing to bring him anything either. Aesop didn’t know how many people knew about his collapse - he was certain Dinah would make sure the number was minimal - but he was absolutely certain his mother knew. Abraham too, possibly. And the very thought of flooiong one of his (now former) colleagues to ask them to send him a drink? He shuddered. No. They’d ask questions. They’d possibly come over. They couldn’t see him like this.

Dinah was right. As she usually was, of course. He probably should lay off the booze for a while. Aesop wheeled himself throughout the downstairs of his childhood home. The mirror in the ground floor bathroom was left nothing more than a frame - Dinah probably vanished all of the broken glass. As he slowly rode through his kitchen, a picture frame caught his eye. In it was a photograph, and Aesop almost couldn't recognise his own face in it.

He didn’t even know why Ashley would get a camera - probably to take photos of her son, first and foremost - but she had brought it to his birthday dinner last year. She wasn’t a particularly good photographer, but a few nice shots were taken that night a year ago. This was one of them - he was standing by the bar in the Leaky Cauldron, actually looking quite handsome and very confident, Dinah next to him and Abraham on the other side. The photograph was moving like they were moving back then - grinning, laughing, clinking their glasses together.

And then, suddenly, Ashley appeared, peeking out from the corner of the photo, wanting to be in the picture while taking it. She looked like she always did - carefree, optimistic, confident. Her wild streak has lowered somewhat since she and her wife got their little boy, but she was still the kind of person who walked into the room and lit it up with her mere presence.

He wheeled over to the photograph and placed it face down on the shelf where it stood. He couldn’t look at it anymore. Those happy memories had been his reality only a year ago. To him, though, it felt like a century had passed. The man whose birthday was being celebrated in that photograph was someone else. A happy man with his whole life ahead of him. A man with a successful career, who still struggled with his love life to be certain, but who hadn’t given up on his dream of settling down and raising a family in the home in which he himself had spent his entire life.

A family? He wasn’t sure he could even… Not that anyone would ever want that from him anymore. Who could see him as any more than the cripple that he was. That dream of having a family of his own died the moment he stepped on to that godforsaken ship. It had vanished the very moment he had led his partner, his oldest friend, the one he was supposed to protect, to her death. His hubris having cost her all of her dreams and plans as well.

He decided that the birthday captured in the photograph Ashley had taken would be the last one he celebrated. He would have more birthdays, of course, Dinah having knocked some sense into him after his breakdown. He had already been the cause of enough pain and suffering for those he cared about the most. So he would make a point to survive, to continue existing, for them, but he saw no need to boast about having circled the sun one more time. Not when his partner hadn’t circled it with him.

Suddenly he heard the door open. He wasn't expecting company, in fact he had specifically requested that no one visit him today. He didn't want to worry anyone but he also didn't want to face their feeble attempts at cheering him up, at making him feel special on the anniversary of his birth. He didn't want to see the sadness and pity in their eyes. They did their best to hide it, of course, but he knew it was there. He was a pitiful sight indeed. He wheeled himself around as fast as he could manage and drew his wand, not that it would do him much good in his current state, the bandages on his hands making his grip awkward. If it came to it, he didn't know if he'd even be able to defend himself and his home in the event of an unsavory intruder.

He recognized the footsteps instantly and pocketed his wand.

Of course she'd show up anyways. The nerve.

Dinah bloody Hecat.

He heard the door close and wheeled himself to greet his guest. He'd at least give her that courtesy. When the younger, now older looking woman appeared in his line of sight, he saw she had come armed with a large bag of groceries. She looked at him.

"You look like hell."

"Lovely to see you too."

Dinah walked right past him, heading straight for the kitchen. Aesop thought she might have walked straight into him if he hadn’t quickly wheeled himself backwards. He supposed he still retained some of his Auror reflexes even after everything.

Dinah set down her bag and started unloading everything, pulling out potatoes, carrots, parsnips, various herbs, a jar of broth, some dried mushrooms and a large piece of meat out of the bag. Aesop knew instantly that she had come here on someone else’s errand. She had never been much of a cook herself after all. Aesop however, recognized his mother’s venison stew when he saw it, even in its currently disassembled state.

“Mum sent you, didn’t she."

It wasn't a question.

“She’s worried about you, Aesop. Especially today of all days”

“There’s nothing special about today. It’s just… a day”

“It’s your birthday, Aesop”

“Why does that even ma-“

Dinah dind't give him the time to finish, fixing him with a stare so intense, he had to stifle a tremble.

“It matters because 34 years ago your mother labored for about the same number of hours in order to bring you into this world. She then raised you along with your father until he was gone. Then she somehow found the strength to raise you AND provide for you by herself while grieving her own husband. It matters because she made sure you had everything you needed for your education, because she saw you through your Auror training AND career and earlier this year, she thought she’d be laying you to rest next to her husband instead of the other way around. So today, on the anniversary of your birth, even though YOU don’t want to see her, she STILL wanted to make sure you got to eat your favorite meal, so I am here, Aesop Theodore Sharp, on HER errand and I WILL see this through, even if I have to bind you to that infernal chair of yours and force feed you myself.”

Aesop pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew his mother deserved better than the worry he had put her through not just this year, but during his entire career as an Auror. And as much as he hated to admit it, he knew that Dinah could, and would follow through with her threat. Hell, the woman could have taken him down at his peak, let alone the sorry state he currently found himself in.

"Dinah-"

"As I was saying, I'm not here to celebrate. I’m here to make sure you don't starve to death. Also this house needs tidying up… you know I'm always afraid of tripping over something or another when I visit you nowadays. My balance isn't the worst for someone my…well for someone with the body I have, but it's not getting any better"

It was easy for Aesop to forget that Dinah, while exhibiting a strong facade and with her fierce personality, still hadn’t fully made peace with her own career-ending injury. Although she had remade herself as Hogwarts’ Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, he knew this was not her first choice. He would have to remake himself in due time, the pension he received from the Ministry barely covering his living expenses, but he wasn’t ready for that. Not yet at least.

Dinah busied herself browning the meat for the stew when she addressed her friend once more.

"You need to bathe, Aesop, you smell quite terrible."

"I… it's been a few days."

"I can tell. Do you need my help or can you manage on your own?"

"I think I can manage."

“Good."

Aesop wheeled himself to his bedroom where he carefully got undressed and discarded his clothes in the now overflowing laundry bin. Well, it wasn’t exactly his bedroom, the room had originally served as a study, however, following his injury, ascending the flight of stairs that led to his bedroom was no longer an option, so his mother had conjured a bed and had attempted to make the room as cozy as she could. He appreciated her efforts, but it just wasn’t the same. Nothing was, come to think about it.

With a towel around his body for some semblance of privacy, he slowly made his way to the bathroom and took the bandages off his hands. They looked a little better today, but he would still need to reapply that healing balm for another week according to the Healers at St Mungo’s. He sat on the bench that had been conjured in the shower and turned the water on. He carefully went through the now considerably lengthy ritual of lathering his hair and body, being careful not to irritate his hands too much.

The scars on his leg and face used to be excruciating, however the passage of time as well as rigorous desensitization as part of his shower routine had made them almost painless to the touch. If only his blasted leg would have improved in the same manner he’d maybe have a shot at a fulfilling life. However, he had been told to get used to it, to “learn to live” with his injury. He could never get used to this. He would never get used to it. Perhaps there was something out there that could help him.

He put those thoughts aside and shut the water off, dried himself and opened the door leading to his hopefully temporary bedroom. He instantly noticed that the windows had been opened, a warm summer breeze gently blowing in the large bedroom. His bed had been made, the overflowing laundry bin had been emptied and there were clean, comfortable clothes laid out on his bed, next to the armchair he sat on while getting dressed.

That woman truly was incorrigible. As he got dressed though, he realized how nice it felt to breathe the fresh summer air that was cleansing the room, as opposed to the stale air he had been inhaling ever since he had been discharged from St Mungo’s. He hadn’t been opening the windows at night like he used to before his injury. In that moment, he remembered how much he enjoyed it, though. Tonight he’d make a point to open his bedroom windows before turning in. He also realized how his shower, how the simple turned not-so-simple act of washing his body had put him in a slightly better mood. He applied the healing balm to his hands and bandaged them before making his way towards the door.

As Aesop left his bedroom, he could already smell the stew Dinah had prepared, which had just started to simmer. He could also smell the freshly brewed tea she had prepared. As he approached her, seated at the dining room table, the chair that would normally be next to her having been vanished in what he assumed was an invitation to join her, he noticed she had already poured them both a cup, and that she was currently poring over his mail, which had accumulated over the past week. He hadn’t bothered to sort through any of it since returning home.

“Still only cream in your tea?”

“Of course”

Dinah handed him his cup as well as a pile of letters

“These require your immediate attention”

“I’ll… make sure I deal with them, then”

Dinah handed him a quill, barely looking up from her organizing.

“No time like the present, Aesop.”

Aesop took the quill without argument and started filling out the various forms Dinah had given him. Applications for additional disability pay from the Ministry, tax forms, appeal letters to send to the Ministry requesting they cover the various experimental treatments he had received to attempt to heal his injury sustained in the line of duty. Once in awhile Dinah added a form or two to his workload, while sorting out the mail she deemed as rubbish.

“This one appears to be an offer letter fo work for the Auror recruitment program”

“They told me to 'take all the time I need' but they’re really hoping I don’t need time at all don’t they. That I’ll just bounce back, so to speak.”

“It would appear so”

Aesop sighed. “I’m not ready, Dinah. I can barely take care of myself at the moment. I can barely even walk from here to the front door of my own house. How could I-”

Dinah placed her hand on his

“You don’t have to accept the position right now, Aesop. I read the letter and they appear willing to wait for you to recover more before you’d-”

“I’m not sure I even want that job. I don’t think it would be right for me to take it”

“You can think about it later. For now, let’s get us some fresh air.”

Dinah stood up and made her way towards the side door, past the kitchen, where the stew she had prepared was still simmering. Aesop followed her outside. She sat on the stone bench closest to the house, overlooking the now quite unkempt garden. Aesop wheeled himself right next to her, a difficult feat on the uneven terrain. He really ought to get walking again, lest he spend the rest of his life confined to his house. They sat in comfortable silence.

“That stew does smell delicious. You did a great job.”

“Well, your mother was very clear in her instructions. All I did was follow.”

“You did so much more than that.”

“I know you’d have done the same for me. You did, in fact, if I remember correctly.” Aesop had been there for her when Dinah had been wounded on the job. He had been there at the hospital, and had helped her tremendously when she moved back to her home. He had even offered for her to move back in with him. They were no longer romantically involved, but he had still been ready to put his life and plans on pause to help her in any way he could. She had declined his kind offer but appreciated it nonetheless.

“Yes, well… that’s what friends are for, I suppose.”

They had been through so much together. A failed romantic relationship turned friendship for the ages. They had each seen each other at their worst and would eventually make peace with their respective situations, and see themselves at their best once more. For now, though, the present moment was all that existed.

"You know, you told me I'd hate you come September… you're going to try a lot harder to get me to that point."

"Term just ended. I have plenty more time now to be a thorn in your side."

Aesop chuckled, perhaps for the first time in a long time

"Thank you for being here today."

July 1st 1893

The last week of school flew by in front of Aesop’s eyes. Exams were done, and both teachers and students could breathe a sigh of relief. He had helped his sweetheart settle into the little house she rented at the edge of Hogsmeade throughout the last few days, her various books and tomes, the majority of her clothes, the little knick knacks and memorabilia she collected during her three years at Hogwarts.

