#mean girl butthead au

[deathrock-and-skull]

for a request; mean girl butthead au?

i love ur AU fr fr ;o;

selfie time 💅

[jadeylovesmarvelxo]

The Secret ❤️

Eddie has a secret and that secret is you 🤫

Meanwhile, Dustin is sure that Eddie is hiding something, he's distracted during Hellfire and that's never happened before. Suspicious about what's going on Dustin plans a stake out with a reluctant Steve to get answers.

Warnings; Fluff, Steve is so done with this shit, Max finds the whole situation hilarious. S4 au.

❤️

Eddie was impatient as he waited for you in your spot in the woods. It was a good fifteen minutes past the usual time that the two of you met up.

He hadn't seen you last night because you were having a family dinner so he couldn't sneak into your room like usual, your brother could be a nosey little shit and already suspected you were hiding something so you couldn't sneak out either.

So yeah, he was a tad grumpy and he missed his girl, he was used to waking up beside you, you tucked up in his arms and cuddled into his chest. Lazy morning kisses and whispers of love.

People might assume that Eddie was mean and scary but with you? Well he was completely wrapped around your finger.

Finally he sees you make your way across the clearing in the woods and the longing ache in his chest settles down.

"What took you so long?" Eddie huffs as he reaches for you and pulls you into his embrace.

"Jason was being his usual dick wad self" you pout and his big brown eyes soften then harden immediately at Jason's name.

"Was he bothering you princess?" The thought of Carver upsetting you makes his protective instincts race to the surface. Maybe he needed to teach the butthead some manners? Or scare the shit out of him, either option worked for Eddie if he was being honest.

He knew you could take care of yourself but he wanted to help, felt that strong urge to shield you from Carver's bullshit.

"Just being his usual self, anyway I didn't come here to talk about that douchebag" you press a kiss to Eddie's lips, grinning at the way his cheeks turn pink and his hands immediately trail up your skirt.

Jason was soon forgotten. Well at least until the next day when Eddie remembered that Jason had upset you and got revenge by scaring the shit out of the butthead after their shared bio class.

The detention was worth it.

❤️

Something was up with Eddie.

Dustin was suspicious and when he's suspicious he had an urge to investigate. However the only person who would listen to the fact that he was sure Eddie was hiding something was Steve (not that he really had much choice as Dustin had ambushed him at Family Video)

Now after much pleading he's roped Steve into a stakeout mission to find out what Eddie was up to.

"You know you're a nosey little shit right?" Steve rolls his eyes as Dustin waits patiently for Eddie to get home and ignores Steve's name calling.

"Something is up with Eddie, he's distracted and he's never distracted during Hellfire, twice I've seen him space out with this goofy expression on his face when he was planning the newest campaign and he didn't even tell off Mike for making a dumb mistake last night. Something is wrong Steve!"

Sighing Steve pinches his nose in frustration but knows that Dustin won't shut up until he finds out what's happening. Even if it isn't any of his business.

So he waits with the little shit to find out Munson's big secret or whatever the hell is going on. It's incredibly boring but it's nice to spend time with Dustin. Even Max joins them at one point though it's mainly to tease Dustin with the fact that she knows Eddie's secret and he doesn't.

"How the hell do you know what Eddie is hiding when I don't Max?" Dustin huffs and Max shrugs looking amused as she steals their stakeout snacks.

"Uh because I can see Eddie's trailer when I look out the window. It's literally right across from mine dumbass, and no I'm not telling you what his secret is. I wanna see the look on your face when you find out" she replies smugly and Dustin scowls and they continue the wait.

Finally the telltale sound of Eddie's van alerts them to Eddie's presence and Steve grins when he sees Eddie hold the van door open for a girl who steps out and kisses him.

The girl looks really familiar.

"There's your answer Eddie has a girlfriend. Wait... dude is that-" Steve doesn't have chance to answer as Dustin does it for him utterly grossed out.

"Ew dude that's my sister" he yelps.

Eddie pulls away from you looking around until he spots Dustin, he normally adores the kid but right now he's pissed. What was the little butthead doing here anyway?

If Eddie was pissed then you were even more so as you stomped down to Steve's car while glaring at Dustin.

"What the hell Dustin!" You glare at him and then Steve who holds his hands up in surrender. Max is watching the scene and shaking with laughter.

"You were spying on Eddie and me?" You snap and Dustin pales a little knowing that you were seriously angry so he quickly changes the subject.

"I knew you were hiding something but to date my own sister. Seriously dude?" he whines to Eddie who shakes his head exasperated.

"Look this isn't some stupid fling or some shit Dustin, I'm in love with her" Eddie pulls you into his arms and looks at you with complete adoration and love, it softens Dustin's annoyance just a little bit. He loves Eddie and he loves you and the two of you clearly loved each other a lot.

"I love him too Dustybun, please don't be too mad that we didn't say anything, we were just waiting for the right time" you plead with him and Dustin nods realising this is a good thing.

Maybe if you and Eddie got married one day then Eddie really would be family and that was a good thing.

"Ugh fine just don't kiss in front of me too much, it's gross" Eddie rolls his eyes and makes a show of kissing you until you're giggling and Dustin is groaning for the two of you to cut it out.

Damn it. He walked right into that one. Now Eddie would do that all the time just to wind him up.

But if it made you smile like that and you made Eddie really happy then he supposed he would deal with it. He turns to Max who's wearing a smug smirk.

"Couldn't you have just told me so I could avoid all of this shit?" He asks her and she snorts, grabs the last of his sour candy and heads out of the car.

"Nope this was way more entertaining. Later Dustybun" she's still laughing as she heads back to her trailer and even Eddie is trying hard to hide his amusement.

You tug Eddie's hand and whisper about being cold which leads to even more lovey dovey nonsense and Dustin has had about enough of watching his usually chaotic and sarcastic friend turn into absolute mush at the sight of his own sister.

Yup. He was definitely leaving now.

❤️

[shybunnie20]

Eddie Munson x Alt!Fem!Reader

★Teaser ★My Masterlist

Summary: Eddie seeks Steve's assistance in wooing you, but it doesn’t go the way he planned.

Author's Note: This was so fun to write! I don’t think it turned out particularly angsty tbh. There's a little bit of Halloween in it, 'tis the season.

Proofread to an extent. 90s AU with no Upside Down. No use of Y/N. Reader is vaguely depicted: wears black, has tattoos and piercings (no amount or locations indicated for either), enjoys spooky movies, and likes metal music. Happy ending!

Word Count: 4.7k

Warnings: brief mention of alcohol consumption, includes more swearing than usual

The sun hangs low, blowing kisses of dusk through the streaky panes of Family Video. Inside the store, the sporadic popping of kernels sets the tone for the evening shift.

When it comes to this job, unboxing shipments of snacks is the one task that manages to hold Eddie’s fleeting attention, simply because it gives him an excuse to wield a box cutter. Alas, today is not one where a shipment has been delivered. He’s more or less getting paid to hang out and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Leaning beside the register, Eddie lazily flips through a dated issue of Rolling Stone magazine. He’s not even reading the articles, just skimming the pictures.

In the documentary section, Steve is busy restocking the shelves. “I heard Keith’s giving out a plaque for 'Least Productive Employee' this year. If ya ask me, I think you’ve got Robin beat.”

“That’s debatable,” Eddie licks the pad of his finger and flips the page. “You’ve got it handled, don’t you?”

“Yeah, but there’s plenty of stuff that needs to get done before we get slammed tonight.”

“I’m doing my part,” Eddie raises his head and a smirk slowly overtakes his bored expression. “Someone’s gotta keep the front counter company. It gets lonely.”

“Aw, how touching. Of all things, you’ve found true love with a piece of furniture,” Steve scoops up the bucket of go-backs and sidesteps to the neighboring genre. “That’s gotta be the closest thing you’ve ever had to a relationship.”

Burn, but an accurate one. Eddie isn’t a Casanova but there’s nothing wrong with that, not at all. He’s got his hobbies and friends, what point is there in trying to convince the town that he’s up for a little romance? Besides, the absence of encounters means that flirting isn’t in his wheelhouse.

Eddie looks down at the face of his Casio, reading that it’s nearing seven o’clock. “Hey, do we still have a copy of Beetlejuice around?”

“I doubt it. All of the spooky shit has been going like hotcakes since Halloween is right around the corner.”

As customers trickle through the door, Eddie shifts to the computer system and types hurriedly on the keyboard. “Fuck, it’s gotta be here,” He abandons the register and searches the store.

Steve opens a case and snaps it closed, entirely oblivious to the commotion until Eddie whizzes by in his peripheral vision. “Okay, this is a whole new level of obnoxious,” Steve huffs. “Why are you so hell-bent on finding that specific movie?”

“Because she’s probably gonna wanna rent it, and if we don’t have it…” Eddie trails off as he flies by on the other side of the store.

“Cool your jets, turbo,” Steve notices that more people are coming into the store so he waves Eddie over. The last thing they need is a lawsuit because an old lady got plowed down. “Seriously, what gives?”

Wheezing at the end of the aisle, Eddie hunches over and bows his head. He grips his knees for dear life while he tries to catch his breath. “There’s this girl.”

Steve’s feathered brows mirror the nosey tone of his voice. “Who is it? Do I know her?”

“I doubt it,” Eddie coughs. “But she stops in every Friday night.”

“News flash, butthead. It’s the busiest day of the week, that’s not exactly narrowing it down,” Steve feels a creeping presence over his shoulder. Speaking of old ladies; he peeks, just to find an elderly woman encroaching on his personal space to view the titles that he’s blocking. “Sorry,” he says halfheartedly before directing his coworker toward the register with a toss of his head. “Is it Tara P.?”

“Nope,” Eddie follows and plops on the stool furthest from the computer. “She wears a lot of black, has tattoos, piercings-”

Steve shakes his index finger. “Okay, yeah, I know who you’re talking about now. She’s always dressed for a funeral,” He snorts.

“I know, isn’t it hot?” Eddie sighs dreamily while he tugs at his green coil key ring, stretching it as far as it’ll go.

“I mean, if you’re into that kinda thing,” Steve shudders dramatically. “Gives me the heebie-jeebies.”

“I’m definitely into that,” Eddie gnaws on the soft pink flesh of his lips as he pauses. “There’s this aura around her, y’know? Not just her looks either, it’s her energy too.”

“Dark and brooding, huh? That’s what gets ya going?” Steve switches to his customer service voice as he checks out the elderly woman with minimal back and forth.

“Yeah, whenever she’s around my hands get all sweaty,” Eddie looks down at his large palms that are growing slick from discussing you. “She hangs out at the bar where I play. God, just seeing her makes my heart sing.”

He loses himself in thinking about seeing you at Wraith. You’re the only one that he strives to impress but he has yet to. You dance to other bands but not Eddie’s. Sometimes you nod your head to the beat, though it’s never enough for you to acknowledge his existence.

“Pass me a barf bag,” Steve gags. “Makes your heart sing?”

“Whatever, dude. It’s not like you’re gettin’ any action with your Harrington charm.”

“Excuse you,” Steve looks at Eddie pointedly. “I almost got that girl’s number on Monday, thank you very much. She was totally digging me.”

“Was she, though? ‘Cause she left without giving you her digits,” Eddie chuckles mockingly and tilts his head. “How many more times do you have to strike out before you finally throw in the towel?”

“That’s rich coming from the guy who canoodles furniture,” Steve scoffs. “Don’t come for my manhood. At least I have the balls to make a move.”

“So many moves, and yet, so few takers!” Eddie throws his head back and laughs boisterously.

“Put a sock in it,” Steve groans.

Speak of the devil. Eddie spots you walking into the store, just as you always do at this time. “Oh god,” He gulps and his joints lock, freezing time and space simultaneously. His mouth is slightly agape as the world comes to a standstill. His vision narrows to a tunnel, rendering him deaf and mute.

Steve snaps his fingers in front of Eddie’s face. “Jesus, man. Try to act somewhat normal,” he rolls his eyes. “If you even know how.”

Eddie does not know how especially not after being literally snapped out of his trance. His palms are clammy, his breathing is rigid, and he’s dizzy as all hell. “Look at her,” He whispers. Christ, you look so fucking pretty today.

“Are you trying to catch flies, dude?”

“No,” Eddie scowls, promptly tightening his lax jaw. “Fuck off.”

Steve takes notice of your figure moving down the aisle and turning in their direction. “Duun dun,” he begins to imitate the Jaws shark theme. “Duuun dun,” As you approach from the other end of the store, Steve gets progressively louder. “Dun dun dun dun dun-”

“Quit!” Eddie barks through gritted teeth and kicks Steve’s calf. “Don’t be an ass.”

“Ow, that was uncalled for,” Steve bends over to rub his leg in an attempt to soothe the ache. 

“Jesus Christ! She’s coming over here,” Eddie paces in the cramped area, nearly colliding with Steve when he pivots. “What the fuck do I do? I don’t know how to be Mr. Cool Guy.”

With your chosen film in hand, you are in fact approaching the register. Steve’s voice becomes discernible as you get nearer. “...if you keep acting like such a wuss. Grow a pair and just-”

“Shut up! Shut it,” Eddie makes it appear as though he’s doing something productive to the snack display, but he’s really just shifting the packets of Skittles around.

“Just this,” you confirm by setting down the tape and digging into your purse. The atmosphere feels tense, to say the least. You’ve clearly interrupted something. It’s plain to see on the other employee’s tomato-red face.

Steve offers a straight-lipped smile and scans your membership card. “Find everything alright?”

You hum in response. While he carries on with the transaction, you notice how peculiarly still the other guy is. “Hello,” you greet him softly, hoping to ease the atmosphere.

Eddie’s hands come to a halt and he looks up at you with wide eyes. “Heh,” He meant to say “hey” but only the first letter made it out alive. As you pay for your purchase, his mouth is still moving and he doesn’t know why. “That’s a good one,” he gestures to the movie.

You startle inwardly, not having anticipated an actual conversation to start. He seems nice enough. “You’re a fan of scary movies too, I take it?”

Eddie nods timidly. He flexes his fingers to combat the overwhelming numbness that’s plaguing his hands. His heart is beating so goddamn hard that it’s on the verge of bursting through his chest and landing wetly at his feet. “Yeah, I like them. They’re good. Really good.”

“Agreed,” While you tuck your wallet away, a polite smile rests on your face. “I was actually in the mood for Beetlejuice but it doesn’t look like you have it,” Your smile falls ever so slightly.

The sight causes Eddie’s pounding heart to twist and plummet to his ass. He’d give you every copy on the planet if he could.

Steve listens in over the sound of your receipt printing. His brows arch in genuine surprise that Eddie knew you’d want that movie tonight. Creepy, but impressive nonetheless. “Sorry about that,” Steve tears the paper from the machine and hands it to you. “Maybe next time.”

“Maybe,” you nod, accept the receipt, and pick up the tape. “Have a good night,” you say to both of them and head out.

Once you’re through the doors, Eddie clutches Steve’s forearm to ground himself in reality.

“Ugh!” Steve yanks his arm away to escape the muggy grasp. “That’s gnarly, man.” 

“Do you believe me now?” Eddie wipes his sopping palms on his jeans.

“Oh, I believe you, especially after witnessing that. I’m pretty sure Henderson has more game than you.”

Eddie returns to the stool with a plop. “Just kill me already,” he rubs his face, sighing. “Put me out of my fucking misery.”

“Don't threaten me with a good time,” Steve laughs to himself. “Anyway, back to Little Miss Dead Inside. What’ve you tried?”

“Nothing,” Eddie drops his hands and slouches in defeat. “I don’t think she even knows my name.”

“You gotta give her a reason to,” Steve continues conversing from over his shoulder while he checks out another customer. “What about notes? Y’know, old-fashioned love notes.”

Eddie scrunches his nose. “I dunno about that.”

“It’s right up your alley, Shakespeare. Besides, the ladies love melodramatic shit like that.”

Eddie suddenly perks up. “Wait, I could be totally anonymous! She could figure it out on her own. That way she comes to me and I don’t even have to approach her.” 

“That’s not what I said at all.”

“This could totally work,” Eddie motions to Steve’s head. “Who woulda thought there’s a few marbles rollin’ around in there.”

“Ha-ha,” Steve continues to slowly but surely shorten the line. “Don’t think I’m helping you.”

“The hell you aren’t,” Eddie hops up on the counter beside the register. He swings his legs with newfound optimism and tears open a package of red vines. “You’re obligated to help since it’s your idea.”

“I absolutely am not, and I have no interest in being inadvertently bitten by some vampire chick. Leave me out of it.”

“C’mon, I’ll owe you big time,” Eddie begs with his mouth full of waxy candy.

“You have to clean the restroom for two weeks,” Steve declares with a smirk.

“No fucking shot,” Eddie points with a half-bitten licorice rope. “Pick something else.”

“Do you want help or not?”

Eddie did indeed want help, so he agreed to the bullshit terms and conditions. He can scrub a toilet, no problemo. Honestly, he’d polish a hundred of them with a toothbrush if that meant you’d step into his life. You’re worth cleaning toilets for.

After closing up shop for the night, Eddie sits at his desk in his bedroom until the early hours. He writes draft after draft, struggling to find words that are forward and inviting without coming on too strong right off the bat.

Upon your arrival the following week, Eddie is shaking like a leaf. He listens to your interaction with Steve while being partially concealed behind a tall cardboard cut-out. Despite not being able to see you, he can see your lips forming the words in his mind. Your voice alone is making him weak in the knees. Eddie’s certain that if you don’t hightail it out of here soon, they’ll buckle and his cover will be blown.

Once he’s certain you’ve left, Eddie releases the breath he’s been holding since you walked in. “How’d it go? She didn’t see you put the note in there, right?”

“Why are you even asking? You eavesdropped the whole time. Yeah, it went fine, she didn’t notice.” Steve grumbles.

“Okay, cool,” Eddie chews on his thumbnail. “Shit, what if she thinks it’s creepy? What if she thinks it’s the lamest thing ever? Fuck, what if-”

“Dude,” Steve closes his eyes and holds his hands out. “You’ve gotta stop.”

In the comfort of your home, you plop down in front of the VCR and open the case that holds the reels of this evening’s entertainment; a movie you’ve rented a few times before, but not enough that you could quote it. Instead of a hard plastic shell, your fingertips find wrinkled notebook paper. Your brows furrow as you inspect it, shredded pieces dangling from where it was yanked from the spiral binding.

You unfold it three times. 

In the aisles of the video store, I've found a treasure unsurpassed. Not on the shelves, but in your eyes, I fell so fast.

It’s a prank, whatever the fuck this is. 

Never in your life have you ever thought about Steve, like, at all. You’re aware of his reputation, that he apparently has the tendency to be douchey and arrogant. But the more you think about it, he’s nothing like that when you interact at Family Video. Maybe he’s not that judgmental and he sees past your midnight exterior. This note is stupidly genuine and endearing. Who would’ve thought he had it in him? Certainly not you.

