#oops haven’t used that tag in a minute

[harryssyndrome]

Hoax | h.s

summery: “don’t want no other shade blue but you. No other sadness in the world would do…”

based off this request. Thank you so much anon for this idea, this was so fun writing and I hope it’s something you were looking for. I tried to be as angsty as possible with a blend of cutesy sweet, hope it’s a perfect mix. Let me know in the comments? [thank you! mwah mwah mwah 💋]

Posted on: November 26th, 2024. I DO NOT GIVE PERMISSION TO COPY OR TRANSLATE MY WORK IN ANY PLATFORM. Like, comment & reblog are appreciated 💓Italics are past memories. Hope you lovelies enjoy this little big piece.

wc: 6.6k (oops🤭) || Masterlist 🤍

Tag-List: @fruity-harry @angeldavis777 @wheredidmyeyesgo @cherryloveshs | TAGLIST IS OPEN! || REQUESTS ARE OPEN!! 💌

The morning had started just like any other, the sun streaming in through the kitchen window, casting a warm glow over everything, but YN barely noticed. She sat at the counter, her hands curled around a coffee mug, its warmth barely a match for the cold ache building inside her. The apartment felt empty, despite the soft hum of the city just outside the window. She could feel the weight of the silence pressing down on her, a silence that had grown more oppressive over the past few weeks.

Harry had been on tour for what seemed like forever now, and their communication had dwindled. What had once been late-night calls and stolen moments between sound checks had turned into rushed, distracted conversations, where he was either too busy or too tired to give her his full attention. YN had always known the demands of his career, had always been willing to share him with the world, but it was starting to feel like he was slipping further away from her.

She had tried to be understanding, tried to remind herself that this was just a phase—that he was only gone for a while, and they would find their way back to each other. But today felt different. Something in the air was charged with tension, a sense of dread that hung around her like a cloud. Harry had promised to call her during his break between rehearsals, and as the minutes ticked by, that sense of unease only grew. She hadn’t heard from him, not even a text to explain why.

When the phone finally rang, she grabbed it with an anxious breath, hoping for the reassurance she so desperately needed.

“Hey, babe,” Harry’s voice crackled through the phone, distant and strained. There was a tiredness in his voice that made her heart ache even more.

“Hi,” she replied softly, trying to keep her tone light, but the worry slipped out anyway. “I was starting to wonder if you forgot about me.”

Harry didn’t immediately answer, and YN could feel him shifting on the other end, perhaps looking for the right words, or maybe just gathering the energy to engage with her. “I didn’t forget,” he said after a beat, his voice uncharacteristically flat. “It’s just… things are hectic right now. You know how it is.”

YN frowned, her fingers tightening around her mug. She knew how it was. She knew that Harry’s tour schedule was demanding, that he barely had time to breathe, let alone talk to her. But it was different now. It had been different for weeks, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

“I get it, Harry,” she said softly, trying to keep the frustration from her voice. “But it feels like we haven’t really talked in days. I feel like I’m losing you.”

The words hung in the air between them, thick with unspoken emotions. She didn’t want to say it. She didn’t want to accuse him of pulling away, but she couldn’t ignore what was happening anymore. She missed him. She missed the way they used to connect, how they’d stay up all night talking about their dreams and fears, how they’d laugh until their stomachs ached. Now, it felt like all they did was talk about logistics and time zones. She wanted more than that.

Harry let out a heavy sigh, and for a moment, she thought he was going to apologize, that he would offer the comfort she so desperately needed. But instead, his voice grew colder, his words sharper. “You miss me? Maybe you miss the version of me that you had before all of this. But I’m not the same person anymore, YNN. I’m just tired. Tired of feeling like I’m constantly being pulled in a million directions.”

Her heart sank at his words, the finality in them hitting her harder than she had expected. “What does that mean?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Harry’s words came out in a rush, almost like he couldn’t stop them, as if they were coming from a place deeper than he intended. “It means that I don’t have the energy for this right now. I don’t have the energy to keep pretending that everything is fine when it’s not. And maybe I’m just tired of pretending that you’re not asking for more than I can give. Maybe I need space. Maybe we both need space.”

The words stabbed her. She felt them deep in her chest, each one like a dagger, twisting further with every breath. “Space?” she echoed, barely able to form the word, the hurt creeping into her voice despite her best efforts to hold it back. “I’m not asking for space, Harry. I’m just asking for you. For the person you promised me you’d always be.”

Harry didn’t respond right away, and when he did, his voice was tight, defensive. “Maybe that person isn’t here anymore, YNN. Maybe that’s what I’m trying to say.”

The silence that followed was suffocating. YN could hear the faint rustling of something on his end of the phone, the noise of people moving in the background, but it didn’t matter. The emptiness between them felt so loud, so unbearable. The connection that once held them together was fraying, thread by thread.

She swallowed hard, the tears welling in her eyes. “Fine,” she said, her voice breaking as she spoke. “If that’s how you feel, then I guess I’ll leave.”

The words came out before she could stop them, and she immediately regretted them. But the damage was done. The silence that followed was deafening, and the weight of Harry’s absence felt so heavy, so crushing, that she could barely breathe. The person she loved, the person she had given everything to, had just told her he was done. He was tired of her.

Before she could say another word, she ended the call. The click of the phone disconnecting felt like the final nail in the coffin, sealing whatever it was that they had left.

YN sat there for a long moment, staring at the phone in her hand as if it were some foreign object. She couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. Her mind was numb, her thoughts tangled in confusion and hurt. The apartment, their shared space, felt so small now. It felt suffocating. Every corner of the place was a reminder of everything that had once been good, everything that was now falling apart.

Tears blurred her vision as she stood up from the counter. She didn’t know what to do. She didn’t know where to go. But she couldn’t stay there. Not with him, not with the words he had just said. The love they had built felt like ashes, and she couldn’t breathe in the smoke any longer.

She started packing her things, her movements automatic, like she was on autopilot. Her hands shook as she threw clothes into a bag, not caring if they matched or if they were folded neatly. Nothing mattered in that moment except the urgent need to get away from the place that had once been home. She ignored the phone buzzing with messages, messages from Harry, apologizing, pleading with her to call him back. She couldn’t. Not yet. Not after the things he had said.

When she finished packing, she grabbed her bags and walked out the door. The apartment felt even emptier as she closed the door behind her. There were no more goodbyes, no more promises. Just the echo of his hurtful words ringing in her ears.

YN drove to her parents’ house in a daze, her eyes stinging with unshed tears. She couldn’t stop thinking about everything that had happened, about how quickly their love had unraveled. She needed space to think. To breathe. To figure out how to move on from this. But deep down, she knew it wasn’t that simple.

It wasn’t just a fight. It was something deeper. Something that couldn’t be fixed with apologies.

When she pulled into the driveway, she didn’t feel the relief she thought she would. Instead, the silence that had followed her from their apartment seemed to follow her here. Even the familiar sight of her childhood home didn’t offer the comfort it once had. It all felt distant. Empty. Just like her heart.

She stepped out of the car, closing the door behind her with a soft click. As she walked up to the front door, her phone buzzed again. She ignored it. She couldn’t bear to look at it. She couldn’t bear to see his name flashing on the screen. The man she loved had just shattered her heart into a million pieces, and she didn’t know how to pick them up.

The night had been a blur for Harry. The anger, the disappointment, the gnawing guilt in his chest from the argument with YN—it was all too much to bear. In the solitude of his hotel room, far from her, he drowned out the pain with alcohol. He knew he had messed up, knew he had hurt her with his words, but the overwhelming pressure of being on tour, the constant demand of being a public figure, and the exhaustion had driven him to the brink. He had never intended for it to escalate the way it did, but in his drunken haze, it all came crashing down.

Somewhere between the blurry shots and the endless stream of drinks, he found himself in a bar, surrounded by strangers, feeling more alone than he had in a long time. His phone was buzzing on the table, the screen lighting up with YN’s name flashing, but he didn’t pick it up. The coldness in his heart had become too unbearable, and he pushed her away instead of confronting the hurt he had caused. He just wanted the world to stop spinning for a moment. He wanted to forget everything that had gone wrong.

And that was when Emily Ratajkowski had walked in.

They had known each other for years, casually friendly in the way celebrities often are when their circles overlap. Emily, ever the charmer, had greeted Harry with a friendly smile. They sat and talked, their conversation casual at first, just the usual small talk about work and life. But Harry, caught in his haze of regret, had let his guard down. The more they talked, the more the words flowed. In some strange way, it felt easy to talk to her—like she was a stranger he could confide in, someone who didn’t carry the same weight of their past, the years of intimacy and history he shared with YN.

It didn’t take long before the alcohol took its toll. Emily’s laughter had filled the air, and Harry had found himself leaning closer, her presence soothing in a way that made him forget the ache in his chest. Before he knew it, they were kissing. His mind screamed for him to stop, to think about YN, to remember everything he stood to lose. But in that moment, he didn’t. The guilt had been smothered by the fleeting comfort of the kiss, the escape from his spiraling thoughts.

He didn’t remember much after that. The night blurred into incoherence, a jumble of laughter, flashes, and fleeting touches. Harry woke up the next morning, disoriented and groggy, the light filtering through the hotel room window far too bright. His phone was buzzing incessantly, and his stomach churned when he saw the series of missed calls and messages from YN. The weight of it all hit him like a wave, and for a moment, he just sat there, trying to piece together the fragments of his memories.

Then, his phone lit up with an alert—a notification from a gossip website, and his heart dropped into his stomach. There, in front of him, were pictures of him and Emily Ratajkowski, the kind of photos Harry had spent years avoiding. They were kissing, their lips pressed together, captured in a moment of reckless abandon that Harry didn’t even fully remember. The headline was cruel: Harry Styles and Emily Ratajkowski—A New Romance in the Making?

His throat tightened as he scrolled through the photos, his mind racing. He didn’t remember kissing her. He didn’t remember anything about that night except the overwhelming sense of regret that now gripped him. He had ruined everything. The fragile thread holding him together seemed to snap in that moment. He had lost YN, and now the media would make sure the world knew it. His personal life was on full display, and all he could think about was how much he had fucked it all up.

Desperation began to rise in his chest, and without thinking, he began sending text after text to YN, each one filled with apologies, regret, and pleas for her to talk to him. But she didn’t answer. The silence on the other end was deafening.

Meanwhile, YN was in her parents’ house, sitting in the living room with the muted glow of the television casting long shadows across the room. The house, once a place of comfort and warmth, now felt suffocating. Her mother had been quiet ever since YN arrived, sensing the heavy tension in the air. She tried to comfort her daughter, offering tea, but YN couldn’t bring herself to care. The weight of the argument, of the harsh words Harry had said, sat heavily in her chest, gnawing at her.

But when the photos surfaced—when she saw Harry with Emily, their lips locked, the headlines flashing across her phone—her world shattered all over again. The room spun around her, and she felt like she was suffocating. The love she had poured into her relationship with Harry now felt like a cruel joke. She had trusted him. She had believed in him. And now this—this betrayal was too much to bear.

Tears blurred her vision, and she quickly turned away from her phone. Her mother noticed the change in her expression and asked softly, “YN, what’s wrong, sweetheart?”

“I can’t do this,” YN whispered, choking on her tears. “I can’t keep doing this. I thought he loved me… but now… now I don’t know who he is anymore. It didn’t even take him a night to move on?”

Her mother hugged her tightly, murmuring comforting words, but YN couldn’t hear them. The pain of what she had seen—the public humiliation of it all—felt like a physical weight on her chest. She needed to get away. She needed to clear her head.

“I’m going for a walk,” she said, her voice distant, as if she were speaking to herself rather than her mother.

Her mother nodded, understanding the need for space, and watched as YN stepped outside, the cool evening air wrapping around her like a blanket.

The lake stretched out before her, calm and unbothered by the storm raging inside her. Its surface shimmered faintly under the overcast sky, the golden light of the fading afternoon barely breaking through the thick clouds. The familiar sight of it— the way the trees reflected on the water, the distant sound of birds, the rhythmic lapping of waves against the shore-should have brought YN the comfort she was seeking. But all it did was make her chest tighten with a suffocating ache.

She had always come to this place for solace, even as a child. The lake by her parents' house was her sanctuary, a space where the noise of the world couldn't touch her. But now, as she stood there, arms wrapped tightly around herself against the crisp autumn air, the silence was deafening. It wasn't peace she found here today. It was the echo of memories she had desperately tried to bury since she walked out of the home she had once shared with Harry.

Her boots crunched softly against the earth as she made her way closer to the water's edge, the damp grass soaking the hem of her dress. The wind whispered through the trees, carrying with it the faintest scent of pine and earth. But YN didn't notice. Her mind was far away, replaying a reel of memories she wished she could turn off. No matter how much she tried to focus on the present, her past with Harry came rushing back to her, vivid and bittersweet.

She crouched down near the shore, her fingertips brushing against the cool surface of the water. As ripples spread outward, her thoughts drifted to another time, another version of herself-a happier one. She closed her eyes, and it all came rushing back as if she were still there.

It had been a summer evening, the sun setting in brilliant hues of orange and pink.

