#really good at following him around and even seems like he goes like 5 steps ahead to make sure vash doesnt run on him

[ruporas]

lonely

[ID: A limited palette of green and pink, Vashwood comic. The first page serves as a prologue. The first panel shows Vash speaking to someone off screen while Wolfwood is lingering behind him. A black arrow is drawn pointing at him. In the second panel, Vash is buying donuts in the distance while Wolfwood is once again in view, lingering. and the black arrow is drawn pointing at him. In the third panel, Vash is leaving a cubicle and turning towards his right with a slightly peeved expression. He sees Wolfwood, leaning against the cubicle, waiting for him, and with the black arrow drawn, pointing at him, implicating the consistent hovering of Wolfwood���s presence during Vash’s everyday. At the bottom of the page, they’re drawn out of panel with Vash turning to Wolfwood and saying with an irritated expression, “You’re really following me everywhere, huh?” Wolfwood responds, “What, you got a problem?” Vash responds without hesitation, “Yeah, kinda...”

The second page starts with a new day. In the first panel, Vash is seen alone, weighing apples in his hands at a mart, with crowds passing behind him. In the second panel, he turns to his right and starts to say, “Hey, Wolfwood...” In the third panel, he’s startled from seeing a stranger, whom he’d accidentally called out to when he was expecting to see Wolfwood. He says, “Oh, you’re not him. Sorry!” In the fourth panel, the stranger walks off and Vash muses, “Right, he said he had something to do today...”

The third page begins with a close up of Vash's miffed expression, the continuation of Vash's thoughts, "Now that he's not here, this is just like how I used to be, but... It feels lonely somehow. Oh well, I'll see him again tonight, like always." In the second panel, it shows Vash walking through the marketplace crowd, alone. In the third panel, the door panel is a close up of the door opening with a peek of Vash's head. He says, "Wolfwood!" In the fourth panel, Vash is holding a bag of food with a bright smile and says, "Are you hungry? I got you something to eat today!"

The fourth page begins with a shot of the room, two beds being highlighted, one of them being made properly with the blanket draped over the bed and the other with the blanket folded and pillow sitting on top of it. There's no sign of Wolfwood. The second panel shows Vash with a disappointed look as he thinks, "He's still not here?" The third panel shows Vash putting the bag of food on the table. Stapled to the paper bag is the receipt with a written note "For Wolfwood." Vash's thoughts continue "He does like to stay out so, I guess there's no reason to worry..." The fourth panel shows Vash sitting his bed somberly with his thoughts continued, "It's not any of my business anyway..."

The fifth page starts with a close up his blank expression as he looks downwards, thinking, "Even if he left completely... That'd be understandable and better for him. I'll just travel alone again... like before... Huh?" The next panel shows Vash's composure break, tears welling up in his eyes suddenly, as he didn't expect to cry. He starts to sob, putting his hands to his face to quiet himself and wipe at his tears, as he says, "Ugh... Dammit... I miss h..." The last panel shows Vash leaning over into his hands, still crying, and in the back, the door swings wide open with a bam as Wolfwood walks through with the punisher swung behind him. He shouts, "SPIKEY! You in here?!"

The sixth page starts with Wolfwood confused, looking at Vash and Vash looks back, just as confused, with tears in his eyes and snot out of his nose. Wolfwood starts saying, "Ah? You..." No longer in panels, at the bottom of the page, Wolfwood takes the Punisher off of himself and starts to walk towards Vash, continuing with slight concern, "What's wrong with you? Did something happen?" Vash, hurriedly begins to wipe at his tears, denying immediately, "No! No, I'm fine! Nothing happened!"

The seventh page, Vash points towards the table, with a hand still wiping at his tears and he smiles as he says, "I uh got you food. On the table." Wolfwood looks towards to the table and responds, "Oh. I was getting hungry, thanks." He turns his head back to Vash immediately after with an uncertain expression, knowing the other wasn't responding to his concern, and says, "But, I know you're an idiot with this stuff, so I'm reminding you again. Don't brush it off if it's an issue, alright?"

