#plus a healthy sprinkling of

[3-2-whump]

Purpose Lost, Then Re-gained

Hey everyone,

If you need a timely distraction from spiraling into despair (like me), here is a backstory I've been holding onto for ages. Thanks @whumped-by-glitter and @generic-whumperz for beta-reading this!

PS, there is a reference to a previous chapter that you'd might want to brush up on, if you're unfamiliar with it

TW/CW: blood, aftermath of murder, whump aftermath (I guess?), aftermath of (sports) injury, emotional whump (depression), feelings realization (bi panic)

Out, damned spot; out, I say. One, two, —why, then ’tis time to do’t. Hell is murky. Fie, my lord, fie, a soldier and afeard? What need we fear who knows it when none can call our power to account? Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?

Nico scrubbed his hands once, twice, until they were pinkish-red from the effort of cleansing rather than from the blood. Yet he could still feel his boss’ warm blood sticking his palms to the dead man’s body and staining him to his bones. Outside the thin doors of the dock’s restrooms, he could hear Julio instructing Juicio Divino on where to hang up Tom’s body.

Thomas Costa’s body.

Nico thought he was going to be sick.

The door swung open and Julio leisurely sauntered up beside him, taking the sink next to him to wash the blood off his hands. They stood there in silence with nothing but the water running between them and a tension that could be cut with a knife.

Julio glanced over at Nico’s scrubbed-raw hands, frowning a little as he turned off the water to his sink. “You good there, vato?” he asked quietly.

“You know, it’s just kinda fucked, isn’t it?” Nico began, the words tumbling out of his mouth before his brain could make sense of them. “I literally just helped you murder a rapist, an enslaver, and an abuser, among other things. Yet, all I can think about is how that same rapist, enslaver, and abuser cured my depression and gave me a purpose to life again, and we literally just took his-”

Julio cut off his nervous babbling by placing a damp, clean hand on Nico’s. The other hand reached to turn off the sink, and then to turn Nico towards him. Forest green eyes looked down into hazel. Julio frowned, reaching gently to touch one of Nico’s many scrapes he got on his face. The guard flinched under the assassin’s tender touch. Julio withdrew his hand right away, and Nico surprised himself when he found he missed its absence already.

“We need to clean those too so they don’t get infected,” Julio murmured. He gently led Nico into a bathroom stall and prompted him to sit down on the toilet. He then exited for a bit, only to come back with a paper towel he was blotting with alcohol from his jacket flask.

“Um, actually, I don’t think booze is the best thing to sterilize wounds,” Nico tried to say.

Julio hushed him as he began gently dabbing Nico’s split brow with the paper towel. Nico gritted his teeth; that stuff stung. He inhaled a comforting scent on the next painful hiss. Julio smelled…nice… a bit like marijuana and gunpowder and musk, but nice all the same.

Julio worked his way down to the cut below Nico’s left eye, staring intensely at his face in the meantime. Nico bristled under the man’s scrutiny. He wasn’t used to being touched so tenderly, not since-

2014

He was told that the torn ligament would need surgery. That he would need to go to rehab for weeks, if not months, after the fact. That he would miss the rest of the football season.

But that couldn’t be it. That wasn’t how it was supposed to go. Nico Clemenza was supposed to lead St. Drogo’s to victory this season, attract the attention of university recruiters, and be offered a full-ride to Syracuse or something like that. But here he was, at the hospital, sitting between his parents, as the doctor told him his whole future had gone up in smoke.

His father had hugged him. His mother had gently wiped his tears away. That was the first (and last) time they had touched him so tenderly in a while.

-

2015

It was the second semester of his senior year, and Nico was already so sick of people asking him what his future plans were. Even his therapist asked –well, she didn’t ask, but he could sense her concern when he couldn’t come up with an answer. Half the time he just wanted to scream that he had no plan, no future, nothing, and that everything he had pinned his hopes on since he was ten years old was gone. But the most he did was noncommittally shrug and murmur a despondent “I don’t know.”

After graduation, life became a bit of a dull gray monotony. Wake up, sulk, play video games and sulk, eat when his mother insisted he come downstairs for lunch, go to therapy, come home, sulk some more until dinnertime, and then take an hour-long shower before staying up late to sulk until he fell asleep.

Nico stared vacantly at his ceiling, letting the rotation of the fan’s blade lull him into a kind of trance. On the shelves of his bedroom were pictures of his old football team, awards from the debate club, trophies from past athletic competitions–all of them remnants of a boy he used to be. He really thought he should pack them all into a box and stuff them into his closet already, but he hadn’t even had the energy for something as simple as that.

A long-haired brunette leaned over his field of vision, waving her manicured fingernails in his face to get his attention. Her eyes, which looked much like his own, stared down at him in concern. She kept waving her hand in his face. Nico finally acknowledged his sister with a grunt. She stopped waving her hand. “Jeez, you are depressed,” she said with a frown.

“Leave me alone, Jessica,” he moaned.

He was about to turn onto his side, back facing her, when a pair of firm hands with manicured nails pinned him down onto the mattress. “It’s been a whole year now,” she stressed. Nico rolled his eyes; as if he weren’t painfully aware. “Mom and dad are worried about you,” she told him. Then, a little quieter, she admitted, “I’m worried about you.”

He pushed himself up from the Nico-sized divot he made in his bed, getting into a sitting position as he stared up at his older sister. “Yeah, well, maybe once you’ve missed your shot to do the only thing you were ever good for, then you’d be depressed too,” he sniped, though his words had no heat behind them.

Jessica sat on the bed next to her brother, bringing their gazes to the same level. “Come on, you don’t mean that, do you?” she asked. When Nico didn’t answer, she continued. “I mean, you were so much more than just football captain of St. Drogo’s, Nic-Nac! Did ‘president of the debate club’ and ‘honor roll student’ mean nothing to you?”

“Yeah, you don’t really get full-ride scholarships for being the smartest smart-ass in the room, do you?” he mumbled.

“But, you do get degrees,” Jessica argued.

And Nico knew she was right, and that with his grades, he could’ve applied to any university he’d like without a hitch. But, without any true sense of what he wanted to do with his life now, let alone what he’d want to study for four years, he figured it would’ve been a waste of everyone’s time and money for him to go to college without a plan. Surely his sister would’ve remember this; she tried to get him to apply to her college several months ago.

Speaking of which… “What are you even doing home this weekend?” he asked her, changing the subject. “It’s not a holiday, is it?” He was only vaguely aware that it was even October, thanks to the Halloween decorations at his therapist’s office.

Jessica shook her head. “Uncle Mike and the new boss are visiting, so Dad wanted me to come home to sell the whole ‘happy family’ image,” she explained.

“’Happy family’ image?” Nico echoed, cocking his head in confusion. As far as he was aware, their family was perfectly normal, and the only unhappy one was him.

“And you, Mr. Nic-Nac, are the unhappiest of us all and are dragging us down!” she jokingly scolded him, as if she could read his mind. She pulled him by the arm off the bed and out of his room. “Take a shower, shave your face, fix your hair, and please change into something nice,” she instructed him. She shoved him into the bathroom and slammed the door behind him. “They’ll be here in half an hour!”

-

The new boss, Mr. Thomas J. Costa, was nothing like Nico had expected. He was young, like, mid-thirties, with a polite demeanor that slipped into something more personal and friendly when his Uncle Mike was around. He was crass, talking frankly about every minor inconvenience of his day while sprinkling in enough expletives to fill the Clemenza swear jar thrice over. He was relatable; he and Nico shared the same music tastes, and Nico’s jaw dropped in awe as the Boss relayed a tale of meeting Kurt Cobain in person.

And, most of all, he gave Nico’s life direction again.

It was a couple hours after dinner, as his mom and Jessica cleaned up in the kitchen and the men smoked in the back yard. Nico had been allowed to join the men outside, but all he did was stand awkwardly around the periphery as Don Costa regaled his dad and his uncle with the antics of a new puppy he was training (if he overheard that right).

“Yeah, he’s a dense little fucker, but he’ll get it, eventually,” Thomas sighed.

“Not like my Nico over here,” his dad had boasted proudly. Nico fought against the instinct to shrink in on himself as his father waved towards his direction and all three pairs of eyes fell onto him. “Honor roll student, president of the debate club, and former captain of the St. Drogo’s Direwolves.”

Former. He’d hoped that a year later, the word wouldn’t hurt so much. Too bad, it still did.

“That so?” The Boss took a puff of his cigarette, then redirected his attention to Nico. “Hey, kid, what are you doing? You in school, studying anything?”

“Oh, n-no, um, no, I’m not. I’m not, sir,” Nico stuttered, throwing in the honorific at the last minute as he subconsciously straightened his posture.

“Well, do you want to be studying?” Thomas bore down on him, steely gray eyes sharp with ambition and gleaming with promises. “What would you study, if you were in school right now?”

Nico’s mouth opened and closed like a fish as he struggled his way through an answer, eventually landing on a painfully-exhaled “eh…”

Thankfully, the new Boss didn’t laugh, or even sigh disappointedly like his uncle just now. Instead, he looked the young man over carefully, silently appraising him for a worth that Nico could hardly find in himself. “Our company could do with a legal consultant,” he said after a moment’s pause. “Frank himself said he wants to retire by the time he’s sixty-five, which would give you about seven years or so to get a law degree and complete an internship at Costa Insurance, if that’s something you’d want to do.”

Uncle Mike glanced at Don Costa. “Tom, isn’t he a little young to bring into the-”

“No younger than you were when Grandpa Tony brought you into the fold,” Thomas answered. He stuck his palm out to Nico, inviting him to shake on it. “Well, Nico?” he asked.

-

“And after a year of not having any sense of direction or purpose, to finally be thrown that line, to be shown a future I could attain…” Nico continued rambling on, “…I just went for it!”

Julio hummed to let him know he was listening as he applied the Band-Aids to his face.

“I put my whole ass into law school, and the gym, and guard duty, and for what?” Nico asked, hopping from his seat and marching out the bathroom stall as soon as Julio stopped leaning over him. “To find out it was a lie,” he grumbled, “that the man who got me out of my depression was a hopeless, selfish, sexually and physically abusive, manipulative piece of-”

“I get it, I get it,” Julio answered, opening the door of the restroom onto the snowy night. He sighed, closing his eyes as he collected his thoughts before looking up at Nico through his lashes, which were quickly collecting snow. “I looked up to someone who later came to disappoint me, too,” he whispered. “But look, Nico –Nico!”

Nico blinked back the furious stinging in his eyes. Julio was standing close to him, squinting up at him through snow-flake jeweled eyelashes as he enunciated his next words clearly. “He didn’t get you out of your depression. You put in the work, you studied those long hours, you saw your future and you ran at it with everything you had to get it. You did all that, not him. He was just the spark, if you will, but the rest?” His tattooed hand thumped his sternum with every word he uttered next. “That. Was. All. You.”

And, for the first time since he found out the truth about Khaled, Nico felt something warm and fulfilling –pride? –swell in his chest. Julio smiled up at him. “You don’t owe anybody anything, and you should take pride in what you’ve accomplished on your own,” he told him.

Julio’s smile was wide, comforting, even. Nico’s heart pounded. It was unlike any smile he’d received from Khaled. No shy smiles that barely reached his eyes on this one; Julio’s smile was all teeth, fierce, feral, and free in its unabashed expressions. The closest Khaled ever came to smiling that sincerely around Nico was when his favorite team scored a goal, and even then, never this brightly.

Why was he only now realizing how different they were? Khaled and Julio were like the sun and the moon! Where one would quietly slink into a room and blend in with the wall, the other would kick the door open and saunter in with the calm confidence of an alley cat to take the seat at the head of the table, assuming it was not already occupied. Where one would omit information, and divert the subject to avoid talking about the things that mattered, the other would not shut up, especially about the things that mattered (justice, judgment, obligations, etc.). Where one would have to be continuously pressured into giving a half-truth after boldly lying to his face for years, the other was nothing but honest with him from the beginning. He told Nico he’d kill Thomas Costa for what he did to Khaled, and by god, he meant every word. Nico found himself falling in love with him that honesty.

But it’s not like Khaled was in any position to tell me the truth, Nico remembered, not without endangering himself or me. Still, though, it was refreshing to have someone like Julio be their true, authentic selves around him. Dare he say, Julio’s sincerity was even attractive.

But Nico liked women, okay? (Right?) At least, he thought he did. Being raised in a conservative, Italian-American, nominally Catholic organized crime family taught him that liking women was the only acceptable answer. His entire sexual history constituted women. However, Nico knew what he felt in the public restroom of that bar. Temptation. Nobody who exclusively liked women would feel temptation as Khaled stood on his tiptoes and attempted to kiss him. Yet it took everything in his power not to kiss him that night. And he found himself fantasizing about the ‘what-ifs’ ever since.

Nico first fell for Khaled, how he looked up at him with deep, dark brown eyes that a man could easily get lost in. But now, he was losing himself in Julio’s light hazel eyes, glittering a dim golden glow in the darkness of the night. His eyes panned down to Julio’s cheekbones, red from the cold (surely) and dusted lightly with stubbly facial hair. His eyes settled onto Julio’s full, smiling lips. They looked soft. Nico had no idea why he wanted to test that theory.

Is there just something about a murder that brings people together? Nico wondered. He could feel the heat rising in his cheeks the longer he stared at Julio’s lips, imagining what those lips would feel like.

“You good, Nico?” Julio waved a hand over Nico’s fixed gaze, jiggling the padlock chain necklace he wore and making the links clink softly against each other. Nico unfroze, remembering why kissing Julio would be a bad idea, among all the other questionable ideas they had that night.

“Yeah, I’m fine, I’m fine,” he lied. “I just zoned out for a minute.”

Julio –Khaled’s boyfriend –opened his mouth halfway, as if he were about to call Nico out on his lie, but whatever thought flashed between those hazel eyes compelled him to shut it again. He trudged away from the restroom and towards Nico’s Jeep.

Nico exhaled a frosty sigh. Of all the times to have a bi awakening, why did it have to be with a compulsive liar and a gun-for-hire? Why couldn’t he have this realization in high school, when the options were much lower stakes? He shook his head and followed.

Le Tag List: @kabie-whump @rainydaywhump @whumped-by-glitter @skittles-the-whumpee @generic-whumperz @bamber344 @there-will-always-be-blood @morning-star-whump @a-la-whump @watermelons-dont-grow-on-trees @defire @phoenixpromptsandstuff @scumashling

[justkillingthyme]

I’m really tired so this isn’t a particularly coherent idea but Hershel having a flare up and his back is. Still kinda fucked from ambrosia. He doesn’t really say anything but des KNOWS and feels GUILT. But he can’t say anything because he’s not meant to know.