Harry had been sitting on the dock, legs stretched out, his feet just barely skimming the water. YN had been lying beside him, her head resting on his thigh as they shared a bottle of wine they had stolen from her parents' pantry. The lake had been their escape that summer, a place where the chaos of Harry's career and the pressures of the world seemed to melt away.

"This place is magic," Harry had murmured, running his fingers absentmindedly through her hair. His voice had been low, almost reverent, as he looked out at the water.

YN had tilted her head to glance up at him, a smile tugging at her lips. "You always say that," she teased. "But you're not wrong."

He grinned, his dimple deepening as he looked down at her. "It's true, though. Don't you feel it? It's like... time stops here. Like nothing bad can touch us."

She had laughed softly, the sound blending with the gentle rustle of the trees.

"That's what l've always loved about this place. It's quiet. Peaceful. Away from everything."

Harry had hummed in agreement, his gaze softening as he studied her. "One day, YNN... one day l'd love to settle down somewhere like this. Away from the noise. Just us."

Her breath had caught at his words, her heart skipping a beat. "Just us?" she'd asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Well," he'd added, his lips twitching into a playful smile, "maybe not just us. I'm thinking a couple of little ones running around, maybe a dog... or two."

YN's heart skipped at his words, her stomach flipping in that way it always did when he hinted at their future. She laughed, nudging him playfully. "Little ones, huh? You planning on starting a family with me already, Styles?"

Harry grinned, his dimple showing as he leaned closer, the teasing glint in his eyes softening into something deeper. "Why not? I mean it, YNN. I'd love that. A house by the lake. Waking up every morning with you by my side. Teaching our kids how to fish or swim or whatever it is people do out here. It sounds perfect."

Her breath caught as she looked at him, the sincerity in his words tugging at something deep within her. "It does," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "It sounds perfect."

He reached out, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, his fingers lingering against her cheek. "You're perfect," he murmured, and before she could respond, he leaned in, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to her lips.

The world had faded away then, leaving only the two of them, wrapped in a bubble of love and possibility.

“I wouldn’t want anything less than forever when it comes to you.”

His words had settled into her heart like a warm glow, and she had leaned in to kiss him, the taste of wine still lingering on his lips. In that moment, with the sun setting and the world quiet around them, she had believed him. She had believed in forever.

YN blinked, the memory dissolving as the present came crashing back. The lake was still, the air cold, and Harry wasn't there. Her chest ached as she stared at the dock, the image of them sitting there overlaying the reality of its emptiness. She could almost hear his laughter, feel his hand in hers, but it was all in her mind.

The betrayal burned anew, the image of him with Emily flashing behind her eyes.

How could he have said those things, painted that picture of their future, and then so carelessly let it all fall apart? How could he kiss someone else after everything they had shared?

How had they gone from that to this? How had the man who once promised her forever ended up kissing someone else? The image of Harry and Emily flashed in her mind again, sharper this time, and her stomach twisted. She wrapped her arms tighter around herself, trying to hold together the pieces of her heart that felt like they were falling apart.

The lake, once her sanctuary, now felt like a cruel reminder of everything she had lost. The life she had envisioned with Harry-the house by the lake, the little ones running around, the forever they had dreamed of-felt like a distant, unattainable dream. And yet, no matter how much she wanted to hate him, to shut him out completely, her heart wouldn't let her. She still loved him, even now, even after everything.

YN sank down onto the grass, her knees pulled to her chest, tears streaming freely now. She thought of the countless nights they had spent talking about their dreams, their plans. The way Harry had once made her feel so safe, so sure of their love. And now, it all felt like a cruel joke, a dream turned nightmare.

"Why, Harry?" she whispered into the stillness. "Why did you have to ruin everything?"

The question hung in the air, unanswered, as the sun dipped lower on the horizon.

She let herself cry then, the sobs wracking her body as she finally allowed herself to feel the full weight of her heartbreak. The lake bore silent witness to her pain, its surface rippling gently as if trying to offer her some semblance of comfort.

The lake, once her sanctuary, now felt like a graveyard for their love.

When she returned to the house, her heart felt heavy, each step laden with the weight of everything she was feeling. But it wasn't the emptiness of the house that grabbed her attention; it was the faint sound-the small, deliberate taps against the window. At first, she thought it was the rain playing tricks on her, the gentle taps against the glass. But when she heard it again-sharp and insistent-her breath caught in her throat.

Her mind didn't even have time to process it fully. She spun toward the window, her heart pounding in her chest. And there he was.

Harry.

He stood in the pouring rain, his face pale, his hair clinging to his skin. His clothes were soaked through, and his hands trembled slightly as he threw small pebbles at the window, as if trying to wake her from a nightmare she couldn't escape. She stood frozen for a moment, unsure of what to do. Was this real? Was this the same man who had hurt her so badly?

But then, she saw it in his eyes-the desperation. The raw vulnerability. The silent plea for forgiveness that spoke louder than words ever could. He was standing there, drenched, with nothing left to lose. He was a broken man, and in that moment, she could see that he knew he had ruined everything.

Before she could stop herself, she ran to the down to the front door, threw it open, and without thinking, rushed outside into the rain.

The rain fell in torrents, its relentless downpour drowning out all sound except for the beat of water against the ground. Harry stood before YN, drenched, his eyes wide with desperate urgency, a look of raw pain etched into every line of his face. His clothes clung to his body, soaked through, but it was nothing compared to the turmoil inside of him.

“YN…” His voice broke, as if the weight of her name was too much to bear. His hand reached out shakily, desperate to bridge the gap between them, but she pulled away slightly. He flinched, not from her rejection, but from the weight of his own guilt that seemed to pull him lower with every passing second.

“I—” He took a breath, trying to steady himself, but his words tumbled out in a frantic rush. “I never meant for it to be this way. I never meant to hurt you, YNN. I swear, I never thought—God, I was so drunk, so damn stupid. I don’t even remember what happened, but I know I messed up. I know I messed everything up.”

YN’s heart clenched painfully in her chest. She wanted to scream at him, to tell him how much he had hurt her, how much his words still stung like a constant ache in her soul. But instead, she stood there, her breath coming in ragged bursts, staring at him as he trembled in the rain. She wasn’t sure whether it was the cold of the storm or the pain inside him that made him shudder, but it was impossible to ignore the depth of his regret.

“You do remember, Harry,” she finally spoke, her voice shaking but strong. “You remember everything, even if you don’t remember that moment. You remember the things you said to me. You remember how you treated me. How you—” She stopped herself, not wanting to continue with the painful words. But the memory of his cutting tone, his dismissive words, echoed in her mind, taunting her, making her question everything they had ever shared. “I trusted you. I loved you. And you—you broke me.”

Harry’s eyes welled with unshed tears as he took a step toward her, this time not caring if she pulled away. He was beyond caring about the rain, beyond caring about anything except for the woman standing before him, the one person who had always been his everything.

“I know,” he whispered, his voice thick with emotion, and she could see the raw vulnerability in his eyes. “I know I broke you. And that’s the worst part of it. I never wanted to hurt you. Not in a million years. I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you, YNN. You’re it for me, you always have been.” He reached for her again, but this time she didn’t pull away. His fingers brushed against hers, a tentative touch, as if he were afraid she might vanish the moment he let go.

“But I let my stupid insecurities, my stupid mistakes, cloud everything,” he continued, his voice cracking. “I’ve never been more scared of losing someone than I am of losing you, and I couldn’t see that until now. I couldn’t see that you are the one I need. That it’s not the fame, it’s not the tour, it’s not anyone or anything else—it’s you, YN. You’re the only thing that matters.”

The words hung in the air like fragile threads, each one trembling with a rawness that made YN’s heart ache in ways she didn’t think possible. The anger, the hurt—it was still there, simmering beneath the surface, but now there was something else too: hope. Hope that maybe, just maybe, this wasn’t all lost.

She swallowed hard, her throat dry. She wanted to push him away, wanted to shout at him for what he had done, but when she looked at him—really looked at him—there was something so devastatingly human about him, standing there, shaking in the rain. He was broken, but there was sincerity in his apology, a plea that reached her heart in ways his words never had before.

“You don’t even understand what you’ve done to me, Harry,” she said, her voice quivering as she took a step back. “You think it’s just about what happened with her, with Emily? It’s not. It’s about everything that led up to that moment. It’s about the words you said to me, the way you dismissed everything we had, everything I gave you. It’s about how you made me feel like I wasn’t enough.”

Harry closed his eyes, a silent tear slipping down his cheek. “I didn’t mean to make you feel that way, YNN. I never wanted you to feel like you weren’t enough. You’re everything to me. I’ve been an idiot, and I know I’ve hurt you, but please… don’t let this be the end for us. I can’t lose you. I just can’t… live without you. I can’t.”

The storm raged around them, but the silence between them felt deafening, thick with the weight of everything unsaid, everything unresolved. YN could feel the anger still bubbling inside her, but she also felt the pull of something deeper—the love she had for him, the love that she had thought was gone, but now seemed to flicker in her chest like a fragile flame.

She wanted to stay angry, to hold onto the hurt, but something inside her was giving way.

“Harry, I…” Her voice faltered, the words catching in her throat as her chest tightened painfully. “I don’t know if I can forgive you right now. I need time. I need space to figure this out.” She shook her head, unable to meet his eyes as the tears finally spilled over, mingling with the rain. “I don’t know if I can go back to who we were. You hurt me too much.”

He stepped forward again, his hand reaching for her, trembling with the force of his desperation. “Please, YN. I’ll do anything. I’ll give you all the space you need. I’ll be patient, I swear. I’ll wait as long as it takes. But don’t walk away from me. Please.”

She didn’t respond immediately. The storm had drowned out every thought, every hesitation in her mind, but there was still one thing she knew for certain: she couldn’t let him go. Not yet. She wasn’t ready. Not when her heart was still so tangled up in him, so unable to let go of the person he had once been to her.

“I need time,” she repeated softly, her voice barely audible against the pounding rain. “I need to think, Harry. Please, just… just go inside. I can’t—” She couldn’t finish the sentence, not without breaking apart completely.

Harry nodded, his face a picture of heartbreaking understanding. His heart was in pieces, but he was willing to wait, willing to do whatever it took to prove that he could make things right. Without another word, he turned toward the house, slowly, unwilling to leave her in the storm but knowing that he had to respect her need for space.

YN watched him go, her heart heavy in her chest, torn between love and hurt, between forgiveness and anger. The rain continued to pour, and as she stood there, feeling the cold seep into her bones, she wondered if they would ever find their way back to each other—or if this was the beginning of the end.

The night had felt like an eternity. Each minute stretched on, filled with haunting thoughts and the pounding rhythm of YNs heart. Her mind was tangled in knots, the anger still burning bright, but beneath it all, there was an undercurrent of something she couldn’t deny: the love she still had for Harry. It was the kind of love that had once felt so pure, so easy, but now felt fractured, jagged, like trying to hold onto a shattered glass piece that was bleeding into her heart.

She hadn’t been able to sleep. The past few days, the pain, the betrayal, the anger—it all swirled together in a mess that made her restless. Harry’s words from the night before—the desperate, raw apology—replayed over and over again in her mind, like a broken record. And yet, each time she thought of it, the hurt crept back in. She had tried to push it away, tried to convince herself that she could ignore it, but the reality was that she couldn’t. Not when the memories of their love, of their happy moments, still clung to her like the scent of his cologne.

But it wasn’t just the hurt she was feeling. There was something else, something deeper, something that felt too real to ignore. She couldn’t escape the way her heart still responded to Harry, no matter how hard she tried.

As the morning light began to filter through the windows, YN could no longer stay in the silence of her room. She had to see him. She had to confront everything that had happened and, maybe—just maybe—find a way to heal. But even as the desire to see him grew stronger, there was still that gnawing uncertainty. Could she really trust him again? Could she really forgive him for what had happened?

The house was quiet as she made her way down the stairs, the soft creak of the wooden steps echoing in the otherwise still air. The soft hum of the morning felt foreign against the heaviness that weighed on her shoulders, but she ignored it, pushing forward. When she stepped outside, the cold hit her like a rush, but it was nothing compared to the chill in her heart.

The lake was quiet, still as glass, the air thick with the faint scent of damp earth and fresh water. And there, sitting on the grass at the edge of the lake, was Harry. His posture was slumped, his shoulders drooped, as though the weight of the world was resting on him. The sight of him in this state, so broken and vulnerable, pulled at her heart in ways she couldn’t explain.

He looked so small, so lost.

For a moment, YN stood there, watching him. She wasn’t sure what to do, what to say. But as she watched him, she realized that she couldn’t stay away. Not anymore. She had to speak. She had to let him know how much he had hurt her, but also how much she still cared, despite everything.

Her footsteps were quiet on the soft earth as she made her way toward him. Harry didn’t look up immediately, but she could see the slight twitch of his head as if he felt her presence. His face was blank, his eyes staring out at the water, but there was something in the way he held himself that spoke volumes.

YN stopped just a few feet away, standing still as the silence stretched between them. For what felt like an eternity, neither of them spoke. The tension was thick, palpable, like a heavy fog.

Finally, she couldn’t stand it anymore. The silence, the uncertainty. She had to break it.

“I don’t even know where to start, Harry,” she said, her voice trembling just slightly as she crossed her arms over her chest, trying to protect herself from the rawness of the moment. “You hurt me. You really hurt me. And I don’t know if I can ever forget what you said to me. What you did to us.”

