#putting them in the middle of a hot desert is not the way to do that

[iam-the-wild]

AI images have such an uncanny feeling to it that I can't explain. There's nothing truly off with most of the images, they can look pretty fine and normal at times but there's still that feeling of it being off. It's like a whole body feeling to be alert because something's wrong, regardless of the context of the images. I have never had the experience of uncanny valley feeling before AI

[ellieslittlewh0re]

ִ ⋆｡ °✩ ❝ 𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐏𝐈𝐄 𝐋♡𝐕𝐄 ❞ ✩°｡⋆

(𝒘𝒌) 5k

〚𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒〛 ✰ rockerstar! ellie x groupie! reader ✰

〚𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒〛 ellie williams. her name was everywhere- the underground music’s next breakout star, and for a good reason too- a honeyed voice mixed with gravel, her passion, energy, the fact she was everything rock and roll should be. also, let’s not forget the sex appeal.

〚𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐒〛 sex, love, drugs, and rock and roll. !!TW!! for descriptions of drug usage ( c0cain, L$D) fingering (r! receiving), oral (r! receiving), strap on usage (r! receiving) overstim kinda, dom e!, sub r!

It started with a video- a grainy, shity quality one at that, but still a video. She was center stage of some grungy bar from the looks of it, spotlights illuminating her face enough to see stands of her hair sticking to her forehead with sweat, and a chipped cherry red electric guitar hanging from her shoulder. She was magnetic, hypnotizing- not just with her performance, but her looks as well.

From that day on, you just had the desire to get closer to her in any way you could.

-

It had been two months since you started following her band while they toured across the West Coast. You had been to every show, seen every performance, and Ellie was starting to catch on.

The first time she saw you, you immediately caught Ellie's attention- I mean, how could you not? You were by far the hottest girl in the venue that night, swinging your hips so effortlessly it put the rest of the girls to shame. Ellie remembers that night vividly because she was so pissed she couldn't find you after the show to bring you back to her shitty motel room and have her way with you. But Ellie quickly forgot about you when the company of two other girls took your place that night, along with a few too many hits of whatever her drug of choice was during that time.

So, that's how you ended up here- at a run down gas station bathroom touching up your makeup in the middle of the fucking desert, and a van full of strangers that you were currently hitching a ride with waiting outside at the pumps.

And Ellie? Well, Ellie was doing what she always does before a show- drugs, and lots of them, whether it was molly, coke, weed, tabs, or maybe even a deadly concoction of all the above, she didn't care as long as it made her feel alive- claiming it made her perform better or something, but really she just liked being fucked up while fucking girls after the show.

While Ellie was living this "glamorous" rockstar lifestyle, you were on the complete opposite end- quitting your day job to follow some girl around who doesn't even know your name and catching rides from people who definitely look like they have seen the inside of a prison cell- AKA, you were a groupie.

The air was hot, stale. A thin layer of orangy, rust-colored sand coated the windows and the van's gaudy upholstery. The landscape outside flashed like an old fashioned reel movie, cacti, shrubs, Joshua trees, and repeat.

It was desolate, and if the road and occasional mile marker wasn't there to remind you, you would've thought you were on a different planet.

"Your stop is next, daisy." The man with a handle bar mustache yelled from the drivers seat, meeting your eyes in the review mirror.

Daisy. A nickname given to you by the group when they first picked you up further up north. You had a daisy tucked behind your ear, and from then on, you were daisy.

-

It was dark by the time you arrived at the venue, venue isn't really how you would describe it. It was more like a diner turned bar turned into whatever the fuck it was currently. You waved your goodbyes to the the group of not-so-strange strangers, all of them bidding you 'farewells' and 'good lucks' before you watched the red tails fade into the pitch dark of the desert.

For once, you were early. Turns out a bunch of traveling hippies and outcasts aren't on a timed schedule, who knew?

Even though you were early, the dirt patch of a parking lot was packed, cars in various stages of deterioration lining the sides of the building, and people gathering outside to avoid the cramped interior. But you weren't here to socialize or drink and get high- you just wanted to see her, dance to the strum of her guitar, and let her voice consume and overtake you.

It was 40-ish minutes past midnight, meaning Ellie and her band were late, but that's not a surprise. She had a bad habit of keeping the people waiting, but she was a busy girl- hanging out backstage or at a hotel, a room full of girls for her to pick from, and no shortage of drugs and alcohol. But tonight, she went a little too overboard. Her band mates were practically carrying her across the motel parking lot to their van, trying to get her to sober up on the way to the venue with water and motivational speeches that mostly consisted of "get your fucking shit together".

The short 30 minute drive to the venue was barely long enough to get Ellie back in the right state of mind. She was slightly unsteady on her feet, and her speech was a little slurred, but she's used to preforming under these conditions.

You waited patiently of course, babying a strong cocktail mix since you didn't dare get drunk and risk not remembering every detail of the night- every detail of her.

When the crowd shifted their attention to the back entrance of the building, silent murmurs at first before a load cheer erupting was when you knew, she was here, and she looked like heaven- a black tank top that was torn near the neckline, a studded belt loosely securing a pair of baggy, black patchwork cargo pants.

The crowd parted a pathway for her as she made her way through the room with her bandmates following behind, a cigarette tucked between her lips as she'd occasionally stop to sign whatever was thrown at her- a piece of paper, cash, a pair of tits- which she'd always happily comply, but if she saw a girl she liked, she would lick her pointer finger and index, smearing part of her signature on their cleavage while the marker was still wet to subtly let you know that she wanted your company for the night- at least, that's the rumor you've heard.

You found yourself holding your breath- she was so close, a mere body or two keeping you at arm's length from her. You could smell the cigarette smoke, and see the details of her chipped black nail polish holding the marker between her fingers.

Ellie hands the notebook and marker back into the wave of hands, looking up while blowing out a cloud of smoke, and that's when she sees you. She was about to walk off, but she stopped for a second. You don't look like you belong- you were different, sweet, and innocent-looking compared to the rest of the audience. But she doesn't let her eyes linger long, she has a show to put on after all.

She turned, and walked towards the stage stairs, and centered herself behind the mic. She shifted her weight on her feet, and took one last drag of the cigarette before suffocating the embers on a ashtray near the edge of the stage.

"How's everyone doing tonight?" She barely could make out before the crowds hollering drowned out her voice. She laughed into the mic while plugging a cord into her guitar that was connected to a beefy looking amp.

Her ego was at its biggest right now- just her mere appearance could make a group of strangers act like dogs, and she fucking loved it.

She played a few cords on the guitar, ensuring the tune was where she wanted it before looking back up into the crowd, "c'mon, you can do better than that." And even though her mouth was covered by the mic, you could tell she was smirking.

The crowd cheered louder, fists clenched high above the sea of heads, and chanted her name over and over exactly how she wanted them to.

And for you? Well, you were also chanting her name, maybe not as loud, but you were too busy squeezing your way through to get to the front.

She needed to be able to see you.

And she did see you- you were front row, playfully singing and dancing along, your bright, twinkling eyes boring into every little thing she did- from the way she'd run her hand through the front of her hairline, ridding her face of the baby hairs and bangs, down to the way her fingers curled over the frets of her guitar. She made sure to look elsewhere into the crowd, interacting with everyone, but her eyes always found themselves back on you.

-

Ellie closed out the show with an encore, most of the crowd was overly intoxicated at this point, stumbling, and starting meaningless fights with whoever was closest- aka the usual time you'd leave, but you couldn't, at least, not when Ellie was walking towards you, her eyes set on you. You glanced to your right then your left- confused, and definitely was searching for an explanation as to why she was getting closer. Surely, it was someone else who caught her attention, but it was only you nearby.

You take a step back from the stage as the tips of her dirty converse near the edge. She bends down at the knees before sitting all together, dangling her legs over the edge. She doesn't say anything, and you didn't either, maybe from intimidation mixed with confusion as to why she chose to sit here out of all places.

She reaches her tattooed arm behind, shifting her weight to pull out a pack of cigarettes, and offering the carton to you, but you shyly decline. She smirked, a dimple deepening on the one side of her cheek, "So-" She said, her voice momentarily muffled by the cigarette between her lips, "-you don't look like you're from here, where'd you come from, baby?" She ignited the end with a metal lighter, holding a free hand up to cover the flame which only amplified the warm glow of the flame on her face.

You chuckled a nervous laugh, looking down at your fingers as she blew out a puff of smoke, "M' not. I'm from up north. " Your voice trembled, leaking with submission and uncertainty which only fascinated her more, but also she was frustrated- most girls wouldn't need a conversation to know what Ellie wanted from them, and you weren't looking at her.

She grabs your hand, and pulls you closer to the space between her knees. A sharp breath gets caught in your throat as she does this, your cheeks hot, and your gut feels like it's jumping being this close to her- enough to smell the fumes of her cologne mixed with ash. You watch her fingers come up and hover over your chest, her fingers gently dancing along the skin of your clavicle to examine the charm of your necklace, but really it was just a flirtation tactic to her.

"What's a girl like you doing in the desert in the middle of the night, huh?" She asked, dropping her voice down to an almost whisper- raspy, and thick with suggestion. You shake your head side to side, a nervous tick of yours when you felt uncomfortable, but being uncomfortable isn't always a bad thing.

"I uh-" you paused, mentally wavering if you should tell the truth since it does seem a little pathetic. "-I wanted to see you play."

Ellie's eyebrows raise, her bottom lip puckering into a frown with a slight nod. "Is that so?" She hummed, rolling the edges of the charm between her fingers. Ellie was certain she had seen you before. It wasn't a trick of the light or getting your face confused with some other hot chick- you were unmistakable. But she didn't want you to know that she found you out, not yet, not now.

Ellie learned in further, your knees almost buckling out from under you, feeling her breath against your lips. She played it off like she was getting a closer look at your necklace, extending the religious symbolic charm out so the chain tugged on your neck. "Do you believe?" She asked, still looking at the damn necklace, furrowing her brows like she was in a deep philosophical thought.

You swallowed dryly, wishing you still had your drink from easier, "N-not really-" you stuttered, "it was a gift from when I was younger."

Ellie chuckled, but it wasn't lighthearted or sweet- it was dark, methodical, and a tad bit sadistic.

She released the charm from her fingers, letting it hit your bare chest with a muted thud before looking up. Her eyes were a darker shade than you remembered them being- irises blown out and framed beautifully by a thick band of dark eyelashes.

Her hand reached out and gently grabbed you by the wrist before yanking you closer so your tummy was flush with the side of the stage, leaving only a few inches between your tits and the denim of her crotch.

You inhaled a sharp, breathy yelp as she did this, your hands not knowing what to do or where to divert your eyes- her hands on you, her face so close to yours that you could count the freckles on her cheeks, even the ones that are faint enough to miss- or maybe how her thighs were drifting apart, and you were in between them.

Her hand comes up, which causes you to squeeze your eyes shut, but the wrinkles around your eyes relax as you feel her hand on your face and her lips on yours. You moaned instantly at the contact, resting your hand on her thigh where it felt most comfortable. Ellie took this opportunity to slip her tongue inside, using the muscle to work against yours. Her hand snakes down your side, squeezing the soft flesh of your hip before pulling away, leaving you breathless, and hazy.

Her eyes were intense looking into yours, her lips wet and craving a deeper satisfaction.

She only said one thing, a simple sentence that would separate you from being just some regular fan,

"Come with me tonight, and I'll show you something worth believing."

-

So that's how your night shifted- how one decision to follow some band across the state had finally paid off because now you were here- a hotel room, alone with the band's most valuable member snorting lines of a white powdery substance off of a mirror topped end table.

Ellie held the rolled 20 between her fingers, putting the end of it to her nose while the index on her other closed the opposing nostril shut. She dragged the end of the cylinder across the smuggled surface, inhaling deeply until the white line disappeared behind it.

"Fuuck-" She sighed, throwing her head back, and swipes the bottom of her nose with her thumb,

"Here-" She held out the rolled 20 for you to take, but you lean away,

"I don't do that stuff."

She looks at you curiously, a furrow between her brows that suggests she found your refusal even more entertaining.

Ellie leaned forward and turned her body to face you on the edge of the dusty duvet, "What-" She scoffed, "'think you're too good for it?"

You shook your head violently, indicating a 'no', "No- no, that's not what I meant-"

Ellie laughed, causing you to stop mid-sentence, "I'm just fucking with you, doll. I should've known." She smiles, and you return the smile in relief that you didn't actually offend her.

Your eyes divert to the wallpapered walls- a faint pattern of stripes with cream-colored baseboards, a warm yellowed lamp on the bedside being the only source of light in the room to contrast the night outside.

You felt her hand creep up your thigh, tempting the skin below the hem of your dress before it disappeared underneath the fabric altogether. She leaned in, her other hand on your face to encourage you closer, whispering a "so soft" in a raspy breath before connecting your lips with hers.

It started slow- her lips overlapping yours like a soft current on a still morning before it turned into a ranging one during a windy cast. You moaned into her- soft and delicate mews between each detachment, and it fueled her.

Ellie's body overpowered yours, using her strength to her advantage. But it's not like she needed it- you were putty in her hands, fully committing yourself to her, letting her push you into your back, and her body hovering on top of yours.

You squirmed beneath her- each bump, and drag of her knee between your legs left you feeling more desperate.

"Ellie-" you broke the kiss in a breathless euphoria, looking up at her with a needy expression. Ellie knew that face well- it's not like she had all this experience and didn't know what to do with it, so- she got up, leaving you alone on the bed, and walked over to a black duffle bag decorated with pins of miscellaneous logos and bands.

She riffled through it, pulling a small clear plastic bag out before joining you back on the bed.

She opened the baggie, pulling something out no bigger than the size of a postage stamp, and tearing it into smaller halves before looking up,

"Do you trust me?" She asked, her green eyes piercing into yours, causing a wet sensation to spill from the heat between your legs. You swallowed, not really sure what you were agreeing to, but you nodded anyway, "Yes, Ellie... I trust you."

She placed the colorfully decorated paper on her tongue and held the sides of your face, kissing you and slipping her tongue inside, transferring whatever it was into your mouth before pulling away. "Swallow." She demanded, tilting your face up by your chin, and you did it without hesitation- straining the walls of your throat as the mystery stamp slid downwards.

She smirked, and swiped her thumb over your bottom lip, "good girl."

She followed it up by doing the same, placing the tab on her tongue and swallowing, but she made it seem so much more intentional like a ritual of some sorts.

Ellie leaned away from you in the bed to rest her back against the headboard and pillows, "C'mere" she said nonchalantly, patting her thighs.

With shaky knees, you did as you were told and crawled your way up her legs until you were straddling her waist.

Her hands come up to rest on your hips, her thumbs tracing circles through the flimsy fabric of your dress, "so obedient" she said lightly, almost under her breath to herself and not at you directly. 

Her hands started to wander- first on your hips, then down to your thighs, gliding them up to the plush beneath your skirt. You felt her fingertip squeeze and caress, sending chills up your spine and a hot/cold sensation throughout your body.

Next, her lips were on yours, and her fingers were tightening the follicles on the back of your scalp as the kisses became more intense. Your back instinctively arches, and you reach a hand between your legs to soothe the ache, but she stops you with a firm grip on your wrist, "Gettin' impatient, huh?" She said in a cocky tone, smirking against your lips. You whimpered- nodding your head, and grabbed her hand, inching it closer to your core.

Ellie chucked at this- the kind of chuckle that was half way a scoff, and half way felt like an insult.

"Damn- you need me to fill you up that bad? 'thought you were one of them good girls."

She tisked her tongue against her teeth, but still let you guid her hand where you needed her.

The back of her knuckles grazed between the pillowy folds over your panties, going agonizingly slow before turning her hand over to fully palm your cunt.

You melt on top of her, resting your head against her shoulder, all the while dragging your hips against her hand.

She turns her head, her warm breath fanning against the helix of your ear, "You're so wet and I've barely touched you."

Her words echoed throughout your brain like her voice waves were sending signals to every part of your body. And her touch was magnified- each cell, fiber, and pore was experiencing a new sense of heightened, whether it be because of the drugs or not, you couldn't be sure.

"El-Ellie, please... need you."

Your words rang a siren song to Ellie's ears, creating a sticky pool between her own legs. She muttered a guttural "fuck" before she grabs you by the sides of your thighs, flipping you over so she was on top of you.

She was already yanking down your underwear, and tossing them to the side before you could comprehend what was happening. You felt her fingers stinging to the flesh of your thighs, prying them apart like she couldn't wait to see you, to taste you.

You sucked in a sharp breath as her tongue lightly traced a line down your folds before her lips met your clit where she pulsated the bud between her lips, letting out a moan as she made contact, "fuuck-" She curses before flicking her tongue over your bundle of nerves, igniting a colorful array of shapes behind your tightly closed eyes.

She was messy but precise- using her tongue along with the motion of her head to send you that much further. Your fingers tangled in her hair, tugging harder the closer you got which was the perfect time in Ellie's eyes to add a finger.

She slowly pushed her middle finger inside, stopping halfway at her knuckle to let you adjust before slamming it all the way till her knuckles were snug against your puffy lips.

You wriggled beneath her, reaching out to push her away with a palm to her shoulder, but that only makes her add a second finger.

You cry out loudly through heavy breaths, the veins on her forearm coming to the surface of her skin from how much force she was using, and her mouth putting in just as much work.

You were climbing higher and higher, the peripheral of your vision going white-

"Ellie... I'm- I'm gonna-" You don't have much time to warn her before your body starts to spaz, starting at your hips and up into your chest like volts of electricity through a highly active current.

Your knees close around her head, your back arching high off the mattress, and your eyes rolling into the back of your head. She slows her pace as you come down before pulling her fingers out and lifting her head.

With your eyes closed, and an arm draped over your face, you feel her pat the inside of your thigh before her weight leaves the bed.

She comes back a couple of minutes later, only opening your eyes when you feel her weight return to the mattress.

Your eyes go wide as you take notice of the new attachment- a black, strappy harness with buckles near her hips, and a crude shaped silicone cock bulging at her crotch.

She lowers herself over you, her hands on each side of your head before she leans down to kiss you, slipping her tongue inside. She pulled back, momentarily admiring the way you looked just from something as simple as oral and some fingering- glossy eyes, puffy lips smeared with her spit, and if she looked down- how your inner thighs glistened.

Her lips trial from yours, staring at your neck, then your chest, and finally your tits which Ellie had absolutely no problem with pulling the straps down to expose them, leaving the fabric bunched around your stomach. In her eyes, everything she wanted- no, needed was accessible this way.

Ellie looks up, placing a delicate kiss on the skin of your lower stomach, "Got one more fr' me, pretty girl?" She asked softly, tenderly, but it still managed to come off more intimidating than a question should sound.

You nodded shyly, a small whine emitting from the back of your throat, looking down at her with your breasts out for her viewing, grabbing pleasure, and your legs spread wide, ready to take her.

She lifted her upper half up, slim fingers holding the base of her cock, and lined the artificial tip with your entrance. She glided the tip up your folds, coating it with your slick, and let out a sultry exhale since she could practically see your walls clenching around nothing in preparation for her.

She teased you for a bit- only giving you a couple of inches before backing away and repeating, each time causing you to whine harder and harder out of frustration. Sure, Ellie was having her fun watching you squirm, grab for her, and fuck- how your hole gapped each time she pulled out, a clear, viscous fluid leaking from it, but she was growing just as impatient- feeling your legs wrap around her waist, pulling her closer, pleading variations of her name and "please" and who is she to deny you when you ask so nicely?

She thrusts her hips forward until her crotch was flesh with your ass, your legs in the air, and her hands pushing on the back of your thighs.

"Is this what you wanted, huh?" She gritted, pulling her hips back only to snap them forward again.

You cried out loudly, curling your fingers around the bedsheets until the blood stopped circulating, turning the skin there a lighter shade than the rest of you.

She pushed harder on the back of your thighs- your knees pressed up against your chest, and using what you can imagine is all of her strength to thrust into you. She was reaching the deepest part of your cervix- grunting and moaning on Ellie's end while you mewled high-pitched noises mixed with the wet slapping of her cock repeatedly slamming into you.

Ellie's eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly upward, and her lips parted as insufficient, short breaths seep from them. Her hips started to falter from the endless abuse her clit was suffering behind the base of her strap, her boxers now a sticky, cold mess that stuck to her cunt and thighs.

She collapses on top of you, snugging herself between your legs to connect her lips to yours in a desperate effort, overpowering all your senses with her. She continues to fill you over and over again, both of you moaning in between breathless lips.

You wrapped her arms around her as her head hung low into your neck, digging your nails into the skin of her shoulder blades.

"El... mmhm- I'm gonna-" You babbled before biting your lip to silence the cry that was bubbling in the back of your throat, and Ellie wasn't far behind.

The pistoning motions of her hips turned into a grinding one- keeping a steady pace and rolling her hips forward, "M-me too- fuck... stay with me, yeah?" She said in between soft pants, the warmth of her breath brushing against your lips as her hand came up to gently but firmly wrap around your neck.

Ellie's head goes fuzzy as you looked up at her with your half-hooded gaze and your perfectly rosette lips that are just begging to be wrapped around something, so- she released the hold she had on your neck and brought her two fingers that were previously inside of you to your mouth.

She didn't even have to say anything for you to part your lips wider, slipping her fingers inside and rolling them over your tongue.

You moan, closing your lips around her as her fingers reach further back, causing tears to fall from the corner of your eyes.

"That's it-" She coaxed, her eyes focused on the split trailing down your chin,"-such a good girl."

She motioned her fingers in and out in a vulgar manner, bitting her bottom lip before pulling her fingers out all together to fist the bed sheets beside her.

"Fuckfuckfuck-oh my god-" She grunted incoherently, dropping her head to space between your neck and shoulder. Her forehead glistened with proof of her efforts as she rushed the pace to ease the itch between her legs.

You tightened your legs around her waist, pretty little noises falling on Ellie's ears as you both peak.

She rolls her hips- making it slow and deep until your voice grows tired and quiet before pushing her upper half away from you.

You wince at her absence, feeling your walls retract back to its original shape like the sand inside of an hourglass.

She plopped down beside you with an exaggerated sigh of exhaustion, pulling up the bottom of her tank top to wipe the slick/sweat mixture from her chin and nose, giving you a few seconds to admire her hardened stomach and prominent 'v' which lead your eyes down to the fake dick still standing high between her thighs.

She catches you looking, the corner of her lips tugging into a smirk as she lets out a low chuckle.

You meet her eyes, realizing you have been caught, which causes you to look away quickly, but her hand grabs yours.

"Gettin' shy on me now after all that?" She said, pulling at your hand to silently instruct you to get on top of her, so you did.

Her hands rub up and down your thighs, and her bottom lip snug between her teeth. She eyes your body, starting from your tits down to her cock that is resting against your lower stomach.

"Wanna do me a favor?" She asked, palming the fat of your thigh that spilled over the heels of your feet. You hummed at her- a sweet, genuine hum that was full of eagerness to assist her, which almost made Ellie feel bad for what she was about to say- key word almost.

"Put that pretty little mouth of yours to use and clean me up."

[babygirl-riley]

Daddy’s Gonna Buy You a Mockingbird

When coming home Simon hears his daughter start to fuss.

Warnings: angst, mentions of childhood trauma, fluff, swearing, Dad!Simon

simon x reader guide

simon x reader family edition

Simon was fucking tired, the mission was long and difficult. It took them 4 months to plan the fucker just for the target to know their every move. He lost lots of men and women those nights, they had to camp somewhere in the middle of the desert cause transportation got fucked.

He unlocked the door of his home and walked in. Immediately he heard the whimpering. Simon heard you trying to lullaby both of your toddler. Simon was told that she has been sick for almost 4 days. It was teething that led to two ear infections. His poor angel was getting her ass jumped left and right with them infections.

He took his mask and boots off leaving them on the shelf near the door. He locked the door as he made his way through the hallway. When getting closer he heard you sniffling. “I don’t know what to do baby girl,” The toddler cried harder as you cried with her. “I am sorry. What do you need baby?”

Simon tapped the door making you jump. At first you thought you were going to fight but then relief came through. “Simon,” You started to sob. “Just take a shower and I will be there in minute.”

“I can take her.” He said walking fully in.

“No,” You wiped your tears quickly before shaking your head. “It’s fine you just got home. Please just take a shower love.”

Simon nodded, he didn’t want to but he could tell if he didn’t you would burst. He saw the dark circles under your eyes, how red your eyes were. You haven’t gotten any sleep. That tugged at his best strings, you have been dealing with this all by yourself so he wants to be able to help you.

Simon quickly got into the shower, washing all the paint, blood, sweat, and dirt from him. He waited for a moment before turning the faucet off and get out. He heard your sobs once more as he wrapped the towel around himself. Opening the door that showed you laying on your side curled up. Simon walked up to you and sat next to your body. He placed a hand on your hip rubbing circles.

“Not the best welcome home,” You sighed turning to face him. “Im sorry.”

“For what love? Taking care of our child? Don’t ever apologize for that.” He reassured, basically whispering.

“Just me crying and Im so fucking tried. She doesn’t sleep nothing longer than maybe 5 minutes before she is screaming. And I wanted to give you a warmer welcome and instead buzzed you off and…”

“Thats enough sweethear’ it has been a long week for you,” He got up to grab sweatpants and went around to his side to pull the blankets up and over him. You watched as he laid and scooted closer to you wrapping his arm around you. “Come ‘ere, get some sleep my dove.”

He doesn’t remember when you fell asleep or even him. Simon heard the soft whimpers start, you didn’t move and he was glad that you didn’t. He was also very happy that you moved out of his grasp while in your sleep. Simon carefully and quietly headed out of the room. Rubbing his tired eyes as he made it to his daughter’s room.

When he approached the room there she was. Standing up in her crib crying, once her eyes landed on his she cried harder. “Daddy.” She called a couple of times.

“Alright princess, you’re alright daddy’s here.” He said picking her up.

It took him a back of how hot she is, sweat gripping her pjs. Her crying increasing as she gripped onto his shoulder. “Shhh I know,” He said bouncing up and down. “I know baby.”

He felt her diaper and walked to the changing table, which to her was a sin. When he placed her down she screamed a bit, immediately he gently placed a palm on her chest. Putting small pressure. She stopped screaming as she still cried. His daughter loved when he did that when she wanted to be cuddled yet when he had to do certain things like this.

Because of how many times he has done this with her, he one handed did the diaper. He left her only in her diaper, get some air to her skin due to sweating and her being hot. As she still cried, he picked her up and lead out of the room walking to the kitchen. “Let’s try a warm bottle and me a tea yeah?” He said quietly, holding her close as she still cried.

While working on the bottle he rocked back and forth waiting for the teapot to heat up. He wrapped both of his arms around her holding her more close. “I’m ‘orry my birdie, teeth are arseholes. I know.”

She held around his neck placing her head down on his shoulder. Simon kept holding on until the smallest noise came from the pot. He didn’t want to wake you, he was even surprised you haven’t woke up yet. His daughter became more whimpering than crying.

He poured his mug first so the water could cool down just a bit more. Then poured water into her bottle. He made his tea before finish making her bottle. Afterward he walked to the living room and placed the tv on. Miss Rachel was her favorite to watch lately, that’s what you mentioned.

He placed her forward towards the tv as he placed his mug on the side table. Simon held her close to him as she drank her bottle. Rubbing her belly as he watched the show with her. He hated this woman, just found her annoying, you mentioned to him that it was her job to do that fake high pitch thing. To him it just made him want to mute it and never see it again.

His daughter leaned closer to him as he sipped his tea. She sniffled and hiccuped due to crying the whole time. He smoothed her thick blonde hair back, making her eyes roll. Another thing she gets from him. People massaging his scalp or play with his hair he would pass out from.

After three videos both Simon and her were laying on the couch. He had her on his chest with a blanket on both of them. “Shh I know,” He said as she started to whimper again. “Daddy is here, don’t worry. He will stay. I would do anythin’ for you not to be in this pain.”

She sucked on her binki her eyes rolling fighting sleep. Yet another thing she got from him. Fighting sleep. Simon remembered when you told him you were pregnant with her. He was terrified. Scared that he wouldn’t be good to her, that he would turn into his own father.

Simon actually left for hours from the house making you think that it was a bad idea to tell him. Until he came back in tears, first time you seen him break down. Telling you his fears and worries. You would comfort him and hold him that he has never been an ounce of his father. Never be like him.

Simon remembered when he asked for his dad to hold him. His dad told him to stop being a child, to grow up. Or even watch him cry in pain and laugh at the fact he was crying. He even remember Tommy being hit for even mentioning that his throat hurt. Telling him that is something to be crying about when he was hurt.

Because of those memories he was going on for months in his mind that he didn’t believed that, didn’t believe that he would be a good father, it wasn’t until she was born. When he held her in his big hands. He knew that this was the opportunity to not be his low life father. And yet here he was being not that, his father would have never been comforting him when he was sick. Holding him. Loving him. He was grateful to be able to be here for her. For you. To show the love and care that he wanted to.

Simon sighed as he felt her breathing slow down, falling into deep sleep. He settled more down into the couch as he closed his eyes, holding on to his princess.

You woke up with the sun beaming into the room. You groaned as you placed a hand to where Simon would have been. It was cold. You opened your eyes and frowned. Was a dream that he was home? You sighed getting up and heading to your daughter’s room. For it to be empty too.

You walked around the house figuring out where the hell was your daughter. Which when you heard Miss Rachel on the tv and two figures on the couch. It made your heart swell. You walked to around to face both your daughter clinging onto her father. Simon softly snoring and his daughter as well. You forget how similar they look.

The soft features of when they slept. Their hair. Their nose. You also noticed that she was just in her diaper and didn’t look sweaty. You inhaled deeply feeling a bit of relief. Hopefully that means that her temperature went down and back to normal.

You smiled thinking about the time where you were almost about to pop. Simon holding your tummy telling your daughter that he will protect her with every ounce of his being. Not matter where or what she is doing, he will be there. You would play with his hair as he rubbed your tummy, feeling her move every time he would place a hand on your tummy.

You grabbed both bottle and mug, walking back to the kitchen. “Definitely going to be a daddy’s girl.” You whispered, starting to make breakfast for your perfect family.