That’s the thing, though. Steve isn���t your type and you’re certainly not his. But you can’t recall a time when he’s ever looked at you like you’re some kind of freak. Most guys do, that’s something you’ve grown used to over the years and learned to ignore. This poem basks him in a new light, and you’re not quite sure how to process it.

Like clockwork, you’re back again but this time your chest is thrumming. The note could’ve been a fluke or maybe it was meant for someone else, you’re not entirely sure. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t want to be the intended recipient. Right now, it would be ideal to appear composed but you’re already wearing an unusual expression—a pleasant one—while you make your way to the drama section.

Tonight, it’s Robin and Eddie holding down the fort. As your combat boots scuff across the forest-colored carpet, Eddie can feel your arrival in his bones. He’s immediately seeking you out and when he locates you, he just about faints. Admiring from afar while manning the register, his mind races. Kissing is what’s on the curiosity menu tonight. Eddie wonders what flavor of toothpaste you prefer. If he could just get a little taste…

You meander your way around the shelving and through the dotting of customers. Eddie snaps his head in the opposite direction to avoid being caught staring. The sudden motion causes a pinch in his neck and he winces.

Lost in his own little world for a minute or two, Eddie’s attention is violently brought forward when you place a tape down in front of him. He buffers, noticing how you look subtly disappointed all of a sudden. He can’t imagine why, but he hates it with every cell in his body. Eddie fails to greet you and instead, he stares at your wine-painted fingernails as they tap the surface of the case.

“Is he not here?” You glance around with a lack of determination.

“Steve? Er, no. He called in sick,” He clears his throat harshly, all of the moisture drying up in his mouth by the millisecond.

“Oh, okay,” Over your other shoulder, you admire the new promotional display that was put out during the week.

Eddie seizes the opportunity to slip the second note into the case. His hands viscously tremble despite his best efforts to steady them. “Not to worry though, I can check you out way better than that walking hairdo,” Stop while you’re ahead, man. “Ring you up, I mean. I can ring you up better… than him.” Jesus fucking Christ.

“You’ve got quite the mane yourself,” A smile blooms as you look into the chocolate pools he has for irises. “I like your curls,” You can’t help but softly giggle at how bug-eyed he goes at your compliment.

“Uh, thanks,” Eddie bites back the cheek-splitter of a smile threatening to form. His trembling hands tingle unbearably from being able to make you laugh, despite not knowing what he did to earn it. He grabs a packet of M&Ms from the rack and slides it across the counter to you. “Here, free of charge.”

Your tightly sewn brow is accompanied by a slight pout. “You don’t have to do that.”

“Nonsense,” Eddie insists. “Everything’s on the house.”

“Is this some loyalty reward thing you guys do now?”

“Right on the money,” Eddie winks.

“Sweet,” you chirp. It’s as though your spirit has been replenished by saving a few bucks. “Do I get one of those little punch cards? I love those things.”

With the way your eyes are shimmering over a stupid piece of paper; Eddie would build you a house made of punch cards if that’s what you wanted. “Yeah,” he searches aimlessly. “But, uh, we haven’t gotten them yet.”

Your gaze finds his name tag and then returns to his flushed face. The corner of your mouth quirks as you notice the faint freckles dotted across his cheeks and nose. “Okay, well, thank you, Eddie.”

“No need to thank me, I should be thanking you! You’re a valued customer,” he exclaims. “My favorite of them all!”

“If you say so,” you exhale with amusement and turn to leave. “See you around.”

Eddie holds his palm open as a farewell gesture until you’re out of sight. He then brings his hand directly to his forehead in a ruthless smack. “You’re my favorite customer,” He mocks himself in a nasally voice.

With the press of a button, the register drawer launches open with a thunk. He nonchalantly retrieves his wallet, plucks out a five-dollar bill, and tucks it under the stainless steel clip to pay for your “free” movie and candy. Eddie finds Robin staring at him with a knowing look on her face. “Not a fucking word, Buckley. Not a word,” he glares, to which she throws her hands up in defense.

You couldn’t possibly wait until you got home to see if there would be another note. As you hop into the driver's seat of your car in the parking lot, you find an identical piece of folded paper. Your heart pitter-patters with the assumption that Eddie is in on it and he did Steve the favor of delivering this one for him.

With your illuminating smile, Baby Ghoul, you're the moonlight in my darkest night.

This note takes you by surprise for a different reason. It feels far more personal to be bestowed with the cutest goddamn nickname you’ve ever been given; ghouls are so metal. You obsessively reread it through the duration of your movie, while you brush your teeth, and as you lay in bed. You’re swooning over each messily penned letter, memorizing the spots where the ink drags and smudges.

It’s a bit difficult to imagine Steve saying this to you, but your insides are lurching at the thought. You hold the note to your chest and squeal.

The following visits are heavenly. Eddie loves seeing you bounce around on the balls of your feet like you’re on cloud nine. It’s becoming damn near impossible to fight the urge to smile because he knows that you’re looking forward to his imminent written affection.

Note after note, confidence simmers in his belly from seeing how the expression of his feelings is affecting you. To know that he’s the reason you’re glowing like this is turning his brain to pudding. Not tapioca, though. Ew.

With wide puppy dog eyes and a glossy lower lip, you present your past-due rental to Steve. He sucks his teeth, crosses his arms, and scolds you playfully. You successfully get out of paying the fee by simply batting your lashes at him.

Steve is eating this shit up. While you might not be his flavor of choice, he’s suddenly feeling open to sampling the femme fatale vibe. You’re beautiful, he wouldn’t waste his breath denying that. Not to mention, you’ve got a great sense of humor, considering you’re laughing at his awful jokes. That’s something he will admit—they’re bad.

Eddie doesn’t have to hear the conversation to know what’s unfolding. He feels like he’s gonna hurl when Steve leans down to shorten the distance between the two of you. He's supposed to be the middleman, not stealing Eddie’s thunder. In hindsight, there haven’t been any hints at his identity and Eddie’s been too chicken shit to give them to you except for the other day when he had no choice.

To put it simply, he’s torn. Eddie wants to scream that he’s your admirer, that he’s the one who dreams of you, but he can’t bring himself to do it. He can’t possibly reveal that it isn’t dashing Harrington who’s pining for you, but instead, it’s the dork. That would be a world-crushing level of disappointment.

This deal turned out to be a massive ego boost for Steve. The conversation is easygoing and it quickly progresses past small talk. The best part is that you haven’t even mentioned the notes. You think he’s some poet when in reality, he doesn’t even have a clue of what they say. You’re smitten without him having to bend over backward to impress you. He’d be nuts not to take advantage of it.

During closing time, Eddie stomps around while collecting the flimsy trash bags full of receipts and candy wrappers. For the past hour, he’s been pondering ways to “take care” of Steve. Sadly, it would be tricky to avoid raising suspicion if he suddenly disappeared, but hey, a guy can dream.

After dishing the silent treatment all night, Eddie finally speaks up. “You think you’re pretty clever, huh?”

“What?” Steve briefly looks up from counting the cash drawer.

“Cut the crap. You know exactly what I’m talking about,” Eddie drags a clunky vacuum out of the cramped utility closet and unwraps the lengthy cord.

“It’s not that serious. Look, it’s not my fault that she’s into me.”

“Is all that hairspray finally soaking into your brain? She’s not into you,” Eddie growls, throwing the canary-colored cord to the carpet. “She likes the person who’s writing to her. Last I checked, that’s me.”

“Yeah, but she thinks it’s me,” Steve shrugs. “She’s happy, I’m happy. I don’t see a problem here.”

“The problem is that you know how I feel about her,” Eddie retorts while staring daggers. “The shit you’re pulling is really fucking unfair.”

“Life’s not fair, buddy. It’s not like you’re gonna do anything about it.”

“We’ll see about that,” Eddie mutters, clenching his jaw as he turns around to plug in the vacuum.

“Will we?” Steve snickers. “I don’t think I’ll live to see the day.”

It’s Saturday night and Eddie’s praying to every conceivable higher power that you’ll be here. You don’t come to Wraith every weekend, but when you do show, he’s nothing short of a nervous wreck.

He peeks out from behind the velvety black curtain of the concrete stage. Eddie’s heart stops when he finds you in your usual booth. You look hot, so so hot. It’s already hard enough to perform in front of you but when you look like this? Oh, brother.

Every year, you look forward to coming here on Halloween. Your friends have gone all out with their costumes and the hours you spent getting ready were well worth it. The typical dark and dingy ambiance is heightened by the plastic skulls and bones strung from the ceiling. Your drinks emit wisps of dry ice fog and each table has a bowl of candy.

Seated at the end of the booth, your eyes drift from your drink to the floor. There you find a pair of dirty white Reeboks. Your gaze travels up the lanky figure shrouded in navy coveralls.

Eddie twists his ring around the base of his finger and the glide is effortless, thanks to the premature perspiration. “Hey.”

“Uh, hi,” your expression reflects a mix of hesitance and confusion, though you maintain a kind demeanor. “Eddie, right?”

“Yeah,” She remembered my name. Eddie motions to your getup. “I like your costume. Elvira, right?”

While you may not be sporting a ceiling-high black wig, your costume is unmistakable. “Right on the money,” you flash a pert grin, quoting him from the other day. “And you’re a…”

“Supposed to be Michael Meyers,” he clarifies, pulling a plastic knife from his oversized back pocket. “The mask was too hot to wear so, I guess I’m a killer repairman?” Max’s borrowed mask was indeed suffocating.

“Or a plumber who secretly dreams of being a professional chef,” you shrug, your irises glistening with humor.

Okay, so far so good. Talking to himself in the mirror for an hour is really paying off because he’s not a bumbling idiot for once. He could be imagining things, but it looks like you’re leaning closer. Maybe you’re just trying to hear him better over the music. He shouldn’t be overanalyzing your body language but it's the only thing keeping him vertical.

Eddie wants to prove Steve wrong but most of all, he wants to tell you how incredible you are. He’s not sure that you’ll want to talk to him after this. You might be hurt when you realize that you’ve been misled and he’s not the one you want. There’s only one way to find out.

The sound of his band getting set up beckons him. “Show time,” Eddie shakes jazz hands with the toy knife still in his grip. Of course, he just had to make it weird.

While he’s playing through the usual set with Corroded Coffin, you don’t pay them any mind, per usual. Their final song is a new one. Eddie may lack the confidence to confess, but he’s gonna sing this with all of the moxy he’s got.

In this world of shadows, what else is there to do

Wanna explore life’s cemetery with you

Your haunting beauty tells no lie

The one thing I cannot defy

The familiarity of the lyrics floods your head. You look up and find his dark, gleaming eyes locked onto you. Your heart leaps in your throat as he repeats the verses. Eddie leaves no room for uncertainty, confirming that the lyrics are pulled from the notes you’ve received. The tone of his voice is raw and passionate as he sends his affection across the room.

As soon as he steps off stage, you’re on a mission to find him. He feels a tap on his shoulder and turns to find you beaming at him. Eddie finally allows himself to do the same, all the while blushing with exhaustion and anticipation.

“Hey, again,” you stare down at your shoes and scuff them against the floor. “You sounded great up there.”

“Yeah?” he swallows hard. “You liked it?”

Your eyes snap back up to his. “All of it, every single word.”

“I’ve got like half a notebook’s worth of stuff like that,” Eddie chuckles and rubs the back of his neck. “Is that weird?”

“Far from it,” you tilt your head toward the bar. “I’d love to hear what else you’ve got to say.”

Eddie hovers his hand over the small of your back to guide you through the crowd. “I’ll sweet talk you until the sun comes up, Baby Ghoul. Anything for you.”

Reblogs are greatly encouraged and appreciated! ♡

Consider reading From Bar to Billboard, I worked really fucking hard on it 🖤

★My Masterlist

★Tip Jar

tags:@nj01@tlclick73

[diazsdimples]

WIP Wednesday!!

Hello! I've got a two snippets from Single Dads AU today, both from Christopher and Carrie's first meeting, and when Carrie gets in trouble for defending Christopher. Hope you enjoy!!

Tagged by @rainbow-nerdss @loserdiaz @hippolotamus and @daffi-990 please go read their snippets right now!!

(Snippets under the cut to save your dash)

First meeting:

“Everyone, this is Christopher, he’s a new student starting out today. It would be really nice if someone could offer a space next to them for him to sit and show him around the school. Any volunteers?” Carrie looks around the class and notes, with annoyance, that no one’s putting their hands up. Some of the kids are whispering behind their hands and giggling, others aren’t even looking at Christopher. Carrie’s got a spare seat next to her and suddenly her Dad’s words are floating through her head. “We’ve always gotta look after the little guys, Carrie. It’s our job to protect people that need it.” Carrie’s not sure if Christopher needs protecting but she’s pretty sure he needs a friend right now so she puffs out her chest, thrusts her hand in the air and says, “Christopher can sit with me, Mrs. Dixon!” Carrie watches as Christopher just about melts with relief and Mrs. Dixon shoots her a grateful smile. Mrs. Dixon guides Christopher over to Cassie’s table and helps him into the chair, before patting Carrie fondly on the head. “You’re a good girl, Carrie, your Dad will be proud of you.” Carrie sits up a little straighter and grins. Dad will be proud, Christopher gets a friend, there’s no downside to this in her eyes. She turns to Christopher and smiles sweetly at him. “Your crutches look cool; I didn’t know they made them in blue!” Christopher looks at her, almost surprised, as if he can’t quite believe that she’s talking to him before smiling shyly. “My Daddy picked them out, he says they’re blue like Superman cause I’m his Superman” he replies, quietly and Carrie beams at him. “I love Superman! My Daddy got me to watch all the movies, but he says Marvel is better. I don’t really like superheroes, but Daddy does so I watch them to make him happy.” Just like that, Christopher and Carrie are fast friends, chatting away as though they’ve known each other for years.

Carrie stands up for Chris:

It's after lunch that it all goes a bit pear shaped. Carrie and Christopher are sitting at their table, chatting about dogs (Christopher want to know if dogs know they’re dogs. Carrie thinks they probably don’t), when Jordan, Carrie’s least favourite person, sidles up to their table with a smug grin. “Making friends with the freaks Carrie?” he asks, kicking one of Christopher’s crutches over so it clatters noisily to the ground. Christopher shrinks back in his chair, but Carrie merely glares at Jordan. “Go away, no one wants you here,” she retorts snarkily. Jordan laughs. “No, no one wants him here,” he says, his face twisting into a mean sneer. “We don’t like freaks in our class, go back to Texas, weirdo.” Carrie watches as Christopher’s face crumples and it’s like a fire is light in her belly, burning hot and angry and slowly bubbles to the surface. “I said go away Jordan!” she says, raising her voice. Jordan arches an eyebrow. “You’re a freak for wanting to play with him too, Carrie.” The anger in Carrie’s stomach burns hotter and hotter and she stands up, knocking her chair over. “Yeah well you’re – you’re a –“ There’s a million things she could call Jordan right now. Meanie?  Butthead? She’s heard Daddy say some bad words too that she could use. Like when he was really mad after he got off the phone with Uncle Doug a couple of years ago and she’d heard him call Uncle Doug a “fuckface”. Carrie really liked that one but when she’d called Lily a fuckface for taking her doll, Daddy had been really mad and asked her where she’d heard that word. He’d turned very pink and made Carrie never to call anyone that again. He'd also called Uncle Chimney a really naughty word rhyming with “runt” that Carrie can’t quite remember, so she doesn’t use that one either. She uses the worst, naughtiest word she can think of that describes Jordan perfectly. “You’re an asshole, Jordan!” she explodes, and the class goes completely silent. Jordan’s standing there, jaw hanging open with surprise, and Christopher is looking at her almost reverentially, his eyes glowing. She feels a rush of pride until…. “Carrie Buckley, come here this instant!!” Damn.

(No pressure) tagging @theotherbuckley @malewifediaz @thewolvesof1998 @jesuisici33 @theplaceyoustillrememberdreaming @steadfastsaturnsrings @housewifebuck @disasterbuckdiaz @callmenewbie @cal-daisies-and-briars @wildlife4life @spotsandsocks @smilingbuckley @fortheloveofbuddie @nmcggg @wikiangela @fruitandbubbles @watchyourbuck @fionaswhvre @evanbegins @monsterrae1

[secondgenerationnerd]

Hi i just wanna say i love your next gen titans au. And your whole page in general i was wondering if you could do a smal fic on the reactions of some characters finding out irey and jai are twins (cause they dont look/act alike) but only if you have time/want to do it

D’aw, thank you, my love! Honestly Jai and Irey make the most fun about their genetics 😂😂

I’ll do Omega’s first meet up (so they’re all 11-13)

—————

Milagro hadn’t said a word since they left El Paso. The Zeta tubes scared her, he knows it, but she’s too proud to say anything else. Khaji offered to sedate her, which Jaime quickly vetoed. The beetle still informs his host of each spike of her heart rate.

“Hey, Mocosa,” Jaime squeezes his sister’s hand, “¿Estás bien?”

Milagro nods, but her grip doesn’t loosen. When the elevator doors open, Jaime pulls her to the side. She can’t meet his eyes, even when he kneels down. Her big brother tilts her head up.

“Milagro, digas me.”

“…I’m scared, Jaime…” It’s not the first time she’s said that. Not even the first time today, but her voice hasn’t shaken like that, “What if they don’t like me?”

A small smile plays on his face, “You remember my friend, Bart, right? Redhead that talks too much?”

“Yeah, why?” Milagro sniffles.

“He’s been talking about you to his cousins, Jai and Irey. They’re really excited to meet you.” Jaime lowers his voice, “And if anyone is mean to you, I’ll let Khaji vaporize them.”

The beetle embedded in his spine clicks in agreement. That makes her smile, eases some of the worry from her face, “Thanks, Khaji…y Burro Azul…”

“Just doing my Big Brother duties, Mocosa Verde.” Jaime stands and takes her hand again. Together, they walk into the chaotic living room.

Two dark haired kids—a boy with glasses and a girl in purple overalls— fly through the air. A sour-faced boy argues with Tim, she remembers Tim, about…supervision? On the couch, two Asian kids, another boy and girl, play a videogame, bickering on the best way to beat a level. Milagro notices a nervous redheaded boy, sitting apart from the others. Unlike the others, with their familiarity to one another, he looks how she feels.

“Jaime!” A bubbly redhead races across the room, lighting following her. Her arms wrap around the older boy’s waist.

“Hey, Irey.” He hugs her, “Bart around?”

“No, him, Kon, and Cassie had to run an errand.” She shrugs, “Damian’s being a butthead—“

“I heard that, West!” The boy arguing with Tim scowls in their direction.

“You were supposed to!” Irey makes a face at him, then looks at the last member to their team. That sunshine smile returns in an instant, holding her hand out, “You must be Milagro! Irey West, newest Impulse!”

Definitely related to Bart. Her words run together, each fighting to get out of her mouth first. She has the same smile Bart does, like pure sunshine. Milagro smiles back.

“Nice to meet you, Irey.” It’s odd to shake hands with someone her own age, but Irey acts like it’s second nature. Milagro nods at the lone boy in the corner, “That’s your brother, Jai, right? You’re twins?”