Harry flinched, as if each word she spoke cut through him. He finally lifted his head, his red-rimmed eyes meeting hers. There was guilt in those eyes, raw and undeniable. His voice came out barely above a whisper.

“I’m sorry, YNN. I’m so sorry. I can’t even begin to explain how much I regret everything. I was angry, and I was drunk, and I didn’t—” He cut himself off, his hands shaking as he clenched them into fists at his sides. “I never meant to hurt you. Not like that. You’re everything to me, YNN. You always have been.”

YN took a deep breath, her chest tight with the conflicting emotions. She wanted to stay angry, to protect herself from the pain he’d caused, but she couldn’t deny that his words, his remorse, were hitting something deep inside her. It wasn’t enough to erase the hurt, but it was a start. She looked at him, really looked at him, and saw how broken he was. He was a man who had made a mistake, but he was also a man who still cared for her.

“I don’t want to feel like this anymore,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “I don’t want to live in the hurt and the anger. I want to move past this, but I need to know that you’ll never do this again. I need to know that you’re willing to fight for us.”

Harry’s eyes welled up, the emotion overwhelming him. He reached out then, taking her hand gently, almost like he was afraid she might pull away. “I swear to you, YNN. I’ll fight for us. I’ll fight for you. I’ll do whatever it takes to make this right. I’ll spend every single day proving to you that you’re worth more than anything, more than the stupid mistakes I’ve made. You mean everything to me.”

YN’s breath caught in her throat. It was impossible to ignore the depth of his words, the rawness in his voice. But it wasn’t just the words that got to her; it was the sincerity in his eyes, the vulnerability that he rarely showed anyone, let alone her.

She stepped closer to him, her heart pounding as she tried to make sense of the whirlwind of emotions swirling inside her. She had been so angry, so broken, but looking at him now, she realized that she couldn’t just walk away.

“I want to believe you, Harry,” she whispered, her voice shaking. “I really do. But I need time. I need time to heal, to trust you again.”

Harry’s face softened, relief flooding through him. “I understand. Take all the time you need. I’ll be here, every step of the way. I’ll prove to you that I’m worth it. That we’re worth it.”

And in that moment, everything felt a little bit clearer. The storm inside her had not fully subsided, but the clouds were beginning to part, and the sun was starting to peek through. She stepped closer, closing the distance between them, and in one slow, careful motion, she placed her hand on his chest. The steady beat of his heart under her palm was a reminder of how much he still cared.

“I’m willing to try,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I’m willing to try if you promise me that you’ll never let me go again.”

Harry’s eyes shone with tears, and he pulled her into his arms, his hands cupping her face gently as he kissed her forehead, his lips brushing softly over her skin. “I promise you, YNN. I’ll never let you go. You’re my everything. I love you.”

YN closed her eyes, letting his words wash over her. She hadn’t been sure if she could forgive him, if she could ever move past the hurt. But standing here in his arms, feeling his heart beat against hers, she realized that love wasn’t always easy. It wasn’t always simple. But it was worth fighting for.

“I love you too,” she whispered back, her voice trembling with emotion.

And as they stood there, wrapped in each other’s arms, the world around them felt a little less heavy, a little less uncertain. The future was still unclear, but for the first time in a long time, they both had hope.

They’ll be alright.

[tinytalkingtina]

Cool Whip

Rating M | WC 1330 | Ao3 link

Tags: getting together, first kiss, innuendo, bisexual steve and eddie, eddie speed-runs a sexuality crisis, inappropriate use of whipped cream, fast burn (these two have never gone slow in their lives), fade to black

Written for the STWG July 28 prompt "Oh. Oh."

Steve stared at Eddie in complete silence.

Eddie fidgeted under his gaze. “So. Perhaps. In this instance, giving into the gremlin that lives inside my head was not the best choice I could have made,” he said sheepishly.

“Really Edward. You don’t say.” Steve was still holding the incriminating weapon, had been since he confiscated it. Every so often he twirled it around in his hands.

“What if you uhhh, did it back to me? We’ll be even?” he offered. “Come on, it’s fine, I won’t even fight you on it!”

“Can’t do that because we’re at my house, not yours, and this was my last pair of clean pants and underwear. So, unless you want to walk around like Winnie the fucking Pooh for the rest of the night, maybe we don’t spray whipped cream down your jeans too.” 

Steve ran an agitated hand through his hair. “I’m going to go take a shower and wash this shit off of my junk now, ‘kay? Just put the ice cream back in the freezer, we can do a movie night together another time, I guess.” Disappointment was written all over his face. Oops, Eddie didn't realize how much he must have been looking forward to watching Raiders of the Lost Ark. 

As Steve turned around to go, Eddie knew he should let him. Unfortunately, Nosnum Eidde, the impulsive gremlin living in his brain, was still firmly in control.

“Wait, let’s not waste it. Let me clean you up!” He blurted out.

What?

“What?” Steve was staring again, this time with eyes wide in confusion.

“Let me…clean up the mess I made. On your body.”

“Eddie I really can’t tell if you’re joking or not.”

It did sound like a joke didn’t it. But if it was a joke, why was the thought sending sparks of lighting along his spine. 

“I don’t. Don’t think I’m joking right now,” Eddie said slowly. “Give me a minute here.”

It wasn’t like his brain had a perfect track record when it let Nosnum have the wheel. Like those times it had told him that he could climb the tallest tree in the trailer park without getting stuck at the top, or point out how hypocritical O’Donnell was acting during class without getting detention. 

But it had also gotten things right on occasion. And with Steve standing so close, it was busy pointing out things Eddie hadn't thought about before: like for example, when Steve chewed on his lips in agitation, they became invitingly plump. And, despite the growing damp spot on the front, those jeans were still hugging Steve's ass perfectly. 

Perhaps most importantly, he wasn't rushing forward to punch Eddie's lights out for insinuating, well. He just stood there with a faint blush coloring his cheeks. In his house, a place currently unoccupied by anyone else, not even Robin. While wearing a shirt that was just on the wrong side of too tight with his hair coiffed for a night out and oh my G-d—

“Steve…was tonight supposed to be a date?” Eddie was shocked the question fell out of his mouth so steadily.

The blush on Steve's face grew darker. “I mean, sort of? Was getting mixed signals from you but—yeah.” He shrugged. “We haven’t been able to hang out one on one since I figured things out. Thought I’d see how tonight went before making a move.”

“Oh. You. You had a plan to seduce me.” Eddie wheezed a little. "You like me like that?"

“I uh, kind of put two and two together about a month ago. Had a really long talk with Robin, and turns out apparently normal men don't want to, you know, make out with their guy friends. Or imagine Harrison Ford holding a whip when he’s all sweaty and—wait, what about you, Mr. 'Propositioning My Friends To Use My Mouth?’ How long have you known?"

“About five minutes consciously.” Eddie said in a strangled voice. “Maybe ten if we consider what I did to your pants subliminal foreplay.”

Steve snorted. The gremlin in Eddie’s brain was convinced this made him even more attractive. Huh, maybe this had been going on for longer than he had realized, if a snort could set him off.

“Not really sure what submarines have to do with Cool Whip, but yeah we can probably count that. Welcome to the ‘part gay’ club man! You’re taking this really well, no offense.” Steve pat him on the back, the brief contact sending more sparks through his veins.

“Yeah, in 1985 I’d probably be doing something destructive right about now.” Eddie agreed. “But the me of 1987 can’t really muster up the energy for another panic attack after finding out about inter-dimensional portals or. You know. Everything else that happened.” Wow, real smooth Eddie, way to kill the mood of whatever fever dream was happening right now.

“Besides,” he tried for a joke. “1987 Eddie has a high school diploma. My brain’s so full of facts there’s no more room for anything else unless we shove it into my mouth and—“ His eyes widened as he caught up with what he was saying. He ducked to hide behind his hair. “Uh, what I mean was, um. Yeah I’ve got nothing to say for that.”

Steve gave another adorable snort and walked closer. “We may have to work our way up to that one, but maybe I could give your mouth something else to put its lips around instead?”

“Dude that doesn’t even—what, do you want me to vacuum seal your mouth with mine? How would we, wait, please tell me that isn’t the secret move you pulled that had all the cheerleaders in school losing their minds over?” Eddie squeaked out.

Steve blushed again even as he laughed. “First of all I only ever actually dated like, three people in high school, I wasn’t as big a slut as rumors made me out to be. And okay that might have sounded better in my head, but in my defense I kind of can’t think of anything but kissing you right now.”

Eddie rapidly nodded his head. “Yes, that’s. We should do that. Please.” After a slight roadblock in which both of them on autopilot tried to take the lead and grab the other’s face, they finally managed to actually press their lips against each other.

And oh. Oh. 

Look, this was far from Eddie’s first kiss. But this was the first time someone still wanted to kiss after seeing him eat eggs with maple syrup on them. Or who knew he secretly slept with his childhood stuffed animal. Because Steve wasn’t angling to get cheaper weed, or trying to get back at his parents by having Eddie knock on the door in his ripped jeans for a date.

Steve knew Eddie’s whole sordid history, and kissed him anyway, holy shit.

The kiss itself was short and relatively chaste. But after they stopped, Steve didn’t immediately lean out of Eddie’s space. Instead he gave the tip of Eddie’s nose a quick peck before resting their foreheads together. A giggle bubbled up out of Eddie’s chest.

Steve rapped his knuckles on Eddie’s head. “Everything okay up there?”

“You like me. Steeeeve Harringtonnn likes me!” Steve smiled softly at him as he cupped Eddie’s cheek in his palm.

“Yeah, I do, you big dork. And I’d love to continue this, but because someone sprayed whipped cream onto my junk, I need to go shower it off before it gets even crunchier because wow, this is uncomfortable.”

Now it was Eddie’s turn to blush. “Sorry about that again. But if you want maybe uh, maybe I could join you and actually help clean it off?”

Steve smirked. “I think we can work something out, yeah. Come on.”

Running up the stairs while Steve tightly held his hand, Eddie decided that perhaps this time, his brain might have had the right idea after all.

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

Later that evening:

Eddie: "Wait, I was flirting with you the entire Spring Break from hell wasn't I."

Steve: "That was point #1 on Robin's 'Eddie is into you' list."

Eddie: "In hindsight this does explain why she kept saying I could be myself around her last week. I used the opportunity to give her a 2 hour long intro to metal music lesson."

Steve: "Yeah, she said I still owe her for that."

@augustjustice @stellarspecter Come get your fast burn Steddie!

[mintmatcha]

Inevitable Things: chapter five

Aizawa x reader fic

cw: cisfem reader, no quirks, office au, miscommunications, slow burn. full tags available on AO3 (linked in masterlist)

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Fridays are the only day you carve out time for lunch. Less than coincidentally, Fridays are also the only day lunch is catered.

“Here-” Izuku jams his bowl of take out into Katsuki’s face. “Does it smell like there’s peanuts in here?”

Bakugo Katsuki, Izuku’s fiance, is only half as ornery as he looks. A premature wrinkle has formed in between his brows, a sign of his almost constant annoyance. His straw colored hair is a sharp contrast to his deep red eyes, currently narrowed in disgust.

“Get this shit out of my fucking face,” he groans. “I’m not a fucking allergy alert dog-- I can’t smell peanuts.”

“To be fair-” Ochako interjects through a mouthful. She’s the opposite of Katsuki: dark hair, round eyes, a smile so sweet that it makes your teeth hurt. Her cheeks are always flushed, spots of broken blood vessels spattered like freckles. “Peanuts do have a smell.”

“Did you ask him to smell for penis?” Denki says, too loud to be genuine. “Kind of homophobic to ask a gay guy that.”

Both men give him identical deadpan stares.

“That’s just his fucking country-ass accent.” Katsuki brushes Denki off and turns back to the curly haired man. “Why would chicken have peanuts in it anyway?”

“The o’l.” Izuku stresses.

“The what?”

“Some places use peanut o’l.”

“Say oil.”

Izuku sneers a bit in return, smoothing out the curves of his accent. “Oy-I’ll.”

“Jesus christ, I’m marrying a hick.” Katsuki leans back in his chair and meets your eye with a jerk of his chin. “Can you believe this?”

You snap back into focus. Your own lunch is untouched, fork still in its little plastic wrapper. Hunger nips at your stomach, but nausea wins over today. The cafeteria isn’t very busy, but in the next couple minutes everyone will start pouring in. The lot of you arrived early to get the best seating-- a little couch and coffee table in the corner, a perfect place to eat and people watch.

“Oh, yeah, uh- Izuku, they have an allergen free option.”

“Well, yeah, but-” He tilts his head as he talks, watching you with those wide, green eyes, like he sees something just below the surface. “It doesn't have chicken-- are you good?”

“Me?”

“Yeah, you.” Katsuki fingers a piece of Izuku’s food and pops it into his mouth, much to the man’s dismay. “You’ve been making that sad little face all day.”

You pout a bit harder at that. Shit-- you thought you were being subtle. You haven’t been able to walk this whole Aizawa thing off yet, despite all of your attempts. No amount of emails, meetings, and other petty office bullshit managed to distract you from the absolute shock and humiliation of… whatever that was.

Embarrassment.