[steddieasitgoes]

Detours & Second Chances

written for @steddie-week Day 5 prompt: Reunion / Getting Back Together Rating: T | wc: 3545 | no cw Another big thank you to @sidekickjoey and @thefreakandthehair for giving this a beta read for me! Read on ao3

Steve had high hopes for this road trip. 

Just him, the twins, and the wide open roads with the promise of the beach and Disneyland on the horizon. He knew better than to plan it down to the second, especially when traveling with Mabel and Ollie, but he did hope to keep to some kind of schedule. A few nights here, a couple of nights there, a handful of free time hours carved into nearly every day so the kids could pick which tacky roadside attraction they could visit and then gloat to Aunt Robin about seeing. 

What Steve hadn’t planned for was the Winnebago going up in smoke four and a half hours from Disneyland on I-15. 

The good news is that it happened just as they entered Las Vegas, Nevada, and not thirty minutes later in the middle of the Nevada-California desert. The bad news is that it happened just as they entered Las Vegas, Nevada on a Sunday afternoon when everyone was trying to leave. 

Steve expects the drivers around him to curse and flip him off. At the very least, he imagines them shaking their heads in disapproval as they slowly inch past the smoking Winnebago broken down in the middle of the three-lane highway. And there is some of that, honking horns and judgmental gazes, enough that he has to explain to Mabel and Ollie that showing someone your middle finger is not nice and no you shouldn’t do it to each other. But there’s also a handful of Sunday travelers who take pity on him. 

Two truck drivers manage to get their rigs off onto the shoulder and then mosey their way over to see if they can help Steve identify why the RV is smoking. A woman in a mini-van full of preteens in sports jerseys offers him an entire ice chest full of snacks for Mabel and Ollie. Some good Samaritan even makes the half-mile hike to the nearest pay phone to call for a tow truck so Steve doesn’t have to leave the kids or make the track himself with them following behind him. 

Forty-five minutes later, they all climb into a yellow taxi while Winnie the Winnebago gets towed away. For a moment, he thinks he’s ruined the entire vacation, but listening to Mabel and Ollie talk about how cool it was to watch the “toe man” do his job eases the guilt. 

Unfortunately, the repair shop is nowhere near as exciting as standing in the middle of I-15 — at least, that’s what Ollie tells Steve five minutes after they’ve walked into the garage. Steve tries his best to keep everyone’s spirits up in between filing out paperwork and bargaining with the mechanic over the price of the repairs. He lets the kid raid the vending machine and spread it all out on the worn plastic chairs in the makeshift lobby like some kind of five-star buffet. It’s mainly cookies and chips, a few candy bars, and a granola bar Mabel even generously spent $1.10 on for him. 

It’s not the worst meal they’ve had on the trip — that honor goes to the gas station in Kearney, Nebraska, and the hot dogs he knew were a bad idea — but it’s definitely the least nutritious. And, in hindsight, it’s not the best idea now that Mabel and Ollie are hyped up on sugar in a small space with no central air conditioning. He gets it. He’s almost at his wit’s end, too, and he has several decades of patience over them. 

He’s hot and tired and so frustrated, he’d break down and cry if he could, but he doesn’t want to upset the kids or ruin the day more than it’s already been ruined. Instead, he puts on his brave Dad Face™, leaves his pager number with the mechanic’s receptionist, and takes the kids to explore Las Vegas. 

The city wasn’t on their list. It’s not kid-friendly, and the July heat is anything but welcoming, but thankfully, they luck out and stumble across a hybrid game and music store a few blocks away from the repair shop.

The bell above their door announces their entrance to the quiet storefront as the sweet, sweet relief of the AC hits them. Steve closes his eyes, soaking in the cool air for a moment before Mabel and Ollie are tugging on his hands, trying to drag him in different directions. 

Steve knows he should put an end to their bickering that borders on full-on sibling bullying, especially judging by the way they’ve dropped his hand in favor of pinching each other’s arms, but he gets distracted when a figure emerges from the back of the shop. 

The footsteps are uneven, which makes sense when an ornate cane enters Steve’s line of sight. He studies it, taking in the impressive woodwork and paint job — Max’s own can is pretty spectacular, but this one is a close second. Soon, his eyes drift from the cane to the hand holding it, a ring on each finger. Silver and gaudy and eerily similar to—

“Holy shit,” the voice says. “Are my eyes giving out on me too, or is Steve Harrington really standing in my shop right now?” 

Steve’s eyes shoot up to meet the man’s face — to meet Eddie’s face. It’s been years, shit, almost a decade he thinks, but Eddie looks the same. Older, sure. A few wrinkles around his eyes and a softer belly. But he’s still him. Unruly curls barely contained in a bun at the base of his neck, mischievous eyes, and a smile that makes Steve’s stomach flip in a way it hasn’t done in too long. Yup, definitely him.

“Eddie?”

Eddie laughs, throwing his head back with the same carelessness as he had at twenty years old. Only this time, when he rights himself, he has to reach a hand up to his neck to massage the ache. “Man, this is some cosmic, universe shit!” 

“At least it’s the good kind this time,” Steve jokes. 

Eddie goes for a full-on hug, Steve an awkward side one, and as a result, they end up with their bodies smushed against each other, arms pinned between each other in the world’s worst hug of all time. But it’s also the greatest, as far as Steve’s concerned. 

When they separate, Eddie gives Steve a quick once-over before shaking his head again. “So, what brings you all the way to Sin City?” 

“A family road trip.” 

“Ah, so the six nuggets and a Winnebago dream came true, then?” Eddie muses. 

“More like two nuggets, a piece of shit rental that’s in a repair shop after crapping out on me on I-15, and a co-pilot that doubles as my son’s emotional support stuffed animal,” Steve says, then smiles. “But I can’t complain.” 

“Wheeler never jumped on the Harrington Express?” 

Steve’s interrupted by Ollie running at him with a vinyl record thrust above his head. Mabel appears a moment later, holding a giant box in her arms that’s clearly too heavy for her. She passes it to Steve, who hands it over to Eddie, who has taken refuge behind the glass counter. As soon as the kids appear, they’re gone again. Steve shouts after them to stay together and not to touch anything. It goes in one ear and out the other if the loud crash that follows a moment later is anything to go off of. Steve winces and looks at Eddie apologetically. 

“I promise I’ll pay for whatever they break. They’re a little stir-crazy from being stuck at the repair shop all day.” 

Eddie doesn’t look worried about it in the slightest. In fact, Steve’s willing to bet he didn’t even hear the crash, judging by the fond look on his face. It’s a soft smile, almost bittersweet if he had to put a name to it. It looks out of place on his face — almost too earnest, which makes no sense because Eddie is the most earnest guy Steve’s ever known. 

“Eddie?” 

“Huh, what?” Eddie blinks himself back to the present. When he shakes his head, the elastic holding his hair back snaps, sending his curls cascading down to his shoulders. It’s easy now to see the hints of gray peppered into the locks that used to keep Steve up at night — occasionally still keeps him up. 

Steve gestures toward the row where Mabel and Ollie are frantically trying to restack things on the shelves. This time, Eddie snorts and meets Steve's gaze with that familiar crooked smile. 

“Don’t worry about them. S’just boxes and shit.” 

Steve nods and then grabs a pen out of the cup on the glass counter. He twirls it between his fingers, something about the rhythmic motion calming the silly nerves running wild in his body right now. 

It’s just Eddie. 

“Nance would kill you for even thinking she’s a part of this circus,” Steve says, then panics. “To answer your question from before. No misses at all actually. Or misters either,” Steve says before he chickens out. 

Eddie left before he realized that little fun fact about himself. It was ironic (and tragic), considering he’s the reason Steve even realized it to begin with. Chalk it up to cosmic, universe shit — the bad kind that time. 

“Cause that could be an option to, you know. Obviously you know, but it’s an option for me too in case you didn’t know and—“

“Woah, breathe, Steve.” 

Steve takes a slow, deep inhale. His exhale is strong enough to send a few of Eddie’s stray curls fluttering before settling back amongst the rest. “Sorry.” 

“Stop apologizing!” Eddie throws his hand across the counter, squeezing Steve’s wrist, 

It’s silly, but something about the simple touch relaxes the nervous energy that’s taken over him ever since Eddie emerged from the back. A part of Steve wants to blame the relief on the touch, but he knows better. Knows it has everything to do with finally telling Eddie about this part of him he helped him discover. 

Steve’s been out to just about everyone he cares about, and now he’s certain he’s told them all. 

“So no misses or misters,” Eddie says, before hiding his growing smile behind a curl. “What about Buckley? Is she on the great American family road trip with you?” 

“Robin refuses to get into Winnebagos after, well, you know.” 

“Can’t say I blame her for that one.” 

“It’s just me and the kids. Mabel and Ollie. They’re my kids…I mean, well, obviously, they’re mine, and anyone who says they’re not are fucking idiots, but they’re not blood mine or whatever people say.” Christ, he’s rambling again. “I adopted them. Actually, I was supposed to be their temporary foster parent. I was in my second year as a social worker, and they were two and six months old when they came in the middle of a Saturday night and we had no one on standby. They came home with me, and then they just never left.” 

Somewhere in his rambling, Eddie made himself comfortable, pillowing his chin on his hands, elbows sinking into the giant mouse pad that’s stretched out on top of the glass counter. He’s dropped the curl, his bright smile on full display, dimple, and everything when he looks at Steve now. 

“I love a good foster fail story,” he cooed. “I have a few myself. Fosters that turned into full-on adoptions. I mean not human kids, cats. And a few dogs. Even a bird. But they’re my kids, you know. I mean, not that what you did is the same thing as me or anything, but I… I’m just going to stop talking now.”

This time, it’s Steve's hand that breaks the barrier between them, reaching out to pat Eddie on the shoulder. A reassuring thing that he hopes conveys that he’s not offended. Just in case, he spells it out for him verbally too. 

“I get it. Kids mean a lot of things to different people. If you say they’re your kids, they’re your kids,” he says, smiling. “Robin has a plant, Ferguson. When she first got it she carried it around in Ollie’s baby bjorn because she needed to ‘bond’ with it.” 

Eddie laughs, this time hard enough that the case between them vibrates. “Lesbians, and their plants, man.” 

“She rescued it from her ex, who was drowning it.” 

“We’re just all patron saints of lost things, aren’t we?” 

“Guess so.” Steve smiles, then adjusts his own stance so he’s leaning against the counter. Something pops in his back, and for once, he doesn’t make an excuse. Eddie knows all about their aches and pains — the way their bodies are thirty years older than they should be, thanks to their teenage years. He runs a steady hand through his hair, hoping beyond hope that it’s not as greasy as it feels and then turns his attention to Eddie. “What about you? Game and record store sounds like a pretty sweet deal.” 

Eddie blows out air in a whoosh and reaches for another curl. “I mean, yeah, it’s pretty cool. Closest I could get to being a rockstar, I guess.” 

“Do you still play?” 

“Occasionally. There’s a dive bar a few streets over that I perform sometimes. No band, though. At least, not yet. I’m giving myself a few more years; let the gray really come in,” Eddie says, fluffing his curls. “And then I’ll join one of those mid-life crisis dad bands.” 

“Solid plan.” He fiddles with the pen again, contemplating if he should ask what he wants, too. Screw it. Who knows when he’s going to see Eddie again — if it’ll ever happen again. It’s best not to leave anything on the table. “What about a partner?” 

“Me?” Eddie asks, pointing to himself before laughing. “Nope. No partner. No lovers either, really. It’s just me and the petting zoo. And Wayne, when the old man makes the trip out to visit me.” 

Eddie being alone all these years shouldn’t make Steve happy. He should want him to be settled by now, grossly in love with someone who makes him feel special like he deserves. But Steve’s heart is a traitor, and his brain is no better, already imagining ten different ways he could change that. 

Had he known Eddie’s been in Vegas alone all this time, he would have visited a lot sooner. Hell, he would have made this their final destination — he’s sure he could find something family-friendly here for Mabel and Ollie. There’s a lake around here or some shit, right? They could have—

“Shit,” Steve says, reaching for his beeping pager. The repair shop number appears on the small screen. “Could I borrow your phone? This is the repair shop.” 

“I suppose I could make an exception on my no-customers rule,” Eddie teases. “Phones in my office, straight back there.” 

Steve nods and rounds the counter towards the backroom but stops short. The kids. He almost forgot about the kids. “Do you mind keeping an eye on them?” Steve asks, tilting his head to Mabel and Ollie who have finally picked up the mess they created. 

“Of course! Don’t worry about them. I’m great with kids.” 

“I remember.” 

___

Eddie’s office isn’t unlike his teenage bedroom Steve spent many nights in. It has his typical brand of messiness but with an added layer of professionalism. Like, there’s an honest-to-God filing cabinet in the corner, but next to it is a three-foot-tall Yoda statue.  Papers lay haphazardly on the desk beside a calculator. 

There are posters all over the walls — some Steve recognizes, some he doesn’t — and endless photographs in mismatched frames. At least three wallet-sized frames with pictures of his pets — kids — sit on the desk. There’s one of Wayne and Eddie on his graduation day on the bookshelfnbeside photos of him with Dustin and some of the other kids over the years. 

He even spots himself amongst the familiar faces — a polaroid they took one summer in Hawkins. It feels like a lifetime ago, but a part of Steve remembers what it was like to have Eddie’s arm slung around him like that with the sun beating down their faces, causing them to squint in the photo because Jonathan refused to shoot directly into the sunlight. 

Steve gives himself another second to soak in Eddie’s office, searching for any other details he can find to fill in the years he’s missed — a pride flag draped over a chair, his business license framed on the wall, packs of half-used nicotine gum instead of cartons of cigarettes. Finally, he makes it to the phone and punches in the number of the repair shop. 

___

When Steve resurfaced twenty minutes later, the neon “open” sign that flickered in the window had been shut off. Eddie’s abandoned his post behind the counter, taking up space at a table in the game section of the store. Mabel and Ollie are sitting on either side of him, listening intently with wide eyes as he moves two figures across a board toward a hoard of waiting miniature figures. 

“I leave you for twenty minutes, and you’re already corrupting them with your nerd games?” Steve teases, ruffling both Mabel and Ollie’s hair in the process. 

Eddie scoffs. “You expect me to believe Dustin hasn’t put them through D&D boot camp yet? Please.” 

“Your stories are nothing like Dustin’s,” Ollie says, voice full of awe. 

“Yeah, he always wants to skip the fun adventure stuff and get straight to the battles,” Mabel chimes in. “That's why we like it when Daddy gets to be in charge.” 

Eddie’s head swivels so fast that the irrational part of Steve’s brain fears it’s going to fly right off. “You DM for them?” 

 “I wouldn’t call it Dungeon Master-ing,” Steve says, grabbing the back of his neck. The room feels ten times hotter all of a sudden. The AC must have shut off, he reasons. There’s no other explanation for his sudden flush. Not at all. “I really just make sh— stuff up.” 

“He’s the best make-believer! You should play with us sometime. Like tonight!” 

“Mabel, Eddie’s busy running this store; he can’t just stop to play with you. And besides, we have to get going soon.” 

“They fixed Winnie?” Ollie asks, jumping up from his seat. 

Steve sighs. “Not yet. That’s why we have to leave. I need to find somewhere for us to sleep tonight that’s—

“—I have a guest room.”

Steve blinks. Is Eddie offering his place to them? His hearing may be spotty lately, but he’s never imagined entire phrases before. Which means—

“I mean if you want,” Eddie says sheepishly this time. “I have a hoard of kittens running around right now, so if you’re allergic, it might not be the best place but—“

“Kittens!” Mabel squeals before rapidly asking Eddie a hundred questions about them, but he doesn’t stand a chance of answering. 

“Can’t we stay at his house, Daddy?” 

“I really do have a spare bedroom and bathroom. Plus, a couch and a semi-stocked fridge. And I wouldn’t charge you. The hotels around here are going to sense your need and charge you an arm and a leg, trust me.”

Steve would be stupid to turn it down. A free stay in an actual house. A meal he can cook with his own two hands that don’t involve a shitty stove that gives out after a few minutes. Not to mention, a shower with actual hot water. 

Plus, it comes with the added bonus of a few more hours with Eddie. Yeah, there’s not a chance in hell he’s turning that down. Not again. 

“Alright, yeah. Let’s do it.” Mabel and Ollie shout in excitement, spinning around the table. Eddie might not have the same energy level as them to join them, but his smile says it all. 

“It’ll be just like old times.” 

“Wait! You guys know each other?”

Steve laughs first, but soon Eddie’s cackle joins him and it really does feel like old times again. “Of course, I know him. What? You think I would let us stay in a stranger’s house? Don’t you know me at all?” 

___

Three days later, Steve finds himself behind the wheel of Winnie the Winnebago as she makes her grand return to I-15. When he glances over his shoulder as the traffic crawls for miles in front of him, he spots Mabel and Ollie throwing Fruit Loops at each other to see who can catch the most in their mouth. And when he looks to his right, Eddie’s there — feet up on the dash, hands protectively clutching Ollie’s teddy bear as if he’s hoping it offers him the same comfort it does for the six-year-old — handsome as ever.

“Didn’t think I’d ever be back in one of these,” he says fondly. “Especially not with you behind the wheel.” 

“Really?” Steve lets the corners of his lips twitch upward. Doesn’t try to fight the blush he knows is creeping across his cheeks. “‘Cause this is all I’ve thought about for years.” 

[teambyler]

The arrow on Mike's shirt indicates his romantic attention throughout s4

After El is arrested and leaves for the lab, Mike wears a shirt with a triangle over his heart that points toward his left. It points toward Will for much of the season.

Bylers point to the triangle as evidence of his love for Will. It points from Mike's HEART. Costume designer Amy Parris says they put triangles on Robin's shirt as an "easter egg" for LGBT+ representation (timestamp); no reason not to think they custom-made Mike's shirt for a similar reason. The origin of the triangle symbol is the Holocaust, when gay men were forced to wear a pink triangle over the left side of their chest -- the same spot on MIke's shirt.

To test this theory, I reviewed all of s4. (Some of this stuff won't be news to Byler Nation, but some will. Especially the last part!)

Here are all of Mike and Will's "heart-to-heart" scenes. Immediately when El departs, we see a softer, more sensitive Mike. Note that I include one where Mike is only wearing a white T-shirt, which made sense because he was shoveling in the hot desert. There the implied arrow is pointing toward Will; he is always to our left in every frame:

See the exception? Yes, it's EXACTLY the scene where Will is telling Mike that the painting is from El, where Mike is being misdirected away from Will by Will's own actions. This only strengthens the idea that the arrow is significant. Where the arrow's pointing seems to reflect Mike's own romantic attentions over the season. In fact, in the next scene after that conversation, Mike is consistently blocked so that his arrow points AWAY from Will (whereas before at Suzie's house it was more random). AND he is not blocked next to Will, in contrast to how they're almost always paired throughout the show's run:

The other times it's important to look at the blocking is when Mike, Will, and El are in the same scene while he's wearing the shirt. Here are their most significant scenes:

When Mike reunites with El, the arrow points away from Will and then towards El. Again, Will has just lied and attributed the painting to El. But that's the last time it unambiguously points toward her. The "piggyback plan" shot is VERY suggestive of a Byler ending: look at how the circle is around Mike and Will, with El outside it. The pizza scene is interesting: Mike is talking to El and the arrow in some shots points toward El, but in the physical space it is actually pointing toward WILL back in the kitchen. More scenes:

During the monologue while Mike's telling El he loves her, the arrow is conflicted, pointing toward Will but El is also in the middle of the shot. (They could've easily had them on El's other side for a reverse effect.) After that scene, we all know that El is hardly speaking to Mike. By now, the arrow is unambiguously pointing toward Will again. In Max's hospital room while his arm is around El, AGAIN it points toward Will. In Mike and Will's last heart-to-heart scene above, it points toward Will. And of course, in the final scene, not only does it point toward Will, but Mike chooses to stand with Will instead of walk forward with his girlfriend.

Here's another detail I think others haven't caught yet. It's from the van scene. We know that the arrow points away from Will throughout, reflecting how Will is pushing Mike away:

However, remember Jonathan looking at them through the rearview mirror? In THOSE shots, the positioning is what we're used to seeing! The arrow pointing toward Will is implied.

Plus, in the two shots through the mirror, Mike looks at Will, who is looking away. All these shots parallel each other and reflect their mutual misunderstanding: Boy A on the left looks at (and is interested in) the other, but Boy B on the right is looking away (and is uninterested, or so Boy A thinks!).

The way the scene is written, Jonathan represents the outside viewer who knows what is going on more than the two boys do. It has been pointed out that this scene is basically from Will's POV. It therefore makes sense that when we're in Will's space, the arrow points away because he doesn't believe Mike likes him back. But we, as outsiders looking in, see what's actually happening. In this perspective, Mike's eyes -- and heart -- are on Will!

-teambyler

[cybermindz]

oscar piastri x gn!reader

summary ─┈ · · · with an incredible but tough race, you wanted to help oscar unwind and show him how proud you were of how far he’s gotten in his rookie season.

contains ─┈ · · · 18+, explicit, fluff(?) : soft!oscar, shy!reader, oral male receiving, cock worshipping lol, all done in the shower :0, use of petnames (e.g. baby, love) wc : 3.5k

a/n ─┈ · · · qatar 2023 oscar you will always be famous!! i cant believe these photos exist, it changed lives (mine). it took me ages to finish this, the season is literally over so he’s no longer a rookie, but will always be my pookie 😔.

꒰ 𖥻masterlist ꒱

The weekend was tough. With Qatar being an extremely hot country, this specific grand prix was more physically demanding than any other. It really was an understatement with how humid it was, given the fact that the nation was in the Middle East—whose terrain comprises on an arid desert.

Most of the racers fell ill after because of this environment, it was strenuous and fatiguing—also considering the extra protective layers they wore under their suits for safety measures only added on to the heat.

You couldn't wrap your head around how these athletes made ends meet with the situation, continuing on with the race until they nearly pass out, some even voicing how it might’ve been the most difficult one in their career. This impressed you more than anything, even you as a spectator—watching the track on the sidelines, had sweat beading at your skin, clothes sticking to your body in a loathsome way, and all you were doing is just sitting there watching—unable to fathom what they were up against.

Nevertheless, under all of these conditions and circumstances, your boyfriend Oscar manages to gain his second ever podium in his Formula 1 career, finishing P2 at that. In addition to the day prior, he was able to accomplish winning the sprint race, snagging himself a nice heavy plaque to carry along while traveling—putting on a little more weight to his suitcase.

With him being able to achieve more than most on the grid in his rookie season, everyone was left astounded, you included. He never ceases to amaze you with how calm and collected he was—being true to his nature and staying resilient throughout the difficult weekend, all apparent with the fight he had put up within the three days. It was praiseworthy and you couldn’t be more proud of what he’s made himself out to be.

You can never get tired of his post-race glow. He looked so good the second he was out of his car, mouthing to you how hot it was once his face was revealed from his helmet. You almost felt bad for the poor guy but your knees nearly buck at the sight of his rounded cheeks flushed with a light pink tint, hair disheveled, and the sweat glistening on his pale skin was rather distracting for you.

Furthermore, he was slightly out of breath, evidently burning up so he decides to dump a cold bottle of water down the nape of his neck in hopes to cool down, and you swear your brain short-circuited. Something about that action ignited a fire within you that you choose to try to ignore.

There was just something about your boyfriend that you couldn't resist. He was so handsome and kind, consistently showering you with so much love and patience. You were incredibly blessed to have him. Even with him doing nothing but just standing there on the podium, he had your heart racing.

Everyone else watching for the duration of his journey can tell that his progress was slowly increasing significantly along with his emotions. So it was rather refreshing for them to witness him so gleeful, showing expressions and reactions he usually rarely displays to the public.

He stood so confidently and upright, gazing down at you with a wide toothy grin. Because of how much of a considerate speaker he was during media and race days—with his grounded and quiet personality he never seemed to lash out or strayed away from his maturity, remaining humble no matter the situation. Today was just an exception though, he felt happy and fulfilled with the results, so embracing it was the best thing to do right now. However luckily for you, you're able to see that cheery side of him constantly behind closed doors.

When the ceremony goes on to play, your pupils dilate automatically like they do when it's dark outside to try to adjust and let more light in, but now it's because it's the light of your favorite person.

Since the outcome was a double podium for McLaren, everyone was overjoyed with the aftermath, loud cheers and big hugs were shared amongst the team. You'll never get tired of being part of times like this, they were genuinely so heartfelt and sentimental that you hope you can experience many more like this in the future.

Oscar was so content and lost in the moment, you couldn’t withstand not taking any photos—snapping a few pictures to cherish and gawk at later only seemed like the exact thing to do. Your eyes sparkle with joy and admiration whilst you continue to stare at the drivers spraying champagne on one another. He's laughing, smiling so wide that the apple of his cheeks were so supple and plump—all too contagious that you couldn't bite back your own lips from curling upright—feeling so fortunate to be witnessing it all.

The bubbly white drink sprays and dribbles everywhere, you focus on the way it drips down Oscar's skin and soaks his race suit. He looked absolutely captivating with the fabric clinging onto his frame, broad shoulders becoming more prominent causing a sudden warm rush of need to fill your body, only adding more fuel to the flames in your tummy that you so desperately tried to push away earlier. The cogs in your brain turn slowly, erotic thoughts plaguing your foggy mind that you must act on right away or you’ll go crazy.

Once everyone was back at the garage you were the first one to immediately engulf him into a tight hug. Your peers surrounding you felt the pure fondness shared between the two of you, unable to hide their smiles from the affection being flaunted.

"I'm all wet and gross," he speaks, but not denying your embrace.

"I don't care, congratulations on getting on the podium...again." you’re giggling, pulling away to get a good look at his pretty face before giving him a soft peck on his lips. Only to quickly shy away and hide your face in the crook of his neck as you aren't one for pda.

Noticing your embarrassment he chuckles—breath tickling your neck, all the while rubbing your back to coax you, "Thank you, my love."

The edges of his eyes start to soften, even getting a little teary which appears like he can't control before closing them and resting his chin on top of your shoulder. He squeezes you a little more firmly against him to seek comfort that only you can provide for him after a tiring and grueling day.

His heart clenches in an uncomfortable way that he was incompetent of understanding. Maybe it’s because of the race that has his emotions all over the place, or maybe it’s the exhaustion taking over his body, but seeing as you were right by him supporting his every move like you always have, he feels everything all at once.

He was grateful to have someone like you, so selfless and sweet. Whatever the occurrence or situation, you were ceaselessly ready to drop everything at hand to help or support with anything in need for him. Oscar loves you too much—not only for what you are, but for what he was when he was with you. He felt more like himself around you, never putting up a front whenever you were at arms reach, being genuine with each and every part of the relationship. You were his rock, you grounded him, and he wouldn’t want to have it any other way.

“I love you.” you whisper oh so quietly that no one else can hear but he was able to pick up that sweet voice of yours easily.

“I love you more.”

Throughout the rest of the night you latched onto his side like a leech which doesn't go unnoticed by him, only chucking it up to you just being delighted with the results of the race. Though normally, you were never one to display clinginess, so when you didn’t seem to waver away from him and when your soft touches became more bold until you got back to the hotel—it came as a slight surprise. Especially when you rid of his clothes to pull him into an ice cold shower with you, intending to wash away that pent up stress and sweat he carried with him all day.

Hardly ever being the one to initiate things like this—you always backed out sheepishly, citing that you were embarrassed or self-conscious to venture further yourself before eventually having him take over the lead. At all times he respected your wishes and boundaries, only doing what you wanted. Not once did he press you additionally to do something you were uncomfortable with and anytime you both decide to get intimate with each other he makes it a point to always go slow. Taking his time on breaking you down until you couldn’t think clearly anymore was always rewarding for him in the end.

This was still fresh to him, it wasn't very often where he found himself under the inexperienced touch of his shy partner—the very same person who got flustered whenever accidentally walking in on him changing. So it didn’t come as a shock to see him hardening right before your eyes from the contact of your skin on his.

You aren’t naive, albeit bashful, yet you knew exactly what effect you had on him. But because of the confidence that exudes from him, the way he seemed to never give a fuck and not taking shit from anyone—it naturally made you feel a little intimated. Though it was never in a bad way—entirely the opposite actually. He was a hunk of a man, a head taller than you, and it didn’t hurt that he was painstakingly attractive. It was weirdly endearing, how you immediately go blank at the sight of him, the butterflies in your stomach never calming down at moments like these.

His back faces the shower head while you stood in front of him, rinsing his hair and body—cleaning off the sticky champagne and musk. The only sounds your ears can make out are the pitter patter from the cold water hitting his muscles and your feeble heart pounding erratically as your palms massage his tense shoulders.

Oscar already feels himself relaxing in your touch, melting at how the tip of your fingers begin to roam all across the rough skin of his torso, but there’s a slight hesitation to it. Your hands begin to tremble, you’d like to think it was because of the icy precipitation of the water instead of your nerves. His eyes bore into yours with concern, feeling your eagerness switch into anxiousness in an instant. One of his own strong hands reaches over to place it at your hip, thumb rubbing soothing circles on your now goose-bumped skin.

"You alright love?”

You don't answer him, opting to find the tiles of the shower behind his head more interesting, heat rising to your cheeks at once. He jerks your chin with his fingers from his other hand to have you look at him, and yet you focus anywhere but him as he searches for your eyes, “What is it baby? Do you wanna get out?”

Shaking your head in disagreement almost immediately, your irises finally reaching him with scrunched brows, clearly contemplating a thought. He can tell there was something hiding behind those eyes, he was able to read you well like the back of his hand. There was a sense of longing lingering along with uncertainty and doubt. He picked that up whenever you were aroused and desperately wanted to do something but too timid to continue and pursue on it.

Oscar wasn't trying to take advantage of your vulnerability, he would never do that. The patience of your boyfriend was admirable and you thank him relentlessly for it. All you really needed at times was a small little push so he presses his lips against yours in a soft kiss to try and encourage you to say something, anything—this benefited your worries to slowly wash away, seeping down the drain as you attempt to build up some confidence.