And, of course, the beasts. Some would be released back into the wild, as the poachers throughout the Highlands severely lessened in numbers, following this insane (former) Ravenclaw student crashing into their operations. A few more vulnerable ones would be found new homes, as would be the girl’s new apprenticeship at Brood and Peck, and some she simply wished to keep and care for herself. With Aesop’s help, they transfigured the inside of a large chest into something of a Sanctuary for the beasts his love would be keeping. Deek aided in their relocation, having a hard time saying goodbye to them. (F/N) had promised the elf he was welcome to visit them whenever he wanted.

The Seventh year’s ball rolled around, then graduation, then the teary-eyed departure of most of the students on the Hogwarts express. Aesop wouldn’t admit it, but he too had shed a few tears all those years ago, when he boarded that train for the last time.

Today, however, was not a day for tears. It was Saturday, which meant his sweetheart had two more days to settle in and get her bearings before officially beginning her adult life and her new job. She usually woke up before him, but it seemed the turbulent few days left the young woman in a state of exhaustion. It was the first time she spent the night in her new abode, and Aesop graciously agreed to help her find out if the bed was any good.

Well, it definitely wasn’t as good as the bed he slept in at Hogwarts, nor the one in his own house, being softer than he was used to. However, he noted that his back wasn’t troubling him upon waking up, which was a small victory. Much bigger victory currently craddled in his arms. His beautiful young lover was curled into his side, her breathing soft and even, her hair matted and messy with sleep, and a bit of drool was dried upon her jowl. The potions master thought she looked like a dream come true.

He took in his surroundings, the room was unfamiliar and had yet to be lived in, but it had every bit the potential to become a very cozy bedroom. The floors were straight and firm, the wallpapers pleasant to the eyes, the windows let in a lot of natural light. Speaking of the windows, they were currently open to let the fresh summer morning air in, and Aesop could hear the wizarding village waking up and coming to life. In a few hours, the streets would be filled with people enjoying what was looking to be a sunny Saturday. Aesop closed his eyes again with a content little hum, burrowing further into the light smooth sheets and his sweetheart’s arms.

It all still felt rather surreal, really. Every single night he went to bed with the lovely Ravenclaw, he expected to wake alone and realize it's all been nothing but a dream. And while he did wake up alone on quite a few mornings, it took only a few seconds for him to know that it certainly hadn't been a dream. There was the faint floral scent of his lover's perfume clinging to his sheets, to his pillows, to him. It was all around him in this intoxicating vapor, mingling with the cool air around him. There was sometimes a note, carefully folded upon one of the seats of the large leather sofa, directly in his field of view from the bed. There was the absence of the shirt he wore the previous day…

Even now, when she was resting in his arms, soft, warm and absolutely real, Aesop bit into his bottom lip to make sure it wasn't a dream. He was startled then, as a sudden loud sound came from outside, followed by some more commotion and the frustrated voice of Zonko's shopkeeper. Probably a firework gone haywire. The young girl stirred against him, groaning quietly.

"Good morning, you," Aesop said softly, a smile appearing on his face on its own accord. His beloved tilted her head and her eyes fluttered open. The first thing she saw was Aesop, and he felt his heart throb, when her own face stretched in a smile, her sleepy eyes immediately filled with love and devotion. She looked around the room then, an adorable little line between her eyebrows as she slowly began to realise she wasn't in Aesop's chambers, nor was she in her dorm.

And then it hit her. The young woman released a breathy chuckle and her legs curled around one of Aesop's own. The potions master felt her warm cheek on his collarbone, he felt her hands caress his furry torso. It was then he had a little realisation himself - his sweetheart was also making sure she wasn't dreaming. And it was this knowledge that made him drop his head back onto the pillow, his eyes closing in bliss.

“Good morning, Aesop,” she whispered before raising her head a little to place a kiss between his jaw and his chin. She released a soft sigh then, gently resting her forehead against his collarbone once more. Aesop’s heart beat loudly in his chest, and he was certain she knew it was only for her. “Merlin, it's so strange… no homework, no essays, no studying… so strange to wake up and know that I don’t have to do anything...” On her mouth was a content smile, very much reminding Aesop of a kneazle that got the cream. “Oh, yes,” he answered, voice light and teasing, “for exactly two days. Then off to work with you!” The girl snorted against his skin, and when she lifted her head again, Aesop was nearly certain she was keeping herself back from sticking out her tongue at him.

“Besides,” he continued, his large hands stroking over her sides and back, relishing at the feeling of her silky soft skin under his calloused fingertips, “don’t forget that you’re not in Hogwarts anymore. There are no house elves - you cook for yourself, clean after yourself, the full deal.” She was lazily twirling strands of his chest hair around her index finger, her face absolutely relaxed: “I can do that. I think. I can cook a little, and I tend to keep things tidy. It’s just… Well, my household spells are still a bit shabby. I think I’m going to get frustrated trying to wash the dishes using magic, and will end up just doing it by hand anyway.” Aesop chuckled, the girl atop his chest bouncing softly with the motion. “All in good time,” he said, “Rome wasn’t built in a day, and just like everything else, household spells need to be practiced in order to be perfected. I can help you with that.”

They lay in the girl’s bed, legs entwined, just enjoying the calm summer morning. “What will you be doing, by the way, now that you’ve no classes to teach and school work to grade for the next two months?” She inquired curiously. “Me? Oh, I’ll be staying in your bed every day, teasing you that you have to go to work!” the potions master grinned and promptly received a playful smack to the chest. “No, no. I still have some unfinished things at Hogwarts, not to mention my trunk’s still in my chambers, terribly unpacked, I'm afraid. There’s several teacher meetings during the summer as well. I’ll be brewing potions for the hospital wing throughout the two months so that it’s all stocked up for the following term. I'll be revising the curriculum - though I hardly ever make changes to it - and I also need to tidy up the house a bit. It does get dusty after ten months. However, that all can wait. It can definitely wait for the two free days.”

And so Aesop Sharp and (F/N)(L/N) spent the beautiful July day simply enjoying their freedom and their company. The young woman insisted on preparing their breakfast by hand, and while it was ‘just’ scrambled eggs and some toast, Aesop was certain they were the best scrambled eggs he’d ever eaten, simply because they were prepared by her and he was able to enjoy them in her company alone.

Afterwards he showed her how to properly clean the dishes with magic, starting with a single teacup. They picked up and cleaned the singular dishes back and forth, until everything was clean. A single flick of Aesop’s wand summoned a towel from a hook, which promptly began drying the dishes clean. Another flick, and the dry ones floated to their respective spaces and stored themselves. With a smile, he observed his young lover’s awed expression. “No worries,” he promised, “you’ll have perfected it before the year is done.”

They decided to go for a little stroll along the banks of the Black lake later, talking softly, basking in the sunlight. Aesop, whose entire wardrobe was still at Hogwarts, chose to only wear his trousers, shirt and waistcoat, opting to leave his jacket and overcoat behind, as it was entirely too warm to wear them. He still applied a little cooling charm on all articles of his clothing for comfort. When his sweetheart got dressed, he realised that it really had not been often he saw her out of her uniform or her adventuring ensembles. He certainly couldn’t wait to remedy that, he thought, as he observed the dress she chose for their outing. It was light, sleek and simple, and it complimented all of her curves perfectly. She saw him staring and actually twirled for him with a wink. Little minx.

Aesop offered his arm to her, and his heart squeezed tightly at the display of emotion he saw in her eyes when she immediately accepted it. They walked all the way to the spot she brought him during their late night hippogriff flight. “You know, back then I had to use all of my energy not to just turn my head and kiss you,” (F/N) laughed quietly, a small blush on her cheeks. Aesop grinned and looked towards the dark, murky water, remembering that spring night. He could almost see the memory in front of his eyes. His sweetheart skipping stones at the shore, him standing behind her, longing.

A shuffle next to him brought him out of his thoughts. The young woman was currently pulling off her summer dress, baring the skin of her legs. “What are you doing?” he asked, eyes as big as saucers. Normally, her taking off her clothes would get nothing but positive feedback from him, however, seeing as they were out in the open, in broad daylight, he very much doubted the woman had some tender fun on her mind right now. She grinned at him giddily as she finally managed to escape the fabric and folded it haphazardly. She disposed of it on the same boulder he leaned against over a year ago, her shoes already sitting on it, and, with a wink, began running towards the water, in nothing but her chemise and drawers.

“No way…” the potions master shook his head, even as the corners of his mouth began twitching. And then, with a single tiny squeal, (F/N) threw herself head first into the Black lake. He was smiling fully now, finding her youthful playfulness and unadulterated joy incredibly endearing. He walked closer to the water’s edge. His sweetheart emerged a second later, drenched from head to toe, grinning wildly. She was slightly flushed from the cold, but otherwise looked in utmost bliss.

“I hope you don’t expect me to jump in after you,” he said wryly, crossing his arms over his chest. The woman laughed with all the meriness of a child. She swam closer to the shore for a bit, so that she could stand while she pushed her wet hair out of her face: “Honestly, I was rather hoping you would, but I’m not going to force you. Although I’m telling you, you’re missing out!” And with that, she leaned back and began idly floating on her back.

Aesop looked at her form. The white chemise was clinging to her body, her skin showing through the wet material. Dropping the cooling charm he put on his clothes, he noticed just how hot the day turned. Suddenly the water seemed all the more appealing. He admired the curves of his lover’s body, his hands already itching to trace them as he unconsciously pulled at his own clothes. He knew she was watching him out of the corner of her eye, actually saw her roll her eyes a little as he conjured a small leather holster for his wand and tied it around his bony ankle and shin.

She rolled around to look at him fully when he took a step after step towards the water. Despite the hot weather, the water was cold, and it nipped at his skin, but Aesop didn’t let that stop him. Another step. The water was now at his calves, then knees, and getting higher. He winced slightly when he was half submerged, baling his hands into fists as he battled the cold. But then he saw her little smirk, the challenge still shining in her eyes. With a huff, Aesop dived under the water. The sudden shock his body experienced was quickly overcome when he saw his sweetheart’s legs underwater, kicking slowly to keep her afloat.

He grabbed her just above her knees and rose above the surface. He faintly heard her little squeal before a pair of arms wrapped around his neck and her playful eyes connected with his own. Her legs found purchase around his waist and he released them in favour of curling his own arms around her waist. He stared triumphantly into her eyes for a moment, before chasing her lips in a very wet and a little cold kiss, prompting a happy humming sound from his beloved.

Aesop was done with missing out.

It was late afternoon when they returned to (F/N)'s new abode. They spent the better part of the day by the water, swimming, playing, and simply relaxing. While his sweetheart busied herself with conjuring up a blanket for them to sit on on the bank, Aesop cast just a few protective wards around them, so that they could enjoy themselves in solitude and safety. He couldn't even remember the last time he's had a day like this. They swam, they rested on the blanket, they swam some more. It was so simple, and yet Aesop's heart was fluttering with absolute contentment. Once they dried themselves, got dressed, vanished the blanket and dropped the wards, they simply apparated back to the little house. The potions master prepared a dinner for them with magic, since they were both starving by the time they arrived.

His sweetheart watched in amazement as some of the various food items she brought over to her new home the previous day floated about, cut themselves up perfectly and arranged themselves around a small baking dish. Chicken legs with roasted vegetables it was. Within just a few seconds, their food was ready, looking amazing and smelling even better. They ate their fill in a comfortable silence until: "You know, this is spectacular, and I'd surely like to learn how to do it," she said quietly, "however, I actually quite enjoy cooking by hand." Aesop chuckled, piercing a baked potato onto his fork: "So do I. Many people do, this is just quick and convenient. And while it tastes alright, you'd be moaning at the taste was I to prepare it by hand," he spoke confidently. His young lover giggled into her food: "You can still make me moan tonight, if you want to."

Aesop very much wanted to.