“Huh?” Irey looks behind her. “Oh! That’s Colin Wilkes, not my dumb brother. Jai-Jai! Li! Come say hi to Milagro!”

The Asian boy on the couch glances over his shoulder. A loud crack and more lightning, then he’s in front of her too. His hand stuck out in greeting, “Jai West, Velocity.”

These are the twins? Jaime had told her they were fraternal, but they don’t even look alike. At least…not at first. The longer she looks at them, the more details pop out. They share the same nose and jaw shape. Bits of gold shine in their eyes—hers brilliant green, his the lightest brown she’d seen. Freckles stand out on Irey’s pale skin, but Jai has some splashed across his tanned cheeks. Even without those details, Jai has the same energy as Irey—not nervous, exactly. More like…anticipation. Like a storm waiting to break.

Jai grins like a mad scientist, “Ah, Sissy, she’s having the—“

“‘Are they really twins?’ Face. I see it, Brother. That makes—“

“30 total this year, but she’s the 4th kid—“

“13.3 percent of the total new people—“

“Less than 3.62 percent in total—“

“She figured it out quicker—“

“I saw it in—“

“Wrinkle between eyebrows. Just like Jaime’s—“

“Bart likes that—“

Jaime blinks at that, “Wait, what?”

The two dart off before they answer him. Milagro’s head spins. The twins’ back and forth caught her off guard. Sure, she knew half their family were actual geniuses, but it never crossed her mind they would be too. She didn’t even register Colin walking over until he speaks.

“If it helps, they’re the most normal here.”

“They are?” She stares at him in disbelief.

“We wouldn’t be here if we were normal.” Colin gestures around, “Damian and Mar’i are Bats, so they think thirty moves ahead. Jon’s a Super, but he’s really cool. Lian’s an Arrow, she will throw something and it will hit.”

“What about you? Who’s your family?”

He shifts his weight, “Great question. Asked the nuns that once but so did the others.”

“Wilkes, Reyes!” Damian snaps, “Training room in 20 minutes!”

“…Of course, Mocoso. Whatever you say.” Milagro offers a sweet smile, voice dripping with sarcasm. Hiding a grin, Jaime kisses the top of her head.

Irey jumps over the side table, more like a blur, “Race you!”

“Iris Anne West, you’re a cheater!” Jai follows on her heels. Milagro doesn’t catch what the redhead said, but she could have sworn she heard ‘Bartholomew’.

“Oye,” Jaime nudges her, “¿Estás bien?”

This time his question gets a true smile from her. Yeah, she’s got this.

[daaedoodles]

this is so mean but “go on, say hello” for our kids!au thing?? 🥺 ITS SO CUTE WE HAVE TO WRITE IT TOGETHER

“Ava, come on. Go say hello.”

“I am not-“ The shorter blonde girl clenches her tiny fists, and before the older boy can react, stamps her red-converse clad foot into his. “Going to talk to her!”

“Ow!” Connor exclaims, reaching down to pull his bare foot into his hand, rubbing the top of his toes. “What was that for?” He groans, scrunching his eyes shut as another wave of pain hits him.

Ava folds her arms, pulling them close to her chest. She turns away with a ‘hmmph’, always one for the dramatic. “Because you’re being a dumbass!”

Connor raises his brows, squinting at the expletive, and even turned away from him he can see her face flushing red as she presses her lips together in a pout. She begins quieter, a total one-eighty from her usual loud self. “No way, I’m not talking to her.”

Ava sounds almost nervous and Connor pulls his lips behind his teeth trying desperately not to grin, because the curly haired brunette sitting a a few metres away from the two of them, hunched over a piece of paper with her small hands clutching a rainbow of markers, turns his otherwise rowdy and confident friend into a total wreck. He feels a little smug, and he won’t deny the fact that he’s having way too much fun teasing her about it.

He glances over at Ava, who’s staring absently at the girl in total silence and at this point, it was more than a common occurrence. Ever since that girl Sarah Reese shakily stepped onto the school stage to receive a certificate for coming second in a regional schools quiz, Ava spent much of her lunches ignoring her food, rather turning all her attention to the pretty curly-haired girl. Sarah had caught her staring more than a few times, but Ava would glance away the second she looked in her direction, leaving Sarah blinking at Connor in confusion for a few moments before returning to whatever she’d been doing.

Connor’s conflicted.

On one hand, this is great for him - Ava being distracted by this girl all the time meant he could keep stealing the baked goods in her lunchboxes, but on the other, it was kind of creepy and poor Sarah was probably incredibly confused why this random third grader kept looking at her. Though, for those homemade brownies that Anya Bekker packs, he’s torn. It’s a little selfish, he knows, but just about anything in Ava’s lunch is better than whatever his parent’s maids pack carelessly into his bag.

He sighs, and makes his choice. Connor steps forward, and it’s only when he enters Ava’s field of vision when the younger girl realises what he’s doing. “You butthead don’t you da-“ She cuts herself off, having been louder than she intended Sarah looks up at her, then turns up to Connor who’s looming above her at his full height.

She blinks dumbly, tilting her head.

Connor squats down, his leather shoes squeaking beneath him - he’d gotten them at his fathers insistence, wearing sneakers wasn’t classy - as he rests his forearms on his thighs with his hands hanging off the opposing legs. Even like this, he’s still taller than the young girl.

“You’re Sarah Reese right?”

She blinks again before nodding slowly, her felt-tipped markers now abandoned atop her sheet of paper. Ava cringes a little when the wind blows, a light green marker rolling to a stop at her feet. She reaches down, pinching it between the tips of her fingers, weary not to get any residual chip-grease that escaped her washing onto the marker.

“My friend there - Ava - thinks you’re really cool. She’s too shy to ask herself but..”

Connor can practically feel his body aching in anticipation for the foot stomping and elbowing that he’s certain he’s going to get - he can already tell Ava is standing there planning all of the ways she can get back at him for doing this, and he just knows he’s dug himself only deeper into his own grave by calling her shy in earshot.

“She wanted to ask if you wanted to be her friend.” He offers a smile, tilts his head and holds out his hand.

“Do you want to be our friend?”

pls leave comments and reblog if you like it! me and peach love this kids!au with all our heart it is our child 🤲

[gamerwoo]

[The Pack Next Door] Mingi: Friends With Benefits (Part Three)

(photo edit courtesy of @songmingki​)

Characters: Mingi x female reader

Genre/warnings: werewolf au, friends to lovers au, a tiiiiiny bit of angst, smut (very awkward attempt at phone sex, masturbation, sorta kinda dom!mingi????)

Word count: 3,306

Summary: Growing up, you and Mingi were inseparable. You’d been friends your entire life and, as far as you knew, things were never any different. But what you don’t know is that Mingi imprinted on you when he was 15 and first turned into a werewolf, and he had been trying to keep it a secret ever since. And with the awful timing of mating season, he’s hoping he can somehow keep the facade up.

Tags: @sakura-uji​​ @xummie​​ @peachy-hoon​​ @psshwa​​ @uglyratlmao​​ @uwu-yifan​

Previous | Next | Friends With Benefits Masterlist

Mingi hardly slept that night because his body was rapidly heating up and his dick was straining in his boxers. All telltale signs of mating season starting. He was panting, sweaty, and his skin was extremely sensitive by the time the sun rose and his brothers woke up for classes and/or work. Hongjoong went to check on him, seeing Mingi sprawled out on his bed with nothing but boxers on, his bedding kicked off, and his eyes closed as he groaned out in discomfort.

“Yeah,” he sighed, angling his head so he could still look at Mingi, but his order would reach the curious pack behind him, “we’re keeping _____ away from him for the next week.”

Mingi let out a strangled groan, “Don’t say her name.”

Yunho let out a deep sigh, “I’ll go get the chains.”

-

Mingi was sick. That meant you were going to take it upon yourself to take care of him. He may have wanted you to stay away the other times he was sick, but you knew his friends were at school today, meaning there was nobody to care for him. But you didn’t want to just waltz into their house, so you tried texting him instead.

Normally, Mingi didn’t answer his phone when he was in rut. He couldn’t really focus on anything else except how hot and uncomfortable and needy he felt, so texting or calling anyone wasn’t really something he wanted to do. But he just so happened to be already looking in the direction of his nightstand, and he saw your name pop up, and that alone sent his heart into a frenzy.

_____💕: how ya feelin bud?

_____💕: i can come over if you need me to

God, just the thought alone of you coming over had Mingi biting his lip to stifle a moan. He absolutely knew that wasn’t a good idea, but he really wanted to tell you yes. He wasn’t going to, but he wanted to.

Mingi💜: it’s fine i’ll be okay

_____💕: do you need anything?

An idea popped into his head that might be very, very stupid. But you were texting him already and literally anything from you would be good for him. He just had to be not creepy about it.

Mingi💜: you could brighten up my day and send me a selfie :)

_____💕: wow ur a simp even when ur sick lmao

It wasn’t out of character for him to hype you up or anything. He always said cheesy things about how seeing you made his day better or missing you if he didn’t see you all weekend or something. So you really didn’t think anything of it, snapping a cute picture of yourself smiling with your tongue poking out before sending it to Mingi.

_____💕: feel better butthead 💕

There was absolutely nothing dirty or sexual about the photo sent to him -- well, other than just the hint of cleavage from your loose tank top you were wearing under your flannel -- but it still made Mingi somehow grow even harder than he was before which he didn’t think was possible. His ember eyes bored into his phone screen as he stared at you, whimpering because you were so fucking cute and he wanted you so badly but he couldn’t have you. He just had a selfie of you that he could get off to.

-

“Can I ask something...weird?” Jongho wondered as the two of you sat in the trunk of his car at the gas station, sipping your slushies together.

“Yeah, why not?” you shrugged.

“Have you and Mingi ever like...done anything?” he asked slowly, turning his head to look at you.

“You really won’t let that girlfriend/boyfriend thing go, huh?” you chuckled.

But he didn’t smile like you were, “I’m genuinely asking. You guys are so close and you’ve been friends since you were born. Haven’t you ever felt feelings toward him?”

“What, are you snooping for Mingi?”

“No, I wouldn’t tell him anything.”

“But he’s your friend.”

“So are you.”

For as long as you’d known Jongho, you knew he was trustworthy. He never snitched on anybody, he would just kind of stand by and watch madness ensue -- but Yeosang, on the other hand would snitch to make the madness move faster. So you knew that if Jongho said he wouldn’t tell anybody, he really wasn’t going to.

“We haven’t done anything, no,” you answered truthfully.

Noticing something in your tone, Jongho quirked an eyebrow, “I’m sensing a but in there.”

You let out a sigh before you took a sip from your slushie, “I guess I kinda...have liked him for a while...?”

“Really?”

Of course he knew that, he knew you felt the imprinting pull, too.

“But we’ve been friends for a long time so it would be weird,” you shrugged, mostly trying to reason with yourself for the hundredth time more than you were trying to convince Jongho.

“Ah, I doubt that,” he chuckled. “You’re pretty much the only girl Mingi even brings around.”

You snorted, “Really?”

“Why do you seem so shocked?”

“I mean...he’s a good looking dude, and he’s a sweetheart so I figured--”

Even though Jongho was well aware of the reason why Mingi never brought other girls back to their house, he scoffed and said, “You’re forgetting he’s a dumbass.”

“Okay,” you laughed in agreement, “he’s kind of a himbo sometimes.”

“Kind of?” Jongho asked. “Sometimes?”

‘Considering he’s such a big, clueless idiot that he hasn’t asked you out or told you the truth since he was 15,’ he wanted to add on, but he knew better than to do that.

“...He’s a himbo.”

Jongho nodded as he took a sip of his own slushie, “Absolutely.”

-

Mingi’s ringing phone didn’t necessarily break him out of his slumber, but he was trying really hard to sleep for a little bit. No matter how many times he jerked himself off, nothing was ever good enough. That’s how it always was. It might work for a few minutes if he was lucky, but he’d just get worked up again. He needed his mate. He was the only one in the pack who knew who his mate was, and because of that, he needed you to actually feel satisfied while he was going through rut. But how could he ask that of you?

With a groan, he lifted his head that was soaking his pillow with sweat to see who it was. He knew most of the pack had gone out to the movies, and Jongho was out with you for the afternoon and evening, so he had to make sure it wasn’t any one of them with some emergency.

But when your name was glowing on his screen, he scrambled with shaky hands to pick up the phone.

“Hello?” he rasped out before clearing his throat.

“Hey,” you replied casually, your phone on speaker as you made yourself a sandwich in your tiny apartment on campus, “I just wanted to check and make sure you were still alive.”

Mingi sighed as he threw his head back down into his pillow. Just hearing your voice affected him, and he struggled to keep any odd noises he might make inside.

“Uh huh,” he groaned softly.

“Yeah, sure sounds like it,” you joked with a chuckle. 

Mingi’s hand inched its way down to his boxers, his hardened member hardly having any sort of relief that day. But once his fingertips grazed the outline, he realized what he was subconsciously doing and stopped himself. He couldn’t just get himself off while talking to you on the phone. That wasn’t okay.

“It’s not too bad, is it?” your voice was softer this time when you spoke; it was more caring.

His lips pressed together in a thing line, trying to keep the moan bubbling in his throat from slipping out. Your voice just sounded so nice, and it wasn’t like you would know, right? If he was sneaky, it would be fine, right? 

“Just-- J-just a fever,” he stammered out, letting his hand slip into his boxers and wrap around his dick.

“Mingi, that doesn’t sound good,” you frowned, knowing sometimes a fever could be serious.

“You do, though,” he breathed out without thinking, his eyes fluttering shut. Even though he was still stuck using his own hand, your voice definitely helped.

“Huh?”

His eyes snapped open, “I, uh-- I-it’s cool, though. I-I’m fine. I feel okay, j-just--”

He let out a gasp, biting down on the side of his hand by his thumb before he could continue.

“J-just a fever. That’s all.”

“Are you positive?” you wondered, bringing your sandwich to your room along with your phone. “You sound like...weird.”

“Hard day,” he replied through clenched teeth.

If you knew what was really going on, you would’ve laughed at the unintentional pun.

“Wanna talk about it?” you offered, kicking your door shut softly.

“N-no, just--” the sigh he let out sounded more stressed to you, but it was actually sexual frustration. “Just need some kind of...r-release.”

“Could always fuck somebody,” you suggested with a shrug. “That’s what people do, right?”

Mingi almost choked on air hearing you say that, “W-what?”

“Don’t act like you don’t know,” you snorted. “Mingi, I’m well aware you’re not a virgin and there’s no way you don’t sleep with people. Look at you, dude!”

You believed that maybe Jongho had never seen Mingi bring any girls home, but there was no way he didn’t get around. Mingi was one of the best men on earth, hands down. Besides, his friends had already snitched on him before, telling you all the times he’d had flings or one-night-stands -- but they kept out the fact it was because he was desperate and couldn’t have you.

“I don’t exactly have a lot of f-female friends, _____,” he said in a breathy chuckle, “and I’m not in a good s-situation to go make any.”

“Just get a friends with benefits. I mean, you’re around your friends all the time and they’re single.”

His hand completely stopped as he whined your name in annoyance. His pack were the last people he wanted to think about right now.

“I don’t like guys, alright?” he huffed.

“What about your friends that aren’t guys?”

“That’s literally only you.”

You weren’t sure why you suddenly felt tingly...down there, but you tried to ignore it.

“I mean,” you began slowly around a mouthful of bread and meat, “I’d offer to assist you, bud, but--”

“Y-you would?” Mingi quickly asked.

Your chewing stopped, your entire body freezing as you looked at your phone. Were you really about to do this? If you replied how you wanted to, you might ruin your friendship forever.

Mingi heard your muffled voice like you were eating food quietly say, “Yeah.”

‘Don’t moan, don’t moan, don’t moan,’ was all he could think as he covered his mouth with his hand until the urge passed.

“But, I mean,” you spoke up after you swallowed your food, afraid that his silence meant he was weirded out by your statement, “only ‘cause we’re friends and like, I guess some friends help other friends out like that? But I can’t go there anyway because you’re sick and, like--”

“W-what if,” he cut you off, “we used our ph-phones...?”

You raised your eyebrows, “Have you done that before?”

“Yeah,” he admitted. “Haven’t you?”

The only times you’d ever done anything remotely like that was when you were seeing some college guy toward the end of your freshman year of college. He suggested the idea a few times and he’d get himself off on the phone while you sat on your couch and ate snacks and half-assed being into it and paying attention. In reality, you were watching Mulan while it was muted and with subtitles on because you really didn’t even want to be with the guy anymore but you wanted to tell him in person and he was out of town. So technically, no, you hadn’t. And it seemed awkward.

“I-I can guide you through it,” he promised before quickly adding on, “I-if you want to! Only if you w-want to.”

For once during one of these conversations, you actually put your food down and gave your phone your complete, undivided attention. Because it was Mingi.

“Y-yeah, sure,” you decided.

Mingi let out a breath of relief as his hand resumed its position around his length, and began moving up and down his shaft, “Okay, you have to take your jeans off.”

You weren’t sure how or why, but Mingi suddenly sounded much more assertive. He still sounded a bit strained and kind of tired, but he wasn’t stuttering anymore. He seemed more sure of his words.

You undid your jeans and shoved them very ungracefully off of yourself, kicking them onto the floor next to the couch, “Done.”

“Now, I want you to just tease yourself like you normally do,” he breathed. He wanted to just go easy on you since he knew you hadn’t done this before and he didn’t want you to be uncomfortable, so he figured doing something you were used to would be the best way to do that. “Whatever starts to get you more worked up.”

You suddenly blanked on every sexual thing you’d ever done. How did you normally masturbate? When was the last time you’d even done that? What even got you turned on? Yes, Mingi’s voice was making you feel some sort of heat in your lower region but you still felt a little weird and confused trying to do this.

Still you trailed a finger down to your clothed clit and started lightly rubbing circles. That was what he meant, right? God, were you actually questioning if you were doing phone sex correctly?

“Tell me how it feels,” Mingi groaned. “I wanna hear your voice.”

Had it been literally any other guy trying to do this with you, you wouldn’t even bother trying to pretend. You were the type to shut someone down and not even bother trying to humor them -- except that one time but you felt pity for the poor clueless idiot. But this was Mingi and you really wanted to help him out even if you couldn’t do anything for yourself.

“I’d rather it was you,” you huffed with more whine in your voice than you expected. And it wasn’t a lie, you really would prefer Mingi did this to you instead of yourself because you just felt awkward.

The moan he let out of your name had heat shoot straight through you, and you found yourself dragging two fingers up and down your clothed core, and it actually felt a little less weird now.

“I wish it were me, too,” he breathed, and you heard him shifting on his bed. “Pretend it’s me, okay? My hand sliding into your panties and my finger going into you.”

You did exactly as he said, putting your hand under the waistband of your underwear and inserting your index finger into your heat. Mingi heard the shaky breath leave your lips, and he let out another deep moan as his own hand sped up. 

“Your fingers are way longer than mine, though,” you chuckled lightly as you slowly pumped your finger in and out of yourself.

“Mm, so they’d fill you up even better.”