“Just...really happy right now." you mumbled quietly after a long pause, unable to keep yourself from shifting even closer to him.

"Yeah?" there’s a sigh of relief coming from him, another pause fills the room as he listens to you. Tuning out the sound of the shower—all white noise in the background currently as his fingers that held your chin now caresses your jaw in hopes to urge you more.

“Mhmmm,” your eyes avert to your hands resting at his chest, fidgeting with your fingernails while choosing your next words carefully, “You were real cool out there y’know? You did amazing, I can tell how capable you are of the things you do, makes me really proud.”

He smiles at your little confession, snaking his arm around you so the front half of your bodies are now pressing against each other, warming up one another, the previous efforts of trying to cool down from the insanely hot day were now pointless.

“Can I show you how much?"

Oscars eyebrows raise in surprise at the proposition, "Hm? How will you show me?”

He thinks of how beautiful his little lover looked, flustered under his gaze because of how unsure on what the next moves should be. God, how touched his heart was. You were absolutely perfect to him, so considerate and devoting.

"Wanna take care of you, make you feel good. Please?"

You felt his cock twitch from your words, and with your faces just merely inches apart, the air starts to become thicker around you by the second, getting harder to breathe. He swears he’ll never take this moment for granted, your shell finally cracking away little by little for him. Oscar yearned for this, a pleased smile plastered on his face to showcase how proud he was of you just as much as you were of him.

"Do whatever you want with me, 'm all yours love."

You took a moment there, feeling bashful from him peering down at you. Pulling away from him, just enough to reach in between your heated bodies, you take notice of his stiffened cock leaking pre-cum from it’s flushed red tip.

“Can I touch it?”

"Y-yeah, 'course baby,” he agrees but he isn’t prepared for the feeling of your soft hand encompassing the girth of his cock.

"'S so big...'n pretty." you whisper more to yourself at the observation, this wasn’t the first time you’ve been face to face with each others intimate parts, hell you’ve had sex numerous times but it was still a staggering sight no less.

He never thought he was particularly gifted in terms of size, but when he saw how big he looked in your hand, it was almost too much for him. Your fingers didn't even touch around the thickness. He's sucking his bottom lip in between his teeth when you give him a single, slow stroke. This causes him to throw his head back, water now running down his face. His breathing begins to slowly pick up as he relaxed, letting his eyes flutter closed.

The pre-cum oozing out of the head easily drips down his length, aiding in lubricating himself up.

Your movements are a bit clumsy as you didn’t do this very often for him but you really think you should because he looked so enticing, aroused by something as simple as a handjob. You, his sweet, little lover who used to shield away from kisses at the beginning of your relationshinp had his cock wrapped around your hand and he was simply going mental from it all.

His eyes goes back to lock onto the way you stroked him. The fat sensitive head peeked out from under your fist every time you moved your palm upwards before you slowly went down, gently tugging the skin with your movements.

“That feels really good,” he lets out a low curse, hissing at the pleasure.

You seem to mull over his words but this wasn’t nearly enough for you, you don’t think you’d be satiated from him coming just from your hands, so you bend down until your knees come into contact with the hard tiled floor. When he looks down to follow your body, it feels like all the air gets punched out of his lungs. Your pretty face just mere centimeters away from his aching length, pupils blown wide with water dripping down your supple skin. He seemed to get a real kick out of the sight because he’s pulsating in the palm of your hand.

Your thumb came up to rest against the tip, lightly padding over the drooling slit. Rubbing the sensitive head while your other hand reaches over to pump him—picking up the pace, your eyes flickered between his fucked out face and glistening cock. He was warm in contrast to the chilly air around you, stiff in your grip, the thick vein on the underside throbbing in time to his heartbeat. His strong meaty thighs twitched with every movement and his short breaths begins to turn into pants.

"S-Spit on it, baby," he suddenly moaned.

Not letting another second pass after his request you leaned over, lips puckered before spitting down directly on his tip. Drooling to have a taste, the muscle in your mouth peeks out to wet your lips before having it ghost over his shaft. The first soft drag of your tongue up the bottom of his cock makes him jump. He isn't ready for the way your lips softly nip the skin, peppering kisses along the sensitive skin.

“Fucking hell,” the tip of your tongue grazes the slit to force more pre-cum out, and you’re smiling to yourself, making his entire body jolt, “You’re killing me.”

You even stop to pay his heavy balls some attention, remaining gentle as you know how sensitive they are. He isn't the biggest fan of when you play with his balls but he does nothing to stop you as you slide your wet tongue along the seam, dragging it all the way up his length before dropping a wet, noisy kiss back on the leaking head.

“You taste good,” you whisper, flicking your tongue up and down the slit again, the sensation has his body buzzing from the stimulation.

He reaches forward to cup your jaw, gently urging you to open your mouth with his tip making you shiver. He lets out a stuttering sigh as you take the head into your mouth, eyes fluttering at the full flavor of him on your tongue.

"S-Shit,” he panted, wrapping a hand in your hair to tug you closer, "Just like that.”

Hollowing out your cheeks you start to drag your mouth down his cock, forcing half of him until the tip brushes the back of your throat, your hand takes up the rest of the space that your mouth can’t reach. Squeezing and stroking him as you start to suck on him.

He clamps his eyes shut as you work, showing his cock all your affection and he has no choice but to take it. His body trembles, muscles clenching every time you tease over a particularly sensitive spot, his moans getting more and more shameless and louder with every passing moment.

Oscar was blissed out, flushed and heaving looking as handsome as ever much like after the race today, your heart thrums loudly against your ribcage from the view and excitement.

With your head bobbing up and down, loud slurps fills his ears as your spit gathers increasingly to aid you into going faster. He starts to involuntarily rut his hips in tune with your strokes, dangerously close to his peak already.

When he opened his eyes again, he knew he was doomed. You're teary eyed, drool seeping down your chin and neck. You looked a complete mess though breathtakingly alluring—shifting on your knees, and rubbing yourself with your free hand. The sight makes him moan, grip in your hair tightening before his body goes taut.

"Fuck 'm gonna come,” he warns through gritted teeth.

You bravely took all of him in your mouth upon his statement, gagging around his length that sends vibrations throughout his spine. When you come back up, you take him out to breathe only to flinch as he suddenly came, the first splatter of cum hits your face catching your cheeks and hair whilst he mutters out mindless apologies.

Your boyfriend twitches and groans when you return to continue to suck on his pulsating cock, working him through his high and gulping down the rest of the cum that slowly spurts into your mouth. He becomes lightheaded while coming down, placing a hand on the slippery wall beside him in order to brace himself.

When you finish cleaning him up he helps you back up onto your feet, immediately going to wipe off the pearly beads of cum on your face with the assistance of water.

“Was it good?” you grin cheekily clearly content of your work, “Did I do good?”

“Are you kidding?” he laughs while pulling you in for a heated kiss, bits of cum still lingered on your lips and he eagerly swallowed it down, not missing the whimper you let go into his mouth, “Was fucking perfect, thank you.”

© 𝐂𝐘𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐙. please refrain from plagiarizing any of my works. reposting on other media platforms is prohibited.

— reblogs, comments, & feedback are appreciated!

[vernons-girl]

what about like your in the car with mingyu at midnight, your just friends but a storm hits and the roads are closed so you go at the nearest motel to stay the night but they only have ONE BEDDDD(suggestive but no smut?)

a blessing in disguise | kim mingyu

fluff, suggestive? (making out and heavy petting),w.c:1k6

a/n: i'm living for the only one bed trope omggg!! i hope you like it <3 (also tumblr literally wouldn't let me post this so please give it lots of love hehe)

You and Mingyu were on one of your usual midnight drives, as the both of you often had clashing schedules, random night drives were the only way for you guys to meet up in the middle of your hectic schedules.

You guys were chatting, laughing, singing along to the music coming from the speakers, all in all, everything was doing great.

Until it started raining. Hard.

The rain pelted against the windshield as Mingyu navigated the car through the deserted roads. Midnight had long passed, and the world outside seemed to have fallen into a deep slumber. Inside the car, however, a tense silence hung thick between you two.

"We should probably turn back," you suggested, glancing nervously at the storm brewing outside.

Mingyu shook his head, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. "No way, we've only been out for what? Like 30 minutes? Besides, the storm will pass soon." Mingyu tried to convince you.

You nodded, though you felt a little uneasy. You had agreed to this late-night drive under the guise of friendship, but lately, something had shifted between you two, at least that’s what you felt. Mingyu's laughter seemed to linger a little longer, and you found yourself stealing glances at his figure more often than before.

As if on cue, lightning streaked across the sky, followed by a deafening clap of thunder that seemed to shake the very ground they drove on. The car swerved slightly, and Mingyu cursed under his breath, his knuckles turning white from gripping the wheel so tightly.

"We should at least find somewhere to wait until the storm calms down" you suggested, voice barely audible over the storm.

Mingyu nodded, his expression grim. "There's a motel up ahead. We can wait out the storm there."

The motel appeared out of the darkness, its neon sign flickering ominously in the rain. Mingyu pulled into the parking lot, the tires skidding slightly on the wet pavement. As rushed inside while he held a jacket over you guys’ head to protect you from getting too drench before seeking refuge from the tempest.

The receptionist eyed the two of you warily as you approached, water dripping from their soaked clothes onto the linoleum floor, the jacket had not been that useful, you thought.

"Um, good evening. We.. We need a room," Mingyu said, his voice urgent, handing out his card without a second thought.

The receptionist nodded, handing him a key without a word after handing him back his card. "Room 12," she said, gesturing towards the stairs.

You followed Mingyu up the creaky staircase. The air between you two crackled with tension as you reached the door to your room. Mingyu hesitated for a moment and looked back at you before unlocking it, the sound echoing in the silence of the hallway.

The room was small and dimly lit, with a single bed dominating the space. Mingyu cursed under his breath, running a hand through his damp hair. "Looks like we'll have to share," he said, avoiding your gaze.

Your heart skipped a beat at the thought of spending the night in such close proximity to Mingyu. You swallowed hard, trying to ignore the butterflies that fluttered in your stomach.

“You should go take a shower. Warm yourself up. We’ll have to put our clothes to dry too.” he said.

“Mh, yeah. Right.” you replied, heading to the small ensuite bathroom before jumping into the shower, the hot water almost burning your freezing skin.

Mingyu had taken off his clothes and hung them on a chair to dry, sitting on the bed, waiting for his turn in the bathroom.

After a few minutes, you finally stepped out of the shower and slipped your underwear back on as it was the only thing dry enough to be considered wearable.

You came out of the bathroom holding the towel tightly against your body, only to be welcomed by a half-naked Mingyu. You gulped.

“Your turn,” you simply said, “there’s another towel on the sink.” you added, feeling your face heat up at the unusual scene happening.

“There’s another chair for your clothes.” Mingyu said before standing up, his shoulder brushing against your arm as he stepped into the bathroom to shower.

After putting your clothes to dry, you slipped under the covers since it was so cold in the room.

You could still hear the rain hitting the window and the wind whistling as you waited for Mingyu to come back.

You closed your eyes, trying not to overthink the situation too much, the click of the bathroom door startled you out of your attempt as you caught a glimpse of Mingyu’s body in the doorway, the light behind him darkening his silhouette that was ever so perfect.

He wasted no time in lying down on the bed, over the covers.

“What are you doing ?” you asked “Aren’t you cold?” you questioned upon seeing him slightly shake.

“Yeah but, you know,” he started “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable by being under the covers with you.” he finally admitted.

Gosh why did he have to be such a gentleman? Your heart swelled at his word before you urged him to get under there before he could die of hypothermia.

You two laid on your backs, trying to keep as much as a distance between your bodies.

Nothing could be heard aside from the storm that was still raging outside.

As the minutes ticked by in the dimly lit room, the tension between you and Mingyu seemed to thicken with each passing second. The storm outside showed no signs of abating, and you couldn't help but feel the weight of the situation pressing down on you both. Despite the awkwardness, there was a strange sense of intimacy in the air, as if the storm had brought forth an unspoken understanding between you.

Mingyu shifted slightly beside you, his warmth seeping through the covers and mingling with yours. You could feel the heat radiating off his body, tempting you to inch closer, to seek solace in his embrace. But you hesitated, unsure of where these newfound feelings would lead.

Finally, unable to bear the silence any longer, Mingyu spoke, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for this to happen."

You turned to look at him, confusion etched into your features. "What do you mean?"

Mingyu sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "I mean... I didn't plan for us to end up in this situation. Alone. In a motel room. With only one bed."

You felt your cheeks heat up at his words, the implications of his confession sinking in. "I know," you murmured, unable to meet his gaze. "But what are we supposed to do now?" you asked rhetorically.

The back of his warm hand lightly brushed against yours as Mingyu hesitated for a moment before reaching out to gently take a hold of it, his touch sending shivers down your spine. "I don't know about you, but... I can't ignore how I feel anymore."

Your heart skipped a beat at his declaration, the words you had been too afraid to say out loud hanging heavy in the air between you.

You turned on your side, facing him with your hand remaining in his before he did the same, your gaze now locked despite the darkness of the room.

His other hand reached out from under the covers to cup your face in his palm.

"I've been trying to fight it, but I can't deny how much I care about you," Mingyu confessed, his voice barely above a whisper. "Being stuck here like this, it's made me realize that I don't want to hide my feelings anymore."

Your heart pounded in your chest as you listened to his words, feeling a rush of emotions flood through you. "Mingyu, I... I feel the same way," you admitted, your voice trembling with vulnerability.

He leaned in closer, his breath mingling with yours as he spoke. "I've been wanting to tell you for so long, but I was afraid of ruining our friendship."

You reached out, tangling your fingers in his hair as you pulled him closer, your lips meeting in a soft, tentative kiss. The electricity between you was palpable as you melted into each other, the warmth of his body pressing against yours as you shared a moment of deep intimacy.

He leaned into the kiss, pulling you closer to him by your waist, his touch hot against the expanse of your skin.

As the kiss deepened, all the pent-up emotions and desires came rushing to the surface. Mingyu's lips moved with a hunger that mirrored your own, his hands roaming over your body with a gentle urgency. The world outside seemed to fade away as you lost yourself in the intoxicating sensation of being with him.

With each touch, each caress, the barrier between friendship and something more dissolved until there was nothing left but the raw, unbridled passion that simmered between you two. Mingyu's fingers traced patterns along your skin, igniting a fire within you that burned hotter with each passing moment.

You found yourself tangled in the sheets, your bodies pressed together in a fervent embrace. Mingyu's breath mingled with yours, his heartbeat echoing the rhythm of your own as you surrendered yourself to the overwhelming tide of emotion that swept over you both.

The intensity of the moment seemed to drown out the sound of the wind and rain, leaving only the sound of your beating hearts.

After a moment, you finally pulled away from one another, pants coming from the both of you.

Mingyu brushed a few strands of hair before speaking up :

"Maybe this storm was a blessing in disguise," he said softly.

You nodded, your heart racing as Mingyu leaned in closer, closing the distance between you once again. And as the storm raged on outside, you found solace in each other's arms and closure in your relationship, your growing feelings finally laid bare in the darkness of the night.

[sunshinepanic]

Unexpected 5

Pairing: Rafe Cameron X Reader

Summary: Things are going great with you and Rafe but when you finally get a chance to have your two worlds come together for a night everything comes to a head.

Chapter Warning: angst, fluff, protective Rafe, Protective John B, JJ is a douche, smut, violence

Not beta read we die like men

WC: 4,640

OBX Masterlist - Series Masterlist

About two weeks after John B and Sarah accidentally found out about you and Rafe, you decided to bite the bullet and talk to Pope and Cleo. You had a few moments of panic while waiting for them to meet you at the chateau to talk, but it turns out telling Pope and Cleo wasn’t as bad as you thought it was going to be. Pope understandably freaked out, but after John B talked him down, he sat down and actually talked to you about what had happened and how you and Rafe came to be in a relationship. It took some convincing, but he eventually came around to the idea. You didn’t expect them to become friends in any capacity, but Pope agreed to be civil as long as you were happy. Cleo was by far the easiest to convince since she didn’t have an extensive past with Rafe like the rest of your friend group, but much like John B she was all for the idea of disposing of Rafe’s corpse if he hurt you. Everyone agreed to let you tell JJ and Kie in your own time, especially since everyone knew how telling the hot-headed blond was likely to go. You and JJ weren’t as close as you used to be, and it seemed like ever since him and Kie started dating, every time you were around each other, you would either avoid him all together or he would act hostile towards you. He would often scrutinize you, making comments about why you weren’t around as often or questioning why you were smiling at your phone; he even seemed to get annoyed about you showing affection to your other friends. So they really couldn’t fault you for wanting to put off telling JJ and Kie for as long as possible. In the meantime, you felt like you were doing a pretty damn good job of balancing your time between friends, Rafe, and work. Although you could admit to yourself that it would be a lot easier if Rafe could spend time with your friends too, but until you talked to JJ, that couldn’t happen.

 You were currently trying not to laugh as you held Rafe’s hands while he attempted to balance on your skateboard. You pulled him across the deserted skatepark in the middle of the night. “I’m going to let go now.” Rafe gripped your hands harder. “Don’t you dare! I swear to god, Y/N!” You cackled as you released your hands from his grip. He rolled away on the board, managing to keep his balance for a short distance before he started to wobble. You quickly chased after him, managing to reach him just as he toppled off your skateboard, sending it flying across the park. Rafe collapsed on top of you, knocking the wind out of both of you. “I am never doing that again.” His adamant refusal to get back on the board sent you into another fit of giggles. "Aw, Bambi, you didn’t do that badly. You just have to keep trying.” Rafe narrowed his eyes at the nickname you had given him as a crack at the fact that he couldn’t keep his balance on your skateboard. You tensed as you felt his finger start to dig into your sides. “Don’t you dare!” A smirk overtook Rafe’s face, and he started to tickle you, causing you to shriek and wiggle out from under him. You quickly got up and sprinted towards the safety of his truck. Trying to catch your breath, you turned as Rafe made his way towards you and tossed your board into the bed of the truck. He pinned you against the door and captured your lips in a searing kiss.

 Just like always, kissing Rafe felt like touching a live wire. Heat quickly spread throughout your body as you buried your hands in his hair in an attempt to pull him closer. Rafe broke the kiss to look down at your lust blown eyes. “Someone seems a little excited. You want me to fuck you, baby?” You bit your lip as you nodded. He chuckled, “I’m not sure you deserve it. You’ve been acting like a little brat.” You knew poking fun at Rafe was a great way to get him riled up, and if you played your cards right, it would end in a mind-blowing orgasm for you. You looked up at him from under your lashes and bit your lip. “I promise I’ll be a good girl.” Rafe’s hands groped your ass as he pulled your hips against his growing bulge. He nipped at your neck. “Are you going to let me fuck you right here? Fuck you in my truck, where anybody could walk by and see how needy you are for my cock.” You whimpered at his filthy words and quickly reached behind you to pull the back door of the truck open. Chuckling Rafe slapped your ass as you turned to crawl up into the backseat, with him following right behind you.

Rafe wasted no time pulling your shirt off of your body as soon as the door closed behind him. "God, I fucking love when you don’t wear a bra. I can see your perky little nipples through your shirt all day; it drives me fucking crazy.” Rafe sucked one of your nipples into his mouth, causing you to arch your back, pressing yourself closer to him. He alternated playing with your nipple rings with his tongue and nipping at the soft flesh of your tits. You worked one of your hands between your bodies and into Rafe's shorts, gripping his cock and slowly pumping it. “Please Rafe. I need more. I need you to fuck me.” Chuckling Rafe sat back and removed his shirt. He slapped your hip, signaling for you to flip onto your stomach. Rafe grabbed you by your hips, arching your ass into the air. His big palms ran across your ass before hooking his fingers into your cloth shorts and Lacey underwear, pulling them down until they were trapped around your knees. Rafe slapped a hand across your ass cheek, causing you to moan out, leaving a red handprint behind. He leaned forward, lapping at your core and moaning at your taste. He alternated between licking and sucking at your dripping core, and soon you felt two of his fingers push into your aching pussy causing you to moan out. “Fuck baby, please.” You could hear him using his other hand to undo his belt buckle and jeans while he fucked his thick fingers in and out of your needy hole. “You want my cock, baby? You need me to fuck this needy little pussy that bad?” You were thrusting back against Rafe’s fingers, but it wasn’t enough. You needed him to fill you up. “Yes! Please, baby, I need it. I want your cock in my needy little pussy.” Rafe pulled his fingers out, causing you to whimper, before you felt him line himself up with your entrance. “That’s my good girl. Ive got you, Sunshine.” He slowly started to push himself into your welcoming heat. The stretch felt so good that you moaned out as you pushed yourself back on his cock until he was fully seated inside you. He immediately started pumping into you hard and deep. "God, your tight little pussy feels so good, baby. It’s like you were fucking made for me.” One of your hands had a death grip on the backseat as the other pressed against the door to give yourself leverage to push back into his thrusts. Moans fell from your lips as the sound of Rafe fucking into you filled the heated space. “Don’t stop! I’m gonna cum! Please, please make me cum!” Rafe moved one of his hands forward and started rubbing tight circles on your swollen clit. “You gonna cum for me, baby? Come on, Sunshine, make a mess for me. I wanna feel your pretty little pussy cum on my cock.” The stimulation from his fingers and him pounding into your sensitive walls, paired with the delicious filth pouring from Rafe’s lips, sent you crashing over the edge. “Fuck yeah, baby girl, just like that. You gonna let me cum in this pretty little pussy?” You nodded your head, trying to continue pushing back into his thrusts. “Yes! Please cum in my tight little pussy. Fill me up, baby, please!” Your needy little whines and the feeling of your walls fluttering around his cock pushed Rafe over the edge. Hot ropes of cum painted your quivering walls as he twitched inside of you. Once you both caught your breath, Rafe slowly pulled out of your pliant body, causing you to hiss at the sudden loss. He collapsed back against the door as you slowly sat up. You pulled your shorts and underwear back into place and crawled into his lap, burying your face in his neck. You sat like that for a few minutes as he held you, and you both came down from your high.

 Eventually, Rafe nudged you. “Hey Sunshine. We should probably get going. It's more than likely that someone has probably noticed a fogged-up truck sitting here by now, and with all the noise you were making, they probably called the cops.” You immediately whacked him, causing him to chuckle as you crawled out of his lap. You both got redressed, and then you climbed over the center console and into the passenger seat while Rafe made his way around to the driver’s side. When Rafe pulled up down the road from the chateau to drop you off, you leaned over, pulling him into a deep kiss. “You better stop it unless you want me to fuck you right here in front of John B’s house.” Laughing, you pulled away. "Fine, I’ll stop. But speaking of John B, me and some of the guys are planning on having a bonfire on the beach tomorrow night, and I was wondering if you would come.” Rafe furrowed his eyebrows at you. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? Last time I checked, JJ and Kie still don’t know about us, and I don’t exactly get along with any of your friends.” You sighed at him. “I know, but I already talked to the guys, and they are down to play nice if you are, and JJ and Kie have plans tomorrow night, so we don’t even have to worry about them.” Rafe sighed and was planning to say no, but when he looked at your face, you were giving him the most dramatic puppy dog eyes he had ever seen. Scoffing, he put his hand over your face and gently pushed your head away. “Fine! I’ll come tomorrow, but only if you promise not to do that face again.” Laughing, you leaned over and pulled him into another kiss before jumping out of the truck and making your way down the path to the chateau.

 When you entered the house, John B and JJ were sitting on the couch playing video games. You called out a quick hello and informed John B that you were going to hop in the shower and borrow some of his clothes for the night. He waved you off, concentrating on killing an opposing team in their game. You could feel JJ’s eyes burning a hole in your back as you made your way down the hall. When you got out of the shower, you slipped on a pair of John B’s sweatpants that you rolled at the waist and one of his old shirts that hung off one of your shoulders. You pulled your hair up as you made your way back out to the boys and sat down in front of John B laying your head on his leg, while you watched him and JJ continue playing. JJ’s character got blown up on the screen, and he tossed his controller down while John B tried to fight off the opposing team to be able to revive him. You could feel JJ’s eyes burning a hole in the side of your head. “What the fuck is that?” You froze for a moment, not sure what JJ was referring to. When you turned back to look up at him, he was staring at where your collar bone was exposed. You looked down and noticed a faint bruise had formed. Memories of Rafe sinking his teeth into you flashed through your mind. You rolled your eyes at JJ’s outburst. “It’s nothing; don’t worry about it.” JJ scoffed, catching John B’s attention. “It doesn’t look like nothing. It looks like you got mauled by some asshole.” You sigh, not wanting to deal with JJ’s attitude towards you tonight. Ignoring JJ, you looked at John B and told him you were going to head to bed. JJ piped up, informing you that you would have to wait until he and John B were done playing games so you could sleep on the couch because he had dibs on the extra room. Rolling your eyes, you went to sit back down, but John B stopped you. “It’s fine, Y/N/N you can go sleep in my bed. I’ll crash on the couch tonight.” Smiling gratefully at John B you headed off to his room and locked the door. You were over JJ and his shitty attitude towards you, and you just wanted to get some sleep and look forward to hanging out with your friends and your boyfriend tomorrow night.

 The next morning, you woke up and made your way outside, where you could hear John B and Sarah talking on the porch. You wrapped your arms around Sarah from behind, making eye contact with John B. “Thanks again for letting me crash in your room. I don’t know what JJ’s problem with me is.” John B shook his head. “Don’t mention it. Eventually he will get over himself, and hopefully we can go back to the way things were.” A sad smile spread across your face. You hoped that one day you and JJ could go back to how things were before he kissed you, but the longer this went on, and now with the fact that you were dating Rafe, you weren’t so sure that would ever actually happen. After having breakfast, you and Sarah headed out to pick up supplies for tonight before heading back to your house to get ready. You got dressed in a pair of cut-off denim shorts and a cropped Motley Crue T-shirt. After Sarah finished doing her makeup, the two of you headed to the chateau so you could all ride down to the beach together. You shot off a quick text to Rafe, sending him the location of your plans.

 You helped Pope and Cleo build the bonfire while John B and Sarah packed the cooler and snacks down from the Twinkie. You and the girls were laughing at the boys; John B and Pope were failing spectacularly at having a handstand contest. Just when you were starting to wonder where Rafe was, you felt strong arms wrap around your waist and a kiss press against your temple. “Hey baby.” He let you go as he set a case of beer down, and John B and Pope made their way back towards your group. Things definitely felt a little awkward at first, but as time went on, everyone seemed to relax a little bit. Conversation was flowing easily, and as the night went on and the sun started to set, the boys were comparing stories of the stupid shit they had gotten in trouble for growing up, while you and the girls watched in amazement that no one had tried to kill each other. Rafe caught your eye and made his way over to you. He wrapped his arms around your waist and dropped a kiss on your lips. “You’re staring.” You scoffed at him. “Can you blame me? It’s like watching a lion befriend a herd of zebras.” Rafe chuckled at your dramatics. "Oh, you got jokes, huh?” He stepped back, pulling his tank top off, leaving him clad in nothing but a pair of board shorts. You arched an eyebrow at him in confusion. “What are you doing?” Everyone watched as Rafe quickly grabbed you, causing you to shriek out as he ran twenty yards down the beach and directly into the ocean while holding you. Your friends were all laughing at you as you swatted at your boyfriend. As you escaped his grasp and made your way out of the water, you tripped Rafe and shoved him backwards into the water again. You had just made it back to the warmth of the fire when you heard a voice that made you freeze.

 Your head snapped in the direction of the voice, and after a few moments, you watched as JJ and Kie made their way down the hill and directly towards you. Everyone immediately tensed as JJ and Kie walked up to your group. JJ looked around, noticing that everyone seemed to be acting weird. “What’s up, guys? We decided it would be more fun to hang out with you guys than sit through dinner with Kie’s parents, so we bailed on them.” When nobody answered, Kie piped up. “What’s wrong? Yall look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Just then, you watched JJ’s eyes snap in your direction and lock on Rafe, who was making his way out of the ocean. As Rafe made his way towards your group, a murderous look crossed JJ’s face. He jabbed a finger in Rafe’s direction. “What in the fuck is he doing here?” John B immediately tried to interject, telling JJ to calm down. Hearing JJ’s outburst, Rafe's head snapped up as he finally made it to your side, still shaking water out of his hair. Rafe raised his hands in a placating gesture. “Hey dude, I’m just here to hang out. I don’t want any problems.” JJ scoffed. “What the fuck do you mean you don’t want any problems? All you fucking do is cause problems everywhere you go! And since when do you hang out on this side of the island, let alone with us poor people? Why in the fuck are you here?” Just then, JJ’s eyes locked on Rafe’s hand as he linked it with yours in a comforting gesture. His eyes bounced between you and Rafe, taking in how close he was standing to you and the fact that he was touching you like it was normal. JJ turned his attention to you, disgust crossing his face. “You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me! Rafe! Of all fucking people, you’ve been whoring yourself out to this fucking prick!” You went to snap at him, but Rafe cut you off, taking a step in front of you and shoving JJ back. “Watch your fucking mouth!” Stumbling backwards, JJ laughed. "Oh, fuck off. Don’t pretend you actually give a shit about her. We all know this is just a sick game for you. Did you make a bet with your friends or something? See how long you have to slum it before she lets you get in her pants.” You could tell Rafe was getting more and more pissed with each word that fell from JJ’s lips. You could see his shoulders tensing, and his jaw was starting to tick. “Believe it or not, I actually give a shit about her, which is more than I can say for you after the shit you pulled.” That caught Kie’s attention, and JJ visibly tensed. “You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.” Rafe smirked at JJ’s visible discomfort. “Right. Tell me, does Kie know what happened just a few days before you started dating?” Before anyone could react, JJ lunged at Rafe, tackling him to the sand. Punches were thrown by both boys, but you and the rest of your friends were able to quickly pull them apart.