Embarrassment? You’re certainly not the prettiest girl in the office, but embarrassing? That makes your gums ache, like a punch to the nose, and it makes you feel dirty, like the fall to the ground afterwards.

“You’re doing it again.” Ochako points to your face and it’s apparently sadness. “What’s going on?”

You hem a bit, before condensing it the best you can.

“I’m having issues with a guy.” What an understatement.

A collective glance is shared between the group.

“Touya again?”

Again, Touya haunts a room he’s never been in. You debate what to say. If you admit to it being someone new, they might start sniffing around and jump to conclusions-- though Aizawa would certainly be the last assumption they would make, you still can’t risk it. Besides, you don’t need a gaggle of 23 year olds dissecting your every move. They’re going to jump to some stupid conclusion, like you’re dating Toshinori, if you aren’t careful.

“Yeah, it’s Touya,” you lie, as sheepishly as you can. “Oops.”

“Jesus Fucking Christ.” Katsuki rolls his eyes so hard that you imagine his brain must hurt. “Again?”

“Shh, just tell us what happened,” Izuku urges, elbowing his partner rather sharply.

“I don't know where I stand with him. It's so-- Ugh, I thought things were going to start going well and then it was just ice cold.” You press your palms into your eyes and sigh. The pressure feels good and helps with the remnants of your hangover. You need an electrolyte drink, stat. Maybe another fucking drink too. “And I’m not even sure why I’m surprised because it’s ice cold a lot.”

When you look up, Ochako is offering a hand, palm up and open. When you take it, she giggles a bit, squeezing gently.

“I think you need to prioritize yourself.”

Denki nods in agreement, cheeks stuffed with food. He’s finished his meal and started stabbing bits of yours. You just push the whole bowl towards him in defeat and slump down into the couch.

“Stop giving men who treat you poorly the time of day.” Ochako says. “When you let them in again and again, you’re basically, like, giving them permission to do this stuff.”

“Yeah!” Denki says through a mouthful. “Cut that fucker off! Don’t even talk to him!”

“Oh, I dunno--” You glance between them. “I think that’d be mean.”

Conflict makes your head spin. It’s so much easier to roll over and take whatever people give you, negative or otherwise. It’s what made your relationship with Touya work-- and it’s what’s allowed you to stay in this job for so long.

“Good!” Denki says. “He deserves it.”

“You deserve to be a little mean and a little angry when people treat you poorly.” She smiles again, wider this time. “Grow some balls. Stand up for yourself.”

“Yeah! Balls!” Denki agrees.

You suck on your bottom lip and turn the idea over in your head. Are you even angry at Aizawa? Or just hurt and confused? Right now, those things may as well be the same thing-- they certainly burn the same in your chest. Cruelty isn’t your usual indulgence…

But it’s someone else’s.

“What do you think?” You turn to Katsuki, who’s been scrolling through twitter for a bit now. His face doesn’t change when he speaks, locked into a general annoyance.

“I think you should kill that fucker.”

You turn to Izuku, the rational one of the couple. He shrugs, straw in mouth and completely unamused.

“Oh, I also think you should kill him,” he says, tone matching Katsuki’s.

Not helpful.

“Listen--” Katsuki leans forward, elbows on his spread knees. He uses a fork to articulate as he speaks. “I’m the expert on being a cunt-”

“-we don’t use that word!” Ochako grimaces.

“And it’s the most freeing and addictive thing you can be.” The tongs of the fork point directly towards you, as sharp as his gaze. “More people should be cunts more often. The world would be a happier place.”

Ochako gasps. “I don’t agree with that at all!”

“Oh please, miss goody-goody,” Katsuki sneers. “You wouldn't need to go to kickboxing five times a week if you let your anger out day to day like a normal motherfucker.”

The girl of the group puffs out her cheeks, but does not argue back. Izuku pats her shoulder affectionately. His food is still untouched, but his free hand guards it from Denki.

“I'm telling you. Try it out. You’ll like it.” Katsuki leans back into his seat. “Or don't. Your life.”

“Question-” The other blonde pipes up. “Did you, like, do something?”

“Kaminari!”

“I mean, like, was there a catalyst?” “A fight or a date or-?”

You know exactly what drives Touya away everytime, but Aizawa is a new beast. Did you breathe wrong or--

“Oh, I uh,” A realization hits you. “I ignored a couple texts, I guess.”

Suddenly, you’re very aware of the outline of your phone and how it presses into your pocket. If there wasn’t a chance of you flashing the group pictures of their boss, you’d check it immediately, but you can’t mentally handle the risk.

“What an overreaction,” Ochako sighs. “Dump him forever and move on-- Mr. Hizashi and his wife-”

“We aren’t like that.” Ugh. You love Hizashi, but the trio relationship isn’t your speed. “Besides, I don’t like blondes.”

The two toe-heads of the group roll their eyes in a practiced synchrony. Ochako’s smile changes a little bit, something tighter and brighter; is she excited that you aren’t interested? Interesting and a bit gross: she’s too young for that. They’re more than ten years older than her-

(How old is Aizawa? He went to school with Hizashi, so he’s at least 38-- but you could have sworn there were whispers of his fortieth last year. You’ll have to snoop.)

“We’re in agreement. Be a cunt, move on. The end.” Katsuki turns away from you, done with this topic. “Izuku, just fucking eat it already.”

The boy takes a deep breath and runs his fingers through his curly hair. “Well, alright, but if I get hives, you’re the one who has to deal with me.”

…

Be mean.

You’re written it on a sticky note and placed it under your computer monitor, like some sort of fucked up mantra. The mere idea of it feels antithetical to who you are at your core; you enjoy helping people, you love making the world better. That’s why you work like a dog for the company-- you know it’s improving the lives of its customers. If Toshinori wasn’t sick, you know he’d be doing even more too.

On the other hand, being nice has led to your own detriment many times. Touya has hurt you, your parents, and now even Aizawa. And you can’t even blame Aizawa, can you? Texting him was your mistake--

You rest your forehead against your desk. There’s still a sticky spot from when you spilled your coffee yesterday. God, yesterday feels so close and yet so far away. How does a man yoyo between yelling at you, sending you his weiner, then telling you that you’re embarrassing? The idea of ‘always wanted you’ goes flying out the window.

Just as you try and put yourself to work, you hear it. The familiar lopsided stomp. Fuck, it’s him, probably looking for his afternoon coffee. He’s been by much less than usual, a fact you’re very grateful for, so you haven’t even thought about the pot since before lunch. You glance over and see it’s empty. Crap.

As you start to get up, the sticky note catches your eye again. Be mean. That’s right. Why are you popping out of your chair for this, this, this--- total fucking cunt? Your chair squeaks with the force you sit down with. You try to embody Katsuki with your face - furrowing your brow and yet keeping your mouth unaffected-- and your worst nightmare turns the corner.

You keep typing and hope Aizawa doesn't notice that it's the same words over and over again, hit in the same rhythm. P-e-a-n-u-t-O-i-l P-e-a-n-u-t-O-i-l P-e-a-n-u-t-O-i-l P-e-a-n-u-t-O-i-l. He waits a long moment, then clears his throat louder. You don't gift him your attention until he grumbles something under his breath, shifting his weight on to his other leg. Just as he begins to say something, you interject.

“I had more important things to focus on,” you lie. “You can figure out how to brew coffee, Mr.// Engineer.”

You throw in that last bit without thinking, but the bite rolls so easily off of your tongue. It’s nothing like your usual tone, but it feels so, so right. From the corner of your vision you can see his literally reel back, blinking hard,

“That’s how it’s going to be?”

You don’t respond. P-e-a-n-u-t-O-i-l P-e-a-n-u-t-O-i-l P-e-a-n-u-t-O-i-l P-e-a-n-u-t-O-i-l. Your fingers shake from the adrenaline boost. Ochako was right; don't even give this man the time of day.

“It's going to be like that?” He yanks the pot from its stand. “Fine.”

You have to muster all of willpower not to grin as he starts slamming open the drawers and scrounging around for supplies. It takes a whole ten minutes before he presses brew, then another five before the pot is almost half full. The whole time he grumbles to himself, leaning his whole weight against the flimsy table.

This is good. Too good. The vindictive rush of power feels almost sexual in the way it satisfies. Teeth dig into your lip as you hold back a smile even harder.

Embarrassment? You'll show him what embarrassment really means.

Finally, he pours himself a cup. He doesn't fill his thermos nearly as much as he normally does, most likely trying to leave as quickly as possible. Just as he starts to turn, you get up out of your chair and walk over. You take one of the little disposable cups from the stack and take your time adding three sugars and two cream, each one at a time, as he lurks there. Then, you pour the coffee, thick and oddly gritty into your cup. You finally meet his eye when you take a swig.

Aizawa’s face is set hard, small eyes narrowed even tighter. His lips are screwed up with annoyance, wrinkling his low bridged nose. Pissed would be an understatement. Just as you brace for another yelling match, he turns away, marching down the hall.

“Enjoy the fucking coffee.”

Oh, Katsuki was right. Being mean tastes good.

….This coffee, however, does not.

[caffernnn]

Thanks for the tag @sage-nebula !! Been a minute since I’ve done one of these ✨

Last song: “Not Sorry For Loving You” from EPIC: The Vengeance Saga. Probably my favorite from the most recent saga — loooove Calypso’s voice

Fave color: greeeeeen! I’ve probably tried to pin it down more specifically in the past, but the shade of green fluctuates tbh. Olive green, forest green, sage green, seafoam green, emerald green, jewel-toned phthalo green… all of them live in my heart tbh. (aaand I’m just a sucker for cool colors in general lmao)

Last book: I’m finally getting back to a place where I feel like I could try reading again!! Last book I started was Cultish by Amanda Montell, and I have a lot of other promising reads I checked out on a rare feel-good day and haven’t cracked open yet (which might be overdue; they’ll return home soon 💀)

Last movie: When Marnie Was There! My brother and I have been trying to catch up by watching some Studio Ghibli movies from time-to-time (hadn’t heard of any outside of Ponyo until I was out of high school… OOPS—), and Marnie was next on our list. Looots of big feelings about that story.

Last tv show: main things I’m (mostly) keeping up with tv-wise are DanDaDan and NCIS: Origins. I’m thiiiinking about starting Moriarty the Patriot, and everyone’s praise for Arcane has me curious 👀

Sweet/savory/spicy: heavy on the savory tbh. There’s appreciation for the sweet and spicy forsure, but savory is at the top for me currently!!

Relationship status: friendship is magic NEXT QUESTION

Last thing I searched: I can’t lie, that poll I reblogged about soup had me looking up Italian wedding and pumpkin soup recipes. Tumblr is makin me HONGRY

Current obsession: LMM frEakin bit me again; Warriors (2024) has been stuuuuck in my head and on repeat for days. Those are my giiiirls. So many fun genres to explore in a musical! Outside of that and the usual suspects (bears, the swimmies, etc), I’d probably have to say Pokémon TCGP and Pokémon Sleep. I still need to pull my beloved Snorlax and Venusaur on TCGP (or some worthwhile dark types to progress in the solo battle challenges), and I was so happy to wake up to a baby Bulbasaur next to my Snorlax on Sleep this morning <333 I’m such a sucker for lil guys

Looking forward to: soon? I get to visit my grandma again tomorrow! I’ve been trying to see her close to weekly since she’s been in that nursing home (and since they allowed for safe masked visits), and each day I still have with her is a gift 💕 hospice and general QoL decline have been a process, but on days she’s doing alright, she adores getting to see me <3 beyooond that, I’m looking forward to the sakadays anime in January!!

Favorite drink: tough one!! Umm, I’ve been on a rootbeer kick on and off for the past year so that’s def up there. Apple juice and fruit punches are good sometimes as well, same with Dr. Pepper and Mr. Pibb. I’ve been a water guy lately tbh, but I like a fun lil drink now and then!! OOH I need to have wassail again soon 🤤

Song playing on a loop in your head: “Call Me Mercy” from Warriors, due to the aforementioned obsession. Something particularly earwormy about that one. Other songs from the musical come to me in snippets, but that one is fully on loop

Current favorite character: outside of the permanent mind residents (I see green and blue in everything), Fox from Warriors and Taro Sakamoto from SakaDays have been spinning around in there, along with their friends. Momo and Okarun are also bickering up in the mind palace, naturally

Fun activity you would like to get into: I just need to get back to cultivating my hobbies now that I’m a lil less doom and gloom than I was a month ago. I guess different forms of crafting are always on this list. I took a drawing class/session at the library last week that looked into the basics of light and shadow, so maybe I can get into graphite and charcoal sketching!! I used to try some charcoal stuff years ago without instruction, and experimenting it was fun enough to try again.

Last video game: Balatro my beloved !!! It’s been surprisingly fun, despite my fear of deck-builders in the past. I think it helps that there’s a lot of chance and variety to it, so each run can be a chance to try something new.

Last comic/graphic novel: I guess Blue Exorcist? Again, it’s been a minute since I’ve been in a mindset to read 😅 I’m probably going to catch back up on it soon, and I’ve been planning on doing a sakadays reread since my brother just started reading it. We’ll see what happens!!