Later, as they were coming down from their highs, snuggled perfectly in each other's arms, the professor took some time to reflect. He really could not remember the last time he had such an amazing birthday… he tended to even forget he had one, not having celebrated it since that fateful day twelve years ago. But today, despite his sweetheart not knowing that on this day, 45 years ago, Aesop Theodore Sharp took his first breath, she very much made him feel like the birthday boy.

He cuddled up even closer to her, his strong arms squeezing her frame, still hot from their previous activity. His lips found hers in a deep kiss and afterwards, the professor rested his forehead against her own, breathing the same air as her. "I want to thank you…" he said quietly, only for her ears to hear, "this was the best birthday I've had in years."

He could feel her body tensing immediately. "Today's your birthday?" she asked, raising her head to look at him. Her beautiful eyes were wide and filled with panic: "Why didn't you tell me? I don't- I don't even have a present for you." He quickly pulled her up for a kiss, stroking her back in a calming matter. "I haven't celebrated my birthday for a long time... And as for a present - why, you already gave it to me!" His sweetheart fixed him with a curious gaze and Aesop sighed: "To be able to hold you, kiss you, love you… this entire day was the greatest gift I could've asked for. To have your heart in my hands, that is the most precious thing I've ever been given."

The young woman sighed as well, and wrapped her delicate arms around him, nuzzling into his neck momentarily before raising her head up again, a brilliant smile on her face, a smile of love, devotion and incredible joy: "Still, we should celebrate. You deserve a day to be spoiled rotten!"

"You are already spoiling me rotten!"

"Hah, I try to, but we should still celebrate. Let me take you to the Three Broomsticks tomorrow for a meal. We can have a good bite, champagne, who knows, perhaps Sirona will be able to get us a cake!"

Aesop chuckled, his cheeks warming up somewhat. It was strange - the idea of actually celebrating his birthday after he hadn't done so for so long. However, as strange as it felt, he could already feel the pleasurable tickling of anticipation. "Alright…" he breathed then, "if you want to. But know that I would've been happy enough to just spend the day in your company."

His sweetheart fixed him with an intense gaze, her eyes sincere: "I want to. Because I finally can. We spent so much time sneaking around, I long to finally be able to show how I feel openly. I want to grab your hand in mine when we walk together, I yearn to be able to kiss and hold you whenever I wish. And I really want to celebrate that on this day, the most incredible man was born. I don't know what I'd do without you here. Perhaps I wouldn't be here myself, if you hadn't gone to the Astronomy tower that day. You are an exceptionally beautiful existence, Aesop Sharp, and your birthday should be celebrated."

The potions master swallowed heavily, willing away the tears that threatened to form in his eyes. Her confession shook him to his core, and, in that moment, there was nothing he wanted more than to hold her in his arms. Aesop truly did not think he'd ever celebrate his birthday again. Since Ashley's death, he really thought that he wasn't entitled to do so. But perhaps his sweetheart hadn't been entirely wrong. Perhaps him saving her life tipped the scales a little. If Ashley could see him now… well, she'd probably smack his shoulder very hard and tell him to pull his head out of his arse and seize the chance he's been given, like a proper Slytherin would. In that moment, he felt a sense of peace wash over him, and his breathing slowly evened out.

"Alright, my sweet," he said only, as her face once more nuzzled into his shoulder, more than content to stay there. Aesop breathed out slowly, his arms wrapping around the young woman's body in a protective manner.

The room was dark and Aesop could hear sounds of the village outside falling asleep. He could hear faint music coming from the Three Broomsticks, and he heard silent voices caught in a conversations, as their owners passed by the little house. The air smelled sweet with the sun having warmed it the entire day. Aesop closed his eyes, basking in the feeling of love, of comfort.

The next day, his sweetheart did exactly as she promised. She walked with him into the Three Broomsticks, hand in hand, looking proud and happy. She kissed him out in the open, before they even opened the door to the pub, absolutely uncaring to whoever saw them. The look she gave him afterwards… Aesop realised that she did want to do that for some time. That the fact that she was his own filled her with pride. That the young woman, who defeated a troll during the first week of her studies, willingly gave her heart to one ex-Auror potions professor. In a moment of giddy madness, Aesop grabbed her around the waist, dipped her ever so slightly, and snogged the living daylights out of her.

"Are you quite done? Your stew's getting cold," came the voice of Sirona Ryan, who was leaning against the doorframe with a mischievous look in her eyes. Aesop fixed his sweetheart with a curious look.

"I may have written to professor Hecat to ask what's your favourite food when you were still sleeping," she admitted with a shy smile, "and I also may have written to Sirona, asking her to prepare it for you, as well as get us a cake afterwards." Sirona watched the scene unfold before her eyes, a big smile on her face: "Happy birthday, Professor Sharp." "Thank you, Sirona."

It truly seemed his life was to be filled with strong-willed and strong-minded women. He was quite the lucky man.

July 1st 1908

It was morning in the Sharp household and a summer breeze gently blew through the open window of Mr and Mrs Sharp's bedroom. The gentle sound of birds chirping could be heard but didn't wake the occupants of the bedroom, currently soundly asleep in each other's arms. A sound did manage to rouse Mrs Sharp though. The pitter patter of little feet and the creaking of floorboards.

Someone was awake. Actually, judging by the sound of it, more than one of the children was on the move. She knew the children had been looking forward to surprising their father with breakfast in bed for his birthday, but she hadn't managed to piece together much more than that. She didn't know what they were planning to prepare, and thought it would probably be best if she made her way downstairs to assist or, at the very least, supervise.

As gently as she could, she tried to extricate herself from her husband's grip without waking him up. It was still early and she wanted to let him sleep for a little bit. Aesop had other plans though, having been woken by his wife's feeble attempt at leaving their shared bed.

"Where do you think you're going, darling?"

He pulled her towards him and held her close, her back completely flush against his front. She could feel his morning arousal as he kissed her neck.

"You weren't just going to leave me to wake up by myself, today of all days."

He continued gently nipping at her neck, his fingers drawing lazy patterns on her skin. With a sigh, she melted into his embrace and he took the opportunity to gently turn her on her back, moving his hands along her body and moving his kisses to her collarbones, her body semi-trapped underneath his large frame.

It had taken some number of years, but eventually (F/N) had managed to convince her husband that his birthday was a day that deserved to be celebrated, and he eventually got to enjoy being the center of attention for just this one day a year. Perhaps a little too much at times! It seemed as though he was already quite eager to unwrap his birthday present from her.

This morning, though, as much as she enjoyed the way his kisses and touch were slowly lighting her body on fire, as much as she wanted to give in and give him what he wanted, what they both wanted, she knew she needed to make her way downstairs, before their children would have the chance to set fire to the kitchen. However the feeling of her husband's very experienced hands making their way towards her more sensitive areas, the knowledge that his mouth would soon follow, was enough to make her momentarily forget about the possible disaster that she would find downstairs should she choose to indulge her husband.

"Aesop I-"

"Hmmm"

Aesop knew what he was doing. He trailed kisses down her abdomen and she knew then and there that she had lost the battle. She'd deal with the chaos later. Right now there was only one person that existed in the world and that person was about to…

CLANG!

The loud sound coming from the kitchen put an instant end to the couple's morning's activities, their arousal instantly replaced with concern. Concern for the structural integrity of their home, as well as the safety of its occupants. Aesop begrudgingly made his way back up to the head of the bed.

"I should go investigate that."

"Probably a good idea. Let's go see what the rascals are up to now."

"YOU are going to stay right here, sir, and act surprised when the children bring you whatever it is they planned on making you for your birthday breakfast. I will go downstairs and make sure we still have a house by the time they're done."

Aesop gave her a mock pout as his wife quickly got herself dressed for the morning.

"Don't worry, love. I'll make sure you get to unwrap your birthday present… after the rascals are in bed."

One quick kiss from his wife before she swiftly left the room and quietly closed the door.

Aesop heard his older son speak right outside the bedroom door, he had probably been on the way to ask for his mother's help with whatever it was the children had planned.

"Is he still asleep, Mum?"

His wife whispered

"Still sound asleep, dear."

"Brilliant!"

"Shhhhhh"

Eleazar lowered his voice

"Right. Quiet"

"Let's get downstairs"

Down they went and Aesop was left with his thoughts. He could hear the faint buzzing of his family in the kitchen, his wife no doubt deferring to their children's plans for his breakfast and letting them do as much as they were able to manage on their own. He remembered his birthday breakfast in bed from the previous year with fondness. A half burnt over-salted omelet along with biscuits (slightly undercooked), tea (weak) and a bowl of strawberries he ended up having to surrender to his 3 year old twins. It had been quite unpalatable, but seeing the pride in his children's eyes when they had told him they had cooked everything themselves had made the meal the best birthday breakfast he had ever had. He knew the children would outdo themselves this year.

He had been a father for a whole decade by now, but sometimes he still couldn't believe that the rambunctious bunch that was currently being supervised by his darling wife, those four bundles of joy and chaos, were his. That this was his life now. He had known as a young man that he wanted children and had given up on this dream at one point of his life. He had never expected though, that he could love these four little people as much as he did.

He was pulled out of his reverie by the smell of bacon. Wonderful, he thought, one can only mess up bacon so much! He knew his family would enter the bedroom any minute now to “wake him up” so Aesop laid down on his side of the bed, turned away from the door and closed his eyes. He heard the door creak open.

“He’s still sleeping”

“Shhhhh”

“Wait, no we need to wake him up!”

“I can do it!”

“Alright dear but be gentle”

“Okay Mum”

“Thedodore don’t jump on-”

Aesop felt the bed dip and braced himself for what he was sure was an incoming tackle from a rambunctious four year old.

“Hmphhh”

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!”

“My birthday isn’t until next week Theodore”

The boy stood up and looked at his mother in confusion

“He’s just pulling your leg, dear”

“That’s right, I’m just” Aesop physically tugged at his son’s legs, causing him to land flat on his back on the soft bed and dissolve in a fit of giggles “messing with you!”

The former professor looked at his family. Everyone was still in their pajamas, some of his children's clothes bearing the proof of their efforts in making his breakfast, little spots of dried batter the most evident. Both his daughters' hair were still in the braids he had woven the previous evening, now with stray strands sticking out in odd directions from their slumber. Theodore obviously hadn't brushed his hair yet, while Eleazar looked as put together as he usually did, wearing a light dressing gown and bearing the least bits of Aesop's breakfast on his clothes. He caught his wife's eyes - they were shining with pride. She was, of course, completely clean, her silky dressing gown as pristine as it had been before she left the bedroom.

Four pairs of his own brown eyes stared up at him with excitement and anticipation, and Aesop felt his heart swell when he saw the perfect mix of himself and his wife in each of their beautiful children.

Maggie approached her father with a tray.

“We made you breakfast in bed!”

Aesop took a look at the tray from his daughter and from what he could see, the children HAD outdone themselves. He was right about the bacon, there were also scrambled eggs, pancakes, a lovely fruit salad, a cup of tea, and a small bowl filled with chocolate chips.

“I cooked the eggs and the bacon and I tried to flip the first pancake, but it didn’t turn out nice, so we tossed it, then Mum helped me make the second one but the one on top I did all by myself!”

“That’s wonderful Maggs.”

“And (F/N) and Theo were in charge of mixing the fruit salad and filling the chocolate chips.”

“That salad looks expertly mixed, thank you. Eleazar, what did you do to help?”

“I measured out everything for the pancake batter AND I brewed the tea. I even used the scales like you taught me!”

Eleazar spoke with great pride. Last year his father had started to teach him the basics of potionmaking and the lad had taken to the craft like a fish to water. Aesop took a sip of his tea.

“That’s some very good tea, Thank you Eleazar”

The boy beamed.