You cupped Rafe’s face, checking to see how bad the damage was as he spit blood on the ground from his busted lip. You turned on JJ, ignoring the split in his eyebrow, which was bleeding profusely. You shoved at his chest as hard as you could, causing him to stumble back into John B. “Fuck you, JJ! How dare you! You were supposed to be my best friend, and you have done nothing but treat me like shit for weeks!” JJ’s eyes widened at the fact that you had put your hands on him. He opened his mouth to speak, but you cut him off. “No! You kissed me! You knew how I felt about you; you knew that I had been in love with you for years, and you fucking kissed me, and then you immediately rejected me, only for me to find out a few days later that you started dating Kie. Do you know how that made me feel? And then, as if that wasn’t bad enough, you quit being my friend and started treating me like shit! Every time I see you, you have something shitty to say to me, and I’m fucking tired of it! I love you and I love Kie, and I want you to be happy, but you’re acting like a jealous fucking boyfriend when you have no right!” The silence that followed was deafening. You waited for him to respond, but he refused to make eye contact with you. Scoffing, you shook your head. “I’m sorry, guys. I can’t do this.” You took off in the direction of the twinkie, ignoring the sounds of your friends arguing amongst each other as Rafe followed behind you.

Rafe drove you back to his house, where you showered together, and he let you fuss over his busted lip. “It doesn’t hurt. I promise it looks worse than it is.” Sighing, you finish cleaning up. “You got hurt because of me. Everything is fucked up, and it’s all my fault.” Rafe grabbed you, forcing you to look at him. “Nothing about this is your fault. JJ is an ass, and he needs to get over himself. The only thing you’ve done is move on with your life.” You relented, letting Rafe pull you into bed. As you lay cuddled up in his bed, you couldn’t help but let your mind run over the events of the night. You couldn’t believe how everything went down. One minute you were laughing, and the next it was World War III. Despite Rafe reassuring you that none of what happened was your fault, you couldn’t help but think that maybe if you had done something different, then maybe none of this would have happened and Rafe wouldn’t have gotten hurt. As you listened to Rafe’s breathing even out, you heard your phone go off with a text notification. You swiped open your phone, seeing a text from JJ. “You’re right. I’ve been a fucking asshole, and I’m sorry.” You read over the message a few times before shutting your phone off.

Not being able to sleep, you made your way downstairs to find something to drink when you heard a knock on the front door. You didn’t know anyone that would be showing up to Rafe's house, especially at 3 a.m., so you slowly made your way to the front door, peeking out of the window to see who it was. The last person you expected to see standing outside Rafe’s front door was JJ. Steeling yourself, you quietly opened the door and stepped outside to see what he wanted. You stood in silence for a few minutes before you rolled your eyes and made to go back inside. JJ’s hand shot out to stop you. “Wait! Please, just give me a minute.” Sighing, you turned around, waiting for him to start talking. Biting his lip, he finally made eye contact with you. “You don’t deserve the way I’ve been treating you, and you didn’t deserve for me to hurt you the way I did. You have been my best friend forever, and honestly, I miss you. I know I don’t deserve it, but I hope you can forgive me.” You didn’t respond for a few minutes, taking time to process everything. “Why in the hell did you even do it?” At the confused look on JJ’s face, you rolled your eyes, trying to contain your annoyance. “Don’t play stupid, JJ. Everything was fine until you kissed me, and now you’re running around like a jealous boyfriend after you rejected me.” JJ sighed, scratching the back of his neck. “I knew how you felt about me, and I have feelings for you too, but I know how I am, and I couldn’t risk fucking it up and losing you forever. You are my oldest friend besides John B and I couldn’t imagine losing you because we didn’t work out.” Shaking your head, you glare at him. “So instead, you decided to hurt me anyway, start dating one of our other friends, and then treat me like shit and attack my boyfriend. Make it make sense, JJ.” A look of shame crossed his face. “I kissed you because I wanted to, but then I realized what I was risking, and I panicked. I figured rejecting you would hurt less than if we dated, and I inevitably screwed up. I figured our friendship could survive if I stopped it before it started, but I knew it wouldn’t survive a breakup. As for dating Kie, I wasn’t planning on dating her, but things happened, and I do like her. I never meant for everything to happen the way it did.” You shook your head in confusion. “So you were worried about our friendship but not about your friendship with Kie? You were so sure you would hurt me, but what about her? You aren't worried about hurting her?” JJ nervously chewed on his lip. “If something happened and me and Kie broke up and she never wanted to see me again, yeah, it would suck, but I would live with it and eventually I would move on. If me and you got together and I fucked it up and I lost you from my life completely, I know I wouldn’t be able to live with myself after that.” Shaking your head, you sighed. “I just want our friendship to go back to how we used to be before that kiss, but after everything, I’m not sure how to get back there. I appreciate you coming here and apologizing, but I’m going to need some time.” Nodding his head, JJ smiled. “I get it. Take all the time you need. Just know that I’m willing to do whatever it takes for us to be okay. I can’t promise to get along with Rafe, but I can promise not to kill him unless he hurts you.” Rolling your eyes, you say goodnight to JJ as you shake your head and open the door to go back inside. “You wouldn’t be able to kill him, and we both know it.” You made your way back up to Rafe’s bedroom and gently crawled back into bed. You knew it was going to take some time for you to forgive JJ, but you hoped one day you guys might be able to get back to the friendship you used to have. As you closed your eyes to sleep, Rafe pulled you against his body and sleepily asked if you were okay. Kissing him, you reassured him that everything was fine and to go back to sleep. With Rafe’s heartbeat in your ear, you fell asleep knowing you were exactly where you wanted to be, and there was a little bit of hope that maybe everything would be okay.

END

Tags: @starkeys-world @nnarellia @iluvanakinskywalker @maybankslover @hazzarules @my-fabulousness-has-arrived @fishingirl12 @redhead1180 @esquivelbianca @theoraekenslover @the-sylver-dragon @rubixgsworld @ijustwanttoreadlols @lyannesworld @chiaraanatra

[daydream-cement]

Suits and Hallways (NSFW)

Captain Phasma x Reader

Phasma notices you staring.

First weekend in Smutember with @alexusonfire! The first week prompt is formal wear!

When you were invited to attend the officer gala, you hadn’t been expecting to be put in such a position as this. With your pressed against the cold metal wall, you felt your dress being shifted upwards around your hips. 

You had on your formal dress, putting your best foot forward to make an impression on your higher ups. You thought you had done so when Phasma approached you. Moments ago you had been summoned to the deserted hallway by your captain, and with a viscous degree of roughness, Phasma had you up against the wall. 

“Your eyes have been wandering far too much. You are beyond obvious with those disgusting thoughts of yours.” Phasma hissed, her hands working into the waistband of your underwear. It was unceremonious - the way the captain pushed her fingers between your folds and felt her way to your clit.

“Wet already? 

You could only whimper. This felt so wrong. This was so unbecoming of a person of your status in the Empire. But you gave yourself over entirely, unable to say no to the alluring and handsome captain. This evening, she had been wearing a formal captain’s uniform that made your mouth water. The jacket fit her muscular shoulders perfectly and her pants were cut tight enough that nothing was left to the imagination. Your gaze must have caught her attention.

“You’re so fucking pathetic.” Phasma whispered, pressing the pads of her index and middle finger against your clit to rub circles against the bundle of nerves. The pressure of Phasma’s hand against the side of your head only seemed to increase as the degradation continued.

Phasma growled once more, her body weight fully pushed against you. Her voice was low and guttural, almost as if she were angry with you. In reality, it was all just a way to make sure she held dominance over you. “Do you like this? Do you like being treated like a stupid little slut?”

You remained silent, but this was clearly not the response the captain wanted. She pushed your face against the metal harder and the intensity of it all made tears prick in your eyes.

“Answer the question.”

“Yes…”

“Yes, what?”

“Yes, I like being treated like a- a stupid little slut…”

“That’s what I thought.”

The grip on your face loosened slightly as her fingers went back to work, circling your soaked clit with increased fervor. Her breath was hot in your ear as she panted slightly. If you could have see. her face, you would have seen the mild look of enjoyment plastered across her lips and brow.

The captain’s fingers worked their way back towards your slick heat and you gasped quietly as she wedged her fingers into your cunt. She offered you no time to adjust to her lengthy digits when she began pumping them in and out at a building pace. 

Your little moans became more and more frequent. In spite of this, you attempted stifling them by clenching your teeth. When this failed, you drew a hand to your mouth and clamped your hand over it. 

Phasma disapproved of this action and made her dissatisfaction known by releasing your head from her grasp and wrenching both of your hands behind your back. She held your wrists in a vice grip and began slowing her movements in your underwear, teasing you to the point you felt as if you could explode. 

“P-please…” You begged Phasma, but she wasn’t interested in your pleas. 

“You think you have the right to ask me for anything?” Phasma scoffed as her fingers left your cunt to wad the fabric of your underwear around her fist. There was the sound of seams popping and the discomforting pain that was Phasma ripping the fabric off your body. “Fucktoys don’t get a say.”

At the feeling of the cold night air against your pussy, you felt terribly exposed. Anyone could walk from the gala at any second and watch you being dominated by your captain.

Her fingers dove back into your cunt, pushing their way into your fluttering hole. The pleasure of being filled again had you doubling over - your forehead pressed to the cold metal wall while your hands were still ratcheted behind your back. Phasma began pounding your cunt with her fingers - the removal of your underwear was her way of removing the barrier that kept her from doing so earlier.

Your cheeks turned red when you thought you heard the slap of her hand against your cunt echoing through the empty hall. You were praying no one would find you, but first and foremost, you needed to cum.

“How long have you been wanting me to do this? Have you been watching me in the locker room? Or do you just fantasize about what’s under the armor? Is that why you can’t control yourself now?” From Phasma’s tone, one could tell she was smirking. She was so satisfied with herself for making another of her subordinates crumble. 

“Y-you look so good in your suit…” You sob, unable to be dishonest about what drove you to stare.

“I know.”

The captain’s confidence was unbelievably sexy. 

Suddenly, and without warning, you came hard, a strangled cry jumping from your throat. But Phasma wasn’t stopping there. Her rapid fingering continued, only now she released your arms and added her other hand to the mix. With her opposite hand, she began rubbing at your clit and you felt yourself losing all control. 

“Silly little slut. What if the other lieutenants saw you like this? How would you feel?”

The captain was obviously trying to get a rise out of you, combining shame with your growing desire. 

The skill held in her fingers made you dizzy. You knew if you ever had the chance to spend the night with her, Phasma would show you pleasures far beyond pushing you against a wall and fucking you silly. 

As Phasma worked you towards another orgasm, a round of applause echoed from inside the gala hall. As much as you should have considered the possibility of someone exiting into the hall at any moment, you were far too focused on being pushed over the edge. 

You finally came from Phasma slamming her fingers inside you, tipping you over the edge. Before you could process the blinding orgasm, Phasma growled, her hand squeezing your jaw into submission. “Open your mouth…”

You opened your mouth the rest of the way and quickly realized Phasma intended on spitting in your mouth. You allowed it to happen, regardless. At this point, your only goal was appeasing her to hopefully make this occurrence happen again.

“Now get back to your quarters and clean yourself up.” Phasma pushed your face away from hers, and swatted you firmly on the ass, sending you on your way.

“Y-yes, captain.” You mutter, sending your gaze to the floor. Quickly, you began down the hallway - your face growing redder and redder as the realization of what just occurred hit you. 

Before you could round the corner, you glanced back at Phasma, unable to help yourself. Your breath caught as you watched her push your discarded underwear into her pocket. You tore your gaze away and hurried down the hallway - face bright red as you attempted to comprehend what just happened.

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[eddygoldarm]

Okay, in this post, I will put all my headcanons for the brawlers origins/backstories.

I'll update it little by little as I go and find more things about them. Note that I I sometimes quit the game for long periods of time so I'm not always updated on the lore. So this is mostly my personal interpretation, if you have any canon information/trivia from the creators/interesting headcanons, feel free to share them! With that said, let's do this!

⬇️

WILD WEST

🩹Shelly : She was a normal farmgirl from the frontier, living in her family's ranch with her animals. But many gangs from the area made her life very difficult, and the rangers never did anything for her, so she decided to become some kind of vigilante. After many lonely years, she met Colt, who she thought was just another idiot. While she was right, he proved himself to be efficient and caring, and he convinced her to stop the cycle of crime by joining him. She accepted, and is now a mercenary working with Colt, fighting to make the frontier a better place. While still hot-headed, she's way more well adjusted and reasonable now, she's just a bit jealous of Colt. As her best friend, she knows him better than anyone else and dislikes the fact that this utter idiot gets more recognition than her.

⭐Colt : Colt has a secret : He is the son of Belle and Sam from the goldarm gang. Born as Edwin, he was raised by the gang and learned all the ins and outs of the criminal life since he was little. His mother Belle pushed him to perform better each day in order to make him strong. That way, he became an incredible shot, but also a boastful and well-groomed boy, never letting show a sign of weakness. But as the heists were getting more difficult, and the gang more violent, Eddy struggled to keep up, and Belle started to neglect him when he failed. He started to hate himself, as he felt like nobody would ever love who he was becoming. It was getting so bad that, at one point, he decided to rat the gang out to the rangers, leading to their arrest, but also to a terrible accident. He used this occasion to fake his own death and assumed a new identity. Thanks to his gun skills and tactical knowledge, became a security officer at Starr Park. He slowly climbed the ladder, accomplishing his duty, pleasing the people and making a name for himself. Until he became the Oldtown sheriff, Colt is now happier than ever, as he has all he ever wanted: A great job, a lot of fans and friends that move him... unless?

🌵Spike : Spike was originally a regular cactus, living his normal cactus life in the middle of the desert. Until one day, a mountain of a human fell and landed on him, completely destroying the plant. Hopefully, a little chunk stayed attached to his shirt, and he managed to survive. The small shoot was given to a young Eddy, and then potted. The little plant was the boy's new best friend, he took care of it, carried it everywhere, and even talked to it. Spike learned a lot, everything even, and developed feelings for the boy as he watched him grow and struggle. Until one day, where the plant was blasted once again, it managed to survive, but something changed in Spike. He started to slowly mutate into a humanoïd shape, and could even now form "thoughts". Spike essentially turned into a little human (which freaked out Colt and made him shoot Spike in chock but we avoid talking about that.), that became Colt's new friend. With his newfound appearance, Spike became a weird little guy, just wandering around, either helping his friends or causing mischief. He is living his best life and nobody can stop him, he's a cactus! While more independant, he his still close to Colt, he cheers him up in his own weird ways, and keeps his secrets... which is very useful since he can't speak.

SHAMAN TRIBE

🦅Bo : The shaman tribe are the oldest group of the land, not a lot is known about them, because of the hostility of the desert and the violence of its people, they prefer to live secluded in the jungle, in harmony with nature. Bo the Eagle Hunter is one of their warriors, strong, wise and courageous, and dedicated to his people. He trained daily to sharpen his skills in order to fiercely protect his tribe from outsiders. He considered them as very dangerous, as a lot of his kin, notably his brother in arms, Nita and Leon's father, were killed by them. Although, not everyone had this philosophy; as the badlands were getting more developed and safer, more people from the tribe started to step outside, which Bo was strongly against. And so, he became even more combative and protective, focusing his attention on his partner's wife and children, who he started to grow a bond with. The mother's company softened his heart a bit, they took the habit of going to Starr Park together, and Bo started to understand the beauty of the outside world. But suddently, she mysteriously disappeared, leaving the two children without parents, Bo was heartbroken, he had now lost two of his best friends because he let his guard down. But instead of sulking about, he decided to take the little Leon and Nita under his wing, even as a seasoned warrior, it's something he wasn't prepared for at all; because they were left unchecked, the two kids had become absolute terror. Being a parent it's the most ruthless job, but he was ready to step in, and willing to do anything for their safety, and his friend's sake. Today, Bo travels around the badlands, wanting to understand the world and uncovering its mysteries, and also looking for the children's mother. Despite having now a more open and free spirit, his main priority still stays the safety of his people, and the happiness to the two children. Once, they gifted him a toy bow and arrows, and even if it's not ideal, he's been using them ever since, because he loves these kids. Also, idk if he loved the kid's mother romantically, feels kinda weird wanting to date your best friend's wife. Maybe he did but never tried to make a move on her by respect. But whatever, he has Charlie now hehe.

🦎Leon : Leon is a child from the shaman tribe, unfortunately, he didn't have a warrior spirit, and was rather shy. Instead of honoring the traditions, he was more interested in the outside world and all the new things it had to offer. His mother would spoil him with toys, candy and modern clothes, which Bo and the tribe elders disapproved of. Instead, pushing their sacred way of life onto him, he began to run away and hide even more, fantasizing about becoming a "ninja" he heard about outside the jungle. Eventually, with the accumulation of his father's death, his "replacement" by a scary stoic warrior, and his mother's disappearance, made him close in on himself even more. Thanks to a gem mutation, he developped invisibility powers, and used it to hide and to even more cause trouble. This was a pain to deal with for Bo, who had no experience with parenting, but as he mellowed out, the guardian finally listened to Leon and started to understand him. Even if the kid had a different way of thinking, Bo recognized that he wasn't any less of a warrior, and stopped pushing his ways onto him, and thus, stopping Leon's bad behavior. With time, Leon learned to open up and be a happy kid again, it's still difficult sometimes, he's still a troublemaker! But that's why we love him!

🐻Nita : Nita barely knew her parents, she always carried the teddy her mom had given her for comfort. When she disappeared, for a while, all she had to look up too was her big brother, so she became a fierce little troublemaker like him. Together they began causing mayhem wherever they went, and this was the happiest she ever was. Of course, this fell back on her, when the teddy got destroyed (Bull did it), this got her seething with rage, giving birth to Bruce, the fierce spirit-bear (thanks in part to a gem mutation). After seeing the damage Nita had done, Bo finally decided to step in : he defeated the bear, and stitched the plushie back together. That way, she could always be comforted by someone if she ever felt angry.

RETROPOLIS GANG

🐂Bull : Billy Blanco was born and raised in the frontier. He was always a big boy, but contrary to his appearance, he was kind and well-mannered. Sadly, those traits that aren't desirable in this harsh environnement, Bull's childhood was difficult, because despite his herculean strength, he couldn't bring himself to hurt anyone. I like to think he briefly dated Pam, but she dumped him because he was too much of a wimp. Having enough of this, he quit his farm for Retropolis, where he got a job as a waiter. All wasn't perfect though, there were many gangs fighting, and he always got caught in the fire. One day, he got a spike of courage, and tried to save an innocent client, only to recieve a deadly gem explosion. The radiation, as well as the frustration of years of suffering, made him loose all his tempter, and in an instant, he singlehandedly obliterated the gang responsible. They all started to respect him and do favors for him. At first he didn't want this kind of power, he felt guilty for beating all these people, but he soon realized he could use it to do some good, he could maintain order and protect underdogs like him. Bull slowly assumed a stronger, bolder character, recruited some goons, and founded his own gang. While Bull's gang was terrifying, their goal was only to put those who caused trouble, and hurt innocents back in their place. Today Bull owns the diner, and is a well-known figure in Retropolis, feared by some, respected by many, despite his looks and methods, it's undeniable that he made the city a safer place. He might be scary now, but deep down, he's still the kind humble farmboy, so, as long as you don't cause trouble, you're always welcome at Bull's diner! His pancakes are bangin too.

🐦‍⬛Crow: He was just a normal bird, flying around, earing seeds etc... But one day, he got shot and fell into a crevasse filled with gems. This caused him to mutate enormously, and to become quasi-human. Crow was terrified; his body and world had changed, and he was all alone. So he wandered, trying to make sense of everything. But he got soon spotted by many criminals, who tried to capture him. After days of escape, Crow was cornered at Retropolis, he felt like he was doomed to suffer for the rest of his life. It was at this moment that somewhat lended him a hand for the first time: Bull saw what was happening to the strange bird-man, and ordered everyone to leave him alone. He gave him a jacket, lead him to his restaurant, and cooked him a breakfast. Crow had now a roof and a friend. The bird-man had come a long way, he learned to move, to speak and to act like a human, but he still has a long way to go to figure himself out, bird or human? Maybe something completely different, only time will tell. In the meantime, Crow is happy to belong somewhere, somewhere safe.

⚾Bibi : I headcanon that she's Kenji's daughter, she grew up in the sushi restaurant in Retropolis, helping her mom and dad. Contrary to now, she was a sweet and well-mannered girl, all was well until Starr Park attacked the restaurant, her mother got kidnapped, and her father went in hiding to try and fing her. Lost and confused, she didn't understand why her father suddently left her when she needed him most, so she saught refuge at Bull's diner, because she knew he could help. Bull accepted to take her under his wing, on the condition that she would be a part of his gang. Since then, Bibi has toughen up a lot, she adopted a bad girl attitude to match with Bull and Crow's energy, but if you look behind her façade, you can easily see she's still a sweet girl, she likes candy, video games and cute animals. Bull doesn't treat her like a child, but he still takes care of her, he's like a second dad to her.

(I'm sensing a pattern with Bo and Bull adopting weird children here lol)

STARRCADE

🕹️Brock : I don't think Brock has anything special, really, he's probably the most normal of all the brawlers. He's always was a geek, and was frequently bullied for liking comics, cartoons and video games. In his teens, with the help of Colt (who he met at Starr Park), and his dad, who is a ranger, he learned to assert and defend himself. He turned his nerdiness into a strengh, learning to dress cool, talk back, and creating gadgets to defend himself (a rocket launcher is a bit overkill imo). Despite his certified freshness, he's a bit of a bum, but he's fine with his life, he works in something that he's passionate about thanks to the arcade, and he's surrounded by cool friends.

🔫Rico : Like all robots of his kind, Rico was designed for combat, he was part of a squadron belonging to the rangers, and obeyed to the orders like any other robots would. Until one day, when he was ordered to get stolen gems back from the Gold Arm. During this mission, he got shot (by Eddy or Belle) in just the right spot, causing a mutation thanks to the nearby gems. Rico gained a free will and a consciousness, this, mixed to his calculator-brain, made him an extremely accurate shooter. He hid it at first, but the rangers quickly noticed it, and started treating him as an equal, he was given clothes, promoted, and nicknamed "Ricochet" because of his famous gun tricks. Eventually, Rico got tired of following orders, he wanted to be his own person, so he said goodbye to the rangers, and became a bounty hunter. These were the robot's prime years, as he wandered the desert, he became famous, as he was at the time the only independant robot, and a dreaded sharpshooter. It was at this time that he met Piper, but they weren't lovers, I'm not sure if they were partners or ennemies. Sadly, all things had to come to an end, and one day, he crossed paths with the Gold Arm once again, who completely obliterated him, he wasn't buried like a person, but thrown in the scrapyard. A few years after, Brock found his carcass, took it, and frankensteined him with a gumball machine, thinking it could be a great addition to the Starrcade. But by fixing him, Rico woke up again: the bounty hunter returned. Brock realised that he had just ressucitated one of the most famous figures of the frontier, he thought it was lit. The robot didn't feel like going back to his old ways, he thought the Starrcade was a nice place, so he decided to retire, and to hang out in Retropolis. He's not as fierce as he used to be, now he prefers to be silly and to play the gallery with his bouncy balls. And yeah, he dated a vending machine, but Frank broke it, and now he is with Piper, who charmed with his new persona.

👾 8-Bit : He is an old arcade machine that was given life after Brock forgot gems on it. He used to display a bad and difficult game, and all the players that tried to beat it spat their anger and frustration at him. Now that he is alive, he is a pure machine of hatred, trying to beat all the people that mistreated him. He respects Brock because he's one of the few that was good at his game.

BANDSTAND

🏋️El Primo : He is Shelly's cousin, and grew up on the same farm as her. He became passionate about lucha libre from a very early age, and began practicing on everyone and everything. Thanks to his training, he became very strong, he was a bit of a beloved local figure, but it wasn't enough for him. He wanted to become the strongest in the universe, but he felt like he couldn't progress. One night, as he was practicing under the moon, he saw a purple meteor descend from the sky. He thought that if he mutated, he could finally become strong, so he tried to intercept it, not realizing how much danger he was putting himself in. Thankfully, Shelly saved him in extremis, and scholded him for being and idiot, telling him that being mutated isn't fun or cool. They watched the stars fall together, the wrestler felt like he could become as powerful as them, so he modeled his famous jump move after the meteor's fall. Now, to spice up his tale, he tells everyone that the meteor hit him right in the face, gifting him with immense power and beauty. But both Shelly and him know he's just strong like that ;] Now he is a travelling luchador with his bandstand friends Poco and Amber.

🎺Poco : Poco used to be a normal human, he was a promising musician of the frontier, with his own life and family. Sadly, he tragically passed away in a brawl between criminals, before he could meet his fame. Decades later, because of a mutation, he ressucitated (Maybe Mortis did it lol), but he was cursed to be a skeleton for the rest of his life. Saddened by his state, and the loss of his home and loved ones, he began to wander the desert, playing mournful balads to himself. He didn't hurt anyone, but people avoided him for his appearance. One day, as he was approaching Oldtown, he met with someone who was badly hurt and couldn't move (idk who could that be, maybe Shelly when she was a vigilante? or El Primo or Amber), he decided to keep them company, and to play his guitar to soothe them. Little did he know, his beautiful music had now the power to heal others. Extremely grateful and excited by this, the person introduced them to the people of Oldtown, who slowly started to accept him. Now Poco has regained his true colors, and is beloved by everyone, nothing makes him happier than seeing the smiles he brings to everyone.

🔥Amber : I don't know of any potential backstory leads for Amber. I just think she's a normal girl who LOVES fire and wanted to be a performer with the baton (idk how you call this lmao). The problem was, she gets too carried away, and tends to destroy everything, which discouraged her. El Primo thought it was cool as hell though, and asked her to be a part of his show.

OLDTOWN

🍺Barley : Like the other cyclop robots, Barley was a fighter, and like some of his kind, he was destroyed in a fight, then repurposed by the common people (possibly by a younger Pam). He belonged to the previous owner of the Oldtown bar, and served as a simple bartender, he wasn't very special, but he was a fun novelty that attracted customers. While he was a great bartender, it seemed like his code wasn't changed properly, and each time a fight burst in the bar, he would go in fighter mode, and destroy everything himself. At one point he gained consciouness, and the fights multiplied, he started to feel remorse, as his owner was getting old, and always had to clean up his mess. So he stepped up, and worked even harder to help him, making it a point to keep the place clean out of respect. In turn, the owner started to treat Barley like he was a real person, giving him clothes, attention and favors, they respected each other very much, and Barley stayed loyal until the end. The owner eventually passed away, and Barley inherited the bar, and to this day, he's still serving his customers with a lovely smile. He still has "anger issues" though.

🌂Piper : Not sure for Piper yet. She was either a deadly criminal, a bounty hunter or a respected ranger, she knew Ricochet and the Goldarm gang personally. But one day she got tired of fighting, so she left her wild life, and came back to Oldtown, where she opened her charming bakery. While she isn't one to fight in the spotlight, she still has her fighter reflexes for before, so don't tease her.

🐍Byron : Byron is one of the sons of the Starr family, and Belle's younger brother, since an early age, Byron was passionate about poisons and toxins. He studied snakes, scorpions and other venomous creatures, in the hopes of becoming a pharmacist, and make a ton of money selling miracle remedies. Byron's upbringing was difficult, while the Starrs were proud of him for his practice, he completely was socially inept, and was considered as a black sheep along with his sister. He was a witness to the abuse she suffered, but could barely do anything to prevent it, or say the right thing to comfort her, this created some tension between them. One day, Belle fell pregnant with some common man from the factory, and he learned that the Starrs wanted ro keep the baby for themselves. So, after she gave birth, he helped her escape with the baby, and cut the Starrs off from his life at the same occasion. He gave up on his studies, and started his own business, helping Belle by supplying the gang with remedies and poisons. Eventually, the gang got caught, and Byron with it, he was sent to prison, but managed to smooth talk his captives into getting a shorter sentence. Byron is back in Oldtown now, while unable to become a proper pharmacist, a medical diploma is just a paper to him. Because he's basically Colt's uncle, he allowed him to sell his products, as long as he didn't cause trouble. While Byron didn't achieve his dream, he's still became the richest person in Oldtown thanks to his passion, living the dream life in his big house filled with snakes. Also, like Belle, he's blacklisted from the Starr family gatherings, but he doesn't care.

BIODOME

🌹Rosa : Originating from Super City, Rosa is a talented botanist. One day, because of a lab accident, she suffered a mutation, which made her strong as heck. So she made it her goal to study this phenomenon. While she had a lot of theoretical knowledge, she rarely ventured outside her lab, and lacked field experience. She worked so hard that she started to neglect her family, and her sisters went missing (One of them being Lily, they are so similar to me!!). Feeling remorse she decided to got to the jungle, where she thought Lily went, and where the mutated flora was plentiful. It was a dangerous territory, but she found a way to protect herself : she punched all the plants that tried to attack her, and domesticated a baby mutated plant to make and make herself and armor out of it. While she didn't find her sister (well, she did, but she didn't recognize her, and punched her as well), she learned a lot on her journey. Thanks to her talent, she was appointed by Starr Park to work at their shiny new Biodome, a giant greenhouse created in the hopes of rehabilitating plantlife in the frontier. Now she works here with her assistants Bea and Sprout, making new discoveries everyday.

🐝Bea : SHE LIKES BEES. I think she grew up in the frontier, where insects are fairly rare. When she understood their importance in the ecosystem, and the power they could have to repopulate the frontier, she fell in love with them, especially the bees. So she studied the bees, and became a bee scientist, and now she works at the biodome where she uses bees to help Rosa with her plant research. She's not as interested in the mutations as her, she's more of a tech nerd, she created the bee drone, as well as Sprout.

🌱Sprout : Sprout was originally a standard smart seed incubator, it's simply designed to keep seeds in good health before while they hatch. One day, after one of her jungle explorations, Rosa found a really strange mutated seed, brought it back to the biodome, and put it in the incubator to study it. Over the days, the incubator started to malfunction, it started to speak and move by itself. Bea checked it, and noticed that as it was growing, the seed was slowly taking over the incubator, who started to mutate as well. At one point, it almost seemed like it was having a mind of its own, so Bea decided to upgrade it, giving it arms and wheels, so it could be monitored more easily, and also drawing a face on it. And so, Sprout was born, they're Rosa and Bea's little assistant in the biodome, taking care of the plants. To this day, nobody knows what the seed holds, but Sprout takes care of it (or of themselves?) rigourously.