No pressure tagging @ahobbitincamelot @tonfea @shenyaanigans @reikunrei @lithopsy @celesteeal @suhmayzooka and anyone else who feels like yapping 💚💚💚

[anchoredarchangel]

Thank you @getmehighonmagic, @nocoastposts, @sherryvalli, @itsmaybitheway, @wordsofhoneydew, @happiness-of-the-pursuit, @dumbpeachjuice, @firenati0n & @indestructibleheart for the tags 🤍

I actually wrote something for once and impulsively posted it on *checks notes* late Saturday night oops. Buuuut since I have sat out a few weeks and I miss Fun, I’m bringing some sentences out for a post. So if you’ve already read A Sin Better Than Heaven this will look familiar. If you haven’t, maybe this will tempt you.

under the cut for… obvious reasons.

Henry’s mouth floods with saliva, a familiar, long-resisted urge stirring deep inside, stoked like hot coals to a steady burn. He wants to fall to his knees, pull that cock into his mouth, even soft, and keep it there as long as he’s allowed. Wants to coax it to hardness with his tongue, then wants to suck it dry. Wants to let King Alexander use his throat until he’s satisfied, all the tension of his burdens let loose into Henry, utterly sated; let the king feed Henry every inch of himself and then, every drop of himself he’s willing to give. Henry would gladly take it all. He flinches when he realizes he’s been staring —and thinking— too long. He’s stiffened noticeably between his legs in a matter of seconds or minutes or hours-  and his hand twitches guiltily to cover it. 

a classic no pressure open tag for the masses 💫

[reformedmercymain]

Help I accidentally deleted my random post about how I used to be more mean and haven’t been in a while when I went to go edit a tag. Oops. Now my post about shock/vagues from back in the day has no context but whatever

Being toxic used to keep dumbasses away before but I stopped and now someone who clearly cares is pretending to be above it all in my replies like grow uppp you’re defending an adult man who was helping a woman cheat on her husband of 15 years because he asked her if it was open instead of her HUSBAND bc if he actually gave a shit about whether it was morally “right” or whatever he would’ve gotten real confirmation of the relationship status.

I can’t believe I’m talking about this for more than the five minutes where I was like “woah what a mess let me share lol” all bc someone is dick riding while saying they don’t care about a spectacle

[miscfandomwrites]

Mama: Chapter Fourteen

A/N: Turns out I haven’t posted a new chapter in months. Oops. Anyway, here y’all go

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x Mom! Avenger! Reader

Warnings: mentions of killing, fighting, possible cursing,

Words: About 1k

Tagging: @tyler-t0t

~

My body absorbed the recoil and I followed the body as it dropped. Then found another one to shoot. 

13. Thirteen men were killed in the span of two minutes. Eventually they learned not to go outside, but that didn’t stop me from scoping the ones I was able to shoot inside. Or switching to the thermal scope and doing the math of those who were close enough that the bullet would reach them through the wood, and those who were just out of my range. 

After a couple seconds of not finding anyone, I was nudged by Barnes. I glanced over to him, giving me a hand signal to move in. I turned my comms back on and was flooded by the voices of my team. Everyone confirmed their positions and started the assault on the compound. I kept my eyes trained on the compound, sensing Barnes pull out his own rifle and get into position next to me, starting to help pick off the soldiers as we saw them. Explosions from both inside and outside the compound were heard and seen, and I turned my focus on observing the place as a whole. 

Watching the rest of the team weave in and out of the building, the explosions and small fires starting, and hearing the muffled gunshots reminded me of my time in the Marines…as well as my wife. 

“(L/N), we need you in this. They’re everywhere and hiding inside.” Steve’s voice rang through the comms as I kept searching for more agents. 

“Explains the lack of agents I’m seeing. Do you need me anywhere in particular?” I asked as I started snapping the mounts off my rifle and getting off the ground, reloading until I had a full cartridge. 

“Just go and kill the bad guys.” Barnes spoke up from beside me, shouldering his rifle. “We’ll head to the middle, keeping cover for each other until we’re able to get into the building. Since it’s the front it’s a guaranteed death sentence with the sentries, but we should be able to get it under control.”

“Should?” I questioned, packing my pockets with more ammunition for both my rifle and pistol. 

“I’m just going to say that we’re probably going to run out of ammunition. Quickly.” He told me as he started down the hill we were set up at. 

Tailing him, keeping back about a dozen feet, we got to the first set of decent cover. They were short, cement walls that reminded me of the barriers you saw separating the oncoming traffic from the opposing back home. 

Kneeling down, Barnes across me motioned to the entranceway, I carefully peered over and noticed a few soldiers lingering near the front, more inside than outside, there were a few that I could get with my rifle if I got closer, but the rest were too far in to get to until we got inside. 

“Why aren’t they helping the others?” I mouthed to Barnes, he just shrugged and made a motion with his hands for us to split apart and then move forward. 

I shook my head, his rifle was an automatic and while it could be used for long distance, it was truly meant for shorter distance, as well as the fact his bullets didn’t penetrate as far as mine did. There were benefits to both of our rifles, but it all came down to the fact that mine was a sniper rifle and his was a regular rifle. 

“You want to lead?” He mouthed back as I peered over the doorway, observing them for a minute as well as the entrance itself. Two heavy steel doors, coated with rust but stood firm with the Russian winter, one ajar only slightly, probably a few feet, that let me get a good look inside. Then an idea sparked in my mind, so stupid it might just work.

I motioned for Barnes to come closer to me, and once he was beside me I explained the plan, soon enough going on the comms to rope in the team. Once my idea was accepted, they started targeting the specific areas I asked and that’s about when Barnes and I walked straight up to the entrance and walked inside. 

~~

Stiff, straight, and with dead-set eyes the (former) Winter Soldier and the Angel of Death walked into the Hydra-infested building. 

~~

The soldiers immediately came to a halt, saluting us as we walked past them as if they didn’t exist. We headed up a flight of stairs into what was estimated to be the head of command office. Without knocking on the door, we both entered. 

A dark-haired man, about thirty to possibly forty was in the room sitting behind a massive mahogany desk. His dark green eyes locked with mine and I paused, he looked so familiar…

He leaned back into his chair, raising a hand to his chin and staring at us before speaking in a deep voice, “Зимний Солдат и Ангел Смерти входят в мой кабинет…” A small smile on his face as he looks us up and down. “И во врага�� камуфляж” 

(The Winter Soldier and the Angel of Death Walk into my office…and in the enemy's. fatigues)

We both stood there, complacent. The man got up from the desk and circled us, observing us as if we were the most interesting thing he’d ever seen. 

“Разговаривать.” He commanded. (Speak)

“Готов выполнить.” both Barnes and I spoke simultaneously. (ready to comply)

The man stood in front of me, arms behind his back. 

“You are not under Hydra influence anymore, are you, Mr. Barnes and Ms. (L/N)?”

Well shit. 

[eusuntgratie]

Tell me about a wip you have an idea for but haven’t actually started writing yet!

OOOOOOOH i love this question. SO MANY alksdjf;lkajslkdf my fic idea doc is terrifying. also i have 13 just in the spreadsheet i use to keep track of my wips and writing. OOPS.

okay one that i've had floating around since forever is to write more thirst tweet fics. i've written two and i'd love to write more. definitely taynick (OBVIOUSLY) but also sidgeno, who are one of my hockey ships. if anyone has thirst tweet ideas for taylor and/or nick let me know. i haven't felt any inspo for that one in a minute but thirst tweets are so fun to write.

i also have some challengers ideas (and an rpf idea bc of who i am as a person) that i haven't even tried to start writing yet but oooooooh they compel me. i want to write art catching tashi and patrick in atlanta and suprising himself (and them) by being into it. and i'd love to write a little introspective ficlet about tashi finding out she's pregnant, inspired by a tumblr post and some tags, obviously.

okay i can't focus so i mentioned like four instead of talking about one but here we are! happy to ramble about any of these in more detail if anyone's interested.

[neyxmessi]

tagged by: @doinggreat (tysm! i feel so special <3)

• name: cara (pronounced like sarah, kinda funny for those who have known my name for a while and there’s prob a chance you guys have been saying it wrong lollll. forgot to kinda say how to pronounce it. not like car-uh yk lol)

• birthday: august 3rd

• zodiac sign: leo 🦁

• hobbies: love sports!! used to do gymnastics and volleyball but now i just kinda swim for leisure. i love singing and i used to to act a lot too. and i guess im just like an avid tv watcher? sports, reality tv, animated shows, teen dramas, etc.

• favorite color(s): honestly don’t really have one, but i do love pastels.

• favorite books: adore Stephen King books (“The Long Walk” is soooo good). The TATBILB series was very enjoyable to read. For some reason I’m drawing a blank on all of the other books I’ve read LOLLL so sorry that there isn’t much variety here (also haven’t read a book that wasn’t for school in a minute oops)

• last song you listened to: 3005 - Childish Gambino

• last film you watched: i can’t remember to be quite honest. i haven’t watched a movie in a while. “The Gray Man” I think??

• something that helps people: agree with @doinggreat !! listening is sooo key. just understanding the place where someone else is coming from.

• meaning behind url: pretty self-explanatory LOL. love Neymar and Messi, obsessed with neymessi… so neyxmessi yk

ive literally seen like all of my mutuals get tagged in this so im just gonna leave this here lololol

[morathicain]

What the plot - prompts (oops I did it again)

Listen, a while ago I did another prompt with a “what the plot” cards and this was the result. Never thought about uploading it but now I’m in the mood for it :P

