#like nothing else was even going that wrong in the dream other than older kids kept coming into the room but then leaving when asked

[hotboiessek]

had a stress dream the night before my first day with students about not filling out attendance quick enough and our attendance clerk getting angry at me

[novelizt]

THIS LOVE CAME BACK TO ME ☁︎ ANTHONY LOCKWOOD

GENRE ➺ fluff with a little angst, friends to lovers (everyone can see it)

SYNOPSIS ➺ you're back in town. as promised, lockwood welcomes you with open arms. the only difficulty was the fact that you kissed the last time you saw each other.

WC ➺ 4.8k

DISCLAIMER ➺ fem! wedding planner! reader, and i try to write a more descriptive kiss scene (i apologize in advance), the trio has been aged up to about 18-19, and lockwood calls reader 'sweetheart' but in a totally (not) platonic way.

WARNINGS ➺ profanity (one curse word), reader is briefly jealous of lucy, QUILL KIPPS, description of pools and being underwater, a little suggestive but nothing graphic

NOTE ➺ here's the beginning of my 1989 TV sonfic collection!! (full collection masterlist will be out on oct 27.) belly and jeremiah's pool kiss popped into my head while writing. do with that information as you will. this also came out fluffier than i intended it to be. @t2sh0 , here's one of your favorite 1989 tracks turned into a fic, i hope you enjoy 💙

Anthony Lockwood had a way of charming people. You knew you were a goner the second he flashed his teeth at you.

In the eleven months you were employed in Lockwood & Co., you hoped that the subtle touches over case files or the longing glances across the table meant the same to him as it did to you.

That said, you weren't sure what to make of it when he did kiss you—right before you boarded a plane out of the country. You tried to imagine it to be as magical as you dreamed of, but the only impression it left was a confusing one.

Did he kiss you out of pity? Did he do it because you might never come back? Did he do it because it was a spur of the moment thing?

Luckily, your studies distracted you enough to give you some peace. It's only when the world settled into night that you pondered it over and over again, until you agonized over it enough to cry yourself to sleep.

Your contemplations still haunted you as you lugged your bag off the conveyor belt, actually breathing in London air for the first time in three years. When you centered yourself, you scanned the crowd and found your name scrawled in messy, familiar handwriting. The person that held the sign hadn't aged a day.

Lockwood looked older than he did when you first met him, but, now, he had grown into himself. His smile remained unchanged. It speared you in the heart, just like it did the first time.

"Hello, stranger." He was first to speak.

"Hi," you said. You considered adding a witty remark but found that you couldn't conjure one up as quickly as you used to. Instead, you smiled to fill in the awkward silence.

He returned your grin but it didn't reach his eyes. You didn't say anything else before he lowered the sign and held out his arm. You let out an uneasy laugh as you shrugged your bag off your shoulder and onto his.

Even if your mind grappled for something to start with, small talk didn't pick up like how you imagined it would. How could it? The last time he walked beside you, you two were different people. At least, you were.

You were never going to be the kids who bumped fists or laughed at jokes only you two knew again. You were never going to be his partner in crime the same way you were years ago.

Your talent had nulled, leaving you with the only choice to pursue a new life elsewhere, in another country. You knew you had changed, but did Lockwood? The uncertainty was a stake between you. He was acting like nothing was wrong, which made it difficult to gauge whether his lack of speaking was on purpose or he was as lost as you were.

He had taken the side of the walk closest to the road—like he always did. You remembered that he said it was the "most gentlemanly thing to do in the presence of a lady." You called bullshit, but you found yourself softening 'round the edges thanks to his chivalry.

You paced a ways behind him, watching his back and the swish of his coat tails. Like a dagger to the heart, you realized that his coat was new.

"What happened to the trusty old boy?"

It was your first attempt at a conversation. You hoped your voice didn't quiver.

Lockwood slowed his pace to fall in line beside you before shooting you a confused look. Realization hit shortly after. He pinched the lapels of his coat. "You mean my old coat?"

"Yeah." You smiled, forcing yourself to make it convincing. "What happened to it?"

"Lost it," he explained. He chuckled with a far-off look in his eye. It was a fond memory by the looks of it. "Smeared in plasma. There was no salvaging it. Why, you miss it?"

"A little bit," you lied.

He had kept you warm under that coat on more than one occasion. You knew where the seams unraveled, and you knew what he put in each of its pockets. You missed it terribly, and it wasn't even yours. Just like a certain someone. It was pathetic, really.

If he had caught on to your disappointment, he didn't show it. Instead, he teased you with a smile. "Life goes on, sweetheart." He closed the space between you to nudge your arm, just like the good ole days. "There's plenty of coats in the sea."

You stiffle a laugh behind your hand. The endearment had brought the butterflies in your belly back to life. Three years and that hadn't changed at all, and only Anthony could make you chuckle over a bad joke. "Yeah? Where did this one come from?"

He shrugged, pursing his lips. "I haven't got a clue. George and Lucy got it for me."

George, you knew. He was the grump who refused to say one good thing about you but didn't hesitate to make you lime pie when you were in low spirits.

Lucy . . . Lucy was new. Her name had made your hair stand. "Lucy?"

Lockwood snapped his fingers. "Ah, that's what I forgot to tell you." He looked both ways before taking your arm and crossing the street. Portland Row was standing right in front of you, but it felt different now that you knew that someone else was occupying your old room. "Lucy Carlyle is our newest recruit. A Listener. A bloody good one, at that."

He looked elated, so you knew she was doing good for the agency. Something about the way he talked about her made your heart sink.

You were still coming up with a reply when Portland Row cracked open and George Karim's face entered your periphery. He wasn't the type to smile widely, but you took the minute tilt of his lips as an attempt at one.

Perhaps the trip had warped your senses because that was probably the most enthusiastic you'd ever heard him. "About time you came back, trouble."

Aww, he remembered you. The sentiment comforted you more than you cared to admit.

—

Lucy Carlyle's eyes widened the moment Lockwood introduced you. Something finally clicked for her, yet you didn't know what it was. All you really did was shuffle awkwardly and utter a feeble "nice to meet you."

"Oh my God . . . You're the agent they can't shut up about," she grinned.

Lockwood's nettled eyes darted to you. "'Can't shut up about' is being generous."

"Come off it," Lucy scoffed, swatting him away as if he were nothing more than a mosquito. "I was wondering if your name was some weird code. "You-know-who would know what to do", "I'd kill to have her help right about now." Ugh! Now it makes sense!"

Lockwood set his fists on his hips, licking his lips in search of an alibi. "George brought you up more often than not."

George shot him a glare—one that threatened to break the biscuit rule. "Because you'd start. Then you'd talk even louder if I told you to shut up."

"You were part of the conversation regardless."

"Well, she wasn't! You just couldn't quit your yap—"

Lucy kicked out one of the chairs at the table. You smiled gratefully as you took the seat, the boys' bickering melting into the background.

"Are you rejoining the agency?" Lucy asked, propping her elbow on the table. "I'm on the brink of going insane, so I could use a friend. One that doesn't think it's normal to walk around without a shirt or trousers."

You graced her with a gentle laugh. "That's the boys for you, but I'm afraid not, no. I no longer have the Talent to stay in this line of work..." You look down at your hands, remembering the countless stars you wished on to fix you. None of them granted your wish. Your Touch never came back to you. You'd abscessed over the same issue countless times before but now that you were back, you were writing a new chapter of your life. You clenched your fist with reborn determination. "Lockwood promised that I would always have a place here while I get back on my feet, and it would be lovely to be friends with you. Right now, I'm looking for places to bring my other skills. Just because my abilities changed doesn't mean the world will wait for me to get used to it."

When you looked up, you were surprised to not only find Lucy's glazed eyes on you, but George and Lockwood's, too. George coughed into his fist, turning away and finding interest in the kettle. Lockwood's brows furrowed, etching lines of sadness across his face. Lucy tried to plaster on a smile.

"You're very brave. I wouldn't know what to do if my Talent started to fade," Lucy said, hoping the vote of confidence would do what she intended it to.

You appreciated the sentiment but the sorrow in the recess of your mind would always stick at the mention of Talent. "Thank you, Lucy. And you don't have to worry about that right now. From what I hear, you're the best Listener in London." You placed your elbow on the table then set your cheek on your palm. "Tell me, what is the most horrendous thing you've heard?"

—

"I wouldn't mind sharing a room, really."

Despite Lucy's willingness, Lockwood refuted it. "Nice as you are, Luce, half the things you keep up there will unsettle her. Isn't that right, sweetheart?"

You shook your head, an amused smile on your face. "I was an agent, too. It takes a lot to bother me, Anthony. I didn't turn into a wuss just because I've been out of the country."

"Yes, well," Lockwood flourished his hand. "She keeps a jarred skull swimming in sludge with her. Letting you witness that tragedy would be unjust of me."

"I can handle it," you reassure positively. Skull in a jar sounded intriguing. The bigger question was why Lucy kept it in her room, but the was a question for another day.

Lockwood shook his head. When he crossed his arms, you knew the meeting had been adjourned.

"Are we really surprised?" George whispered to you on the way upstairs.

You chuckled and shook your head. "Not really."

—

The only reason you were familiar with Lockwood's room involved chess matches at the most ungodly hours of night. When insomnia had troubled you, you'd come right down, plop the board in the middle of the bed, and play until one or both of you would slump over.

You wondered if he was itching to even the score from three years ago, but you were surprised by the order in which he put his room in. Lockwood wasn't one to worry about a mess, but he was conscious enough to put it away that day. It was the tidiest you'd ever seen the place.

The only stain was the chessboard on the bed and your luggage that had taken over the ottoman at the foot of said bed.

When you rounded on him to ask, he presented you with a smug smile. "We have a lot to catch up on. What better way than over a game of chess?"

You crossed your arms, shifting your weight onto one leg. "Because I won last time?"

"And that," he admitted, shuffling over to his side of the bed and claiming the white pieces. "You know me so well, sweets."

You shook your head in a beguiled way, charmed by his truthfulness. "You're so predictable."

His eyes lit up, like they always did when he was presented a challenge. "See if you can say the same when I check your king."

"In your dreams, Anthony Lockwood." The bed dipped as you sat on your side, mentally prepping yourself to spend the night humbling him whilst trying not to stare at the motions of his hands for too long.

He moved the first pawn, and the game began.

You were so immersed, you missed the book folded open on his bedside table. In it was highlighted: 'the best way to beat jet lag; stay awake for as long as you can.'

—

You finally had a foot in the door three weeks after arriving in London. Sure, it wasn't glamorous and you spent more time advertising yourself than making money, but it was progress nonetheless.

Perhaps it was the sleep deprivation, but the fact that Quill Kipps was also a resident in these parts completely went over your head. You received your reminder when he had reached for the book you wanted for you. It took a little effort not to sneer at him—muscle memory.

You wouldn't have obliged but Kipps had already started a conversation. "Thought I'd never see you here again, trouble." As nasty as he usually was, he didn't show it. Dare you say he was civil? He even smiled at you. Chills. "Does Tony know?"

You clutched the book to your chest, disconcerted by how kind he was being. "He does, yeah. I'm staying with him until I can afford a place of my own."

"Figures," he scoffed, rolling his eyes. He was looking a lot like himself. "I'm surprised he hasn't popped the question."

Your jaw tensed. You had a sudden urge to thunk him over the head to get his mind back in order. "That's because there is no question to pop, Kipps." You looked away, mustering the last of your patience. "My Talent faded. I plan weddings for a living now. I don't have much of a name here yet so business is quite slow."

You didn't see his face change but you sure heard it. "Sorry to hear that..."

"Me, too. I guess."

"Don't give me cheek. I quit because my Talent faded, too."

Your eyes bugged out. The admission was like a carpet being pulled out from under you. "You're kidding."

He chuckled morosely. "I wish I was. I'm trying to find my way but it is challenging."

"With that attitude, of course it is."

Kipps snorted, squaring his shoulders. It didn't do much. He looked as punchable as he usually did. "You sound like him."

"I don't think so. He has more to say about you than I do. He makes me look nice."

Kipps nodded, giving you an invisible tip of a hat. There was a period of brief silence before he opened his mouth again. "Say, the complex I live in has a vacancy on the third floor. If you're interested, I can give you the address."

You tapped the cover of your book, mentally tallying the pros and cons before shrugging. "What's the harm in asking? I have a yellow note in my bag, let me fetch it.

"I'll come along. I'm about to get my books checked anyway."

You allowed him to follow you to your table and bade your tense farewells after he had scribbled down the address and the custodian's telephone.

—

It was no mystery that Lockwood had caught wind of the momentary interaction. You were unaware of how, but he had ways, apparently. He caught up to you on your walk home.

"Was he bothering you?" was the first thing he asked.

He came out of nowhere, so it was reasonable that his voice made you jump. You didn't expect to be intercepted at a cross-walk, of all places. With one look at his face, you relaxed then resumed your steps. "Who are you talking about, Lockwood?"

"Kipps," he said quickly. "was he bothering you?"

"Oh," you look down at the yellow note wedged in the cover of your book. "no. He just gave me a referral for a flat."

Lockwood disappeared from your periphery. For a moment, you thought that would be the end of it, but then you remembered that whenever it involved Quill Kipps, he would never keep his nose out of it. Lockwood returned to your side not long after. "You're staying in Portland Row," he said with the conviction of a hundred unspoken confessions. "You don't need rubbish referrals."

"I can't room with you forever," you replied. You faltered because of the hurt on his face. You must have imagined it because he was back to normal in a blink of an eye. You steeled yourself. "Lockwood & Co. is a psychical agency, not a rental place. And I have weddings to plan. I need more space."

"We can make room in the library," he bargained.

You halted in your steps, raising a brow at him. "You've never seen a proper wedding planning if you think that little room will suffice. You need that space for your case documents."

"We can move them to the office," he insisted, stopping in front of you. He thought a smile would work but you didn't budge, even after he showed you his best grin. "We can make it work."

You sighed, exasperated. The street was empty, so you had nothing else to preoccupy your mind with. "Lockwood... I can't plan weddings in the same house George rants about the Problem in."

"I really don't see the issue there."

He sealed his lips when you narrowed your eyes at him.

—

If Anthony Lockwood was anything, it was petty. A few nights later, he deposited himself in the seat beside you and decided to made your business his business.

"I think the ivory looks better with that shade of violet."

You cocked a brow at him, flipping to the next page of your photo book. "Pray tell, what are you doing here?"

With an unmoving smile, he said, "Learning a thing or two about wedding planning, so I can gauge just how much room you need."

"Lockwood... You don't have to be here."

"Oh, but I do," he retorted. "Lest you make a hasty decision, like living in a flat with Quill Kipps."

He flinched when you shut the book. The cold stare you gave him was just as paralyzing. "I won't be living in a flat with Kipps. He'd be living in the floor below mine. And for your peace of mind, this isn't a hasty decision. I'm only staying here until I can afford to rent my own place."

He bit the inside of his cheek. "Why do you have to go? We're perfectly happy here, aren't we? George knows your favorite recipes, Lucy's ecstatic to have another girl around, and I— well, I . . ."

"You . . . ?" Hope, like you've never felt before, rushed through you. Your ears could hear a pin drop with how attentive you were then.

Much to your disappointment, he cleared his throat and leaned back in his chair. "I would hate to lose a friend."