SCRAPPERS

🔧Jessie : Born in the junkyard, she's a wild kid, since she was little, she's used to the rough and tough of the frontier. She was possibly born with a mutation that made her extremely intelligent, and by watching her mother, she quickly learned to make all kinds of different machines. She didn't have any friends growing up, so she considers her home-made electro gun and turret, Scrappy as such. Now that she's a little bit older, she wants to be let on her own, and make new friends by herself. Unfortunately Pam is too scared for her, and Nani won't let her wander off, when will they learn that she is a big girl now? Despite her intelligence and courage, she's still a little girl, she likes dolls and cute animals, and cries like a baby when she doesn't get her way.

⚙️Pam : I like to think that Pam was an heir to the Starr family, but, like Belle, decided to flee as she didn't like the life that was promised to her. Before running away, she was a worker at the robot factory, and she used her experience to make a living as a scrapper. She was a free spirit, and was carried by the wind, one day quietly visiting Oldtown, and the other riding to hell with the bikers. Pam's life was difficult, but she was strong enough to be happy with it. Eventually, she fell pregnant with Jessie (Bull is possibly the father, it could be really funny, but who knows really), and that made her an easy target. She decided to stop wandering, and to settle in the scrapyard, her pregnancy was difficult, as she had to defend herself, her baby, and her livelyhood alone. She managed it, but this experience calmed her down a little bit, she couldn't afford to do as she pleased anymore, now that she had a child. She is very protective of Jessie because of it, and she built Nani to watch over her. As the years passed, more and more people came to the scrapyard as well. Ex-scrappers, or simply lost wanderes, seeking refuge from the wild or the Starrs, formed a small community. Today, the scrapyard is practically a small village, that is considered a big family, of which Pam is the matriarch of. She defends and nurtures them as if they were her own, and goes out of her way to repel the Starrs at their doors. As long as you have what it takes to handle this life, she will welcome you under their roof.

🐥Nani : Nani was a scrapped mousebot, repurposed by Pam to be Jessie's nanny. She loves her family and is even more protective over Jessie than Pam. She doesn't hesitate to spy on her with Peep when she wanders too far. Nothing too complicated about her. I like to think that one day Starr Park got a hold of her, while she was freed by Pam, they still could used her as a basis to create R-T.

MINERS

🧨Dynamike : Mike was a miner back in the old days, his favorite part of the job was seeing the explosions him and his coworkers caused. This lead him to not be very careful with his equipement; one day, the canary they were using escaped in a new tunnel, as Mike tried to retrieve it, a wall crashed behind him, blocking the exit. Despite attempts to save him, the rescuers couldn't do anything, and left him for dead. Over 40 years later, as the miners where digging nearby, Dynamike, and his birdie reemerged from the tunnel, like nothing happened. To this day, nobody knows how they survived in there, when asked, he only responds with nonsense, it seems like years of isolation caused him to go a bit crazy. Nowadays, he's still working at the mines, still using dated and dangerous methods, but loving every second of it.

👷Jackie : She was originally a construction worker in Super City, but she got fired for being too vulgar and destructive. She then reconverted as a miner, where she suffered a mutation because of the gems. While she's not really passionate about her job, she's glad she can unwind as much as she wants.

⛏️Carl : Carl was a standard miner robot, since recent times, they've replaced the miners, as they are safer and more efficient. Jackie pushed him in a crevasse once, and he mutated, gaining a consciouness. Carl is a geology nerd, and unlike the other robots, he spends his time studying the rocks and gems they find. While he is very useful for the miners, Jacky can't stand him and his nerdyness, and she bullies him a bit.

PIRATES

🛢️Darryl : Same as the other cyclops, Darryl once gained consciousness after an accident involving gems. He was badly beat up, but he was repaired by people living near the beach (maybe Penny's family), replacing his full torso area by a big barrel, hence why he looks a bit different from the other robots. He soon realised that he didn't like to work for them, he wanted to live his own life, free from society, so, he became a pirate! He put on a hat, found a boat, and formed a crew, and now sails on the seven seas! Little did he know that managing a crew also took responsability, but he loves his little guys, so he tries his best.

💀Penny : Penny is a rebellious girl from the beach, her parents didn't really take care of her, so she did as she pleased, and survived by stealing from tourists. When she learned that Darryl was looking for crewmates, she immediately joined him. She met Jessie at the beach once, and they became good friends, Jessie taught her a bit of mecanics, and she learned to make her own turrets.

💣Tick : He's one of Penny's creations, and also her pet. He's a very basic robot, made of three canons stitched together. All he does on the ship is blow things up and be silly.

GHOST TRAIN

🚂Chuck : (SUICIDE MENTION) Chuck was a renouned and passionate maestro, tragically afflicted of a horrible disease, which slowly took away control from his body, he spent his life dedicated to his craft. He would write and perform impressive recitals, which were praised by many. Sadly, as his sickness started to take over, he also started to feel like he wasn't good enough. He wanted to create something truly transcending, but had no idea how to, feeling like his short life would be a waste if he didn't. So, as the sickness took away his legs, he started to obsess over this idea, working day and night to write his magnum opus. A symphony that would leave a mark on the world before he was gone, putting even more of a strain on his body. But despite all of his efforts, he couldn't do it, he felt like everything he put out was garbage, and that in turn, his life, because of the body he was cursed with, was worthless. As it started to give in, and in his utter despair and obsession, Chuck decided to lay on the tracks. He should've been dead, but somehow, maybe by the sheer power of his determination, his refusal to die until his oeuvre was achieved, a was still alive, sat alone on his wheelchair. He spent years in intensive care, a real curiosity for his caretakers, trying to study him, figure out how he was still living, and to make him functional again. As while he was still aware and conscious, he might as well be dead, his body was so painful and heavy, that he couldn't bring himself to even move, leaving him amorphous, in complete despair over not being able to play or write music anymore. One day, as he was recovering, in an act of innocent kindness, a nurse told him that they found a job offer for a conductor. Still completely desperate, he accepted the offer to not disappoint them. Turns out, it was the wrong kind of conductor, and now, with no experience, he found himself driving the famously decrepit Ghost Train. It was a terrible misunderstanding, but one that he found himself oddly satisfied with, he resonated with the lonely and gloomy atmosphere of the train. He met and bonded with a lost ghost child, who taught him what it's like to be a ghost, and in turn, started to take care of him as well, and as he got used to his new job, he started to understand his new self even more, and before he knew it, he was fine again. Today, he takes full responsability, and pride in his new job, as the Ghost Train's conductor, he gained full control of his newfound powers, and uses them to fully express himself, and to create even more powerful and haunting music, in this strange afterlife.

🎈Gus : He was a regular orphan from the deep badlands, it's a dangerous, creepy place, with monsters and mutants roaming about. So, despite his young age, he's not easily impressed, and even likes scary things, he doesn't have many friends, usually "pretending" random objects, like balloons, are his real friends. He was a regular lonely passenger of the ghost train, as it's the only one that connects his school to his far removed house. Despite his overall weirdness, he was set out to live a pretty regular life, until he lost his balloon one day, and wandered off in a tunnel. Gus can't remember what happened to him, but his body became ethereal, and he now had a deeper connexion with spirits. He started to use these powers to his advantage, to give a little scare to the Ghost Train's other passengers, to quench his loneliness and boredom. While it was harmless, the train gained even more of a bad reputation, scaring off more and more new conductors. His pranks didn't seem to affect the latest one though, Chuck. And so, thanks to their respective ghostly nature, they both bonded, Chuck felt amused and inspired by the rascal's shenanigans, and started to take care of him, and also, to control his freakish impulses. In turn, Gus was really happy, he finally had someone he could truly call his friend (at least, someone actually human.).

🕶️Shade : It was initially a pile of different lost clothes Gus found around the station. Eventually, somehow, the combination of a mutation and Gus' weird brain's powers gave it life, and Shade quickly became his best (imaginary?) friend. Unlike Gus or Chuck, Shade is very friendly towards the visitors, but they tend to run away from it as well.

MORTUARY

🦇 Mortis : Mortis' mom tragically passed away when he was little, since then, he had a fascination for death, he isolated himself from his family to study it in detail. He took trips to the graveyard to experiment on bodies, and eventually gained enough experience to become a mortician. One day though, he fell in a grave full of gems, and mutated, becoming essentially a vampire. He took this opportunity to study death even further, using his necromancy powers to hopefully one day resurrect the dead, or achieve immortality. He managed to do it several times, notably creating Frank. But as the years went by, started to outgrow his loved ones, and became a recluse in his own family. The only one that wasn't scared of him was a young EMZ, who thought her uncle was really cool. Mortis started to feel loved, and to assert himself again thanks to the little girl. Sadly, she passed away because of the same sickness that took his mother away, Mortis couldn't accept it, and he resurrected her, cursing her with a zombified body and eternal life. EMZ hated her uncle for what he had done, but she made peace with it thanks to Frank, and Mortis promised to fix his mistake. Today Mortis is still the local mortician, living a cool vampire life with his zombie friends, he doesn't resurrect anyone anymore.

🪦Frank : Frank isn't actually a frankenstein monster, he's just the zombie of the Mortis' family's butler. Mortis was close to him, so after his death, he tried to ressucitate him, with mixed results. While Frank is alive, the resurrection made him broken in some ways, he barely had memories of his past life, couldn't speak, and had a very awkward body. Mortis admired him though, considering him as a huge achievement. He didn't really treat him like a person at that time though, which angered Frank a lot. He spent a lot of time trying to cope with his meare existence, and what would be his place in the world. Thankfully, when EMZ entered the picture, Mortis softened a lot, and he pushed Frank to explore himself, and to live his own life. He discovered that music was a great way for him to express himself, and he could do it without destroying everything! So he decided to become a DJ, and hosts raves every week at the graveyard!

💅EMZ : She was an outgoing and a bit quirky girl, liking everything spooky and a bit gross. She loved her uncle Mortis, because he was basically a vampire. Sadly, she passed away because of a sickness, but Mortis ressucitated her later. She was now a zombie girl, cursed with a putrefied body, her skin was purple, she was mostly bones, and had no hair and nose. Her schoolmates were mocking her for her appearance, and made her life miserable. She got so frustrated, that she completely leaned in her monster persona, and became a scary, sassy bully herself. But thanks to Frank and Mortis, she got the courage to assert herself once again, and so, she changed her appearance to become who she really wanted to be. She became the queen we all know and love today, and didn't even give a look to her bullies, she prefered to help girls like her feel more confident in themselves. To do this, she became a beauty influencer, and later launched her own line of beauty products!

STUNT SHOW

🎆Stu : Stu is former fighter drone, who was ripped in half during a brawl. He was found, and repurposed by Janet and Bonnie's parents to be a crash test robot for their stunts. Stu was "mistreated" but he loved it, and eventually gained a consciousness after a bad stunt, he was truly a part of the family. Sadly, one day, the girl's parents died in a tragic accident. Janet got depressed, and didn't want to perform anymore. Stu was left purposeless, as he only knew how to crash onto things. So, he took it upon himself to take care of the girls, and with the help of Bonnie, he managed to cheer Janet back up. He's now the leader of the stunt show and while it's difficult for him, he does his best everyday to bring the girls to their fullest potential.

🚀Janet : Janet has always seen her parents and Stu perform on stage, she loved the spotlights and the sparks in peoples eyes during the show. But unlike her parents, she wanted to become a singer more than anything, and she began to perform at an early age. Unfortunately, when her parents passed away after the accident, she was too scared to go on stage again. She saw how much Stu struggled to take care of the both of them, and slowly, she started to open up again. Little by little, with the encouragements of her little sister, she got the courage to step back on stage. She now gives everything she has during each show, wanting to impress people with her stunts and voice, as well as honour her parent's memory. She also is now responsible for everything regarding security in the show, making sure that nobody gets hurt, everyone (even Stu) has to wear a helmet now!

🦷Bonnie : Bonnie loved to watch her parents fly around during their show, and wanted to be just like them, but she was still too young to perform such dangerous stunts. Her mother would sing Fly Me to the Moon before bedtime, and promised that when she'd be old enough, they'd fly to the moon together. When they died, she couldn't accept Stu as their substitute, and began to behave badly to drive him nuts. She'd crawl around her parent's old stuff, and try to imitate them by jumping around between the obstacles. One day, she hid in her mother's canon, thinking she was ready to go see her mom on the moon, Stu fired it by accident, and she was launched in the air. She loved the sensation of flying through the sky, and the adrenaline it gave her, but she didn't notice she was about to crash. Stu managed to catch her, and miraculously, she was safe. This incident made Janet terrified, and she grounded her very badly. Bonnie wasn't discouraged, she wanted to fly again! So she started to slowly practice with Stu, and showed Janet what she was capable of. In return, both Janet and Stu found their purpose again, and you know the rest of the story!

GIFT SHOP

🪙 Griff : Griff spent the majority of his life in the frontier, and made his bread and butter as "professional scammer". With each new day, he came up with a new crazy plan to scam some idiots. He never got rich, but he had enough to live a tranquil life. He lived many years like this, until he scammed the wrong person, and the rangers finally caught up to his misdeeds. To avoid getting caught, he assumed a completely new identity, and sweet-talked his way into becoming the boss of the shiny new Starr Park gift shop! He wore this crazy hat and outfit as a way to hide in plain sight. Little did he know, owning a business takes work, and while he's good at making money, he's bad, oh so bad at keeping it.

🖤Edgar : Edgar is actually an heir to the powerful Starr family. The Starrs are all about their clean and traditional public image, and Edgar... let's say he stands out a bit too much. So, in order to correct his behavior, his mom thought it would be a great idea to get him a job. Meet new people, have responsabilities and all this schtick. So, she forced Griff to employ her son (since she can easily get him fired, or worse), and today, the poor kid wastes his day in this miserable shop. Edgar is a terrible employee, all he does is hang around, hands in his pockets, and complain, but Griff has to keep him if he wants to keep his life.

📒Colette : Since she was little, Colette LOVED everything Starr Park-related, like a Disney adult would. So when she heard a gift shop had just opened, she saw an opportunity to get closer to the brawlers, and to get tons of free merch! So she jumped on the occasion, and practically begged Griff to take her in. He was reluctant to employ this terrifying girl at first, but he saw how knowledgeable and dedicaded she was, and saw a way to cut corners thanks to her. Today Colette is living the best life ever, working her dream job, with loving coworkers, where she can stalk her favorite brawlers all day... Truly the dream!

Castle Courtyard

📞Grom : Little is known about Grom, what we do know is that, he has always served as manpower for various businesses and organisations. He saw a lot of things, bad things, but he had a job to do, and it wasn't asking questions. He decided he had enough one day, and took a job as a playground supervisor in kindergarten, but he wasn't prepared for it. Nobody knows what happened back there, but this is what broke him, and even though he's now walking on greener pastures at Starr Park, he's never been the same ever again. Completely paranoid, he is terrified of children and even has flashbacks when encountering one. He copes with his constant stress by listening to "Bud" on his walkie-talkie, which is actually just a voice inside of his head, comforting him.

🗑️Ash : As a kid, Ash had big dreams of becoming a knight in shiny armor like in the old legends, to slay a dragon and get married to a beautiful princess. But life hasn't been good for him, and now he's a Starr Park janitor, who has to fight off rats and is stuck with a crazy russian man. The fact that he's rather cranky is understable. Still, deep inside, Ash still has that childish dream, wearing that trash can and brandishing his trusty broom and shovel is a way for him to reclaim it... charming...

🐀Moe : Moe is of the same rat colony that Ash constantly fights against. Unfortunately, he mutated very early in his life, and was never really part of the colony, as he was too human. He roamed in the park for a while, surviving off garbage that was left on the ground. Ash knew of his presence, and tried to get rid of him, as he thought he was just a big vermin. Grom noticed that he was special though, and immediately fell in love with him, he adopted the little rat and named him Moe. Despite being a kid, Moe's presence actually reassures Grom's stress greatly, he insisted to keep the little mole around. Ash noticed this, and finally warmed up to him, agreeing to keep him, as long as he was helping them. So they built Moe his weird drilling machine, and he's now an unofficial Starr Park employee! Free labor!! Yaay!

SNOTEL

🐧Mr.P : He's always been a businessman on the grind, always speeding off to some meeting, working hours on end, without taking any breaks. All this to reach the top. While it somewhat worked, being now the owner of the Starr Park Snotel, it took a toll on his sanity. The stress of the business life turned him into a cranky, manic and tyrannical boss. He barely articulates when he speaks anymore, that's why his speech sounds like crazy penguin blabberings. No idea why he wears a penguin suit though.

🌬️ Gale : Gale seems to have his life figured out since he was young; he's a gardener/landscaper, and has been for 50 years now. Despite always doing the same job, he is completely satisfied with his life. His work is his passion, but he nevers overdoes it: patience, steadyness, and kindness are his keys to a job well-done. Even at 60, at the top of a freezing mountain, under the orders of a crazy boss, he still blows the snow away with a tender smile. He likes his job so much that he doesn't even realize Mr.P doesn't respect his worker rights.

🍧 Lou : The Lous (idk what would be their real name) are a famous brand of robots scattered all over the frontier. They are ice-making robots, design to serve refreshing treats to the thirsty and over-heating people of the badlands. Due to their popularity, Mr.P thought it would be a great idea to buy one for the Snotel. He didn't really get why these robots were popular in the first place... nobody really needs shaved-ice on an ice-covered mountain... So now, poor Lou just sits there collecting dust. Gale comforts him by telling him that he just has to wait, and his time will come, but Mr.P pressures him to work harder to attract customers. He doesn't know what to do!! (Idk how he would've gained a consciousness though).

GOLDARM GANG

🎯 Belle : Belle Starr was one of the many daughters of the Starr family, she was to be raised to become a succesfull heir and raise children of her own to ensure the family's destiny. But she never wanted that life, she understood very early that she was just a pawn in their plans, stripping her away of her belongings and individuality, so she started to cause mischief to rebel against her family. In order to accomodate her, while still keeping her in line, they gave hee a job at their robot factory. But there, catastrophy struck, she fell in love with Sam, a common man, and had a baby with him. Belle saw it as an opportunity to start her own life, but the Starrs didn't see it like that. They took the child from her, so they could mold it to their wishes. Belle, with her partner, in a fit of rage and despair, "kidnapped" her child back, causing a lot of noise, losing her arm in the process, and pinning herself as a dangerous outlaw. But she didn't care anymore, she was finally free, and she was going to take everything from the Starrs. She founded the gang with her husband to fight them, and quickly became known as the Golden Arm. Her gang was fierce, dangerous, and never backed down from anything. Alongside her criminal life, Belle did what she could to raise her son Eddy, and she taught him how to become a feared outlaw like her. She didn't want her son to suffer like she did in the past, so she pushed him to perform better and better with each mission. She witnessed the stress this was putting him under, but the thought of losing her son terrified her. Eventually, Eddy had enough, and denounced the gang to the rangers. They were all caught on a gem cargo, which exploded, killing Eddy, and all the gang was sentenced to jail. Both Belle and Sam managed to escape years later, and despite the grief, the guilt, the hatred and vindictiveness in Belle's heart, she seems to have settled down a little bit, living a quieter life with her husband and beloved robot-daughter Pearl. Her time hasn't come yet, and she still fights against the Starrs, as she has new opponents now, an idiotic pretty-cow-boy-toy and his enraged and brutish girlfriend.

🧲 Sam : Sam Bronson comes from a poor farmer family of the frontier. He always was the one to repair his family's old broken down trucks, and developed a passion for mecanics. His upbringing was difficult, as he was often the victim of criminal scum and corrupt rangers, who used robots to oppress his family. He decided to work at the robot factory to help them, and he quickly became respected and beloved by his coworkers for his skill and sense of humor. Eventually, Belle arrived, and they quickly fell for each other. He showed her how hard life was for him and his peers because of the Starrs. Sam used to admire them a lot, as they were inventors and innovators, but all they do with their minds is to take away everything from the weak, which Belle related to a lot. She decided she wanted nothing to do with them, and that she was going to live with Sam, starting her own family with him. That was until they took her their child away, he decided that he had enough, and it was him that suggested Belle to take him back by force, determined to support her no matter what. They lived on the run ever since, it was difficult for Sam at first, balancing criminal and parent life, but he did what he had to do to protect his wife and child, building an arm, weapons and gadgets for her. Until it all went to hell because of Belle's sheer vindictiveness, which he couldn't fight against. Sam is in fact a bit more mesured: his main goal is to protect the common folk, and so, despite his appearance, is the voice of reason within the gang. He loved his son more than anything, and wanted to give him a happy life, so, he started to build a robot for him, but could never finish it before it was too late. Sam was devastated by his death, and didn't talk to Belle for months afterwards, but he realized she needed him too in order to grieve. So they got back together, and Sam forced Belle to slow down, take their time to heal and enjoy their life. He finally finished Pearl, and she makes their life a little brighter everyday, just like Eddy did. Despite his unconditional love for Belle, deep down, Sam hasn't fully forgiven her for what she did to their son.

🍪 Pearl : Pearl is Sam's passion project, a gift he wanted to give to his family and a way to prove that robots aren't supposed to be made to fight. He worked on her since Eddy was little, she was supposed to be her nanny and big sister, she would be motherly, tend to the house, and even make cakes, that Belle loves. But he was so busy with gang business, he could never finish her in time. Fast forward to when him and Belle escaped prison, Sam needed a way to distract himself from their unresolved feelings, and to cheer up/apologize to/make Belle open up. So he finished her in like, a week. Belle was really touched by this kind of dorky gesture from Sam, and quickly adopted Pearl as her own daughter. Pearl helped repair Belle and Sam's relationship by setting normalcy back between them. She is a bit disconnected from the gang's history, she knows about it, but her job is more to keep her family happy and proud, and she's really good at it. Belle and Sam kinda suck at directly express love to each other, so they express it through Pearl, she's their to represent their love (like a real child would). Well, all that's pretty and all, but Belle still managed to find a way to weaponize her 🤦... things never change...

BRAWLYWOOD

💎Lola : Lola was always a narcissist and craved attention, I don't know how this trait developped in her, but she moved to Brawlywood with dreams of becoming a big actress in the movie industry. She landed a job as a tour guide, where she always played grand theatrics to grab her audience attention. Eventually, thanks to her dramatic presentations and excentric character, she would become an attraction herself, rather than the landmarks she was supposed to present. By pulling some strings, she grabbed the attention of a Brawlywood producer, and instantly got the first role in a big movie. She was only supposed to be a secondary character, but the lead actress had an "unfortunate" accident, leaving her role to Lola. During the shooting, an on-set accident caused her to suffer a mutation, creating her ego-double, and bringing out her full dramatic potential. Thanks to her theatrics, she instantly became a big shot in Brawlywood, and she's today bathing in the attention she always craved. Nobody tell her she's a terrible actor.

🎬Gray : Contrary to Lola, Gray was always discreet and introverted, he probably had a simple job in Brawlywood, and preferred staying alone, as attention made him very nervous. Unfortunately, Gray was cursed with a strangely "quirky" character, with his tall, skinny figure, and singular facies, he was easily noticeable amongst a crowd. People would be intrigued by him, giving him a lot of attention, but he would just freeze up in place, embarrassed of himself. He loved performing as a way to relieve his anxiety, he was an outsanding actor, dancer and singer, but he'd always do it alone to express himself, and never had the ambition to become an actor. His secret talents were unfortunately noticed by a Brawlywood producer (the same that hired Lola), thinking he was the perfect fit for an upcoming movie, and, he reluctantly accepted the role, thinking that it could be a good opportunity to show his talents. He loved working on set, and bonded a lot with Lola, who was a bit weird like him. Sadly, his anxiety was too much to bear, and he couldn't say a line one the cameras rolled. He was about to give up the role, when the incident happened, giving him weird mime powers, and this gave him an idea. Using her theatrics, Lola forced the production to change Gray's character, to be a silent one, and while this wasn't a full fix, he was way more confortable in this role, and could finally perform. The movie was terrible because of it's chaotic production, but Gray's performance was a highlight of it, and he became a recognized comedian. With time, he polished his character to be the Charlie Chaplin-mime type we all know today, it's only while wearing this persona that he feels truly comfortable performing in front of others. Lola is a very dear friend to him, despite her egocenstrism, she's one of the few ones that understand him.

🐒Mico : Mico was poached as a baby in the jungle, and trained to be an actor monkey. As he was really cute and performed well, he became a huge Brawlywood celebrity, he was truly living the life : an infinite supply of bananas, a nice bed, and adoring fans, all he had to do was obey his trainer, smile to the camera here, do a little flip there, and he was rewarded. Mico's was on a little cloud, until everything went apeshit, what seemed like an umpteenth regular movie set exploded, and the next morning, he was way taller, had hands and feet, and could speak like his owner, he became human! He was no longer the cute domestic monkey who was applauded for his tricks, no, he was now just a regular dude, and nobody had any use for him anymore, so he was fired. No more were the gourmet meals, soft sheets and free pets for him, now, he had to work like everybody else. How dare they throw me away! I was on top! I was a superstar! I'll show them! I'll show all of them that I'm great, and I'll get my glory back, he thought. So, he went back all the way to the bottom of the Brawlywood ladder, becoming a mic operator. It'll be a long and harduous journey, but one day, he will be back on top, and direct his own movie, and he'll make fools out of all of them!!

CANDYLAND :

🍭Mandy : She was a regular candy maker with a bit of a go-getter attitude. One day she suffered a mutation that gave her candy-kinesis powers, but she also went completely nuts, making her the perfect fit to become the queen of Starr Park's Candyland. She's now completely comitted to the role, and rules her candy shop like a deranged tyrant. I like to think she's been affected by the mutation a lot more than other brawlers, changing her personality and even her body chemistry, causing her tears to be rainbows.

🃏Chester : Chester is a young aspiring comedian, notably specializing in pranks. He has his own Youtube channel where he likes to show his jokes and tricks, much to the annoyance of his victims. It's not about the views for him, it's about fun and creativity, and the more he can annoy, the more fun he has. Mandy is and will always be his favorite victim, as she's VERY irritable. He is obnoxious, but I don't want to think of him as those deranged prank youtubers who do everything for views, I think he's a bit more wholesome like Rémi Gaillard (idk if you know him.).

🦄Berry : BArry is a very passionate artist, patient and creative, he likes to use colours to paint the wonderful fantasies that he's dreaming of. Sadly, selling paintings doesn't pay the bills these days, so he took this job as a mascot at Mandy's candy shop, and is forced to babysit these two nutcases all day long. What once was an inspired dreaming unicorn became a jaded and desparate donkey. Despite the misery of his situation, he's still attached to Mandy and Chester, they always make a mess, but their crazy characters allow him to dream and have fun during his shifts. When the day comes to an end, he puts the costume down, goes back home, and paints scenes of a castle floating on cotton-candy clouds.

MYSTIC

👁️Tara : She's a traveller from a distant land, who's come to the frontier with her family in search of truth about the world, spirits, destiny and all that. The divinatory arts are tradition in her family, practicing them since she was little, she's opened a litteral third eye. Thus allowing her to see a world beyond comprehension, and to read people like an open book. Sensing the energy radiating from the badlands, she predicted something big is going to happen, but somehow, she doesn't know what exactly it is yet, but she does know that it's going to change the stars themselves. In the meantime, she's opened a trincket shop and a divinatory parlor to earn a little money, only 10% of it's real magic though, but it's important to support local businesses! Another thing, I like to think she's not a mutant, but that she got her powers from actual magic training.

🌙Sandy : Tara's magically-enclined little brother, as a kid with great potential, he was (unwillingly) brought along with her on her journey, and now helps out in her shop. Well, help out is a big word, as he is heavily connected to the spirit world, and a growing teenage boy, Sandy spends 80% of his time napping. It's not really his fault, it's like each time he wakes up, some unknown force pulls him back to his dreams. It was really terrifying for him at first, as he was scared of becoming comatose his whole life. But with the guidance of Tara and Gene, he has learned to harness the power of the subconscious. He has now the ability to manipulate to his will, using sand as a catalyst. Through these means, Sandy's still able to be active while sleeping, all the while his mind wanders the spirit world. Despite his great power, he's not as interested in magic and destiny etc... as Tara, he doesn't like responsability, and just wants to use it as he pleases. Tara doesn't mind, as long as she has her baby brother by her side, she's happy.

🧞Gene : A litteral genie, old as time itself, and powerful beyond comprehension, like all of his peers, he was one of the primordial spirits that shaped the world as it is today. He wasn't good nor evil, but being an entity of immense power, he once caused a lot of misery to humans, as they were mere insects to them. But one day, in order to stop him, a brave magician trapped him in an enchanted lamp, rendering him powerless. He was abandoned during centuries, but he took this time to reflect and observe humans, gaining empathy and humanity himself. One day, a descendant of the magician, in a desperate search for protecting his people, freed him, and proposed a deal: he would help him avoid an umcoming catastrophe, by granting three wishes, in exchange for his freedom. The genie, having sympathy for the human, accepted, but could only grant one wish in time, before the deal could be concluded. Only one third of the genie was freed, in the form of a weird little purple guy, most of his power was stuck in the lamp as well. It was unfortunate, but the human's wish was enough to save their family, who adopted the genie as thanks for saving their life. The tiny genie became a full part of the family, watching over each generation and teaching them magic, while his power was limited, he didn't care, as he had now people who loved him. Today, he's just a little silly genie, following Tara along on her journey, and while he's acting as a buffoon most of the time, he's always there to watch over her.

SUPERHEROES

⚡Max : Max was a run of the mill woman from Super City, she's very athletic and loves to run, always looking to improve her performance. One day, she was selected to try a new energy drink that was in testing, the main component of the drink were refined gems. While it didn't seem to be anything special at first, it had an interesting effect on Max; it turns out that she could metabolize it extremely fast, boosting her performance to new heights. She began to use this new ability to help the people of Super City, and soon, she became a local hero. And thanks to her sponsor, she was able to have her own gadgets, costume and team, just like in old super-hero comics. And thus, Max, the defender of Super City was born!