[cuteandhughesy]

When The Seasons Change | Luke Hughes

summary: each season comes and with each one, you're falling deeper in love with your best friend. 4 + 1

11.0+k

warnings: SFW!friends to lovers | slow burn | flirting | fluff | suggestive themes | kissing | read at your own discretion

link to masterlist

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september 9th, 2015

dear diary <3

it's y/n again and today i'm feeling a bit...funny. the day started absolutely amazing! it was my best friends luke 11th birthday party! I can't believe he's 11 and in two more months i'll also be 11.

anyways :) his party was a girl boy party and we all went to the arcade that luke and I have always wanted to go to together but we couldn't because of jack and quinn's hockey.

it was a really fun day and luke loved the sidney crosby shirt I picked for him. but the reason i'm feeling funny is because of lacey patterson. lacey is in our class and was invited to the arcade as well. I thought she had a crush on matthew but the whole time she wouldn't leave luke alone. she was always around like an annoying little fly. lacey kept taking all of luke's attention away from me.

i'm feeling jealous, diary. because luke is....special. his soft curly hair and his bright eyes and when he smiles I get ladybugs in my stomach. I love my best friend and now that lacey likes him I can't help but feel angry.

how and I suppose to grow up and marry luke if lacey is in the way???!!!

one: valentine's day

"it was a disaster," you sigh loudly, pushing your way into luke's apartment as he pulls open the threshold of the door. you toss your small pink bag on his counter top and slump into a bar stool, "I mean a breakfast date? I'm not even sure why I agreed to do that with him in the first place- I barely know the guy and breakfast certainly isn't the place to get to know him."

luke slowly makes his way over to you, still rubbing the sleep out of his eye with the palm of his hand. "I shouldn't say I told you so, but," he says sleepily, pausing to grab a bowl out of the kitchen cupboard, "I told you so."

you groan, dropping your head into your hands. "I really need to listen to you more," you admit, eyes flicking upwards as you watch luke pour himself a healthy sized amount of shreddies. you hate the cereal, you think it taste like dry wheat. luke has always loved shreddies though, so you always have some at the ready. plus, it's the only cereal luke's professional athlete diet allows.

he shrugs with a cheeky smirk.

"not only did he only talk about himself and refer to me as a 'female'," you air quote the condescending title and luke shudders between spoonfuls of cereal. you continue, "but he asked me how much money I make and spilt his orange juice on me - on valentine's day of all days. I swear i'm never spending valentine's day with a man again."

luke wipes the drip of milk off his mouth with the back of his hand, sending you a questioning look, "not even me?"

"you don't count, obviously, or I wouldn't be here." you raise your brows in his direction, as if if to say duh.

luke smirks again but shoves more cereal in his mouth to try and mask it. "right, okay, guys an asshole - so you ended the awkward valentines breakfast to head here at..." he trails off, eyes finding the digital clock on his and jack's shared stove for the first time that morning. "8:56 in the morning - jesus is this guy 80?"

"I wish," you huff, "an eighty year old would probably of kept his nose out of my bank account."

luke snickers, dropping his dirty bowl in the sink.

"do something with me today?" you plead, leaning across the counter top so you can poke his muscular side. "don't let my valentines makeup go to waste."

luke tiredly glances over to you, taking note of how there's a little pink glitter sprinkled across your eyelids and how your usual lip colour was replaced with a more pink toned shade. your smile all cheesy at him and it has luke breaking out of his thoughts - blinking hard.

"how does lunch and the movies sound?" he asks after a moment of pondering. "i'm sure there's some sappy romantic movie playing."

you scoff at his tone, "hey! I love those sappy romantic movies."

"I know," he hums, leaning against the counter infront of you. "that's why I suggested it."

you place your head in your palm, looking up at your best friend fondly as he practically leans over you. "you're the best lukey," you say after a moment, a gentle smile on your face.

he shrugs and the action has his sleep shirt lifting to reveal his toned v-line and happy trail. you don't let your eyes linger, quickly darting your vision away before you turn red.

luke's expression changes briefly, and it looks like he may say something but the sound of jacks bedroom door clicking open has him stopping - eyes darting to the hallway just as his brother shuffles out.

jacks eyes find yours as you sit comfortably in his bar stool. he admits a big yawn and wide stretch before mumbling - "I should've known it was you making all this noise."

he rounds into the kitchen, flicking on the kettle to boil himself some water for his beloved morning coffee.

"ha ha," you say sarcastically.

"why the fuck does it smell like orange juice in here." jack mumbles.

"oh god," you cry out, grabbing your bag and sliding off the stool. now that luke's eyes are properly open and he's aware of his conscious, he sees how your white jeans have an orange liquid stain on the leg. luke smiles fondly as your cheeks tinge pink, brushing past him and his brother and towards the front door, "i'm going home and changing!"

luke laughs gently, following behind you. "i'll text you when i'm leaving here."

"sounds great," you breath out, a smile making its way onto your face. "wear pink," you tease him, shimming your shoulder in his direction.

"happy valentine's day," jack calls out from the kitchen. you catch sight of him shuffling his way past the door and back down the hall, a steaming mug in his hands.

you meet luke's eyes again and hes still looking at you, leaning against the door in his morning glory - plaid pyjama pants hanging low and his arms crossed to make all his muscles stretch deliciously. "happy valentine's day," luke mimics his brother in a fond whisper.

"happy valentine's day," you repeat. "i'll see you later."

"you will." luke says.

when you get back to your apartment complex, marianne, the front desk receptionist, flags you over before you can reach the elevator - her bright red lipstick and heart bobble head band instantly making you smile.

"you have a delivery," she says, pushing a massive vase full of red roses in your direction.

you're momentarily in a state of shock, staring at the bouquet of flowers dumbfounded. "are you sure they're for me?" you splutter after a moment.

marianne nods joyfully, a finger running over one of the delicate pedals. "oh yes, honey! delivery man dropped them off real early this morning."

you pluck the crisp white card from its slot, quickly opening the small envelope with slightly shaky fingers - anxiously wanting to reveal the mystery behind the roses.

just incase your breakfast date doesn't get you flowers. I hope you get all the ladybugs in your stomach today, y/n/n. happy valentine's day.

love, lukey.

two: easter

"you two seriously need to quit this," quinn's voice is a mix of bordem and amusement, eyeing you and luke. "it's every year." quinn concludes, jack nodding in silent agreement as he bites into a chocolate egg.

"quit and willingly loose to luke?" you thumb over your shoulder to the tallest hughes brother - who is standing diagonally behind you with his arms crossed. "absolutely not."

jack tries to hit you with a chocolate egg, but it misses your body - you send him an accusing glare before quinn starts again.

"guys, seriously it's just an egg hunt." he deadpans, eyes dancing between his brother and you.

"it's not just an egg hunt," luke says matter of factly. his arms fall to his sides and he steps closer to you, the fabric of his flannel brushing your exposed shoulder. "it's one of the only times I get to prove to everyone I am the superior egg finder."

competitively, you roll your eyes. luke has been using that line since one of the very first easters you had spent together.

when you were 5 years old, your family moved to your now home city and into the two story house neighbouring the hughes' home. it was almost instantly that you and luke become close - after he got over how'd you'd aimlessly follow him around and want to be near him (you liked the leafs just like him so he liked you soon after).

your parents become very close with ellen and jim and it become a tradition to spend easter together - enjoying the festive meal and activities. even now with quinn in a different country and you, jack and luke all in jersey, you would all find yourself making it home for the easter dinner and egg hunt.

which leads you into your second ever holiday spent with the hughes family - the first egg hunt you had won. luke claimed to his family after they had teased him that he let you win and was, in fact, the superior egg hunter. obviously, you couldn't let that slide and you're still battling luke in your early twenties for the title of egg hunt champion.

"you wish," you tease luke, "a superior egg hunter would of brought proper footwear to ensure they could get down and dirty." slowly, your eyes flicker to luke's feet, eyeing the crisp white air forces that were bound to get filthy.

luke scoffs, taking a step towards you. "oh trust me - i'm ready to get dirty."

"is this how kids flirt now?" jacks voice is like a nail to your eardrum and you quickly take a step away from luke, making your way to the island and grabbing your bunny shaped bucket.

"it's called smack talk," luke answers his brother sharply, also grabbing his egg basket - a bright yellow whicker bin with fuzzy chicks hot glued to the handle: he's been using it forever. "this is a competition."

"it's really not," quinn mutters, hands shoved in his jean pockets as he leans into the kitchen island.

just before you or luke could scold the eldest hughes, ellen makes her way through the back door, her pink floral maxi skirt swaying around her ankles. "you guys coming out?" she questions you all, her brows raised expectantly. "all the young kids are ready."

"oh," luke snickers, "i'm ready."

"we are all ready," you correct, eyeing your best friend briefly.

she smiles fondly, her small hands clasping together - ellen hughes would never get tired of seeing you and all her boys together on the holidays. "the eggs are all hidden - don't forget the winner gets the chocolate bunny!" she sing songs, guiding you all to the large backyard decorated in pastels and flowers.

"see," luke hums, jamming his elbow into his oldest brothers side, "told you it was a competition."

"oh my god."

after a brief speech from ellen, you were informed the oldest kids (you, luke, jack and quinn) would be searching for the blue coloured eggs and the younger kids (consisting mostly of hughes' cousins) would be searching for yellow eggs. the yellow eggs were hidden in easier spots but jim and your dad had ensured the blue eggs were in more difficult places.

10 minutes into the hunt, you've secured 6 of the possible 17 blue easter eggs. you wander further down the large property, eyes frantically searching for more to add to your collection. it isn't long before you catch a glimpse of bright blue - the small egg nestled between a few branches up in one of the trees. you're suprised you could even see it through the leaves, but the sun catches the egg once more and you're positive you're not imagining it.

with a determined head, you place your bucket on the ground near the stump of the tree before grabbing ahold of the lowest branch. you use all your strength to start hauling yourself up the tree, climbing upwards through the leaves and branches.

finally, you reach the height of the easter egg, and you smile victoriously, reaching out to grab it. at your sudden movement, the branch you had been standing on with your one foot gives out, cracking loudly until it snaps downwards. you gasp, hands reaching out to wrap around the thick trunk, watching horrified as your previous spot swings in the air.

you scan the surrounding branches, looking for the most secure one for your full weight - one that wouldn't break off under your feet. there's one behind you that looks promising, so you shift against the trunk, carefully stepping across the gap in the branches until you can fully place your feet on the new one.

you sigh once you feel secure, taking a deep breath to try and let the erratic heart beating in your chest come back to normal. miraculously through your almost plummet back to the ground, you managed to keep ahold of your egg and your gripping that damn blue thing hard, ensuring after all that trouble it wasn't going anywhere.

once your adrenaline levels return to a much more manageable level and the thumping heartbeat in your eardrums subsides, you decide you're ready to start making your journey to the ground - as safe as possible.

you let your one foot steps off, pressing down on a different branch to test its sturdiness. it seems stable enough, and you push off the trunk behind you to help push yourself onto the other branch.

your dress tugs, not allowing you to move over. you frown in confusion, trying to pull away harder. it's no luck, and your eyes close in disbelief. you try and uncomfortably stretch around yourself to catch sight of what the hell was going on and you catch a glimpse of of a sharp broken twig, completely hooked through your dress.

and of course you've left your phone behind on the kitchen island when you decided you'd have to use for it during the egg hunt. you course yourself, making another attempt at wiggling yourself off the ridged twig. it proves to be unsuccessful when you try and move onto the other branch once again and find yourself still being pulled back towards the trunk.

just as you begin to feel waves on panic bubble up your body and tears well up in your eyes, the sound of shuffling below halts your meltdown. you listen more intently, and the melodies of an all too familiar hushed whistle adding to the noise.

luke is wandering around aimlessly, whistling the megan moroney song you had showed him the week prior - clearly he has taken a liking to it as well. he's got his easter basket in his hand, swinging it slightly so his collected eggs roll around.

he is practically right under the tree you're in, and you take the opportunity before it leaves. "luke!" you call your friends name, your voice a mixture between a whisper and a yell - not wanting to draw any unnecessary attention to your very uncomfortable and embarrassing position, luke would surely tease you enough to make up for everyone.

luke's whistling comes to a halt, his body coming to a stand still near the large roots of the tree that were protruding from the soil. he spins around a couple times, looking for you.

a beat passes.

"where are you?" luke questions quietly, doing another 360 of the area. he knows you can't be too far because you sounded close, but not directly beside him. his brows furrow when he can't see anything.

"in the tree - i'm stuck." you huff, eyes closing as the rush of embarrassment comes after admitting your predicament out loud. luke still looks confused and unsure, so you sigh, rustling one of the nearby branches to show him that you were in fact in a tree and not hiding in a nearby bush - planning to ambush him for his eggs.

finally luke catches on, looking up towards the thick branches wide eyed and confused. once he catches sight of you, his previous expression morphes into one of mischief and his lips tug upwards in a gooey smile. "oh! don't you look all cute up there."

you ignore his teasing with a dismissive eye roll, "come up here and help me untangle myself from this damn branch."

luke's eyes wander towards the trunk of the tree, landing on your easter basket that you'd previously abandoned in favour of climbing - your blue eggs starting at him in all their glory. luke hums, slowly looking back towards you - his eyes shimmering with a misbehaved twinkle you're all too familiar with. "nah, I think i'll just take some of these eggs and be on my way."

"lukeeeeee," you whine his name, eyes closing in annoyance- luke could really push your buttons when he wanted to.

your hands are starting to hurt from the bark under you palm, and your ridged posture from being caught by the tree is becoming uncomfortable. "come help meeeee," you whine again, "is this how you're going to treat your best friend?"

when you began to speak, luke has already put down his own easter basket, nestling it beside yours wiped his hands free of any sweat and made his way towards the tree, large fingers wrapping around the first branch as he pulls himself up. "relax, i'm coming."

you watch as he quickly climbs up the tree, resembling a spider monkey as his long limbs wrap around branches and you smile to yourself at the thought of luke as a monkey.

suddenly, you begin to feel embarrassed about your situation. you feel even sillier for getting yourself stuck on a branch, something taht could've been avoidable if you weren't so damn stubborn about a stupid egg hunt. your previous smile of relief turns sour, eyes downcast as luke finally gets to your level.

your face has luke mimicking your frown, brows drawn together as he addresses you. he reaches out for you, running a large hand over your curled hair. "hey, don't worry - you're okay."

you muster one nod in acknowledgment, taking a shaky breath.

"let's see," luke mutters between you, leaning into your personal space to attempt in getting a proper look at the damage - one of his arms wrapping around your body for stability as he peeks over your shoulder. "easy peasy," luke adjusts his body slightly, his chest brushing your bare shoulder as he fiddles with the material of your dress.

you fight off a pleasant shiver, controlling your breathing as his long fingers brush against your soft skin, tickling you in the best way. finally, you feel your dress become loose and fall back into its proper position.

you breathe in relief, your smile returning.

"ta da," luke pulls back, his own smile lighting up his face as he hovers over you. now that you're less stressed, you notice how intimate your and luke's position is. his feet's are slotted between yours in the thick branch, his one arm still around your body while his other one moves to wrap around the trunk, holding you both there - his breath fanning over your face.

"you're welcome." he teases you, snapping you out of your own head.

"thank you." you hum nonchalantly, one of your hands coming up and fixing your hair and be ridding of any stray leaves or baby twigs that may of found their way in there.