It was flattering, truly, but you were hoping for more than that. Perhaps an indication that the kiss three years ago had actually meant something. When he said nothing about it, you reverted back to assuming your affections were unrequited. Dejected, you thumbed at the pages of the photobook.

"I won't be leaving soon, and we'd still be friends when I move somewhere else," you reassure. You found it hard to get the words out. There was a prickling feeling behind your eyes you tried to bat away. You turned your attention to the flower options splayed on the coffee table. You were seeing, but you weren't absorbing anything. "I'll be here a while so you don't have to worry."

"Right..." He sounded even more dejected than you. You fought the urge to look up at him with every fiber of your being.

Your heart fell when he got up and abandoned you in the library. Even if you were surrounded by photographs of weddings—the happiest day of some lucky people's lives—you couldn't find a drop of joy when Lockwood had taken all of it with him.

—

The thing about realizations were that they always came late. Especially for someone as dense as Anthony Lockwood.

When he had turned the events of that night over in his head, he realized that he had been a fool. He was saying something, but he wasn't actually getting a message across. For someone who valued verbal affirmation, you must have felt alienated.

He had resolved to apologize, and apologize thoroughly. He had put on his best suit under his coat and picked his best shoes (the only ones without plasma burns) before heading to the site you told Lucy you were heading to that day. He sacrificed his five turns in the biscuit rotation to get the information from her, but he couldn't be too mad about it when he finally laid his eyes on you.

You traded your usual trousers and blouse in for a dress. Not that you weren't pretty in trousers and blouses, but the fact that your dress was white altered something in his brain. Something was wrong with him. Could have been anticipation. Could have been the terrible urge to get down on one knee.

He shook his head, putting that idea on the back burner. He was there to grovel for forgiveness. He had to apologize before all else.

Lockwood, with reborn inspiration, approached. Striding closer and closer—eyes trained on you.

Only one thing was on his mind, and that one fact may have been the cause of his downfall, because he hadn't seen the toy at the lip of the pool before it was too late.

Your face grew further and further until his body had broke the surface of the water. For a moment, he couldn't breathe. All he could see was blue. All he could feel was the cold. A sharp inhale hurt. Opening his eyes stung.

Once his feet reached the bottom of the pool, sense returned to him. He kicked off, gasping for air when he reached the surface. Another splash forced him to shut his eyes.

Then he heard it: The frantic way you were calling his name.

Your hair was matted to your head and drips of water slid down your face, yet, you looked as majestic as ever. You were a vision. His voice had been stolen, perhaps his heart, too (as if it wasn't already).

He regained feeling in his face when you set your hands on his cheeks. Then the world came rushing back. The splashing of water, the commotion that caused passerbys to run, and your voice that called to him above all that.

"Anthony? Anthony! Oh, heavens, are you okay?" You smoothed the hair away from his eyes. He wondered if you knew that it made him love you even more. "That was terrible fall. Are you hurt? Bleeding?"

He shouldn't be enjoying your doting when you were so obviously stressed over his condition, but how could he think straight when you were at arm's length—just this close to touching lips with him.

And you were touching him. Your palms were warm on his cheeks, cozied up under his ears. You could feel him smile if you wanted to.

It was no place or time to think about kissing you. He had talked himself out of it countless times before, but his restraint crumbled the moment he witnessed your teeth sink into the plush of your bottom lip.

He knew it was your nervoud tick, but his mind went blank. He seared every detail into his memory before he threw caution to the wind.

He found your waist, clutched your dress, and drew you to him with the urgency that had been restrained for years.

He's not sure whether you kissed back right away, but he did know that you were. Just as eager as he was.

With ignited confidence, he tilted his head to deepen the kiss. Your fingers carded into his hair and you clung to his shoulders for stability.

It was painfully obvious that Touch was your specialty. Every brush of your fingertips set fire across his skin. He wouldn't forget it, even if he tried. His arms wound around you, his palm finding the back of your neck to hold you fast to him.

For a second, you parted. He caught a glimpse of your dazed eyes and ephemeral smile before you brought your lips down on his once more. You could very well be the death of him.

The belief grew stronger as you grew bolder, shifting to be able to wrap your legs around him. Squeezing your thighs against waist and warranting a gasp. You felt the rumble against your lips and beneath your fingers, earning a smile.

You would have done so much worse if a rigid scoff hadn't cut through the lavender haze.

He pulled away. You blinked, still encroached by the spur of the moment. The smell of chlorine polluted the space between you, but that only made your senses heighten. You were staring at Lockwood as water clung to his lashes. He was smiling at you, and you were smiling just as much. His thumb drew circled into your waist, and your fingers grazed the nape of his neck. It was chilling, in the best way.

The scoff came again, stealing your attention. Both of you looked up at the hotel manager with sheepish grins.

"Hello, sir," Lockwood started, amping up his charm with a disarming laugh. "Contrary to what you may be thinking, this didn't happen in purpose."

The hotel manager didn't buy any of it. He raised a practiced brow and regarded Lockwood with a frown that rivaled a wishbone.

There was no corporate talk that would get you out of this. You chuckled, patting Lockwood's back for the good try, but you already knew security was on the way.

"I take it that you're not hurt?" you murmured to Lockwood.

"No. In case I am, would you like to take my shirt off and take a look for yourself?"

You two had to walk home in soaked clothes, but you did take him up on his offer. Excitedly, too. Suffice to say, he didn't have a bruise on him.

—

You and Lockwood had returned to your roots; a peaceful game of chess. You had the upper hand on the board but Lockwood felt like a winner just seeing you in his shirt.

"Just in case it wasn't clear, I'd like to be more than friends," he said. He had lost another bishop but he was fine with it because you smiled at him.

"Yes. I know that now, Anthony."

"I don't want to just be friends with benefits either."

You snorted, amused. "I understand that, too."

He didn't move a piece until you looked at him. "It would pain me if you moved out. Three years apart was bad enough."

Your gaze softened and you reached across the board to hold his hand. He was the one who laced your fingers together. "I won't be going anywhere."

"Good," he chirped, eyes alight. "because I've already began moving the shelves into the office. You can have the library for work."

Even with your best efforts, you couldn't help but laugh. He bent toward you, wishing he could bottle the sound. "You are ridiculous, you know that?"

"I do," he said, inflating his chest. "and I'd like to be your lover as well."

You cocked a brow. "Would you?"

He squeezed your hand lightly, eyes shining with determination. "I can hear you thinking, sweetheart. What do I have to do to get you to say 'yes'?"

If he hadn't stolen your heart already, the way he raised your hands to his lips and planted a kiss on each of your knuckles would have. His eyes never strayed, honey brown eyes placating yours.

"Sweetheart?" he hummed, pleading for an answer.

You drew out the silence for a little longer. You felt that it was fair for him to suffer, just for a little while. He was the catalyst for years upon years of emotional turmoil.

But he had resolved it all with another kiss, this time on the sweet spot on your wrist—just over your racing pulse.

You were kind enough to put him out of his misery. "Kiss me again."

You were weak for how he smiled then.

"Gladly," he whispered, sliding the board aside and sending the chess pieces toppling to the floor to fulfill your request.

Your complaints were squashed down by his lips. He'd never forget the way you laughed as he tackled you into his bed.

Well, it was yours now, too.

NOTE ➺ did you notice that everyone calls reader 'trouble' but lockwood calls her 'sweetheart' 👀👀 i want what they have.

i have so many ideas lined up for my boy, but i just don't have much time to write them. life got busy lol.

anyway, this is the first of many 1989 TV songfics!! master list for the whole collection will be out on 1989 TV release day, I promise. i'll do my best to finish more wips because you can never have too much anthony lockwood.

i've also been thinking about making a tag list but I'm not sure how to go about that...

as always, don't be shy to leave some feedback, constructive criticism, or cute lil comments! i love raving about my boy 💙 i hope you enjoyed this one, because this isn't the last of me!

⌠ @novelizt 2023 ⌡

[accio-sriracha]

Quite a few things had changed in the seven years the Marauders spent growing up together.

Sirius grew out his hair, started wearing skirts and heels, wore his makeup however he liked, began paying attention in class, grew into himself beautifully and no longer cared what his family or anyone else thought.

Remus filled in his baggy jumpers, started sharing his secret chocolate stash with Sirius, grew at least a foot and a half, started allowing himself to take up space unapologetically, goofed around in class and engaged more in the other's pranks, he smiled and laughed like nobody was watching and no longer apologized for his mere existence.

Peter matured, he gained confidence in himself, found his place in the world and thrived in it, he started shaving (finally), and grew to love the way he looked and expressed himself. He no longer felt like just a fourth wheel, he knew his worth and the value of his friendship among great friends.

James started dating Lily Evans, he stopped leaving his bed a mess every morning and started caring about the people outside of the castle, he grew to love learning new things and constantly asked questions about the world and how it worked, he explored and dreamed and found meaning in the people around him, he cared deeper than he ever imagined and loved more than he knew he could, he stopped letting life slip by and started taking risks and opportunities he knew he couldn't give up, he grew to be thoughtful and reassuring and a little bit wild.

But then... things never change completley.

Sirius still loves muggle rock and sneaking cigarettes, he still loves slowdancing to the wrong kind of music and late nights staring at the stars. He still feels butteflies everytime he and Remus touch. He still wears his tie in the same messy fashion and he never stopped wearing those clunky black combat boots.

Remus still loves chocolate and foamy Butterbeer. He still gets nervous when Sirius looks at him like he had from the very first time they met. He still listens to the same soothing sounds to go to sleep, and still butters his toast with the wrong side of the knife.

Peter still loves chess and snacking on cheese, he still makes trips to honeydukes to secretly refill remus' stash when he's away. He still loves watching quidditch and baking on his free time. He never lost faith in the world and still puts his feet one foot in front of the other when he gets nervous.

James' hair is still messy and his smile still wide. His glasses still sit crooked on the bottom of his nose and his robes still don't quite fit him properly. He's still obsessed with Lily Evans and brings her flowers every day. He still has a heart of gold that he wears on his sleeve and a bravery that nothing seemed to shake.

These four men were grown, they'd found love and fought battles and stuck beside each other through even the worst of times. But they were still the same boys who met on the train, who stumbled uneasily into each others lives and hoped to one day make a difference. They were older now, yes, but they would always be those kids... and they would always have each other.

[restinslices]

Ryan Torres was saving money so he could leave Shadyside. That’s why he worked at the mall. Like others, Ryan was scared everyday that one day he’d be added to the list of dead young adults in Shadyside. Sure, he joked about it, but that’s what he did. He used humor to make others happy and therefore, it made him happy. Ryan didn’t just wanna leave Shadyside. He wanted to take everyone he could with him, especially Heather. They weren’t dating or anything, but he never wanted to leave her behind. Plenty of times Heather told him “if you have the chance, get the fuck outta here” and Ryan always told her no. He’d never leave without her.

Tommy Slater didn’t have any distinct goals. Like others, he wanted to escape Shadyside but he also wanted to give hope to young kids. He didn’t want the Shadysiders to feel lesser than Sunnyvalers just because they were born on the “wrong side” of the line. That’s why he was a counselor. He wanted to make those kids feel cared for and loved. He wanted them to feel like someone had their back. He didn’t know how he’d do it, but he wanted to fix Shadyside. Not just run and pretend nothing was happening.

Ruby Lane used singing as an escape. Shadyside could take so much from a person, but it could never take her voice. She sung for anyone at anytime and anywhere. She was the sweetest girl with a beautiful voice. The second she started singing, the world seemed to slow and everything seemed better. When she was a little girl, her mom would sing her lullaby’s and now that Ruby was older, she’d sing for her mom instead. Ruby always dreamed of leaving Shadyside and becoming a professional singer. She had a whole book where she’d write her own lyrics. Some songs were about her friends, her mom, some even dedicated to the kids of Shadyside.

None of that mattered in the end though. Only a small group of Shadysiders would know that they weren’t monsters. Only that small group would know they didn’t just go crazy. Only a small group of people would know that they were victims, not the villains the media painted them to be.

Everyone else though would only know them as the kids who went crazy. The despicable humans who killed others just because they could. Their names would forever be linked to crime sprees. It didn’t matter who they were before. All that mattered now was what the Goode’s made them do.

That’s how they’d forever be remembered.

[mykuup]

Remember me from Middle School ?

Summary : As you start your high school year, you meet one of your classmate : Eddie Munson. You don't understand why your biggest crush since primary school is here with you, as he's older than you. The thing is, for Eddie, you're a total stranger. Will he remember you ?

wc : 1,3k

Warning : mention of drug selling // angst and fluff // use of "y/n" // kisses

A/n : It's been a while since I haven't posted something here. the thing is that I want to write but nothing comes out of my brain that is fried bc of the heat where I'm living. Anyway, I hope you will enjoy this one ! Also, this is lightly proofread and english isn't my native language (if u read my previous posts u already know ahaha) so all the mistakes are my own. Feel free to let a comment if u liked the story ;) Love ya

Originaly posted on Ao3

You thought your first day of your last year would feel like a relief. You woke up early this morning with a wide smile on your face. Putting on your favorite outfit, you were ready to go to Hawkins High for the last year. Finally you were close to your biggest dream : leaving Hawkins. You needed to get out of there, you wanted to live something else in a big city. You broke up this summer with your ex so you would not have any link with anyone else than your best friend, Veronica. 

But.

As your first French lesson starts, the door swings open and your heart misses a beat.

“S’rry I’m late.”

You and all the students turned their head to the voice. Dark hair floating around his face, a denim jacket over a black leather perfecto opened on a Hellfire club t-shirt. As you look at his dark brown eyes, you couldn’t be wrong.

Eddie Munson was walking his way to your classroom.

Everyone followed his walk with their eyes until he sat at a desk at the back of the room.

As the lesson begins, you couldn’t stop thinking about the man who sits a few desks behind you.

How could this be possible ?

You tried to glare a few times in his direction to picture him better. Last time you saw him was in middle school. His style and look were a complete turnover as he looks so adult and teen at the same time.

Darker also.

You remember a weird but sweet kid, always smiling and making the other laugh. Here, he looked mysterious and… angry ? Maybe it was just a stressful day for him as you see him biting his nails and his leg trembling. Looking back at his hands, you could notice the several obvious silver rings. He just looked like the former of a rock band or something. Maybe the hellfire t-shirt was a clue ?

You could hear the teacher asking every student to quickly introduce themselves and your turn came quicker than you expected. With a bit of apprehension, you also rise and try to speak as clearly as you could. But all you were thinking about at this moment was the reaction of the dark haired man behind.

Does he remember your name ?

You changed too so you wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t recognize you at first sight. As you sat back, you immediately turned to see Eddie’s reaction but you saw nothing. 

No-thing.

He was still biting his nails but was now writing something on his notebook. He doesn’t even take a look around him. You were a bit shocked as you were kinda friends at the school music club…

You spent the rest of the hour trying to not think about him. As the bell rings for the end of the class, you see him rushing outside without looking back.

You needed a talk with your best friend. You find her at the end of the day.

“Veronica !” you blurted out, and your friend saw that you looked panicked.

“Looks like you saw a ghost or something.” she says calmly.

“You’re right ! Do you remember Eddie ?”

“Hum…” Veronica faints to think hard. “Yeah maybe…”

“Don’t laugh Veronica !” you were angry at this time. Your friend saw your face and tried to calm you down.