🤘Surge : Surge used to be a regular vending machine, I like to think he was Rico's ex, but after Frank broke it, it was repurposed to sell Max's energy drink, recieving a red and yellow paint job, and a shiny futuristic look. But being still a bit broken, the liquid leaked into it's circuits, and the machine took life. Seeing this as a great advertisement opportunity, the drink brand modified him to make it look like a full-on mech, creating Surge Protector! Just like Max, Surge can harness the power of the drink to boost his performances. He joined Max's team, and spends his life defending the city against kaijus and giant robots, all with his iconic surfer dude attitude.

🤖 Meg : Just like Jessie, Meg is a prodigy, she entered the best university at a very early age, and promised to become an exceptionnal engineer. With her talents and passion, she felt like she could change the world, but sadly, she was constantly infantilized by her classmates because of her age and childish interests. In fact, Meg was a huge comic fan, and, feeling inspired by them, she built her own mech, to prove she could make great things. While a kaiju was attacking the city, she threw herself into battle, not realizing the danger she was putting herself in. Hopefully she was saved by Max and Surge, who, impressed by her craftsmanship, decided to take her under their wing. Today, Meg is the heroe's little helper, making repairs to Surge, improving her own robot, and building tools to help them. She's still infantilized though, and Max doesn't want her clumsiness to get them in trouble. So she doesn't have as much of an active role as she'd like in the team, but she's still very proud to be able to have an impact on the world, even if it's little.

STARR FORCE

🐕 Colonel Ruffs : Ruffs was a regular puppy, he lived isolated in the wasteland with his owner, who was an excentric, but passionate and loving astrophysicist. Since the land became deserted, the space programs have all stopped to a halt, but the scientist had the crazy ambition to build a rocket ship by themselves, so they could reach the stars, and live in orbit with their beloved companion. Ruffs didn't fully understand, but he loved to accompagny his owner in their quest, and dreamt of the many stars they observed together. Sadly, the scientist was getting old, and it became clear that they couldn't handle the journey to space. But Ruff, even with his dog brain, understood, and insisted for the rocket to leave, and wanted to take off by himself, realizing his owner's dreams of reaching for the stars. As such they said their last goodbye, and the dog climbed in the rocket, taking off for new skies. They watched as their loyal friend joined the stars, with sparkling and tearful eyes, and peacefully passed away. Ruffs was happy too, but the takeoff took a toll on his body. And the spacecraft was using gem energy, it radiated through his body, and he became half-human. He didn't mind this development that much, as he could now operate the craft properly, and honour his best friend's memory. Today, Ruffs is a talented space-traveler, proudly piloting his ship and fighting off invaders from outer-space. From time to time, his ship descends to his owners grave. From an outside perspective, it sounds like a UFO story, which is why his existence has caused many urban legends to pop out.

💧Squeak : Nothing special to say about the little guy, he was born out of Ruff's mutated saliva, and has been living on the ship ever since. Squeak is dedicated to his creator, and does his best to help around the ship, but he's too innocent to realise that he's always making a mess. This drives Ruffs nuts, but deep down, he really loves him, making the life in space a little less lonely, he treats him like his own pet/son.

🪲 Eve : Eve is a flea from outer space! Her species is parasitic, invading other planets in order to multiply and "colonize" it. And she has found the perfect host to raise her lovely babies, Ruffs, the space dog! Eve is dead set on using his lush fur to multiply, so she bothers the Starr Force very often. Of course, Ruffs won't let that happen, and fights her off fiercely in order to protect his planet for this evil invader. He doesn't realise that Eve doesn't really want anything to do with earth though, and in fact, doesn't even represent a threat to it (she's flea-sized! What is she gonna do???). All she wants is that warm, soft, lushous dog fur.

VELOCIRAPIDS

🐊Buzz : Buzz comes from the coast of the land, and his job was BEACH. Always prancing about on the sand, bossing the swimmers around, acting like he owns the place. His parents told him to stop pretending to be important and get an actual job or they would cut him off. So, when he found a job offer to work at the velocirapids at Starr Park, he jumped at the opportunity, thinking he could still practice his passion. Little did he know, the offer wasn't for being a lifeguard, but to be a dinosaur-mascot. Today, Buzz works at the water park, bossing the swimmers around, flexing his (unlicensed) rescuing skills, and blowing his whistle at every opportunity, all the while in his ridiculous green dinosaur suit.

🌭Doug : Doug is a floatie from the velocirapids that mysteriously came alive one day. When the staff found this out, they went in panic mode, not wanting this freak of nature to be out in the public. So they told him : "We're gonna give you a job and shelter, but you have to pretend to be human, and you can never leave this place.", Doug looked around, he had a pool, slides, sunlight, and he said "okay!". And now he's a hot dog seller.

TURBO THEATER

🍿Fang : Fang is a regular guy from Super City, he loves kung fu movies, and always tried to reproduce the impressive moves he saw in them to look cool, with varying results. He is pretty strong, but he has no actual training, which makes his fighting technique a bit weird. Today, he works a dead end job as a cashier at the theater, but he knows he'll get his big break one day! In the meantime, he spends his time goofin around and trying to impress clients with his moves, as I said, with varying results.

📽️ Buster : He's a huge movie nerd, and by nerd I mean NEEEERD, guy almost always speak in references. Since forever, he had big dreams of becoming a movie director. But, with no budget or connexions, he's also doomed to be a simple cashier at the cinema (he isn't a projectionist! These things are automated now), where he met Fang. Thanks to their passion for movies, they quickly hit it off, and Fang pushed him to liberate his inner chaotic self. They're best bros todays, they spend their time causing chaos around the cinema. Buster hasn't given up on his dream, and still works hard to make his own movie, but he found the perfect lead actor for it!

🧯Maisie : She works as maintenance in the cinema, she lost her arm in a fire, and replaced it with a multi-tool one. She's pretty bossy towards Fang and Buster, but it's because she doesn't want them to be hurt, deep down, she's very attached to their chaotic shenanigans, and likes to take part in it herself. I wish they developed her more, I like her design, but her character is a nothing burger right now :/ (I got cooked on twitter for saying she's boring but am I wrong?...).

SWAMP OF LOVE

🐸Willow : She used to be a regular fish, living in the dangerous waters of the swamp. Everyday, she witnessed couples going to her home for a romantic date, and she despised them, they were invading the swamp, and polluting it with their disgusting love. One day, she mutated (I like to think Mortis had something to do with it), and gained human-like features, and mind control powers. She saw this as a perfect opportunity, and used her freakish appearance, as well as an army of mind-controlling tadpoles, to scare off the sweethearts. Somehow, thanks to her work, the swamp became an even more lovely place, and couples still go there, not really caring for the fish-monster inhabiting it. Willow's still having a blast scaring the more careless of them.

🦟Angelo : He was a regular boy from the frontier, but being skinny, weak and effeminate, he had a tough time growing up. People were mocking him and spread false rumors about him. He wanted to leave the dusty and toxic air of the badlands, and make it big in Brawlywood. Angelo liked going to Starr Park, as he felt accepted here, and eventually landed a job as an archer for the swamp of love. Everything was going fine, but sadly, he fell into the polluted waters, mutating him into the green monstruosity. But somehow, despite his horrific looks, he didn't mind, in fact, he loved this new form, he felt like he was reborn. More confident than ever, he uses his new powers to cause chaos in the park, spreading false rumors and creating beef between people, just for his own enjoyement. Is it bad? Yes. Does he care? Of course not!

BIZARRE CIRCUS

🕷️ Charlie : Charlotte grew up as a thief in the streets of Paris, using her schemes and acrobatics to make a living by scamming people. She was caught by a travelling circus' owner, and impressed by her skills, offered her a job as an acrobat. One day, after a stunt gone wrong, she gained the strange ability to control her hair, which she decided to use for her own gain. Thanks to her new tricks, her troupe managed to steal huge sums of money from her public. They eventually caught up to it, and Charlie fled the country to avoid punishement. Today she is here, and rebranded her show as the bizarre circus. She does the same thing as she did before, but thankfully, people seems to be a bit slower here hehe.

KARAOKE?

ENCHANTED FOREST

🎤 Melodie : Some girl who likes karaoke, she was so good at it in fact, that she became a huge pop star. Similarly to Poco or Janet, she has the ability to control music thanks to the "note fairies", she treats them like her little pets. Despite her very sweet and graceful appearance, she has a bit of an ego and competitive spirit, she feels like she always have ro be on top, or else, she feels worthless. As such, she can get quite scary when someone tries to dethrone her, for example, she has a bit of beef with Janet, because she sees her as a menace to her n°1 spot on the charts, despite Janet being only here for the fun of it.

🍾Jae-Yong : A tired, overworked Starr Park office worker, his life is but a neverending pit of boredom. Well, until the clock rings 5 pm that is, to which he runs off to the karaoke parlor, and lights up the dancefloor with his newfound energy! Unlike Melodie who's here to win, Jae-Yong is only here to party, he is in fact a horrible singer, but it doesn't matter, he is a superstar in the eyes of many, like Pam for example ;] Don't let yourself be fooled by his jolly and foolish appearance though, as a Starr Park administration senior, he is actually well aware of the inner workings of the park. Who knows, one day, he might decide that he had enough. slaving away for them.

🍄 Cordelius : Nobody knows who's this guy really is, he's been running around the enchanted forest, taking care of the plants and spreading mushroom spores everywhere, for years now. In fact, Cordelius has no intention of leaving the forest, preferring the company of mushrooms rather than people. There are his friends you see? They understand, help each other, and one day, it'll be only him, and the mushrooms... Yep... He just really likes mushrooms... totally...

🌷Lily : I like to think she's Rosa's sister (As I said, they're very similar imo), but contrary to her, Lily's thing is more magic than science. They had a bit of a concflictual relationship because of it, and it drocmve them apart. Her third, younger sister, mysteriously disappeared in the forest one day, and in order to try and bring her back, she started a ritual. Sadly, the ritual failed, and the enchanted forest took her, fusing her with the surrounding vegetation. Today, Lily's still wandering the mysterious woods, studying it, and using magic, to try and find her missing sister.

DEEP SEA

🎨 Otis : They're an unknown sea creature, probably a squid or an octopus, contrary to what people may think, they're not mutated, they're just a little smarter than your average octopus. Life under the sea can get quite boring when you're an intelligent creature, so Otis got the habit of observing the beach goers having fun on the surface. There, they discovered the concept of art, and felt inspired to express themselves, and to show the beauty of the ocean, by using their own ink. They built themselves a makeshift reverse diving suit, to be able to explore the surface as a human, and started to paint the walls with all their beautiful colours! Otis is renouned today as a talented, but mysterious, street artist. Also their little starfish guy is like their pet.

🦐 Hank : He was born and raised on a shrimp farm, with all of his beloved shrimp bretheren, but of course, he didn't understand that his destiny was to be part of a delicious meal. Him and his family were bought by Kenji for his restaurant, there he saw all his brothers being boiled to death. But right before it was Hank's turn in the pot, something stopped the chef in his tracks, and the brave little shrimp mutated. Hank barely managed to escape for his life, and swore to become stronger in order to fight for his fallen bretheren. He watched a bunch of war movies, and built himself a tank (litteraly) out of scrap from the sea. He might be small, but he is determined to get his revenge.

🦞Clancy : He's like a dude... with lobster armor...? I don't get it man 😓 It's possible that he's ex-military, still plagued by war flashbacks (see his animation), feeling purposeless, he got "drafted" by Hank in his rag-tag sea life protection unit. He's completely nuts because of his past, to fully enjoy the thrill of battle, and to feel accepted by his team, he roleplays as a lobster.

HUB

📷 R-T : He was Starr Park's first custom robot, initially built to be helpful guide for the visitors. But as it kept growing, they slowly modified him to watch over the vistors and the staff, then, he became a full-on walking surveillance camera. R-T has a eye on every corner of the park, and practically knows everything about it and the staff. He is meant to keep and deliver each bit of information he can collect to management. Despite his thouroughness and obedience to the park, part of him (his legs) knows that something is wrong, and wishes he could go back to really helping people.

👬 Larry & Lawrie : The second an third custom robots of the park. Were R-T is built to watch over it, L&L are built to enforce the rules of the park, and to stop any troublemaker. Larry uses the soft method, and politely reprimands people who break the rules, Lawrie is a second layer of defense, who doesn't hesitate to use violence against the less desirable visitors. Why would an amusement park need such brutal security?

ODDITY SHOP

🫖Juju : A woman that practices voodoo, nothing much to say about her. She set up her oddity shop in the badlands and offers her services to whoever pays the price. I like to think she has a rivalry with Tara because they have very similar businesses.

SUSHI JOINT

TOON STUDIOS

🍣Kenji : He's an ex-mercenary from japan, trained in the ways of the samurai. He only accomplished jobs for people with good intentions, never letting money or mindless violence corrupt his heart. But one day, his employers made him attack Starr Park (their japanese branch lol), which he didn't think much about at the time, not knowing this would changed the course of his life. During this mission, he was faced with a fierce, but graceful assassin, and as they fought each other, somehow, their bond grew tighther. As the missions progressed, the samuraï and the ninja went from ennemies, to rivals, to friends, to lovers. They both discovered new aspirations for each other, and both left their life of fighting. They married, left the country and set up an humble sushi restaurant in Retropolis, Kenji became the chef, and his wife Kaze, following her dreams of becoming a geisha, was the host of the restaurant. For a while, he had everything a man could dream of, a quiet life, a fullfilling job, and a loving wife and daughter (Bibi). But his past caught up to him eventually, and robots from Starr Park attacked his business, kidnapping his wife. Stricken by grief and rage, Kenji took his old saber up, and swore to get revenge on those who hurt his family, becoming a vagabond, but also leaving his child behind.

🪭 Kaze : She is the daughter of a powerful japanese warrior clan, who is allied to the Starrs. From birth, her destiny was to fight for her family's honour, her and her sisters were trained to become fierce and terrifying ninjas. But this wasn't the life she wanted, she didn't care for fighting techniques or assassination weaponry. She wanted to honour the beauty of life, and to look like the many graceful and beautiful geishas her family was surrounded with. And thus, she decided to train in secret with them, in the hopes of becoming just like them, and to not have to commit violence again. Eventually she met Kenji, she fell in love, and finally found an opportunity to practice her real passion. Her life couldn't have been happier, until you-know-what happened. But she's a super strong ninja so she's probably fine.

🐱Kit : The Kit we know was initially Shelly's beloved black cat, he was named after the popular cartoon character she used to watch as a kid. Nobody knows how it really happened, but the poor cat mutated into looking like the hero from this cartoon, gaining his appearance, voice, and mannerisms. Discovering this, Starr Park quickly took him in, and made him work as the mascot for Starr Toon Studios, being forced to act like the cartoon character, and signing autograph for children he doesn't care for. Despite his goofy behavior and cartoony powers, deep down, he's still a regular car, and wishes he could go back to take a nap on Shelly's lap.

MEDIEVAL MANNER

TOY STORE??

🐉Draco : "Just" a heavy metal singer. Since he was little, he was always passionate about fairytales and medieval fantasy, he pretended to be a knight, and a slayer of dragons. People mocked him for his imagination, but he didn't care for it, he'd invent a world of fantasy for himself, and tell epic tales from it to his brothers, who were the only ones to listen to him. Of course today, he grew out of it a bit, but he never gave up his childhood wonder. He now tells epic tales of dragon tamers and badass knights in the form of powerful heavy metal music, to the enjoyement of his many fans. His dragon thingy is actually and advanced animatronic, equipped with pyrotechnics, but he likes to pretend it's an actual dragon. It's possible that he's a Starr considering his red hair, and access to advanced technology (like Edgar's scarf).

🥁 Lumi : She was always a pretty average girl, lacking confidence, and not standing out very much. Nobody knows why, but she seems to be blocked, and to have trouble really expressing her feelings, preferring to stay in the comfort of a corner, and not to steal the light from anybody. That was until one day, someone gave her two drumsticks, and her life was never the same again. It's like she had a demon inside of her, waiting for just the right trigger to reveal itself. Lumi nows plays the drums with a fiery rage and passion, letting everything go, burning herself out. She was so good and unhinged in fact, that Draco was immediately enamouraled with her, and quickly asked her to join his band. When she's done playing, Lumi goes back to her cold, secluded self, but now she finally discovered the fire of passion in her life.

SKATEPARK

🎱Meeple : I HATE THEM I have no idea what that thing is, it's ugly and annoying and I don't understand what their deal is, sorry Meeple fans. STILL, I have a game theory that could save/explain their really weird design. It's possible that Meeple's actually L&L third secret brother DON'T LEAVE HEAR ME OUT. Meeple has a very similar build to them, has similar clothes to them (Shoulder pads, chest plate, big boots and gloves AND no pants), has a robotic voice, a floating head AND an obsession with rules. That's the only way I could explain their really weiiird design. They're probably a third Lawrence that was supposed to watch over the park, but glitched or abandoned his duties (hence why he's also a big cheater). Now, they've been embarrassingly shoved into a basement where they only plays board games. What do you think?

🛹 Ollie : Lil hip hop skater dude, heck yeah. Everything's said in his animation. It's possible that he was a pretty lonely kid, his caretakers being often absent, he often wandered the streets alone, admiring the hip Retropolis kids, and wanting to be part of their clique, but being too shy to actually meddle. He came up with a cool rapper persona, with the hood and the high-teck skateboard to impress them, and since then, he's the king of the skatepark.

PYRAMID QUEST

⏳Finx : Just a guy who's really into RP, he constantly pretends to be his own egyptian time-god oc. Completed with the full ridiculous carboard attire. Still, it was convincing enough for him to become the game master own the Starr Park Pyramid Quest escape room. It would've been just quirky roleplay if he hadn't found an actual time-manipulating relic. Now, we have an actual manchild with god powers playing dungeon master, and tormenting the visitors, oh boy.

[imtrashraccoon]

If it's ok can you do a bad sanses x child reader oneshot where the reader is part of the Bad sanses but as a healer but when it's morning and one of the boys goes to her room she was a child with no memory of them. So now they have to look after her while figuring out how to fix her. When looking after her she acts kind, chill and well behaved after being scared of them since she doesn't remember them but cross acts protective and horror acts like a teddy bear towards them and you can decide how the others act towards them and to avoid confusion the reader was an orphan back in their dead au and you can include Dr Baggs in it if you want (I'm sorry for the long read I hope your ok woth this and I thought you would like the idea)

My sincerest apologies for the wait! I was in the middle of the Don't Imagine event when you sent this, then I got burnt out not long afterwards, and then I rewrote the plot for this... Phew! I hope you don't mind, but I decided to set this in the same multiverse as Have Some Empathy, Dear because it's been on my mind a lot lately.

Confused and Afraid

Word Count: 6,152

The room was too hot, but when you kicked off the heavy blankets, you were suddenly too cold. Your head hurt really bad and when you sat up, you were hit with a sudden dizzy spell that all but forced you to lay back down. It felt like an eternity before your head stopped spinning. You made sure to sit up more carefully this time round, so as to not agitate your sensitive head further.

It was still dark. You weren't sure what time it was and you couldn't see much beyond your bed. Where was your nightlight? Had Mom forgotten to plug it in when she tucked you into bed? Where was Teddy? You wouldn't have gone to bed without him, so could the stuffed bear have fallen onto the floor?

Your throat felt as dry as a desert. You debated calling out for one of your parents, but you were a big girl now. You could find your way to the kitchen on your own. However, getting out of bed was harder than you remembered and the floor felt like ice to your bare feet. Maybe you should put on a pair of socks before getting that drink.

You went to take a step when all of the sudden, a pervading sense of wrongness flooded through you. You weren't wearing your favourite pair of pajamas, but a massive t-shirt that was more like a dress on your small frame. The bed seemed too large for you and none of the dark shapes against the walls resembled any of your bedroom furniture.

You struggled to piece together anything that could explain why you were in this strange room, but the more you tried to think, the worse your headache seemed to become. Plopping down on the ground, you rubbed at your head in a vain attempt to ease the pain. On a whim, you even tried using your healing magic and, while it helped, a dull ache still lingered despite your best efforts.

Interestingly, the glow from your magic provided enough light to navigate the room. With renewed confidence, you resumed your earlier mission now that you could see where you were going. Unfortunately, the doorknob was juuust out of reach and you had to stand on your tiptoes to turn it. With some difficulty, you managed to get the door open and peeked outside.

The hallway beyond was just as dark as the room had been, but it was larger and your magic wasn't bright enough to illuminate it. For a moment, you hesitated, wondering if you should just forget all this. It would be morning soon and then you could navigate this place without fear. However, before you could come to a decision, you heard a shuffling sound as if something was slowly approaching.

You turned slowly, only to come face to face with a very large shadow. It was so tall that you had to crane your neck to even see its face and when you did so, you let out a gasp.

A single glowing red eye was staring down at you.

You darted back into the bedroom and in your panic, slammed the door shut behind you. Where could you hide?! That...thing had seen you and who knew if the door would keep it out.

There was only one place that could possibly hide you. With no time to think, you dove under the bed as far as you could manage, clutching at your knees in an attempt to make yourself as small as possible.

There was a soft tap on the door and you quickly covered your mouth to muffle your fearful sob. Your heart was pounding so hard that it felt like it would burst and you could hardly seem to get enough air with each shuddering breath you took.

"...button?"

The monster's voice was somewhat subdued thanks to the door, but it sounded a lot deeper than you had thought possible. You didn't know what they wanted, but you certainly weren't about to find out. Maybe they would lose interest and move on?

"...are ya there?"

You remained as still as a mouse, wishing this was all just a nightmare and that you would wake up soon. Your mother had always told you that monsters weren't real, but now you weren't so sure. They didn't look like a person wearing a costume, but you were too scared to find out.

You heard the doorknob jiggle, but then it stopped and you heard someone else outside the bedroom.

"axe? what's wrong?" a concerned but even toned voice asked.

"...i don't know? she's...very small?"

There was a beat of silence.

"hey, you okay in there?" the second voice called out. "can i come in? you don't have to be afraid, we just want to make sure everything is alright."

You bit your lower lip. This person didn't sound scary, but what if they were just pretending so you'd let them in? You clutched your knees tighter, curling up even further into yourself. There was no way you were taking that chance.

To your horror, your lack of response did nothing to dissuade them and your heart skipped a beat as the door opened with a soft click. The darkness was suddenly chased away as one of them turned on the light, although your little hiding spot remained shrouded in shadows. You could hear them moving about the room and you knew it was only a matter of time before you were discovered.

A pair of white boots stepped up to the bed before their owner gingerly knelt down and peeked underneath. You let out a whimper when their white eyelights locked onto you.

"oh. she really is...small." For a moment, the new monster looked uncertain, but his expression soon morphed into one of concern. "hey juniper, it's okay... do you think you can come out?" he asked softly. "we don't want to hurt you, okay?"

You vehemently shook your head.

"c'mon, it's okay-"

Before he could finish his sentence, you felt a hand grab onto your shoulder and unceremoniously drag you out from under the bed. Apparently, the first monster had decided to circle around to the other side while the second served as a distraction, intentionally or not. Despite his size, you hadn't even heard him moving around after they'd both entered the room. You struggled and cried, but he wasn't about to let go, choosing instead to pin you against his own body and hold you there.

"dude! that's the exact opposite of what i was trying to do!" the second monster scolded as he stood up. "you've just made her even more scared."

The hulking monster let out a huff. "...too slow," he rumbled.

With a sigh, the second monster moved around the bed. He studied you for a moment but didn't try to touch you. Neither said anything, but the first monster shifted you into a more comfortable position and began sort of petting your head, as if he was trying to calm you down. When your sobbing began to ease and you weren't trembling as badly, you were able to determine that they were actually skeleton monsters.

The second one was wearing a black tank top and black shorts with white X's instead of stripes along the sides. The tips of his phalanges were slightly rounded and he didn't appear to have sharp teeth either. He had a red scar underneath his right eye socket and a few scratches along his arms, but otherwise didn't seem too scary.

The first skeleton was another story. The lack of shadows helped, but now that you could see him properly, he still had a lot of scary features. His phalanges seemed to be tipped with sharp claws and his slightly too wide smile was filled with sharp teeth. His singular red eyelight was shaped differently than his companion's, almost like a cat's, and the left side of his skull had a massive crack that meant you could see clear inside his head if there was anything to see. At least the plain t-shirt and basketball shorts he was wearing seemed normal enough.

"do...do you remember us?" the monochromatic skeleton asked quietly.

You frowned and shook your head. As far as you were aware, you had never seen these two in your life. They looked pretty distinct, almost like they had stepped out of a tv show, but none that you had watched. If you had met them before, you were pretty sure you would remember something like that.

Both skeletons seemed upset by this, but the second managed to quickly compose himself. "okay then... this is fine," he muttered before turning back to you. "how about we start with introductions? then, we won't seem like strangers anymore."

You half nodded and half shook your head, but he seemed slightly encouraged that you'd even tried to answer in the first place.

The monochromatic skeleton smiled. "my name is cross, and this, " he motioned to your captor, "is axe."

You glanced up nervously at the skeleton in question. With a name like that, the hulk of a monster couldn't sound less scary if he tried. While Cross had a bit of a formal air about him, Axe seemed much more wild and rough around the edges. It didn't help that he was intensely staring at you either.

You swallowed nervously and decided to just look at Cross instead. With some difficulty, you managed to give them your name, but neither seemed at all surprised, as if they really had met you before. It felt kind of weird and you didn't know why.

"would you like something drink? we could make hot chocolate if you want?" Cross suggested.

Axe nodded in agreement. "...good idea. somethin' warm an' sweet should help ya feel better."

You had almost forgotten how thirsty you were, but before you could answer, someone lightly rapped on the bedroom door. Both Cross and Axe visibly tensed up and slowly turned around. Now, there were two other skeletons standing in the doorway; one wearing a pink cat onesie while the other had on a blue hoodie with black basketball shorts.

The skeleton in the onesie must have been the one to knock and as soon as he had the other's attention, he pushed off the wall and grinned. "hey~ don't think you could leave me out of the fun!" he exclaimed with a slight chuckle.

The first things that you noticed about him were the glowing red target above his chest and his lack of eyelights. There were also black lines running down his cheekbones, starting at his eye sockets, but otherwise, he sported no visible scars.

The other skeleton remained silent and while you couldn't really see his facial expression thanks to the shadow from his hood, you could see his glowing eyelights. Both were red, although the left one had a small ring of blue towards the center, and while he appeared disinterested, he was still staring right at you. Notably, he was also wearing white gloves and a red scarf.

"we're not having fun," Cross started to say. "this is actually rather serious-"

"yeah, yeah, don't get your uniform in a twist, crossy~"

Having been rudely interrupted, Cross glared at the new skeleton and clenched his fists. The skeleton in question sort of pranced over, although the hooded one stayed near the door for now, seemingly content to watch.

"how'd you get a kid?" the new skeleton asked, pushing Cross out of the way to get closer to you.

Axe only let out a low growl and lifted you out of reach, which had you scrambling to hold onto him for fear of falling.

"as i was trying to say," Cross huffed. He grabbed onto the annoying skeleton's onesie and walked him back a few feet, much to his chagrin. "juniper seems to have shrunk and we aren't sure why yet."

"...she also doesn't remember anythin'," Axe added helpfully as he shifted you into his shoulder.

"that may not be a bad thing tho-"

The new skeleton was abruptly silenced by harsh glares from your protectors.

With a sigh, Cross turned back to you. "this is killer. he's unfortunately always like this..."

"hey, i resent that!" the aforementioned skeleton grumbled.

"...and that's dust. i should warn you that he likes being left alone most of the time," Cross continued and gestured towards the hooded skeleton.

Dust tilted his head slightly, but other than that brief acknowledgement, said nothing.

You nearly jumped when Killer appeared next to you, even though he couldn't really reach you. Apparently, he didn't enjoy being ignored even for a moment, but other than looking slightly miffed, he seemed curious.

"soooo," he started to say. "is it true that you really don't remember me?"

You studied him carefully for a moment before slowly shaking your head.

He chuckled, although you thought it sounded rather hollow. "i see... memory issues are always fun," he hummed. "don't worry, cupcake. we'll figure this out, won't we?"

Axe hummed in agreement and Cross gave you a small smile. You weren't sure how they intended to help you with remembering, but they certainly seemed confident enough. Maybe you had misjudged them? They were still scary of course, but they seemed to like you well enough, so maybe everything would be alright.

You weren't sure about Dust though. He hadn't said anything since entering the room, instead choosing to just watch. He almost seemed disinterested in the whole situation. However, when you turned to look at him, he gave you a thumbs up, as if he knew what you had been thinking.

"O-okay, I'll... I'll trust you guys," you said quietly.

While they all seemed pleased by this revelation, Killer managed to be the most enthusiastic, to the point where it felt weird. However, you were only half paying attention because you noticed Dust suddenly shift and glance out into the hall. Whatever or whoever he'd seen was apparently a big deal, since he immediately straightened up and moved out of the way.

Another Monster stepped into the bedroom, and while he kind of looked similar to the others, you weren't sure if he was actually a skeleton. He was covered in a black inky substance and four tendrils emerged from his back. His right eye socket was obscured, but his left held a cyan eyelight that looked sort of similar to Axe's. Even the bathrobe he was wearing was black, although you weren't sure if it was also covered in the strange substance or not.

"What is going...? Oh, I see..."

The moment his eyelight landed on you, his permanent smile sharpened and you felt a chill run down your spine. Without thinking, you wrapped your arms around Axe's cervical vertebrae and tried to make yourself as small as possible. You didn't have to ask to know that this new person was much more dangerous than the others.

To his credit, Axe took almost being throttled rather well and carefully pulled your arms away, simultaneously shifting you into a better position. " 's all right, button," he murmured while carefully stroking your hair. "just our boss, nightmare."

What a fitting name for someone who looked like something your brain would inadvertently conjure up to scare you. Unfortunately, Axe's attempts to soothe your anxiety were ineffective and you only clung tighter to him.

Nightmare let out a soft chuckle as he crossed the room, apparently finding your fear amusing. It didn't help that no one stopped him, although you felt Axe tense up ever so slightly when he drew closer. Even Cross silently stepped aside, but by the way he clenched his fists by his sides, you didn't think he had wanted to.