"what's my reward?" luke questions gently, head tilted as his tongues slowly darts out, licking his bottom lip.

the air turns thick with a sticky tension, making your spot in the tree feel like it suddenly was located on the sun. quickly, your eyes widen, watching the way luke begins to smirk at your flustered face.

you clear your throat, choosing to not read into any underlying meaning. "one of my easter eggs." you answer firmly, a gentle nod of confidence following suit.

he tongues his cheek. "just one?"

you nod once again, a noise of conformation falling from your lips.

luke hums, eyes not leaving yours as he says - "guess i'll just take more."

because you know your best friend all too well,before he can even attempt to descend back towards the ground, you push of the branch, quickly moving around him and scaling down the trunk. you're suprised at how quick you get to the ground and even more suprised you don't hurt yourself in the process.

just as you grab ahold the fuzzy purple bunny easter basket off the ground, you hear luke thump back onto the grass, a gentle laugh of disbelief falling from his mouth.

you turn on your heels to face him, your basket gripped in your hand as you swing it teasingly out towards him - a victorious and teasing smile on your face.

he kisses his teeth and his eyes dart towards the ground to mask his amused grin. he grabs his own easter basket before making the short distance to you.

"like promised," you say, plucking one of the shiny blue eggs from your basket. "your reward." delicately, you place the egg into luke's basket, adding to his collection of five.

almost immediately, luke grabs the egg you just gave him, placing it back into your basket. "no it's okay," he says quickly, hand raised defensively when you begin to furrow your brows. luke continues, "after all, when I win, I want it to be fair and square."

"my god," you roll your eyes fondly, the corners of your lips tugging up in a smile. "whatever helps you sleep lukey."

"I see another one!" jack yells somewhere on the property - quinn's voice following suit as he threatens to fight jack over an easter egg.

simultaneously, your and luke's eyes widen at what you're hearing.

"what's over there?" luke questions, brows furrowed as he points behind you.

you frown in confusion, spinning around to try and spots the object of luke's gaze.

he takes off, calling out some stupid insult about you being a sloth as he does. your scoff of disbelief turns into a laugh, and you begin to run.

you don't remember finding the last egg that was sitting in your basket when ellen counted all of them out - but seeing as you had the most blue eggs out of everyone, you weren't going to complain, taking your chocolate bunny prize happily.

luke watches you light up with joy when you are declared the winner for another year in a row. he finds himself smiling along, happy that when he handed you the egg back you had given him as a reward, he managed to slip one of his own back in with it- just like he does every year.

three: 4th of july

you knew that having another vodka water, adding to your borderline drunk state, wasn't the smartest idea - but you cracked open the can regardless, the sound echoing over the michigan lake.

you take a hearty sip to mask the scowl on your face. lacey laughs loudly, and your annoyance grows because yes it was the same lacey from luke's birthday party all those years ago and yes, unfortunately she was close to some of your other friends so yes she'd often hang out with the group.

this 4th of july weekend was no exception as you watch lacey continue to hang around luke and jack - your jealousy meter maxing out anytime she would lean into luke or touch his arm.

you take another sip, some of the liquid dribbling down you lip after quinn drives over one of the waves, sending trevor zegras into the air as he wakeboards behind you. quickly and rather aggressively, you wipe the spilled alcohol off your chin, eyes still pointedly glaring towards your best friend, his brother and lacey.

as if he can sense your staring, luke turns his head in your direction, quickly finding you on the bench seat. you're sitting with your back turned to wards the water and jacob truscott - who's job is attentively watching trevor as he wakeboards.

luke's initial smile with seeing you is wiped away once he sees that you're annoyed, your clear sour face making him frown. quickly, you turn your head in the opposite direction.

and because drunk you has no self control, you quickly look back in luke's direction, not lasting 5 seconds. luke is still watching you, his brows pulled together in question. just when it looks like he is going to make his way over to you, lacey grabs his wrist, lighting up as she animatedly begins to tell a story that 'he just had to hear!'

you start to become angry. not only were you feeling frustrated because lacey was not your cup of tea and jack invited her to your 4th of july celebration regardless of your feelings, but you were even more upset by the fact that luke was allowing himself to be so easily entertained by her. luke had always treated lacey normally, even though you often expressed how you weren't her biggest fan - which was okay, of course. you didn't want luke to treat her differently just because you didn't like her, but still - it had you feeling jealous.

you take a huffy breath, getting up from your seated position as careful and as stable as you could while being drunk on a moving boat. obviously, it wasn't your best or most successful idea, quinn jerking the boat for trevor's boarding quickly and it has you stumbling - right into the back of jacob.

he turns around quickly, his eyes blown wide as he takes you in. "hey, y/n, you okay?"

and just like that your brain comes up with a plan. one that though you may regret in the morning when you're sober, in your drunkenness sounds perfect - you've never thought of a better idea in your life. you smile at jacob, fluttering your lashes at him. "can I sit and watch with you?"

jacob watches as you bite you lip in question while you await his answer, eyeing him with a hazy look over your bright eyes.

he chuckles slightly, "course you can."

you smile cheerfully and you quickly start to make the small step up onto the seat platform, your small hand gripping jacob's strong shoulder to help balance yourself until you gracefully plop down beside him. as flirtatious as you can manage while being intoxicated, you run your hand from his shoulder down his arm, trying to tickle him.

jacob eyes you suspiciously, a small amused smile beginning to tug his lips upwards. you smile back, bringing your hand into your lap. "what are you up to?" jacob questions after a moment. he doesn't wait for an answer before he turns his head to look over his shoulder - right at luke.

"nothing!" you hum, laying your palm flat on his cheek and bringing his gaze back towards you.

jacob gives you a look, brows raised knowingly. he has to tongue his cheek to not laugh, your plan of trying to make luke jealous obvious. clearly you're not as inconspicuous as you thought.

you shrug once, leaning in even closer to jacob. "just wanted to sit with you is all."

he just nods, shrugging nonchalantly "whatever you say." jacob's eyes leave yours, attention back on trevor on the wakeboard. clearly jacob doesn't mind helping you out, he even lets his hand slide behind you, resting flat on the seat right near your ass - he doesn't even seem flustered at the how if he stretched his pinky out he'd be touching your butt - that kind of makes you feel at ease.

after flirting and laughing with jacob for 10 minutes, trevor's time on the wake board comes to an end, quinn slowing down the boat. in that 10 minutes you'd only managed to get in a glance towards luke three times (jacob kept you pretty entertained oddly enough), and everytime luke was wearing a neutral expression - his arms crossed and listening to lacey.

trevor removes himself from to board, breathless as he climbs onto the swim platform."did you guys see me hit that last wave?" he smiles, unzipping the life jacket wrapped around his torso.

"it was sick," ethan edwards comes up beside you, leaning on his elbows right beside your thighs to talk to trevor - drunk you honestly forget he was here. "fuck man way cooler than any waves I got - quinn must have his favourites." ethan continues, playfully side eyeing the oldest hughes brother as he makes his way over to the back of the boat.

"ha ha," quinn says sarcastically, grabbing onto the rope of the wake board paddle and pulling it towards the boat. "if I actually had favourites, trevor wouldn't be one of them."

trevor cries out and grabs his peck like quinn's words had actually reached out and stabbed him, "ouch."

quinn ignores trevor, rolling his eyes dismissively - although his lips move upwards in a small smile. "alright," he breaths, finally getting the wakeboard onto the swim platform, " who wants to go next."

looking back over your shoulder once more, you see that luke still isn't bothered enough in coming over to you - listening to some story lacey was blabbing on about to jack and dylan duke.

you hum, shooting up off the bench. you wobble slightly, ethan grabbing your ankle reflexively to try and steady you. you smile triumphantly, "i'll go." you make your way over to quinn, taking the protective life jacket from trevor's outstretched hand.

quinn looks you up and down, eyes hesitant. "you sure?"

you nod without looking at him, stepping into the boots of the board. if flirting with luke's friend wasn't working in getting his attention, hanging off the back of the boat as you zip through the water surely had to.

you clip the buckles down, the sound snapping against the boots. quinn bends down in attempt to help you get secure, but you dismiss him, dropping off of the swimming platform and into the water.

"y/n..." quinn starts, his eyes filled with doubt.

"i'm good." you take the ropes right out of quinn's hands, wrapping them once around your wrist. "let's do it."

he sighs but doesn't protest any further, leaving you alone. quinn walks off the platform, making his way back to the driver's seat.

the engine starts a few moments later, the roar making you smile slightly - adjusting the slippy rope handles as you prepare to start.

"fuck yeah, y/n!" jack calls, hands bracketed around his mouth as he cheers for you, his voice echoing over the lake.

after getting your thumbs up, quinn starts to drive, the movement of the motor vehicle slowly dragging your body towards the surface, gaining speed until the wakeboard comes to the top. jacob slaps the bench seat a few times in a cheer, him and ethan both praising and cheering you on back on the boat. your smile widens at the boys and luke's brows furrow.

the boat is going the proper speed now, and quinn starts to do circles around himself to create the desired waves - you swallow nervously as you see the first one approaching. you can feel your hands loosen on the rope again , and naturally your fingers unhook themselves in order for them to readjust. the wave hits sooner than anticipated, and you first jolt forwards quickly before being flung backwards, your feet coming out of the boots as you get launched into the water.

you push up to the surface with your shaky arms, a gasping breath leaving your lips as you take in the air.

the boat has been stopped, and there's a group of worried faces staring at you from about 10 feet away. you definitely shouldn't of dismissed quinn when he wanted to check over your buckles, and you definitely shouldn't of let your guard down when trying to re-grip the rope.

you start to leisurely swim back towards the boat, feeling much more calm now that you’re not being panicked underwater. “i’m good!” you laugh it off, approaching the platform.

jack is waiting for you, his hand outstretched in your direction. you grip it, your wet palm slapping against his calloused one as he pulls you out of the water. he says your name through a smile, “that was badass."

then you notice how luke’s there as well, looking much more stressed than his brother - eyes frantically searching you for any visible injuries. "are you okay?" he breaths.

"yes," you sigh firmly. jack finally lets you go, allowing you to stand yourself up on your own feet. as you place your left foot down fat, your ankle screams in protest and gives out on you - making you topple forwards with a yelp. "fuck."

instantly, luke is there, rushing towards you and grabbing a hold of your arms. he keeps you upright, leaning down so he can look into your eyes. “what hurts?”

"my ankle," you whine quietly, eyes moving down in embarrassment. not only were you drunk, but you were now hurt and in enough pain for your intoxication to not even be able to mask it. "it really hurts lukey." you whisper, your throat becoming thick with emotion.

"okay, okay," luke wraps an arm around your waist, putting all of your weight onto him as he helps you off of the swimming platform and onto the carpeted area of the boat. you wince quietly in the short time it takes to get to the front of the boat - away from prying eyes that would only have you feeling even more embarrassed.

"sit down." luke tells you sternly, helping in lowering you to the seat. tears are desperately wanting to escape, the entire day of events weighing heavy on your chest.

luke turns away from you, reaching into the blue drink cooler - digging through the ice and cans of seltzers until he finds a plastic water bottle. he grabs it, walking back towards you with an unreadable expression, sitting across from you.

"i'm cold." you say as soon as luke sits down. you can’t decide if you’re cold because your wet and the sun is starting to set or if it’s because luke’s knees keep brushing yours, igniting goosebumps.

your emotions come to a head, and a tear finally falls, trailing down the round of your sunkissed cheek.

"let's take off the lifejacket, okay?" he reaches towards you, unzipping the wet jacket. your boobs definitely spill out of your bikini top in a way that is probably unflattering, no longer pushed against you by the life jacket. “give it back incase somebody else wants a turn.” luke grabs dylan dukes abandoned towel, wrapping the fluffy cover around your shoulders.

his teasing gives right over your head.

"okay," luke sighs quietly, tapping his two fingers against your thigh."let me see your ankle, put it on my leg."

you do as he says, bringing your leg up and over so you can comfortably have your knee bent and foot laying flat on luke's muscular thigh - his leg hairs tickling your painted toes.

softly, luke uses the water bottle he'd earlier grabbed as a temporary ice pack, pressing it to your ankle bone. the coolness feels nice, and it already is helping the pain.

your mood turns even more unpleasant when you her lacey's high pitched laugh echo around you - assaulting your water logged ear drums. you keep your eyes downcast, fingers wordlessly fiddling with a loose strand on the beach towel.

you sniffle, "wouldn't you rather be with lacey?" your jealously is definitely showing, but you're too irritated with the days events to be civil. lacey, combined with hurting your ankle and having luke practically ignoring you all day has your filter disappearing.

one of luke's long fingers slowly starts running along the back of your calf. "nah." he says gently. you can feel his eyes on you, but you're still not sure if you can handle looking into his eyes in the state your in.

your brows raise in suprise, and your disbelief is still prevalent in your tone. "really? she sure gives you a lot of attention."

luke shrugs once. "you're hurt. you take priority."

his answer has you scoffing slightly, and you tug harder on the loose towel thread. "only because i'm hurt?" finally, you look back towards him, eyes pinched with irritation at his answer.

in all seriousness, luke looks at you. his lips almost tug down in a frown, and his eyes begin to soften at your red cheeks and glazed eyes. "no. you always are my priority."

now you feel embarrassed. although lacey is more outgoing and flirty than you are, you are luke's best friend - not her. quickly, your hand comes up to wipe away any fallen tears, "sorry." you mumble.

luke dismisses your apology, tapping your heel twice around the cold water bottle he was still pressing against you. he eyes your somber expression again, and kisses his teeth.

your eye him as he scoots closer towards you. "can I tell you something?"

you nod, naturally finding yourself leaning in as well.

luke's lips begin to turn upwards. "watching you flirt and spend time with jacob today...It made me feel kind of jealous."

you feel your heart come to a hard stop and then speed up again - beating frantically at luke's confession. you're sure your mouth is opening and closing like a fish, but you're too baffled to say anything.

he continues quietly, "because, you know, he was taking my best friends attention away from me."

you deflate.

luke shrugs, "and I know that's hypocritical because I was kind of being a dick today but still...jacob doesn't deserve your attention - neither do I honestly but-"

you shake your head, bumping the leg that wasn't resting on his thigh against luke's knee, stopping his rambling. he's still your luke, no matter what. he's awkward and sweet and....yours.

"you're the only one I really want to give my attention to, lukey."

he smiles gently, "really?"

"yeah - i'm drunk," you remind him, "I can't lie even if I want to." you both laugh at your half slurred confession, leaning into each other as you do so.

as quinn pulls the boat back towards the dock of the hughes summer house, you can't even remember why you'd been annoyed with luke in the first place - too focused on him nursing your ankle and his soft smile.

four: fall festivities

"jello shot?" you ask through an exhale, a bright smile on your face. you gesture the small serving tray full of colourful desert towards the two girls in front of you. thankfully, they smile back, happily taking the alcohol from you.

you nod in parting before picking up your pace once more, gripping the tray harder as you practically jog around your condo - determined to serve everybody.

when luke had mentioned jack offered to host the annual new jersey devils halloween party, he told you that him and his brother were worried about the limited space in their apartment and were unsure of how they were going to make it work. seeing your best friend in a predicament had you immediately offering your place to throw it.

not only was your space bigger, but your only neighbour was a wealthy businessman who was never home, so there would be no noise complaints and no issues with fitting the devils roster in for a halloween themed party. obviously your offer had nothing to do with being totally into your best friend and going to any extreme to see him happy - obviously.

there was a few more people attending than you were initially expecting to show up - which mostly consist of the wives and girlfriends of the team, but still, you hadn't factored that in. the added people had your hosting skills dialled up to an 11, and you can't remember the last time you had sat down or properly mingled with anybody - too busy making sure everything was stocked.

you squeeze through a group of laughing girls you don't recognize, and you whisper your apologies as you move through them. "jell-o shot?" you question, approaching dougie, dawson and john near the fireplace.