prompts (as far as I remember): blood pact, ogre, monster fucking content: monsterfucker vs asexual ogre (????), nsfw talk, NO sex happening, bickering, fantasy, CRACK™ (I seriously don’t know how to tag this, sorry)

~~~~

“You want what now?”

The scepticism in the ogre’s eyes was obvious and understandable, but I didn’t let it distract me from my goal. I’ve been working towards that for ages, or weeks, rather and I wouldn’t let this opportunity go.

“We made a blood pact.”

“Don’t remind me”, he grumbled and seemed uncomfortable for the very first time since we’ve known each other and started this emergency pact. Really, if we hadn’t done it, we would have both died. Probably. Which I had known and counted on, of course.

“Have sex with me”, I asked again, or rather demanded.

“No.”

“You promised.”

“I promised nothing of the sort.”

“I demand it!”

“Fuck your demands”, he growled and I enjoyed the shiver running down my back. Wonderful.

“Why would you even want that?”, He sounded serious, even though his eyes showed fear. Was he afraid of what I might say?

“I’m into big dicks and you definitely have one.”

“What would make you think that?”

“As if I haven’t seen it yet behind this piece of fabric you call a loincloth.”

Did the ogre blush? He did.

And hid his junk behind his hands. Big hands, which made me drool already by the thought of having them on my body.

“I don’t want to.”

“Why?”, I huffed. This was getting too ridiculous, seriously. Had all those stories lied about ogres being into fucking humans? It couldn’t all have been a lie, could it?

“Am I so hideous?”

Still hiding his enormous dick, he looked at me critically, from head to toe, before pulling a face.

“You are”, my jaw dropped, but before I could say something, he turned, even more embarrassed and mumbled something into his beard. Something I couldn’t even have understood if I’d had the hearing of an elf. Or maybe I would have, but I didn’t and therefore couldn’t.

“What?”

“No.”

“Tell me or I’ll annoy you to death, blood-brother.”

He eyed me for several seconds as if eating me would be a way better idea than enduring this shit, even though he would die just minutes later.

“I don’t like sex”, he finally ground out and my jaw dropped again.

“What?”

“I don’t like sex, for fuck’s sake!”

“But ... but”, my head was spinning, this couldn’t be!, “The tales!”

“What tales?”

“About ogres fucking any human prisoners!”

“There are what now?!”

“Are they all lies?”

For a second I wondered if he might faint now, his whole body telling me that I had just traumatised and horrified him beyond comprehension. An ogre. A creature which lived from ripping corpses apart.

“I ...”, he stammered, “I have never heard of any ogre ever doing that!”

The disappointment made my stomach drop: “Never? That can’t be!”

“Is this why you came here?”

Now it was my turn to blush, even though I seriously had no reason to. It was my fantasy, okay? No reason to be ashamed!

And so I shrugged and nodded.

The next moment he dropped to the ground, making the earth shatter beneath us. What power, what raw weight, what strength! And I wouldn’t get to have him fuck me.

I mourned the opportunity, I really did.

Especially since it meant I had put my life into danger and started this blood pact for nothing!

“I can’t believe it”, he whined and I stepped closer to drop down into a crouch.

“Sorry”, I said and patted his head, “Didn’t think I’d burst a bubble for you.”

Helplessly he stared at me: “I can’t believe it. Why?!”

“Because I like big dicks? And it sounded fun?”

“You humans are so fucked up.”

Again, I shrugged and nodded, because that was probably the truth and with what I’d done I couldn’t very well argue for the opposite.

“Well, I wish you would fuck me.”

“I won’t.”

I sighed and patted his back: “I know and even though it’s a pity, I will accept it.”

“Oh thank you”, he grumbled, not sounding thankful at all.

For a bit we stayed at the ground, silent and thinking about our next steps.

“What about the blood pact then?”, I asked and he pulled a face, baring his amazing tusks.

I had helped him and he had to help me now as well and we had to stay together for the next month at least.

“You’re the one with magic”, he grumbled, “Figure something out.”

“It’s a deal.”

“Have you something else you wish for?”

“Power”, I counted with my fingers, “Knowledge, immortality, endless food and wine and an ogre who’s willing to fuck me. Especially the last one.”

With a groan, he once again buried his face into his hands, apparently wishing he could vanish. At least, that’s what I guessed.

And he stayed like that and I let him, waiting patiently since I had nothing else to do and nothing to lose, really.

Suddenly he jumped up, throwing me to the ground in the process.

Wish it would have been in different circumstances but one could only mourn lost opportunities.

“Wait!”

“What?”

“I know one who might help you.”

“Really?”, I jumped up as well.

“Weird one”, he mused, “Seems into weird things and there are rumours he even fucked an elf. I could have understood a dwarf, but an elf? Never!”

“And you think ...”

He shrugged, looking as uncomfortable as possible: “I can try.”

I felt the grin stretch my cheeks as wide as possible: “Wonderful!”

Then I stepped closer, stretching out my hand to shake his: “This is to a perfect team for the next month!”

After eying my hand as if it was an ugly worm, he finally took it, knowing he had no other choice, and shook it.

“Name’s Kr’oxl’cha by the way.”

I grinned, not letting go of his hand for some time. The best month of my life was (hopefully) about to begin!

The End

[chagrin-roses]

Tagged by @tannoytalks thanks for the tag, it’s been forever since I’ve done one of these hehe ;D

The Rules: Tag (9) people you want to know better and/or catch up with, then answer the following:

Four ships:

Bakudeku (as always, when am I not thinking about them? I have way too many thoughts about them lmaoooo)

Maribrey (I just think they’re neat; also I’ve done way too many RP’s with Bad Touch Mari… whoops 😅)

Photobomb (Aubrey/Basil- their dynamic is interesting mwhahaha, I wanna explore their dynamic lore out side of me and my friend’s RP’s, there’s a lot to explore with them hehe)

Creek (recently got into SP and my brain has latched onto creek oops-)

Last song: Let it Grow from the Lorax lmaooooo

Currently reading: haven’t read a physical book in a hot minute and I reread a lot of the same Fics, but I started rereading The Way You Used to Do, which is my 3rd time reading it… I need to pick it back up, lol

Last movie: Mario Movie, it was gay

Craving: I’m always craving bkdk, just look at my ao3 and you’ll see what I’m specifically into for them atm; also South Park angst 🙏

Tagging: erm, not gonna tag 9 ppl bc i don’t even think I have 9 moots but uhhh(also no pressure lmaoooo) @fangirl-on-fire3 (hi bbg 😍) @mysterabid @screechingbkdktrash @monafischlz

@lavendelic

[maerenee930]

Comfort meme

tagged by @salvador-daley and @badsext 🥰 thank you so much, loves 🖤

Comfort Movie: Luca 💙

comfort food: grilled cheese sandwich

comfort clothes: my bob’s burgers teeshirt, my super natural sweatshirt that has sam on it and on the back it says moose and (if i have to wear pants, which most of the time i prefer not to lmao) my comfy black shorts with lock shock and barrel from the nightmare before christmas on them 😅

comfort song: at the moment it’s Dream Boy by Beach Bunny 🥰

comfort book: honestly, idk if i have one. i don’t really read a lot of books. the last one i was reading (and still have to finish… oops lol. and i realize it’s not really a book that would take a while to get through but i get so easily distracted so it has become one that will take me a minute to completely read 😅🤦‍♀️) is Disappearing Act by Robert Sheehan 😄😊

comfort game: the wolf among us 🖤

i’m so absolutely in love with Bigby 😍🥵🥰 uuugh my heart!!

tagging: anyone who wants to do this 😅 (i think everyone/anyone i would tag has already been tagged or done this already lol. so if you see this and you haven’t been tagged/haven’t done this yet, this is me tagging you so you can do it 😊)

[starseedfxofficial]

Algorithmic Trading on the 30-Minute Timeframe: Ninja Tactics for Unmatched Precision Algorithmic Trading on the 30-Minute Timeframe: Ninja Tactics for Unmatched Precision The 30-Minute Timeframe: A Sweet Spot That Packs a Punch Trading is like finding the perfect balance between wearing comfortable pajamas at home and looking sharp enough for a surprise Zoom meeting. You don't want to be too slow, nor do you want to be caught off-guard. That's where the 30-minute timeframe comes in—a magical middle ground that allows traders to combine the precision of shorter timeframes with the broader insight of longer-term analysis. It’s like the Goldilocks of timeframes, just right. And if you're looking to take your game to the next level with algorithmic trading, this blog post is all about how to make it happen. In this piece, we’ll dive into the inner workings of algorithmic trading on the 30-minute timeframe and explore strategies that traders rarely share (at least, not without some hefty price tags). We’re all about that no-nonsense, straight-to-the-goods kind of value here, and don’t worry, we'll sprinkle in some humor along the way—like that time you hit the 'buy' button just as an economic news bomb dropped. Oops, been there, haven't we? Trading Algorithms—Your Battle-tested Sidekick Using algorithms is a little like having your own Jarvis (sorry, Tony Stark fans). You code it, feed it the rules, and it starts churning out trades for you—minus the attitude. But when paired with a specific timeframe like the 30-minute chart, things get a lot more interesting. The reason? This interval is often overlooked in favor of hourly or 15-minute timeframes, which means fewer eyes are watching—and we know that in Forex, the fewer the competitors, the bigger the potential edge. Before you start picturing some black-box wizardry, remember—an algorithm isn’t magic. It’s just math and data, tirelessly executed, while you're off sipping your bitter robusta. (Shoutout to you coffee lovers out there!) The goal is to be both strategic and stealthy. Let’s break down how you can harness this hidden weapon for optimal gains. The Forgotten Pattern—How RSI Gets It Done Have you heard of the RSI (Relative Strength Index)? Oh, come on, of course you have. But have you ever looked at how powerful it can be on a 30-minute timeframe? Most traders know the RSI as the "overbought/oversold" tool on the daily chart, but on a 30-minute timeframe, it morphs into something else—a stealthy signal that knows how to sniff out reversals before the 1-hour traders even know what hit them. By combining the RSI with a simple moving average crossover on a 30-minute chart, you can create an algorithm that is always one step ahead. Want proof? A study by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) showed that mid-timeframe indicators capture more price deviations when the market sentiment is uncertain. Yes, it’s nerdy, but it's true—the market feels unsure, and you catch the wave right when it decides. The Setup in Action Here's how you can program your ninja bot: - Use the 14-period RSI and set upper/lower bounds at 65 and 35 (a bit tighter than usual—this is the secret sauce). - Cross-check it with a 5-period and 20-period moving average crossover to validate any buy or sell decisions. - Program your algorithm to execute only when both conditions align within the same 30-minute candle. The beauty of this strategy? It filters out noise, while still giving you enough entries to make your time worthwhile—just don’t go clicking 'buy' when you meant 'sell' and end up in a sitcom-style market crash. Counterintuitive Moves—Why Following the Herd Could Make You Late to the Party You've heard the saying, "Follow the trend, the trend is your friend." Well, the truth is, trends are only your friend until they ditch you at the party and you're left awkwardly holding a half-empty drink. Contrarian approaches, when paired with algorithmic trading on the 30-minute chart, can offer a serious edge. Picture this: During significant news announcements, the market reacts—sometimes with panic, other times with excitement—and traders flock to the same positions. Here's the trick: Set your algorithm to scan for overly extended moves using Bollinger Bands. Whenever you spot a candle moving outside of two standard deviations, your bot should prepare to fade that move. In non-geek terms—wait for the market to freak out, then calmly do the opposite. Like a true contrarian. By doing this, you essentially pick up the coins that most traders leave behind in their stampede. And those coins, my friends, add up over time. To maximize success here, make sure your stops are tight—because the herd can be right for just long enough to ruin your day if you're not careful. Hidden Opportunities—When the Volume is Sleeping Another hidden gem for the 30-minute timeframe is the quiet periods—times when the market volume is at its lowest. You might be thinking, "Low volume? Isn’t that a terrible time to trade?" And normally, you'd be right—if you were manual trading. But for algorithmic traders, those moments of quiet can be golden. Many traders overlook this simple fact: Algorithms excel when markets are predictable. By trading in low-volume periods (think late Asia session, pre-European hours), you get predictable, slow movements without the erratic spikes. Set your bot to look for consolidation patterns during these times—like triangles or rectangles. Once a breakout occurs, you can ride the calm waves with minimal slippage. It’s like sailing a boat on a quiet lake—no sudden storms, just steady progress. And best of all? These breakouts have a better risk-reward ratio since they're rarely based on irrational news-driven moves. Why Do Most Traders Get It Wrong? Most traders dive headfirst into algorithmic trading thinking it’s some magic wand that prints money. And while that sounds like a lovely dream, the reality is that algorithms need precision. The 30-minute timeframe provides a sweet spot where algorithms can be tuned to pick up hidden market imbalances without being swamped by data. Let me share a quick personal story. There was a time when I had coded a "perfect" trading bot—I was so confident. It worked perfectly on the 5-minute chart in backtests, but the second I ran it in a live market? It was like a cat in water. After analyzing for weeks, I realized the problem wasn't the bot—it was the timeframe. There was simply too much noise. Once I shifted to the 30-minute timeframe, things smoothed out beautifully—like butter on toast (which is, by the way, how trading should feel when you’re in the zone). Algorithmic Trading on the 30-Minute Timeframe If you’ve stuck with me this far, you’re probably itching to get started. Here are the main ninja tactics you should remember when using algorithmic trading on the 30-minute timeframe: - RSI plus Moving Average Crossovers: Set the RSI bounds at 65 and 35 and use crossovers for solid entry points. - Be a Contrarian: When others run, walk. Use Bollinger Bands to capitalize on market overreactions. - Low-Volume Consolidation Breakouts: Focus on quiet times for smooth, calculated gains. Oh, and one last thing—don’t get caught up in the myth that more trades equal more profits. Algorithmic trading is about calculated precision, not volume. Remember, it’s the quality of the setup, not the quantity of trades, that makes the real difference. Exclusive Tools for the Ambitious Trader Interested in gaining even more of an edge? - Get real-time economic updates to stay ahead of the market: Forex News Today - Dive deeper with our free advanced courses: Forex Education - Become part of the elite StarseedFX community for insider tactics: StarseedFX Community The 30-Minute Timeframe Edge The 30-minute timeframe gives you a tactical edge that’s not too fast, not too slow. It offers precision and calm decision-making space that’s ideal for algorithmic trading. Use the strategies I’ve shared, combine them with a sound algorithm, and most importantly—don’t be afraid to go against the grain sometimes. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just someone who loves a good challenge, always be the trader that approaches the market a little differently—the one that gets it when no one else does. That’s where the real magic happens. Ready to tackle the market with precision? Drop your comments below or reach out. I’d love to hear your thoughts! —————– Image Credits: Cover image at the top is AI-generated   Read the full article