“Of course I remember ! How could I forget !”

“He’s in my French class.” you don’t even manage Veronica and the news felt like a bomb, even for her.

“How?” she remembers he’s two years older than you both.

“I don’t know !”

“Are you sure it’s him ??”

“Well, yeah, I’m pretty sure. Even if he looks like a real man now.”

“I want to know everything from the first second you saw him!”

And here you are, for the first day of your last year, telling to your best friend the story of you seeing Eddie Munson for the first time since something that felt like decades.

Senior year started a few months ago and you are still obsessed with Eddie Munson. 

Veronica and you were hanging out a lot at the arcades or the mall to have some fresh air. This senior year wasn’t going to be easy for sure and you both were talking about a few uni you dreamed of going to after your graduation. You already know that your path will part away after this year but you promise to each other to stay in touch and to see each other at least once a month.

“So, how’s French class going?” Veronica asks with a grin.

“Not that bad, Mrs.Flora is very kind !”

“I wasn’t talking about your teacher y’know…”

You sigh.

“I told you there’s nothing more to add. I already said everything you needed to know.”

“I know, I know !” she replies, hand rising like redemption. “I just found it weird he didn’t say anything to you after class. I mean, he heard your name right ?!”

“I’m not even sure he was listening during the whole hour. And he ran outside at the second the bell rang. He was late somewhere else for sure… as always.”

“How so ?” inquire your friend as she raises an eyebrow.

“I don’t really know how to explain it but he’s always late for French class. And everytime it ends, he runs to God knows where. And he always looks stressed or something.”

“You should simply ask why.”

“I’m sorry what ?!”

“Every problem or question has its own solution or answer. It’s… Basic science.”

“It’s not science Veronica, it’s being human ! And no, I will not ask him what he’s doing. I’m not his mom.”

“Hum… you really don’t want to solve this mystery ?”

“Don’t start Veronica!”

You both laugh. Truth is you both love investigation stories or movies. And when you were younger, your parents could watch you playing cops or secret agents to solve some imaginary scenarios.

“We’re not kids anymore.” you add, a bit of sadness in your laugh.

“I know, but hey, I know you ! You’ve always had a thing for this guy. You know that I’m a pragmatic girl but -and I hate to say that- it’s obvious that the universe is sending you another chance.”

“I thought you were a pragmatic girl…” you tease.

You laugh again. But your friend didn’t know the whole story. You’ve never found courage to talk about this. To talk about how you’ve been rejected by Eddie during middle school. You remember what you wrote on that note that day. You remember that you gave this piece of paper to someone so he could give it to Eddie. 

But maybe your friend was right. Maybe you could try to make something work out with Eddie ? You’re not sure why this guy was so much present in your brain. But anyway, you feel something for him, as you always did since you first met him.

You spend the next week trying to find out Eddie’s schedule.

During meal break, you heard about how dangerous the Hellfire Club was because of the freaks that were in it. You also find out that this wasn’t a music band but a Dungeons & Dragons thing. Whatever it was, you couldn’t see Eddie or his friends as freaks. Sure he was different since you knew him. But you were pretty sure he wasn’t all the things you heard about him.

Especially a drug dealer.

You only hear a few parts of a chat between three -not really reliable- students. You recognize one of them being in the same history class as you. And without thinking another second, you choose to follow him after class to see where he was going.

On your way to follow your classmate outside the school, you see a piece of paper hanging on a wall. Looking at it, you see a picture of a few students, all wearing the Hellfire Club Tshirt.

Between them, a bit on the left, you spot Eddie.

Every guy in the picture was smiling, obviously happy to be there at this time. Eddie was smiling too and you feel your heart missing a beat again. You felt weird. Something between angst and happiness. A bittersweet feeling that left a weird taste in your mouth. Thinking about the thing you never said to your friend Veronica made you remember this moment in primary school your wish to forget.

You shake your head.

“No time for this.” you say to yourself.

You have to find out the truth. You look at your classmate in the crowded corridor. When you find him a few feet in front of you, you keep following him.

Few minutes later, you find yourself walking in the closest forest to school. You could hear the footsteps from afar as you kept yourself low to not be seen. You stop to hide behind a tree. From your point of view, you could see Eddie, sitting at a picnic table. He had a black metal box opened in front of him. The student you were following took something out of his pocket before giving it to Eddie. You see him give something back before the other student leaves without saying anything. You couldn’t believe that the rumors were true. Eddie was really a drug dealer. You felt disappointed. How this sweet child turned into someone completely different ?

“I see you.”

You froze as you heard the voice. Your heart misses a beat when you hear him again.

“Hey, hello ?”

Your breath was heavy and you didn’t know if you had to run or…

No, the truth is, you didn’t want to run. You were curious. You wanted to see if he would recognize you this time. You walk out of behind the tree you were hiding to join him at the picnic table. You didn’t sit even if you saw your classmate gently inviting you to. You toggle on your feet, clearing your throat, not knowing what to say.

“Are you okay ?” he asks, a bit concerned.

You look straight at him. You dive in his eyes so easily you couldn’t believe it. You remember the last time you saw him and this weird feeling came back. You swallow hard before shaking your head.

“Sorry it was a mistake.” you say dryly before turning away.

“Hey !” he calls you, gently grabbing your arm so you don’t run away.

You turn to face him and you see his wide smile enlighten his face. He let go of your arm and raised his hands in surrender, taking a step back.

“Nothing to be afraid of.” he adds.

You offer him half of a smile before sitting on the bench. He sits too, facing you before opening his metal box again. Then he put his hand on his mouth, looking at you. He was waiting for you to speak. But as you start to open your mouth, you understand that he wanted to sell you stuff. Eddie sees your sudden change of mood and tries to calm you down.

“Hey hey hey ! I’m sorry ! Hey y/n , I'm sorry !”

You froze as you heard him calling your name.

“What did you say ?” you ask, uneasily.

“You’re y/n right ? From French class ?” he hesitates.

This was too much.

You decided to walk away without looking back at him. You could hear him trying to catch you again but you didn’t let him have the chance to. After that, you walk back home furious and a bit sad too. You had to bury the feelings you had for him or you would chase him desperately.

But the thing you didn’t know was that your best friend got your back. As she always did.

“Can I come to yours after class?” Veronica asks you, as you were entering your science class.

“Yeah sure ! We walk together ?”

“No, I have an extra hour. I will join you after.”

You could see your friend hiding a smirk but you couldn’t guess why. Anyway, you had a lot in your head today as you had a chemistry test this afternoon.

You were exhausted because of your day. You were close to the middle of the year already and all your teachers gave you tests every week or so.

Finally home, you try to relax a bit before greeting your friend. You prepare her favorite tea and take some ice cream out of your freezer. After a few minutes, you hear your bell rings. Usually your friend would come in like it was her home. But maybe you lock the door behind you this time.

It wasn’t locked.

As it wasn’t Veronica behind your door, it swings open on a dark haired boy, wearing a Hellfire Club t-shirt.

“Hi !” he waves at you with a shy smile.

You look at him in awe, your mind boiling with any insult you knew, thinking of Veronica. For sure you will kill her for that.

“Don’t blame Veronica please !! It was my idea to come here...”

Could he read your mind ?? He could see you were lost at his words.

“I hum… I wanted to talk to you. Last time I tried you… just ran away…” he explained quietly.

You sigh.

At his surprise, you take a step back to let him in, then close the door behind. Without a word you walk to your kitchen to take the cup of tea, bringing another one for him. You walk back to the living room to sit on your sofa, legs crossed. You invited him to sit in front of you. He nodded, quiet as you were, and took a sip of the hot tea you just prepared.

This was a weird moment. You both didn’t want to break the silence around you. So you were both drinking tea without saying anything. You notice he glances at you a few times. Clearing his throat you could see he wasn’t comfortable with the situation. So you decided to talk first.

“What d’you want ?” you ask, maybe a bit too rudely.

He put his cup of tea on the coffee table before looking at you. You could see he was a bit embarrassed but he found some courage.

“I think we started the wrong way. I guess it’s my fault.” he adds. “I can see in your eyes that I did something wrong. But I need your help to tell me so I can understand why you seem to… hate me.” he laughed nervously.

“Wait.” you say, pinching at the bridge of your nose. You were lost at this time. “Eddie do you… Do you just remember something ? Like anything about you and me ?”

“What the fuck ?! y/n, you're my biggest heartbreak ! Of course I remember! How could I forget…” he added with a sad laugh. 

You froze at his words. How could it be possible ? It was him who broke your heart back then. How could he blame you? He continues.

“I remember one day at school. You stopped talking to me. You were even avoiding me ! I never knew why.”

“What ?” you say with a quaver in your voice.

Eddie sees your face and he was as lost as you were right now.

“YOU were the one rejecting me Eddie ! I did nothing ! You do !” 

You were now letting all your feelings out. They were like a tornado at this point and you couldn’t stop yourself.

“You’re the one who broke my heart ! I tried… I really tried to forget you. But when I saw you in this classroom I… I couldn’t believe it.” you sigh, looking down at your feet. “It felt like you were a ghost, haunting me.” you almost whispered.

Eddie was completely lost. His throat felt like a big knot where his voice couldn’t come out from. He stares at you and slowly walks closer, kneeling in front of you. Still looking at your feet, his hand came into your sight as he gently put it on your thigh. You look up in the sudden to meet his eyes. You could see he was truly sorry about how you’re feeling right now. He cleared his throat.

“y/n… What happened between you and me ?” his voice was soft as he was only trying to understand.

“I wrote you a note.” you could feel your tears coming. “I… it was a piece of paper from my notebook. I gave it to one of your friends because I was so scared to give it to you.” You shut your eyes to stop the tears and shake your head. “It said : Would you go out with me ? A : Yes     B : No. And then the paper came back to me, it was ripped and everything was crossed out except the “no”. I was so afraid to ask you to hang out with me. And I was right…”

You couldn’t keep your tears anymore and you felt ridiculous to cry for that in front of him. You suddenly rise from the sofa to run to your room. You couldn’t stay in the same room as him. 

“Wait !” you hear him as you are climbing the stairs.

You wanted to shut your bedroom door behind you but something came in the way. Eddie was here, holding the door.

“Leave me please.” you ask as you dry your tears away.

“Hey y/n !” Eddie came closer to you. “Hey, look at me. Please, look at me.” he gently put his hands on your face so he could see you better.

You blink a few times to clear your vision.

“Hey…” he whispers, wiping your tears with his thumb. “I’m sorry. For everything.” he was even closer to you by now, one of his hands behind your neck. “But y/n, I’ve never had this note from you. And believe me, I would say yes without a doubt.”

His words felt like a bomb. Your eyes widen as you part your mouth.It feels like a knockout. You sat on your bed, still stunned about what you just heard.

“I’m so stupid.” you whispered, almost for yourself.

“No you’re not.” he adds, kneeling again in front of you. He didn’t let you go, his hands still on you. “But again, I’m sorry. I should have asked you out myself back then but… I’ve never had the balls to do it.”

His choice of words makes you laugh a little and you could see his face enlighten with a smile.

“I love this sound of yours.” he admits.

You smile back at him.

“So what about now ?” you add with a bit of hesitation in your voice.

“Well.” he whispers. “I could try to be brave and find the right words but… I’m not very good with words.”

You were about to say something when Eddie closed the gap between you and him. His hands gently caressing your cheeks, you could feel him smile against your lips. You only needed a few seconds to relax and let him kiss you harder. You wrap your arms around his neck to pull him closer to you.

As you thought he would directly throw you on the bed, you can feel one of his arms under your butt as his other hand finds its way to your breast. Delicately, he starts kneading your left boob through your t-shirt, making you gasp at first.

You kiss him more deeply and he lets your tongue play with his. You loved to french kiss. There was something so passionate about that kind of kiss. And you quickly understand he loved that too as you hear him groan a little under your touch. And it makes you shiver instantly.

“Are you okay ?” he enquires between two kisses.

“Yeah.” you sigh as you kiss him again and again.

He smiles and places a hand behind your head before bending over to lay you onto the bed gently. He crawls up to you and places himself between your parted legs. He raises himself on his elbows so he could admire you under him.

You caress his cheek gently, smiling at him. Your eyes flutter as you feel his powerful hands on you. Eddie lost his mind at your touch and that was all he could manage to say.

“Sweetheart you’re beautiful.” 

You giggle. He was so cute with his blushing cheeks and his wide smile. You locked your eyes with his and Eddie blew you a kiss in a silly way before kissing you for real.

Finally, you will have to thank Veronica for making this up.

[storytowrite]

|My cousin’s fiancé ~ Hwang Hyunjin| 

Paring: Hwang Hyunjin x reader

Genre: smut Warnings: swearings, little angst, sex but with a condom, mention of cheating, mention of alcohol, fingering

Word Count: 3,810

Summary: Who knew that cheating on one person can lead to a very pleasant event between two people?

—----------------- 

‘Shit! Please, again? What is wrong with me today?’ You asked yourself looking at the already red arm. You were focused on your phone and didn’t see the glass window that you bumped into, instead of crossing the door. 

‘Are you okay, miss?’ You’ve heard the butler’s voice who looked at you concerned.

‘Yes, yes… I’m okay… thank you’ you answered and went straight to sit at the couch in the living room. You again focused on your cell phone and the news that you were reading. 

Apparently the Hwang Corporation, a leading company into the research and development industry, had a new CEO. Every single magazine was writing about the big news. You rolled your eyes. They were praising him as if he was at least the duke. 

Hwang Hyunjin, the new big boss, was well known among all the investors and businessmen in the whole city. He was charming, tall, flirty and… painfully handsome. Every single woman in the whole industry was dreaming about him. 

And you? You hated him with your whole heart. For you he was just a douchebag who decided to fuck your cousin and then propose to her. So you were forced to see him every single celebration day or gala that your family had been organising.  

You two couldn’t get along since the beginning of your acquaintance. You didn’t know why though, you just hated him, and he hated you - or at least that was what you thought. In your eyes he was just a spoiled kid, who happened to be rich and nothing more. Maybe it was you, or maybe it was his attitude, you didn’t know. 

You rolled your eyes while reading another magazine title. ‘The new CEO of the Hwang Corporation has a fiancé!’ How thrilling you thought to yourself with the sarcasm. You were sure that your cousin, May, was very excited and enjoyed every mention of her. 

In your eyes May was just as spoiled as Hyunjin. She would always show how rich she was. She didn’t finish school and was unemployed. But yet, your family has always compared you to her. They were telling you how successful she is or how beautiful she was. And you were so sick and tired of it. It felt like you weren’t respected at all. You sighed quietly and were about to go to the kitchen to make some late dinner, when your phone suddenly rang. 

‘Hello?’ You answered it immediately. 

‘Oh, hello sweetheart. How are you?’ You heard your mother’s voice from the other side. ‘Have you seen the news?’ 

‘Yes mom, I have.’ You sighed. ‘Why are you calling? Is everything all right?’ 

‘Yes, yes darling. Everything’s fine. In fact, everything is perfect… your cousin, May, is doing a small garden party, and wanted me to ask you if you would come?’ 

‘Oh, right… what’s the occasion?’ 

‘She wanted to celebrate Hyunjin’s promotion of being a CEO’ Your mother said and you could feel how proud she was of him, even if he wasn’t related to her in any way. 