The twins each sat on one side of him and Aesop made sure to grab himself a handful of chocolate chips before the inevitable happened and he’d have to surrender the sweets to his youngest children.

“Alright, everyone, let’s let Dad eat his breakfast in peace now. Then we can all have fun. Shop’s closed today so we get to keep Dad all to ourselves for the day.”

(F/N) herded the children out of the bedroom and handed Aesop what was left of his little bowl of sweets.

“Enjoy your food, darling, I’ll get the little ones dressed then we can do whatever it is you’d like.”

She gave him a kiss before leaving the room. Aesop was pleased to find out that everything had been seasoned well this year, most likely due to Eleazar’s precise measurement of ingredients. Once his breakfast had been eaten, Aesop got dressed and did his morning hygiene before joining his family downstairs, empty tray in hand. The weather seemed nice, perhaps they could go to the beach for a picnic and a swim.

The potions master walked into the kitchen, which actually bore less signs of the breakfast preparation than his children's clothes did. No doubt his wife's prompt work with a wand. His eyes were caught by the sight of many moving photographs displayed on a shelf. Aesop stopped for a moment, looking at the pictures fondly. The photo with Ashley taken 28 years ago on this very day was proudly standing among other happy photos. There was a picture of him and his wife on their wedding day, grinning at each other, both looking incredible as well as incredibly in love. His sweetheart still looked at him this way, even 12 years after that beautiful June day, and he knew he did as well. There were the newer pictures, his children at various ages, from mere babies and toddlers, to a very recent photo of Maggie holding a very fluffy Puffskein. And then, there were some older ones, too. A moving photo of young Aesop, taken the day he got into the Auror program, looking proud and confident, as well as a single completely still photo of his dear wife, taken by a Muggle camera.

Aesop deposited the tray into the sink and with a flick of his wand, the dishes got to cleaning themselves. His wife walked towards him and put her arms around his abdomen, pressing herself against his back.

“You’re not supposed to be doing any dishes today.”

“It’s nothing, besides you already have your hands full with the children.”

“They can take care of themselves… mostly.”

Aesop turned around to face his wife. They had circled the sun many times together but she still looked as young and beautiful as the day he married her.

“I was thinking I’d like to take everyone to the coast for lunch, let the children play in the water.”

“Only the children?”

“I suppose we could also go for a dip, for old time’s sake.”

“I think that can be arranged.”

He leaned in and captured her lips in a quick kiss, before being interrupted by Maggie and Eleazar.

"Dad, how old are you turning?" Aesop decided not to volunteer that information. The former teacher in him made him want to make his children work for the answer.

"Well let's see. I was born in the year 1848 and this is the year 1908."

The children to looked at their mother "Don't look at me, you know how to subtract."

The two eldest rushed to find the nearest quill and parchment and got to work, eager to get an answer to their burning question.

Aesop let out a sigh. He was hitting a milestone today. "Oh come on, dear. If it makes you feel any better you don't look a day over fifty."

Aesop chuckled and pulled his wife close. "Thank you. It's strange, though. I don't feel old. Merlin knows I feel better now than I did for most of my thirties. My life significantly improved in my forties"

“I wonder what happened then”

“I met this incredible woman, you see, got to know her, fell in love with her, somehow she decided she’d entrust her heart to me. Sometimes I still don’t understand what she saw in an old cripple but - don’t give me that look, that’s what I was at the time - in any case, loving her was what turned my life around for the better. And now we have these incredible-”

“SIXTY!”

Both parents chuckled. “Well done, you two.” “That’s… six times as old as I am!” “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that Magdala Dinah Sharp”

Later that day, the family of six found themselves at the beach, all four children playing in the water, both older siblings keeping an eye on the younger children whose swimwear had been enchanted to keep them afloat. Aesop and (F/N) sat on a blanket basking in the sunlight and taking in the scene.

The gentle rocking of waves filled the air around with a soft fizzing sound, broken by the cries of seagulls. Aesop could hear other birds singing from somewhere behind them in the trees. The sounds of nature combined with the giddy squeals and chattering of his children was like a symphony of absolute peace in Aesop's ears. He looked at his beloved, and saw her eyes reflecting the same utter contentment that was held in his own.

A thought crossed Aesop's mind and with a mischievous smile, he whispered in his wife’s ear “I’ll bet you a kiss I can beat you to the water”

She looked at him, her smile matching his own “Hmm I don't know… I wouldn't want to make you look bad on your birthday” she teased, but standing up as to indicate she accepted his challenge "We'll see about that…" the potions master teased back

The children watched with amusement as both their parents suddenly broke into a full blown sprint towards the sea when suddenly a faint “pop” was heard and Aesop disappeared, immediately appearing in the water, a few meters behind the children.

“You cheat!”

“We never said apparition wasn’t allowed” Aesop swam over to the children who were all giggling. (F/N) finished making her way towards the water before taking a few steps in. Once she was able to, she dove in and swam over to meet the rest of the family.

“I’ll be claiming that kiss now”

“You cheated. I think that kiss is mine to claim”

“As you wish”

Aesop made his way over to his wife, gently kissed her lips before moving around her and wrapping his arms around her waist, both of them watching the children resume their play, Eleazar and Maggie having apparently decided on a little swimming race of their own as the twins tried to keep up.

“Thank you.”

“Whatever for?”

“For today. For every day we get to spend together.”

A few days from then, Aesop and (F/N) would celebrate his birthday once more, sans children, in a private room at the Three Broomsticks surrounded by their close friends. Today, though, Aesop couldn’t imagine spending the day in better company.

Years had passed since the incident that took his partner’s life and nearly took his own. Years had passed since the simple task of making it through the day appeared monumental. Years had passed since he had made the decision that another circle around the sun wasn’t something to celebrate but rather something to feel guilt over. Today however, he felt nothing but gratitude for those who had pulled him out of the abyss where he once dwelled, who had patiently walked beside him, and who had lifted him higher than he ever thought possible, so high, in fact, he swore he could touch the stars.

Fin.

@aesopsharpmybeloved: I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to read this story, and I'd especially like to thank @tea-withjamandbread who wrote with me. Being able to read the wonderful words she used and build this story (that I frankly love and will re-read many times myself) has meant so much to me and brought me a lot of joy. To everything we'll yet create together! <3 -Tess

This story is also be available on AO3. We'll be very grateful for any feedback!

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ask-half-blood-hill · 4 months ago

Text

Meet the Demigods: Felix Pearce

Good evening, Camp Half-Blood! Sephora Chambers here, live from the Hera Cabin, ready to bring you another episode of 'Meet the Demigods!' Today we have the Nemesis head counselor, Felix Pearce!

Q1: Describe how you look to all the people tuning in!

"My hair is short, about just below my ear, and split dyed down the middle. Half red, half black. My eyes are reddish-brown, usually people just say they're red, and my skin is caramel tan, like my dad's. I'm seventeen, and about five foot seven. Usually, I can be seen wearing my coat with the broken wheel on the back- it was a gift from my mom."

Q2: Where are you from?

"I was born and grew up in St. Augustine, Florida, but now my dad and I live in Maine, which I don't mind. It's quieter, and closer to camp."

Q3: How do you feel about your siblings?

"I have two siblings on my dad's side, and they're a handful. One is eight, and the other is five, and they get into all sorts of trouble. Then there's my siblings here on my mom's side. They are the opposite, only ever visiting from time to time. Us Nemesis kids don't really make for the best snacks for monsters, so we tend to have an easier life in the outside world."

Q4: Who is your least favorite camper?

"Laying that on me, huh? Jeez, okay. Well, I don't like the Ares kids- too hot tempered, but also I don't like the Tyche kids. They're too lucky, it throws off the whole balance of things. Sometimes I like evening the playing field, and watching their faces when they lose something. Priceless. Yeah, Heather- I'm talking about you."

Q5: If you could build a cabin for any god not represented yet, which one would you choose?

"I know Ganymede mentioned that new cabins were being built. I'm excited to see Aether's cabin. With him being the primordial god of light and the air itself, it's gonna be nice. If I had to pick a god that isn't slated to have a cabin though... I hope the river gods get some justice. They deserve it, and I know they've got kids out there."

Q6: What kind of powers do you have?

"I am a lie detector, and I make it almost impossible for someone to lie to me. I can also sense someone's revenge and use it to sway them to one side or another, but I rarely do that. It's not fair. I can also naturally tell someone's weak point- physically or mentally, and I can able to take away the luck of someone on a whim."

Q7: Are the rumors that you can speak four languages true?

"Yeah, actually. I speak Greek, Spanish, English, and German. My dad was a lawyer in Europe for a few years before moving to the US. He taught me a lot in regards to law and order, though I'd rather play an investigative role rather than sitting in a courtroom for hours."

Q8: What is your choice of weapon?

"It's a bit unorthodox, honestly, but my mom gifted me with a dual-headed spear. It works, and it's perfectly balanced for close or ranged combat."

#pjo fandom #percy jackson #pjo series #pjo #hoo fandom #heroes of olympus #percy jackson and the olympians #hoo #percy pjo #pjo hoo toa

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dubious-writing · 10 months ago

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💗 dunnerlars

💗 slow kiss / gentle kiss / inevitable / soft

Sorry this took so long anon, I had to go to work and, y’know, do my job as I can earn money to stay alive 😖 Hope you enjoy it!!

He can’t believe it. He can’t– he can’t believe it.

The Cup. The Cup.

It’s not the first time Vince has been here at the tail end of a grueling season, sticky with sweat and the muggy heat of dozens of other bodies crowded in around him, the taste of silver metallic and sweet on his lips. But it feels like it should be.

He liked St. Louis, is grateful to the Blues for drafting him and enjoyed his time there, still keeps in touch with the friends he made with the organization. But he didn’t realize the difference between playing for the love of the game and playing for the love of your team until he came to Seattle. Didn’t realize how good it would feel to lift 35 solid pounds knowing it couldn’t have happened without you.

There are cameras flashing at every angle, wires trailing across the ice just waiting for someone to trip over them or cut one with their skate. Vince feels half blind from the glare on the ice, like no matter which direction he turns he can’t stop squinting. A hand runs through his hair every few minutes, teammates and coaching staff and family members laying hands on any body in a teal jersey they can reach. He thinks maybe a kiss or two is smushed into his cheeks, but he doesn’t stop to find out. Vince isn’t sure what he’s looking for, just keeps spinning in place, wobbly on his feet from the mix of exhaustion and the never-ending hits of adrenaline. He isn’t sure until he finds it.

By some divine intervention, the crowds seem to part at just the right second for Vince to turn and see Adam there, across the ice maybe 30 feet away, blue eyes bright with tears above the unkempt scruff of his beard. Vince hasn’t seen a smile that big on his face since… he doesn’t really know, actually. Years, maybe, if at all. Adam is already looking back at him, watching, waiting for Vince to catch up and notice the attention.

It’s like there’s a piece of fishing line caught between them, tightening, pulling them together, though who is reeling who Vince couldn’t say. Doesn’t even particularly care either, when the end result is the two of them together, forming their own little pocket of pseudo-privacy in the middle of all the chaos and attention.

They’re not out, haven’t really discussed whether or not they want to be, but they haven’t been careful either. If Vince wants to hold his boyfriend's hands in the streets of the city, he does. If Adam wants to bundle him into a hoodie with a large number 6 on the back, he doesn’t hesitate. If Vince is seen amongst the display cases of a jewelry shop downtown getting a custom silver ring engraved, then so be it.

So it’s really not all that surprising - at least to them and those that know them - when Vince reaches up, places both hands on his love’s face, tracing along eyebrows and perpetual eyebags; when Adam’s fingers trace along the back of his neck and underneath the hem of his jersey, callouses catching on rough fabric; when neither of them can tell who leans in first and kiss right there on center ice. In front of god and the Stanley Cup and the entire city of Seattle.