[comradeeatspants]

not to drag this out but i totally agree with ur thoughts on banter. like not to be too harsh on karl but it feels like a common theme for his content is to be a little Too fast paced and have a lot of big names in it. like i could never really get into his yt mc videos bc i just felt so many things were happening way too quickly. maybe its a mr beast KEEP THE ATTENTION ON YOU kinda technique but im not a fan of that guy anyways. its ironic that the podcast is kind of the opposite bc i basically get nothing out of it since its too short and they never really talk about anything new. as for it being a cash grab i think they probably dont make a lot out of it as of right now since they dont even have sponsors and how much does spotify even pay people, but if they continue doing 30 minute episodes how many ad reads could they even do lol its be funny if they did 2 minute ad breaks every 10 minutes.

anon don’t worry about dragging it out i like being harsh on main. okay you’re completely right about the cash grab thing because i just listened to a clip of them talking about how they don’t have sponsors. i guess they make money from the youtube channel but that’s probably like nothing compared to their other revenue streams. i can imagine they can get sponsors pretty easily considering how quickly they gained popularity, but maybe they just don’t care or haven’t sorted it out yet.

anyway as for the rest of your ask, i completely agree. i also never watch karl’s videos because they make me feel like i’m in an episode of black mirror and i generally just don’t like being too overwhelmed when watching youtube and stuff and karl and his editing can be...overwhelming. i also don’t love when he shoves a ton of famous people in his streams and vids because when you have too many people, then some people are bound to get drowned out and you get so few valuable interactions or conversations. i agree they’re using the fast paced mrbeast technique in the podcast, but that’s like...not the point of podcasts in my experience? unless it’s news or something and you’re strictly there to give information to people. other than that, i look at podcasts as an opportunity to dive into topics, tell stories, etc. which, they do, but only in these bite sized chunks which, like you said, leave the listener taking away nothing from the podcast, especially because they rarely talk about anything new or interesting

going back to the money thing, does that mean this is a passion project? like what’s the goal here? because if this is a passion project it feels as if there’s no heart in it and they’re planning it like. the same day they record (didn’t they have to pull ludwig off his stream to record? like jesus christ) did they just sit down and think “we have clout, people will be happy to be on it and other people will listen, why not” rather than thinking out an actual reason or theme of the podcast? it feels hollow

[yeehawbvby]

Falling Away With You | Ch. 26

Sebastian x F!Reader and M. Rasmodius x F!Reader

Rating: Mature/Explicit

Chapter Summary: Time for y/n's first Dance of the Moonlight Jellies!!

Author’s Note: OOPS I MADE A PLAYLIST :3 I hope it doesn't suck!

Enjoy the super fluffy holiday chapter, take care <3 x

Table of Contents + Work Summary

Check it out on ao3!

Prev | Next

After Seb finished de-stinking himself from sleep and Manual Labor™, we went to Pierre’s for some last-minute ingredients and supplies. The blueberry cream pie turned out to be a success, which shocked us both! I haven’t baked in years and Seb’s kitchen skills are typically limited to chopping up raw fish and microwaving frozen pizzas. 

The jammy bloobs came out decadently sweet. The equally sweet and tangy cream cheese concoction below them was the perfect balance between fluffy enough to melt in the mouth, and firm enough to hold the weight of the berries. The crust came out just a tad burnt, but the buttery crunch was a nice contrast to the rest of the dessert. We fuckin’ nailed it.

I split the pie in half, letting Seb take some home to share with Robin (and Maru and Demetrius, if he so desires). The rest is allll mine, baby. 

As soon as Seb leaves, I steal another slice. Once I’m full of enough sugar to give me palpitations, I begin divvying up some blueberries to gift to a few villagers around town. I found some cute, small, palm-sized straw baskets at Pierre’s, as well as some gift tags to tie to their handles. The baskets seem to be meant for decorative purposes, but I figured they’d be the perfect vessels to hand out these puppies with.

I’m gonna give Sam some, as well as Leah, Marnie, Willy, Gus, Magnus, and Abby. I try to set it up so everyone has an equal-ish amount, and work hard to make the plain gift tags look real cute with calligraphy and shit. I subconsciously wind up decorating Magnus’ tag a little more than the others, though. 

While I work, Cannoli gives me those big, needy eyes, like he wants some berries of his own. I give him a small one, but quickly realize my error, as he proceeds to try and eat some more directly from my gardening basket. 

“Get outta there,” I giggle, scooping him up in one arm. He meows in protest as I place him across the room, hoping he’ll take the hint.

Next, I rush around town with my basket full of… smaller baskets. I’m hoping to get my crops to everyone before the sun kisses the horizon. People will probably be preparing for tonight’s jellyfish migration once it’s dark, and I don’t wanna get in the way of that.

I’m too shy to greet Abby in her room, so I leave her portion of berries with her dad. Hopefully they’ll make it to her… I’ve heard Pierre sometimes sells other farmers’ produce, at a higher price than what he gave them, claiming he grew the crops himself. Loser. 

Sam tries to keep me to himself, after raving about how cool it is that I managed to grow so many blueberries on my first try, but I reject him with a big comfy hug in favor of doing my other deliveries. Gus and Willy both express pride in my hard work, making me feel all fuzzy inside. And Marnie and Leah both voice how grateful they are, but Leah adds a hug and a kiss to my cheek for emphasis. Spirits or Yoba or whoever, please help. Such a simple peck from her had me weak in the knees. I’m not sure my poor heart can take this.

Given my interaction with Magnus earlier, I’m a bit nervous for our next one, so I don’t give him his blueberries face-to-face either. I place them in front of his door in hopes that he’ll sense my presence, and come retrieve them sooner than later. Don’t want any squirrels (or that chunky tanuki) to get to ‘em first.

Swiftly, I scurry away, but am caught red-handed when Magnus telepathically invades me. “What are you doing?”

I stop in my tracks, stifling a giggle, but slowly begin walking again after a few breaths. Hoping that if I don’t respond, he’ll ignore me. Just as I pass the bottom of the cliff, the door to the tower swings open with a creak.

“(Y/n), I know you’re–” 

He cuts himself off, and I hear a faint chuckle as I try my best not to crunch any branches below my steps. I dare to look behind me, and see the elemental peering over the edge of his land. I squint playfully, fail to hide my devious smile, and begin jogging home to get ready for the festival. 

_______________

When I arrive at the beach for the Moonlight Jellies, I’m intimidated by the amount of people on the docks, so I head to the side that’s covered in small tidepools. Seb’s family, minus Seb, are all standing along the shoreline, and I think I can make out that the shadowy figure on the dock nearest to me is Leah. As far as I can tell, nobody else is around. 

Just as I step off the makeshift wooden bridge and into the sand, Robin turns to me and waves. As I greet her back, I’m thankful that she didn’t call me over – as much as I love her, and think Maru’s pretty cool, Demetrius gives me the creeps.

I bypass everyone and head to the complete opposite end of the beach. Staring into the abyss. Wondering how many jellyfish will show up, how much they actually glow, and if I’ll be close enough to give one a little pat on the head. That last thought is probably dangerous, but it’s a risk I’m willing to take. 

Exhaling deeply, and realizing how tired I am, I spin my upper half a bit to pop my back, then tilt my skull from side-to-side to do the same to my neck. Maybe the movement will help wake me up a bit. As I begin reaching my arms behind me and craning my back, a voice pops into my head.

“This is an awfully strange time for yoga, don’t you think?”

I nearly jump out of my fucking skin, holy shit. Deadpanning the sky, I think, “Where the fuck are you?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Magnus Rasmodius I swear to Yoba–”

A decadent chuckle floods my brain, warming up my cheeks. “To your left.” 

I follow his directions, and spot Magnus practically as blended in as he possibly can be with the trees that line the sand.

“Is that your usual Moonlight Jellies-lurking spot?”

“Indeed it is.” 

I peer around, making sure nobody’s watching me, before shuffling over to Magnus’ side. Don’t wanna draw attention to him, but my head hurts too much from sleepiness to try and think in responses only. 

Keeping my voice down, I continue our conversation. “I thought you were gonna be done creeping around, after learning you’re not actually Abby’s dad.” 

“Eh,” he shrugs, “It’s mere tradition.”

Eyeballing the ocean from where we stand, I ask, “Can you even see the jellies from all the way back here?”

“I’ve seen the migration more than enough in my lifetime. I suppose it’s the sense of community that draws me in, at this point.”

I feel a pang in my belly. “Yeah, a community that either doesn’t know you exist or shuns you when they do…” I grumble and roll my eyes, looking down as I fidget with my sleeves.

Words can’t describe how bitter I am that he has to constantly hide himself – despite single-handedly keeping the entire valley free of dangerous elementals – for the sake of a bunch of people who judge him based on what they perceive him to be like. Sure, they don’t know what he does, but those who do could be at least a little welcoming, no?

I squeak as a large hand places itself atop my head. “You’ve no need for concern.” Magnus removes his palm and places it underneath his black cloak. 

I feel my heart firmly thump in my chest at his softness. I push it aside, and mumble “Too bad,” under my breath. “It’s not fair…” 

A quiet laugh escapes the wizard, before he replies, “Really. There’s no need to dwell on it, my dear. I assure you.” He sighs, then practically purrs under his breath, “Although, I must admit, it’s quite adorable of you to be so protective over me.” 

…Did he just call me adorable? 

Does he know what that means? 

Do I know what that means?

Because that sounds an awful lot like he’s saying he finds me attractive in some way or my personality attractive or– 

My eyes must be popping out of my fucking face as my brain short circuits. I squeak again, knowing damn well that if it were any lighter out, my ears and cheeks would be red enough for everyone within a 100-foot radius to see. 

I choke out, “Sorry,” clear my throat, and continue to ramble my way away from him. “I gotta go. Uh, I left something, um… over there.” I motion vaguely towards where the majority of Pelican Town is gathered.

“Did you, now?” There’s a hint of amusement in his voice. As if he knows exactly what he did.

“Yeah. Like, way over there.”

“Could you not simply retrieve it later?” 

“Bye Magnus!” I quietly sing, keeping my eyes on the other people gathered around the shore as I escape.

As I cross the bridge again, I lightly shake my hands. Stimming away the fluster to the best of my ability. It’s… not working very well. In another attempt to distract myself, I make way to Pierre’s booth to scope out today’s wares. Retail therapy, or whatever.

When nothing captures my attention, I awkwardly thank Pierre for his time, apologize for bothering him, and shuffle away. On the docks, I can vaguely make out the figures of a flock of emos, so I pad closer to them. Sam is the nearest, and none of them seem to notice me, so I opt to fuck with him.

Sneaking up behind the man, I tippy toe to gain some height, and flick the small, faux diamond piercing in his earlobe.

“Ack!” Evilly snickering to myself, I back away a little. “What the hell, little lady?!” Sam laughs when he realizes I’m the culprit. 

“Had to do it to ‘em.”

Seb joins in. “Haven’t you done enough to poor Samson?” 

“Whoa!” Sam and I answer in unison. I feel Abby looking at us from the corner of my eye, and Sam continues, “Low blow!” 

“Seriously,” I agree. “The fuck, dude?!”

Menacingly laughing, Seb blows his cigarette smoke towards me. I hurriedly swipe at the air, hoping to waft it away. Don’t want that stuff to make its way into the little baby nose of Vincent, who’s running along the wood behind us… or poor Penny, who’s babysitting, I guess. 

Where the fuck is Jodi? Does this poor girl ever get a day off from mothering other peoples’ kids?

Pushing those thoughts aside, I continue walking. “When does this start, usually?” I mutter, sitting down at the very end of the dock. Peering down at the dark water below me. Resisting the urge to hop in for a cheeky lil’ swim.

“Eh, Lewis usually sends off his little raft at, like, 11.” 

I turn to look up at Abby. She’s… sitting down next to me?! 

Did my plans the other night actually fucking work? Does she like me now? Did I gain her approval? What the fuck–

“Thanks for those berries, by the way.” Phew, I’m glad Pierre didn’t steal those! “Used ‘em in a smoothie.” O-oh. Ya know, I feel like you wouldn’t taste them over the flavor of other fruits that way, but hey! At least she used them! “Not bad, lady.”

“Yeah, no problem, Abby,” I grin at her. ”Glad you liked them!”

A silence falls between us. As Abby reaches to dip her fingers into the sea, I hear Sam and Seb chattering behind us. 

“U-uh,” I mutter, filling in the blank space, “Sorry last night wasn’t as, like, cool as you were expecting.” I look at the sky, and begin a mental count of all the shooting stars that zoom by. 

“It’s whatever. S’not like I expected much from it.” Theeere’s the sassy Abigail I’m used to. “I’m still creeped out by that dude living there, though. How have I never seen him before?” 

The corner of my mouth that she can’t see curls into a smirk, as I think of Magnus – Mark, in this case – standing against the flora not even a quarter of a mile away. I shrug. “Guess he’s a hermit or something, I dunno.”

“I mean, I guess,” she scoffs. More silence, but this time, Abby is the one to cut it short. “This your first Jellies festival?” 

I nod. “I… I think so? My memories from being here as a little kid are foggy.”

“I see…” 

This is the most Abby’s spoken to me since her interrogation my second night here. I inspect her, hoping she doesn’t notice that I’m staring a bit. I wonder if she was telling the truth, back when she said she doesn’t dye her hair. Or if she knows that her pale complextion glistens like a fucking Twilight-ass vampire’s skin under the moonlight… 

Looking lower, I admire her thigh tattoo. It’s big and intricate, with flowers and thorns, and there’s little easter eggs to various video games hidden within each bud and petal. A badge for Prairie King. A cowplant. A junimo in a minecart. A keyblade. Monokuma... It’s a real shame that she usually wears pants that hide it. 

Y’know, if she wasn’t a bit snooty, I’m sure Seb would be all over her still. I mean, he was once, way back when. But I wonder, had Abby not lost her marbles over him, if they would’ve been together now. Maybe even married.

Riding around Zuzu on the same bike he drove me to that cliff on. Getting matching tattoos and piercings. Buying each other fancy musical equipment, PC parts and video games, custom Solarian models and boards you can only get over in the city… Being fucking edgelord nerds together.