‘Yeah, nah… I don’t have time for May’s tea party, sorry mom…’ 

‘But you have to come! Y/N don’t act like a spoiled brat.’ There it was, your mother’s typical attitude. You rolled your eyes. ‘I’m sure that you don’t have anything important to do anyway… The party is on Friday. Don’t make me disappointed, again.’

‘Yes, sure mom… I will come.’ You sighed. You weren’t in a mood to hear all the bad things she was going to say if you wouldn’t agree. ‘Sorry mom, I have to go… We’ll see at the party.’ You hung up and threw your phone to the couch.  

You hated your family and they hated you, so the feeling was mutual. Ever since you could remember, your mother was a demanding yet cruel person. At least to you. You were the youngest daughter and had two older brothers, who were twins, and your mother loved them more than anything else. She thought that you would also be a son, as she wished. So when it turned out that instead of the third son, she would have had a daughter she wasn’t pleased. 

Your grandfather’s will added fuel to the fire. Your grandfather was the only person that actually cared about you. So when he died, you were devastated. He left the will, in which he concluded that the heir of his whole legacy, would be you. He left you all of his money and his businesses. He knew that you were the only one who would take the proper care of it. After all, he had prepared you to take over his role as a CEO of the Kwon Group. 

So yes, you were a successful business woman. You knew how to do business and the Kwon Group has grown to be irreplaceable and indestructible under your leadership. You carried out all of your grandfather’s plans and also some of yours as well and you were well-known in the business world. And for a twenty-seven year old that was a great achievement. 

But yet, your family didn’t respect you at all. After hearing the will of your grandfather all of them turned their backs on you. Your brothers were jealous, your mother was dissatisfied and the rest of the family just stopped talking to you. So you had everything, the money, the business, the title. But you felt lonely. 

—----------------- 

Friday night came soon. You didn't expect that the time could pass that quickly. In one second you were talking to your mom on the phone and at the other you were preparing yourself for the garden party. 

You put on a long, floral dress with a subtle corset that emphasised your slender figure. The neckline perfectly exposed your collarbones and showed your breasts sensually and subtly enough. You wore high-heels sandals on your feet. You did light make-up that emphasised your cheekbones and you put red lipstick on your lips. You looked into your reflection in the mirror and smiled to yourself. You were ready. 

You arrived at May's property just in time. A small garden party in her mind was at least for one hundred people. You put a smile number five on your face and went straight to the garden deciding that you will go back home after about two hours. You weren’t in the mood for the parties. 

You looked around. The garden was full of people. Some of them you knew, but some were new. You didn’t want to start a conversation with anyone, so you just stood at the back of the garden, next to the table with alcohol and snacks. You’ve decided to not talk to anyone. You just had to show yourself to your mother and May and you could go back to your penthouse. 

“Oh My God! Y/N you don’t know how happy I am to see you!” Suddenly you heard your cousin’s high, sugary sweet voice. “I’m really glad that you actually came.” 

“Yeah… Nice to see you May… And, nice party.” You said smiling at her. 

“Ah yeah, you know Hyunjin got promoted, so I decided that we have to celebrate that. Isn’t that great though?” 

“Yup, it is I guess…” You shrugged. 

“And also I wanted to thank you.” She continued. “If it wasn’t for you, Hyunjin wouldn’t get a promotion. His father wanted to promote his cousin…”

“What are you talking about, May?” You looked at her confused. 

“Well… your mom told us that you will sell all your shares to me and him so the Hwang Corporation will take over the Kwon Group? You know, so both companies will merge or something.” She shrugged. “That’s why Hyunjin’s father promoted him.” 

“Wait, what?! But I’m not going to sell you anything, May.” You said being in pure shock. “What the actual fuck is that? I have never said that I will do it.”

“But your mom said…” 

“But my mother is not a CEO nor does she work for me. I’ll repeat myself, just to be clear. I. Am. Not. Selling. Anything. To. You. And. Your. Fiancé.” 

“You don’t have to be rude, Y/N.” You’ve heard your mother’s voice behind you. “Look at poor May, her eyes are in tears now. How could you…?”

“How could I? What the fuck? Mom, you lied to May and Hyunjin and now you expect me to be kind?” You said angrily. “Look, I don’t know what you think you are, but I’m not going to sell my shares. Why did you say I will do it?”

“Because you should share with your family. Don’t be such a brat Y/N. May is your cousin.” 

“Well, I don’t fucking care! You have no right to decide whether I sell my shares or not!” You raised your voice, so a lot of people in the garden now looked at you and the scene. “I’m leaving, but believe me that I will take legal action against you if you try to do it again, do you understand?” You added and went straight to the exit. 

You were furious and didn’t expect that your mother would actually do something like that. She decided for you. She wanted you to lose all of your company and you couldn’t understand why. You called for your butler who was also a driver and sat on the ground. 

You felt tears forming in your eyes. You were angry but also hurt. You knew your mother didn’t love you, but that was too much. You sighed and wiped tears from your cheeks. Many emotions swirled inside you. You took a small pack of cigarettes from your purse and you lit one. 

The smoke from the cigarette filled your lounges. You started to cough. You weren’t a smoker and didn’t smoke at all. The small pack you kept in your purse was just for an emergency. An emergency like that. 

“I didn’t know you smoked.” You’ve suddenly heard the male voice behind you. You didn’t have to turn to know who he was. 

“You don’t know a lot about me and let’s leave it at that.” You rolled your eyes. 

“May I?” He asked and reached out for a cigarette. You gave him one. 

“What do you want Hyunjin?” You asked. “I’m not going to sell…”

“Don’t worry. I’ve heard your argument with your mom. I don’t want to buy your shares… actually I wanted to apologise.”��

“Apologise?” You blinked. 

“Yeah… I guess someone has to? I think that your mother crossed the line. Also, it's not true that I got promoted because she promised your shares to my father.” He said and looked at you with a corner of his eye. 

“Oh… thank you I guess?” You said but didn’t dare to look at him. 

“…And…” He started. “I would like to meet you tomorrow. Or next week if you want to have a free weekend. But I wanted to do some business with your company and…”

“Okay.” You sighed. “We can meet tomorrow… But if you try to make me sell my shares…”

“Don’t worry, I won’t.” He smiled at you. “Tomorrow then. Meet me at noon in Yongbok’s restaurant.” 

“Of course, your friend’s restaurant.” You rolled your eyes. “But okay… Tomorrow then.” You said and your car just arrived. “Say my goodbyes Hyunjin.” You got in your car and went to your penthouse. You started wondering what was the business that Hyunjin wanted to talk about. 

The next day you woke up early and unable to sleep a little longer decided to dress up and go for a walk before the meeting. You were a little bit nervous. You didn’t know what Hyunjin wanted from you. 

The time passed quickly and before you could even blink there was the time to meet Hyunjin at Yongbok’s restaurant. You went to the meeting and stood in front of it. You took a small mirror from your purse and fixed your make-up. Then you entered the restaurant. 

You looked around looking for him. He wasn’t there or you just couldn’t find him. You sighed and were about to leave when you heard a low voice. 

“Hello Y/N.” You’ve heard. “Long time no see, huh?” 

“Hi Yongbok.” You smiled at the man standing in front of you. The last time you’ve seen him was on May's birthday two years ago. You weren’t close friends, but he was always kind to you. Back then you spent almost the whole night together. “How have you been?” 

“I’ve been good, thanks. And please, call me Felix… all my friends call me that.” He smiled. “You came here to meet with Hyunjin, didn't you? Come, he’s waiting.” 

“Huh? Where? I couldn’t see him…” 

“Ah yes, because he’s at the VIP room.” Felix winked. 

You followed Felix to the VIP room where apparently Hyunjin was waiting for you. You entered the room and the door suddenly closed behind you. You jumped slightly at the sudden noise. 

“Hello Y/N. I’m glad that you actually came.”  You heard Hyunjin’s voice. The room was a little dark inside but you could see his silhouette. “Please, take a seat.”

“Why did you want to meet Hyunjin? And why are we sitting here, in the VIP room?” You asked, sitting in front of him. 

“Well… here we will have more privacy… and also, May is probably cheating on me so I wanted to check if that’s true.” He explained. 

“Okay… why is it connected with me?” You asked, lifting your eyebrow. 

“Well, she’s cheating with one of your managers so I thought that you should know.” He looked at you. “Also, you look pretty today.” He winked. You blinked twice and looked confused at him.  

“Look Y/N… in this room nobody in the restaurant can see us, but we can see them all. Come, sit next to me and I’ll show you…” He said and you did as he asked and sat next to him. Then he pulled back the blinds and you saw the whole restaurant below you. You looked at him and then at the restaurant and blinked. You didn’t expect that something like that was even possible. “See? There is May and your Manager.” 

“Yes… I see… But she shouldn’t know him. Seonghwa is the main finance and risk manager. I was actually going to promote him, he has access to all the information and…” Then it hit you. Your mother and May must have been planning to take over your company and with Seonghwa’s help they could easily do it. “I’m going to fire him…”

“Don’t act rashly, Y/N.” Hyunjin said and winced when he saw May kissing Seonghwa. “I’m going to break up with her though.”

“What should we do now?” You asked, looking at him. 

“Well I want revenge… After all, I proposed to her and she is cheating… She hates you, you know?”

“Tell me something I don’t know, Mr Hwang.” You rolled your eyes. 

“Uh, that sounds sexy…” He muttered under his breath. “Anyway, she hates you, so what if we go there together and act like we are a secret couple or something?” 

“I don’t know if I want to do that. I don’t like you…”

“And yet you came to meet me.” He winked. “Come on, please?” He looked at you with puppy eyes. 

“Ok, fine…” You agreed. “Let’s do this and then we’ll go our separate ways.” 

“As you wish.” He smiled. You both stood up and went straight to the main room where the regular guests were. Before you entered the door Hyunjin grabbed you by your waist and pulled closer to him. “Did I tell you that you smell beautiful?” He asked and you felt that your cheeks instantly changed their colour to red. 

“T-thank you… You too…” You said quietly but he could hear you. He smiled at you and you both passed by your cousin and ex manager. May instantly spotted the two of you. 

“Hyunjin? Y/N what are you doing here?” She asked. 

“Oh, May… I haven’t seen you.” Hyunjin looked at her and smiled a little. “Who is your friend?” 

“Just a friend. What are you doing here with Y/N?” She looked confused. 

“Oh, right… Well, that’s a little awkward. I should have told you earlier but…”

“Are you cheating on me with her?!” She busted. 

“Yes.” Hyunjin said without any hesitation. “And you are cheating on me with him, don’t you?” 

“B-but Hyunjin… it’s not… I-I…”

“Please May, don’t, we are over, you know?” Hyunjin said calmly. “You can keep the ring though.” 

“And Seonghwa.” You finally spoke. “You are fired.” That was the only thing you said. 

“Can we?” Hyunjin asked you and the two of you left holding each other's hands. 

You were impressed how calm he was all the time. He didn’t hesitate at all. You looked at him with the corner of your eye. He was really handsome. He deserved the ‘prince’ title. You started wondering how it was possible that such a handsome man existed and was on earth among normal human beings. He definitely had some godly genes. 

You looked down, your hands were still intertwined. You smiled at yourself. It was a nice feeling after all. You focused on his long fingers and started imagining them inside you. Then you quickly shook your head to forget all the unwanted thoughts. 

“What are you thinking about?” He broke the silence which formed between the two of you.  

“N-nothing…” You stuttered. “You can stop holding my hand though…”

“I know, but I don’t want to.” He smiled a little. “Do you want to maybe grab a drink? I’m not sure if I want to go back to my house now…”

“Hm… okay. We can go to a bar or something.” You shrugged. Hyunjin smiled widely and the two of you went to the nearest bar. 

—-----------------

After a few drinks you felt a little tipsy. You spent a pretty good evening with Hyunjin. Apparently he was not a douchebag as you thought before. He was such a nice gentleman. You had fun with him. A lot of fun actually.

“Careful.” Hyunjin said as you tried to stand up from your seat. “Are you alright Y/N?” He asked. He didn’t drink as much as you. 

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine…” You smiled at him. “I’ll order another drink… Do you want something too?”

“No, thank you, and I think that you had enough.” He said. “Let me drive you home.”

“But I don’t want to.” You whined.

“Come on Y/N.” He walked you out of the bar and took you to his car. His driver drove the two of you to your penthouse. 

The whole way to your home was silent. You didn’t want to say anything, not feeling much sober. Hyunjin also didn’t want to say a word. After all, you two weren’t even close. Little did you know that he wished you would. 

He helped you get out of his car and walked you to the front door of your penthouse. You looked at him in the elevator. His long, black hair was perfectly styled. He looked like he was out of the cover of the most exclusive magazine. 

The two of you stood in front of your door. 

“Are you going to open?” He asked. 

“Are you going to come in?” You answered the question with the question and opened the door. You invited him. He entered your apartment and scanned everything, then his eyes landed on you. He couldn’t take his eyes off you. 

“You want something to drink or…” You weren’t able to finish the sentence as Hyunjin's lips were suddenly on yours. You blinked before you fully gave in to the feeling. His lips were velvety and juicy. You didn't expect the kiss though. It wasn’t just a kiss it was aggressive and sensual at the same time. 

He didn’t give you time to process what actually was happening. You totally gave in. Your hands were all over his body and you started to unbutton his shirt. He smiled at you and pulled you closer to himself, kissing your neck. 

He pushed your hands away and pulled the belt from his pants to tie it around your wrists. Then he lifted you and found the way to your bedroom where he laid you on the bed and stripped himself. Then he leaned over you and smiled slightly. 

“Can I take your dress off, sweetheart?” He asked and when you nod he unbuttoned your dress and took it off of your body. He smiled widely as he found out that you didn’t wear any bra today. 

His hands grabbed your boobs and squished them gently. You let out a soft moan which made Hyunjin smile again. Then his lips attacked your nipples, biting them gently. 

Unable to touch him you started to wiggle under his touch. Your moans become louder and louder. He had all the control and he was in no hurry. 

“Hyunjin please.” You whined, moving your legs as you felt the wetness between them. 

“What do you want, sweetheart?” He asked licking his lips and looking straight in your eyes. 

“I want you.” You cried out. 

“Hm… not yet, sweetheart. Let me taste you first.” He answered and kissed you again. Then he moved from your lips across your whole body and licked his lips once again before he spread your legs wide open and kissed your clit. You let out a soft groan as his tongue started playing with you. He ate you out and led you to the orgasm that hit you instantly and hard. Then he pulled off. “You taste sweet.” He smiled, licking his lips. “Are you ready to feel me?” He asked as you nod and tried to calm your breathing. “Good girl.” 

Suddenly you felt his long fingers inside you. You let out a loud moan. He started moving his hand slowly and added another long finger inside you. His thumb was rubbing your clit. The only thing you could do, was wriggling and moaning. 

“Hyunjin, please!” You cried out. 

“I like when you beg.” He said and pulled off his hand. He put a condom on his member and slipped into you. You both left a loud groan. Hyunjin started to move inside you. He set a fairly fast pace and his movements were strong. You both didn’t last long and the orgasm hit the both of you at the same time. 

Hyunjin laid down next to you panthing and smiled. You looked at him and smiled back. You both didn’t need any words because your eyes said everything that had to be said. He pulled you closer and hugged you tightly. 