As one kiss turns into two turns into five, when they’re finally noticed and Vince can hear the roar of the crowd die down but for just a second before it returns even louder than before and he can’t help but smile against Adam’s lips more than kiss them, he thinks about that silver ring in its gray velvet box hidden away under the knick knacks gathered on his bedside table. Thinks about the engraving on the inside molding the skin of Adam’s left hand. Thinks about how nice it will be for them to have two sets of matching rings, now.

Mitt hjärta, min skatt, mitt liv, mitt allt.

#vince dunn #adam larsson #seattle kraken #larsdunn #dunnernlars #hockey #hockey rpf #my writing

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pico-digital-studios · 8 months ago

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Into, Across and Beyond! Cast: PDS!Curse

Original character by Kenji, alterations by me

DISCLAIMER: This version of Curse is intended to be a love letter to the original concept that Kenji made, not something made to spite it. This is just my attempt at tweaking Curse's story a bit and doing some slight improvements, whilst AVOIDING straying too far away from the original vision. And I'm sorry to say this, but I won't tolerate attempts to lay me down just for trying to build on Curse's original vision, and if you've got nothing nice to say about it, don't say anything at all.

"I mean, sure, some worlds have been overly cruel to me, but I don't see worth in being cruel myself. It wouldn't make me any better than them. At least, that's how I see it, anyway."

Sonic the Hedgehog. A constant source of hope and aspiration, right? Surely every Sonic must be able to get back up from any fall, shouldn't they? Well, not every Sonic can do that.

In Dimension KJ-2022, Sonic once lived the best life he could alongside his companions, Tails (who is trans female there), Knuckles and Sally Acorn, and together, they've fought off the dreaded Dr. Robotnik time and time again. Of course, not everything was sunshine and rainbows even when the doctor wasn't terrorising the land.

This Sonic's version of Antoine D'Coolette was overly jealous that Sonic was in a loving relationship with Sally, and had been constantly at the blue blur's throat a lot of the time. Fortunately, his friends were there to stand up for him, though things were clearly spiralling out of control fast.

One day, a landslide hit the area, and though Sonic and Knuckles did their best to contain it, the consequences were life-changing for good; Knuckles got killed, and Sonic's legs were severely injured, leaving him stuck unable to run properly without anything to help him out.

Ever since that day, the general public started to pin the blame for Knuckles's death on Sonic, and the blue blur was stuck having to face constant harassment and bullying, especially from Antoine. It got to the point where his own house wasn't safe for him anymore, so Tails and Sally both took him in to keep him safe. Tails was even sweet enough to engineer altered sneakers for Sonic to keep him able to walk, but not run WAY too fast after the injury.

Having heard about the news himself, Robotnik wasn't at all chuffed that Sonic was having to face hate every single day, deciding to stop his misdeeds and instead aim to contribute to helping the blue blur's well-being. However, one evening was when all hell broke loose, when the Curse of X latched onto Sonic, but no one knew how or why. And as Sonic had been rooming with Sally for a while, all hell broke loose when he lost control and the Curse took control to silence her.

After Sonic awoke, he was traumatised from the experience, especially considering that the blood was on his hands, despite him not remembering doing the deed. However, he wasn't going to run for it yet. He needed answers, and desperately hoped he could find Tails to figure it out. He headed out to find her, with some news that she had been "kidnapped" by the doctor.

In that stormy night, Sonic fought Robotnik's giant Brak robot, and once he had overpowered it, he angrily demanded to know where Tails was. The Brak robot tried to reassure him that she was in safe hands, and confirmed that it was a man of its word, though urged him to hurry if he wanted to save her, so he did so.

Curse: Where is she?! Where's Tails?! Black Robotnik: Oh, pitiful hedgehog. Your little sister must be quite precious to you. Don't worry, though. She's in safe hands. Curse: You of all people saying that tells me that she isn't. Black Robotnik: No no. I'm a man of my word. Lucky for you, she managed to escape from Metal Sonic. She's headed out towards one of Eggman's abandoned facilities; the west wing of Launch Base. You'd better hurry, though. The storm isn't getting any better... and the base is nowhere near as stable as it once was...

Once Sonic, now under the name "Curse", managed to reach the place, he worked to track down Tails and bring her to safety, though on their way out, the Curse of X took hold of him again. This time, Tails was able to hold her own against her corrupted friend, wanting him to snap out of it. However, she ultimately fell, finally crushing Curse's hopes of ever having a better life.

He fled back home after Launch Base fully collapsed, only to find a note to meet... "someone" at the village bridge. And unfortunately, that's where Antoine found him, whose hatred for Sonic only amplified in the wake of the deaths of Sally and Tails. He threatened to let out the fact that he killed those people and tried to drown him in the river. Luckily, Metal Sonic came to his aid in the nick of time, and gave Antoine some much-deserved karma by "accidentally" knocking HIM into the river and causing his arm to suffer a severe rip.

Unfortunately, this meant Robotnik would be the last one in Curse's world to fall. He desperately didn't want to do the deed, but the Curse of X would wait for nobody, not even its host. That said, Metal Sonic wasn't distressed by his creator's death; in fact, Robotnik had already written out his will in advance and knew his death was coming once the reality of the curse came out. He had made many enemies in his life, so he expected the worst from the get-go.

As condolences for Curse, Metal Sonic handed him two things at the back of Robotnik's mansion that would be major parts of his life from then on out; a credit card with a 60 million ring value, and a portal gun for multiversal travel. The goal of these two gifts was to give Curse a better life, since he wasn't safe in his universe anymore. After Metal wished him good luck, Curse went on his way for travelling across the multiverse.

His travels have made Curse well aware that, at the end of the day, he's simply just a video game character, and he harbors that knowledge of the many Sonic games out there. It hasn't really bothered him as much, though. As time went on, he has mainly been tending to his wounds using bandages, moisturiser and medicine. He also keeps flashlights and battery candles handy, since he had developed a fear of the dark.

One day, however, was when a pocket world he was in merged with the many that were a part of the haunted video game disc (in Rivals' Madness) shared by Ultra M and Xenophanes (more the latter), and he was one of those that were encountered later along by Benjamin. Though the curse made him try to hurt the kid, he desperately wanted more than anything for it to stop. Thankfully for him, it died down, and he simply wanted forgiveness for the outburst, to which Benjamin was happy to do so.

Once the way to Xenophanes was cleared, Curse got to heading over to stop the crystalline demon, though was stopped in his tracks by a mimicry of Tails based on two tarot cards; the Fool and the Tower. He managed to get by, though, and he managed to assist the quartet that were on the path to deicide to kill Xenophanes.

Once all was said and done, he was split from the shared universe and went back to his realm, though harbored more knowledge of entities akin to himself, which made him see; he wasn't scary, the world around him was. He may have helped kill a false God, but it didn't change the fact that he was still stuck with the Curse of X.

That said, one fateful day would change his life forever, in a good way. In More than One Universe, when the multiversal tremor hit, he was one of those pulled into Dimension OMT-2021, under the effect of that dreaded curse. Compared to the six main villains, he was pulled in later than the rest, when the rifts got worse, and Exester (the EXE from Glitch Chaos) was the one to encounter him. Though the curse blinded his thinking, Exester was able to utilise their full skillset and successfully cure Curse.

After he was cured, though, some changes remained permanent, namely his altered eyes (complete with the substance known as "mobitar" having stuck to the sides of his face after its leaking had stopped). In addition, his feet support finally entirely gave way, rendering him unable to walk at all for now. He was given time to rest in the "Sonic-cave" while the other villains (outside of Shalian, who was already fully cured prior, and AVA!Corrupt, who defected of his own volition) were tracked down and cured one-by-one.

And after OMT!Robotnik made it back from his time stuck in the Third Realm and accidentally caused the rifts to get worse thanks to Richard making his device shatter, EV!Tails and EV!Eggman doubled down on their plan to get the rifts sealed, and Curse contributed a little bit by giving away some of the still wet mobitar to fully perfect the travel device and fully stabilise all travel to and from the OMT universe from then on.

After the day was saved, Curse had found himself bonding more with Exester and another youthful "EXE", known as Little X, spending some more time around them after it was time to leave the OMT universe and for the latter two's side to head back to the Errorverse. OMT!Tails also provided him some repairs for the leg prosthetics so he could be back to running free once more.

Since that day, he had grown to develop further interests outside of those he was stuck with after being infected with the curse. For instance, in terms of food, he really loves veggie and tofu burgers, and enjoys steak as a commodity. And as for drinks, he finds tea to be his favourite. He's also since enjoyed having bath bombs in any baths he is in, especially if they're scented and glittery.

Through it all, of course, he developed his own key understanding and approach to his life; sure, worlds (including our own, might I add!) may have been needlessly cruel to him, but he doesn't feel any need to pay this cruelty WITH cruelty, as that would leave him just like them in the end.

After this time, EV!Sonic happened to see potential in Curse to do the right thing, with his portal gun capable of helping get to other places quickly, and got him signed up to be a member of the Quill Society. There, like with Sarah, he was welcomed into the party with open arms and had since enjoyed being there for others who had gone through similar experiences. When he got there for the first time, he undertook a therapy session with Sara to vent out the struggles he had been through in life, which she showed sweet understanding and support for.

He's seen as one of the first to greet OMT!Tails when EV!Sonic invites him over to Gust Planet in Many More Heroes following a successful rescue mission back at Dimension BK-2009, and though he did wonder about the canon event theory, he stepped right out of LM!Sonic's philosophy and its premise that letting deaths play out uninterrupted was apparently "crucial" to becoming better as a hero. Because of this, he actively played a part in apprehending LM!Sonic when he tried to get away in plans to assure OMT!Cream's demise.

At the end of the day, of course, he's still his own hero, even with the permanent appearance changes, and nothing can take that away from him.

#sonic exe #sonic the hedgehog #spider verse #sth #sonic #sonic fandom #sth au #sonic au #spider man #curse sonic

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pbandjesse · 3 days ago

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It snowed this evening. It was really beautiful, but it was brief. It's supposed to come back Monday. I hope we get actual inches. I love the snow so much and climate change has ruined it so much.

Today was a very grey day. Not a bad one at all but I was stressed about waiting for the door install. Which never happened. And I just never felt very settled. But I got some things done and that was good.

James woke me up before they left. I thought that they were Sweetp stepping on my head but it was my husband looking for my head to smooch. I always like seeing them off before work.

I slept a few more hours. James texted me to let me know that they moved the car so I wouldn't need to worry about that. And when I woke up for real I was very sore.

My foot hurt a lot today. Like my toes felt jammed in and it was not fun to walk around. But I tried. Even if it it made me gasp.

I had a shower. And got dressed. And tried to be alright.

I would bring Ruby the Roomba upstairs to clean. I ran her twice but she only did the back two rooms?? I had to physically move her to the bathroom and bedroom. But then her battery died. Terrible. It was mostly done at least.

I worked on painting the cabinets some more. I tried doing two more but I'm not as happy with the texture. The one brush I was using got all crispy. I switched to a different, softer, brush but it just didn't work as well. So I would be really frustrated and a little upset with myself even more so when I realized the tape I used bled through and my lines weren't very crisp. James thinks it's salvageable but I'm still not happy. I hate when I mess up a project I have confidence in.

I wouldn't be completely sad today though. I was mostly in a good mood. Baby was twitching a bunch. I was enjoying lounging in my new chair. I worked on my knitting. I played in my phone. I felt good when I was laying down. Which would give me to much energy and then I would get up and feel winded and exhausted.