I feel something sink in my tummy. Mirroring her earlier actions, I try to ground myself; taking in the way the cool water grazes my fingertips, leaving a salty film behind. Focusing on the breeze kissing my cheeks, and the way the barely-there waves reflect all the twinkling shooters in the void above us.

Why am I getting fucked up over what could have been? I know Seb doesn’t have feelings for her anymore… maybe I almost feel guilty about that? That after all her pining, she didn’t get him in the end? 

Maybe, despite that talk last night, I’m guilty that I have feelings for someone besides Seb, and I’m just projecting that now? 

Maybe I feel guilty that I have several people crushing on me, allegedly… and she might not have any, despite being a total stunner?

I dunno.

I hear Lewis announce something from behind me, but don’t pay it much mind as I zone out on the water’s surface. I’m snapped back when I feel a nudge at my butt. I look up and behind me, and smile at Seb smirking down at me.

He taps Abby’s butt with his foot too, and once he has both of our attention, he mutters, “Scoot over.” Our amethyst-haired companion moves a little bit, and I do too, until there’s just enough space for him to plop down at my right side. 

I look around and notice that The Dog Boy is nowhere in sight. “Where’s Sam?”

“Went to go stand with his mom and Vin.” 

I nod, leaning onto Seb’s shoulder afterward. He tangles his fingers into mine, and he, Abby, and I sit in silence as Lewis’ makeshift boat and candle float out into the distance. 

A few quiet minutes later, only filled with the sound of the sea breeze and whatever calming song Lewis has playing over the speakers near Willy’s shop, I see a bunch of glowing blobs making their way over to us.

“No fucking way,” I whisper, leaning off of Seb’s shoulder a bit. 

Are they really just… swimming on over to us? All because Lewis sent a candle out into the ocean?!

I must look like a freaking child, the way I’m smiling at the small creatures in the distance. I lean forward, hoping I can get a better look, in case they don’t get any closer – but they do get closer, and they keep on drifting our way with each passing second. 

I feel eyes on me, and turn to see Abby watching me. Grinning at me. Fondly, almost. 

It’s terrifying.

“W-what?” 

“...Fucking nerd.”

“What?!” I laugh. “It’s my first time, cut me some slack, lady.”

I hear a giggle from my opposite side, and turn to see Seb watching our banter. “Shut the fuck up, you two.”

“Make me.”

Abby fake-gags next to me. “Don’t make her.”

I think back to when Sam, Seb and I had this same interaction. Contrary to last time, I know exactly how he would make me shut up. Hehehehhh.

“You too, huh?” I ask Abby. She side-eyes me.

“What can I say, my dear,” Seb mumbles. I turn towards him, and hear a fake-gagging noise from my left in response to Seb’s pet name for me. “My friends know me well.” He fucking winks.

I squint at him and give him a playful shove. Noticing something light in the corner of my eye, I look back at the water. 

They’re here. 

There’s. There’s so many jellyfish. 

They’re so chunky. 

They’re so cute. 

Look… look at that form! They’re wiggling so much!

They’re so cute. 

I want one. 

I want one.

I’m gonna take one hom– Is that little guy green?

“Why is that one green?”

“Oh shit,” Seb mumbles. “Green ones are rare.”

“I want it.”

“...What?”

I deadpan him. “It’s chosen me. I need to take it home.”

“That’s not how this works.”

I squint, then mock him. I turn back towards the jellies and find that most of them are beginning to drift away. The green one is still big chilling though. 

I wonder if this has anything to do with ~magic~. Am I stretching logic too much, by hypothesizing that? Or is it an adequate stretch, given I’m now possibly capable of that sorta thing now?

Silently, I watch in awe as the jellyfish fully begin to leave. It takes all the restraint in my body to not pet the green one in front of me, but in respect to the little friend’s personal space, I opt out. It’s the last one to go, at least from our area. Makes me feel all fuzzy inside.

[bastillewolf]

Shinigami Eyes (II)

Pairing: Corpse Husband / Reader

Summary: After you distastefully kill Corpse in a game of Among Us, he wants you to make it up to him and invites you to come over for the week.

Notes: Thank you so much for the love on the previous chapter, I’ve never gotten this many notes before. I hope you enjoy, and maybe leave an ask if you want to? I can’t promise I have time to do them, but I’ll pick out a couple.

Also, I might rewrite this. I kinda rushed it because I wanted to finish it by tonight, but there will be a final and third chapter to this afterwards. Please do let me know what you think.

Tag list CLOSED!

Shinigami Eyes - Pt. II

5… 4… 3… 2… 1…

Impostor

You were teamed up with Sean.

Your fist violently slammed down on the desk. “Goddammit! I don’t want to be impostor anymore! This game has no compassion for my poor nerves.” It was the third time in a row now, and you were really craving to do normal tasks now without all the scheming. “Fuck it, I don’t care if they kill me. I’m just gonna do my thing without thinking about it.”

You decide to follow Toast for a bit to watch him do some task. You kill him in Laboratory. You vent back to Launchpad and take your time walking towards MedBay while the kill button restores. You meet up with Corpse, and follow him while pretending to do wires in the Y-hallway. You watched the green bar go up, and continued. Sabotaging and then fixing lights, you made sure your place with Corpse was settled. Then the body of Lily was reported.

As you expected, Corpse easily vouched for you as he’d seen you do a task. The round was skipped, though Rae was sussed for ‘chasing’ Sean, by his own words.

“Corpse, you’ve grown weak,” you muttered to chat.

You were in Greenhouse, and decided it would be best to kill him there and sabotage Reactor. “Sorry baby, but I can’t keep following you around.” You quickly set off Reactor and murdered him in front of the plants. “Your blood shall keep the plants hydrated.” You did an evil laugh. “Pretty sure that’s not how it works, though.”

You vented down to MedBay and as you walked out you met up with Rae. She’d be the vouch who would confirm you weren’t anywhere near Greenhouse. “I’ll just have to fix my own sabotage so they’ll never suspect me.” You helped her with the handprint, and noted Sykkuno and Felix being there. Sean sabotaged lights, you killed Sykkuno, and ran out to follow Lily into Laboratory. Felix reported the body.

“Holy shit,” Rae gasped. So far, five people had died. You only needed to kill one more person. “It was Felix!”

“Wait, what?” the man in question asked. “I was fixing Reactor!”

She mentioned that only you, Sykkuno, Felix and herself had been there and that you’d helped her do handprint. “Sykkuno must have fixed it, and then you killed him!”

Sean asked if you’d seen anything.

“No, the lights were out. I followed Rae into Laboratory after the scan.” Your voice didn’t tremble or raise, a tactic you’d taken up from the best lair in the group. Well, the one who was now dead. Oops. “I haven’t seen Felix this entire game, though.”

He was evidently at a loss for words, so the group was quick to vote for him.

Pewds was ejected.

Victory.

You thanked Sean for a good game who was laughing his ass off. “I can’t believe you did Corpse like that! Poor guy!”

“I deadass thought you were innocent,” Corpse replied, “I’m hurt.”

“Why do you still sound dark and menacing when you say something like that?!”

You agreed with Sean heartily, “He’s just salty I’ve bested him at his own game.”

“Hey now, no need to actually insult me.”

The group laughed. You decided to call it for the night, right before Corpse did the same.”

 ***

He was calling you again. “What is it this time, you salty?”

“Salty? Nah, never,” he said, but you weren’t convinced.

“Then why you calling?”

“What, I can’t call my friends after playing a nice round of Among Us?”

“Not when you lost the game and you call the person who you lost to. Kinda sus, dude.”

“Alright, maybe a little salty.” You smirked.

“Aw, you need me to make it up to you?”

He laughed. “What did you have in mind?”

A bunch of thoughts, most not rated PG-13, crossed your mind. You were suddenly starting to feel uncomfortable. This was probably just something innocent, which got twisted in your fucked-up mind. You shrugged, “Uh… I don’t know.”

“I got an idea.”

“What is it?”

“Come over this week. You said you needed a break, right?”

“That sounds more like you’re doing me a favour instead of me making it up to you.”

“I don’t have any friends. You’d be making it up to me by being the first physical person here in years. I usually don’t invite people over.”

“Wow, I’m flattered. So, you don’t consider me to be your friend after all?”

“You know that’s not what I meant,” he chuckled.

“Sure, sure. Tell me that again when my presence suddenly brightens your life making you not want to get rid of me, ever.”

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

 ***

You walk through the gates following a hoard of people, all the while still feeling drowsy from not getting any sleep during your flight. At least you didn’t have any turbulence and landed safely. Glancing around here and there with no result, you figured Corpse would be waiting outside, until you spotted a figure clad in black a little ends away by the escalator. You were glad you were still awake enough to have found him, because he appeared to silently linger halfway behind a fern.

At least, you hoped it was him. The only indications were his clothes, mask and dark hair. You saw him run a hand through it, and identified the chipped black nail polish and familiar rings. Oh yea, that was him alright.

He seemed to be paying more attention to the floor until he saw two feet appear in his line of sight. “Hey,” you awkwardly greeted. A bit taken a back, he replied, “Oh, wow. Hey.” A mask was covering the bottom of his face, but as far as you could see his eyes were a very dark shade.

“Wow?” you repeated. He chuckled, scratching the back of his head. “Yea, sorry. It’s a compliment.” You held your elbow out in a safe-distance gestured hello, but he shrugged you off. “You’re gonna be staying with me anyways.” Suddenly in a daze, you felt him wrap his arms around your waist and instantly hugged him back. His baggy sweater felt warm and soft to the touch, and strands of hair tickled your face. You very much tried to repress your smile and blush, but how could you? Hugging someone wasn’t supposed to feel this good. When he pulled back he reached down to take your suitcase from you. “I don’t own a car, is it okay if we take a cab?”

“Y-Yeah, of course,” you stuttered, “But it’s on me. Same with food and stuff.” “Don’t worry about it,” he chuckled. “No, you’re letting me stay with you and a hotel would’ve been a lot more expensive than this. It’s my treat.” “Yeah, we’ll see.” He gave you a look and even with the mask you could tell he was smirking underneath it.

It’s about half an hour drive to his apartment complex, and it’s rather nice. “All that YouTube money paying off, huh?” you asked in amusement. “You’d know,” he replied. You insisted on carrying your suitcase up the stairs yourself, which he silently shook his head at, until after a few flights he noticed you struggling and settled on carrying the thing in between the two of you. “How many clothes did you bring?” “Oh, it’s mostly filled with bricks I might need to throw at your head.” He laughed at that.

His apartment was simple, but cosy. “Home sweet home,” he said, almost sarcastically. You furrowed your brow at him. “I’m sure you could’ve had it a lot worse.” He reluctantly agreed.

He helped you set down your luggage in what appeared to be his bedroom, where the curtains were still closed and the black bedsheets fresh. He had a few pieces of fanart up on his wall, and some on his closet. You turned to him and gave him a look. “You’re not sleeping on the couch.”

He quickly shook his head, “You’re not sleeping there. If you won’t let me sleep on the couch I’ll sleep on the floor.”

“If you’re sleeping on the floor, I’m sleeping on the floor.”

“Yeah, we’ll see about that,” he murmured. “What?” “Nothing.”

He suggested playing video games as you were both too tired to do anything else. You’d landed quite late yet were still confused about what time it actually was. Flying is weird. You hopped onto his couch and grabbed a controller.

He sat down next to you, but suddenly seemed tenser than before.

“You okay? You can just go to sleep if you want to.”

He shook his head, “Nah, I don’t sleep a lot. It’s fine.”

You didn’t stop looking at him, though. He was still wearing that mask. “You don’t have to take it off, if you don’t want to. I understand if it makes you uncomfortable.”

“It’s not that, I just…” He took a deep breath. You hadn’t expected him to take it off then and there. You stared at him, your mouth slightly agape, controller barely held by your numb hands.

“Disappointed?”

It was as if he was expecting you to make a face or something, but you didn’t give him anything, except for a blatant “Nope” and an “Are we gonna play now or what?”

“You don’t have anything else to say?”

You shrugged, and looked him up and down again. “You’re kind of what I imagined you to be.”

“What’s that?”

“Handsome.”

Neither of you could stop smiling for the rest of the night.

You eventually forced him to sleep in his own bed, even going as far as to shove him into the room and keep your weight against the door so he couldn’t get out, so he eventually relented. “Inviting you here was a mistake.” “How come? All I’ve done so far is look after you!” “You’re a nightmare.”

You mostly stayed in for the week, which you didn’t mind at all. Being in such a closed-off environment with someone you got along with was nice. He attempted to get you to lift the weights in his room and succeeded for around fifteen minutes until you nearly dropped a dumbbell on your foot. You ordered take-out from his favourite restaurant, watched horror movies until you adapted to his sleeping schedule because you were too scared to close your eyes now, and even streamed a bit together with your friends.

“Wait, is Corpse with you?” Rae had asked.

“No, I’m at Corpse’s. He’s sitting across from me so I can’t see his screen but we’re gonna have to share the Discord unless you want to hear an echo.”

“Ah, man! You got to see his face, too?” Sykkuno whined.

“Stop simping, Sykkuno. You get enough attention from him already.”

“Don’t worry, I still love you,” Corpse said.

“Huh?”

It was probably a good thing that you got teamed up again, because you could indeed start to see his hands shaking right as the word ‘impostor’ appeared on the screen. You reached over and stroked it with your thumb. He smiled gratefully back at you.

“Just please,” he pleaded later that day, “Sleep in the bed. If only for one night.”

“No. I’ve heard about and now seen your sleeping habits. If you take the couch you’re never going to get any sleep.” You made a real effort to show him how comfortable you were – even though your back had started to hurt already after the first night – by crawling underneath your blanket and rubbing your head into the soft pillow. He snorted.

Next thing, you feel yourself being lifted by an arm underneath your knees and one around your back. “Corpse! Put me the fuck down!” you shrieked. You knew he lifted weights, but how the hell did he still have the energy as an insomniac? He ungracefully dropped you onto the matrass and turned the lights off. “Good night.”

You quickly got hold of the back of his hoodie before he could leave and pulled. He fell down next to you with a low huff. “Fine, I’ll sleep in the bed. But only if you sleep here too.”

“I snore.”

“Don’t care.”

For some reason, there wasn’t any tension or awkwardness. You were comfortable, and the soft rhythm of his breathing seemed to soothe you. He called out your name, to see if you were still awake.

“Hm?”

“…Thanks for coming over.”

“Any time.”

This was how you would spend the rest of the nights, and whenever either of you woke up suddenly curled up around the other, you didn’t mention it or move away from it. It was the first time in years Corpse got a few nights of complete rest.