"oh hey," john greets you, dressed like a minion. "you look like you're having a great time." john laughs and they all reach out to take a halloween coloured shot cup off your tray.

"I am if you are," you smile politely, his teasing remark flying over your head - you're too tired and stressed to digest his words properly.

you're definitely not having a great time. your hand is cramping around the orange and purple striped serving tray, your fake eyelashes are stabbing you, your legs are killing you, and don't even start on how your faux fur coat has you sweating profusely.

"cruella, right?" dawson is the one to question you, gesturing to your halloween costume - a simple black dress paired with a spotted coat, red gloves, pearls and the wig of course.

you nod, "in the flesh."

"y/n!" you hear jack call your name loudly from the opposite end of your condo, his hands clasped around his mouth as he shouts for you. "we need more punch."

you sigh gently, throwing your hand in the air blindly to give the middle hughes a thumbs up - a conformation that you heard him and you'd make another bowl.

"sorry, would you guys excuse me - duty calls." you manage to give a laugh towards the three devil players, all dressed in contradicting costumes, spinning on your heels and speed walking away.

you push through the swinging door that leads to your kitchen, half empty tray of jell-o shots and the glass punch bowl you grabbed on the way balanced in your hands. thankfully nobody was in your kitchen, and the sight of emptiness has you breathing in relief.

you loved having everyone at your place and you especially loved how everyone felt comfortable in dressing up and allowing you, jack and luke to host - but you couldn't wait for the night to be over. you always underestimated the hassle of hosting, and this night is proving that.

you fan your warm face with a gloved hand, trying to cool yourself off. your free hand is pouring some koolaid mix into the empty punch bowl, the powered crystals becoming liquid as they touch the orange juice and sprite concoction.

the door creaks, alerting you as somebody enters your once quiet kitchen. your shoulders deflate naturally, and your already preparing for another task or hosting duty that you'd have to attend to.

you look over your shoulder and are met with the comforting gaze of your best friend. luke smiles softly at you, which makes him look extra cute in his dalmatian outfit. "hey," luke starts, making his way over you, "I haven't seen you all night. you okay?"

the relief floods through your body, but a different wave of emotion quickly replaces any prior ones. you feel yourself wanting to cry, because no, you're not doing okay. "i'm stressed, lukey, i'm sorry. I love hosting but my costume is so hot that i feel permanently wet from how much i've been sweating. my body hurts and i'm tired and I feel like the list of things I need to do is endless and-" you exhale, dropping the wooden mixing spoon to the counter. "respectfully I can't wait for it to end."

luke frowns, reaching you in two long strides. "don't apologize for feeling overwhelmed." he shrugs, glancing over his shoulder quickly, "it's definitely more people than I expected."

you sniffle, laughing gently as you nod in agreement. "definitely."

he smiles softly, and like he's done a million times before, luke gently reaches out, his thumb swiping under your eye to brush any fallen tears. "let's head up to the roof for a bit," he hums, a slight frown tugging his lips, "get some air."

you exhale shakily. "jack needs the punch though."

"fuck him and fuck the punch," luke tells you sternly, "they can survive without it for a little bit, okay?"

"okay," you whisper in agreement.

you live on the top floor of your condo, so the journey to the buildings rooftop wasn't long. luke leads you up the small flight of stairs and out onto the decorated deck like he's done many times, guiding you over to your and his claimed spot.

immediately, you fall back dramatically into the lounger, eyes meeting the starry night sky above. you can feel like you can breath properly, and the only noise you can hear is the city below.

luke smiles at your now closed eyes and starfish pose, making his way over to his favourite green lounger beside you, mimicking your laying down position. he tucks his arm behind his head, using his own forearm as a pillow as he looks at the stars.

a beat passes.

"i'm sorry you're stressed." luke tells you quietly.

you open your eyes, turning your head towards him. luke is already watching you, eyes guilty and frown present.

you shake your head at him, dismissing his apology. after all, he didn't do anything wrong. "it's fine, luke, really."

"I just don't like seeing you struggling," he admits.

"if anything," you start sincerely, "you've made my night 100 times better in like the 5 minutes i've spent with you - which by the way, is crazy, how is this the first time since you got here that we've hung out."

"I know," luke smiles, "i've missed you."

you eye him teasingly, a pout forming on your face. "did my little dalmatian miss his master?" you question in an animated baby voice, one of your hands reaching out to poke his ribs.

luke jolts away from your jab, pulling a disgusted face in favour of your baby voice. regardless of his expression, he was laughing at your question. "you're a weirdo."

"yeah but i'm your favourite weirdo," you say matter of factly, turning your entire body towards him on top of your blue coloured lounger.

luke smirks, "you're definitely top 10."

"top 10?" you screech with a laugh, "not even top 5....I really gotta up my game. who's my competition?"

luke kisses his teeth, in a deep faux thought as he hums. "well, obviously borat is up there."

"obviously," you repeat.

"and my friend y/n is up there too - she's the weirdest one of all." luke sends you another teasing glance, "instead of being normal and saying 'butterflies in my stomach', she calls them ladybirds like a grandma and she eats ranch with almost everything."

you smile, "she sounds hot."

luke tongues his cheek, eyes finding the stars again. another beat passes, the two of you enjoying each others company in silence of city nightlife.

the crinkling of a bag has your brows furrowing, glancing back at luke just as he pulls out a half empty bag of cheeto's. "hungry?" he asks you, holding out the open bag in your direction.

you grab a handful of cheesy sticks, "I didn't even know your onesie had pockets." you tell him with a snicker, plopping two cheetos into your mouth.

"this dalmatian is full of surprises," luke says between chews of the monster handful of chips he'd previously shoved in his mouth.

you snort, grabbing another handful. "of course he is." you're thankful that luke had miraculously snuck cheetos from the party out to the roof, because you think the last time you ate was breakfast. your stomach rumbles at the thought. you swear, your best friend knows you better than you know yourself. "I should've known you'd bring snacks."

luke eyes you with faux suspicion, sucking his thumb clean of cheese dust. "are you calling me fat?"

"luke," you laugh, head lolling away from him and his teasing comments. "you're insufferable."

a heavy drop of water hits your face, starling you. another one follows quickly after, hitting the round of your cheek before sliding down to your ear.

"what the hell," luke mumbles. you eye him quickly, watching as he wipes the few drops of rain off his face. "is that rain?"

you roll your eyes gently, "yes, luke, it's rain."

at your words, the water seems to unleash from the gray night clouds, a thick downfall of rain pouring over you and luke. you sit up quickly, squinting towards the sky. your faux fur coat is quickly becoming drenched, sticking to your skin uncomfortably. "let's go before my lashes fall off." you sigh gently - the thought of heading back into the hectic environment of your condo sounded anything but desirable.

as if luke can sense your hesitation, he gets to his feet quickly, stepping into your line of sight. the dog ears on his onesie are dripping with water, flopping pathetically as he looks at you. he wipes his face of rain, "not yet - let's just stay."

you sigh his name, "it's raining."

"so?" he shrugs, costume sagging down his body, heavy with rain.

"so," you breathe an amused laugh, "we will get wet."

"nothing wrong with a little bit of water," you can see luke smirk through the heavy rain, and you can't help your own lips from tugging upwards at the sight.

you exhale gently, "I don't know."

luke dismisses your hesitation, grabbing a hold of your soaked gloved hands and pulling you towards him, bringing you both farther out the roof deck. "just one dance before we go back to the party - I haven't gotten to dance with you allllll night."

you let him drag you wordlessly, giving him a deadpanned looked.

"plus you deserve a dance - my hard working host." luke adds cheekily. his one hand slides around your waist, pulling you against his front - swaying you to imaginary music gently.

"kiss ass," you mumble, voice just notable over the sound of rain pelting the concrete rooftop. you can feel luke's chest rumble with laughter, his fingers flexing around your hand. "you always dance without music hughes?"

he licks his teeth, looking down at you. your skin looks so soft and dewy from the rain, your eyes dilated from the dark atmosphere. you are blinking up at him gently, your eyelashes wet in a way that makes you look even more beautiful. luke clears his throat, spinning you around dramatically - just barley stopping himself from slipping on the slick ground in the process. "only with you."

luke pulls away from you quickly, but you don't have time to question him before his grip on your hand tightens and he's twirling you back into him. you screech gently, the movement taking you by surprise.

"so you only dance with me or you dance with others but they get the privilege of dancing with music?" you ask him teasingly - this time it's you who is twirling luke around, and the sight of your 6ft2 best friend spinning in a soaked dalmatian onesie was unbeatable.

luke comes back towards you, taking his original position with his strong forearm around your torso, interlocking your fingers together in a waltz like stance. "I only dance with you," he whispers through the rain, "and you're the only one i'll ever dance with - especially in the cold rain without music." he tries to tease you, but his words fall on deaf ears.

you're looking at him with a swirl of emotion in your eyes and your heart beating heavily against your rib cage.

luke seems to stop as well, looking down at you with just as much admiration and tenderness that you're surely showing him. he visibly swallows, his adam's apple bobbing against his throat.

you watch luke's eyes fall to your lips, swiping over them before finding your eyes once again. at first you think you imagine it, but then quickly his eyes dart back to your red lips and the ladybirds start going frantic in your stomach.

was luke about to kiss you?

your blinks start to slow naturally, preparing to shut fully as luke begins to inch in closer to your face, leaning over you in a way that most definitely was uncomfortably straining the muscles in his back.

the door to the rooftop swings open with a squeak before bagging against the wall loudly - echoing all around. startled, you and luke jump away from one another, breathing heavily as your adrenaline comes to a spike.

your body feels freezing without luke's pressed against it, and you shiver uncomfortably, wrapping your soaked fur coat around yourself further.

jack is eyeing you both through the october rain, "hey," he starts, adjusting the plastic firefighter helmet onto his outgrown head of hair. "i've been looking for you guys! y/n we're out of chip dip."

you start walking towards the middle hughes sibling. "sorry, i'll get the other one out the fridge." you sigh, brushing past him and back into the dry hallway of your building.

luke closes his eyes, exhaling loudly.

"you good?" jack asks once luke makes his way over, eyeing his brother suspiciously. "what where you two even doing out here - it's raining."

luke sends his brother a glare, "I know that," he walks back into the building,wiping his face clean of all lingering rain water. "you're so annoying." he quickly walks away from his older brother, leaving him by the door.

jack throws his hands up, "what did I do?"

+ one: christmas

sabrina carpenter's heavenly voice slinks through the warm home, nestling in your ears comfortably. just over the music, you hear ellen hughes laugh happily at something your mom says - both of them in the kitchen, chatting and finishing off a bottle of wine while they clean up the dinner dishes.

jim and your father have been watching hockey tapes in the den, both quiet and content by themselves - them too indulging in a festive spiced wine.

it was christmas eve, after all.

you laugh warmly as quinn dips you low to the ground before pulling you back upwards quickly, sending a quick dizzy wave over you - which is probably the alcohols fault, not quinn's.

jack applauds quinn's elaborate dance moves, smiling with flushed cheeks as he watches you both from his spot sprawled on the worn brown love seat. "where'd you learn to dance like that huggy?" the middle hughes brother questions after a sip of beer, brows raised inquisitively.

quinn doesn't answer and he only spins you on the spot. you hum, "you jealous jack?" your body faces quinn once more, and your momentum has you stumbling slightly, tripping over your own feet and bumping into your dance partner.

"i'm not jealous of anything," jack snickers to himself like he's in on some crazy secret you aren't aware of - but you don't have the mental capacity to unfold that, still laughing and dancing on your family homes shaggy rug.

"yeah yeah whatever," quinn dismisses his brother teasing, rolling his eyes so only you catch it. you giggle at the sight, head falling onto his shoulder as you do.

the stairs creek under somebodies weight, and a moment later luke walks back into the family room empty handed, meeting your eyes. "I can't find it." he tells you.

you leave quinn, which was expected, turning your body and attention towards the youngest brother. "well where did you look?"

after your christmas dinner, ellen and your mom had started going on about childhood memories in their typical sappy mom fashion - laughing and crying while you and the boys eyed them with amusement. your mom was the one who brought up the scrapbook you and luke made together after your shared trip to the zoo on your 11th birthday, which was something even you had forgotten about.

jack had immediately starting pestering and teasing the two of you for being quote on quote cheesy (even though you were kids so obviously you were cheesy - but you digress.) jack begged for you to get the scrapbook so he could see it, and then once he started, quinn claimed he had never seen it and also wanted to look.

"i mean," you had started gently, eyeing luke with a hesitant smile, "it would be nice for us all to look at."

one look at your flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes, luke was sighing, pushing off the couch. "where is it?"

luke thumbs over his shoulder, "the hallway closet."

"really?" you hum, deep in thought as you think about where else your beloved shared scrapbook could possibly be hiding. "I mean, we could check my old bedroom closet? sometimes mom keeps stuff in there."

jack groans dramatically from the couch, head lulling back. "hurry up and go find it! I need to see that picture of the giraffe licking y/n's face."

quinn and jack crack up just at the thought of the picture you'd told them about - the image captured you shrieking as the giraffes purple tongue slides up your cheek.

"you whiny baby - we're going!" you huff, walking towards the stairs with luke in tow, both of you making the journey up the creaky staircase.

your room is located at the end of the hall, still painted the sage green you had chosen when you and your family first moved in. you dodge your suitcase that you left in the middle of the room, all of your clothes sprawled across the cream carpet from when you were frantically searching for your christmas sweater this morning.

"holy shit," luke says from behind you, eyes wide as he looks around your childhood room, "I haven't been in this room since like....highschool."

you open your closet doors with a small laugh, amused at your best friends amusement. you start rifling through the millions of photo albums and frames that your mom did fill your closet with - like you expected.

"oh my god, we were so little." luke smiles, picking up your lady bug decorated picture frame that was sitting on your tall dresser - right beside you original speak now CD and jewelry box. you turn to glance at him over your shoulder, smiling automatically at the sight of him looking at the picture. "god where are my front teeth?" he laughs, placing the frame back down.

it's a picture of you and luke when you were both 10, smiling happily poolside in your bathing suits - luke's akward grin made perfect by his lack of front teeth. you giggle with him, the memory of that picture just as fresh now as the day it was taken.

you rifled through a few more old photo albums until your fingers land on the tiger striped spine of your and luke's scrapbook. you gasp, "I found it!" you pull it out of the closet quickly, standing from your previously crouched position to once again face luke. you start flipping through the pages, giggling at the pictures as you do so. "this is amazing."