I still tried to do things. I had a nice lunch. I finished drawing all of the coloring book pages for the alphabet I made for the baby shower. And I decided I wanted to go to Alexander's Tavern for dinner.

James let me know that the door people decided to reschedule before of the incoming weather. Which I thought was a lame excuse. The snow wouldn't start until after 6! But it's fine. Well get out storm door eventually.

I let James know about my idea for dinner. And they agreed. I just wanted to spend time together. And it ended up being a lovely time.

James got home around 430. And we would get ourselves ready and drove to Fells Point.

It was early so parking wasn't a problem. We were hand in hand and got to the restaurant. We got sandwiches and tater tots. Talked about baby stuff. And life. And things I've seen that have annoyed me lately. There was a young family next to us, with a little girl. And it sort of felt like looking into the future. She cried about the ketchup on her plate and I was like. Girl I get it.

When we left the snow was just starting. I thought it was to wet to really count as snow but by the time we walked down to the end of the sidewalk it was big flakes. It was magical.

We walked all the way down to the end of the pier. And the flakes stopped again. It was just a bit cold and wet. Still beautiful but we weren't really dressed for the weather. So back to the car we went.

But then as we got back to the car and started driving home the snow started again! Big swirling flakes and it was so beautiful and lovely. It was sticking to the cars and the sidewalk and it was so great.

It would stop again once we got home. Just very good timing. When we got inside sweeto was being very cute in the new chair. Me and James would get cozy in the couch to watch a few episodes of call the midwife. And it's been really nice. James did the laundry while we have watched. And I think after this episode we will go to bed.

Jess is coming to visit tomorrow. And help with some stuff around the house. I'm looking forward to her being here.

I hope it's a good day. I hope you all have a good night. Sleep well everyone. Goodnight!!

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pastelbatfandoms · 9 months ago

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Stranger Things dr dreams/Memories

3/14/24 It's been awhile, I know I've been focused on other drs. But I think Billy & Eddie miss me because I keep having dreams with them in it that could be memories. Firstly I obviously need to finish reading Eddie's ST book 'Flight of Icarus' because I had a dream that I was in Eddie's motorhome but it was huge! Then Eddie, his BFF Ronnie (who is not in the show) and I were taking these pills that looked like amber, they were performance enhancers but for musicians. Then Eddie layed down on the couch and I watched him, rubbing his head so he didn't fall asleep cause I was worried he would be unconscious. He got irritated at me for "babying" him, and then that manager Paige showed up and he became really happy and bounded up to her. While I just looked at her annoyed "Oh yeah you'll be nice to her." She wanted to talk but I refused saying I needed to be alone. I dislike her for good reason…The rest of the dream was all over the place and not Hawkins related. Though I think we were in California.

Speaking of…I'm pretty sure Mandy and Billy move there or already have because I had another dream where Billy and I lived in this big 2 story house (Think The Gilberts house from TVD) I also met Billy's older brother, pretty sure his name was Dacre lol, he looks like Billy but with wavy (not curly) light blond hair, wearing a leather jacket with a bunch of pins and buttons all over. I can defintly see where Billy gets his style and charm from. He was flirting with me and Billy was getting upset and Jelous. "Get your own girl." Then Billy pulled me into a room still upset, I managed to appease him by making out with him, until Eddie showed up who Dacre apparently knew because he gave him a big hug and said "Hey Eddie My man! how've you been?" They got to talking idr about what but then Eddie glanced upstairs where we were and told Billy's brother he had something to do. He headed upstairs and I'm pretty sure we had a threesome…I'm not sure if that was just me day dreaming though as I was starting to wake up.

3/23/24 Had a short memory of Steve and I sitting on a roof. Drinking, cuddling and watching the stars. Must have been when we were together. Then another one of Billy and I pulling Eddie and Chrissy from the upside down.

4/12/24

I had a memory while asleep of my dr self (Mandy) with Billy, Chrissy, Steve and Eddie. I'm sure it was during S4 and we were either at the Creel mansion or Nancy's house I'm not sure because all I saw was the bannister we were by. It was dark. We were getting ready to leave (I think Nancy and Robin had left already) Billy and Steve were arguing over who was going to drive. Steve snapped "It's my car I'm driving!" Billy shook his head but didn't say anything.

We got into the car, Chrissy first then me then Billy. Billy grinned, "Hey at least I get to be by the girls." Steve didn't look to happy idk why, we're not together anymore, I'm still with Billy. Steve probably still likes me oh well. Anyway I remember putting my hand on Chrissy's leg and Billy putting his hand on mine and giving each other flirty looks. idk where we were headed.

Update: After doing a reading I figured out where we were headed and why Chrissy was there. Since she died, or we thought she did. Turns out she's stuck in the upside down after we thought we lost her, we find out that Chrissy is alive. (after Billy jumps into watergate, he goes first instead of Steve) We help Eddie get her (via his trailer) where he finds her alone. Then we escape. We then drove to either reunite with Hopper or just go to his place. But we still have to face Vecna later on.

Also the conversation that took place between Steve and Eddie actually takes place between Billy and Eddie in my dr. Eddie thanks Bily for helping him and thinks he's metal for what he did to the bat (Billy gets the Ozzy reference) he then talks to Billy about me and that we need to make up. Which makes sense because in our relationship he is very much the peacemaker.

I also take Max's place in the beginning. I watched more episodes hoping to get memories but I got flashes and resonance from my Marvel dr instead lol (Since El's time at Hawkins Lab is similar to mine in Hydra.)

11/10/24

It's been a hot minute 'cause I've been focused on other drs!

But I had memories while doing a reading with Billy and Eddie. Firstly Billy and I are still engaged but I also think we have a child now or I'm pregnant… We're all still together but we've hit a rough patch, especially Eddie and Billy. We're in California now but Eddie's been persuaded by that scam slutty manager Paige, like I thought would happen…I think she tried to come onto him or he cheated when he was high & because of his career and money. I already had a feeling and we're young so I'm not too upset about it or as upset as Billy anyway…Billy feels betrayed and starts using again which we fight about, Dacre lends me an ear to talk to and in my vulnerable state we end up kissing, I don't think we go any further than that and he does apologize but Billy is still upset when he finds out. We make up though, him and Eddie are still on thin ice but they do still love, miss and think about each other a lot. Eddie and I are on better terms and I do forgive him.

#desired reality #stranger things #reality shifting #dr memories

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yuriko-mukami · 1 year ago

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His Possession Maniac 05

Yuriko stepped to the cliff. Tonight, she hadn’t felt like running, so she had arrived there slowly. Yuuto turned around and pierced her with his amber-yellow fox eyes. The gaze made Yuriko flinch.

“What happened to you, Little Sister?”

“Umh…”

Yuriko stayed near the trees, under the shadow. She peeked toward the sky but there wasn’t the moon. Had there ever been? She wasn’t sure, now that she thought about it.

“Clever. The moon, like that mattered. The In-between is my creation, I can put whatever I wish here. But you’re avoidin’ the question, hmph.” Yuuto lay down, but his tails kept swinging back and forth, and Yuriko couldn’t help but stare at the hypnotic movement.

“I found Mom’s diary. She missed you a lot…”

“Yeah, right. Like I’d believe such bullshit.”

“But it’s true!”

“Doesn’t matter! Was there somethin’ useful there or just sentimental blabberin’ from her?”

Sighing, Yuriko started to explain what she had found in the journal and what were her own thoughts about everything. She went through almost everything she had read, except the parts that her mother had written about her being a whiny baby. Somehow that felt too personal to share with anyone.

“So, I figured that the gate is in an Inari shrine in the forest near Kaminashi City,” Yuriko continued. “I’ll go to look for it…”

Though Yuriko would need to wait until Ruki would let her out again… At the moment, she wasn’t allowed even to go to school, and even when Ruki wasn’t with her, Yuriko had a feeling that there were eyes on her back, constantly making sure she didn’t try to run away or do anything stupid anymore.

“WHAT?!” Suddenly Yuuto was on his paws, growling as the hair on his nape stood up. “I should have known that the bloodsucker is no good! What the hell did he do to you?!”

“...nothing.” Yuriko swallowed. She wished she could control her thoughts, for Yuuto seemed always to know what was going on in her mind. “It doesn’t… matter. I messed up. It will be all right. Everything will be fine…”

“Just wait until I get out. I’m gonna teach that bastard that he messed up with the wrong kitsune girl!” Yuuto’s eyes were burning, and blue flames appeared in front of him, making Yuriko back down deeper in the shadows. “Where has he locked you in? Can you get out? You should run if you can…”

“Umh… it’s just our bedroom… It’s not dangerous.”

“Our?” Yuuto repeated. “Damn you! What are you thinkin’? You share a bedroom with him now?!”

“I… I… you know…” Yuriko shook her head. How could she explain to Yuuto that she had fallen for Ruki no matter the circumstances? She hadn’t even told Ruki that and it could be that he wouldn’t return her feelings, so…

“Fuckin’ hell!”

“I’m sorry! I’ll look for the gate!”

Yuriko turned around and ran. This time her paws beat the floor of the forest as she wanted to leave the In-between as soon as possible.

“Yuzu candies for you!” Elizabeth exclaimed as she sat next to Yuriko who welcomed her friend with quivering lips.

The sun was slowly sinking behind the horizon as the day was dying, giving night the chance to take over. Pleasurable warm air was full of scents of flourishing nature without a hint of dampness that would surely strike in a few weeks. This part of the year was always enjoyable when the rainy season hadn’t hit them yet, nor the heat of the summer but the faint warmth of spring embraced everything. Yet the last time Yuriko had truly enjoyed spring was back in her former high school, maybe the first year. The second hadn’t started out nicely anymore. This year could have been another chance, but she still had a hunch that Ruki hadn’t truly forgiven her which made it impossible to enjoy anything.

But Yuriko should try to do just that. Elizabeth had arrived here for her and even brought candies. Her little zombie friend deserved some attention and a nice conversation at the least.

Yuriko pushed a smile on her face. “Oh, thank you, Eli-chan! This is the best. Let’s eat these together!”

The girls sat on the stairs of the Mukami manor, enjoying the view around them. The sparkly flavor of yuzu spread on Yuriko’s tongue, soothing her mind that had been whirling lately even more than ever before. It was so nice to spend time with Elizabeth in peace here where she didn’t need to be afraid of Sakamaki Laito lurking around and Ruki getting mad at her because of it.

There must be something wrong with my blood. Why do they all come after me?

Yuriko shook her head. She simply wished for a quiet and normal life, not this chaos everything had become. Luckily, with Elizabeth everything was always chill.

“So… I haven’t seen you in school lately,” Elizabeth said as they were emptying the bag of candies slowly but surely.

“Yeah… umh… many things happened…”

“I heard from Shin that you talked with him.”

Oh my gosh! I totally forgot what I said to Shin. All that happened after kind of wiped that conversation from my mind. I hope Eli-chan isn’t mad at me…

“Umh… Yes, we talked briefly in the school library…”

Yuriko focused on her drink, gazing carefully at Elizabeth. Very light pink dots started to appear on the girl’s face again. There was definitely something going on but right now Yuriko didn’t have the courage to ask about it. She couldn’t have her friend get angry at her when everything else was such a mess. On the other hand, Yuriko wanted to know the whole story, but the secrets seemed piled around her no matter with whom she talked to.

“I see… He mentioned that when I was asking around where you have been. But Shin didn’t know why you disappeared. I heard that from Yuma.”

What did Yuma-kun tell Eli-chan? That was such an embarrassing incident…

“Yes… There was a problem… with Sakamaki Laito…” Yuriko mumbled more to her hands than to Elizabeth.

The silence spread between the girls.