Since that night everything had changed. 

—----------------- 

Masterlist

[boundinparchment]

Dream a Little Dream of Me - XIX

Celestia has a cruel sense of humor. He’s always known this, ever since his days as a student. But a soulmate? Really? Dottore/Female Reader Soulmate AU. Lore speculation, interpretations, etc. AO3 Chapter is Here.

You were a long way from the main road.  Nothing here looked familiar at all and despite the recognizable smells and sounds, you truly had no idea where you were.

It all started with a game of hide and seek, you recalled.  You were out for a weekend to the countryside on the border of Sumeru with the rest of your class, a momentary reprieve to let all of you have some fun after your latest recital.  You hid with the rest of your classmates but at some point you stopped hearing them and no one else came looking for you.

It wasn’t entirely surprising.  You had friends, yes, but that loyalty only extended so far.  Outside of the classroom, outside of confinement to your instrument section, everything was fair game. 

You sighed.  Even if you wanted to go back to the big house, you couldn’t; you wouldn’t know the first direction to go in.  

So instead, you followed the sun, heading what you presumed was west.  Eventually you came upon a creek that led out to a larger stream.  The grass was greener here, softer too.  You heard a snap nearby and nearly jumped when you caught sight of a kid, not much older than yourself, stumbling out of the woods on the other side of the stream.  Turquoise hair, dusted with leaves, and eyes so red you first thought he might be sick.  He was dressed in what you had recently learned was a salwar kameez; loose trousers and a long tunic.  

You received a harsh glare as he brushed the leaves from his hair.

“Who are you?  Another person to throw stones at me?”

His words were venomous, defensive, and the look in his eyes made you take a step back.  You’d done nothing wrong to warrant such a reaction.

And then you noticed the cuts and the bruises across his face and palms.  Crimson eyes watched you as he rinsed his hands in the stream, wincing at the wounds.

“If you aren’t here to stone me, then perhaps you’re here to take me back so the village leader can finish what he started?  So you can be rid of the heretical monster once and for all?”

You shook your head, too stunned to speak.  Had he really just been harmed by his whole village?

“Are you mute?” he snapped.

“No, I’m not mute,” you threw back.

His smile was sharp, almost cruel.  “You talk funny.  Where are you from?”

The other child tore the edge of his tunic, using the strip to wrap his hand.  He seemed practiced at such things, as if he had tended his own wounds before.  You wouldn’t have known the first thing except for washing the cut.  Usually your parents and the teachers took care of such matters.  Your fingertips ached at the sight, remembering how easily you used to cut open your own skin when you played for too long.

“Fontaine.”

His eyes lit up.  “Really?  What’s it like there?”

“Kinda dirty and super smelly,” you admitted.  “The sky isn’t as blue as it is here.”

“Do you have machines?  Robots?  Is it true that you get around in carriages and wagons that can fly?”

He seemed eager to know, his pain all but forgotten at the mention of your homeland.

“The rich people do, I’ve never ridden one.  We have factories and those use machines to make stuff.”

“Tch.  What’s the point of all of those machines if you don’t get to use them?”

“They make things easier?” You shrugged, at a loss for words.  No one ever really taught you why machines were important, just that they existed and that you needed to stay away from them.

You watched as the boy’s attention was drawn from you to something else.  He seemed to be talking but there wasn’t anyone or anything near him.  

“Ararycan, what do you think?”

An imaginary friend, maybe?

You looked up at the sky.  The sun was still pretty high in the sky and you couldn’t have been that far from the big house.  Maybe you could ask him for directions and be on your way.  You didn’t want anyone to worry more than necessary.  Would he even know the place you were staying?

You were snapped out of your thoughts again, the boy’s voice eager.  

“Do you want to see a really cool machine?”

“I should really get back–”

“It’s way better than anything Fontaine has!”

He was so excited, as if he hadn’t been hurt, and your heartstrings tugged.  It would be nice to have a friend in Sumeru.  And he seemed kind enough, if a bit odd.  His smile was soft, happy.

“Is it far?” you asked.

“You probably passed it, it’s on your side of the water.  I’ll show you!”

“As long as it’s not all that far.  My school is staying over the border, there’s a really big house, and I wandered too far…I don’t know how to get back.”

As you spoke, the boy easily navigated the stream and the slippery rocks dotting its surface, hopping across.  He must do it a lot, you realized.

“Oh, that place,” he said, his tone flat.  “What I want to show you is on the way.  Ararycan and I can get you back.”

“Arary–” the word felt slippery on your tongue and you frowned.

“Ara-ry-can,” the boy enunciated and then pointed to his side.  “He’s an Aranara.”

“Aranara?  What’s an Aranara?”

It was the boy’s turn to be confused, his nose scrunched.

“You…you don’t know what an Aranara is?”

“No, we don’t have them in Fontaine.”

“Fontaine is weird,” he said at last before he turned and began walking the way you originally came.  “Are you coming or what?”

You chased after the boy, catching up in no time.

“What’s your name, anyway?” you asked as you trekked through the grass, offering your name in exchange for his.

He repeated your name with ease, acknowledging that he’d heard it correctly.

“I’m Zandik.”

His name was burned into your mind, along with his joyous, infectious smile.

____________________

“You cannot just—”

“I think you’ll find I can,” you retorted, your voice firm.  “The terms of the patronage with your family were very specific.  I cannot and will not be prevented from seeking employment and leaving if I find an opportunity that is to the benefit of myself.  I have that freedom, monsieur.   I am merely extending the courtesy of notice.”

Your eyes fell upon the lawyer at your patron’s elbow, who could only affirm what you said and cite the exact clauses of the contract.  No laws were broken; the contract was upheld.  Legally , he could do nothing to prevent you from leaving.

“And you find that performing on behalf of the government, serving as nothing more than propaganda, to be an opportunity?”

“That is for me to decide.  No one else.”

He chuckled and leaned back in his seat, fingers playing with his signet ring.  You hated that thing.  You could still feel the bruise it left on your skin.

“What a shame.  When you first arrived, I thought you might be a permanent fixture of this house.  But you are right, I cannot stop you nor prevent you from leaving,” he spoke mildly.  “The appropriate papers will be drawn up and left for you to sign while I am in Court tomorrow.  You may leave after they are done.  You will not be receiving the rest of your stipend for the month.”

“Oui, monsieur.”

“Get out.”

You bowed and took your leave, releasing your breath only when you reached your room at the top of the stairs.  Your Geo Vision was gripped tight in your folded hands, your knuckles white and the metal setting pressing hard into your fingers.  Packing was easy; you owned little.

The next morning, you scrawled your name across a nondisclosure agreement and a waiver, both of which the lawyer filing them assured you were standard for these arrangements.  You doubted that, given some of the clauses buried in each of them, but held your tongue.  They were not worth the fight, not when a new life was so close.

Despite the low smog creeping up from the lower districts, the first breath of air you took outside was the sweetest one you’d taken in years.  They only seemed to get sweeter with the closer you drew to your new destination.

____________________

“It’s not much farther!”

Your legs were more than ready to give out.  They’d long since turned to pudding.  Why did it have to be this far from the city?

Zandik’s enthusiasm could not be curbed, even by time, you noted.  He was much taller, a little less gangly (although not by much), his smile now capable of charming those who saw it.  The young man didn’t much seem to care, nor notice, the way the other students looked at you as you waited for him in the Akademiya’s foyer.  He only had eyes for you, despite years of distance, of existing only as a piece of paper and strokes of ink.

“You hold a heavy instrument for a living, mulahin.  How are you tired?” 

His teasing certainly hadn’t stopped by any means, either.

You didn’t deign to answer, saving all of your energy for making it up the rest of the narrow, winding path.  When you were almost there, Zandik reached back and pulled you up the last narrow step to the summit of the hill.  His crimson eyes danced with glee, his smile wide.

“We’re now officially in three nations at once,” he remarked, his gaze falling onto the nearby Chasm, before he turned and pointed to Fontaine, the large waterfall of the main city far off in the distance.  “Quite the trip from Sumeru City but from here, the view is priceless.”

You could hardly refute him.  From here, you could see Sumeru City and the Tree in which the city made its home, Avidya Forest surrounding it; the autumnal spiral of the Chasm and its mine, with a glimpse at Liyue Harbor’s tallest rooftops; and the glittering lights of Fontaine and the tiers of waterfalls the Lochfolk called home.  You’d never seen such a thing before.  You’d hardly seen anything other than Fontaine and in the past few months, all you’d known was your patron’s city manor, cold and imposing.

A foot in all three nations.

“It’s stunning, Zandik.”

“Isn’t it?”

You glanced at him to find him watching you as he laid out the blanket for the picnic, as if he was memorizing your features.  Heat crept up your neck and into your cheeks and you were thankful for the golden hue of sunset to hide whatever flush you might have.  

Most of the food provisions had been purchased, rather than prepared by hand; you hadn’t had the time to do anything and Zandik freely admitted it was better that he not try.  You didn’t mind, since either way it meant new food and getting to know your friend’s culture a little more closely.  

“Private patronage sounds like a dream,” Zandik said, polishing off the last of his shawarma wrap.  “You’re beholden to no one but your patron and essentially left to do as you wish as long as other requirements are met.  No academic board lording over you, no antiquated and ridiculous policies…it must help with composing, no?”

“I suppose.  I still have private sessions with a tutor and I’m not ready for more formal performances other than dinner parties with family just yet.  I feel like a show dog or a special project, brought out only to impress and then shoved back in the closet until they have use for me.”

Zandik raised his eyebrows quickly, as if to gesture, If you say so.  It was far more complicated and came with so many red strings attached that your head spun.  Now was not the time to explain such things and it was better, perhaps, to spare him that burden.

You wished your heart wouldn’t squeeze every time you looked at him.  It felt as though time itself stopped and the breath you were about to take was being ripped from your lungs every time you caught each other looking.  Your arms brushed and neither of you moved, not until your hands touched as you both reached for the last remnants of the baklava and found only one another’s fingers.

His touch was quickly replaced with the last half of the flakey pastry with a last brush of a finger: a truce.

By then, the sun had long since set and the stars revealed themselves, shining bright against the blanket of the night sky.

“In some stories, stars are the fruit of Irminsul,” Zandik murmured.  “Fate is literally tangled into the structure of the world, inescapable.”

In a nearby patch of dirt, he drew a tree, and then a half-circle, the branches dipping into the curved line.  

“All anyone ever says is that fate is written in the stars.  But if the stars are fruit on the branch of a tree…”

He erased a few lines and redrew them in different positions.

“It stands to reason that, with pruning and trimming and graphing, one could grow their own fate, will it in a different direction.  Cultivated by one’s energy and time rather than left to the whims of the gods.”

“Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of fate?  If we have the free will to change our destiny, isn’t our destiny simply what we make it out to be?  And who’s to say that the stars aren’t permanently locked in place?  That the fruit would still grow, but that no matter the way we trim or graph a branch, the same fruit is still grown?”

Zandik laughed softly.  “If it were so easy to figure out, everyone would do it.  But I firmly believe that fate can be changed, rewritten, perfected .  In the same way that humans can be refined and enhanced, just as machines can, fate too can be changed…”

You watched as Zandik’s eyes shifted away from you and out towards Sumeru City and beyond, into the desert you only heard stories about.  His eyes seemed to have glazed over as he lost himself in thought.  You shifted to sit closer to him and rested your head on his arm.

“I wouldn’t change meeting you, of course,” he said.  “Nor your presence in my life.  But there are things that, no matter how I look at them, no matter the perspective, I cannot find a reason for them except an unjust fate.”

You could only bring yourself to nod, his words hitting you far deeper than you cared to admit.

____________________

The Zapolyarny Palace was intimidating, a fortress more than a palace, and the very walls seemed to be made of the very Cyro energy of the Tsaritsa herself.  Performing for Her Most Excellent and her Harbingers was both a dream come true and your greatest nightmare.  If there was one place you never expected to end up, even within Fontaine’s national orchestra, it was here .

The theatre made it difficult to see all of your guests, of course.  It wasn’t until much later that your eyes constantly fell upon a figure in white, with hair so familiar that your head hurt trying to think, and a mask not unlike a raven’s beak.  Why was he so…

“Dottore, what of…” 

You couldn’t help but notice how the figure responded to the title, arrogant and amused at the question posed to him.

A spark went off in your mind.

Of course.  One of your last dinner parties in Fontaine.  You’d met Il Dottore.

No wonder he was so familiar.

At some point during the evening, you’d wandered out into the greenhouse, unable to sleep.  Usually, the first night anywhere new was difficult; the bed was different, the schedule a bit whacky, and the food took a day to get used to.  You’d wandered only to stretch your legs but when you caught sight of the crystal structure and the backdrop of the snowy evening, you couldn’t help yourself.  Inspiration danced at your fingertips as you marveled at the beauty growing in such a barren wasteland.  Note progressions and patterns tickled your mind and you hummed to yourself as you brushed a thumb over a pink rose, its petal as soft as velvet.

“What a lovely song.”

The voice made you jump, your eyes the size of dinner plates as you searched for the source.  Your gaze landed on a figure in the doorway, white suit still immaculate and mask firmly in place.

“Lord Harbinger,” you bowed low, crossing your right arm over your chest to cover your heart.

You stood in place as he closed the distance, every step seemingly in time with your own heartbeat.  He took your hand in his own, as he had so long ago, and raised it to his lips.  Much like the last time, he did not immediately let go of your hand.  It took everything in you to keep your hand and wrist steady, being so close, so alone, with a Fatui Harbinger.

“We’ve met before,” he said at last.  He shifted his weight and pressed a finger of his free hand to his lips.  “…ah, yes, that dreadful dinner party.  You were the cellist, given no break in between songs after dinner.”

“Guilty,” you felt your face grow warm.  “That was one of my last performances in that house.”

“And now you’re traveling the world, it seems.  Your joints feel far less swollen than they did, I can only surmise you’re given proper care and rest?”

“As much as a tour schedule allows.”

He nodded, seemingly pleased at such a notion.  His eyes, although hidden by his mask, seemed to bore into you, as if analyzing you from head to toe.  The corner of his mouth twitched before he spoke again.

“If you would pardon my boldness…had we met before that?  In Sumeru?  You…look quite similar to someone I once knew…”

You tilted your head slightly, trying to place the features you could see.  The jaw was sharper, mouth a bit more firm, but the hair…no one else had hair that so closely reminded you of morning tide, of aquamarine…

Surely…

“Zandik?” you breathed, the name slipping off your tongue.

Dottore smiled and you couldn’t help but let out a quiet laugh.  

“I haven’t heard that name in a long time,” he replied softly.  “I thought perhaps it was you when I saw you in Fontaine but your patron hardly allowed you time alone with guests for me to ask.”

“You stopped writing,” you replied, recalling the last missive you ever received.  “You were working in the desert and then…for all I knew, you were dead —”

“Zandik is, in a manner of speaking.  I couldn’t very well reach out without drawing attention to you.  That hardly seemed fair.”

Fate isn’t fair, you wanted to argue.  Life isn’t fair.  It’s not meant to be.  You cannot control everything.

Of all the things you never expected…

“Forgive me,” Dottore said, his thumb brushing over your knuckles, your hand still in his.  You couldn’t bring yourself to pull away, not now.  “The circumstances were not ideal and I did what I thought was best.”