"dear diary," luke says with a laugh. you look up inquisitively, a quirk to your brow. he's got your fuzzy purple notebook clutched in his hand, flipped open to a random page. "it's y/n again and today i'm feeling a bit...funny." he reads your entry out loud, an amused smile on his face.

"oh god," you laugh, a hand covering your face in embarrassment- already cringing at your younger self.

luke's eyes light up as he reads the next line, laughing as he does so. "the day started absolutely amazing! it was my best friend luke's 11th birthday party! I can't believe he's 11 and in two more months i'll also be 11." he quotes you, "you were such an optimistic happy kid." he laughs.

your heart stops and you can feel your face fall. memories of the day you had wrote that specific diary entry come flooding back to you. you pale and your stomach plummets unpleasantly - you half a bottle of wine taunting you. "luke - give me the diary."

he's still laughing to himself, book propped open with a thumb and middle finger. he continues reading, "we all went to the arcade that luke and I have always wanted to go to together." he quotes you. he pauses, thinking back to that huge indoor party, "it was a sick arcade." luke hums.

you step towards him, "luke seriously lets go...jack and quinn are waiting." you're suprised at how fast your brain came up with an excuse to leave your room and the diary behind - your anxiety through the roof.

he couldn't fishing reading it.

he skims farther down the page, laughing loudly, quoting your writing more. "she was always around like an annoying little fly. lacey kept taking all of luke's attention away from me - you still sound like this by the way."

you try and lunge towards him and grab the diary, but luke is quicker than you (he always has been) and pulls the book farther out of reach. "i'm feeling jealous, diary. because luke is....special - you're too kind to me," he teases you.

"luke," you huff, hands trying to reach around him to grab the book once again, but he spins away, affectively dodging you once more. "please put that away"

luke continues to read the diary entry, your stomach plummeting deeper. "his soft curly hair and his bright eyes-"

"give that to me now." you panic, voice shaky as you beg. you make another attempt at getting your diary out of luke's hands, but he rushes towards the other side of the room, giggling at the writing of child you complimenting him.

luke starts again, "and when he smiles I get ladybugs in my stomach. I love -" he stops reading, face falling. you watch intently as luke's eyes dance over the rest of the lines on the page, reading your 11 year old self's love confession.

you're already thinking of excuses for the entry - you were just a kid and didn't know what love meant or what marriage meant. but you weren't 5 when you wrote it, you were almost a pre-teen who definitely knew what marriage was. that won't work.

you'd could say that lacey was just having you feeling weird and angry - like she always has, but that excuse doesn't seem plausible.

you watch luke anxiously and silently, knawing on your lip as a way to channel your nerves. you were already preparing for your friendship to plummet. now that luke has read your deepest darkest secret - the life long crush you've had on him - you were ready for him to not want to be your friend anymore.

logically, you know you should say something and at least try and convince him that it was nothing - after all it was almost a decade ago and you could play it off as a joke. but words don't come out, and you're stuck in a plummeting hole.

"wow," luke eventually mutters, closing your diary gently.

"luke," you whisper waterly, eyes following him as he walks your diary back over to your dresser, tucking it between taylor swift and framed pictures. you think you might start praying, desperate for luke to want to stay your friend or at least stay in your life - you can't imagine living without him.

"be honest with me," luke starts, "was this just a silly little crush or do you still...love me?"

you mumble his name again, eyes watering with a million emotions that you definitely weren't expecting to experience on christmas eve.

"y/n....tell me."

you meet his eyes, and all you can mutter is a quiet 'I still do', a tear falling down your face and dipping towards your collarbone.

a beat passes.

"well this is pretty embarrassing, right?" he says with a gentle laugh, running a hand over his head of curls in disbelief.

"what?" you mumble.

"I mean over a decade of loving each other in secret, neither of us ballsy enough to say anything- I wonder how many people knew." he laughs to himself, visibly thinking.

you shake your head, "wait what?"

luke steps towards you, closing the space between your bodies in favour of holding the side of your face, his thumb wiping away the trail of water from your tear, resting against your cheekbone affectionately. "I love you."

"you do?"

he nods, "of course I do, wanna read my endless texts from quinn and jack telling me to man up and confess my lifelong crush on you to prove it?" he challenges you teasingly, a playful tone accompanied by a tinge of nerves.

finally, you smile, lips tugging upwards as you reach out for him, your small hand gripping his wrist to keep him close to you. you shake your head, "no, I believe you."

luke laughs breathily, forehead touching yours as he brings your faces closer together. "thank god because those texts are embarrassing." his words are like a million tiny kisses, tickling your face in a way that has your nose scrunching.

"and you reading my diary wasn't?" you question with laughter.

"god no," luke dismisses, "it was cute."

"kiss ass," you smile, running the tip of your nose down the bridge of luke's, nudging your faces closer together. your other hand reaches for his waist, keeping him close.

"yeah." he agrees, free hand moving up to hold the other side of your face. luke smirks one more time before leaning in, finally kissing you.

───────── ౨ৎ ─────────

[tojisth3rdwife]

When you ask them to teach you how to fight/use jujutsu (feat Gojo,Geto,Sukuna,Toji , and Nanami)

One would think that Gojo would be the best teacher since he is the strongest, and in most ways he is. You asking him to teach you jujutsu was like asking him what he wanted for Christmas. You were already skilled at what little you knew and could do but you felt like there was no excuse for you to be anything less than a grade one when the ‘Honored One’ himself was your man. Now, Satoru gets creative as hell with the ways he trains, observing the intricacies of his pupil’s cursed technique and identifying its strengths and weaknesses to help them get better. But you werent just any other student. You were his baby. His pookie bookie. His caramel drizzled coffee cake with sprinkles. So this man is going to FLIRT HIS ASS OFF the entire time he trains you.

“Damn baby..if you show up on a mission dressed like that, the curse just might wave that white flag and surrender..”

When he isnt talking shit, he’s gonna do any and everything under the sun to distract you. Which in retrospect was another clever way to teach you to be vigilant, but in the moment its just him toying with you. Sparring with him is just one big game of ‘cat and mouse’, him dodging and teleporting at the last possible second, chuckling at your frustraton every time you missed him by a hair. He’d pop up behind you and kiss your neck before vanishing again. It's funny because he kept his infinity off in the beginning because you never managed to get a lick in on him, plus he liked when you’d sneakily grope him on breaks. But after being blessed by your impressive right hook that had just enough cursed energy behind it to hurt, he kept that mf up after that.

“I forgot what a fist to the face felt like..thats sexy. Ouch...”

Suguru is not training you lmao And it’s not because he doesn't think you’d be a good student . He just cant handle acting like he wants to hurt you (outside of the bedroom of course). You two were probably play fighting once and he accidentally slapped you and hated himself for a whole week because of it. You thought it was funny but he did NOT. So sparring with you? He wasnt having it. If anything, I can see him pulling in one of the trusted subordinate curse users to train you while he oversees. He’ll sit back , looking all pretty and smiling encouragingly at you.

“Im just here to watch, love. I swear. Act like Im not here.”

It wont even be 5 minutes into the lesson that he’s hopping up and telling the person he chose (mind you) how to do their job, adding his two cents after growing tired of seeing you put on your back. Suggesting a better way to summon your cursed energy and how to use it, better ways to fight and avoid injury. He’d remove his robes and have you sparring with him, pausing to give you constructive criticism or praise. Whoever he assigned to teach you would end up just standing there as Suguru takes over, eventually taking his spot in the shade. “Im only gonna show you this once baby so pay attenion. Im not even supposed to be teaching you..”

Sukuna would laugh at your initial request, dissmissing you with a gentle pat on your bum as he walked away. You had no reason to fight. You were his woman and all you had to worry about was looking pretty and staying healthy. You had an entire army at your feet and the literal King of Curses at your side. What reason would you need to learn how to fight? But with some persistence, Sukuna agrees. Not without him proposing a wager between the two of you. Something like “ If you manage to hit me once, I will do something that I normally refuse to do for you, within reason of course. Is that enough of an incentive for you, my woman?“

He would also warn you that he would not go easy on you just because you were his. He would be the “sink or swim” type of teacher. He’d tell you that he’d coming at you with everything and encouraging you to give him youre all in return. He wouldnt teach you if you didn't try your hardest. Despite his words, he’ll ease up on you when he could tell you were in over your head. He also made sure you wore the proper gear when you two sparred because he didn't want you to die. That would defeat the purpose wouldnt it? “You arent nearly as weak as you appear to be. Your king is impressed..”

Toji is similar to Sukuna in the way he’ll tell you FUCK NO when you ask him to teach you how to kill. In the beginning,he liked the thought of you being with him on jobs and seeing you get busy firsthand. He knew you could fight and that you were strong, but the more his feelings developed for you, the less appealing this idea became. Hell, he wasnt even all that excited about Megumi coming into his power knowing what type of world he’d be facing. He eventually accepts your request (after persistent begging that usually involved sexual favors) and he becomes your personal trainer and coach. He monitors your meals and organizes your workouts. He teaches you about all types of weaponry and how to properly wield them, taking you to different ranges and showing you how to properly handle a gun. Then when it came down to close combat, he’s surprisingly really good at teaching you the basics. He’ll hold the pads while you jabbed at his palms and test your reflexes. Of course youre a natural and ending up having too much fun being whipped into shape by Toji. And he’s glad. “Remind me to never piss you off..”

I think he’s gonna get a small kick out of overpowering you when it came time for you to spar though. He may let you get a few hits in for shits and giggles. He may even be a little impressed by your form and power behind each hit. But youre not matching his strength and Toji knows that. So when youre on a streak and thinking you’ve gotten him in a corner, he’s putting you on your back in the blink of an eye. Then he gives his critique on your technique while on top of you, straddling you with his huge ass thighs ans kissing your lips a few times before helping you up.

“Uh oh..looks like I’ve got you pinned again, mama. Whatcha gonna give me if I let you back up?”

Kento is the one out of all of the guys that takes your interest in learning the most serious. He’ll suggest you two sit down and talk about it over dinner or something. He’d listen intently and then explain to you all that it would entail, making sure you knew he supports whatever you take an interest in but also making sure you understand it wont be easy. He wont treat you like youre the love of his life in the heat of training because it will be the only way he’ll be able to teach you. If anything, hes harder on you because of his feelings. You do one wrong thing and he’s on your head with very possible scenario where that mistake would prove fatal. When he has you take up running for condition training, he blows his whistle whenever you slowed down. When you were shaking and grimacing as you stuggled to lift a weight, he was in your ear. “No no..this is what you wanted, right? Well push! There you go!” He’s very hands on as well, adjusting your stance with firm touches here and there, making sure you're protecting yourself at all times. And when you spar, he doesn't pull his punches. He may lessen the strength of his attacks but he keeps his speed moderate so that you learn to adapt to what he prays you never have to face.

“You never cease to amaze me with how strong you are my love...”

[astermath]

the harrington way･ﾟ☆

pairing: steve harrington x fem!reader

summary: steve won’t stop distracting you from studying for your midterms. to soothe your frustrations he uses his own, supposedly more effective way of quizzing you.

word count: 3.1K

tags: kinda mean!steve, reader is in college, established relationship, oral (f receiving), a bit of a breeding kink lol, reader is a bit of a brat, unprotected sex (wrap it before u tap it guys) minors dni!

notes: inspired by this ask that @stevenose wrote out for me, tysm for the inspo <3 i'm a history major so I sprinkled some history trivia in there lol

please let me know what you think!

Midterms had been positively kicking your ass. You’d been working harder than the devil, spending half your time awake in the library or at your desk, stressed out of your mind. And your boyfriend was well aware of this too.

He’d tried countless times to coax you out of your room for a date, even just to go get dinner, but to no avail. You felt bad, of course, you didn’t want your relationship to suffer under the circumstances of your education. But college is a privilege, your parents both worked very hard to help you achieve your dreams, and you weren’t about to let them down.

So, you’d compromised. You let him stay in your room while you went over your last chapters for premodern history. It was supposed to only be an hour before you’d finish up and the two of you could watch a movie, but the words weren’t sticking in your mind whatsoever. Maybe you’d overworked yourself, your stress levels way beyond anything anyone could consider healthy, but you were determined to keep trying.

You groan, flipping your glasses up to rest on your head while you rub your face. The sound made Steve rise from your bed to his feet, popping up behind you.

“You ‘kay sweetie?” His large hands settle onto your shoulders, concern only growing when he feels how tense they are.

“No,” you lean your head back, and you could see his brows furrow worriedly at the sight of your eye bags, “I’m going to explode if I have to read about another another dynasty…”

“Well, don’t,” he leans down to press a soft kiss to your lips, “I prefer to have you in one piece.”

“And I love you Stevie,” you lean back forward, hunched over the dozens of papers on your desk, “but I prefer to pass this course. I seriously cannot retake this.”

He sighs, hands gripping a little tighter at the taut muscles of your shoulders. It was like you were an elastic band, stretched so thin you could snap any moment. You were grumpy, and it wasn’t your fault, he knew that, but he missed spending time with you. He’s not used to spending this much time apart, even if it for the sake of your studies.

“Come on,” his thumbs press into your shoulder blades, “let me help you out a little, at least.” He starts making circular motions, and you bite your lip to suppress a groan at the contact. “Let Steve’s magical hands to their thing.”

You could just hear the smirk in his tone, but there was no possible way you could be relaxing when you hadn’t even properly revised yet. “Steve, I—“ you interrupt yourself with an accidental whine from his impromptu massage. “I can’t relax right now, I haven’t even used my flash cards yet.”

His eyes flit to the pastel cards placed on your nightstand. Clearly you’d been revising a lot before bed, which wasn’t exactly helping your sleeping schedule either.

“I can help with those.”

“You?” You lean your head back again, expecting a joking grin, but instead being met with a genuine smile. Steve wasn’t exactly what one would call an academic weapon, but you’d be rude not to let him try and help at least. “Hmm… Fine, I don‘t see why not."

He gently brings you up off your desk chair, unable to keep his hands off you now that he's started. His strong arms wrap around your waist, and he senses your hesitation at first. "If I'm gonna quiz you, ya gotta loosen up a little honey," he leans his head down slightly, "plus, I'm gonna quiz you my way."

"Your way huh?" You decide to take his bait. Though he isn’t in college like you, and he never really scored too well in high school, you were intrigued nonetheless. And you weren’t immune to your boyfriend, after all. You were bound to cave to his advances eventually.

"Yeah," his lips ghost over yours, "the Harrington way."

"Alright," you grin, "color me intrigued."

He takes that as his cue to close the distance between you two and press his lips to yours. Usually he'd start off slow, ease you into it, but truth be told, Steve had been deprived of your affection for long enough. The kiss is a lot more passionate than usual, teeth clashing slightly as his tongue slips into your mouth, eliciting a soft whimper from you.

You stumble backwards onto the bed with him on top of you, albeit less by accident and more as an advance. His hips settle between your thighs, and you could feel the reason for his urgency pressing against your heat. Even through a layer of underwear and tight jeans, the shape of him was so clear to you.