The quiet, involuntary moan you let out at his words almost made him cum right on the spot. It was one of the best sounds he’d ever heard, and he just wanted to hear it over and over again. He wished he could hear it in person.

“Say more stuff like that,” you requested as heat rushed to your cheeks.

His eyes closed as he imagined all the things he would want to do to you, and repeated it to you. How he wanted to fuck you with his fingers and his tongue until your legs were trembling and your thighs were squeezing around his head. How he wanted to work you up until you were begging him to properly fuck you. And the way he said all of that and the way he moaned between sentences and words had you adding a second finger and rubbing your clit as you rocked your hips and moaned out his name.

“Fuck, you sound so wet,” he whimpered, sounding so much more needy than he had while he was growling in his deep voice how hard he’d make you cum. “A-are you close?”

“Yeah,” you breathed, your voice higher in pitch as you felt the knot in your stomach tightening more and more and more.

Mingi was struggling so hard to hold on but it was difficult to. He wanted to cum so badly but he didn’t want to until you did. Somehow, even in this situation he was in, he was more concerned about you getting off than he was about himself.

“Fuck, _____, I’m gonna cum,” he said in an airy moan, fucking into his fist.

“Cum for me, Mingi,” you told him, squeezing your eyes shut as you tried to reach your release.

That was it for him. Hearing you tell him to cum had thick ropes of white covering his stomach, chest, and hand as he let out loud moans of your name, followed by loud panting once he’d come down from his high. But what you didn’t know was that his cock was still throbbing and hard in his hand, so he continued.

“I need you to cum, _____,” he whined, sounding like he hadn’t even gotten any relief from his orgasm. “Fuck, please cum for me. I want to hear you.”

“I-- I--” you struggled with words because while you were so close to the edge, you couldn’t quite get there and it was frustrating. “Shit, I’m gonna--”

“Be good for me, _____,” his voice was airy still, but it was deeper again. “Cum for me and say my name nice and loud.”

You clenched around your fingers as you came with a loud and high, “Oh god, Mingi,” that even had him cumming right then for a second time. Hearing your moans and whimpers of his name as you came was enough to throw him into his second orgasm, which somehow was even more satisfying than the first.

Satisfying enough to make his erection go down.

You relaxed back into your couch, slowly removing your fingers from yourself as you opened your eyes and looked at your phone as if you were expecting to share awkward glances with your best friend.

You didn’t feel awkward, though, and neither did he. The haze of the moment began to wash away, and you thought you’d be left feeling uncomfortable and unable to even stay on the phone. But you both felt...the same. You felt comfortable, like you were just having a regular conversation.

“You okay?” he asked, sounding much better than when you had first called -- definitely a little more tired, but better.

“Yeah,” you replied with a soft chuckle. “You?”

“Yeah.”

The silence was comfortable as you just looked at his name on your screen over and over again. You wondered if this would be a normal thing for you now. You wondered if you would actually do that in person. Actually...

“Y’know,” you spoke up with a light tone to your voice, “I don’t think phone sex is for me.”

Mingi was silent for a beat before asking, “You wanna come over tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” you replied as if he asked if you wanted to go boarding on the beach.

“Cool,” he replied just as casually, but he was actually smiling like an idiot in his bed. “I should try to get some sleep then. I’ll text you tomorrow.”

“‘Kay. Night, dude.”

“Night.”

[lilydalexf]

Old School X is a project interviewing X-Files fanfic authors who were posting fic during the original run of the show. New interviews are posted every Tuesday.

Interview with Piper Sargasso

Piper Sargasso has 25 stories at Gossamer, but don’t miss her website where the fics each have cover collage art. If you are a fan of Mulder/Scully romance, there are a lot of MSR fics to read that are set in different seasons of the show. But like the show that never stuck to one type of story, Piper’s stories have variety, so you can also find AUs and /Other.  Big thanks to Piper for doing this interview.

Does it surprise you that people are still interested in reading your X-Files fanfics and others that were posted during the original run of the show (1993-2002)?

It does, but I love that people are still into it! Writers back in the day put so much work and love into their writing, and it's nice to know that the stories are still being appreciated to this day. As for my own stories, it puts a huge smile on my face to know there are still people out there checking them out and hopefully enjoying them.

What do you think of when you think about your X-Files fandom experience? What did you take away from it?

It was such a positive period of my life. I made some amazing friends who became something like older sisters (and some brothers) to me, even though I was a little ridiculous when I was in my early to mid-twenties. It was also a much-needed confidence booster. I was a pretty shy person and loved writing, but never had the nerve to show anything to anyone. My first fanfic was completely horrible, but because of it I made my first XF friend and super beta, Mimic117. Between her guidance and the encouraging words from my Yahoo group I was able to do something I really loved and felt great about myself and my abilities for the first time. That will stay with me forever. That first story was truly atrocious, but it was a catalyst for great things in my life when I needed them the most.

Social media didn't really exist during the show's original run. How were you most involved with the X-Files online (atxc, message board, email mailing list, etc.)?

I remember trying this cool new thing called an AOL chat room, but they were more interested in perving on each other than talking about the show. Once I knew about fanfiction I kept seeing that some of my favorite authors kept mentioning IWTBXF in their notes, a Yahoo group named I Want to Believe. I looked it up, joined, and with great trepidation made my introductory post. Everyone was so warm and welcoming, and talking to my favorite authors in the group was a little like meeting a celebrity and finding out that they're awesome in real life. After IWTBXF fell apart, an off-shoot called Beyond the Sea was created with almost all of the original group transferring over. I stuck to my little family there and didn't branch out into much else, other than the rare dip into Haven. Ephemeral and Gossamer, of course.

What did you take away from your experience with X-Files fic or with the fandom in general?

Mostly the overwhelming feeling of acceptance and confidence to write, something I was sorely lacking before in my life. I fell in with the best group, that's for sure! They made me feel like being a professional writer could be an achievable goal.

What was it that got you hooked on the X-Files as a show?

The commercial advertising. The pilot spoke to my supernatural-loving, angsty 15 year-old soul. I watched it religiously every week. There was nothing like it. It was off-beat, but serious (most of the time) and fulfilled my insatiable craving for the paranormal and weird. You just couldn't get that from Melrose Place and Beavis and Butthead, you know? It definitely helped that David Duchovny was adorable and the character of Scully was the strong and intelligent icon we needed in the 90's and beyond.

What got you involved with X-Files fanfic?

In high school I had a friend who was as obsessed with the show as I was. Maybe more, since she once had a slumber party that was exclusively to binge watch her taped episodes (the other girls who wanted to mess around with spells and the Ouija board weren't thrilled that she couldn't be swayed away from it) and she often drove me from play rehearsals in her convertible with the top down and the theme song blasting to the heavens, much to my delight and mortification. A couple years after we graduated she told me about the piece of fanfic she wrote. Insert a record screech here. What?! You mean there are thousands of stories dedicated to my favorite show? And hundreds more get added every month?! I was obsessed. If I could've stopped working and slept at my computer desk I would have.

What is your relationship like now to X-Files fandom?

Sadly it's nonexistent these days. I have great memories and it holds a big piece of my heart, but I haven't been active in a long time. I would love to see a huge revival, and would definitely want to be involved in that in some way, were it to happen.

Were you involved with any fandoms after the X-Files? If so, what was it like compared to X-Files?

I read a lot of Harry Potter fanfiction for a while, but I never could expend the kind of energy and time I did for the X-Files fandom. It came at a perfect time in my life, and so far nothing else has measured up to it.

Who are some of your favorite fictional characters? Why?

Besides XF characters? Off the top of my head I really love Hermione Granger, Buffy Summers, Elizabeth Bennet, and Claire Fraser for their sass and strength of character, Severus Snape for his complexity, and Christina Ricci's version of Wednesday Addams for her pure awesomeness. She's pretty much my spirit animal.

Do you ever still watch The X-Files or think about Mulder and Scully?

I do occasionally. I watched the series from season 1-7 so many times that I started to burn out, but I get on my X-Files kicks sometimes and binge it again.

Do you ever still read X-Files fic? Fic in another fandom?

Like with the show, I'll get nostalgic and need to consume all the fanfics my greedy little eyes can behold until I move on to something else. It can feel a little lonely though, if you'll excuse the drama. We're not in the heyday anymore, so it feels a little like walking through a ghost town. Many of the stories out there are suspended in time because the show ended, or people stopped writing.

Do you have any favorite X-Files fanfic stories or authors?

I know I have dozens, but I'm drawing a blank. My ultimate favorite is any well-written MSR casefile with UST finally resulting in RST. Those are my unicorns!

What is your favorite of your own fics, X-Files and/or otherwise?

I have a silly one called Baby, It's Cold Outside that I sometimes read around Christmastime. It was a fluffy song-fic, but I can see the scene so clearly in my mind when I read it and it's just pure fun. I also like my Donnie Pfaster series. I can see the potential in my writing with those, which makes me feel I could really write something special someday. Plus, he's such an interesting little slimeball to write and read about. Bless his heart.

Do you think you'll ever write another X-Files story? Or dust off and post an oldie that for whatever reason never made it online?

I still think about the two WIPs I haven't finished. I wrote myself into a corner with This Mortal Coil, and honestly I think it needs a total overhaul. I think Dana Scully's Diary would be a fun one to finish. I hate that I never finished them.

Do you still write fic now? Or other creative work?

I think about writing fanfic now and then and I've had a couple original novels sketched out, but there are so many other demands on my time that I haven't gotten very far. I still plan to see the novels through, even if no one but interested friends and family read them.  

Where do you get ideas for stories?

I used to watch an episode and really study the actors' expressions and actions, always trying to find new angles to the stories we all know. A lot of times things would just come to me and I'd get so excited I couldn't sleep until I wrote a good chunk of it down.

What's the story behind your pen name?

The friend who introduced me to fanfic told me the best way to choose a pen name was to make sure it derives from the show. For a couple days I looked at the titles and summaries of episodes and agonized over just the right name. Finally Piper Maru and the summary from Triangle, which mentions the Sargasso sea, stood out and just clicked.

Do your friends and family know about your fic and, if so, what have been their reactions?

My now husband always knew, and he thought it was cool that I had a hobby that made me so happy, but he was never a reader. My parents found out when I was about 24 and my step-dad would tell EVERYONE about it, much to my horror. Most reactions were of the bland, "Oh yeah? That's nice." variety but I definitely got some weird looks from others. The worst was when I found out how much of my racier MSR stories my parents read. My step-dad thought it was hilarious and teased me a little. My usually open-minded mom was uncomfortable, but tried to be supportive. It's all fun and games until your daughter starts writing psuedo-erotica for anyone to see!

Is there a place online (tumblr, twitter, AO3, etc.) where people can find you and/or your stories now?

Circe Invidiosa very generously hosts a page for me at http://pipers.invidiosa.com.

(Posted by Lilydale on January 26, 2021)

[melchron]

Nightmare Time Episode 2 Thoughts

But first, my brain right after it ended:

No no no NO NO NOPE

Idc what Nick says this isn't canon

THIS WAS SO GOOD

AAAAAHHHH

😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

*nervous laughter*

Occasional squeals for every emotion

Me texting my mom it traumatized me

Me scrolling through tumblr up until right before I started typing this

I LOVE THIS

I HATE THIS

I'M CONFUSED

WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED

Ok thoughts now:

MARIAH AND ROBERT DUET!!!

Rob in a turtleneck had me concerned for a second

They sound amazing

These are the cutest vows

HIDGENS IS OFFICIATING? Wait that means he's legally a wedding officiant. Why is he a wedding officiant? What made him want to do this?

TED SHUT UP

BILL IS THERE

Is MIAH someone's friend or relative? I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHO!

So we have Emma droid and Paul clone know huh. I feel so bad for real Emma. Wait does she know Jane is dead? OH NO DROID TOOK HER PHONE WHEN TOM CALLED SO PROBABLY NOT! SHE REALLY SHOULD HAVE STAYED IN GUATEMALA!

Paul where did your brain cells go? Emma told you there is someone else out there that looks exactly like her and she stole the life of. I know she said other girl died but you didn't even consider the possibility? It took you seeing them together for you to get it. Paul I love you but you stupid.

Good job to the citizens of Hatchetfield for making sure real Emma was ok. Good job respecting women.

EMMA WHY ARE YOU SELLING YOUR DNA?!??! THERE ARE OTHER WAYS TO MAKE MONEY SWEETIE!

OMG PAUL CALLED EMMA PET NAMES

Dang they are getting so much use out of Lauren's ring. Devin's video, Konk's proposal, and now this.

I now know that Dylan owns a beanie that says Daddy on it. Idk what to do with this information.

Lauren Lopez is an amazing actress! How do you play two characters that are essentially the same and also interact with each other and have it be this amazing?!?!? It makes no sense.

ALSO Jon did such a good job! Paul loved Emma so much and Jon made me believe it.

I believe 23 loves Emma just as much as 22 did.

Are they only cloning Paul? It seems weird to just choose him. Maybe others are getting cloned too. What if we have multiple Ted's because of time travel but we also had others that were clones!

Why did they continue to make clones? What was wrong with the first 22?

DROID EMMA CARES ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT I LOVE HER

Kim's voice is so angelic

Nick, Matt, can you please stop making me like Ted?

Ted is a jerk and a creep but he doesn't deserve all this

SPANKOVSKY

HIDGENS AND CHAD IS CONFIRMED

BILL HAS A NEW GIRLFRIEND!??!?!! I'M SO HAPPY FOR HIM!!! SYLVIA SEEMS NICE! I HOPE ALICE LIKES HER!! BILL DESERVES TO BE HAPPY WITH SOMEONE!!

So Ted is a jerk as a defense mechanism? Ted I'm sorry you got hurt but this isn't it. What you need is help. Go to therapy.

Ted really considers Paul to be his best friend huh. Well know I feel bad that he wasn't invited.

Omg he looked to happy during his blackout dream. Why do I like this? Why do I like happy Ted?

JEFF'S VOICE OMG THAT IS TERRIFYING

Really random but I wish my school made Rubik's Cubes

And Paul asked him to be a pal! Don't play with his feelings like that Paul! Say that if you really mean it!

So in the future everyone is a android? WAIT Emma droid said she was from the future. How did she get to the past? Did future ccrp teach her how to use the office as a time machine?

Lol Robert's face when he's calling security. He's not even mouthing words

JEFF WITH THE VOICE FILTER IS TERRIFYING!!

Lol Robert and Jaime using their phones as laser guns. And Jaime's is barely showing up because of the green screen.

TED DON'T BEAT UP COLLEGE KIDS 15 YEARS YOUNGER THAN YOU!! HE LOOKED SO HAPPY AND SWEET TOO! GREAT TED YOU JUST RUINED HIS LIFE AND NOW HE WANTS TO KILL YOU!

Ted why don't you just tell your younger self what to do? Remember, you didn't travel back into your younger self. You're the same as how you came. Meaning that all Jenny will see is so gross pedo man trying to hit on her.

Jenny calling him Teddy is so cute

Ted is an idiot. Of course she doesn't want some horny jerk. Expect better of your friend. Also don't grab people when they're trying to get away from you. Especially not GIRLS 15 YEARS YOUNGER THAN YOU!!

Jenny deserves better. We just met her and she's Spiderman-ing.

STOP MAKING MY FAVES TED!!! Homeless man was sweet man who deserves the world that I would give my bank account to. You know what screw it. I like Ted know. There I said it. I LIKE TED! I simultaneously want to hug him and get a restraining order on him. Nick, Matt, Joey, you're all buttheads and I love you.

This- this doll isn't cute. Like you made these available to buy I would still get one but I don't like him. Tinky can stay far away from me.

Ted is such a good friend trying to warn Paul about his droid gf. PAUL GIVE HIM SPARE CHANGE!! I KNOW YOU HAVE IT!

AND THEN THEY KILL HIM!!!! TED GETS MURDERED BY SOMEONE HE CONSIDERED HIS BEST FRIEND!!!! JUST EXPLAIN TO HOMELESS MAN THAT YOU'RE COOL WITH YOUR DROID WIFE, MAKE HIM PROMISE NOT TO TELL, GIVE HIM SPARE CHANGE (not as a bribe), AND MOVE ON

Joey is absolutely amazing!! He made me like Ted. TED!!! Of all the characters! Also those quick changes. Just amazing!!! Gosh these guys are so friggin talented.

MATT DAHAN IS AMAZING!!! I WAS FEELING ALL THE FEELS AND THEN MUSIC WAS ALWAYS PERFECT!! I HEARD THE SHOW ME YOUR HANDS THEME GO OFF!!!

Matt and Nick I swear looked up every au trope and decided the weirdest ones to mix together. And I have no idea how but it works.

AND THEN IT ENDS ON A SONG ABOUT PEANUTS!!??!? NOT NOW I'M EMOTIONAL!! ALSO PRETTY SURE THIS IS THE FIRST JOEY AND LAUREN DUET SINCE GRANGER DANGER!! AND PEANUTS CAN TALK NOW!!??! SCREW THIS!! SCREW HATCHETFIELD I'M DONE!! LITERALLY ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN I CAN'T!!! MY BRAIN WILL DIE IF YOU KEEP THIS UP!!!

[swearwolf-writes]

Teen Wolf 2020

it’s 2020 and corona is a bitch :) the wolves might not be able to get sick but they still wear their masks bcs they could still be carriers so *clears throat* WEAR YOUR MASKS Y’ALL!! this is very much a no one dies/everybody lives au :)

[CROSSPOSTED ON: AO3]

Scott McCall - age 26

this cute nerd. he studied veterinary medicine which takes about 4 years so he graduated in 2017 and works as Deaton’s partner at the Beacon Hills Animal Clinic. he’s dating Isaac (bcs he came back from France with Argent, remember) and Kira (she came back from the Skinwalkers in 2019 and has a proper grasp on her powers). sorry scalia shippers but it’s not really my thing-

Stiles Stilinski - age 26

NERD. anywho- FBI dork became an agent in 2019 whoo and lives in DC with Lydia, Derek and Braeden. he’s dating Lydia and Derek and things are pretty chill - he yells at arseholes who refuse to wear their masks bcs ‘it’s uncomfortable :(’ like bite me karen no one cares

Derek Hale - age 32

grumpy sourwolf actually knows how to smile!! who knew- he lives in DC with Stiles, Lydia and Braeden most of the time but he and Braeden travel often to fight butthead hunters who need to mind their own business. he’s dating Stiles and he and Braeden are engaged - it’s cute and they’re being dorks about it. he likes to complain that they’d be married by now if it wasn’t for freakin covid

Lydia Martin - age 26

your local genius banshee~ 🥰 still awesome, still a harbinger of death - so yk, the usual. bcs she had extra credits she started as a junior studying maths and graduates in 2016!! 🎉🎉 she moved to DC after she got some money together while working as a tutor - the quartet splits rent (but usually it’s just Stiles and Lydia splitting it bcs the other two don’t technically have jobs and yk Derek is an unsub and Stiles is in the FBI which Lydia finds hilarious). she teaches adults in the local community college and helps supernatural folk on the dl - she runs a grief counselling service at the same place for people who’ve lost someone. she’s also trying to get a degree to become a high school maths teacher and it’s a lot but she’s got it handled.