"You aren't wrong to be afraid," Nightmare said to you quietly. "But I'm not going to hurt you, dear." You didn't miss the fact that he also had sharp claws and shied away when he gently moved some of your hair out of your face, although there wasn't really anywhere to go. He scrutinized you for a moment before glancing up at Axe. "May I see her?"

The giant of a skeleton let out a small huff and narrowed his eye sockets. Rather than immediately obey, he turned his attention to you. "think you can be brave for me?" he asked. "you can trust him, alright?"

You didn't believe him at all, but it didn't seem like you had much of a choice. So, you took a deep breath and nodded. "I-I'll try..."

"i know ya can," Axe murmured. He managed to ruffle your hair one more time before gingerly passing you over to his boss.

Nightmare was a lot more gentle than you had expected. While at first he held you with both arms, he soon added one of his tendrils to free up one of his hands. The interesting part was that the inky substance covering him didn't come off onto your skin or clothing. It was cool to the touch and sort of squishy, but you could still feel his bones underneath. His tendrils were even more spongy than his body, and while they weren't immediately obvious, there were rows of little suction cups along the underside. They struck you as being similar to an octopus' tentacles, which was somehow oddly amusing to you.

"This is all rather confusing, isn't it?"

"Y-yeah," you murmured, ducking your head against his sternum.

Nightmare hummed softly and lifted your chin with a phalanx. For a moment, he stared at you intently, which only served to make you more uncomfortable, but you felt like you couldn't look away. It wasn't like he was forcing you to maintain eye contact, but he had a sort of commanding presence that was almost enthralling.

His eye socket widened slightly and then he broke eye contact. You were left feeling more confused. What had he seen? Was there something wrong with you? By the other's earlier reactions, you knew that they knew something had happened, but you just didn't know what.

"I'm going to take her to Dr. Baggs," he stated firmly. "He should be able to figure out what happened."

Cross looked a little uncertain but didn't protest. "that's probably a good idea."

Axe nodded in agreement.

Even Killer seemed to think it was a good idea. "don't worry, sweetie, the doc knows his stuff." He winked and shot you a pair of finger guns.

"I'll need to talk with each of you later," Nightmare said as he turned to leave. "The sooner we get to the bottom of this the better."

You chewed at your bottom lip. "I-is there something w-wrong with me?"

Nightmare ran his claws through your hair in what was likely an attempt to be comforting, but his movements were stiffer than Axe's had been. "That is why I want to get an expert's opinion," he answered in a softer tone. "I wouldn't say there's anything wrong in particular, but something has certainly affected your physical form."

Dust gave a slight nod as you were carried out of the bedroom. If you weren't suddenly so anxious about your current situation, you might've waved goodbye or done anything to acknowledge him in return. As it stood though, you barely glanced at him before Nightmare whisked you away and down the still very dark hallway.

"Close your eyes, dear."

Nightmare was back to his earlier stern tone. You thought about mentioning that you couldn't even see where he was taking you, but then he stopped walking and looked down at you. Thanks to the glow of his cyan eyelight, you could tell that he wore an expectant expression and that he wasn't giving you the option to say no.

So, you gave in. You closed your eyes, but only after snuggling further into his hold.

"Good girl, now keep them closed until I say." With that, you felt his tentacles coil around you, sort of like a cocoon, so that there was no chance of somehow becoming separated from him.

You nodded against his collarbone.

The ambient sounds of the castle suddenly faded and were replaced with dead silence. The temperature also turned cooler than it already was, but only for a moment. Then, everything shifted again. You began to notice the sound of air conditioning and the occasional beeping noise.

"It's alright, you may open your eyes now," Nightmare murmured softly.

To your surprise, you were somewhere entirely different. The vast ceiling and gray stonework had been replaced by a narrow corridor and sterile tiles. Instead of torch sconces on the walls, there was now fluorescent tube lighting along the ceiling. Unfortunately, the air was still just as chilly as the castle had been and you huddled closer to Nightmare in an attempt to conserve what body heat you had.

The aforementioned skeleton seemed to notice your shivering. He wrapped another of his tendrils around your small form, but it didn't help much since he wasn't exactly warm blooded like you were. Still, you appreciated his attempt and the added support was comforting.

There were a lot of closed doors in this hallway, but at the end there was one that looked like it had been heavily reinforced. Nightmare stopped in front of this door and knocked before stepping back to wait. You looked up at him curiously, but when he didn't say anything, you turned your attention back to the door.

There wasn't any visible knobs nor an obvious way to open the door, although you did notice a keypad set into a nearby wall. Instead of numbers, the buttons had strange symbols in a seemingly random order. Could they be from another language or maybe a code? Just above the keypad, there was a small screen and next to that, a small blue light. Or maybe it was a sensor? You weren't sure, but every now and then, it would pulse before returning to normal.

Just then, the screen flickered to life and a skeleton appeared, although he was rendered in varying shades of blue.

"you should know i'm very- oh. it's you."

The speakers didn't seem to be very good quality, but you could still tell this skeleton had a deep voice. He also sounded irritated, especially when he recognized Nightmare. With the camera's quality, you couldn't make out much, but he seemed to wearing an unusual high collared coat? Was he really a doctor?

"I'm sure you're absolutely swamped with work, like usual," Nightmare responded. His tone sounded almost snarky and you noticed the corners of his permanent smile stretch into more of a sneer. It faded almost immediately and you felt his grip on you tighten ever so slightly. "However, I need your expertise, doctor."

Baggs' eyelights flicked to you and he narrowed his eye sockets suspiciously. After a moment, he sighed, "fine, but you'll owe me for this..."

After a moment, you heard five distinct thunks as each of the bolt locks retracted. With a hiss, the heavy metal paneling parted to reveal the room beyond. The whole process felt like you were about to enter a bank vault, but you weren't sure why a simple doctor would need so much security.

The room was filled with large tanks, gray filing cabinets, and various other instruments that you couldn't name. A beefy computer with multiple monitors was set up on a large desk that took up the bulk of one wall. There were also a few more normal pieces of furniture like a couch, a small table and chairs, and two hospital beds shoved into one corner. It was definitely more of a lab than an office, having been built with function in mind rather than comfort.

"you better have a very good reason for bringing me a child."

Dr. Baggs had his arms crossed when the two of you entered the laboratory. He was nearly a foot shorter than Nightmare, and while he bore some similarities to the other skeletons you'd met previously, he was also very different. For one, his eyelights were different colours; his left being a soft magenta while the other was a pale white. He was wearing a lab coat, but it had a cape with magenta highlights in the lining. Combined with the long black rubber gloves he was wearing, you thought he looked more like a mad scientist from a cartoon than a doctor.

"Oh c'mon, Baggs. I'm sure it's not as bad as you think," a feminine voice called out.

You hadn't noticed the small desk in the far corner, nor the woman who'd been previously organizing several stacks of papers behind it. She had dark medium length hair that was slightly wavy, greenish blue eyes, and a pale complexion. She was wearing a thick green turtleneck sweater and black pants.

She smiled and walked around the desk to join the rest of you. "It's nice to see you again, Nightmare, but who is this?" she asked, looking at you.

"This is the human Horror and Cross found a year ago after her AU collapsed, remember?" He gave you an affectionate squeeze with his tentacles before glancing down at you. "This is Minty. You've met her a few times actually, but she's not in the castle as often as she used to be."

Minty cocked her head, giving you a curious look as she studied your face. "Oh! Yes, you were training to be a healer, if I'm not mistaken."

Well now you had even more questions. What was an AU? How come everyone seemed to remember things that you couldn't? What had happened to you?

Baggs' expression softened slightly and he uncrossed his arms. "let's just get this over with so you can go back to your fancy castle," he grumbled.

While he still sounded a little annoyed, he did seem relieved that you weren't some random kid that Nightmare had decided to kidnap. You didn't blame him though. Neither Baggs nor Nightmare seemed to like the other and you had a feeling the doctor didn't enjoy being roped into unsavoury business.

~ ~ ~ <3

"Here."

You looked over at Minty, noticing that she was offering you a piece of candy.

"Thanks," you murmured, carefully unwrapping the sweet.

She smoothed out your hair a little and smiled. "You did good by the way. I don't think Baggs is used to having such a...cooperative patient."

You let out a quiet hum, glancing over at the other side of the room where Nightmare and the doctor in question were going over the results of the tests. Their expressions were indecipherable and they were speaking to each other quietly, so you couldn't tell what they were saying.

Towards the end of the check up, Baggs had attached a few wires to your chest, which apparently allowed him to see a scan of your soul on his tablet. If you hadn't felt so nervous, you might have thought it was amazing that he could do that, but you were just glad he hadn't had to summon your soul in the first place.

Unfortunately, if the slightly concerned look he got when he read over the results was anything to go by, then there was something seriously wrong with your soul. The other adults also seemed to notice, and while Nightmare was quick to try and understand the situation, Minty had elected to distract and comfort you instead.

It was nerve wracking to say the least. You didn't know what was going on and no one was explaining anything. How bad was it? Were you going to die?

Minty's fingers moved from your head to your back, tracing slow patterns across your shirt. Every now and then, she would apply a bit more pressure, almost like a gentle massage, before returning to a more mindless rhythm.

You couldn't focus on anything. The room felt like it was spinning and the only sound you could hear was the pounding of your own heart. Just as the panic was beginning to overwhelm you, a warm feeling seemed to blossom from your chest, spreading out until your entire body felt wrapped up in a blanket of hope. It was disorientating; this feeling wasn't yours and you didn't know where it had come from.

Minty's hands tightened on your shoulders, jolting you back to reality. "It's going to be alright, sweetie," she whispered in your ear.

The realization that she had somehow been able to manipulate your emotions sent a chill down your spine. You whipped your head around and stared at her in shock. Did she also have magic like you did?

Seemingly reading your mind, Minty gave you a wry smile and patted your shoulder. "Sorry if my Intent startled you. I thought you seemed a bit on edge and I wanted to help."

You opened your mouth to ask what she meant, when Nightmare suddenly let out a growl of frustration.

"I don't care what you think, I'm not leaving her here!" His body was rigid, save for the occasional twitch from his tentacles, as if he was doing everything in his being to keep from lashing out at the doctor.

To your surprise, Baggs didn't even flinch, instead giving the angry god an almost bored look. His mismatched eyelights briefly flicked to his tablet before looking over at Minty, who silently shrugged.

Apparently, Nightmare wasn't happy with his protests being ignored and he moved closer, effectively pinning Baggs against a nearby desk. "Listen and listen well," he hissed, prodding the doctor's sternum with a clawed finger. "She deserves to stay with people who care about her. I made a mistake and I'm going to fix it, understand?"

Baggs said nothing, continuing to passively stare at Nightmare. Finally, he let out a sigh and looked away, running a gloved hand over his face. "fine, do what you think is best. this whole mess is outside my expertise anyways," he muttered.

"Nightmare?" At the sound of Minty's quiet question, both skeletons turned to look at her. "What did you do?" She sounded concerned and a little suspicious at the same time.

The god's good eye socket widened and you thought he looked almost...guilty? He started to walk towards both of you, but stopped himself a few paces away.

"Nothing, I did nothing," he finally answered.

Minty closed the distance, fixing him with an unimpressed look and crossing her arms. "Really? You're telling me you aren't the reason our friend is like this now? I thought you prided yourself on always telling the truth?"

Her accusations seemed to hit a nerve. "I have never lied," Nightmare hissed. He took a step forward, so that he was all but leering over the smaller woman, his tendrils flicking with irritation. "No, I am the reason." His cyan eyelight flicked lower, briefly focusing on her chest before refocusing on her face. "She's like you, and I did nothing..."

Minty let out an audible gasp, her hand quickly covering her mouth as she stepped back. The tension in her body seemed to evaporate all at once and her shoulders slumped. She glanced at you, concern written all over her face, before turning back to the god.

"Why?" she murmured. "Did you forget she was an...incode?"

"No. I just... I didn't think my men would bond with another human. I didn't think she would stick around this long. I thought your relationship with them was the exception, not the rule."

Minty clenched her fists at her sides, as if she was barely restraining her anger. "Get out," she growled. "If you're serious about this, you have a lot of fixing to do."

Nightmare nodded stiffly, "I'm sorry." He held eye contact with her for a few seconds, his eyelight flickering with an unknown emotion. Slowly, he tore himself away and walked over to the bed, carefully gathering you into his arms.

You didn't protest in the slightest, simply allowing him to tuck you against his ribcage. His tentacles coiled securely around your torso, both supporting and comforting you.

Neither Minty nor Baggs said anything, although the former refused to look at Nightmare as he left with you. Baggs briefly caught your eye, but he soon turned his attention to Minty, placing his hand on her arm. He looked concerned, almost like he was going to say something, but the heavy doors slid shut before you could hear anything.

This time, Nightmare didn't need to tell you to close your eyes. You buried your face into his robe, letting out a quiet sob and clutching the dark fabric so tightly that your knuckles turned white.

Rather than immediately teleport back to the castle, Nightmare hesitated. "I know, dear," he murmured, tracing slow lines up and down your back with his claws. "I won't judge you for being afraid or upset."

You cried softly for a few minutes as he continued trying to soothe you. "I'm...going to die..." you finally whispered.

His grip on you tightened and he let out a quiet hiss under his breath. "No. I won't let that happen." His tone was firm, leaving no room for doubt in your mind, and so, you nodded silently rather than protest.

Before you knew it, the constant drone of air conditioning faded away, replaced by the familiar sound of a crackling fire. When you opened your eyes, you realized that you were in a surprisingly modern living room.

There was a large tv surrounded by a plush couch and a couple beanbags. You noticed a large stone fireplace on another wall that was providing most of the light in the room, other than the glow from the tv and some light seeping in from an adjoining room of course.

Killer was lounging on the couch, playing what looked like a beat 'em up game on the tv. You didn't see Dust or Horror anywhere, but Cross had just finished adding fresh fuel to the fireplace across the room.

Nightmare cleared his non-existent throat, drawing the attention of the two skeletons. "We're back."

Two skulls whipped in your direction and the video game was quickly paused. Cross immediately appeared at your side, his eyelights scanning your face to see if you were alright. His bonebrows furrowed when he noticed that you had been crying and he glanced up at Nightmare.

"i'm guessing it's not good news?" he asked quietly.

Nightmare said nothing, but his expression must have been confirmation enough for the monochromatic skeleton. His tendrils loosened before letting go of you entirely.

"She will be fine for the time being," he started to say. "I have to locate Error and convince him to help. I trust the rest of you can look after her until then?"

Cross looked puzzled for a second, but quickly recovered and nodded. "yes, of course!" he exclaimed, holding out his arms for you.

Rather than immediately hand you over, Nightmare let out a quiet hum. His good eyelight flicked to Killer, who was now leaning over the back of the couch with a surprisingly serious look on his face, then to Cross again before turning his attention to you. He shifted your weight to one arm, gently tracing your face with his now free hand. He seemed to be examining you, committing your facial features to memory. While he said nothing, you noticed that beneath the look of determination, his gaze held a sort of tenderness as well.

He broke the unofficial staring contest to finally place you in Cross' waiting arms. The skeleton shifted you into a position where you were almost perching on his shoulder, but where you had the option to rest your head against his own skull if you wished, which you did.

Killer grinned and winked at you. "don't worry, we'll take good care of her, boss."

Nightmare nodded, "Depending if he is in a good mood, I might be back quickly, but I'm not counting on it." He glanced at you and Cross. "I am sure the others will be glad for the chance to dote on our precious human. I would like to have a word with Killer, so why don't you two go find them?" he asked in a gentle tone of voice that seemed to be more directed at you than the skeleton.

Cross smiled and lightly squeezed you. "c'mon juniper, i think horror was planning to make your favourite kind of cookies earlier." He started to carry you into the adjoining room you had spotted earlier.

You couldn't help but wonder what Nightmare was planning. What had he meant by you being similar to Minty? Why was he blaming himself? Why had you forgotten everything?

"what can error do that the doctor can't?" Killer asked quietly.

Nightmare hesitated for a moment and you strained to hear what he might say next.

"Fix corrupted code..."

[falloutboylyricss]

Fall Out Boy and Colors

Evening Out With Your Girlfriend

none

Take This to Your Grave

"I'm good to go for something golden" - Saturday

"These friends are, new friends are golden" - Homesick at Space Camp

"My insides are copper, I'd kill to make them gold" - Sending Postcards From a Plane Crash (Wish You Were Here)

"My heart is on my sleeve, wear it like a bruise or black eye" - Chicago Is So Two Years Ago

"All the colors of the street signs, they remind me of the pickup truck out in front of your neighbor's house" - Chicago Is So Two Years Ago

From Under The Cork Tree

"You look so good in blue" - Nobody Puts Baby In The Corner

"We're traveled like [nomads] only with worse luck and far less gold" - Sophomore Slump Or Comeback Of The Year

"With your backless black dress soaked to the skin" - Champagne For My Real Friends, Real Pain For My Sham Friends

"Someone old, no one new, feeling borrowed, always blue" - I Slept With Someone In Fall Out Boy And All I Got Was This Stupid Song Written About Me

"This story's getting old, the homewrecker with the heart of gold" - Snitches And Talkers Get Stitches And Walkers

Infinity On High

"At night, we're painting your trash gold while you sleep" - This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race

"Kissed teeth stained red from a sour bottle baby girl with eyes the size of baby worlds" - I'm Like A Lawyer With The Way I'm Always Trying To Get You Off (Me & You)

"I sing the blues and swallow them too" - Hum Hallelujah

"How cruel is the golden rule when the lives we lived are only golden-plated?" - Golden

"Her nose runs ruby red, Death's in a double bed" - The (After) Life Of The Party

"Racing through the city, windows down in the back of yellow checkered cars" - Bang The Doldrums

"There's too much green to feel blue" - Fame < Infamy

"Lips pressed close to mine, true blue" - G.I.N.A.S.F.S.

"Trade baby blues for wide-eyed browns" - G.I.N.A.S.F.S.

"Blackmailed myself, 'cause I ain't got anyone else" - It's Hard To Say "I Do", When I Don't

"I've got the red carpet blues, baby" - It's Hard To Say "I Do", When I Don't

Folie à Deux

The (Shipped) Gold Standard (title only)

"I've got a lot of friends who are stars, but some are just black holes" - 27

"Oh, baby, you're a classic, like a little black dress" - Tiffany Blews

"I want to get stuck and be golden in your memory" - w.a.m.s.

"The infrared scope on pointlessness" - West Coast Smoker

Save Rock And Roll

"Silver clouds with gray linings" - The Phoenix

"Because the world is just a teller and we are wearing black masks" - The Phoenix

"Wave the white flag" - The Phoenix

"And when she touched him, he turned ruby red" - Where Did The Party Go

"Your hot whiskey eyes have fanned the flames" - Miss Missing You

"She's his suicide blonde, she's number than gold" - Rat A Tat

"I kept wishing she had blonde ambition and she'd let it go to my head" - Rat A Tat

"As alone as a little white church in the middle of the desert getting burned" - Rat A Tat

"She's sick and she's wrong, she's young dirty blonde" - Rat A Tat

PAX AM Days

"Every time I see you, I just want to paint the walls white" - We Were Doomed From The Start (The King Is Dead)

"You're just a black widow who fell in love with herself" - Hot To The Touch, Cold On The Inside

American Beauty/American Psycho

"Some legends are told, some turn to dust or to gold" - Centuries

"Overhead of the aqua blue" - The Kids Aren't Alright

"I always fall from your window to the pitch black street / And with the black banners raised as the crooked smiles fade" - The Kids Aren't Alright

"I got those jet pack blues" - Jet Pack Blues

"And I'm trying to find my peace of mind behind these two white highway lines" - Jet Pack Blues

"She's in a long black coat tonight waiting for me in the downpour outside" - Jet Pack Blues

"This is a black, black ski mask song" - Novocaine

"If you knew, knew what the bluebirds sang at you, you would never sing along" - Novocaine

"Take this sideshow and all its freaks and turn it into the silver screen dream" - Novocaine

"And I confessed, confessed to you riding shot-gun underneath the purple skies" - Favorite Record

"Live with me forever now, pull the blackout curtains down" - Immortals

"And there's a jet black crow droning on and on and on" - Twin Skeleton's (Hotel In NYC)

MANIA

"You were too good to be true, gold-plated" - The Last Of The Real Ones

"I'll stop wearing black when they make a darker color" - Wilson (Expensive Mistakes)

"These are the last blues we're ever gonna have" - Bishops Knife Trick

So Much (For) Stardust

"It's open season on blue moods" - Heartbreak Feels So Good

"Running middle fingers through the red lights" - Hold Me Like a Grudge

"Fever-dream tangerine sweat" - Hold Me Like a Grudge

"Take a knife and cut through the darkness, castle-temp red wine" - Fake Out

The Pink Seashell (title only)

"Orange leaves, but we're the ones falling off trees" - Baby Annihilation

"Oh, I'm going neon in the night-time" - What a Time To Be Alive

"I got the quarantine blues, bad news, what's left?" - What a Time To Be Alive

Misc.

"Boxed blondes have less fun" - Lake Effect Kid

"Fyre Fest, Black Parade, Michael Phelps, Y2K" - We Didn't Start The Fire

"SpongeBob, Golden State Killer got caught" - We Didn't Start The Fire

"Jeff Bezos, climate change, white rhino goes extinct" - We Didn't Start The Fire

[1d1195]

Physics V

By popular opinion, we have another installment of our college friends studying together. Please read the rest here: Physics, or if you don't feel like it, I left them just about to have hot chocolate and watch a movie.

You know me, this a bit of a mess and all over the place. I hope you like it anyway. It's been another tough week and honestly I don't see the following weeks getting much better. This was pretty therapeutic for me and I think it's cute even if it's a lot. Sorry for venting and ranting. Thank you for reading.

All fluff

4.4k words

Studying, physics, decorating, coffee, and hot chocolate... she was confident in these areas of her life. Confident that she knew what she was talking about. Harry, boys, and flirting...she wasn’t the least bit confident.

Her heart was thudding so loudly in her chest she could hardly hear the movie. She was a bit worried that Harry could hear how embarrassingly loud her heart was beating beside him. What movie did she even pick? Did she even pick it? If Harry picked it, she was going to have to excuse herself to use the bathroom and Google the plot so as not to embarrass herself further because she hadn’t a clue what had happened in the last half hour.

The middle cushion left a sizable distance between them, and all Harry could think about was how much he wanted to pull her across the desert of space between them, lay her across the length of the sofa, and kiss her until he forgot why he was even there. Harry watched the movie intently so he wouldn’t stare at her the whole time. He reached for the hot chocolate on the coffee table just so he would have something to do (and so he could get a longer glimpse of her pretty being at the other end of the couch).

He smiled softly. “Have y’seen this one?” He asked.

She shook her head. If she had, it wasn’t like she remembered it anyway. Not with Harry’s aura invading all her thoughts and making her forget her own name. “No...”

“Me either.” She was intently focused on her TV screen which gave Harry just a moment to gaze at her without being suspicious. The hot chocolate tasted extra good. Part of him thought it was merely because she was the one who made it. “Secret recipe?” He asked, putting the mug back on the coffee table.

A small smile played at her lips and Harry truly thought she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his whole life. “Uh...just add a hint of cinnamon.”

“S’really good.”

“I love hot chocolate,” she explained. “Have you ever seen those hot chocolate bars?” She asked. “Like on TikTok or Pinterest? Er...You probably don’t have Pinterest,” she backtracked. “Anyway...” she felt herself rambling and Harry was looking at her like she wasn’t. Like what she was saying was interesting and she wasn’t talking about something so silly.

“I haven’t, kitten,” his voice was so gentle. “Show me,” he suggested.

She shook her head. “No...s’nothing special. It’s just a bunch of little jars and things and you put it on the counter or a little bar cart or something...I don’t know. I think they’re cute.”

“They sound cute,” he said encouragingly hoping she would change her mind. She wouldn’t budge though.

“Um...maybe another time. I don’t want to interrupt the movie.” Harry nodded. His phone continued to vibrate on the coffee table beside his hot chocolate. He flipped it over, so the screen was faced down. “Are you sure you’re not needed elsewhere? I know we’re going to be spending a lot of time together, I wouldn’t want to take you away from your friends or whatever. I’m sure they have way better plans than a Christmas movie a month earlier than should be watched.”

Harry smirked to himself shaking his head, keeping his eyes on the movie. “No, love,” he said simply. “M’fine here, s’long as y’don’t mind m’company,” he didn’t look at her because he didn’t want to make her feel awkward; just in case she did want him to leave.

“I just know that I’m a little boring and I know you’re usually at parties and—”

“How do y’know that?” He smirked. He reached for the remote between their hot chocolate mugs and paused the movie before turning to look at her again.

Harry could see right through her, she was sure. Studying, physics, decorating, coffee, and hot chocolate... she was confident in these areas of her life. Confident that she knew what she was talking about. Harry, boys, and flirting...she wasn’t the least bit confident. Harry was this beautiful, perfect guy that every single girl on campus couldn’t stop talking about whenever he passed by. In the library she heard hushed whispers of Harry at parties with his friends. On a jog around campus, she heard girls swooning about him and how he was really good at beer pong. For Halloween he and his friends dressed up as firefighters and it was literally all anyone could talk about.

She blushed and shrugged. “I don’t know. Just hear things.”

He smiled, tilted his head at her in appreciation. “M’rather enjoying this evening,” he said softly. “S’nice t’relax and hang out with you.”

It felt way too good to be true.

Eventually their attention turned back to the movie. Then a second movie. Now it was nearing ten PM, and her eyes were burning a bit from the screen. Harry had gone to the bathroom while she cleaned up the hot chocolate mugs. She yawned, flopping back into her seat on the couch and Harry returned falling into his own spot. It felt odd he had his own spot already. She believed it was his and she thought maybe when he left, she would sit in it, just to soak up the heavenly scent of his cologne.

“D’you want t’watch another?” He asked.

She wanted to sleep but there was no way she was going to tell Harry to leave willingly. He would have to go on his own. She nodded. “Sure,” she said. “Can I get you anything?” She asked.

He shook his head. “M’fine, kitten,” he smiled sweetly.

But it was the third movie that did them in. Both fell asleep before even halfway through it. Her TV was set on a timer, so it turned off at one in the morning if it was on. But when Harry woke up in the dark room (except for the beautiful tree illuminating a gentle glow over her apartment) and looked at his phone, he saw it was almost two thirty in the morning.

Blinking against the brightness of his screen he turned his attention to the pretty girl snuggled in the corner of her sofa. He pulled one blanket off the back of the seat and rested it over her. He watched her sigh with relief as she nuzzled deeper into the back cushion. Harry didn’t want to leave her. Especially not alone on the couch. The lights from the tree created a golden effect and cast over her. Harry thought she was beautiful anyway, but this made him want to kneel before her and stare at her until his eyes fell out of his head.

But he didn’t want the tree to catch on fire either. He quietly unplugged it, making her apartment completely dark, and he fell back into the other end of her couch. Pulling another blanket around himself, he fell asleep almost immediately, that stretch of a couch cushion desert still aching him to the bone as it mocked him from between them.

*

“Shut. Up,” she hissed.

“You’re making Harry Styles pancakes, you’re so fucking stupid,” another voice whispered. “He fell asleep on our couch. Do you know how many girls would kill to be you?”

Harry could smell something sweet and assumed it had to be pancakes based on the conversation he heard so far. He smirked to himself. The sofa was warm and comfy. He wished she hadn’t left because he would have loved to see her expression when he woke up. The apartment was warm, and it felt like Christmas. Or maybe it was just because she seemed to be the embodiment of all good things like Christmas and it made him warm that way.

“Can you be quiet? You’re going to wake him,” she whispered. It was early. Harry hadn’t a chance to look at his phone yet but it was cold and felt like the sun had hardly risen.

“Babe,” the other girl sounded exhausted. “You have Harry Styles on your couch right now. He stayed in on a Friday night to decorate, watch Christmas movies, and drink hot chocolate with you. It’s a date.”

Harry’s heart was fluttering against his ribs. It felt so childish and silly, but he liked it. “I’m just tutoring him.”

“In what? Falling in love? Pancakes will seal the deal. I fell in love with you the first time you made pancakes. Pretty sure Mitch would leave me for your pancakes, and I can’t say I blame him.”

“They’re not even that special.”

“Oh my God.”

Harry needed to make some kind of indication that he was awake, but he didn’t know how. Fortunately, there was a knock on the door. Harry took that as his cue and yawned in exaggeration as he headed to the door. He rubbed his hand into his eye.

He could sense two pairs of eyes on his back as he headed to the door. “I told you she wouldn’t kill him,” Niall said as the door was pulled out of the way. “Louis was worried,” Niall said stepping around Harry.

“Please, come in,” Harry grumbled. Louis marched right past Harry and the poor girl looked so stunned he thought she might cry.

“It smells so good in here,” Louis remarked. “Hey love,” he waved to the sweet girl who looked utterly confused and nervous in the kitchen doorway.

“Uh...hi,” she said softly waving awkwardly back.

Niall dropped a bag on the sofa. “Louis was worried you may have killed Harry. Not that we’d blame you, darling. Can’t imagine having to tutor this sorry sap,” he explained.

Harry rolled his eyes and peeked in the bag to find an array of clothing and toiletries. He was a little grateful that Niall and Louis knew he would need it at the very least. Even if it was a bit forward. Harry finally took notice of how adorable she looked once more. She had changed her clothes. She wore cozy leggings and an oversized sweatshirt. All he wanted was to wrap her in his arms and kiss her until the end of time. “Sorry for just barging over, love,” Louis said. “But we just wanted to rescue you if Harry was bothering you...plus if you did kill him that would make our life a bit harder since his name is on the lease. Not that we’d blame you, of course. I love your Christmas decorations. It’s so nice and cozy in here.”

“I’m Sarah,” the other girl offered; trying to help the poor thing. She looked so rattled Harry wanted to scoop her into his arms and protect her from his friends and their annoying, silly, banter.

“D-do you all want pancakes?” She asked.