"Steeeeve..." You whine, transitioning into a giggle as you drag out his name. His lips move to your neck, pressing sloppy, wet kisses to your sensitive skin. "This all-- fuck-- part of your technique?"

You could feel him smile into the crook of your neck, hands slipping under your shirt, nudging it up.

"Yep, just let me do my thing baby... All part of the plan..."

At this point it was nearly impossible to deny Steve anything. Not just because you felt bad for your distance as of lately, but because your mind tended to go blank with his hands on you like this. You'd already succumbed to his touch, too late to turn back to your desk now.

Your shirt was discarded onto the carpeted floor, his own following soon after. He works on unhooking your bra while leaving feverish kisses all over your chest, nipping every now and then. His breath hitches when it’s discarded, and he’s met with the sight of your bare breasts. It didn't matter how many times he'd seen your tits, he'd never get tired of it. Ever.

He wastes no time in latching onto your nipple, rolling the other one between his fingers. His tongue kitten licked over the sensitive bud, hazel eyes peering up at your expression, which was growing increasingly desperate.

His lips drag over your skin, leaving tingles in their wake as he moved over your stomach. He halts when he reaches the waistband of your shorts, eyes flicking up at you for a moment before he started scattering teasing kisses right above the hem.

"Stevie..." You sigh his nickname, propping yourself up onto your elbows so you could watch him. You knew he was teasing you, lips remaining so close yet so distant from where you needed them to be.

"Impatient?" He questions, hands coming up to settle on your hips, thumbs skirting just over the edge of your bottoms.

"Look who's talking..." You scoff, the cockiness in your voice disappearing as soon as he traces his fingers over your clothed pussy. "O-Okay, jesus, quit... Quit teasing baby--"

He refrains from rolling his eyes at your attitude, knowing you were quite pent up yourself. You'd usually never go this long without fucking, so he understood the sexual frustration. Luckily, that was his exact field of expertise.

He hooks his fingers around your shorts, and you take his hint to lift your hips to help him pull them off, along with your panties, joining the rest of your clothes scattered on the floor. He smiles at the sight of your slick coating your folds so beautifully, proof of just how worked up he'd gotten you by just kissing you and touching you a little.

"Fuck, you're soaked baby," he leans down onto the bed, arms hooking around your thighs and pulling your heat closer to his face. He runs a teasing finger up and down your slit, coating it in your juices. "Jesus, she's just begging for me, isn't she?"

Your hips buck at his dirty words, whining softly. You’re so close to just grabbing his hair and grinding against his face, but you know the payoff to his teasing would be worth it in the end.

He leans down and licks up your cunt, stilling at your clit, flicking his tongue over it a few times. His brown eyes peer up at you, watching you lose your composure over just the faintest of touches. He adores watching you become undone for him like this, melt underneath his touch, loosen yourself up a little.

He continues working on your needy clit, groans sending vibrations through your core that make you grip the sheets beneath you. If your mind wasn't so hazed with what he was doing to you, you might have noticed the hand coming down to his pants, palming himself. He tended to get off on your arousal like that, your moans and whines only spurring him on further.

"Sh-Shit-- Stevie!" You cry out his name, fingers gripping his chocolate locks when his lips closed around the sensitive bundle of nerves. You weren't going to last much longer, and he could tell with the way you were bucking your hips into him.

He wanted to ask you if you were close, in that teasing, cocky voice he knew you secretly loved, but he’d rather die than tear his lips away from your cunt at that moment. So he just kept going, tongue lapping away at your sweet juices, eyes fluttering shut as he loses himself to the sound of your moans.

The coil in your lower stomach snaps, and you moan his name loudly as your orgasm crashes through your body. Your fingers pull at his locks, earning a groan from him as your vision goes white with pleasure. You continue to ride out your orgasm against his face, whimpers falling from your lips with every roll of your hips.

Steve, a bit reluctantly, pulls away from your core, catching his breath. He looks so beautiful, lips swollen and pink, lower face just covered in your slick, hair all messy from your the firm grip you had on it.

He wipes his mouth clean with the back of his hand, grinning at your fucked out expression. “You ‘kay honey?”

You nod, a sweet, dazed smile adorning your face in response. “Yeah… Not quite done with you yet though.”

He smirks, sitting up to undo his belt, eyes not leaving yours for even a second. “Good,” he continues to pull off his jeans and boxers, “because that was only the first step of the Harrington way.”

You roll your eyes, almost having forgotten about the fact that he was supposed to be quizzing you. “You serious?”

He replies by leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to your lips. “Do I look like I want my girl to be failing college?”

You nibble on your bottom lip, shaking your head slowly. You can feel his cock rub against your thigh, and the contact alone is sending tingles of pleasure through your body.

“Good.” He wraps his arms around your waist, almost manhandling you on top of him. You squeal from the sudden change of positions, giggling from the spontaneity of it all.

You’re already reaching down for his cock, ready to line yourself up with him and slide down so painstakingly slow like you usually would. But he grabs your wrist before you get a chance to, and the expression on his face is a lot more stern than the one you saw just moments ago.

“I’m serious about this, so you gotta be too, okay?”

“Yeah, I am, god, just— I need you inside me Steve, like right now.”

“I know sweetie, and you can, if…” He reaches for the flash cards on your desk, picking out a random one and reading over the question. “You can tell me who was widely credited with publishing the first ever printed Bible.”

You whine out of frustration, trying to think back at all of the subject matter you’d crammed into your head the past few weeks. “Shit, baby, you’re kinda putting me on the spot here…”

“C’mon,” his hand reaches down to grab his cock, running the head over your folds and gathering your slick onto him, “think sweetie, you got this.”

You bite your lip, resisting the temptation to force your hips down onto him. You peer down at him, his eyes meeting yours in an expectant gaze. “I-I, uhm… Gutenberg, it was— it was Gutenberg.”

“Good girl,” he coos, and finally pushes up his hips to slide inside you.

“Fuck!” You moan out, louder than usual. You suddenly realize your dormmates are in for quite the treat that night.

You try to move your hips, but his right hand on your hip stops you from doing so. Even with you on top of him, he’s still in full control of you, it was honestly pretty impressive.

He fucks into you at a slow, lazy pace, feet planted flatly onto the mattress to ground himself. His cock drags deliciously over your walls, and you can feel every curve and ridge of him inside you like this.

You whimper when he stills his hips, already opening your mouth to protest before he interrupts you by holding up a finger and taking out another flash card. “I’ll continue if you can tell me when Queen Elizabeth I reigned.”

“W-What… I don’t— I don‘t know, uhm…” You’d never taken the expression “fucked stupid” seriously, up until that point. He was being so mean, so teasing, and you'd be lying if you said you weren't loving it. Maybe this was his payback for being away from him for this long.

"Don't tell me I've already fucked the answers outta you," he smirks, and it makes you whine, clenching down onto his cock. You liked this side of him, so mean, even if you knew he was just going to shower you with kisses and praise after.

"N-No, I--" you furrowed your brows, "uhm... 1558... t-to..." you could feel his cock twitch inside you, and it almost makes you lose your train of thought, "1603, I think-- fuck!"

He wastes no time in driving himself deeper inside you, your treat for answering correctly.

"So smart, look at you-- shit-- my little academic..." He coos, hand coming down so his thumb could play with your clit. You begin moving your hips to meet his halfway, the obscene, almost pornographic sounds of skin slapping skin filling the room.

You almost didn't notice that he'd grabbed another card, too busy chasing your orgasm now that he was finally giving you something more to work with.

"When did Luther post the 95 Theses--"

"1517!" you cry out, hands coming down to rest over his hairy chest, supporting yourself as you worked your hips over his throbbing cock.

He looks up at you, trying to keep his own composure, but it's getting harder by the second. You look so beautiful, tits bouncing, lips parted as his name falls from them after every other whimper and moan. He's doing his best to keep up his strict tutor persona, but he feels his own orgasm creeping closer by the second, not being able to stop his hips from rutting into you.

"A-Alright--" He almost drops the stack of cards on the floor, trying to grab a random one as he reads it aloud, "Which scientist-- fuck-- f-formulated the laws of... of planetary motion-- holy shit baby--" his brown eyes find yours again, unable to hold back the continuous groans and whimpers you're earning from him.

You feel that familiar heat building up in your stomach, your thighs burning from making you bounce over his cock the entire time, but you ignore the strain it has on your body. All you want to do now is cum, feel him fill you up to the brim until it's leaking out of you.

He can tell you're not even thinking about the answer, so, although a bit reluctantly, he starts to slow down. You open your eyes, looking down at him with a pleading gaze. You're about to start sobbing, tears already watering up your vision as you bite your lip. "I-I-- Uhm, fuck, Stevie, I--"

"Come on," He taps your ass lightly to encourage you, "that pretty mind's gotta be good for somethin', think, baby."

A stray tear rolls over your cheek, thoughts of everything you'd been studying running rampant. Your eyes widen, and in a sort of eureka moment, you yell out a name. "Kepler! I-It was Kepler!"

"That's my girl," he groans out, throwing the card besides him and reaching out to fully envelop you in his arms. He starts to piston himself into you at a pace your hips couldn't possibly keep up with, instead holding onto him as tight as you could, moaning his name over and over into the crook of his neck.

"'M gonna cum," you manage to mumble between your pleas, thighs starting to tremble.

"Me too baby, gonna fill you up so good-- shit-- gonna give you your reward-- fuuuck!" He groans loudly, pulling you flush to his chest as he paints your walls in his sticky warm cum.

You follow right after, clenching down on him and milking his cock for every last drop, your body going limp against his from pure exhaustion. Your orgasm ripples through you, the aftermath rendering you completely fucked out, but blessed with the euphoria of your release.

The two of you continue to lay there for a bit longer, catching your breath and enjoying the warmth of each other's bodies. Eventually, Steve pulls out, and you sigh at the emptiness without him inside you. You feel some of his cum dripping onto your thigh, making a mental note to ask for a shower together later. In a moment, at least. When you'd regained your ability to walk.

You pull away from his neck to look at your boyfriend, who seems to be pretty satisfied with himself. "You did so well sweetie," he leans up to press a gentle kiss on your lips, "you're totally gonna ace that exam."

You'd almost forgotten you had an exam the day after, but surprisingly enough, you weren't that stressed. If you could come up with the answers while he was pounding into you, you could write them down in a lecture hall no problem.

"I'm pretty fond of studying the Harrington way, actually," you smile, reaching out to brush some stray brown locks away from his face.

"Really? Huh," he doesn't mention the fact that he didn't even look at the answer the last time. He was way too eager to make you cum, and besides, you're a smart girl. You're going to ace that exam either way. "Well, if you want," he glances at the clock on your nightstand, "I think we have time for another round of revising."

"Hm..." You pretend to mull it over, "in the shower?"

"In the shower."

let me know if you'd like to be added to the tag list for further steve harrington related content!

comments and reblogs are highly appreciated!

[ss-tier-simp]

learn - steve rogers x f!reader

Steve wants to learn more about "fonduing" and for you to teach him. Perhaps a conversation to be had is due.

Warnings: smut with a fluff sprinkled throughout. virgin!steve rogers x inexperienced!f!reader, oral (f receiving), fingering, p in v penetration. THIS IS NSFW so MINORS DO NOT INTERACT, I REPEAT DO NOT INTERACT.

Word count: 1,9k

Authors note: I find figuring things out and healthy communication between couples, very appealing. That is my only reason for writing this. This work is unbetad so any mistakes made are my own. English is not my first language.

One of the things you didn't expect was your boyfriend asking you to teach him about sex, while you were watching a documentary about sharks and eating Panda Express take-out.

Steve patted your back while you struggled to swallow the bite which was determined to go down the wrong pipe.

"Sorry," Steve started once you had calmed down, his hand rubbing comforting circles as he spoke. "I didn't mean to make things uncomfortable-"

"Not uncomfortable." you interrupted. "It just came out of the blue."

"I know." Steve sighed. "I just had to say it before I talked myself out of it. Again."

"Steve you can talk to me about whatever you want," you reassured him. You took his palms in your own, enjoying their warmth.

"I just don't want to disappoint you." He groaned. "I am basically a fossil and have barely kissed a girl."

"Nothing you could do would disappoint me." you chastised. "Plus..."

You ignored the curious look forming on Steve's face and took a breath before you continued. "I doubt I could be much of a teacher."

"We haven't had this conversation before." you tried not to let embarrassment win over you. "But let's just say I haven't much experience myself."

"Well, I am more than willing to figure this out." his palms left your own, in favor of holding your face bringing you closer for a pack on the lips. "With you."

You were glad to meet him once again for a kiss. It was sweet, despite the taste of orange chicken that lingered on his tongue. Your bodies grew closer together as the kiss deepened, the take-out now forgoten, and the documentary serving only as white noise.

Inevitably you would end up on his lap, loving how his hands roamed and were willing to roam your form. They found their home on your hips, his desire to keep you close to him evident in the way he held you to him.

Your own hands traveled from his chest to the nape of his neck, your fingers toying with his hair and loving the little muffled sounds you got out of him. 

He broke the kiss and rested his forehead on yours for a moment. "Can I take it off?" he asked, his voice slightly raspy.

You nodded and you felt his hand tugging at your shirt. You moved away just enough for him to be able to take it off you.

Goosebumps formed at the temporary loss of warmth, while Steve tossed the shirt somewhere. You couldn't bring yourself to care where it landed.

All your focus was on Steve. The way his eyes really took you in your form once he realized that you wore no bra, the way his face flushed, the feel of his fingertips against your skin.

"Can I take you to bed?" he asked and you were quick to grant permission. He laughed at the squeal that left your mouth as he hoisted you up, your legs wrapping tightly around him.

He laid you on his bed once you had reached his bedroom and almost instantly was on you, greedy to be close to you. He left one more kiss on your lips before he descended.

His mouth left a path, kissing down your jaw, to your neck until he reached between your breasts, leaving a kiss that had you gasping for air. You felt his hands on them, caressing you. Teasing you.

"Please." you found yourself saying, without knowing what you were asking for. Steve decided for you as he let his mouth find your right nipple while his other hand toyed with the other.

You felt a heat in your belly form, while Steve explored, taking in the sounds that escaped you. You had to resist the urge to grind against him to find some relief. Instead, your hand found his head, and the other his shoulder, urging him to stay there.

His head rose to look at you and you were sure you looked like a mess and he had barely even touched.

One thing you had to remember about Steve was, that he was a strategist. He might not have had experience but was an expert at reading a situation. Most importantly, during the two months you had been dating him, he had gotten better at reading you.

This could explain the scheming look on his face. You could see the gears in his mind turning and he suddenly continued his descent down your body, leaving kisses on your stomach.

The heat in your lower belly seemed to burn hotter and spread all over your body with his every kiss until he reached your pajama pants.

"Can." he let a kiss on your hip. "I." another kiss. "Take." yet another one. "It off?"

"Take it off." you gasped. His hand snapped the elastic of the waistband against your skin before his fingers started to take them off. Your hips rose eager to assist him.

You understood that he had taken off your panties as well only when you felt the cold air against your core.