Allison Argent - 24

accidentally brought back from the dead by the Dread Doctors. everyone could not stop crying bcs she’s back baby!! she died in 2011 age 17 and came back in 2012 so she wasn’t dead long thankfully - wanted to kill Theo bcs he messed with her pack even he did bring her back. she’s a chimera now lads- she needed a kidney transplant when she was young which was why she was kept away from the family business. she was a werewolf-werejaguar chimera like Hayden but stayed a chimera. Chris and Isaac stayed home and bcs she and Isaac never actually broke up, they kept dating - she found it funny that Isaac and Scott were dating at this point,, meanwhile they were panicking wildly :) she went back to school and said she wasn’t dead, just in the hospital for a really long time. she joined Liam’s year and again, wanted to very badly throw hands when she found out about Monroe- she’s the coolest, like she has claws and bow and arrows

Malia Tate - 26

our girl went to France as promised and hooked up with plenty of hot French people *le eyebrow wiggle* she found her beau there in France and it was not a love at first sight sort of thing - she wanted to punch them in the face,, in their very pretty face- she was basically doing her own thing when she smells them, another bloody werewolf and like don’t get me wrong, she’s fond of werewolves, but bloody hell do they cause trouble. and they smell her too and it’s like ‘eh-?’ bcs werecoyotes aren’t so common as werewolves. and they’re just there in a club in Bordeaux and they’re sniffed each other out and they kinda just pause like huh- bcs they were were not expecting to see someone that pretty- but that’s not the point of course- they pretend to leave together and as soon as they’re out of sight from humans, they start fighting in an alley, as you do. it ends up with the wolf tasting the wall bcs who the hell are you- once they figure out they’re both just there to party, things chill and they see more of each other, naturally, it’s all just a big coincidence and doesn’t mean anything. and then they’re dancing and it doesn’t mean anything. and then they’re sleeping together and it doesn’t mean anything. except it does. and they don’t know when it became normal to cuddle or wake up together or have breakfast together but it just was. and when the cute werewolf (who I still don’t have a name for-) plans on moving to the next place, she comes with. the pack are happy for her and they usually road trip from place to place so when the pack comes to visit in Prague? it’s fun to say the least

Kira Yukimura - age 25

she came back from the Skinwalkers in 2019 and she and Allison became good friends. she kept going with school from home and is dating Scott. her powers are strong and when she sneezes bcs yk pollen or wtv, there’s sparks and it’s hilarious and Scott finds it adorable. she doesn’t really know what she wants to do yet and that’s cool of her

Erica Reyes - age 25

they thought she was dead- think again bitch, she slowed her heart rate down so they couldn’t hear and everyone thought she was dead - when the alpha pack got rid of her body and Allison found it, she told her to tell the others to pretend she was dead bcs of the Alpha pack - they beat the Alpha pack but she and Boyd hid with Satomi’s pack while that went down and helped generally after. she kept going with school and bcs she dipped for a while, ended in Liam’s year and eventually became a nurse in 2017. she works with Melissa McCall and joins for family dinner a lot.

Isaac Lahey - age 25

went to France with Chris Argent but kept going with his studies at Chris’ insistence. was dating dating Scott before he had to leave with Chris but they didn’t actually break up,, it was more ‘i’ll miss you :(’. came back to Beacon Hills when Chris came to help with the deadpool business and stayed bcs of Allison and Scott 💞 his studies were mostly uninterrupted and he studied law, becoming a lawyer in 2020!! so at least one good thing came of this infernal year- he wants to specialise in family law.

Vernon Boyd III - age 26

yea no, Derek didn’t mercy kill him bcs he was fine :) de nile ain’t just a river lads he went into hiding with Satomi’s pack and came back when the Alpha pack was dealt with. went back to school and ended up in Liam’s year. he joined the air force when he was 18 and finished his rotc training stuff in 2018 and it’s pretty alright - he’s a pilot but was discharged in 2019 bcs someone started with him and bcs they were a superior, he couldn’t say shit. so now he likes to wear ‘fuck the army’ and ‘fuck the air force’ shirt. he has mad respect for the people out there but the people in charge? fuck em

Aiden Steiner - age 27

he lives bitches 😎 Ethan had a silver chain on so he plugged the wound with it - it counteracted the oni poison and the chain started melting into the would (he had mild silver poisoning but he was fine). school was normal and now he’s an engineer, living in Beacon Hills. he and Ethan left for London for a while bcs that town was crazy af. while Ethan was very happy there, he missed home so went back. he got an online ordination and learnt Japanese bcs why not

Ethan Steiner-Whittemore - age 27

got married!! whoo 🎉🎉 Aiden officiated (this is 2018 btw) and it was cute. the whole pack was there and the wedding was in London bcs as quaint as Beacon Hills is 

‘i’m only planning on getting married once so this is gonna be awesome’ - Jackson Whittemore, 2017

he’s dramatic but yk Ethan was a blushing mess bcs ~life partners~ he’s soft y’all. he’s a primary school teacher in London and they’re part of the South London pack.

Jackson Steiner-Whittemore - age 25

also got married!! whoo 🎉🎉 ngl he’s lowkey a trophey husband/sugar hubby bcs he’s rich af - he does business with his dad but it’s not a big workload. he and Aiden want to adopt and yk being rich will hopefully help

Theo Raeken - age 25

ah yes, the absolute nightmare bi enby returns. (i hc him with he/they pronouns ✌🏽 as you do) so he successfully gained Scott’s trust and is part of the pack - yay! he and Allison have a sort of ‘you’re a bitch’ ‘no u’ *saves each others lives* relationship at this point - it took a while for Allison to warm up to him but he did save Liam’s butt several times so,, anywho, he’s still a werewolf-werecoyote chimera and he’s cool with it. he went to an online school and got his high school diploma - Liam then snuck him into the school and he signed the bookshelf bcs yea he didn’t graduate there but he did go there and now he’s graduated so yay. speaking of, he and Liam are dating, yea ik we been knew. they started dating in 2014 and Theo now works waiting tables at a local restaurants bcs he lives with Liam and his parents (you best bet that when they found out he was living in his car, they made him move in so he pays rent, not at their request but his). that was till 2017 and they moved out into an apartment together. Theo chips in on rent but it usually ends up being split 60:40 (Liam: Theo) so he cooks and cleans a lot,,, mainly bcs Liam can’t cook and does laundry like a maniac-

Liam Dunbar - age 24

this werepup is just as chaotic as always - he cannot be trusted with laundry bcs he doesn’t split colours from whites :) honestly it makes me wanna cry a lil bcs he can’t even fry eggs either- he has Theo to cook for him tho so that’s all good. he’s a history tutor for the high school students bcs he likes history and he knows the pain of high school- *shudder* he got an online Spanish and TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) degree and is now teaching at Beacon Hills High but yk his first year teaching is all online bcs 2020-

Mason Hewitt - age 23

he’s Emissary to the pack when they don’t have Deaton *wipes tear* he’s all grown up- he went to UCLA and majored in biophysics and minored in LGBTQ studies (graduated 2017). he lived on campus (kept the bat next to his bed lmao) and videochatted with Liam almost everyday - he would visit almost every weekend even tho it’s a 6 and half drive but hey. he got an apartment near the uni where he and Corey lived after he graduated. they’ve been engaged since 2018 (it was actually the day after the Steiner-Whittemore wedding). he’s helping work on a new drug delivery system and they moved closer to Beacon Hills (Sacramento)

Corey Bryant - age 24

he also went UCLA, studying comparative literature and LGBTQ studies, and lived on campus (for 3 years before moving in with Mason in 2017) before graduating in 2018. they’re engaged and moved to Sacramento. he’s writing a novel that will thankfully have nothing to do with their confusing ass lives

Cora Hale - age 28

lesbian queen *bows* still part of her pack in Ecuador, South America - she’s got a lady lover who I call Rosa (affectionately nicknamed Rosalita). they met when she first got there age 12 (Rosa being 13 at the time). Rosa taught her Spanish  and made her feel like part of the pack - after all the Alpha pack stuff, when she went back with Derek and Peter, she didn’t realise how much she’d missed them- how much she’d missed her. Derek asks if that’s her girlfriend and she’s like ‘wha- o.o’ and Rosa just goes ‘yup - nice to finally meet you guys’. she still visits DC to see Derek and Beacon Hills to see Erica and Isaac. even tho she lives in a different continent, Peter still looks out for her, sending anonymous donations in Talia’s name to the areas surrounding her pack’s territory

Brett Talbot - 24

*singsongs* ~he did not die~ the car swerved out of the way and the pack took him to Deaton who burnt the poison out of him (it was a long and painful process but he’s fine y’all). he’s the new lacrosse coach at Devenford Prep and he and Liam have a (mostly) friendly rivalry :) he’s a single pringle not bcs of lack of dates but just bcs he hasn’t found the one yet

Lorilee Rohr - age 22

also did not die :) she finished high school (2015) and went on to studying at UC Berkeley (art practice and theatre and performance studies, major and minor), graduating in 2018. she and Brett moved once he reached age 18. she makes and sells art from home

Nolan Holloway - age 25

after proving himself, same as Theo, he was eventually accepted into the pack. he and Gabe were dating and that’s that so he did mourn him for a long while. he works with hunters on the dl, trying to stop them hunting the supernaturals - he’s flipped 23 away from the dark side by 2020. he and Liam are friends which took a while but Nolan has his back (like there was that one time someone from the lacrosse team said they weren’t gonna ‘follow some mongrel’ so he reminded them that Liam was co-captain and if they didn’t wanna follow him, they could kindly fuck off :)) he’s a simp and has a raging crush on Brett like me too bruh

~the end~ for now

[atinybitofau]

W O O Y O U N G ➪ childhood friends au

THE ONE WHERE HE PUTS YOU ON A STUPID LIST.

a/n: kinda halfassed not gonna lie guys I’m so sorry. but regardless I still wanted to put something out for ya’ll so I hope you like it.

• “Y/n stop your whining. Now get ready because we’re going to be late.”

• “But mother, must you always meddle in my love life?! And Wooyoung no less. That man is out to get me!”

• your mother thinks your pleas are half hearted.

• bull hearted at most.

• thinking Jung Wooyoung was the nicest thing on the planet.

• that you deserve him.

• but not only do you not deserve him,

• he’s had it in for you since grade school.

• making sure you made close to zero friends.

• every girl you’ve hung out with,

• dated him at least once.

• and you can’t stand Wooyoung.

• he’s been a pain in your ass since you two were in diapers.

• and now your buddy-buddy mothers are trying to get you two together before you hit 21.

• “I’m not going.”

• she scoffs. “Yes you are. And unless you want your privelages taken away from going to Jongho’s party next week, then you have no choice.”

• “You can’t tell me that! I’m 20 years old!”

• “And still living in my house.”

• you two normally buttheads, you and your mom.

• funny on occasion.

• but this was far from that right now.

• “Remind me never to eat dinner with you again.” you grumble at your mother who also happened to be joining you tonight. “And to never eat your croissants in the middle of the day. Either the thought of seeing Wooyoung is going to make me hurl or your cooking really does suck.”

• your mom laughs at that despite your seriousness. “Honey, I don’t know how you two managed to hate each other all these years but this’ll be good for you. Regardless if you two end up with each other or not, you might actually make amends tonight. And as parents, that is our real goal.”

• you can’t blame them.

• the relationship between you and Wooyoung was bad.

• from ruining important business conferences,

• family dinners,

• each other’s lives—

• it got so bad that other people started to suffer from it.

• so you decided to live it out just for one night.

• “Look, we both don’t like this.” Wooyoung sighs noticing your temper as soon as you two are face to face in front of the flashing lights of the venue. “But for the sake of our parents, let’s act civil for once.”

• you think he’s sometimes the nicest guy.

• but you hated that he was the nicest guy to people that weren’t you.

• he thinks your amazing.

• but hated that other people thought that too.

• your disagreements revolved around the things you envied from one another.

• probably why you hate him and why he hates you.

• “Oh my god, wouldn’t they make the cutest pair?”

• “Their kids would be beautiful.”

• “Those two were made for each other.”

• people would murmur.

• our hands interlocked.

• no feelings involved. (so you think)

• while you two walked around and greeted potential business partners.

• and no. you two weren’t arranged to marry.

• but it sure felt like you both were.

• “Y/n, hey!”

• the one time you managed to slip away from Wooyoung, another willing handsome man saw his chance.

• you smiled back. “Oh hey Jongho. I didn’t know you’d be here.”

• “Well when I heard you would, I wanted to stop by.” he hands you a drink weary about the people around. “I don’t get to see you often you know.. with Wooyoung always around. And since he’ll be at my party next week, I might not even get the chance to talk to you.”

• your eyebrows furrow. “What is that supposed to mean?”

• he chuckles at you, lips curling. “You didn’t know?”

• “Didn’t know what?”

• “You’re on the OFF LIMITS list. Wooyoung signed you there.”

• oh god.

• that horrid list the boys of South Korea’s pride made years ago.

• “I’m sorry.” you chuckle nervously, eyes already burning in their sockets. “I think you’re kidding.”

• “You’ve been on there since high school. You never wondered why you couldn’t land a date?”

• you were gonna kill him.

• without knowing his intentions, you were so gonna kill him.

• and he was about to kill the man stepping over his boundaries.

• fists clenched as he approached the both of you.

• “Oh hey Wooyoung. I was just talking to—“

• “And now you’re not. Get lost.”

• you hiss pushing him away. “Would you fuck off? Ugh you’re such an asshole I hate you!”

• he’s taken aback.

• at how fast it happened—

• when you run away.

• not used to you sounding more distraught than annoyed.

• so he follows you.

• worried..

• worried that he might’ve went too far this time.

• usually stays behind the border.

• but he thinks he might’ve crossed it.

• now he’s gotta commit.

• “Y/n! Wait!”

• you look for a nearby place to hide but of course,

• though he’s got short legs.

• walks like an oompa lumpa.

• he’s always been faster than you.

• “What?”

• your glare pierces him and he’s tumbling.

• “What did I do?”

• you scoff in disbelief. “What did you do? Are you seriously asking me that after years of doing absolutely everything you shouldn’t have done?”

• shit.

• he’s thinking,

• you found out.

• about his feelings.

• “Y/n, I—“

• “I can’t believe you Wooyoung. I’ve been dateless my entire life because of a stupid list you kept me on. Because you just love to watch me suffer, single and a complete loser. How much you hate me, I still can’t comprehend.”

• now he’s thinking.

• wow you’re a goddamn idiot.

• eyes glaring back, he hisses. “That’s why you’re angry? Seriously?”

• “Yeah seriously! Why else would I be angry at you? Have anything else you’re hiding behind my back? Another list of sorts. Like the most unappealing females on the planet? List of undesirables? People who wouldn’t stand a chance with any—“

• you gasp when he slides his arms around your waist,

• tilting you like a teapot.

• lips on the spout.

• that spout being your own.

• and you can’t seem to understand.

• why this action would mean he hates you...

• cause well doesn’t he?

• he pulls away breathlessly staring from your unmoving lips back to your just as frozen eyes.

• “None. I have you on none of those lists. Those shouldn’t ever exist. However yes. Yes I did sign that stupid list years ago with your name in permenant ink but it wasn’t because I hated you. Far from that.”

• you don’t understand at all.

• how someone you hated,

• who you thought hated you,

• was suddenly confessing his love for you.

• “Everything you did had everybody in love. You think I’d be an exception? God, I hated that you’d want to share your everything with others. I had to force you to stop. Had to keep you from appealing to my competition cause god knows I already had less than a 10% chance with you.”

• you try to read him.

• his eyes and how he’s never looked at you like that before.

• being single your entire life, you’ve never seen it on someone before.

• is it bad that maybe...

• you only know what that look means because you’ve already given it to him?

• “They could do things that I couldn’t do. Things that you’d fall in love with. And that every time I did what I was capable of, you never even turned your head for me. I envied you and I envied them.”

• Wooyoung was hysterical.

• sounding untouched with his emotions.

• love lust and simple minded.

• confused and hurt.

• but relieved to finally let out his troubles.

• “Why the fuck would you envy them, Wooyoung?”

• cause you’ve always envied him.

• the things he were good at.

• when he was nicer than you.

• hotter than you, fitter than you.

• lord forbid smarter than you (all but right now),

• that everyone wanted him.

• you had no space in his life and felt no need to exert too much effort to make some.

• “I loved everything about you. From head to toe.” he mumbles not realizing he still had you in a princess hold.

• you two confessing in front of a water fountain under the stars like a freaking movie.

• “You let them. You never let me.”

• “You idiot.” you shook your head at him. “Wooyoung, you’re a damn fool, you know that?”

• he feels the way your fingers graze against his neck.

• lost in the feeling and in your eyes,

• then he speaks again.

• “I took things too far this time. And the only way I see this working out for the both of us is if I told you the truth so.. there it is.”

• you raise an eyebrow fighting a smile. “The truth.. That you love me?”

• “For someone who claims they’ve had no experience in love, you sound pretty good at this.”

• you’re never gonna get tired of teasing Wooyoung.

• he makes it too easy.

• you start to think maybe you made it too easy for him to.

• “Probably because I’ve had the experience for a long time. Just didn’t know it.”

• “What?”

• “You know, I was thinking about telling you to take me off that list. Cause you had no right to have put me there in the first place. But now I’m kind of thinking you shouldn’t take my name off.

• “H-huh?”

• “If you still don’t want another man to touch me, Jung Wooyoung, then I suggest you keep me there. Especially since I’ll be your girlfriend starting from today.”

• he’s taken aback at first.

• at how fast it happened—

• now he’s smiling like the fool he is.

• and you don’t see him smile enough, you think.

• and that maybe you’re gonna have to make a list of your own.

• a list of men you’ll never fall in love with.

• he’s gonna be the only man alive to not be on it.

• “A-are you asking me to be your boyfriend?”

• you curl your face into his,

• loving the feeling of making him all flustered like this.

• it might be because you’ve gotten so used to teasing the guy.

• or that you might just have fallen in love with it instead.

• “I’m telling you I’m gonna be your girlfriend, Woo. There’s a difference.”

@atinybitofau

[awesomelyanxiouspanda]

I'm a Murderer, Not a Monster (Billy Loomis/OFC/Stu Macher) Part 1

This is a repost since I deleted my old Tumblr!

Summary: 

In this AU, Stu and Billy were never caught or killed. Their plan went off without a hitch, and once it was done, they hung up their knives. On the anniversary of Sidney’s death, they were forced to murder again to protect their cover; Tie up loose ends and save themselves from death row for good. Only problem is that the murders were spur of the moment and they have no alibi. On the fly, they choose a house at random and hope for the best. Which leads us up to now!