“Which somehow involved becoming a Fatui Harbinger?”

You gestured with your free hand to the greenhouse and the palace attached, to his dress uniform that looked, upon further inspection, not unlike the salwar kameez you first saw him in, all those years ago.

“I fear we may not have the time for the full tale.”

“The abridged version, then.  I am owed that much.”

He chuckled softly.  “That you are, mulahin .”

You were acutely aware, now, of how little distance was between you.  The greenhouse was warmer than the rest of the Palace but somehow, he seemed warmer still.  The hand holding yours was still stroking your knuckles and fingertips, shifting between light, feathery touches and steady, certain ones.  You longed for nothing more than to see his gaze properly, to feel his eyes on you without an obstruction, to know for sure it was your Zandik you were speaking to again.

“In another life, I would think we were soulmates,” he whispered.  “Our paths seem to constantly cross…at what point will they remain on the same path?”

His breath was hot on your lips, so close that all it would take was looking up just a little more…

Your heartbeat was so loud in your own ears that you didn’t hear footsteps, nor the clearing of a throat.  Strong hands steadied you as someone said, “Lord Harbinger Dottore, pardon the intrusion, the Jester is looking for you.”

Dottore inhaled sharply, his jaw tight as he muttered an apology.  Your blood raced in your ears, your lips still parted in an expectant oh , the moment shattered before it could begin.

“We will speak before you leave Snezhnaya,” he whispered, pressing a hand to your cheek.

You leaned into the touch, savoring it before he pulled away and all you knew was agony.

____________________

“Be careful not to touch anything, please, noor ‘eini.  Several substances are not to be handled with bare skin.”

“Most of the things in this room shouldn’t be handled with bare skin nor unprotected eyes,” you replied, gaze scanning the shelves and shelves of chemical substances.

“Such as your shining brilliance and beautiful compositions?”

“Zandik.”

You received that all-too-charming smile you were so familiar with before he slid the goggles down over his eyes.  Cheeky.  He would pay for that later.

This part of his laboratory was known to a handful, including yourself; no one dared go further than necessary.  Down here, far below the Palace, he could work in peace.

“So far, everything seems to hold true to my hypothesis.  Archon Residue may truly be the answer, the missing link.  It might certainly do wonders for the strength of a Delusion…who would have thought that the very blood of the gods from the Archon War would prove this useful?”

In a far corner of the room was a pile of oozing ore, purple and pulsating.  A trail of the material, glowing and sticky, almost blood-like in its viscosity, led from the pile to the operating table.  Laid upon the surface was a puppet of Inazuman make, once ordinary.  You’d met the Balladeer before, briefly, but you’d never seen him with eyes that vibrant and bright, glowing with power far beyond mortal comprehension.

Eyes full of knowledge, of the marvels hidden in the depths of the world.

Eyes like…

Like…

The ones peeking at you from behind a bookshelf.

They were gone again before you could blink and you found yourself rubbing your eyes, doubting your vision.  Just as he was about to get back to work, Zandik stopped and pulled his goggles back up, crimson eyes full of concern.

“Oh, forgive me, you must be exhausted.  Here I am, dragging you down here when you’re probably ready to fall asleep standing up.  I only wanted to show you that the hypothesis may prove viable after all; you’re the only one I can do that with, noor ‘eini.”

You waved a hand.  “Think nothing of it, I told you I needed a break.  Is it painful, the Archon Residue?  I thought Barnabas’ patients were–”

“He didn’t refine it enough.  His samples were heavily polluted and it resulted in the entire situation with Monstadt.  Considering the Balladeer’s body is artificial, there will be far less room for such contamination.”

You nodded, smiling.  “It is promising.  I hope your efforts benefit both of you, in the end.”

“How could they not?”

Zandik covered his eyes again and set back to work, his mind already leagues ahead.  He was too occupied to see you back upstairs, as you’d expected, and thus you made the long journey to the surface alone.

When you returned to your shared private quarters, you heard a piano, the notes halting and choppy.  As you rounded a corner, you caught the sight of a child, white hair with tips turning into a light green, grass poking through the thawing ice in spring.  Wide eyes, verdant as the trees of Sumeru, watched you, full of wonder.  Memories tickled your brain, begging you to remember where you’d seen her before…

“I was hoping we wouldn’t meet this way.”

[halfagone]

Here is an idea (inspired from the idea of someone else) you can do whatever you want to with: Jason for some reason decides to put a bounty (with favours and family dinners in exchange) on some rich guy and our lovely emotionally constipated rich guy, Bruce, takes the first row seat in listening the rules and pulls out a pen and paper from the ether and writes down everything and asks numerous questions. Bruce scores so many points that Jason sweats... And all he wants is a family dinner every other week. Absolutely nothing else, just come over, have dinner, chat with the sibs and Alfred (Jason is more than free to pretend that Bruce isn't there or so the older of the two says) and leave whenever. And after some mental calculations Jason knows that it will take at least 3 years to get through all of the pilled up family dinners and he has no idea what to even start thinking or feeling. Meanwhile every wonders if Bruce broke Jason with his own way of showing love and affection.

P.S. I HC that at least part of Bruce's love language is to spend time in the same space with his kids doing whatever... Even if it means doing paperwork in the middle of the room where Dick experiences an acrobat's wet dreams.

I'm not gonna lie to you, my brain literally went to 'paid mercenary' when I read 'bounty', but people put bounties on targets even without killing involved! So that's on me. lol But I definitely think that Bruce likes to spend lots of time with his children when he can, which could stem from lots of things, like how his parents died while they were on a night in the town together and even though he lost him he at least got to know how much they cared about him, and if he ever dies he wants his children to know that too, and that means showing an interest in their lives and being there. Or maybe it's because the last time he let a kid out of his sight for too long they went to a foreign country, got killed, and came back thinking they had died unloved and forgotten. 🙃

Sorry, my brain automatically translates to angst.

But seriously, Bruce wants to be there! Sometimes that means he can be overeager and always hovering over their shoulder, driving them up a wall. And sometimes that means he meddles and comes around even when they don't want them to.

Bruce spent such a long time alone in the Manor, with only Alfred to keep him company, and then went to travel and train largely alone, with only the occasional companion. And then he started his crusade expecting that to continue, only to soon gain a partner and son in Dick, and then slowly but steadily fill up the Manor with lively children.

Why would he ever want to go back to the way things used to be? And moreover, he chose to have these children in his life, why would he not want to spend time with them?

Jason would probably struggle to wrap his head around the concept the most. He went so long thinking only a certain way about Bruce, and then has to realize that he might have been wrong about Bruce from the start. He's got his own problems with parents who had loved or cared for him, but hadn't really been in the space or position to properly care about him. Look at Catherine, she loved and took care of Jason even when he wasn't her own son by blood! And yet having him in her life hadn't been enough to keep her off her drugs and addiction. That can really fuck a kid up. Bruce has plenty of other kids, lots of responsibility, and he can be a workaholic! But the fact that he wants and tries to make the time to spend time with his children, even if it just means being in the same room together so that he can hear them talk and laugh and rib each other says a lot about how important they are to him. And I'd like to think Jason would realize that too.

Bruce is, and more importantly can be, a good father! I will die on this hill, even if I have to get the dirt and make it myself.

10/10 HC, @chrysanthemum9484. It's not a fic, but my god, it's still got lots of feeling. I've got lots of Feelings. I shouldn't be allowed to write...

Side note: NF's How Could You Leave Us gives me major Jason Todd Feelings and I don't know how to cope with that.

[justanothersimsblog]

Ship Questions Redux: Ibis & Taia

II. GENERAL

Who initiated the relationship, and how did they go about it?

What relationship? You mean he pretending to be a tutor to get dates, she falling for it and ending up in his room, and then her taking it a step further? Well then, that, that's what happened.

Did they have an official first date? If so, what was it like?

Ehm...does lunch in the school cafeteria count? While Ibis used his powers and his friends/siblings to make sure they weren't interrupted and she felt extra special? It was fine. He watched her eat and made her blush by winking, smiling, and telling her whatever he could think of.

What was their first kiss like?

Basically she threw herself at him.

Were they each other's first anything (kiss, relationship, etc.)?

First almost everything. Except relationship. They still both refuse to call it that, and he officially had a girlfriend before her (she was his first kiss). But otherwise? first time, first...bae, first KID!

What is their height difference? Age difference? Do either matter to them?

Oh, he's taller. He's hella tall. He's over 6 feet, she's around 5'5". However she's older, by like 6 months. They care about neither of those things but won't lie that it's a pro (his being tall is a pro to her, her being older is a pro to him).

How do their personalities complement each other? How do they clash?

They're both stupid - ok ok, I kid. They're not. They were just teenagers, can't expect much. Normally when they think about the future is in a dreamlike, faraway, way, instead of an imminent thing you need to plan for. They often live in the moment and forget about everything else when they're together.

He doesn't worry about the future because he feels he's already got all he wants. She doesn't worry because why worry about something you can't control? Until recently she thought the plan was obvious, she'd just follow it and that'd be it. Of course, Lori wasn't part of either of them's plan.

What is their relationship with each other's families like?

It's mostly positive. Ibis parent's always got mad at him, not her. AND they mostly got mad at him for lying and the drugs and cutting class, not for having a girlfriend or having sex. Her parents wouldn't believe they were having sex, and because he came from money and an influential family (his uncle is the mayor!) they liked him, or at least approved of him.

Who takes the lead in social situations? How are they around each other's friends?

Ibis takes lead. He's friendly and very comfortable with people. She's shy.

Her besty hates him, outwardly, and loudly. His friends think there most be something wrong with Taia to fall for him, but ultimately like her, and saw that he was indeed smitten while with her. I mean, he stopped seeing them as much in favor of sneaking around with her.

Who gets jealous easier?

Ehm...neither one? Maaaaybe Ibis, but mostly cuz he refuses to believe anyone could possibly be better than him lol. Especially when he was 15.

What are their parallels, whether in their personalities or their histories?

They both love to travel, and dreamed of going around the world doing nothing but practicing their craft (and for a moment there, being with each other). Neither one made plans for the future (though for different reasons).

Who whispers inappropriate things in the other's ear in public?

Ibis 💯 He doesn't even need to whisper, he can mind write it, and does.

Do they hide anything from each other, big or small?

lol lots, but most notably SHE HID A WHOLE KID FROM HIM

Which one thinks they aren't good enough for the other, if at all?

Taia was worried about him forgetting her. Don't worry girlie, he CANNOT.

What are some songs that apply to their relationship, in-universe or otherwise?

Oh so soooo many. Hera ya go, a playlist

What is their most common argument about?

They haven't argued... yet.

[velvetdaydream1]

okay but a spiderdeku fiction where Deku is Peter Parker, Ochako is Gwen Stacy, and Bakugou is MJ?? I already wrote chapter one! It's not the best written thing but oh well

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Chapter 1: Izuku Midoriya

Midoriya Izuku. He was a 1st year at the top school in Japan, UA. The school is best know for their incredible their academics. All their students go off to have high end jobs. Engineerings, Policemen, Scientists, Doctors, and some even go on to working in the government. The entrance exam is always called brutal, even by students that got in. Izuku's always dreamed of getting into that school. He planned on becoming a great scientist like the man he looked up to, Yagi Toshinori. The man made some amazing discoverys and worked with pretty high up agencies. Yagi was also known for creating books of his own. The man pretty much did whatever he put his kind too. A lot of people loved his one and only fictonal book about a hero named All Migh, which he based off himself. That became pretty popular. So yeah, Izuku aimed on going to the school he did, UA.

Izuku was a smart kid, always passed and had amazing grades in all his classes. He even had his own notebook full of his own theories and noted his own discoveries. He knew a lot about science and anatomy. He was just smarted when it came to those things and they interested him the most. He loved learning new things and discovering how things work and why they work that way. It was incredible. Though, middle school, people bullied him for it. They called him "weird" or made fun of him for being so nerdy and how lonely he was. Izuku didn't understand why, some of these people even use to be his friend. Like Bakugou Katsuki, who he calls Kacchan. Bakugou and Izuku were close as kids, yes, but once they hit middle school, everything changed.

Bakugou was popular. Bakugou was good at sports. Bakugou was one of the top student. He was so much better than Izuku. Well, thats what everyone thought and said, including some teachers. When they got older, Bakugou started getting more athletic and signed up for multiple sports. His favorite was soccer and baseball. So the boy did sports all year. People were amazed with how he worked his way around being on two teams for different sports sometimes, depending on what he wanted to play that year. He was taller, standing at 5'11 and was pretty muscular.

Izuku was nothing like him. He wasn't good at sports. Trust him, Bakugou, when still keeping up with his friendship with Izuku, tried getting Izuku to sign up but Izuku could not do it. He had horrible asthma and having glasses while doing this was just annoying. He was just a 5'5, skinny nerd. The only thing he had going for him was his grades. Eventually, when Bakugou gave up on him and joined in on the kids who bullied Izuku, he started competing with everything. He even started the whole "Deku" nickname. He grew a huge ego, thinking he was better than Izuku and everyone else. He started tormenting Izuku when he got a high grade than Bakugou so Izuku started getting some things wrong to go down a couple points. Not to the point he was barely passing, just enough to get Bakugou to stop. Bakugou would still comment, yes. The occasional "look, you got stupid" or "HA, i did better than you damn nerd," but nothing more than that.

Bakugou told Izuku not to apply to UA, but he did anyways which pissed Bakugou off. But Izuku didn't care. He would accomplish his dreams no matter how many times Bakugou and his little friends would tell him that he wouldn't. He would never be as good as some of the other big named people like Todoroki Enji, Yagi Toshinori, Usagiyama Rumi. But he could try. Besides it wasn't like he would be in the same class as Bakugou.

But he was wrong. They both ended up in cpass 1A. To his luck, Bakugou had barelt talked to him despite being sat sitting in front of Izuku. He would still call him Deku, but the name grew on him. Why? Uraraka Ochako is why.

She was one of the first people Izuku befriended. She was a short, blubby, brunette which the most beautiful eyes, Izuku thought. She changed the reason she likes the name Deku. So he let her call him that. Izuku befriended almost the whole class. Todoroki Shouto, Iida Tenya, and Uraraka Ochako were his closest friends. Ochako was close to all plus Ashido Mina and Asui Tsuyu. Izuku loved his class. He loved his teacher. He loved his friends. He loved who he was becoming.

Then he realized he grew feeling for his best friend Ochako. Everyone already knew Ochako had feelings for him, they were shocked it took Izuku almost all school year to realize his own feelings for her. He was very awkward about it. He would over think it too. Say things to cause them both to get flustered. Mina encouraged Ochako to confess and Kirishima and Shouto encouraged Izuku to confess too. They eventually confessed at the same time. They both smiled and blushed then became an official couple.

They were cute and sweet. They would study together and bring each other over to each other's home. Their parents adored them. Inko would always cook for Ochako, always her favorite and would even buy her mochi. Ochako's parents always made sure to mention something Izuku liked and listened whenever he would ramble on and on about it. That's what he could appreciate about the Urarakas. They listened to his rambles. They were such a kind family. And Ochako. He could and would go on about her beauty. He loved her pink cheeks, how she tap her tips on her fingers together when she's nervous, how she was passionate on becoming a doctor, her love for anything sweet, her favorite animals being dogs, her favorite colors being purple and pink, how non judmeental she is.