Shivers went down Yuriko’s spine as she pondered how much she should tell her friend. It was difficult to form the words even though she trusted Elizabeth. Apparently, she was partly at fault when it came to keeping secrets from each other. Would she ever be able to talk about the incident?

“Laito?” Elizabeth managed to repeat after a little while. Now, there was no color on her face and her brows were tight-knitted together. “Yuri-Yuri… um… I fear to ask… What happened? Are you okay?”

“I… I… umh… Well… it was…” Yuriko averted her gaze, wishing she could sink through the stairs and disappear completely. She toyed with the plastic candy bag in her hands as if it had been the most interesting thing in the world. “After Shin left… He… just appeared there and… well… I had no chance to run and he… umh… you know… it doesn’t matter…”

A small hand touched Yuriko’s shoulder and squeezed it. Yuriko peeked at her friend but averted her gaze again.

“I’m… okay now. It was just a small incident… He didn’t have… a chance to bite me… or… umh… anything like that because Yuma-kun found us and helped me out. And then…” Yuriko swallowed. If she told the truth… It would sound bad, right? How the Sakamaki boy and Yuma had fought because Yuriko had disobeyed Ruki was one thing but what had gone through with Ruki afterward…

No. While Yuriko wanted to open her heart to her friend, this thing she couldn’t tell her.

Yuriko would hide the events deep within her heart and never would she tell a soul, for she was sure that others wouldn’t understand. Even Yuriko had struggled to see everything from Ruki’s point of view and, to be honest, she wasn’t sure if she had come to a full understanding. Still, she knew that she wouldn’t want to lose him, and for that a little suffering was okay. If only Ruki would see that she was trying to be good.

But explaining all that to Elizabeth?

There was no way.

“...then Ruki thought it was better… for me to stay away from school for a while… He has been tutoring me though so that I don’t fall behind again with my studies.”

“He is very good at school, isn’t he?” Elizabeth asked. “Anyway… He said to me it was okay for me to come to visit you, so that’s why I came. I’m glad to see you are okay. I worried a lot when you weren’t there in the classroom as usual. I even brought you candy but… You never appeared.”

“Oh my gosh! I’m sorry, Eli-chan! I should have contacted you…”

…I just had so many things on my mind.

“Well… you texted me eventually.”

“Yes! Right after I…”

Yuriko swallowed the rest of the sentence. Danger zone. Better not to say more.

Opening her mouth, Yuriko tried to find the right words for changing the topic but there was nothing in her mind.

“Oh, you brought in a friend, Yuriko-chan~” A sudden slightly high-pitched voice sailed into Yuriko’s ears, making her flinch. While she wasn’t quite sure if she liked the surprise or not, it was kind of an answer to her silent prayer for distraction.

Yuriko turned a little and forced a smile on a blond vampire who peeked at her and Elizabeth from above. Where had he come from?

Pale blue eyes sparkled with curiosity or perhaps excitement, making Yuriko shift in place. She still remembered the first family dinner and Kou’s words back then. But she was properly Ruki’s now… so there was any danger anymore, right? Still, shivers ran down her spine. More trouble wasn’t needed.

“Umh… maybe you should join us?” Yuriko looked at her boba, then Elizabeth, and then Kou again.

“Hmm, should I~? But I’m not interested in those bitter candies of yours when there are actually sweet things just within my reach…”

Oh my gosh! I shouldn’t have said anything!

“Look at that face~ I would love to enjoy it more, but Ruki-kun wanted to talk about something, so I’m in a hurry. Maybe another time then~”

With that, Kou waltzed into the mansion. Yuriko kept blinking; she was sure if Kou had joked or not. Should she tell Ruki? But she didn’t want any more punishments for things others had done…

“Wow, he looks exactly like in the photos…” Elizabeth breathed the words. “Of course, I’ve seen him at school but only far away, so…”

“Huh?” It took a while before the thought sank in. Slowly, Yuriko nodded. Of course, Elizabeth had seen photos of Kou. He probably showed up in many popular magazines. “Oh, right… He is an idol.”

“Yes. I think many girls have a crush on him. At least they talk about him a lot.” Tossing a couple of candies into her mouth, Elizabeth seemed lost in her thoughts for a moment. “But surely you knew all about that already…”

“Kind of… yes. I should read more about his career…”

Yuriko kept blinking as her thoughts ran wild. She shook her head and munched the candies again, trying to focus on the taste of yuzu, hoping it to soothe her heart a little.

“Is everything okay, Yuri-Yuri? You have an odd expression…”

“Oh? …Umh… I’m okay. There has just been so much going on lately. It’s difficult to keep myself up-to-date. Come on, Eli-chan, tell me what has been happening at school~ Any progress with Shin?”

Elizabeth, who had just put another candy in her mouth, coughed as if she was choking. A deep shade of pink painted her face, and she squeezed the stair she was sitting on.

“Why… Yuri-Yuri…?” Elizabeth coughed again. “Why should there be anything… like that?”

Yuriko leaned in, so close that her nose almost touched Elizabeth’s flaring cheek. Suddenly a new scent hit her nostrils, something she hadn’t expected, and she could only think about one word.

Death.

Never before had Yuriko smelled that from her friend but now it was obvious. While Elizabeth looked alive, her faint scent behind the grave gave her away. Not a human but a zombie, now Yuriko knew what Ruki had meant when he had mentioned the scent of death after the girls had spent some time together.

Finally, Yuriko realized she had forgotten to answer Elizabeth’s question. “Umh… I thought… that you like him.”

“...maybe…”

Elizabeth turned her head, and for a moment the girls stared each other into the eyes from close, their noses hitting together.

“Maybe?”

“Yes. Maybe… probably. Definitely perhaps.”

“Why do you like him?”

“Why do you like Ruki, Yuri-Yuri?”

Gasping, Yuriko straightened up. She fished another piece of sweet from the tiny bag as whirlpool stormed through her head. While she knew Elizabeth had asked the question because of her teasing, it was surprisingly difficult to come by with a decent knockback.

“I… him… books… library… umh…” He wanted me. He gave me a place to stay when I had nothing. He made me his. He loves literature the way I do and for some reason, one look from him can turn my world upside down. “...I don’t know… I simply like him.”

Though the recent moments hadn't been too enjoyable. Today had been the first day since the incident with Sakamaki Laito when Ruki allowed Yuriko to leave the bedroom for other reasons than to go to the bathroom. He had even served her dinner in his room where they had eaten in silence while the scene from the homecoming had played in Yuriko’s mind repeatedly.

“Umh… never mind that… I… umh… You know, we should do something nice now that you’re here. Come on, follow me in.” Yuriko stood up. She led Elizabeth into the mansion. “I have my own room here. Let me show it to you.”

Soon the girls were upstairs in the bedroom Yuriko still found fancy. Not that she had slept too many times in the room. Actually… Not ever since the first night here. In that regard, she couldn’t quite call the room her own yet, but she still adored the idea that Ruki had been willing to give this space for her things only.

Of course, there was still a slight chance someone else had lived in the room before her, Yuriko didn’t mind anymore… As long as she managed to keep Ruki for herself, it didn’t matter what had happened in the past or if there had been another woman. If he would stay hers now, nothing else mattered.

“You have a nice room, Yuri-Yuri.”

“Umh… yes, you can look around for a moment. Not that there is much of anything. I was only able to bring only some of my clothes and my books because… Anyway, wait here for a little while.”

Leaving Elizabeth alone in the bedroom, Yuriko put the candy bag on the desk and hurried to the right next door. Ruki wasn’t in his room, so she simply picked up the pillows. While she didn’t have the courage to enter the other bedrooms, she continued downstairs and snatched every pillow she could find in the living room before roaming back to Elizabeth again.

“Do you want to make a pillow fort with me and read in it all night?” Yuriko asked as she entered. She couldn’t even see where she was going now, for the pillows in her arms blocked the view completely. After dropping all of them on the floor, she took the ones on her bed along with the blanket.

“Aren’t we going to get hot? And our eyes might get tired of reading under bad lighting…” Elizabeth shifted her weight from one leg to another while standing in front of the bookshelf. “But it sounds interesting.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it.” Yuriko forced a giggle out of her mouth. Surely, she would feel better if they did this. “We can take a flashlight into the pillow fort with us… Oh! Maybe we should pick up a scary book. It could be exciting to read it together in the safety of the fort!”

Yuriko started to pile up the pillows while chatting to Elizabeth who finally stepped closer.

“You know… it sounds pretty funny to have someone like me in our soft shelter.” Elizabeth took one of the pillows while Yuriko wondered what her words might have meant. “What can I do to help?”

“Maybe we can put the blanket on the floor and then if I go get another, we can use that as a roof. You can start to build the wall from the pillows. Is that okay?”

When Elizabeth accepted Yuriko’s suggestion, Yuriko hurried out once more, rushing into Ruki’s room and taking the blanket from there. She pushed aside a tight feeling in her stomach. Ruki wouldn’t mind, would he? Yuriko had promised to stay in the mansion’s area with Elizabeth, but they hadn’t talked about the activities girls were allowed to do. And maybe Ruki was even too busy with Kou, so everything should be okay for now.

While Yuriko was in Ruki’s room, she let her eyes wander to his bookshelves. Something for the girls to read… something a little scary… She stepped closer, her hands full of the blanket, and one book caught her eye. She hadn’t ever read it, but she had heard of it: Sena Hideaki’s Parasite Eve. A bit old already but it won a horror award when it had been published. Yuriko took the book and headed back to her room.

“Oh? It looks already like a cozy cavern!” Yuriko smiled as she stepped back into her room. “Can you help me to spread this other blanket over it?”

The girls worked carefully and were able to put Ruki’s blanket over the fort. It had the lingering scent of both Ruki and Yuriko in it, reminding the nights they had spent together. While Yuriko had slept in his bed the last few nights too, Ruki kept his distance as if the Sakamaki boy had succeeded in staining Yuriko.

Was it not enough that Ruki washed me and bit me? Doesn’t he want me anymore...? Once more, Yuriko pushed the disturbing thought aside. She should focus on her friend now.

Together the girls crawled into the fort. Yuriko let Elizabeth lean on her shoulder while she opened the book and started to read for both.

“Yuri-Yuri…?” Elizabeth turned to her side sometime later. Yuriko put the book down and glanced at her friend.

“Umh… what is it?”

“Are you happy?”

Slowly, Yuriko nodded. Mostly happy at least, though lately… No, she didn’t want to go into this limbo again.

“With Ruki? You don’t feel lonely? He treats you well, right? You know that he will be there for you no matter what else happens?”

Again, Yuriko nodded.

“And you wouldn’t cry if something in your life changed?”

“Umh… that depends on what is about to change.”

“Is Ruki all you need?”

Yuriko tugged her elbow on the blanket under them and looked her friend directly in the eyes. They sparkled but the familiar glimmering was away, and soon Elizabeth averted her gaze.

“Eli-chan… No… Is this because I didn’t contact you…? I truly wanted to, but things happened and then I couldn’t. I need you as well…” Yuriko pulled her friend closer, wrapping her arm around the smaller girl’s shoulders. “I’m so sorry this happened but I’m so happy that you’re here now. Let’s read a bit more… Okay?”

When Elizabeth closed her eyes and nodded, Yuriko lifted the book up and continued the blood-freezing body horror story. While the words dropped from her lips one by one, her thoughts traveled elsewhere, and her mind didn’t fully capture the horrendous events that went on in the novel.