He let yet another teasing kiss on your mound and you wanted to cry. You needed him.

"Steve don't tease," you begged and you felt the smile forming on his face against your skin.

His face rose once again to look you in the eye. "I am not teasing you," he muttered. "I just want you to feel good. I want to taste you doll. Will you let me do that?"

"Yes, Steve, yes." the words tumbled out of your mouth desperate but true. You wanted that. You needed that.

"Want you to tell me what feels good, okay?" a silver of insecurity laced his voice and you melted.

"I will, Steve." your right hand which had unconsciously found his sheets came to caress his cheek and he leaned into the touch.

He lowered his face to your core and let his mouth explore. His tongue licked experimentally, trying to figure out what made you tick, until he stroke gold. His tongue brushed against that sensitive nub and he was quickly rewarded with a groan and your legs momentarily squeezing his head.

"There, Steve!" he continued his ministration against that nubbed, at your encouragement, occasionally licking from your licking from your weeping core to your clit. He enjoyed how your breathing changed, how the small sounds left your mouth as if they had no choice in the matter.

Then he wrapped his lips around your clit and the hand that was on his head gripped his hair, keeping him in place.

"Fuck." you gasped, the tension that was gradually building faster in your belly, as he alternated between sucks and licks that had you seeing stars.

"Yes, Steve." you encouraged. "F-Fuck, you are going to make me cum."

An overwhelming orgasm overtook your body and your body tensed, your thighs locking around Steve's head. Not that he minded. He continued his work until the hand that held him close, started to puss him away.

Steve after eating pussy was a treat. His face was flushed, his eyes glazed, his lips swollen and it took everything in you to smother that spark of arousal.

After the post-orgasm haze, you saw that he had moved when you felt his fingertips caressing your core and you winced.

"Steve, I am sensitive!" you whined and bucked but Steve continued his soft touches.

"Please, I...I want to feel you." the spark of arousal that you had smothered came to life with those words.

"Just.. be careful." his middle finger slowly broached your entrance, careful not to overwhelm you. You felt his thick finger stretching your walls, the slow strokes igniting once again a heat within that had you moving your hips to meet his movement.

"You are so tight, so warm." he breathed in amazement. "I feel your walls clenching around my finger."

"Steve, don't say that." you moaned in embarrassment.

"Can I put another one in?" he asked and you nodded. The second finger had you gasping, the feel of it too much, yet not enough.

Your chest heaved, gulping for air that you felt was taken away from you. It took you a moment for you to get used to it but your hips never stopped moving, your pussy too eager for all those sensations until it got too much.

"S-Steve I need you." you started. "P-Please I need your dick."

"Are you sure?" You both knew it was a huge step yet you both wanted it so much.

"Couldn't be more sure." you smiled at him and he leaned forward to kiss you. You found out that you didn't mind the taste of you. His fingers exited you leaving you empty.

He stood from the bed and headed towards the night table, opened the drawer, and took out a condom.

"Were you planning this?" you laughed breathily and Steve joined you.

"Not planning." he denied, "Just hoping."

You watched him,  finally remove his shirt and then he took his pants. Turns out Captain likes to go commando. You knew that the experiment that turned him into a hero had enhancing properties and in the moments you daydreamed you had speculated which aspects it had affected as well.

Your imagination was a humble comparison to reality. You couldn't tear your eyes off Steve's dick as he put on the condom.

"Woah, Steve!" you didn't even bother concealing the wonder in your voice. " Is this going to fit?"

"It will," he said determinedly. "We'll take it slow. I would never hurt you."

"I trust you." you nodded and he joined you in bed.

He took place between your thighs and took hold of his dick, rubbing it up and down your pussy, coating the condom with your juices.

You held your breath when the head finally entered you. A delicious stretch bordering between pain and pleasure. Every inch your pussy took in greedily, the pleasure getting too much before he got the chance to reach your deepest parts.

When he sheathed himself in, you both took a pause just breathing and taking the sight of your pussy swallowing him in.

"Steve." your voice was strained "Please move."

He wasn't about to say no to that request. He moved his hips. In the beginning, the strokes were hesitant but calculated. Just enough for both of you to get used to the feeling. But gradually he lost himself to pleasure. His strokes got faster, stronger, almost animalistic. Every one of them punching out noises from both of you.

"Am not going to last." Steve's voice was thick with pleasure, slurring his words.

"Me too." you managed to say. "P-Play with my clit, p-please."

Steve would do whatever he would tell him, so it was no surprise when his thump found your clit. The effects were immediate, the pleasure building inside once again rippling and shattering. Winding your body so tight that you finally fell off the edge.

Steve was not that far behind, your tight walls choking his dick and making him cum. You felt the warmth of his seed despite the condom. You remained unmoving as you came from your highs, breathing as if you were one enjoying the warmth of your bodies.

Steve was the first to move just to discard the condom and he was came right back at your side.

"Was..." he started, breaking the silence that had settled. "Was it good?" 

"Steve." you laughed, the high of the aftermath making you giggly. "It was mindblowing, you perfect specimen of a human."

Steve laughed at that and simply hugged you, ignoring the sweat that both of you had built up.

"Rest." Steve simply said. "After all we still have loads to learn."

[nomsfaultau]

as a cbeeduoer at heart, under what circumstances would fault beeduo enter their canon toxic escapist situationship that is also a marriage?

Alas I personally have no experience with cbeeduo marriage. However, Tubbo will be trying to rescue Ranboo, and I can picture a scenario where like they somehow need to use Phil's godflame but whuwoe that would kill Ranboo! So Tubbo is like okay we can't be hurt by Phil's fire because we're his Collected, and we're Phil's vicarious Collected because Tommy Collected us, SOO if we just Collect Ranboo he'll be immune to fire! And that's somehow how the rescue plot shakes out.

And like a week later Ranboo is like....okay so are we staying married or-

Tubbo essentially explained it really badly so Ranboo thinks they're married, but it's dangerous to be in battle around Phil without being Collected and so trying to undo it would probably get them killed (unfortunate given how much effort went into saving Ranboo + Tubbos' staunch mission to not get anyone killed). So after 5 minutes of blue screening Tubbo bursts out, somewhat hysterically, with "Of course honey! Where would we possibly find a divorce lawyer (Rhodes shut up shut up shut up)!!!!"

Now, I don't imagine Ranboo would be healthy in the SLIGHTEST about Tubbo given they saved him after an entire life in the Foundation. Hero worship doesn't even scratch it. And now Tubbo is kinda saddled with teaching this husk what the outside world is like which definitely becomes escapism for Tubbo since they can paint it all wonderful and kind and Ranboo hangs on their every word and believes because Ranboo needs salvation from their years of torment. Plus since Ranboo can't safely look at anyone, we can sprinkle in that cute headcannon about scp Tubbo being their 'seeing eye' bees as the one source of sweet in this mess. But also deepening dependency.

As for Michael...my current nod to him comes in the form of Miguel, who is Tubbos' pipsqueak nephew, who would also at that point be amnestized to hell and back and even looking at Tubbo would cause pain. So like that's child abuse if they take him in but obviously Ranboo and Tubbo aren't really on the level ? Maybe Tubbo took Miguel hoping that Ranboo could fix the amnestics he caused. Which is also a Looooot to put on Ranboo, since it's essentially "you destroyed our life and our chance of redemption in the form of this small child. Fix this thing you had no control in (or else divorce that destroys your fantasy of freedom?)". And assuming that works I guess Tubbo is now desperately trying to use Miguel as atonement and last connection to their family, and both are crazy over protective of Miguel knowing the horrors of the Foundation while trying to create the illusion of a normal life.

There, is that toxic enough for you?

[tulip-in-a-cup3]

Is the Romantic comedy is still relevant?

Like many, I have spent countless endless hours watching romantic comedies. At one point they were the only sort of film I consumed (a very dark period) and also one of the many sparks of my love of film. But as I grew, changed and discovered all sorts of different films I next to completely forgot all about rom-coms only really revisiting them when I feel the need to turn my brain off and watch pretty people do things on screen. But now when I do turn one on I can't help but but notice how painfully sexist and unproductive they can be.

The romantic comedy is a very popular offshoot of the classic comedy genre. Rom-coms have been around since the time of Shakespeare's A Midsummer's night dream. The romantic comedy focuses on the romantic relationship between two characters. The movie usually follows a fairly basic structure with the characters meeting, falling for each other, facing some sort of adversity, and ultimately having a happy ending with them together. That's not to say some don’t break out of this with 500 days of summer being a perfect example. This genre of film became increasingly popular particularly among women because it was one of the only times that women were at the forefront of a movie. They were also easy, quick, and incredibly cheap to make. Allowing them to make massive profits when it came to the box office. Although romcoms did see a significant decline during the late 2000s and early 2010s we have seen a steady increase in them since the rise of streaming platforms producing their movies. On these streaming platforms, romantic comedies have managed to find an audience but that poses the question: are romantic comedies still relevant today?

Most romantic comedies tend to all have main characters that are white, cis-gendered, heterosexual, skinny, and Neurotypical. The rom-con never really showed the range and forms love could take. Rom-coms also sprinkled in this lovely layer of misogynistic undertones. Films like How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days depict women as “emotional, irrational and clingy” and that all these behaviours do is drive a man away, men of course being the complete opposite of these behaviours. Bride wars also show women in questionable ways with the leads completely turning on each other simply because of a wedding venue. Reinforcing the stereotype that marriage is a woman’s number one endgame. Even my personal favourite Bridget Jones isn’t immune to the problems laced throughout rom-coms. Bridget acted like her very healthy 136lb made her disgustingly fat or the fact she felt her whole life was a failure due to her being SINGLE of all things. There are many more examples I don't wish to get into that show how Rom-coms treat women. But does this mean we need to throw them in the bin completely?

No of course not it was an unproductive question in the first place. rom-coms can be misogynistic, but they are also changing take for example movies like To All The Boys I've Loved Before which has an asian american protagonist or Crush on Disney Plus which has a lesbian lead and follows multiple lgbtq characters (although it did get next zero marketing and only me and like three other people know it about subject for another day). The rom-com is not the same anymore just like how the landscape of film has changed. People are demanding representation and slowly we are receiving it. The rom-com is also one of the only genres that is dominated by women and tearing it down and ripping into does in some regard play into the demonization of all things enjoyed by women. Rom-coms are still relevant because love is still relevant. We just need to see it done in a way that reflects the variety of love we have and doesn't reinforce outdated stereotypes about women OR men. Rom-coms bring a lot of joy and fun that cinema needs and branding them as not relevant is moving backwards.

[foodshowxyz]

Avocado & Spinach Superfood Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 ripe avocado, peeled and pitted

2 cups fresh spinach leaves

1 banana, preferably frozen

1 tablespoon chia seeds, plus extra for garnish

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (or any plant milk of your choice)

1/2 cup Greek yogurt or a dairy-free alternative for a vegan option

Honey or agave syrup to taste (optional)

Ice cubes (optional, if you prefer a colder smoothie)

Edible flowers and thin slices of lime or lemon for garnish

Instructions:

Blend the Base:

In a high-powered blender, combine the avocado, spinach, banana, chia seeds, almond milk, and Greek yogurt. If you like your smoothie a little sweeter, add honey or agave syrup to taste.

Adjust Consistency:

Blend until smooth. If the mixture is too thick for your liking, add more almond milk to reach the desired consistency. If you didn’t use a frozen banana and want your smoothie colder, add a few ice cubes and blend again.

Garnish:

Pour the smoothie into a tall glass. Sprinkle additional chia seeds on top for an extra nutrient boost.

Decorate:

Decorate with edible flowers and citrus slices for a beautiful and appealing presentation.

Serve:

Serve immediately while fresh and enjoy! This smoothie isn’t just a treat for the eyes; it’s packed with vitamins, fiber, and healthy fats. The avocado provides creaminess as well as heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, the spinach offers iron and other minerals, and the chia seeds add a good dose of omega-3 fatty acids. It's a perfect start to the day or a refreshing pick-me-up in the afternoon!

[superheroworkouts1]

The Power of Protein-Rich Superfoods

Incorporating protein-rich superfoods into your diet is a smart way to supercharge your fitness journey. Superfoods like chia seeds, quinoa, and spirulina aren't just trendy; they're nutrient powerhouses packed with protein, fiber, and essential vitamins. These foods not only support muscle growth and recovery but also enhance your overall well-being. For example, adding a sprinkle of chia seeds to your yogurt or blending some spirulina into your smoothie gives you an extra protein boost without much effort. Plus, these superfoods offer a mix of antioxidants and healthy fats, which can help reduce inflammation and keep your body functioning at its best.

Mixing these superfoods into your meals can be a fun and delicious way to meet your protein needs while enjoying a variety of flavors and textures. Whether you're making a quinoa salad for lunch or a chia seed pudding for a snack, you're not just fueling your body—you’re nourishing it with top-tier nutrients. So, next time you plan your meals, think about how you can incorporate these protein-packed superfoods to elevate both your diet and your fitness results.

[radfemsiren]

What's the difference between erotica and porn?

Is erotica safer and healthier then porn?

What should a women turn to for masturbation but in a morally good way? (if that makes sense)

I think erotica is more artistic and less direct than porn. So like paintings, written works, drawings, comics… it kinda depends though, since hentai is drawn but definitely not artistic, that would just be porn lol. So if something is more focusing on sensuality and aesthetics, with a little sexuality sprinkled in, I’d say it’s erotica.

I think what’s healthy depends on who creates it, and who consumes it. I think the healthiest form of erotica would probably be written works, since it’s women usually writing for other women to consume. But it really depends. Funnily enough, I saw a hilarious TikTok of a girl wondering why certain fandoms on a03 had terrible writing compared to the rest of the site… she found out it was because male writers were popular in those niches lmaoo

In my opinion tho, I think just using your imagination is like best thing. Experimenting with toys and a partner makes it more interesting and spices things up, but bringing in a dependence on media to get off by yourself is probably always gonna have downsides. Like no matter what, it’s going to get boring over time and you’ll need something stronger to have an effect. Plus seeing what you imagine will probably reveal stuff about yourself that you never would’ve noticed while being distracted and numbed by media consumption. Idk tho lol, human sexuality is weird

[tomurasghoul]

SHIGADABI MARRIAGE

includes: post-canon, fluff, a sprinkle of todoroki family angst, kurogiri and shigaraki having a father-son relationship, magne is alive, everyone is alive and happy yippee!!

-

It's been a few years since the war, and the League of Villains had inevitably split up, though they're still friends.

It may come as a surprise, but Shigaraki and Dabi have really found eachother. They've stuck together ever since the war ended. Though their relationship has been complicated in the past, they're a couple now.

'How does Touya Shigaraki sound to you?' Dabi asks.

They were sitting on the couch, both minding their own business, when the question ripped Shigaraki out of his thoughts.

'What?' He answeres dryly.

'How does Touya Shigaraki sound to you?' Dabi repeats himself.

Shigaraki was not sure what to make of this. Is this a joke he doesn't get? Is he really being proposed to right now?

'Are you proposing to me?'

'I suppose I am.'