Ochako actually helped Izuku realized he was bisexual. The whole night was interesting. They were talking about past crushes and Ochako made him realized he definitely had a crush on Bakugou when he was younger. When it finally clicked that was what she was telling him it was, he just stared at her causing her to laugh. She didn't care though. He realized it and then moved on with his girlfriend.

Now, present time, they were starting their second year. It was the first day back. Izuku told his mom by after getting ready then rushed to Ochako's home to they could walk together. He saw her waiting. He ran over and when she saw him, a smile grew on her face.

"Deku!!!" She started waving.

"Hi, Ochako." He smiled as he reached her, he bent down and gave her a small peck on the lips.

She held his hand as they began to walk. "I'm so excited to see everyone again!" She said cheerfully.

He nodded. "Yeah, I got to see Iida and Todoroki over break but evergone else will be exciting."

"Yeah!!! Plus they finsihed the dorms so we can officially move in next week." She smiled. "It'll be nice to see tou everyday."

"Yeah. I can't wait for what this year will bring!"

They made it onto the school ground where they saw some members of their class. Denki immediately saw Izuku and rushed over to him.

"Hey man! I'm glad to see you again!" He said with a grin and threw his arm over his shoulder. "Glad to see you and your girl are still doing well."

Izuku and Ochako blushed, "Mhm, good to see you too." He said

"Did you make any progress with Jirou?" Ochako asked leaning over to face Denki.

He made a face. "I haven't exactly been brave enough to. What if she doesnt like me?"

"Don't worry, Denki! Maybe this year me and Deku can help you!" She smiled.

Denki formed a small smile on his face. "You guys would do that?"

"Of course, you're our friend after all, plus Ochako's friends with Jirou."

He trapped them both into a hug. "I own you guys so much!!!" Then he ran off.

Izuku looked down at his girlfriend, "You're a great person, you know." He kissed her forhead.

She giggled, "I'm only helping my friends."

"Yeah, getting into a relationship, that can change a person's life. Like how you changed mine, you're probably the most important thing to me."

Ochako softly smiled at her boyfriend. "You are to me too. That's why I'm never leaving you!!!" She tightly hugged him.

He started laughing and almost fell due to how hard she hugged him. "Yeah yeah, I'm glad you aren't."

They continued their walk into the school, making it to their class. Mina immediately pulled Ochako away from her side to caught up. Izuku watched his girlfriend laugh with her friends as he made his way to his seat. He accidentally bumped into someone, while not paying attention to where he was walking as he looked at Ochako.

He fell to the ground. "Ah- I'm so sorry-" He looked up to see who he ran into. Katsuki.

He hasn't talked to him for the longest time. The most they talked was for school work or if Kirishima decided to hang out with Izuku during class. Bakugou was always with Kirishima. It was odd to see, Bakugou following someone around. Though, he acted as if Kirishima was the one following him.

"Kacchan! I'm so sorry. I should been paying attention." Izuku's voice cracked a bit. Last time he bumped into him during middle school, Bakugou pushed him and yelled.

To his surprise, Bakugou reached his hand out. "You're fine, nerd. C'mon, get up before sensei comes in."

Izuku hesitated, but took his hand as Bakugou pulled him up. Bakugou didn't say anything else, just moved past him to take his seat. Izuku stood their a little surprise. He took his seat, staring at the back of Bakugou's head. Sure, it seemed dumb, but why did Bakugou do that one nice thing for him?

Aizawa had walked in, breaking him thoughts as he heard everyone running to their seats. He looked over to Ochako who was already looking at him, giving him a smile. He smiled back then turned his attention back onto their teacher.

"Welcome back class. Glad to see you're all here. We're going ahead and beginning with the assignments. You know how classes work, you'll see the other teachers later, however we have an assignment for me." Izuku looked over to Ochako who mouthed 'I hope its a group project so I can see you more,' he smiled and nodded. "You'll be spilt into groups of three. Before anyone says anything, yes that means they'll be one group with two, but we decided to have Shinso join that group since he is switching into this class later this school year. Anyways, this project is simply to see how well we all work together. Last year, you all filled out a sheet explaining what exactly you want your career path to be. This will be an exercise for that. We picked your groups out depending on what you want your career to be. Even if its something similar, you all wanted something different. So, for the past months there has been crimes happening that are all similar. We decided while the police figure out and actually take action, we want you all to come up with your own theories and figure out things you have spotted that could genuinely help the case. You come to me. Even if its something you spotted on the crime scene photos."

Izuku genuinely was excited about it. I mean, it was a weird assignment and it definitely seemed like this was a way if finding information the authorities don't know. Either way, it'll still be fun.

"Okay, here are your groups. Kaminari, Kirishima, and Shinso. Sato, Koda, Mineta. Sero, Todoroki, and Tokoyami. Ojiro, Hagakure, and Shoji. Ashido, Asui, and Aoyama. Iida, Yaoyorozu, and Jirou. And the last group, Midoriya, Uraraka, and Bakugou. You'll have by end December to finish your assignments. You'll start working on them after school today. I'll leave you alone for you to work with your partners and figuring what you want to do and how to set up your stuff."

Everyone got up and went to their partners. Izuku was happy to work with Ochako, but he felt his stomach drop when he realized he had to work with Bakugou almost everyday. What if Bakugou made it hell for him and Ochako.

Bakugou turned around to face him. Izuku, expecting something rude to fall out from his mouth. But instead..

"So I gotta third wheel with you and cheeks?" The tone Bakugou use made it sound like he was attempting to joke, there was an awkward smile plastered on his face as well.

"Heh, i guess.." He said awkwardly.

Ochako ran over and stood behind Izuku, wrapping her arms over his shoulders, putting her chin on his head. "Yay! I get to work with my smart boyfriend. Oh and you too, you're pretty smart, Bakugou!"

"Pretty smart?? I'm SUPER smart!" He said, like usual yelling. No more of the awkward kindness he showed Izuku.

"That's what I meant! Either way, I'm excited. Maybe after school we should wait for each other by the entrance and then we could go to a coffee shop that me and Deku usually go to! That way we can talk about what all we need to do!"

"That's not a bad idea, 'Chako. I could work with that, what about you Kacchan?" Izuku asked smiling.

"Tch, yeah that'll work."

They talked for a couple more minutes. Izuku was kinda shocked to see how well Katsuki and Ochako were getting along. He did see Ochako as sweet and kind so he couldn't see anyone not liking her.

The school day went on, Izukh kept his mind on the assignment, thinking of what they could do. The day eventually came to and end and students were clearing out. Izuku started packing when he saw Bakugou and Ochako standing over him.

"Are you ready to go, Deku?" Ochako asked.

"Just give me a minute, you two go on."

"Okay, don't take forever nerd!!" Bakugou shouted as he walked off.

"Alright, see you in a minute," She kissed his head. "Bakugou wait up!" He heard her call out as she ran.

Izuku was getting his stuff packed when he noticed as spider when he went to grab his pencil. It aas pretty big. Very fuzzy too. It eas emerald green with black legs and huge, blue eyes.

"Wow, aren't you pretty." Izuku said out loud. He grabbed his phone taking a picture of it. He had never seen a spider like that before. Once he snapped a picture, he put down his phone seeing it was gone. He shrugged and grabbed his pencil, then he felt a bite. And it hurt.

"OW!" He yelled. He looked at his hand to see the spider, biting him. He slapped the spider causing it to fall to the group. He grabbed his bag and left the school.

Izuku saw the two standing at the door bickering about something. "Hey guys!" He called out as he walked over.

"Damn, took you long enough, Deku!" Bakugou shouted.

"Sorry, I saw this spider-"

"HA, your excuse is because of a stupid spider?" Bakugou scoffed.

Ochako sent him a glare. "Dont mind him, what did the spider look like?"

"I got a picture of it." He pulled out his phone, showing them the spider. They both looked at it and raised their brows.

"I never seen a spider that looked so damn ugly. Or even that green." Bakugou said.

"Awww it's green like you! But yeah, I've never seen a spider like that."

"Me either. The dumb thing bit me though."

"Welp. Let's hope its not venomous and kills you."

Ochako hit his shoulder. "Bakugou!"

"What?? I'm being serious, I'm not wishing death upon him at least!" He defended.

"It's fine, Ochako. Let's just go to the coffee shop. The bite just itches but it'll be fine."

Little did Izuku know thag one spider would change his life forever.

[chasing-chimeras]

my boyfriend’s reads on teen wolf so far, part 3 (this is the second half of 5b)

links to parts 1 and 2 :)

“how is this town not under martial law? why hasn’t there been a mass exodus enforced by child protective services to get these kids out of there?”

when lydia killed valack: “that was iconic, but i’m still wondering how this man got out of this supernatural psychiatric prison and then somehow managed to run that same prison with the same staff. did no one think that was strange?”

on the sheriff: “he’s done some messed up stuff, but i stand by him. if there’s one true dilf in the show, it’s him, even more so than chris argent. which is probably more revealing of me than anything else.”

on parrish’s relationship with lydia: “i mean i definitely don’t like it. i guess mild props to him for keeping those sex dreams to himself. MAYBE that’s why he wanted to leave town? MAYBE we should give him some credit? but also i can’t blame lydia, i can’t say that if there was a hot older man in town who was simultaneously the lord of death and this guy destined to save the world that i wouldn’t fall for it.”

summing up his reaction to theo (at the end of 5b): “he’s just like really annoying and honestly i don’t think that he’s that compelling. it feels like every episode he comes on the show and approaches scott or one of his people and says “you really shouldn’t trust me but i know something you need to know” and then he betrays them and walks on screen with the dumbest look on his face.” 😪

on mason being the beast: “this was the first time i was right about something in this fucking show.”

“melissa is just trying to get fired at this point, but she continues to do what’s necessary.”

“i love that they manage to keep allison around in subtle but powerful ways.”

on marie-jeanne: “i don’t know how to describe her accent but it sounds like they were trying to go for all of them at once. but she was iconic and she should be back on the show. i was honestly hoping they would find a way to resurrect her to kill the beast again.”

on the dread doctors: “this was the fifth season in a row where there are villains impervious to anything right up until the moment where they need to die.”

he LOVED the sewer scenes where theo betrays deucalion and then scott, only to get his neck snapped by deucalion and find out that he’s been a double agent, only to have gerard interrupt and then get betrayed by his own son. “it’s like that meme of those spidermen pointing their fingers at each other.”

“but i loved when theo got his neck snapped.”

he’s PISSED at how lackluster kira’s send off was and that his theory about her being the real key to defeating the beast (not parrish) was wrong: “i don’t understand the entire buildup of her internal conflict looking back on it. they gave her all the pieces. she spends all season struggling to contain this fiery energy, they constantly mention it’s parrish which feels like a fakeout, and they sent her back to the skinwalkers to figure out how to help her friends. and then she comes back with some “secret power” just to send this one twink to hell? they did her so dirty.”

continued, because he needed to rant: “cause she left again! and in that episode everyone is like dying, so it’s like okay she’s coming back and she’s going to be the deus ex machina. but instead she comes back to send a teenager to hell? i’m just picturing her at shiprock like “okay how do we deal with the beast?” and the skinwalkers are just like “so you’re actually going to have nothing to do with that. but what you are going to do is send a teenager to hell so that we can torture him.” what was even their connection to theo???”

on theo’s punishment: “that was dark. it really was strange how kira’s final act on the show was to say “your sister wants to see you” and then call up an ostensibly undead version of his sister who pulls him into this realm that we’ve never heard of before as he begs for his life. i would say that was a tonal shift.”

[patronsaintofteachercrushes]

2/26

heyy… been a while.

genuinely nothing has been happening with any of my tcs. like not even small things i can delude myself into thinking are monumental. just nothing.

and slowly, i’ve begun to feel nothing towards any of them. i still get excited to see them, but they’re also just men. but we all know how this turned out the last time. last time i felt like this the new wave of feelings hit me harder than when i originally liked them. so we’ll see.

i’ve actually had a crush on a boy my age that’s been keeping me busy. which is surprising. i still like boys at school, but they never go anywhere. and this sort of has. it’s weird, i’ve never felt like a boy has liked me before. i’m used to only getting attention from older guys. normally they’re the only ones i really go for and flirt with but idk. for a long time i thought that attention from older men was the only attention i was ever going to get, and i was okay with that. though it was still hurtful that i’d never get that high school romance i dreamed about as a little girl, i was okay because at least i had that. it was still hurtful hearing about how my friends boyfriends met their parents because i knew i would never get that, but it was okay because i would go to college and they wouldn’t need to meet my family. and mostly, i was okay with it because i knew older men understood me in a way no boys really could. i’ve always been mature for my age (lol), and i knew that boys wouldn’t like me because of that. but older men did. we could just look at each other, not talk just look, and we would know everything. it’s weird how much you can know somebody by just looking. i could read them and they could read me. and i would be interesting and mysterious, the way older men like, and they could be wise and strong, the way i like. they knew the music i liked, my interests, why i was the way i was, and they could handle of it. but boys ? it just didn’t seem likely. and when i was with older men i could still be young and wild and free, but when i’m with someone my age i feel like i have to be an adult. does this make any sort of sense ?

i guess things are just different now. i’m still struggling with that jealousy around L but i’m getting better i think. what’s helping is just the fact that i know it won’t go anywhere with her either. he’s not that kind of teacher, he didn’t not like me because there was something wrong with me. it’s just not who he is. he doesn’t date, he doesn’t want kids, and he’s just trying to do the thing he loves, teaching. that’s comforting. he didn’t like me because of something i can’t control, and that feels a lot better than the spiral i had thinking something was wrong with me and trying to figure out what to change. in a way, i sort of admire him for that. putting his passion for teaching above all else and not letting things stand in the way of that.

other than the tc things, i honestly haven’t done much either. my grades are slowly improving. i finished the semester with a 3.2 and i’m very proud of myself. i know its kinda low compared to a lot of people in the tcc, but i feel good about it. this semester will be better. i’ve had straight A’s for 2 whole weeks now and i plan to keep it that way. i also plan to update more !! even if its small things or about the other men/boys in my life. i missed the tcc and i want to get back.

[vyxed]

lore stuff

in Time Rift, Drift hasn't seen his older brother in 30 years, from Ash's perspective though it's only been 2 years

more context under the cut (copied and pasted from his TH)

cw violence / cw character death

In the TR timeline, Drift hasn't seen his older brother since getting trapped in the future at 14 (and later, given the option, deciding to live there.) The two used to be close, having grown up in the same troubled household, they'd only ever had each other for support... so leaving his brother behind was a difficult choice, but Ash supported the decision.

Drift misses his brother a lot and wonders what became of him. He wonders what Ash would think of him now... Drift's not the bumbling nervous little kid he used to be. He's old, wounded, tired, traumatised, with kills under his belt... there are days wishes he still had his brother around for guidance/ support, but he's scared to even imagine how a meeting like that would go. Drift looks and feels like a monster these days. Not that he ever plans to meet Ash again, too much risk involved when it comes to meddling with time any more than he already has. Every visit to the past, and every change,  spawns a Time Rift, which can displace things at best be incredibly destructive at worst. Wishful thinking, though. For a years, he resigns himself to the belief "out of sight, out of mind" - Ash was a free spirit, and was always so upbeat and full of confidence. He had dreams and would stop at nothing to achieve them. Surely he lead a good life.