Author’s notes:

-I had a dream and it inspired this little thing. In this AU, Stu and Billy were never caught or killed. Their plan went off without a hitch, and once it was done, they hung up their knives. On the anniversary of Sidney’s death, they were forced to murder again to protect their cover; Tie up loose ends and save themselves from death row for good. Only problem is that the murders were spur of the moment and they have no alibi. On the fly, they choose a house at random and hope for the best. Which leads us up to now!

-AU takes place in a weird time convergence. Basically the timeline is made up and the worlds don’t matter.

-I’m a fool for bad boys who are soft just for a few specific people, so Billy and Stu will be a bit OOC here. If that’s not your cup of tea, this is your warning.

-Relevant facts: Billy and Stu are both 19-20ish now. Ginger the OFC is 24 and Poppy is 6.

-Ginger’s appearance is rather general but she is short and chubby because there is not enough plus-size character love in fics.

-I had to split this into two parts. This one is SFW, just cursing and mentions of murder. Part two will be NSFW smut!

~“I’m a murderer, not a monster. I don’t kill kids, and what life would a kid have without their mom, hmm?”~

Billy’s words played over and over in my head while I stood, trembling, at the kitchen counter with my hot coffee mug in hand as I sipped at the sweet caffeine for support. I had to put on a strong front. I know he said he wouldn’t kill us but that wasn’t very comforting when there were two serial killers sitting at the table with my daughter; All three eating pancakes like there wasn’t a care in the world.

“Thanks mama. I’m gonna go brush my teeth for school,” Poppy said, pushing out her chair as she collected her plate.

“Alright sweetie. Don’t forget to wash your face after,” I called to her.

She nodded in agreement as she trotted off, ponytail swinging joyfully behind her.

With her bountiful energy out of the room, I let my shoulders sag and swallowed hard. Fear and uncertainty were tearing up my stomach and making it hard to breathe.

“You can relax, doll. We’re not going to hurt you, and especially not her,” Stu commented, shoving the last bite of his pancakes in his mouth, “We’re not that kind of people.”

I cringed slightly at the way he spoke with his mouth full and gaping, but didn’t dare comment on it. Who would correct a murderer on his table manners?

“I know you said that but it’s just…. I’m terrified honestly. I don’t trust anyone in my home, around my kid, other than family and now there are two strange men staying here,” I explained quietly, keeping my tone as docile as possible.

Billy rose silently from his chair and immediately I tensed up as his dark eyes landed on me. He wasn’t insanely tall like his partner but he was beyond intimidating as he marched over and stood only a few inches from me. Even though he was shorter, he still towered over me and my five foot frame. It suddenly felt like there was a lump in my throat that I just couldn’t swallow past.

“We won’t be in your hair longer than we have to be. As long as you keep your end of the deal, everything will go smoothly. You have my word that we wouldn’t touch a hair on that kids’ head no matter what, but if you were to try to start some shit-”

“I would never!” I cut him off immediately, heart racing and pounding hard at the threat, “Self preservation is my strongest suit next to doing anything to protect her.”

“Good, then he’s right. You can relax. You have nothing to worry about,” Billy finished with a nod.

A little grin came to his face and he raised his hand. Instinctively I flinched but somehow managed not to jerk away entirely. He patted my cheek gently with a little click of his tongue before going back to the table.

“Say, Ginger, you got any scary movies here?” Stu chimed in.

…

A week had come and gone, and then a second until more than a month had gone by. After almost two months of Stu and Billy hanging out off and on in my home, it was as if they weren’t even that infamous killer I’d heard so much about on the news. If I hadn’t woken up to the two of them over my bed in the Ghostface masks with blood soaked cloaks and knives, I might have never believed that they were. They were both so… normal. Although Billy obviously had some brooding and anger issues, he seemed to just be a regular, albeit gorgeous, guy with a chip on his shoulder; And Stu was absolutely adorable, funny, kind, and endearing. Together they made a hilarious duo; Billy’s dry humor and sarcasm pairing perfectly with Stu’s overzealous comedy. I was starting to LIKE having them there; it was a scary though.

They were both also surprisingly respectful of our home, of Poppy and my general distrust of men around her; Ensuring they were never in another room alone with her, even if it was just the kitchen or living room. I appreciated their tact. It was becoming easier to make myself almost believe the cover story they had come up with about us meeting in a bar and them passing out in my house on the night of the murders.

I was still in wonder of just how they had ended up here though. We were about an hour away from Woodsboro and in a decent but not extravagant area. Why us? Why this house?

“What’s wrong, doll? You look down?”

My cheeks heated under the pet name and I quickly tried to push away the butterflies it gave me when mixed with the curious look on Stu’s face. There was no way I could begin to acknowledge my stupid little crush on him without it making me feel weird. Although I’d started to feel friendship or possibly more toward them, there’s was nothing to say that they were doing more than keeping up the pretenses of our deal and ensuring I wouldn’t rat them out. Not to mention, my self-esteem told me that two men who were so beautiful would never be interested in a woman of my size and appearance, much less since I was almost four years older than them.

“No, not down, just thinking,” I explained, passing the popcorn bowl over to him.

He cocked his head to the side in obvious curiosity while he swiped some popcorn from the bowl.

“About?” Billy asked from the recliner across the room.

I shrugged but chose to be honest. I’d learned honesty was certainly the best policy with them.

“Why you came to this town when your hometown is an hour away. Why you chose this place of all places.”

Apparently that threw them both for a loop, Stu’s eyes darting to Billy while the other let mild-surprise run across his face.

“Well, I guess it was just fate. I’m pretty sure anyone else would have fought us by now and we’d have had to kill them. Which would have screwed up the whole plan, of course,” Billy vaguely explained.

I felt my curiosity pique at the mention of a plan and I hesitantly asked, “What is your long term plan?”

“A fresh start. Get away from all that shit that started this whole thing and try to do more with our lives,” Billy replied, eyes drifting back to the movie on the TV.

“It wasn’t like we planned on killing forever. Hell, we made it out for a whole fucking year before someone jeopardized our freedom,” Stu added in, “Had to do what needed to be done to keep people looking away from us though.”

He was obviously waiting for some kind of reply but I wasn’t sure what to say. Instead I gave him a shrug as I mulled over my thoughts.

“I can’t say I agree with, or understand, killing anyone to begin with, obviously, but I wasn’t in your situation either. That said, I CAN understand wanting a fresh start. That’s why Poppy and I moved here too; Away from a past life I no longer wanted a part of,” I responded after a while.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Billy asked.

I hesitantly met his powerful gaze before admitting, “I had to leave our old home for our safety. Let’s just say, there are worse things a person can do than end a life.”

The intensity in the room went up a level and I could almost feel both of them staring at my burning face, but I had already let out more than I wanted to. In this place, in my new world, no one knew of our past. They knew I was a single mom to a happy little girl, and that’s how I wanted to keep it. People’s opinions tended to change when they knew your dirty little secrets.

“Mama, are we still watching Rugrats tonight?” Poppy asked.

Her sudden appearance from the bedroom made me jolt and yelp in surprise. She grinned and stuck her tongue out at me, before clutching her tummy and letting out rolls of deep belly laughter.

“I scared you! I scared you! You scare so easy mommy!”

With a slight eyeroll of embarrassment, I waved away her hysterics before gesturing her over.

“Don’t make fun of me, butthead,” I teased, then added, “But yeah, as soon as Stu and Billy head out we’ll put on Rugrats.”

“Sounds like it’s time to skeedaddle, scoob,” Stu commented in a silly voice, “Gotta let the little princess get her movies in.”

Poppy grinned and nodded.

“Don’t forget, you promised to come back soon and play candyland with us,” Poppy reminded the two before climbing up onto the couch next to me.

“Yeah, yeah, pipsqueak,” Billy commented, unable to hide a little grin before he rose to his feet, “We’ll stop by again soon.”

I got up from the couch and walked them to the door out of habit, waiting until they were down the sidewalk before I shut and locked it.

“Okay, let the Rugrats extravaganza begin!” I cheered, scurrying back to the couch.

Poppy giggled and burrowed against my side eagerly as I flipped the TV over to the correct setting and pushed play. The familiar theme song blared from the TV speakers as the movie started and I settled back on the cushions more. Some parents wouldn’t admit it but I still enjoyed cartoons as much as I had when I was a kid. It was a nice bonding experience too, watching some of the shows I grew up on!

…

As the credits rolled, I shifted slightly and slowly lowered Poppy to the couch. She had fallen asleep about halfway through, as I had expected, but I wanted to finish up the movie anyway; It was one of my favorites!

Patting her shoulder gently, I set about picking up the remnants from the evening visit. Popcorn bowl, kernels, soda cans, and the like all barely fit into my arms so I rushed into the kitchen quickly as not to drop anything and let it down on the counter, sorting rubbish from dishes.

I had just got the sink water started to wash the dinner dishes when there was a loud crash from the garage.

“What the fuck?” I muttered.

I cut the water and dried my hands before shuffling closer to the garage door. Once I was almost a foot away, I heard hushed hisses and curses.

“Oh my god!”

As fast as I could, I flipped the deadbolt and door lock, only to be greeted to the sound of something slamming against the door.

“Oooohhhh ladies! I know you’re in theeerrreee,” a male voice sung teasingly, “Just wait ‘til I get you, you fucking bitch!”

Another slam against the door had me finally moving, eyes watering and chest burning as I held in a panicked scream. Without words I snagged Poppy and my phone up from the couch and sped into my room.

“Mommy?” Poppy groaned sleepily.

“Shh baby. I need you to stay as quiet as possible. Someone’s here. Hide in the nightstand.”

Her eyes instantly cleared up as fear marred her features. There was a sense of wisdom in her movements as she calmly and quietly crawled into the lower part of the bedside table, the cubby hole just barely large enough for her small frame. I turned it so the open side faced the wall and breathed out a sigh of relief. You couldn’t tell it wasn’t meant to be that way, nor that there was an opening on the other side. As long as she was still and silent, he’d most likely never find her.

“Whatever you do, don’t come out or speak unless I tell you to. No matter what. I love you.”

With Poppy tended to, I brought up my cell phone and dialed 911.

“This is 911. What is your emergency?”

“My name is Ginger Wallace. I live on 304 Cedar Knoll. Someone just broke into my house and threatened to kill me and my daughter,” I rushed out, hoping my words were clear enough for the operator.

“You said 304 Cedar Knoll, ma’am?” the woman asked.

“Yes, please, hurry and send someone,” I hissed.

Something slammed into the bedroom door and I jumped back with a scream as the pressed wood flexed under the impact. Hands shaking and heart pounding, I ran over to my desk and looked for anything I could use as a weapon. Another wall-shuddering thud hit the door right before the man spoke again.

“They’ll be too late, bitch. They always are. You wanna know all the things I’m gonna do you to before they get here? And to that little bitch too?!”

At those words, my blood ran cold.

“What’s taking so long?” I spit into the phone when I didn’t hear anything other than keys clacking.

“Okay ma’am, I was able to send out your location. An officer is on the way. Are you in a safe place away from the intruder?” she asked.

“Yes? No? I don’t fucking know. There’s a door between us.”

“Okay, I need you to stay on the line with me. An officer should be there about in twenty minutes.”

The door bowed under the pressure of what sounded like the intruder’s entire body being thrown against it and I felt my strength begin to drain, my knees going weak as I back up and leaned against the wall.

“Twenty minutes?!”

That was too long. Way too fucking long. Without much thought, I hung up the phone and dialed the first number I could think of. The intruders cursing was barely registering in my mind as I prayed for my only hope to answer. They had been renting out a place not too far away and with luck they’d still be awake, and thus the closest help.

“Ginger? It’s late, doll. What’s up?” Stu asked through the phone.

Another slam and cracking wood filled the air, along with a cackle that made me shudder.

“There’s someone in our house,” I whimpered, sliding down to sit on the floor as I felt panic set in hard, “He’s threatening to- to kill us. Are you guys able to-?”

“What?! Fuck, yeah. We’re on the way!”

I whispered a quiet thank you and tried to listen as he rambled something about being at the liquor store, but my attention remained on the crack slowly spreading down the door. I had to do something, but what?

“Hey! Ginger! Listen to me, sweetheart. Are you in a seperate room from him?”

Billy’s calming voice came through the haze like a beacon, and I quickly answered him that we were in my bedroom.

“Okay, good. I want you to barricade the door with whatever you have. Dressers, bed, whatever. Just keep him out until we get there. We’re less thab ten minutes away.”

I nodded, then realized with a frustrated sigh that he couldn’t hear that.

“Okay,” I finally murmured.

Climbing to my feet, I managed to pin the phone between my shoulder and ear and push the dresser at the same time. It wasn’t super heavy, but it was something. Next I maneuvered my vanity over. I barely had released it when the man slammed into the door again with a frustrated growl, tearing a startled scream from me as I stumbled back onto the floor.

“Do you have a weapon?” Billy asked suddenly.

“No,” I whispered.

“Is Poppy safe?” came the next question.

“Yes. He won’t be able to find her now,” I replied lowly.

“Okay, okay good. That’s good. We’re almost there.”

I heard a car horn honk from his side of the line and Stu swearing frantically, but then I stopped listening as recognition washed over me. The intruder was quiet, had been for a good minute or two.

As if my thoughts provoked his actions, suddenly the door was rammed again. The crack splintered farther down and I could swear there was light peeking through now.

“If you open up now, I promise to make the brat only watch! Hmm? How does that sound? Would you open up to save her?”

The guy sounded winded or hurt or something, but his threat was still bone-chilling nonetheless. I knew I stood no real chance against him weaponless. A terrified whine escaped before I could stop it and I felt my stomach lurch in disgust.

“We’re here! Right outside, Ginger. Don’t come out, okay?” Billy snapped sharply.

“O-Okay,” I whispered.

A door slammed in the other room and I heard the intruder let out a cry of shock before all three men were yelling. I couldn’t help but hide my head in my arms, unable to stand the sensory overload of the screaming onto top of all the other shit going through my mind. When a cry of pain sounded, my heart nearly stopped. I jumped to my feet when Stu yelled out for Billy, and nearly tore the furniture from the door to investigate the cause, but then came a loud thud; like a body hitting the floor.

I couldn’t make out what was being said at first, but then I heard my name.

“We got him! It’s okay now.”

With a strength I didn’t know I possessed, I shoved away the dresser and vanity as fast as possible and tore the door open, just to be greeted with the sight of Billy and Stu holding down a large man. A glint in the dark drew my attention to the blade at his throat, but my attention was quickly moved to the blood dripping from Billy’s nose.

Fuck. He’d gotten hurt trying to help me. A wave of guilt crashed over me, calmed only slightly when he spoke up.

“I should gut you here and now, you fuckwad,” Billy growled, “Slice you open and let you watch your intestines bleed out like a butchered pig.”

“Yeah! Teach you a lesson about messing with what isn’t yours!” Stu hissed, a terrifying look of glee on his bright eyes.

“No! Don’t kill him! No killing please.”

My shouts echoed across the room, over the man’s pained cries and the heavy grunts of Stu and Billy, and thankfully they both seemed to listen. On shaking legs, I slowly made my way over to them. The assailant was still stupidly struggling under the guys, but they gave him no quarter.

“Let’s do this the right way, okay? Remember, new start,” I whispered, carefully reaching out.

Billy tilted his head back, obviously weighing the options, before be nodded once. I couldn’t help but cringe as the blood dribbled down from his nose.

Damn that asshole for causing all of this mayhem!

“New start,” Billy agreed finally.

Hesitantly I rested a hand on their backs in a grateful manner, to which Stu surprisingly seemed to relish in.

I let out a yelp of fear as Billy reached out and suddenly slammed the man’s face into the floor, effectively knocking him out and silencing him immediately. Stu let out a snort then leaned lightly against my leg, his weight and warmth a welcome support in return, as Billy tied the man’s hands behind his back.

I let out a sigh of relief as we finally heard sirens approaching.

“Where’s Poppy?” Stu demanded suddenly, rising to his feet with an expression kin to fear on his face.

Billy swore harshly and growled out, “Did he hurt her before?!”

“No, no, she’s okay,” I reassured him quickly, “We hid before he got to us.”

Both men went limp in obvious relief as I called for her to come out. I heard nightstand scrape on the ground before she rushed out, barreling straight into my legs. I wasted no time hugging her back. After a few moments, she threw herself at the Stu. He brought her up in a bear hug, tossing a questioning look in my direction, to which I could only shrug. Why would I deny her comfort after what we’d just experienced? She clung to him like her life depended on it.

“We’re safe now, baby,” I murmured to her, reaching out and rubbing her back.

Her curls bobbed as she nodded in understanding. As she began to pull back, she instantly reached out for Billy, who was much more hesitant about holding her.

“Thank you. Thank you for saving us,” Poppy muttered into his shoulder.

“Of course,” was all he said eyes wide and glued to mine.

It was painfully obvious that he felt awkward and unsure of the familial affection, and I wanted to help somehow but wasn’t sure how. Stu shifted closer and wordlessly wrapped an arm around my shoulder, copying the motion on Billy, drawing us in. Poppy let out a little hiccup and a weak whimper as she fit snugly between the three of us. Feeling less awkward and even more grateful to them, I let my guard down and gave into my baser emotions; the dam breaking with the first tears that slipped out.

“Oh doll,” Stu muttered, squeezing me tighter when a little sniffle escaped my hold.

Eyes burning and chest aching with so many hectic emotions, I wrapped an arm around both their waists and held them tight; soaking up the feeling of complete and utter safety. As I rested my face against Stu’s chest, the tears flowed freely.

“You’re okay now,” Billy added after a few moments, “We’re not gonna let anyone hurt you.”

The sincerity in his tone took some of the ache away. I carefully drew from Stu and turned to face Billy, letting a frown curve at my lips.

“But you got hurt,” I murmured.

He looked surprised for a second before simply shrugging.

“This is nothing. I’d take worse if it’s what I had to do to make sure you guys weren’t hurt,” he replied.

Blushing, I swallowed hard and tentatively reached out, taking the hand that wasn’t holding up Poppy.

“Thank you. Let me go get a napkin and some ice for your nose.”

[sunflowergirl522]

Legally Blonde 7: Take it Like a Man

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: Just a legally blonde AU with you starring as Elle Woods. Based on both the movie and musical.

Warnings: Language

Word Count: 2009

Series Masterlist | Masterlist

Bucky throws his case file onto the table and rips off his tie while sitting down. You try to hold back your tears as you lean against the table next to him. 

“Bucky, I’m sorry.”

“I don’t need you to be sorry, I need you to tell me the alibi.” He’s exasperated and he’s directing it at you even though the majority of it wasn’t because of you. He knows that he’ll regret it later but right now it can’t be helped.

“Well I can’t because I gave Natasha my word. Having an alibi is not the only way to win this case.”

“No but it sure would help!” 

“Work with me, we can free Natasha the right way, the noble way.”

“This is not a lifetime original movie Y/n. I’m not interested in nobility right now, I’m more interested in saving her life!”

“No you’re not! You’re more interested in impressing Pierce.”

“Well he is my boss if I impress him, he’s gonna make me associate.”

“By jeopardizing your clients trust in our integrity!” Bucky is left speechless at that and scoffs while trying to find words to say.