Shigaraki had to take in what just happened. He just sat there, looking out into the distance with wide eyes while Dabi was waiting for his answer.

Before he started dating Dabi, Shigaraki had never really thought about relationships. He was always too busy being All For One's protégé to pay any mind to it; but now he was being proposed to.

Meanwhile, Dabi was getting impatient. He considered the two of them as good as married already, so why was Shigaraki so shocked? Did he not want to marry him?

He got the sudden urge to explain himself as to not look ridiculous.

'You know, I just thought... since we already live together and have been dating for a while- you don't have to of course, but, like...'

He felt even more ridiculous than before.

Shigaraki scooted closer and put his head on Dabi's shoulder.

'I would love to marry you.'

Throughout the next few days, they immediately started planning their 'wedding.' An official wedding would be out of the question for ex-villains like them, but Mr. Compress said he'd prepare a speech and act as the officiant, and Toga and Magne already claimed their spots as groomswomen.

When Shigaraki told Kurogiri about their upcoming wedding, he couldn't help but shed a tear. He was so proud to see the person he thought of as his son get married.

Dabi, however, has not been having such a great time the past few days. Of course he was happy that Shigaraki had agreed to marry him, but he couldn't help but wonder wether or not to invite his mom, Natsuo and Fuyumi to the wedding.

The entire reason as to why he wanted to take Shigaraki's last name, was because that would be the closest thing to completely cutting ties with his family he can get, but he knows that deep down, Endeavor and Shoto are the ones he really hates.

Dabi doesn't know much about healthy relationships, but he does know that he never wants to treat Shigaraki the way Endeavor treated his mom. So, he decided it was best to ask Shigaraki for his opinion on the matter, since that seemed like the most healthy and responsible thing to do.

"Tomura..." Dabi knocked on their shared bedroom's door.

"What do you wa- I mean... Yes, Touya?" Shigaraki was still trying to break the habit of snarling at people.

He was laying on the bed, not doing anything.

"Do you think I should invite some of my family to the wedding?" Dabi laid down next to him.

"Well, they're your family, but in my opinion, you should only invite people you're sure you actually want at the wedding." He hesitated for a moment. "But you probably shouldn't be asking the guy who killed his family for advice on this stuff."

They we're both quiet for a few minutes until Dabi finally spoke up.

"You know what? I won't invite them. It would only cause tension and our wedding is supposed to be a happy day. Plus, you're the only family I need."

Family. He sees him as family.

Shigaraki couldn't say anything. Instead, he just laid his head on Dabi's chest and hugged him tight.

Shigaraki is not the best with words, but with small actions like these, he still showed that he loves Dabi just as much as he loves him.

Their wedding didn't take much planning, since it would be a small event at their apartment with just the former League members attending. So, a few days later, everything was set.

Mr. Compress had finished his speech and Magne and Toga had picked out the perfect suits for the husbands-to-be and matching dresses for themselves.

As Shigaraki was getting ready, he noticed himself getting oddly nervous. It wasn't even an official wedding, but everybody was dressed nicely and was taking the whole thing very seriously.

The moment he looked in the mirror and saw himself in the navy blue suit that was picked out for him, everything felt even more real.

He sat down on the bed and tried to calm himself down without scratching his neck.

What he didn't know, was that whatever was happening outside the door, was what he really should be worried about.

Dabi was nowhere to be found.

The wedding was supposed to start in half an hour, and Dabi was gone.

"Quick! Somebody go stall Tomura!" Toga said while they all frantically tried to call Dabi.

Mr. Compress carefully opened the door to the bedroom.

"Oh, dear! You almost made me faint!" He said while dramatically pretending to faint. "You look magnificent!

Tomura ignored his antics and looked at the clock.

"What's the hold up, Atsuhiro?"

Mr. Compress still desperately tried to distract Shigaraki while Dabi was still nowhere to be seen.

In the meantime, Dabi had realized that he forgot to pick up the wedding gift he got for Shigaraki, so he quickly went out to go get it.

He just didn't think about the fact that the others might get worried.

When he came back, Toga punched him in the stomach for making everyone worry and for almost being late to his own wedding.

The only thing they had to do now, was wait for Shigaraki to come out.

Everybody got to their places and Mr. Compress was ready to give his speech.

Kurogiri went into the bedroom room to tell Shigaraki it's time to start, when he saw him struggling to tie his tie.

He looked kind of embarassed when Kurogiri saw him struggling with such a simple task.

"It's okay, Tomura." Kurogiri said as he helped him fix his tie.

He was actually happy that his help was still needed sometimes.

When Shigaraki finally walked "down the aisle", Dabi was is awe. He was only walking from the bedroom door to the living room, but the fact that that was his soon-to-be husband made it much more special.

When Shigaraki had taken his spot across from Dabi at the makeshift altar, Mr. Compress bagan his speech.

He was talking with lots of emotion in his voice and theatrical hand gestures, but Shigaraki and Dabi barely heard a word he said. They were both just staring at eachother, checking eachother out in their matching suits.

Even though they were wearing the exact same thing, they both thought the other looked much better in it.

After 15 minutes, Mr. Compress finally said the words they were both waiting to hear.

"You may now kiss the groom."

They didn't hesitate for a second and immediately slammed their lips together in a passionate kiss, not even caring that everyone was watching.

Toga and Magne giggled and squeeled excitedly. Kurogiri cried.

The newlyweds finally let go of eachother, and Dabi felt it was time to bring out the wedding gift.

"We may not have enough money for expensive rings, but I atleast wanted to give you something."

When Shigaraki opened the box, a puppy jumped out. A Corgi.

Even though he can control his quirk now, he still put his hands up as to not touch the dog.

"How long was it in the box for?" He asked concernedly.

"Relax. He was only in there for a little bit."

Dabi noticed that Shigaraki was on the verge of tears when looking at the dog.

"Wow, you care more about the dog than me? You never cry when you see me."

"Don't worry. I wouldn't trade you for the world."

Shigaraki and Dabi may not exactly be your typical picket fence family, but they had exactly what they wanted. Eachother.

[hopingforbrain]

Yes! He thought hysterically, trying not to lose his head. Zewu-jun is spouting nonsense!! 

Sure, Lan Xichen had come to Yiling a few months ago. But that was about the only thing that was true. Recovering from the taxing effort of destroying the Yinhufu? That was breakfast for Wei Wuxian. What he had been doing was recultivating his core from scratch, eating well every day, maintaining some sort of healthy sleep schedule, and begging A-Yuan to play with him so that he wouldn’t die of boredom when he wasn’t meditating. 

And Lan Xichen somehow glimpsing his bare skin? Sorry, what? Did all these people actually think that Wei Wuxian was shameless enough to taint Zewu-jun’s eyes like that??

“As I thought.” Nie Mingjue rumbled, settling back into his seat. “Jin Zixun, if you want to live, focus your efforts in the right places. Xiao Xingchen, present your evidence. Let us get on with it.” 

~

surprise!! who knew that killing lwj off during sunshot could change so many things!!

wei wuxian trips over a kid (criminal) on his way out of seclusion - xiao xingchen and wen ning are both precious - lan xichen being the best gege to a guy who isn't even related to him - aaaand shufu needs blood pressure medicine stat :>

plus, a sprinkle of angst at the end, as a treat <3

[natalchartnurtures]

Mercury isn't THE planet of the mind, fight me.

Let me slap some hard facts on the table right now – Mercury isn't the end-all-be-all planet of the mind. Sure, it's got its hands in the communication and thinking cookie jar, but our beautiful minds are way more intricate than that. Sit back while I serve up my theory to all you sweethearts. Let's take a REAL astrological look at our minds, and trust me, it's gonna be a tad bit wild. SO—

First up, we've got the Sun. It takes center stage in our mental circus, representing the ego and the conscious part of our minds. It's like the captain of the ship, steering us through the sea of self-identity.

Now, enter the Moon – the emotional maestro. It's the maestro that conducts the symphony of our feelings, intuition, and the mysterious world of the subconscious. Plus, it might just hold the key to how our minds kick back and soak in self-care and nurture AND how our minds extend nurturing as well.

Mercury, our familiar talkative buddy on crack, is indeed the planet of communication, intellect, and all things brainy. Popular opinion, right? Verbal acrobatics, learning curves, and information processing – Mercury's got it covered.

Venus, the love goddess, usually gets all the attention for matters of the heart. But surprise, surprise – it's also throwing a killer soirée for the mind. Think pleasures of the mind, artistic flair, and an appreciation for all things beautiful up in there.

Mars, the warrior himself, brings the heat to our mental battlefield. It's the driving force behind our desires, fueling ambitions, goals, and a dash of healthy competitiveness. Having this insight gets us closer to understanding how to conquer our mental mountains or demons while we're at it :p

Jupiter, the wise old sage, expands our mental horizons. Growth, wisdom, and a sprinkle of philosophical pondering – that's Jupiter's gift to our minds. It represents our minds' more abstract tendencies.

Saturn, the taskmaster, brings structure and discipline to the mental party. Lessons, challenges, and the slow dance of developing a mature and organized mindset – thanks, Daddy Saturn, for keeping us in check tehe T-T

Uranus, the rebel with a cause, is the origin for innovation and originality in our minds. It's all about breaking free from the mental chains, embracing unconventional thinking, if it suits your style, and giving tradition the finger, wink wink, ahem, in the name of the greater good, of course.

Neptune, the dreamweaver, is all about the realms of dreams, imagination, and intuition. It's the mind's connection to the divine and the mind's exploration into creativity, spirituality, and a deeper dive into the subconscious – the mystical side of our subconscious rather than our emotional patterns and memories as represented by the Moon.

Last but not least, Pluto – the transformer. The dude represents profound changes, self-discovery, and the uncovering of hidden corners in the psyche. Say hello to the ultimate mind makeover!

So, there you have it – a TRUE map to our minds, each planet brings its own flavor to the delicious feast we had cooking here.

Looking at all your placements would give you a more accurate description of your mind works as a whole. As an enitity- which it is.

Our minds are like the universe itself – vast, complex, and endlessly fascinating.

Have a good week people and keep getting bamboozled by the skies :]

[chairwritexv]

oopsiedee, here’s part three!

part one | part two | ->part three <-

“YOURE FOX?!?!!” mikey leapt in your face, his eyes wide.

“uhh, y-yea-“ you laughed nervously, your eyes looking past mikey’s shocked face towards april and leo.

leo’s face was one of pure shock and surprise, and april’s was one of shock and confusion.

“OHMIGOSH!!!!! I CANT BELIEVE I KNOW FOX-“ mikey shrieked, practically bursting your eardrums.

“y-yep-“

april’s face suddenly appeared in yours, pushing mikey out of the way.

“YOU’RE FOX AND YOU DIDN’T TELL US?!?!??”

“w-well-“

leo was still staring at you with a shocked face before finally snapping out of it and pushing april out of the way, grabbing you by the shoulders.

“OHMIGOSH!! YOURE FOX?!? MY BEST FRIEND IS FOX?!?? THIS IS DIABLOS AMAZING!!!”

he lifted you up and spun you around, much to your surprise, causing you to blush slightly. he set you down, turning to april as you tried to regain your balance.

“THIS IS AWESOME!!!”

“I KNOW RIGHT?!?!!”

you rubbed your head, starting to get overwhelmed.

“i, uh- i think i’m gonna go change, i’ll see you three back at the lair-“ you said, nervously waving and putting on a fake smile before going back to your room, leaving a few very confused bandmates behind.

……………

you stood at the entrance of the lair, staring at the sewer cover.

last night’s events had gone better than expected, but you were still dreading the aftermath.

it was all replaying in your mind, specifically the part when leo had lifted you up.

you knew why you kept thinking about it, but you decided to deny it. how healthy.

you sighed and lifted up the sewer cover, dropping into the lair below.

……………

your feet hit the concrete floor with a thump. the turtles were no where to be seen, so you decided to sit on the couch.

maybe leo and mikey wouldn’t talk to you about it.

but that was just wishful thinking.

you heard the familiar slap of mutant-feet on the concrete, and the voice you dreaded to hear. ironic, considering you usually looked forward to hearing it.

“yoo, hola, Y/N~”

leo leapt over the back of the couch and sat next to you.

“sooo, about last night-“

“oh, yea, about that- look, i’d really appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone.”

leo blinked, surprised.

“i mean- yea, sure, hermosa.”

you looked away, trying to ignore the blush crawling up your face.

“just one question, though~”

you looked back at him. “hm-?”

“…why’d you hide it from me- us?”

you sighed.

“i’m sorry. it’s just- i didn’t want to get overwhelmed and stuff, plus i was kinda embarrassed about it-“ you chuckled dryly with a bit of nervousness sprinkled in.

leo’s face changed, though you couldn’t pinpoint the exact emotion he was showing.

he unexpectedly grabbed your face, making you blush.

“what?? how could you be EMBARRASSED about that?! you’re an amazing singer and songwriter, and completely badass! there’s nothing to be embarrassed about, hermosa-!”

you stared at him for a moment, the blush crawling up your face from leo’s compliments and the small gap between your faces.

“heh, t-thanks-“

leo finally realized how small the gap was, glancing at your lips once before letting your face go and putting some space between the two of you.

“yea, ‘c-course-“

he rubbed the back of his neck nervously, looking away from you but stealing a glance.

you stared at your lap, trying to stop the blush on your face from growing.

leo smiled at you, the blush on his face growing as he looked downwards.

“so, uh, wanna get some pizza-?” he asked, tilting his head at you.

“y-yea, sure.” you looked up, smiling at him.

your smile made leo’s heart flutter, his already heavy blush growing by the second.

he stood up, holding his hand out for you to take.

“let’s go then, querida~”

whoo, finally finished it! hope y’all enjoyed!

[betteryourx]

Day 12: How to Use Spices to Make Healthy Meals Tasty 🌟

Say goodbye to bland meals and hello to flavor-packed, healthy dishes! Spices are the secret weapon to elevate your meals without adding extra calories. Here’s a simple guide to making your healthy meals irresistibly tasty:

✨ 1. Start with Turmeric: This golden spice not only adds a vibrant color but is also packed with anti-inflammatory benefits. Add it to soups, rice, or roasted veggies for a warm, earthy flavor.

✨ 2. Turn Up the Heat with Chili Powder: Whether you’re making a stir-fry, marinade, or roasted potatoes, a dash of chili powder can bring the perfect amount of spice and smoky undertones.

✨ 3. Sweeten with Cinnamon: A sprinkle of cinnamon on oatmeal, yogurt, or baked fruits can satisfy your sweet tooth while keeping sugar in check. Plus, it’s known to help regulate blood sugar levels!

✨ 4. Experiment with Mixes: Try creating your own spice blends or use pre-made ones like Italian seasoning or garam masala to add depth to your dishes.

At Better You Rx, we believe in making your health journey both effective and enjoyable. Just like we deliver prescriptions and medications right to your doorstep, we’re here to deliver helpful tips to make healthy living easier.

🍴 Ready to spice things up? Share your favorite spice combos in the comments below and inspire others to try something new! 💬

👉 Visit our website to learn more about how Better You Rx can help simplify your wellness routine.