Drift doesn't discover until his mid-40s that Ash died only 2 years after he left.

This is long after Drift had resolved his conflict with Silver, felt secured in his the stability of his life and family, and sat firmly on the belief that the past should not be tampered with, lest it cause problems for the future. Learning what became of his brother puts Drift in turmoil. He knows he shouldn't go back but he can't get past his emotions when it comes to stuff like this. Ash was only 19. He deserved better. Emotionally charged, he travels back in time to various points before the event, desperate to figure out what happened and put an end to it. He avoids confronting Ash directly though as he's afraid to be seen in the state he looks these days.

He does however figure out what happened, finds the culprit responsible for his brother's murder, and kills them in a fit of anger. This causes issues way off in the future - Silver is alerted to people and structures disappearing and is alarmed, reluctantly enlisting Cia's help to hopefully talk some sense into Drift.

Drift meanwhile is distraught, having just beat someone to death. This stuff's never been easy but it feels especially wrong when its for a crime that hasn't been commited yet... and it's for naught anyway, cause when he looks into the timeline, something else winds up killing his brother. He's already strained enough by this game of cat and mouse. He could try to resolve that too but at this point it feels like destiny is just spitting in his face. As long as Drift isn't around, he can't guarentee his brother's safety, he can't stay in the past forever.

...But he could take Ash back with him?

He's still terrified by the idea of meeting again... and the future is brutal, he's not sure how Ash would cope with that, or if Drift could even keep him safe there either... hell, probably not, Drift's getting on in years now, but he's running out of options...

Drift manages to locate Ash, but not before Silver and Cia manage to track Drift down and warn him about the problems he's causing - that Time Rifts are opening, people are disappearing, and he desparately needs to stop right now and return home. They call out at him urgently, and he pauses for a moment, but then continues toward Ash without a word - it seems like he's not listening. Cia and Silver don't follow him any further, just watch from afar out of fear they themselves might cause issues by interacting with anyone here without a plan...

When Ash and Drift make eye contact they both stop dead in their tracks - Drift feeling overwhelmed with emotion, after 30 years and all the hell he's endured, whilst is Ash just bewildered by the sight of this old scarred cyborg dude who kinda resembles his dad. Neither of them really know what to make of it till Drift breaks down crying and hugs his brother, clutching him like he'll lose him forever if he ever lets go. Ash is understandably confused and uncomfortable, but he also gets the vague feeling that he knows this guy and tries to comfort him by ruffling his hair, the same way he used to comfort Dizzy when he had a bad day, which only makes Drift tear up even more - in this brief moment, he just feels like a kid again.

"...Diz??" Ash asks quizzically.

"It's me." Drift responds, and although Ash attempts to probe him about what the hell even happened to him, Drift doesn't respond any further, so instead Ash just hugs him back for a while until they eventually let go. Drift tells him to take care. Ash repeats the same sentiment, still confused, but as Drift walks away he's already accepted that he's not gonna get an answer.

Out of his brothers sight, Drift returns to Cia and Silver and gives them a resigned nod, before stepping into the portal Silver has opened up for him. Cia follows close behind.

Silver sticks around for a while to reverse all the changes and plug the damage it caused before he leaves.

[tweety-transl]

Excerpt From I Was Trapped In The 60s By The System

Website Book Link Kofi

After returning home, the Su family became lively again because of this matter.

Lin Xueju pouted and complained, "Little sister, we're all one family. Don’t you think of me, your sister-in-law, when something happens? Isn’t your older brother part of the family too? Or are you only related to your second brother?"

Her words carried a hint of instigation.

Su Dazhu also looked a bit sad.

Su Man said, "Alright, next time I’ll come up with a new script and ask you and my older brother to perform it. It will be a story about a wicked daughter-in-law oppressing her honest husband."

Lin Xueju and Su Dazhu: "……"

Li Chunhua immediately laughed, clapping her hands. "That's great! Your sister-in-law will definitely play it well. She's just a wicked daughter-in-law, and your brother is a coward."

"Mom…" Su Dazhu called out, feeling wronged.

Li Chunhua was too displeased to even respond. Usually, he followed his wife like a shadow, but when trouble arose, he called for his mother—dream on!

Under the combined attack of Su Man and Li Chunhua, Lin Xueju immediately lost her temper, dragging her husband back to their room.

Su Qiuyue looked at her little sister with a sour expression. Even after returning to the room, she kept looking at her with resentment.

If it were before, she would have started lecturing her. After all, as the older sister, it was only natural to educate the younger sister.

Now that there were too many handles for others to hold against her, Su Qiuyue didn’t dare to utter a word. She could only express her feelings through her eyes, hoping Su Man would understand.

Su Man said, "I told you I’d add more to your role, but you didn’t want it."

Su Qiuyue was so angry that she nearly bit through her pillow. "Can’t you give me a positive role? I at least got into high school through my own efforts."

"How many favours did you curry with the teachers? Should I bring that up in your role?"

"……"

Su Man lay on the bed and waved a fan. "If you want a positive role, then you need to perform well. As soon as you do, I’ll arrange one for you. Otherwise, you can keep playing the antagonist."

Su Qiuyue bit the pillow and pretended to fall asleep.

Before long, an official notice came from the commune. Director Hao of the Women’s Federation personally led a team to arrange for another cadre from the Daqiaowan brigade to take these actors to perform in other brigades.

Team Leader Guo knew that once his brigade’s cadre went out, they would definitely meddle in things. So, to avoid complicating Su Man’s work, he decided not to assign anyone else and let Su Man represent the brigade.

The women’s federation of the brigade was unhappy about it. "Is it appropriate for Teacher Su to go for our Women’s Federation work?"

"What’s inappropriate about it?" Team Leader Guo replied. "She does her job no worse than you in the Women’s Federation."

Team Leader Guo wasn’t genuinely defending Su Man; he understood the character of these cadres all too well. They weren’t very capable but knew how to take advantage. If they messed up the performance by blindly giving orders, it would be a blow to his reputation. He was counting on this event to go well so he could reap the benefits.

After all, he was the team leader of this brigade; any good work done by the people below was thanks to his brilliant leadership.

This matter was settled under Team Leader Guo's unilateral decision. From then on, Su Man and the others going out to perform would work in the morning and head out in the afternoon.

Su Man temporarily didn’t stop her classes but proposed to the team leader that Su Qiuyue take over a few days of lessons. It was better than letting the kids have nothing to do. It was hard to cultivate their habit of attending classes; she couldn’t let them become unruly again.

Su Man said, "This is just a suggestion. If the team leader thinks it's not suitable, I can give the kids a break."

Although Team Leader Guo looked down on Su Qiuyue, at least she had graduated from high school. Even if her grades weren’t good, that was better than having no education at all.

Considering how useless Su Qiuyue was at work, letting her teach for half a day was not out of the question.

"Then let her take over for half a day. Just half a day."

Su Man nodded in agreement.

After everyone finished work at noon, Su Man shared the news with Li Chunhua and the others.

Li Chunhua immediately smiled, looking at Su Tieshan, "Husband, why do you think the brigade likes me?"

Su Tieshan replied, "Because you perform well."

Li Chunhua smirked, holding back her smile.

Su Man rubbed her arms and then looked at Su Qiuyue, who was sunburned and looking dishevelled. "Also, big sister, I’ve already spoken with the team leader, and you’ll be taking over my classes for half a day in the afternoons."

Su Qiuyue, who had been slumped over the desk, perked up immediately as if she had been injected with adrenaline. "I—I get to teach?"

"Yes," Su Man nodded, her expression calm. "Work hard and don’t just go through the motions. If I come back and find you haven’t done well, I’ll send you back to work. I’d rather give the kids a break than let you teach badly."

"……"

"Don’t say I’m heartless; if you don’t do well, it’s my face on the line. The team leader will blame me and make my life difficult."

Li Chunhua immediately patted her elder daughter's hand when she heard that her little girl would be affected. "Daughter, you have to work hard! Don’t embarrass your little sister."

Su Qiuyue: "……Oh."

She had actually fallen to relying on her little sister to get by.

In the afternoon, Su Man took Su Qiuyue to class to observe her performance.

On the way, Su Qiuyue curiously glanced at her. "Little sister, why are you suddenly being so kind to help me?"

[oatmilk-vampire]

Wayne Munson is not senile. He'll kick your ass for even suggesting it. He is, however, old and tired. That much he'll admit to.

He's lived a long life, aged more than he cares to admit, especially taking in his nephew as his own when his sister-in-law passed and his own brother turned into a shit father.

He thinks he deserves some time to relax.

After all, Eddie's grown now. He finally graduated high school and he's still chasing his Californian dreams.

If Wayne goes to live in an assisted living facility at only age fifty-five, well, he'd say to go mind your own damn business.

Besides, this place takes in older folks from all walks of life. Rich, poor, independent or bedridden. If he suddenly takes a turn for the worse, well, he won't even have to be moved or worse---impose on Eddie. Eddie would fight him on it, but maybe Wayne can claim it's his dying wish.

The staff's pretty nice too. Unlike some of the horror stories you hear, the caretakers here are all decent people and at least seem to enjoy their jobs. If they don't, they sure don't take it out on the residents.

They're all nice. Except for Steve.

That Harrington boy... He's not like his coworkers. No, he's so much better than the others.

He doesn't just handle his duties with the utmost care, he treats the folks like they're still human. Like they're still adults.

If someone needs compassion, he's there for you.

If someone's feeling particularly grouchy, he'll snipe right back at you.

Wayne doesn't know much about Steve, even if they always get along well, but he does know he's nothing like his old man.

He's a good one.

Steve Harrington loves older ladies. Okay, wait. That came out wrong. Can we do this again?

Steve Harrington loves working with older ladies. There, that's better.

After Steve graduated, he had two options: one, go to college and follow in his father's footsteps. Or two, be a stain on the Harrington name by continuing to work a minimum wage job he may actually enjoy until he dies.

He chose the latter.

At first he thought he might want to work with kids. Middle school, maybe. After all, he had tons of experience.

Then he realized he'd still have to go to college for that, and maybe pubescents tweens really aren't worth the headaches anymore.

Then he discovered old people.

Old people! Those super grouchy, wrinkly, gray-haired people who treat you like you're beneath them? Those people.

As it turns out, old people aren't so bad. Even the mean ones. Plus he didn't need a college degree for this job.

He loves working at the assisted living facility.

He loves innocently flirting with the women, it always brings a smile to their faces.

He loves throwing them (age appropriate) pool parties. It's something they all look forward to, even the grouchy ones.

He loves bickering with them too. Even if his supervisor looks down on it and warns him against it.

He loves caring for Wayne Munson. Even if he insists he doesn't need the care.

"Boy, go do your job." He warns when Steve tries to subtly clean up his room or fix whatever broke this time.

"I am doing my job." Steve grins at him as he nails down a loose plank in the floor so Mr. Munson doesn't trip.

"No, I'm pretty damn sure that's maintenance's job. You're spending time with me." He speaks up from his recliner.

"I can do both. I multitask."

"Go find someone else to make your favorite resident." Wayne's old, not stupid. He's well aware Steve spends a little extra time with him than any of the other folks. At first he thought it was because Steve pitied him. Now he thinks it's in the way Eddie used to follow him around. He's a father figure, yet again.

Steve feigns a gasp, complete with a hand to his chest. "Favorites? Mr. Munson, you know I don't have favorites." Steve pauses, a smile crosses his face. "That being said, you're the one I don't dislike the most."

"So now you dislike people? Shame on you, Steve."

"Well, what am I supposed to say? You're the one I'll miss the most when you're gone? That's tasteless!"

Wayne shakes his head, fights a smile.

"I'd miss you too, boy."

Maybe when Eddie moves back to Hawkins in two weeks Steve can find someone his own age to spend time with.

They'll meet soon enough.

Thinking about nursing home care worker! Steve. He'd flirt back with the ladies (that aren't senile) and he'd come up with cool party ideas for the weekends.

[icannotgetoverbirds]

swifties look away im so sorry

okay so i heard a song on the radio today that is apparently one of taylor swift's pieces.

this is by no means an in-depth analysis, nor unbiased or even well-written.

so for reference i'm talking about anti-hero. keep in mind, this is pretty much just a vibe check.

vibe check: it feels to me like she's upset that people are attempting to hold her accountable for her actions wrt the whole private jet thing, and it's kinda sad. Not like, i feel bad for her sad, but like, girl, get it together, sad.

evidence:

anti-hero released in october of 2022. for reference, those articles about celebrity private jet usage - which you may remember left taylor at the top of the list, garnering serious backlash - came out in august of 2022.

in this song, she is the anti-hero (afaik - if it's someone else, that could change the meaning entirely). she sees herself as hated, as someone viewed as an enemy. she bitterly refers to her narcissism as though she's been called one and is tired of the accusations.

she says she dreams about her daughter-in-law killing her for the money, then screaming that taylor's laughing up at her from hell because the in-laws were left nothing in the will.

worth noting that she has children, all of which are under the age of ten. not sure how to feel about the implications of her presenting this hypothetical situation in a song long before her kids have the chance to bring a partner home. somehow i doubt they're going to be comfortable doing that.

some lyrics that were what really sent up the red flags for me:

"It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me (I'm the problem, it's me) At tea time, everybody agrees"

this sounds exactly like the kind of shit someone says when they're trying to dodge responsibility. guilt-tripping the person calling them out by exaggerating what they're saying. "I'm always the villain. I'm always the bad guy. Everybody's on your side. You always have to be right."

(that last one is one i've personally heard from an abuser. again, this is biased and my vibe check is definitely imperfect.)

it's just. pathetic feels too mean but it's the only word I can think of. taylor swift has a lot of reach and her music meant a lot to me as a kid, but as i've gotten older i've kind of grown apart from her work.

which, you know, nbd. then the shit about the plane drops and it's like Oh Wow Okay. Fuck Me I Guess. idk. it seems like it was made to garner sympathy and support, which isn't inherently bad, but i'm having trouble being sympathetic when she's contributed so much to climate change and pollution.

i don't hate swifties, i don't even hate taylor swift. i just... don't have a lot of sympathy for her when that article could've been a wake-up call, and the memes could've been a wake-up call, but instead it seems like she's whining about people being mean to her - and don't get me wrong, people are absolutely being mean, but when she's literally directly, massively, and unnecessarily contributing to the destruction of the planet, i think they have a right to get a little pissed.

so instead of stepping up and doing better, she just wrote a song that feels like a pathetic attempt to get people to stop calling her out for her bullshit, whether it was intended to be manipulative or not.

swifties, if you read this, i'm sorry, but that's just my perspective on it. i have no issues with people being fans of her or liking her music or whatever, i just... i guess i felt like this was something worth discussing.

like, idek if this is too harsh or too nice. i have qualms with the concept of punishment in an attempt to bring about change, even for the privileged, but people have a right to be angry about what she's done. is there something to be said about the fact that people mostly went after her for being at the number one spot and almost nobody is making memes about other celebrities on the list? probably.

anyways. just my unorganized thoughts abt it. someone else can probably put it better than i can - i don't have the spoons to do a proper analysis right now, but i can provide this lens to view it through, i guess.