“Well when you put it that way.”

“Exactly! You butthead.” You shove his shoulder and go back to casually leaning on the table, getting out of your defensive stance. “My word means something, and I know yours does too.”

“No one’s called me butthead since the third grade.”

“Maybe not to your face.” You both hold eye contact with serious faces before breaking into laughter. “C’mon let’s get outta here.” You lead the way out of the building and to your car which you both arrived in together.

“Why do you always have to be right?”

“I don’t have to be when I’m with you I just am.” You start to drive off once you're both situated in the car.

“Where are we going?” Bucky asks when you miss the turn to go to your dorm.

“You wanna impress Pierce? I can help.”

“Okay, how?” You park the car and turn to look at him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Listen, I love your scruffy vibe but casual Friday isn’t in Pierce’s vocabulary. You gotta look the part if you wanna get ahead.”

“Didn’t your mother ever teach you about not judging a book by its cover.” Bucky gets out and begins to follow you.

“She did but I also know that books with tattered covers stay on the shelf.” Once your at the entrance you turn to face him.

“Oh thanks a lot.”

“This isn’t a perfect world. You think I haven’t been judged my whole life, you think it wasn’t a good idea to make navy my new pink?”

“No, that was a good idea.”

“I know.”

“Where are we exactly?”

“You trust me don’t you?” Your tone suddenly turns serious and Bucky begins to get suspicious.

“Of course.” 

“Then don’t stop now.” You both enter in and Bucky stops as he looks around. “Welcome to a department store. Take a deep breath and let it all in Buck.” Bucky looks at you when you use a nickname you’ve never used before. “Do you smell the pure oxygen they pump in? It’s because they care.”

“Love?” A worker comes up to Bucky and his head snaps to her thinking she's talking about them.

“Excuse me?”

“Love, the new fragrance from Chanel.” She goes to spray it on him but Bucky stops her once he gets a whiff of it.

“No thank you.”

“Think of the people you want to impress. I need you to swallow your pride for me Bucky, and just nod yes to me.” You start with trying a new tie on him. “Here you’ll become what you’re supposed to be, you think you can’t but you can. Think of the guy you want to be, this is your chance to make it, so take it like a man.” Bucky fixes his collar and the tie knot to how tight he wants it while you go speak to one of the workers.

Bucky can’t help but wonder what you want or why you guys can’t leave things the way that they were. He also can’t help but wonder why he can never say no to you while he walks over to you and the attendant. “What’s that smell?”

“Subtext by Calvin Klein.” A different attendant hands Bucky a sample of it before leaving.

“Alright, I’m gonna show you different shirts and you just tell me what you think.” The first shirt he sees is a blue one.

“That I don’t like.” A plain white shirt is next. “That’s kind of neat.” Bucky takes that one and under it is a shirt with a pink, white, and black geometric pattern. “Guys who wear that get beat up on my street.” You giggle at his comment before taking the shirt out of his hand and walking away. Bucky knows that he’s in your hands and that he can’t try to retreat into his shell now. You come back to him and show him a coat jacket and he nods and smiles at it. You push him to a changing room for him to try everything on.

“God, I love shopping for guys and watching them change right before my eyes.”

“Don’t watch me change.” Bucky sticks his head out and you wave your hand at him in a dismissive manner. 

“Your confidence is gonna grow, you’ll bloom like a rose.”

“Okay, this is nice.” He's referencing how you’re taking care of him. “Is this the price?”

“Don’t worry this is my treat. Now, there’s someone I’d like you to meet.” You have him come out and stand in front of a mirror with you.

“Whoa.” You both speak at the same time.

“I look like Steve.”

“Yeah.”

“But it’s just me.”

“That’s the best part. The outside is new just now it reflects what’s already in you. I couldn’t change that if I wanted to. And I do not.”

“Thank you.”

“No, thank you. This is no gift, it’s payment in kind because you saw beyond all the blonde to my mind. We’ve got to buy this. What are you, blind. You look hot! You’ve become the guy you’re meant to be. Go get changed and I’ll go pay.”

Bucky can’t help but think of how this isn’t quite the guy he would’ve chosen to be. When he has you standing next to him so close he thinks he likes your plan. He’s glad he took it like a man when you hug him out by the car.

***

You’re sitting patiently as Wanda paints your nails before the trial. “I love this classy lawyer pink you chose Y/n. When those jury people see your nails, they’ll just know that they can trust you.”

“Which is more than what the team is doing. They are all over me to give up Natasha’s alibi.”

“Even including your friend, Bucky?” Wanda puts emphasis on friend trying to hint at the feelings you both have for each other.

“Well he’s on the team too.”

“Ya, and in more ways than one.” Wanda mutters under her breath and screws the cap onto the polish. “Are you sure you don’t want me to paint little gavals on them?”

“That’s fine Wanda, I think that might be a bit too much. And don’t think I didn’t hear you, Bucky is just my friend.”

“Well I could sure use a friend like that.” Right after she says that the delivery man that comes by so often walks in the door.You nudge Wanda's foot under the table to get her to look.

“I’ve got a package. Where’s Wanda Maximoff?”

“Oh my god.” Wanda whispers while whipping around to fce you instead of him.

“He’s coming over here.”

“Hey there, name’s Sam I’ve got a package for you. Kinda cool karma isn’t it?” Wanda freezes and you tap her on her shoulder to get her to snap out of it. When that doesn’t work Sam turns to you to sign for her. Wanda just sits there stuck staring at him and offers up a smile. “How ya doin’ today?”

“Fine.” Sam then leans down and places the box at Wanda’s feet while keeping eye contact.

“Take it easy.” Sam then struts out of the building.

“Maybe you’ll get a friend sooner rather than later.”

“Oh, come on, I can barely talk to him. I’ve got nothing to offer and he’s like walking porn.”

“Oh, please you have the right equipment, you just need to read the manual. Here, I’ll show you a little maneuver that my mom taught me in junior high. In my experience it has a ninety eight percent success rate of getting a man's attention and, when used appropriately, it has eighty three percent rate of return on a dinner invitation.”

“Wow.”

“It’s called the bend and snap.” You stand up and go into the middle of the room to show her. “I think I dropped something on the floor that I need to pick up. So you bend down and snap! See?” Wanda nods at you and you wave your hand to get her to get up. “Come on. You try it.” Wanda tries to do it and doesn’t have it down which is okay. “A little less bend, a little more snap.”

You eventually get everyone in the salon to start to do the bend and snap. “Good job everybody!”

“Oh my god the bend and snap! Works every time!” Peter Quill, a hair stylist comes out of the back to see everyone doing it.

You hang out at the salon until Wanda is done with work and then go to her place for a few hours. By the time you leave to walk home it’s starting to get dark.

“I called your room last night.” You see Thor talking to two girls and as you pass you can hear their conversation.

“I heard.”

“I was thinking maybe we could go out sometime.”

“No. You’re a dork who’s always going off about a mythology no one cares about.” The girls both laugh and you pause.

“I’m in law school.”

“Look, I'm not gonna go out with you. I can’t believe you’d even ask. Girls like me don’t go out with losers like you.” Your heart hurts at how she’s talking to the biggest softie you’ve ever met. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Excuse me.” You turn around and march up to Thor and slap him. “Why didn’t you call me?”

“What?”

“We spent a beautiful night together, and then I never hear from you again?”

“I…” Thor looks at the two girls and then back to you. “I’m sorry?”

“Sorry for what? For breaking my heart, or for giving me the greatest pleasure I’ve ever known and then just taking it away?”

“Uh, both?”

“Well forget it. I’ve already spent too many hours crying over you.” You then turn and walk away with a smile on your face as you hear the girl ask him when he wanted to go out.

***

“And where was she exactly?” The other lawyer asks Lila, Clint Barton's daughter.

“Standing over my father’s dead body.” 

They pull the pool boy to the stand next.

“Mr. Wilson, can you tell us what this is?” She holds a thong out to show him.

“My uniform.”

“This is the uniform that Mrs. Barton asked you to wear while cleaning her pool?”

“Yes.”

“And are you or are you not having an affair with Natasha Barton?”

“Define affair.”

“Have you and Mrs. Barton had sexual relations?”

“Yes. Okay? Yes.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, court will reconvene tomorrow morning at nine A.M. We’re adjourned.” Natasha stands up angry and turns to talk to you.

“You know a Delta Nu would never sleep with a man who wears a thong.”

“Never!”

“I just liked watching him clean the filter.” The police guard starts to pull Natasha to the door.

“I know.”

“Take care of me Y/n.”

“I will.”

[ourkarlanicoleuniverse]

Sweet Nothing (MHA Staff AU Fanfiction)

Chapter 7

Warnings: None, swf. 

Hope you enjoy!

I stared at the little green haired boy as he looked at me with pleading eyes. What exactly does he want me to tell me about how I know all the All Might and All For One-One For All debacle?

"Well, I can't really explain how All Might was as a mentor. All I can say is that he was like a father figure for me while I worked with him. A lot of my older interviews actually asked me how it was working under him and I explained it better then." I moved my hair behind my ear as I averted my eyes from his. "But I was wondering if you had extra information about his quirk that others might not know." He clenched his fists harder.

"I only know as much as you do, Midoriya. Well, actually no. Did All Might mention that I can't use his quirk?" I looked at the student, noticing he looked clueless about the whole thing. I sighed, "I guess not. Well, now you know. So if you need me to train you or give you tips on how to use One For All that Toshinori isn't telling you, I can't be the person for it."

"Why can't your quirk work on him?" His eyebrows furrowed.

"I don't know. I assume it's because how it can only be transferred through DNA and consent. I would be taking it solely through touching and without Toshinori wanting me too." Should I tell him about the time I met Toshinori? Nah, I'll let Toshinori tell that story. "But it doesn't really matter since my quirk works like his anyway." I shrugged.

"Could you maybe help me find a way to not injure myself when I use One For All? Especially with the Sports Festival coming up." His face was written in worry.

"Doesn't Toshinori tell you how much of your quirk you should be using?" He nodded yes, "Do you listen to him?" He nodded no. "Well, maybe start with that. And maybe if that doesn't work while you prepare for the festival, come find me and I'll train with you." I gave him a warm smile and put a hand on his shoulder. "Toshinori chose you for a reason, I have to trust that. Plus, Aizawa and I have talked about how much potential you hold. So, I don't mind helping you."

The boy's face brightened with glee and he hugged me, "Thank you so much, Ms. Montoya."

I chuckled, "I'm happy to help. Please don't push yourself too hard. Just because you're the new holder on One For All doesn't mean you have to stress yourself out too much. Now get back to class before Ms. Midnight gets worried." The boy quickly nodded and bowed and rushed back to class. I'm glad I didn't have to go into my whole backstory with All Might to him, that could wait until it becomes important.

I made my way back to the lounge to finish my work as Aizawa limped out. I gave him a quick wave and told him to be careful as he grunted and nodded back. Love how he can be a teddy bear when we're alone in the hospital or when we're at his apartment but when at work he's back to being a rude butthead. As I got into my desk I noticed Snipe was already gone, and Iris was waiting patiently for me with her lunch.

Her and I exchanged smiles, "Oh so now it's time to get you to myself?"

"What? I've been busy teaching young heroes, you know?" She held her hands up in defense, "To be fair, though, these kids aren't taking World Hero History that serious." She pouted. " I finally got to catch up with Aizawa for a little bit before he left. Should I be worried that he's working instead of resting?"

I groaned, "Don't get me started. I was telling Hound Dog that we argued nonstop about it. Clearly, I lost the argument." I sat down next to her and grabbed a gyoza from her plate, "He's so stubborn. Remember when he wasn't? Like if I showed some concern, he used to actually consider it."

"He's not a lovesick sixteen-year-old anymore, that's why." She looked at me, amused, "But I can tell that he still takes your input into consideration about other things."

"Like what? The students? He kind of has to." I gave a whole hearted laugh. "And I know that he's not like how he was at sixteen. We all kind of changed since then. He just grew worse since then."

She picked at her lunch, "I don't think so. You guys just have to be patient with each other. Especially right now since he's probably all grumpy about his injuries." She gave me a small smile, "You guys are both stubborn and independent. It's hard to adjust to having people look after you."

I huffed, "Here I am, the counselor being counseled."

She let out a chuckle, "Well, even therapists have their own therapists."

"I just wished it wasn't awkward or uncomfortable to be working with him. But I guess it's what we get for having unresolved issues."

"Over time, I'm sure you both will be okay. Like I said, be patient."

"Patience. Not either of our virtues." I finished typing and emailed it to the copying department. "Done. Now, on to a quick lunch and then stop by the class to talk about the Sports Festival." I proudly smiled.

"I really like your class. Lily's aren't as interesting. Except for Monoma." Iris took a sip of her water and handed me my bag with my lunch in it.

"Oh yeah, she and Vlad told me about him. Both had very different ways to word out their opinions though." I laughed, "Lily was telling me if he was going to become a villain that his origin story would be not being able to beat Class 1-A at being better students and future heroes."

"And Vlad?"

"He said that Monoma was a very determined student, but that he needed to find a different way to motivate himself." I smirked.

Iris scrunched her nose up before laughing, "Of course that's what he said."

I stuffed my chicken caesar salad in my face, "So far, all the other teachers pretty much said that he's likeable when he doesn't open his mouth. I kind of feel bad that he got stuck with Lily and vice versa."

"Same here. Have you gotten any update on your license?" Iris asked.

"No, not really. So far, information from the case hasn't broken out either. The U.S really only focused on the allegations and how my side of the case lost. Aside from that, the court, the agency, even Gemini, have all kept their mouths shut about the case." I let out a small sigh, "I'm actually pretty relieved about that."

"I don't get why it matters, you already have your license suspended."

"I just don't want the American people to turn on me because of the evidence used against my testimony. If that happens, then there's no chance I'll get my suspension lifted." I looked down. I wasn't ashamed of the events, I just didn't want it all to be twisted in front of citizens, in front of my students. It was already hard enough to be shamed in court. I didn't need a whole country to do it.

I felt a hand on my knee. Iris looked at me with her ocean eyes, "I don't think the news would try and twist it around and make that man look like a victim. The American press loves you. And so do the American people. You and your coworkers were speaking out. They would see that if anything came out."

I gave her a solemn look, "I forget you read minds."

"It's because my quirk is record-keeping for the most part. It makes people forget how I can get my information." She gave my knee a little squeeze. "Does anyone else know about the details of the case?"

"The staff just know the general information. But I kept it mostly vague, anyone who knows details about it is just Lily mainly. Nezu and All Might know of course. Aizawa also knows, but that's because I told him one of the times my agency had to work with his years ago." I brushed through the information.

"Why did you tell him if you guys weren't talking during that time?" She scrunched her eyebrows.

"It's complicated. Things happened during the mission that I had to explain what happened. It was the mission after Captain Celebrity got his license back and Marga, Aaron, and Gemini had to assist him with a case he was on." I said taking another bite.

"The same mission where you had to deal with not only the mafia in Japan but their allies back in the U.S.?" I nodded a yes in response. "Ohhhhh, yeah, I remember you telling me how that mission was. Now it makes sense why it might've came up between you two."

"Why are you letting someone lower than you talk down to you?" His hair grew longer and flew in the wind as we were standing by the ocean. He was still wearing his hero suit but without his capture weapon. Personally, to me, the moonlight cascaded on his features beautifully, as if the moon wanted him to look like an angel. It was pissing me off.

"Why do you care?" I snapped, "You haven't spoken to me in seven years. I've tried texting, email, even calling when I knew it was a reasonable time in Japan. But you never answered. Never replied. After a while, a girl gets a hint that her friend doesn't care about her anymore." I folded my arm hugging the white cardigan I changed into closer to my body as the breeze blew colder air.

"I did... I do care. It was just a hard time for me to talk to you during the first year you were gone." He averted his grey eyes away from my brown ones. There was a tint of blush on his cheeks. And his eyes were filled with regret. "I wasn't really in the right state of mind, I didn't want that to be a burden."

I glared at him, "Burden? When have you ever been a burden for me? Did you think I was perfectly okay during that year? Why else would I have tried to stay in contact with you?" I stood taller, feeling tears brim my eyes, "I needed a little piece of home while I was away, whether it be you venting to me about your problems or talking about cats. When I needed you, you weren't there, and now you're judging me for the way I act with my colleagues when you don't even know why."

There was a pause. He looked back at me and searched my face. His eyes were red, but it wasn't from his dry eye. Tears were threatening to fall from both of our eyes. We just stood there in silence for what felt like an eternity until Aizawa's venomous tone pierced through it. "What did that bastard do to you?"

I blinked a little coming back into my thoughts, "Yeah, so he knows. But when I told him I told him to not bother trying to patch things up between us because he felt bad. If we were meant to be friends again, I wanted it to be organic, not out of pity and regret. Which is why we barely talked afterwards and was a little awkward between us." I grinned, "But we're getting there as you said."

Iris just hummed and nodded in response. "That would explain why he thinks more highly of you." She commented as she gathered up her mess and threw it away in the trash. I just looked at her confused mainly. I'm not surprised if Aizawa thought highly of me, just surprised that he would so freely voice it out. Maybe it was because it was Iris. We were all very open to her since high school. She smiled back at me, "I have to get going, I have to teach Class 1-B now that they're done with Mic's class. I'm happy to see you and Aizawa managed to start patching things up, it looks like you both needed it."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My master list 😊

Tag List: 

@inumorph @thatgirlwithcamera @mel-sanch

[katana-no-neko]

More of that Monarchy AU nobody asked for

Natsu groaned weakly as he leaned against the carriage window, looking a quite-unhealthy shade of green. Igneel just chuckled at his son's expense, patting a sympathetic hand on the boy's shoulder.  The king had had that same terrible motion sickness until he'd outgrown it in his mid-twenties. If Natsu was the same, he still had a good seven or eight years until then.

Hoping to provide some distraction, Igneel struck up a conversation.

"So Laxus is finally gettin' hitched."

Natsu grunted in response.

"I always thought he was far too brash to ever enchant a lady, and he was so stubborn as a teenager."

Natsu didn't say anything, only half-listening.

"And then when I met the Lady Mirajane? I thought she was still far too nice to ever have looked Laxus' way! But then I saw how he was with her, around her. Boy, it was like meeting a new man! I'd never seen him like that!"

"Mmhmm," Natsu replied.

"So..." Igneel continued. "What about you?"

Natsu hummed blearily. "What about me?"

"When are we gonna be planning a wedding for you?"

Natsu snorted. "It's gonna be a while."

"Awww, how come?" Igneel teased.

"I don't even have anyone to marry!"

Igneel laughed. "Yes, I suppose that's true. I fear my loud, obnoxious son will have an even tougher time catching a lady's eye than even Laxus!" he cried dramatically.

The comparison of him to Laxus ticked Natsu's nerves. "Oh please, I'm much more charming than that butthead!" he shouted before his stomach suddenly lurched.