Beta read by @ruki-mukami-dl

#yuriko tsukino #yuriko's story

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magbld · 1 year ago

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#3 entry

I'm slowly trying to heal. I wonder how long it'll take till my feelings aren't as intense. I'm afraid that I'll lose these feelings for you, but I should, right? It makes me sad that things turned out so sad for us (sort of), you'll make your cake--I'm sure. I worked today, it was a 3 hour morning shift. I pretty much did the same thing I usually do just stock. You were on my mind the whole time. You usually were on my mind the whole time when I worked anyways just in a different context. I didn't talk much today at work; honestly, I just couldn't find the energy to do it. I called my team leader a tyrant and that we should perform a mutiny against him (jokingly). It was funny for me at least. Afterwards I went home and showered, it felt good. a nice steam shower that I thought would supposedly clear my head! It didn't though LOL. Things will change of course, nothing lasts forever! Time will pass. Afterwards I sat down on the couch and my family now knows we are broken up. although it was hard trying to explain it, but I don't feel like explaining it much. They don't need to know, they weren't involved much anyways. Me and my friend then went around to buy our skiing gear. Honestly, his car is dirty LOL. Can't really blame a 19 year old dude with his first car though. The whole time I was aux and I don't think I ever told you but whenever I had aux I would play shit for fun to fuck with people. You wouldn't get it but I played dumb songs like SAO theme, Saiyan walk, and fart noises, (very niche). It made me laugh. We went to the mall, and explored our options. Why is skiing gear so expensive what the fuck? We went to those expensive shops for software engineers who boulder and hike that got money to spend. We were not spending 200+ dollars on some fucking snow pants ! LOL. Well we searched then gave up and went to Walmart. We bought youth (14-16) snow pants for 18 dollars. Fast fashion >>>>. Thank god we have fast fashion! I jokingly told him let's go get pedicures if they were less than 40$ -- I'd pay for both. We laughed. Afterwards we went to get some bourbon st. It's supar good! supar yummy. He had no beverage and I kept talking about how perched he must be (he bought water). Now I'm just at home laying in bed, I texted you about our comp sci grades. maybe I just wanted to talk to you for a bit. I miss the girl I was in love with. I still love her. It's only been two or so days and yet I miss you so much. I didn't cry today but who knows what'll happen tonight. I hope you're doing well recently. Eat good! and treat yourself well or at least how you think I would've treated you when you were down. You talked about how you just want to ignore it but it saddened me hearing that. Ignoring our relationship kind of hurts! Just a little at least. Who knows how's that making you feel though. I wouldn't. We can still talk till you have closure. I'll miss you still. It's like grieving for someone who I've lost! like a passing partner.

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collectivecloseness · 2 years ago

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I thought of this because of my last Joyce ask, but it was just too long to add onto the end of it. A scale of which st character, if they’re being dom, is the least likely to give in when you’re being naughty

(Inc: Joyce, Nancy, Eddie, Robin, Steve)

Steve can’t help it. He’s a big softie. He’ll try, but the second he sees you begging or upset, he gets panicked and has to stop because “wait are you actually upset??” Also, he hates disappointing you. And he really wants to kiss you anyways!

Steve rolls over for you a lot of the time. You might have to ask, like, once, or twice. Sometimes he forgets you asked him to be dom in that round, so he just adjusts like normal anyways. Why wouldn’t he? Besides, you said you liked that he rolled over anyway, you said it was cute! So there, why would he stop.

Robin is next. Even though she’s good at being a dom, if you ask twice or more and your tone really hasn’t changed/gotten more desperate, Robin’s softer side starts poking holes in her dom play, and she’ll shush you and cover you in loving pets, making sure you’re actually okay, and giving you a little bit of Robin time, before asking if you wanna keep going. And if you do, she’ll start off by asking “are you my good girl now?” But with a smile, not condescendingly.

Robin’s quite happy, and finds it pretty easy, to be her usually dorky self instead. Maybe you’re not up for her being dom right now. And if you’re not, that’s fine! She’s happy to just be with you. Anything you two do, will be fun, so she’s able to move on.

Eddie knows the ins and outs of dom/sub culture. He won’t give in for simple things, you two have gotta keep playing the game. He’ll finish your punishment, but then the next time you two hook up he’ll start it off with lots of love and so much pleasure dedicated just for you. And the second you two have actually finished, dom!Eddie is gone and your boyfriend is fully there, making sure you’re okay, and giving you lots of aftercare, that switch being immediate.

But Eddie also can’t resist if you’re really asking him to please give in to you, and be softer, let you have something even if you’ve not been on your best behaviour. Eye contact especially does it for him. If you keep following his eyes, with your own pleading ones, eventually you’ll see a crack. And Eddie will sigh, his hands becoming gentler on you, body language more like his dorky self, as his eyes flutter down and up at you, unable to keep eye contact for long when you’re looking at him like that. A small “Baby...” because what’re you doing to him? You know he can’t resist when you beg with your eyes! Do you really want him to start giving you what you want now? If you do, that’s okay, he’ll start then alright?

See, I think Nancy and Joyce are similar, but it’s more context dependent. Joyce and Nancy are both equally fair and firm on their rules. Although I’d say generally, Joyce can be more dom that Nancy.

Nancy is fair, and she’s firm in her rules. She’s not super mean, when she hands them out, all the time. Sometimes she’s more nasty (in a good way of course). Fine, you want her to play bad guy? She tried to be nice! Clearly you’re not listening to her, apparently she has to be a bit meaner so you finally understand. Apparently her dolly needs a firmer hand? No, Nancy knows what you need now, there’s no way out of it.

But most of the time her domming you she’ll still keeping up that loving, but authoritative role. She might still be smiling down at you like you’re her little baby, even as she’s punishing you. Nancy will finish a session where she’s pushing or punishing you, and as you’re coming down, she’s still got that persona on. Petting you with that same smile, saying things like “See? That wasn’t so hard now was it?” Nancy won’t give in for any even more disruptive behaviour off of you, no waterworks, no interrupting her while she’s laying down what her next punishment will be, no touching her first, nothing.

But, Nancy also can’t stand to see her baby upset. If she sees you very deep in sub space (obviously not deep enough someone would have to pull you out anyway for your sake), and you really are sorry now, sometimes she can’t help if she catches a glimpse of you, and really just sees her baby there, needing her. She quickly finishes up that one thing she was doing and seconds later is caving in with an “Alright. Alright...” her voice soft and gentle as she says things like “Maybe that was a bit much for my good girl?” Or “I can’t stand to see my baby so sad (without me.)” She’ll decide herself from looking at you, since she’s very good at being able to tell, and it’d be in a scenario where you’re pretty deep in, if you need to cum, or you just need to be in her arms and settle down. Nancy knows best, you don’t have to worry, don’t have to try hard to communicate, she’s got you.

Nancy gives you such good aftercare, you feel very small in her arms, but very much loved and protected and that Nancy doesn’t think you’re bad anymore. And once you’re calm and soothed in her arms, she’ll start bringing you back up, so you’re not just her sub, but you’re you, and her partner, making sure you’re okay. She finds it’s better to soothe you first then bring you up, it makes you calmer.

Joyce probably comes across as just slightly more of a dom than Nancy, partly because Nancy’s dominant show is usually a saccharine one. But also because Joyce has had years to perfect her dom side, and naturally, she knows very much how to handle herself, and how to handle you.

Joyce will follow through to the end. She is a very set dom. And she’s not afraid to call you a bad girl, and with a not so pleased look on her face. Joyce is very firm as she tames you, she’s very set in her ways, and she has a lot of experience, so she really doesn’t give in until the time is right. Joyce would probably be the last person to give in, until she decided.

Except because you are a bit younger, and because one thing she’s set on is she never wants to abuse her power because there’s an age gap, that makes her just more likely than Nancy to give in easier to you. Generally, Joyce is less likely. But when it comes to a reader who’s about the same age as the fruity four, but considerably younger than Joyce, then she gives in slightly more than Nancy would.

She wants to give you slightly more power, even if you want her to be very dominating, it’s something Joyce just feels is better. She wants to make sure you’re okay, and she’s not going too hard on you. She’s a bit more worrisome about how far she can stretch you, how hard she can work you, emotionally, not physically, Joyce knows those boundaries pretty well.

Apart from that, Joyce has no issues teaching you who’s in charge, and telling you very firmly when you’re being bad. She tells you, you’re a big girl, you know what the rules are. If you disobey, you have to learn there’s consequences.

While sometimes she’ll coo sweetly with things like “just a little longer, you’re doing so well” that’s not an always thing if you’ve been more naughty. When you’ve finally earned your reward, or finished your punishment, if you’ve been particularly bad, Joyce will start with things like “See? Now you’re all done, it wasn’t that hard was it?” Before she becomes softer because you’ve learnt. With a more ‘if you’d just listened in the first place’ tone vs Nancy’s more ‘well done’ tone, or the same meaning as Joyce’s, but that’s covered in an extra layer of sweetness on top. But obviously, Joyce depends most of this on how you’re feeling, because your comfort is super important to her.

Sometimes she says she just wants to help you out! You’re such a good girl when sometimes she has to explain certain things to you, even if she has to explain them a few times over, and in more firmer ways. She knows you’re soooo smart! She just wants to see her baby being good, she’ll coo at you, stroking your cheek so you can see her face up close. Saying how proud she is of you, with a big smile on her face.

She can definitely be a soft dom too, 100%! She only really explores how dom she’s always wanted to be, further into your relationship. Most of you two hooking up, Joyce is super enamoured with you, and really loves how much fun you two have, like in my dom/switch/sub hc’s post. She also loves being a soft dom. Like when you come to her very submissive, wanting or needing her. She loves being able to bring you into her arms, and take care of you, make you feel all okay and happy again, because she has you. She’s gonna make you feel all better, okay? It’s no problem honey! Her smile will not leave her face the entire time she’s being a soft dom.

She loves to take care of you sometimes, especially when you actually ask her. If you outright ask her, she has to try and contain her excitement, giddily/enthusiastically pulling you into her arms and exclaiming of course she will! Booping your nose when she pulls back, because she loves that it makes you smile. Before giving the backs of your hands a little kiss too.

Or even just in situations where you’re just slightly more subby than your usual mid point, you’re both on the same page, and Joyce is just a bit more so the dom. She’ll chirpily call the shots, and watch you enjoying her little surprises in the plans she has. She loves watching her make you feel good. The fact you like her so much, and she can make you feel this good, by being herself, she loves it. That type of casual, fun and caring sex, is maybe around one of her favs.

She’s not super dominating during most of the times you guys sleep together. Mostly only if you ask, or want to see that side of her for her fun too, or act up with that tempting smile on your face because you want her to ‘tame/punish you’, in that way.

If last time when she was being nice, you acted up, she might ask “Now, you’re not going to act silly again like last time, are you?” With her pointed brown eyes. But unless a session is specifically for a punishment, it doesn’t carry over. Joyce is always still loving, no matter how much you act up in those sessions. You’re still her girl

#I think on a scale Joyce is the least likely person to give in if you’re being naughty #but again bc of the age gap and Joyce NEVER wants to misuse your trust it’s smth she is VERY passionate abt not doing wrong #she doesn’t want to do wrong by you bc of it which is probs why you’d have to move on her first #and why there’s more of a chance of her conceding to you when she’s being dom #also there’s way more Joyce bc it started as part of a Joyce post and also #it went on a scale so the later ppl just had more to talk abt anyways!#citrussy #Joyce Byers #Nancy Wheeler #Eddie Munson #Robin Buckley #Steve Harrington #stranger things #Joyce Byers/reader #Nancy Wheeler/reader #Eddie Munson/reader #Robin Buckley/reader #Steve Harrington/reader #Joyce Byers x reader #Nancy Wheeler x reader #Eddie Munson x reader #Robin Buckley x reader #Steve Harrington x reader #Joyce Byers thoughts #Nancy Wheeler thoughts #Eddie Munson thoughts #Robin Buckley thoughts #Steve Harrington thoughts

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