“Oh, is that what smells so good? Yes, please, darling,” Niall said excitedly and dropped onto the couch like he had been here a thousand times. But that was her spot and Harry didn’t like Niall sitting there. Where were the two of them going to sit?

“May as well call Mitch and get him over here,” Sarah smiled with unadulterated enjoyment in her eyes as she pressed her phone to her ear.

“Okay...um...I’ll be right back,” she said hurrying back to the kitchen.

Harry glared at his friends. “You’re both insane,” he grumbled and followed her and the scent of pancakes. She was dropping batter into the middle of a griddle spread across two of the stovetop elements. He couldn’t deny his friends were right. It smelled heavenly in the kitchen. “M’sorry, kitten,” he said quickly.

“What for? It’s nice your friends came looking for you,” she smiled. “Pancakes are easy for a crowd too,” she promised.

He sighed. She was a literal delight, and he didn’t deserve that. “I can have us all leave. I’ve obviously overstayed m’welcome. And s’rude of them t’invite themselves over,” he explained. “Does it bother Sarah?”

She shook her head. “It’s really no trouble at all. Sarah doesn’t mind in the slightest. She was just coming to check on me and things. She was...surprised to see you,” she shrugged.

“Love, I told you you’re supposed to text me if you’re making pancakes!” A new voice shouted from the other room. Sarah walked by her and Harry, rolling her eyes at the sound of her boyfriend.

“These pancakes must be something,” Harry grinned sweetly.

“I guess, I just put vanilla extract in them. And sometimes I add syrup to the batter,” she shrugged. “It’s not really a secret,” but Harry thought that maybe, much like her hot chocolate, it simply tasted better because she made it and did it with so much affection for her friends and essentially strangers.

“Well thank you, kitten,” he said kindly.

She nodded. “I...I have to go to the bookstore from nine to two. You can stay here until then if you’d like. Sarah can give you a key or something if she and Mitch leave.”

Harry was a little take aback that she really was going to just leave Harry and his friends alone in her pretty Christmassy apartment. He bit the inside of his lip. “Yeah?” He asked.

She nodded. “Yeah,” she shrugged.

“I jus’ have t’run a few errands...but I bet I’ll beat y’back here,” he told her watching her movements so effortlessly in front of the stove. The entire time she was flipping pancakes and cutting up fruit to go with it. She grabbed plates, whipped cream, and syrup. “Well, maybe we’ll never leave,” he smiled softly.

Biting the inside of her lip she smiled to herself. Because honestly, that didn’t sound so bad. “You’re welcome to shower if you want. Just have Sarah turn on the water for you. The lever is a little tricky when you first use it.”

*

Harry was sad to find she had left while he was in the shower. So maybe it wasn’t as early as he thought it was—he still hadn’t looked at his phone. Everyone was silent as they stuffed their faces with fruit and pancakes. Niall kept making obscene moaning noises.

“If you don’t ask her out, I will,” he groaned.

Harry glared at him. Sarah and Mitch smirked knowingly at one another as they ate silently. “Harry has been over the moon about his new tutor,” Louis told Sarah. It felt like Louis and Niall were talking about their son to his potential girlfriend’s parents. It was so embarrassing. “He has hope he’ll pass now. He couldn’t stop talking about her.”

“Thank you,��� Harry grumbled around the fluffiest, yummiest pancake he had ever eaten. It was even difficult to feign his annoyance at his friends.

Sarah smiled with that same unadulterated pleasure she had before. “She’s really excited too,” she promised.

“She’s pretty busy,” Niall remarked.

Mitch nodded. “She likes to be busy,” he shrugged.

Harry kept a silent note of that in his mind. “Louis, Niall, will you do the dishes?” Harry asked.

“Aw, Dad, do we have to?” Louis whined.

He rolled his eyes. “Spotless, when I get back.”

*

She was refolding T-shirts and putting away sweatshirts back on the right racks when the ping of the bookstore door signaled that someone was entering. She glanced at her watch to see that it was almost fifteen minutes before close. She knew she should have put the closed sign up and the metal grate down before she started on the returns. All she wanted to do was go back to her apartment and hope that Harry really was still there.

“Hey beautiful,” his perfect, honey-warmed voice called. She dropped the textbook she was bringing back to it’s spot. Narrowly avoiding her foot with it’s heavy weight.

“Oh,” she blinked. “Hi Harry.”

“Hi, kitten. Sorry t’scare you... Thought y’might want a ride back since s’cold out,” he smiled spinning his ring of keys around his index finger. She blinked.

“Oh, thank you. You didn’t have to go out of your way...or mess up your plans,” she blushed bending to grab the textbook.

He shook his head. “No way, love. Jus’ wanted t’make sure y’weren’t cold. No plans except t’study with you,” he smiled. “Those pancakes were amazing. M’sorry I missed y’leaving.”

She was so stunned by him appearing out of nowhere and once more just being so...nice. She felt her insides turning into mush and her brain was glitching out. How was she supposed to continue tutoring him when he was so utterly breathtaking? Just his kind nature made her speechless.

“It’s okay, I’m sorry I didn’t get to—”

“Niall and Louis cleaned up for you, too.”

“They didn’t need to—”

“Of course, they did, kitten. Y’fed them. S’the least they could do actually.”

She was worried if she spoke again he would interrupt her and she was officially out of things to say. “Um...” she slid the book back onto the shelf with the ones that looked just like it. “I just have to...do a few more things until close.”

“I’ll be here,” he said wandering the aisles looking at things. “Won’t touch anything either,” he promised with a wink. “Can’t remember the last time I was in here,” he murmured.

She bit the inside of her lip and as he meandered and headed to the gate to close, finally.  As she pulled the gate down, there was a group of girls who caught sight of the brown curls that were looking at the array of clothing for parents. “Hey kitten?” He called. The group turned to the sound of his voice. One practically gasped. Another gaped openly as they realized Harry was talking to her.

“Yeah?” She called back sounding so unsure.

“D’you think m’mum would actually like this?” He asked holding up a long sleeve shirt with the college’s name, logo, and “Mom” written on the front. “Like would y’get this for your mum?” He asked.

She could feel their gazes on her and she knew they were thinking that it was insane that Harry was talking to her. “Um...I would probably just get her a regular item. I think the mom ones are a little...on the nose?” She explained.

He smiled. “Got it,” Harry carefully folded the shirt and placed it back just as he found it.

“Hey Harry!” One girl called from the gate. “Missed you at the party last night!”

Harry winked at her as he walked toward the gate. She didn’t pay any mind to their conversation, knowing they were taking turns staring at her while Harry stood caged in from them.

After she finished all the closing tasks she grabbed her purse and put it across her body before she slowly walked toward Harry touching up the displays as she went to escape them. “Are you going out tonight?”

“Probably not,” he shrugged. “M’really focusing on m’physics class,” he explained. “I need all the help I can get...right, kitten?”

Part of her felt stupid for answering to the little pet name as if it were her own. But she couldn’t help but turn to the sound of his voice calling her the name and then meeting ten pairs of eyes—eight of which were glaring at her. Two of which were so green and so gentle.

“You’re not so bad,” she murmured.

“Sorry ladies,” he shrugged. “Maybe next weekend. Ready, love?” He asked turning his back to the group who continued to stare at him and glare at her.

Was she ready to get out of there? Yes. Very much so.

*

Harry let her walk in first and closed the door behind him. She kicked her shoes off and headed to the kitchen. She needed a glass of water before they started studying. Sarah already texted her to let her know that someone told someone told someone that Harry wasn’t going out in favor of studying with some girl.

When he asked her if she could tutor, the entire dining hall stared at her as if they had never seen her before—like she appeared from thin air the moment Harry talked to her. Now they heard Harry call her sweet names and ditch his party habits all because he had to study. On a Saturday.

Harry stood in the middle of the sitting room waiting for her reaction—whatever it would be. She returned silently—sans water. Her eyes were huge. Harry smiled kindly.

“Everything alright, kitten?” He asked.

“You...” she stared at him. “You... made me a hot chocolate bar?”

Harry shrugged. “S’least I can do,” he looked a little surprised. He didn’t understand her confusion. This seemed only natural that he would do this. It seemed obvious to him that he was...infatuated with her so readily, easily. How could he be anything but? She was intelligent, beautiful, and utterly kind. The embodiment of happiness and holidays.

She returned to the kitchen to look at the tray set up on the counter. There were mason jars of varying sizes. Displayed perfectly. Marshmallows, chocolate chips, candy canes, little wooden scoops, cookies, sprinkles. It looked like Harry had raided the entire display of Christmas goodies at Target.

The anxiety she felt from Harry being so nice was overwhelming. “Y-you didn’t have to do that,” there was a lump in her throat. It was just so nice she could feel tears threatening, aching in the back of her eyes.

“Kitten?” He asked gently.

She didn’t want to look at him. She wanted to stare at the kind gesture he had so thoughtfully made while she was at work. Seeing the dishes were done from breakfast too...by his friends. Everything about Harry was unlike any guy she had ever met.

But...he was so...him. He was nothing like her. He was confident, gorgeous, funny, and sweet. He probably dated girls that could drink her under the table. Or wouldn’t mind kissing him in front of an entire party. Who could blame them really? Harry had lips that deserved to be kissed every moment of the day. He looked like he should be kissed in front of audiences simply because he was too beautiful not to be. She was certain the group of girls outside the bookstore would kiss him without a care in the world.

He would never, ever want to kiss or be around someone that had her nose stuck in a physics book and could hardly talk to a guy without rambling or feeling awkward.

“Thank you,” she murmured politely. The words came out breathlessly because if she added any volume she would have resorted to tears and Harry would someone comfort her and make her feel even worse than she already did about the whole predicament.

“Are y’alright, love?” He asked, concern dripped in his voice. He reached out like he was going to touch her back but stopped before his hand got to her.

She nodded silently, unable to look away from the little ribbons tied like perfectly wrapped presents around the mason jars. “Uh...yeah. Do you want to study?” She cleared her throat.

He frowned. “Um...sure.”

She felt like she lost some game that she didn’t even know she was playing.

Harry watched her leaving the kitchen and felt so lost. Was it not obvious that he adored her? The hot chocolate bar was hardly anything in comparison to what she deserved. Right as she crossed the threshold, he grabbed her hand and tugged her back toward him. “Did I do something wrong?” He asked.

She shook her head, not looking up at his eyes. “No! Of course not, Harry.”

“Y’seem...sad...I made a chocolate bar for you,” he pouted.

Sighing, she tried not to think about the electric feeling of Harry’s hand in hers. It made her nervous that her hand was starting to sweat immediately. He hadn’t done anything. He skimmed his thumb along the back of it. “It’s...” she swallowed thickly avoiding his gaze. “It’s so nice, Harry,” she whispered.

“Then why—”

“I just...don’t want to fall for you,” she explained.

He dropped her hand like it hurt her. She ached to hold his hand again. It was so unfair. “Oh.”

The silence was deafening. “I understand if you don’t want me to tutor you,” she bit the inside of her lip.

“Kitten, you’re literally m’only hope,” he reminded her. “If y’don’t want to, though...s’fine. I’ll figure it out. M’not your responsibility. I can always go on YouTube—”

She shook her head. “No,” she swallowed. “That’s not what I want,” she promised. “Really—”

“Love,” he brought a hand to her face and brushed his thumb across her lips. Her sentence was no longer in her mind. Everything was gone. She only knew Harry’s name, the color green, and that his thumb was touching her lips.

“You’re way too cool and hot and confident for me,” she whispered. All he had to do was look at her. It was like a magic spell. The words fell out of her. His cologne was surely a potion. Throwing all coherent thought out of her mind. She wasn’t an upperclassmen physics student. She was a dumb girl infatuated with a guy that was way too good for her.

“Oh, kitten,” he frowned. “I...” his unfairly tanned cheeks turned the most beautiful, rosy pink. Like someone put makeup on him. “You’re...you’re much too hard on yourself. You’re way too good for me. Gorgeous, intelligent, kind...” he shook his head. “You’re the whole package, love.” Her heart felt like it was going to explode out of her chest. Of course, his cologne was sending her into a fog of confusion and only thoughts of Harry. “Kitten,” he cooed. “M’not saying this jus’ because I desperately want...no need you t’fall for me...but if y’like someone...”

“Harry, those girls are the ones you deserve—” her voice cracked with the idea that Harry needed her for anything.

“M’so out of your league,” he chuckled. “Maybe y’shouldn’t fall for me,” he winked. “But...isn’t... there a basic Law of Attraction in Physics?” He asked.

“Harry, that’s from like week one of Physics I.”

“Kitten, m’trying t’flirt on your level. Will you...?” Her lips felt glued shut. “Any particular force that draw two objects together?” She nodded mutely. “Think we have a particular force here,” he caught one of his fingers through her front belt loop and pulled her toward him. Her whole body was on fire. There was a clean sink behind her. A hot chocolate bar on her counter.

And Harry was enacting a force of attraction on her that she never would have dreamed of as he tilted his head and locked his gaze on her lips.

--

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[lunarbreaksblog]

Horizon of Memories - Chapter 1

Prologue

He couldn’t help the bubbling rage inside of him as Orion turned to face him. Megatron had failed at turning Orion to the cause…yet again.

He let out a roar, face tensed in anger at the prime as the autobots fled the nemesis.

How could Megatron be so foolish to think he had another chance at the Prime.

No, he could only rely on himself and no one else.

As the neon colours of the groundbridge faded, Megatron stood, face still screwed up in anger. His optics could kill someone on sight. Reluctantly, Megatron left the site, anger still present. Slowly as he made his way to the bridge, his anger morphed into pure hatred for the Prime

He entered the command bridge– everybot looked at him, he scoffed loudly, they flinched and looked away. 

“Soundwave, I want a status report” the warframe growled as he stepped further into the bridge.

:Orion Pax terminated:

:Optimus Prime revived: Static crackled from their visor as they conducted their report with mixed voice lines.

Megatron growled, he'd never lash out at his most promising con but Soundwave was crossing a line that the warlord needed to define again. 

“I know, Soundwave '' He grunted as he stood in the middle of the dark dreary bridge with its sharp surfaces. He put his arms behind his back, hands interlocked as he peered towards the visor of the Nemesis. Storm clouds seem to be brewing.

:Unknown ship signal retrieved on planet:

“Decepticon or Autobot?” 

:Pre-war – Iaconian built:

“Interesting” Megatron was intrigued now, how did a pre-war vessel reach this lonely planet? 

‘Earth’ was quite a trek to reach all the way from Cybertron even with a Spacebridge. 

“Deploy Knockout and Starscream to investigate it” Megatron growled as he continued to watch the storm clouds.

The seeker and doctor needed to be reminded that they weren't on the same level as command as the warlord. They needed to be punished. 

Soundwave turned to his console, typing on the holographic screen. Then he sent for the two which unfortunately were in the medbay together. The doctor was fixing the seeker’s left wing when Soundwave entered.

:Lord Megatron requires you to be deployed to the semi-desert region; The Karoo: The slender mech hissed in a mix of vocals, some not recognisable to them.

“Why? Has our Lord not have Vehicons to do his bidding?” Starscream shrieked as Knockout welded the rest of his wing

“Oh shut it Starscream –” Knockout paused and looked to Soundwave “ Think of it as a time to get out of this bloody ship” he continued

Soundwave nodded and left the two.

Knockout couldn’t help but shiver at the purple mech. The mere fact that he came into the doctor’s medbay to tell them personally that Megatron wanted them to do the mission. He knew something was wrong.

“Oh you shut it Knockout, I am the second in command after all and you’re but the medic of this ship” the seeker hissed, his glare held venom.

“Let’s just go” was Knockouts only response

He personally didn't feel like having a fight with Starscream, the seekers talons could easily ruin his finish. 

–

The karoo’s hot arid air burnt Knockout’s vents as they exited the groundbridge. Starscream didn’t seem to like it either since gave off a loud growl.

“Why must I be subjected to this? I am the second in command of the Decepticons!” the seeker shrieked. 

The ground was sandy and loose, the seeker nearly lost his balance from his heels not finding a hard enough surface. 

A hot breeze swept through them, carrying dust particles that seemed to cling on Knockout’s cherry red paint. The red mech was not happy about this assignment but he needed to be quick, then he could fix his paint in the security of his habsuite.

“Are you listening to me!?” Starscream howled into the grounder’s audial. 

“Frag off” Knockout barked, his patience wearing thin.

If looks could kill, the doctor would be seven feet under from the seekers harsh glare.

Knockout held out a little machine with a screen on it. He pointed in front of him, moving the machine to get a better signal until a loud beeping came from the direction of large dull-looking mountains with flora that seemed to match this dessert. 

“That is where the point of interest is Screamer” Knockout spoke.

Quickly he transformed into his alt-mode and rode towards the mountains. Starscream didn't have a moment to say anything before he too transformed and flew after the red car. 

Soon enough, the car could make a stark difference in the wall of one of the mountains, metal seemed to be hidden in iron-rich stone and sand that made up the side of the mountain. How could he have not spotted it where he just came from. It was an eyesore.

How did it go unnoticed?

He could make out the roof of a cruiser that seemed to meld with the mountain, the cruiser was sideways, they’d have to go through the upper hull to reach the contents of the ship.

He drove faster to reach the wall-ship, with a dust of hot air he transformed into his bot mode. The ground there was more solid, less sandy.

“Now, that's quite strange?” Starscream hummed as he gracefully transformed.

“It’s a cruiser?”

“Yes– but it's a pleasure cruiser.”

“A what?”

Knockout glared at the seeker. What was a pre-war ‘pleasure cruiser’ doing out here. 

“How do you know?”

Starscream huffed and crossed his arms

“Of course I would know, I use to be prince of Vos– soon-to-be Winglord” Starscream paused “and I know its pleasure cruiser since I use to have one” he stated in annoyance

How could Knockout forget that Starscream used to be ‘royalty’.  Starscream's ignorance would soon be the death of him, Knockout thought bitterly. Either by Megatron’s hands or his own. Knockout shoved the thought of the seeker’s demise away. 

He glanced at the mountain, the ship seemed to glow under the bright hot sun. how could he have missed it? It was practically in plain sight. 

Starscream walked forward to the ship, quickly he placed his taloned servo on the cold metal ship. 

“Now, how are we going to get in Doctor?” the seeker mumbled as he started feeling the metal, looking for any weak spots.

It took them a while but they finally found a way in. A piece of the metallic hull was coming undone, a big enough gap for Knockout to wedge the piece off with his staff.

With a loud clang, the piece fell off the ship, leaving a space for both cybertronians to enter.

Once inside, Knockout couldn’t help but formulate the plan to find something for himself, since the cruiser seemed quite kitted out in elegance with its long golden corridors with red bioluminescence lights. 

Red light bathed both of them. The walls seemed to glimmer with the red light.

“Huh, quite a strange cruiser” Starscream spoke as he put his servo to his hip. 

It was atrocious to the seeker, the clashing of gold walls and red lights hurt his optics. With a huff, he walked towards the corridor. Knockout scrambled to follow him. Soon, the two were met with a spacious bridge. The visor of the cruiser only stared at stone and dirt. The bridge was luckily not bathed in red light. That helped Starscream's optics pain a bit.

“What do we do now…” Knockout grumbled. 

Soundwave didn't really specify what they were doing here or what they were looking for. They just had to look for a mysterious signal that seemed to lead them here. Maybe they could report back and say they found nothing.

While Knockout was contemplating the next course of action, Starscream stalked out of the bridge and once again down another corridor. Soon the seeker found the store room of the ship, covered in a layer of dust but the bright glow of energon was a welcoming sight to the seeker. He could even see some high-grade and rust sticks. Oh, he had found a wonder sight.

However, to the corner Starscream saw something.

It was a stasis pod?

[ian-galagher]

Her heels click on the pavement as she makes her way down the deserted street. She's got no goal in mind, just aimlessly walking through the city, the cold night making her pull her mantle tighter around herself.

She keeps her head down so she doesn't have to see the brightly colored lights, twinkling in the houses she passes. Happy families living their happy lives, celebrating that yearly event she can't stand herself. Maybe it would be different if she had someone waiting for her at home, but as it stands, it's just her, on her own.

That's fine by her. She's the only one she can rely on anyway. She's a strong, independent woman, and she knows what she wants, and right now, it's to disappear completely. She doesn't do parties, doesn't want to kiss people on the cheek, and hates having to listen to the same songs over and over on the radio.

If someone would decide to cancel Christmas forever, she would be fine with it. She scowls at the millionth decorated tree that blocks her path, making her veer off course. She takes a left, down a darker street, hoping to find more like minded people who aren't celebrating the holidays either.

She longs for a bit of home, a truly cold night, not this lukewarm air that smells of roast turkey and gingerbread. In the middle of the street, she pauses, peering around before snapping her fingers. White flakes drop from the sky like stars, glittering where they land on the back of her hand. She smiles.

She puts the hood of her mantle up over her long, flowing hair, enjoying it when her boots crunch as she steps through the snow. That's better. When she closes her eyes, it's almost as if she's back home again, not Chicago but Russia, where the winters can get really cold.

The snow forms its own mantle on the earth, cocooning her into a bubble of her own. It's quiet except for the ooh's and aah's of the people who come out of their homes to gawk at the snow. Maybe her plan has backfired a little bit.

Her path leads out onto a small square where she barely manages to dodge a snowball thrown by one of the screaming teens. It hits the wooden stall behind her and before anyone can accuse her of anything, she ducks behind a tree, filled with twinkling lights.

The rich smell of mulled wine and sausages drifts over from the various stalls that form a circle on the square. From her hiding spot, she watches a group of mostly boys attack each other with snowballs. There's not a coat free of a light dusting.

Ugh, boys! Like Christmas, she doesn't care much for them. She much prefers the curve of a woman, but the two boys she has her eye on are only interested in each other, and that she likes.

They’re not joining in on the snow fight with the others but stand to the side, their hands deep in their pockets, avoiding each other's gaze.

She rolls her eyes. Just kiss already!

She's not one to make any life changing decision on a whim and she doesn't believe in happy ever afters. Life is tough, but that's exactly why she feels like adding a sprinkle of happiness tonight.

With a wave of her hand, a scarf flutters down to earth and lands just behind the boys. Now she just needs them to turn around. She flicks her fingers and the man in the stall behind them calls out, "You boys want a hot chocolate? It's on the house!"

As if anyone can say no to that.

The boys turn on their heels, the redhead bending over to pick up the scarf. He looks around but there's no one it could belong to. With a pink blush and a sheepish grin, he hands it to the one with hair dark as the night.

At first, the kid tries to act cool and decline the gift, saying that he isn't that cold, but a sudden gust of wind makes him think twice, and he finally lets the freckled kid put the scarf around his neck.

The boys fetch their free drink and hold it with both hands, drinking it slowly, letting it warm them up from the inside out.

Maybe it warms her cold heart, too.

When the redhead gets whipped cream on his nose, the dark one laughs and reaches over to swipe it off with his thumb that he licks clean.

She envies it, the happiness these two seem to have, even when it's only the small start of something much bigger. She hopes to have something similar for herself one day.

Smiling at a job well done, she turns to leave, bumping straight into a young woman.

"Watch it!" they snap at the same time.

She holds back a laugh and looks, really looks, at the woman in front of her.

Long black hair, a nose ring, and eyes that shimmer with dark promises. It's enough to make her blush.

The woman drops the snowball that's been melting in her hands, ready to be thrown. She probably has to get back to the others but she's still here, in front of her.

She tries to think of a question, something to ask the woman, but the words get stuck in her throat.

Over the woman's shoulder, she sees the two boys walk away, their hands clasped tightly together, dangling between them. It gives her the courage she needs to finally speak.

What had worked for the two boys, might work for her.

"Would you like to go for a hot chocolate?"

The young woman is all smiles as she tucks her hair behind her ear. "Sure," she says, batting her long eyelashes at her. "I'm Mandy, by the way."

She feels warmer than she's done all day as she returns Mandy's smile tenfold. "Nice to meet you Mandy," she says, snapping her fingers behind her back. The hot chocolates begin to pour themselves. "I'm Svetlana."

[slashers-and-rats]

The slashers with a scantily clad s/o? Not to provoke, he's just hot and that's why he's shirtless (or pants) and with short pants (or short shirt) and he goes out like that without caring much since they're only with them ( I prefer Jason and Billy Lenz but he puts Whoever you want)

Gracias y que la pases bonito 😊

a/n: this sounded so cute to me. half of these are a little sexy tho, because. i mean billy’s here, you know how it goes

Slashers with a scantily clad masc!s/o during summer! [softcore!nsfw]

featured slashers: billy lenz, jason vorhees, thomas hewitt, & brahms heelshire

billy lenz :

you were playing a dangerous game. billy was a repressed, easily aroused, constantly horny rat, and here you were, walking around like a slutty piece of cheese.

you didn’t do it on purpose, though. you had never been with someone so easily riled up. plus, it was so fucking hot. of course you’re gonna be wearing nothing but some tight boyshorts. you were sweating like a piggy, splaying yourself out on any cool surface you could find, dying of heat. you didn’t have time to think about how delectable you looked to your boyfriend.

billy would wear his sweater and jeans in the middle of a desert. he didn’t care about heat at all. so in comparison to him, you were naked. and he liked it. he liked that he had a free pass to stare at your body all the time. your chest, your tummy, your thighs, your cute butt, your bulge… it made his mouth water. every time you walked by him, complaining about the heat, he wanted to jump your bones.

he did. frequently. during summer, at least three times a day he was on top of you, lusting over every part of your body. his favourite was when you were laying in front of the fan, and he was rutting against your thigh like a bitch in heat. you were so warm you didn’t even pay attention to him. it stung in an arousing way.

you also always heard his cat calling. from the second you’d step out of a cold shower and start going about your day in your shorts and nothing else, you’d hear him. “slutty piggy. trying to tease, billy, trying to make him act up… such a handsome piggy, so handsome, wanna fuck him… wanna fuck him into the floor… i’ll cool you off - cool you off with my cum! cum all over your face.”

needless to say, he enjoyed summertime more with you around.

jason vorhees :

YOU’RE EMBARRASSING THE BOY

to be fair, jason was the same way during summer. usually he was just wearing some baggy shorts and nothing else. it was too hot even for him. but for some reason, it was different when you did it.

when you walked out of the house and into the sun, going to go check on him in the garden, and he saw your glistening body wearing one of his t-shirts and seemingly nothing else - oh, he couldn’t even look at you.

it confused you at first. he was dramatic with the way he’d avoid eye contact. you’d be talking to him, asking about the flowers he had been planting, and he’d be looking everywhere but at you. you’d get closer, pressing your frame up against his large body, and he’d be practically trembling. he couldn’t help it. he was a sheltered guy, you were his first boyfriend, and you were so perfect.

that being said, as much as he was embarrassed, he was also concerned. it was so hot. he’d fill up a kiddy pool outside with cold water and make you sit in it, despite it making his heart beat ten times too fast. when you laid back in the pool, in just some loose swim trunks, he couldn’t keep his eyes away. it was so hard to pull them off of you.

he liked those days most. the way the water shone off of your body, and the way you relaxed into the coolness of it, it made him happy and a little horny. happy to be able to help you find some relief in this overbearing heat, horny because he wanted to remove that last bit of clothing you wore and go to town on you. sometimes he’d come find you, and press his face into your wet chest, and use it to cool off before getting back to work. it was the only affection he could handle while you were looking so sweet.

thomas hewitt :

he honestly didn’t think much of it. shit was hot as all sin. he got down and naked with you, are you kidding? texas was hell during the summer, and he wasn’t about to suffer just because he felt nervous being around you while half-naked.

you were much newer to all this heat, though. often times you couldn’t stand to be in anything but some tight shorts. you’d be sweating and complaining, cursing at the sun gods. he’d be wearing some loose sweats and a tight tank top, that was practically drenched in sweat from him doing all the house chores for the family.

it was you who was embarrassed. the way his muscles sheened with sweat, the way his hair matted to his forehead, the way he panted hot under the mask, the way he looked at you whenever he had a chance to - it made you so flustered.

he’d come and find you on breaks. he’d check in on you, feeling up your forehead and making you chug as much water as he could. you’d do the same, but he already knew all the tricks to keep cool. you didn’t. he’d hug his body close to yours, almost like he was trying to use his large frame to give you shade. it was so sweet.

at the end of the day, when the cold of the desert began to set in, he’d make you sit with him out on the porch. he’d have you right on his lap, his head resting on the top of yours, and he’d be stroking over your bare arms and thighs. he was like a big teddy bear when he wanted to be. you guys would share an ice tea out there, and you’d tell him about all the bugs you saw that day. he’d just listen and revel in the cool night air, and how good you felt against him.

if it was any other day, he’d be red in the face and barely able to contain himself, but it was too hot to over-sexualize you. he was just happy you weren’t dying of heat stroke.

brahms heelshire :

hands everywhere. he is a grabby bitch. he has not seen a body, especially a man’s body, in a very long time. most of the nanny’s he got were women, and then you were there, with your masculine frame and your nice chest and your cute smile and…

he couldn’t keep his hands off of you. this is a man that will wear his sweater until the day he dies, he refuses to take the mask off, and he just hasn’t had a lot of experience with the naked body. so, you strolling through the house in nothing but your underwear - it made him very excited.

he’d find you wherever you were, and watch you for a bit. you’d see him out of the corner of your eye while you made lemonade, or you’d notice his figure in a window while you sat outside watering the plants. for a long time, all he’d do is stare, and take in every curve and detail.

that wasn’t enough, though. at some point, observing from a distance became a more physical study.

you often found yourself in the living room, as it was one of the colder rooms of the house. while you laid across the couch, listening to a random record, he’d be right there, laying on top of you. usually, he’d have his head down against your chest, listening to your heart beat. it was different when the clothes weren’t there, he could really feel your skin bobbing up and down. along with that, his fingers would be trailing over any inch of skin he could get. he was memorizing it all.

if his mask was off, you could see how focused he was. he needed to be. he needed to gather all this information for later, when he laid in bed and fantasized about that bare body against his in other ways. he was too embarrassed to think of those things while you were present. but the second you were gone… he was day dreaming about all the ways he could feel your skin on his, and what it would taste like if he ran his tongue over it. he couldn’t help it.