"Whatever you say, Natsu," Igneel laughed.

oOo

Natsu sighed as he wandered around Fiore's capital city. There was nothing to do at the palace. They'd come a week early to help, per his mother's insistence, and everyone was busy with wedding preparations. Mirajane was constantly on a near rampage, and so he decided just to explore the city. He wasn't technically supposed to leave without guards, but since when did he follow the rules?

He'd spent a good chunk of time in Fiore, but not much in the Royal City, he realized. He was pretty much lost at this point, but he wasn't too worried. It should be easy enough to find his way back to the palace.

He turned another corner as he meandered the streets and ended up at some sort of square. There were a few people milling about, but it was somewhat quiet. In the center of the square was a fountain, gently spraying water into its pool. A crowd of children sat in front of it, listening quietly to a blonde woman sitting on the fountain.

Something about her fascinated him. She was beautiful, a trait Natsu rarely noticed about a person. Her voice sounded... Pretty to him, too, as she apparently read a story to the children. He watched her as intently as the kids did. Her eyes would light up at exciting parts of the story, she would lean real close to the crowd when something spooky was happening, and she talked in funny and unique voices for each of the characters.

This woman was special, and Natsu felt compelled to get to know her.

"-And they lived happily ever after. The end," she read as she closed the book. "Now, I believe it's time to go home, isn't it?"

"Oh please! One more story!" a little girl with pigtails cried, causing others to also shout out to share the sentiment.

The woman laughed and signaled for them to quiet down. "Now, now, I know some of you are gonna have to be back for supper soon! We can read more tomorrow, okay?"

There was a chorus of 'awww's, and Natsu watched as they started to begrudgingly leave. A few ran to her to get hugs, and Natsu found himself almost wishing he were that little boy with the messy blue hair she was currently hugging.

oOo

Lucy smiled as the children went on their merry way, leaving as some of their parents began calling from their doorsteps. She started packing up her books, placing them back in her basket. The pink-haired man was still lingering, acting as if he was going to leave, but didn't quite want to.

"It would be much easier to just say 'hello', you know," she teased, standing up and looking right at the man.

He flushed, apparently not realizing he'd been noticed. "I didn't want to bother you, you seemed busy."

Lucy chuckled lightly. "I'm not."

"Uh, 'Hello', then!"

The woman gave him a smile, and Natsu decided then and there that he wanted to see it more.

"Hello," she replied. "Was the story so enthralling to you?"

Natsu laughed, slightly nervous. "Well, something was enthralling," he mumbled. He'd never felt like this before! He'd interacted with the woman for only a short while and he was already beginning to be infatuated with her!

Perhaps she's a witch and she's enchanted you! His confused mind offered up as a ridiculous solution.

"So who are all those kids?" he asked, trying to strike up conversation before it was too late to talk to her.

She hummed as she idled with her basket. "Oh, they live in the neighborhood, for the most part. I try to read to them every day." She slowly began walking along the road out of the square, in a way that Natsu could tell he had permission to follow. "Some of them won't get exposure to books otherwise."

Natsu cocked his head in confusion. They turned a corner together, and the blonde returned a cheerful wave from an older woman standing in the doorway of a large building. Several children were clamboring inside, and it suddenly dawned on him.

"Orphans? They're orphans?" he asked the girl, turning back to her.

"Some of them. Not all.

Her face held an unreadable expression and Natsu really didn't know what to make of this situation.

"Why?"

She took a long breath before answering. "Like I said, the kids at the orphanage probably won't be read to otherwise. The director already works so hard to feed and clothe them all, so I help how I can."

"That's very kind of you," he responded. The woman shot him another smile.

They turned and came out of the narrow back road they'd been walking along and came to a much wider and louder part of the city. It was a market, one Natsu had been in not too long before coming across the lady and her reading. The busy hours for a produce market had long passed, however, and so the stalls were much more empty than when he'd been here.

"What are you doing now?" he blurted out, not wanting their conversation to lull, but feeling quite dumb after she looked at him with a smirk and he realized what he'd asked.

As silly a question, however, she answered him. "I'm getting groceries. I should've thought that would be obvious, Sir."

Natsu blushed lightly at her teasing. "Yes, well... I just thought I'd ask and be sure!"

"That's reasonable. It makes perfect sense. A fine excuse," she further teased with a smile, picking through a basket of apples for something decent left over from today's hustle.

"You know, something about ya just... Enchants me," he admitted. "Are ya sure you aren't a witch or something?" he laughed. Her hand was so close to his. He could feel the warmth from her fingers. It would be so easy to move that short inch and grasp it.

The woman giggled, and Natsu loved the sound. "Why? Scared I might turn you into a frog?"

"No," he answered, taking her hand.

Lucy smiled and flushed lightly at his sudden forwardness, but didn't remove her hand from his. "Well, I'm not a witch, no." This man enchanted her just as much as she apparently enchanted him. But... Her eyes flicked to the emblem on the chest of his shirt.

Natsu watched as the woman picked out a few pieces of fruit and vegetables and set them down on the salesman's booth. While the man calculated the cost, Lucy dug through her basket for her money. Natsu reached into his pocket for the bag of Fioran coin he'd been given and put it on the counter. "It's on me," he told the blonde.

She smiled to him again. "How chivalrous." Natsu noticed her eyes flick over his shoulder, but she was speaking again before he turned to look as well. "But I do believe it's time for you to go soon."

Natsu's eyes widened. "Go? Whad'ya mean 'go'?" He thought they'd been having a good time!

"Oh, I'm sure we'll meet again. I'd like to."

"But I don't even know your name! How can I find you!?"

The woman smiled as she took her hand from his and brought it up to his cheek. "Don't worry. I'm certain I'll be able to find you," she responded. She leaned up and pressed a kiss to his other cheek, coloring them red. "Prince Natsu Dragneel."

Natsu was stunned as she leaned back, somewhat glad to see she was as affected by the sudden kiss as he was, her own face flushed pink.

"How-"

"PRINCE DRAGNEEL!" a number of guards cried as they finally spotted the runaway prince. Natsu turned to try and get them to go away, but they were quick to clamber around him and start to drag him back to the palace.

"You know you need an escort when you leave, Sire," one told him.

"Hey, wait!" he looked back to the cart where he'd been standing with the blonde, but she was gone now.

Natsu grumbled and complained, but stopped fighting as they went back to the castle.

oOo

"Dad," Natsu began as they sat down for a brief respite between helping set the castle up for the wedding, and supper.

"Hmm?" Igneel grumbled, close to nodding off.

"I think there's someone I really like."

Igneel popped an eye open and grinned when he saw the serious look on his son's face.

"Oh, reeaalyyyy!" He sat up and gave a strong pat to Natsu's back. "Tell me about her!"

"Well, she's from the city here," Natsu told his father. "I found her when I snuck out earlier, and, Dad, she's so nice! She was reading to kids, some of which were orphans, apparently, Just because she wanted to help out and make sure they got to see books!"

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, and she's... She's just... She's so damn pretty, Dad, but pretty doesn't really give her credit! Her hair just- It shone in the sunlight and every time she smiled my heart skipped a beat and her eyes just sparkled every time I looked at them-"

Igneel chuckled, cutting Natsu's rambling off. "Yup, sounds like you've got a bona-fide crush on her," he commented, causing Natsu's cheeks to flush. "So, what's the dear lady's name?"

"Uh... I don't know."

Igneel blinked. "You- what?"

"I don't know her name. The guards came and found me before I could ask."

Igneel dropped his face into his palms and groaned. "Natsu, that's the first thing you do, is introduce yourselves! You're telling me you don't know her name, she doesn't know-"

"She does, actually," Natsu admitted. "Know my name. She figured out who I was and called me by my name right before we were separated."

Igneel chuckled again and shook his head. "So she's a clever one, too, eh?" Natsu nodded. "Well, at least she knows where you'll be if she decides she wants to see you again."

"Yeah... But I just really wanna see her now!" he groaned. "I wanna talk to her, learn more about her! I didn't get to be with her for long enough at all," he complained.

Igneel laughed, Natsu's words only further cementing the notion that his son was experiencing his first crush.

[immacaria]

Of fangs and knives

  Hi again! So this is a mash-up of days 3 and 4: Snakes and Crime AU of Sangcheng december. Nie Huaisang is a naga, he can transform himself into fully human or fully snake and has been dating Jiang Cheng for five years now. They live with Wei Wuxian, who can turn himself into a bird, fully or partially. Jiang Cheng can’t transform himself into anything, but it doesn’t mean he is defenceless, you can’t be when you are the heir of one of the most powerful mafia’s clans. So, that’s it! Hope you enjoy it! 

  When Nie Mingjue was born, Qinghe threw a party that lasted three days, more than happy that their leaders had a child to bask in their love and happiness. When the Nie power couple decided to become the Nie power trio, marrying a gentle but strong village girl, Qinghe celebrated for three days. When the news that a new heir was to be expected that year, they screamed at the top of their lungs for three days. But, when the younger heir was born, a boy named Nie Huaisang, Qinghe did not throw parties nor screamed at the top of its lungs like before. Not when the newborn was such a monster, half human half snake. 

  They couldn’t understand how such evil could come from such good. It wasn’t right, it wasn’t possible. So the only reason possible to explain that was that the village girl was not a village girl, but an evil spirit that had fooled their poor leaders and crawled into their lives with no more intentions than to destroy all the good in their hearts. They were certain of that, but the Nie family didn’t seem affected by that, covering the newborn with love and gifts, like he was normal. The boy grew up gentle and caring, very much like his mother, and as soon as he started walking, or better crawling around with his upper body lifted by his lower body, everybody discovered that his tail could become human legs. 

  As he continued to grow up, more things were being discovered about him. 1. He could eject venom in whatever form he took, let it be totally human or just half. 2. He could transform himself in full snake, usually doing it to wrap himself around his older brother's neck and sleep while he trained. 3. His tail was fairly strong and so was his naga form, but his human form was weak, at least to Qinghe’s normal. 4. Nie Huaisang, despite all the fear in the beginning, had conquered everybody’s heart in his few years of living. 

  Even though he was showered with love and attention, Nie Huaisang’s life was surrendered by tragedy since the start. When he was two years old, Nie Heng, the mother of Nie Mingjue and wife of Nie Qiang and Nie LiMing, fell sick. At first it was just a cold, but it wouldn't go away and everybody started to get worried of what would happen to her if they didn't find a cute cure for that. All around people wanted to shelter both of the children of what could happen to Nie Heng, they somehow knew that their mother was sick and feeling bad. 

  After finishing training, Nie Mingjue would bring his baby brother and sit at his mother's bed to tell her about his days and the adventures that Nie Huaisang had got himself into. She would laugh out loud, back to herself for some moments, especially at the little adventures that they got themselves into when they were running away from a teacher or from Nie Qiang. They would wrap around her, Mingjue at her side and Huaisang on her chest, and sleep until one of their other parents got in the room and saw the scene. They would call the other and join the party too, cuddling their sons and wife. They all did everything in their power to make sure that Nie Heng was happy and received the best treatment existing, but nothing seemed to help her and by the end of the year, sadness had fallen on the Nie family’s house. 

  One year later, Nie LiMing was killed by the babysitter they hired to help them. She was one of the remaining people that still believed that both her and Nie Huaisang were evil spirits and everything bad that happened in Qinghe was their fault. But Nie LiMing wasn’t going to let her take the best and fought for hers and her son’s lifes. She fought back and wounded the assassin mortally, guaranteeing that both of her sons were going to be safe and sound even if she wasn’t there anymore to protect them from harm. She was buried with Nie Heng on the tomb of the Nie family. 

  It was a great blow on both the kids and Nie Qiang, their lives changed completely and dificultated by the fact that neither Nie Qiang nor Nie Mingjue trusted enough in anyone else to take care of the young Huaisang. They adapted to it, they made it work, not only for them but for Nie Huaisang and the memory of wives/mothers they lost. Nie Huaisang was raised by his brother and father, surrounded by love and affection, growing up with the stories of his mothers and getting to know them by those who remained. Even if there was that hollow, blank feeling of loss and sadness inside him, his brother and his father were there to alleviate and do what they could to let him know that both Nie Heng and Nie LiMing loved him to the moon and back. 

  The three of them lived happy and together for seven, almost eight years, before another tragedy struck at them again. Nie Mingjue was nineteen years old and Nie Huaisang was ten when Nie Mingjue got into college, making their father almost explode in pride and joy. Immediately, they booked a trip to celebrate it where they spend a whole week in a cozy cottage, doing whatever they wanted to do. They laughed, relaxed and joked around, laughing even when they were going back home. They were almost home when another car hit them with full force, right on the side that Nie Qiang was. 

  “A-Sang?” Jiang Cheng nudged Nie Huaisang’s head, waking him up. “It’s time to go. I solved what I had to.”

  “Wei-xiong?” Nie Huaisang lifted his head from the pillow, rubbing one of his eyes. 

  “Gone, already.” He answered, helping him get up. “You good to go? Or want to keep sleeping?” 

  “Last.” He yawned, holding his hands on his. 

  “My neck?” He chuckled, putting Nie Huaisang’s arms around his own neck. In response, Nie Huaisang only hummed in agreement and in a blink of eyes, there was a dark green snake circling his neck. “Obvious.” He chuckled again, getting both of their backpacks and leaving the room they were. They went to Lotus Pier to a family dinner between the Jiang siblings and a business meeting between Jiang Cheng and Jiang Fengmian. While his boyfriend was at the meeting, Nie Huaisang took the chance to sleep a little more. Since the death of his dad, Nie Mingjue was the one who did everything in his power to keep his little brother growing up safe and sound. He succeeded on his task to keep him well, but it too was known that he managed to spoil him to the ends of the earth and transform the Second Master Nie on a menace. Kidding, kidding. He was just a half of a menace. 

  “A-Cheng.” Nie Huaisang sibiled on his ear, lifting his head. “What do you want for dinner?” He saw Jiang Cheng put his earphones on, no music playing on them. 

  “No takeout.” Jiang Cheng answered, adjusting the snake on his neck. “I will make dinner, don’t worry. I’m thinking of boar. Or fish.”

  “I like them both.” He said, his tongue licking his earlobe jokingly. 

  "Stop that." 

  "You are cute."

  "And you a menace." 

  "A-Cheng." He screamed, buttheading his chew weakly and making him laugh quietly, soon Nie Huaisang was laughing too. They met when both of them were fourteen and had just arrived on Gusu to some summer classes they were giving and, gods, it was boring. But the presence of Jiang siblings made it more entertaining and bearable, especially because Wei Wuxian was like him, but in a bird version. Interesting enough, he enchanted himself with Lan Zhan and forgot about Nie Huaisang and Jiang Cheng, much to his entertainment. 

  Someway, between being acquaintances and then friends, soon turning into best friends, Nie Huaisang developed feelings for the other. Under that aggressive, scowling appearance, there was a sweet and caring boy and even under that one was more and more layers that made Jiang Cheng what he was. Yeah, there was a thing or another that wasn’t perfect or that Nie Huaisang didn’t agree with, but nobody was perfect, not even Jiang Cheng, not even Nie Mingjue. Who was the reason for them to start dating. 

  “What are you thinking about now?” Jiang Cheng said suddenly, sitting on a seat on the train. "I'm making dinner, stop thinking." 

  "I'm not Wei-xiong, I don't think about food twenty-fours per day." Nie Huaisang said, closing his eyes. 

  "Bold of you to think that my brother thinks about food twenty-four per day. He thinks about Lan Wangji twenty-four hours per day." He corrected him, closing his jacket, their backpacks between his legs. "It's horrible."

  "I think it's cute." He chuckled, looking around. There was a young woman bouncing a child in her legs, a group of teens with bright colours on their hair laughing out loud of some joking one of them said and two seats away of them were a man, almost as tall as Nie Mingjue, but slim and not-strong looking. Still, he was giving him bad vibes, especially with the way he kept looking between them and the group of teens. 

  "What the hell, A-Sang?" Jiang Cheng said, wrapping his hand around his mouth when he hissed at the man, showing his long, dropping-venom at him. "I'm sorry, sir. He's kind of stressed." He smiled at the man, pushing his head away. 

  "No problem, young man. Just try to keep it under control, yes?" The man said, smiling nervously while sleeping one seat away from them. But even if his mouth and face said he was nervous and afraid, his eyes show that he was furious and absolutely unpleased for the fact that people were now looking at him, including the group of teens he was observing. 

  “Yeah, sorry.” Jiang Cheng smiled back, too slipping away from him. 

  “I don’t like him. Bad vibes.” Nie Huaisang said, wrapping himself tighter around his neck. “He looks wrong.”

  “Sorry, Jiejie, A-Sang got a little crazy over here. You were saying?” He said, adjusting the earphones. What the hell was he saying? Had he gone crazy? “Don’t you know that Wei Wuxian always looks wrong? But, yeah, I think there’s something wrong.” Oh, there it was, he hadn’t gone crazy, he just was trying to throw off any attention that existed on them. “What about it?”

  “He was looking at the girls over there and at you too.” He said, looking back at the young girls. “He wasn’t looking distractly and he was looking way too interested in you.”

  “Yeah, I think so too. But what about it? I can’t exactly do something about it, can I?” 

  “You can protect yourself, distract him away from the girls.” 

  “You know, I think you are getting a little paranoid over there.” He got up when the train stopped. “But, at the same time, you aren’t so wrong.” He side-eyed the strange man as they passed by him. The train station wasn’t so far away from where they lived and maybe they would be able to get home without bigger incidents than earlier. At the least that’s what Jiang Cheng was hoping for as he dashed up the stairs, but he heard Nie Huaisang hiss again and knew that it wasn’t going to be an easy night for them. “Do I need to call Wei Wuxian or the cleaners?”

  “He is following us. Blood on his eyes. I think calling Wei-xiong is a good idea.” He answered, still looking at the man following him. 

  “Do you think you can take care of him alone? Or do you need help?” He looked above his shoulder, calculating how far away the man was from them. 

  “I don’t think so.” He hissed as Jiang Cheng turned on a corner, typing Wei Wuxian’s number away. Nie Huaisang unwrapped himself from his boyfriend’s neck slowly, aiming at the approaching man and as soon as he took out a knife, he jumped at his neck, biting his jugular. He heard the desperate and scared screams of a man who was not ready to meet death yet as Jiang Cheng pulled the knife from him, getting behind him and shoving it at the front base of his neck, a deep ugly cut being open. He jumped into the air, his feet meeting the ground with a weak thump. “Is he dead?” 

  “If he isn’t, he is going to be very soon.” Jiang Cheng shrugged, sticking the knife to the guy’s shoulders. “Wei Wuxian said that we can go, he’s on his way.” 

  “Okay, then.” He turned around, licking his lips and feeling the distinctive flavour of blood and his own venom on his mouth. “You okay there?” He enlaced their fingers as they walked to their apartment side by side. 

   “It should be me asking you that. How much venom did you distill?” Jiang Cheng said, kissing their fingers. 

  “Not much, just enough to paralyze him and kill him slowly.” He answered, feeling himself blush. “I still don’t get how you like me.”

  “Ready back at you.” He scowled, rolling his eyes. “Let’s go home, I’m hungry.” And to their house they went, hearing a fading flapping of wings behind them.