The eight page, Vash's tears have dried and he looks to Wolfwood with a soft smile and responds, "Yeah. It's okay though..." A panel at the center shows a side view of Vash approaching Wolfwood. At the bottom of the page, with no panel, is a close up shot of Vash's hand, holding onto the edge of Wolfwood's jacket sleeve, as he says, "Because you're here now. Wolfwood."

The final page is a back shot of both of them standing next to each other, Wolfwood's head tilted slightly to the left, not fully believing Vash as he says, "That doesn't answer anything, Spikey." Vash responds, "There's no need to talk about it! You should enjoy your food. Let's have a drink too?" Wolfwood responds, "Tsk, tsk. Fine, yeah. I could use one." END ID]

[jaewritesfic]

Everlasting Trio DP x DC Nobody Knows Au Pt 6

Part 5

Warning for very brief flashback implying vivisection

It is highly amusing to float to Red Robin's rooftop and see up close how intensely vigilant he's being. He looks like if a pigeon took off halfway across the city he'd fucking notice, but the ghost standing next to him and trying not to snicker goes undetected.

Poor guy. He really seems like the type to drive himself up a wall over a mystery - he's certainly been driving himself up a wall over Danny.

Danny has to force himself not to tickle the back of the guy's neck just to watch him flail.

He likes Red Robin, he really does. He didn't set out to torture the poor guy - Red did that all by himself, all Danny has been trying to do is help. 

They can't pursue him the way they have been and expect him not to try and get some entertainment out of it. It tempers the annoyance, making their obsession with finding him a game.

Danny considers the box in Red's lap.

He's been doing the same thing with each box they leave him from the beginning: grab box, open pocket dimension, yeet.

Not even Bat trackers can transmit from an entirely different plane of existence, it would seem.

And the thing Danny has discovered about having died when an entirely different plane of existence opened on top of him and merged with his DNA?

He is a pocket dimension, in a way. 

In other words, no need to expend energy to tear the fabric of reality to deposit his loot - all he needs to do is phase things into himself.

So Red will definitely notice when the box disappears from his lap and seemingly blinks out of existence, but at least he won't be seeing any neon green tears in reality open up in front of him.

That seems like a good deal to Danny.

He steps forward and reaches for the box-

NA NA NA NA NA NANA

Danny and Red Robin both curse and flail as the Ghostbusters theme rings out across the rooftop.

Red Robin nearly falls out of his lawn chair launching himself away from the sudden sound, almost dropping the lockbox in the process.

Danny frantically searches his pockets for his goddamn phone, pulls it out, has the fear of God struck into him at the idea of hanging up on Sam Manson and thus shoves it into his chest to go to voicemail somewhere where nobody can hear it ring.

In the dead silence that follows, Danny finds himself in something like a startled cowboy standoff where only one of the participants is actually visible.

Red Robin stands with feet braced shoulder width apart, lockbox in one hand and bo staff in the other. He is visibly bewildered and ready to throw hands.

He's staring at the space a little to the left of Danny's head, so at least he hadn't dropped his invisibility in panic.

Welp. No use trying to change plans now.

Danny lunges forward and grabs the lockbox, relishing in the squawk of shock and indignance Red Robin makes as it abruptly leaves his hand and blinks out of sight.

He doesn't anticipate how fast Red Robin will recover or move.

A hand wraps tightly around his wrist and jerks him back in an impressive estimation of where Danny might be occupying space.

Danny almost goes ghost right there. Not because he wants to, but because for a moment there are restraints around his wrists and ectoplasm on the table and bright lights and sharp blades and pain-

He swallows the growl that wants to well up in his throat as he turns and looks at Red Robin, teeth feeling a little too large and sharp in his mouth before he forces himself to calm down.

Red is staring him straight in the eyes despite Danny being able to see he's still invisible. Red’s hand looks to be wrapped around nothing.

“You're not going anywhere,” Red Robin says, voice low and slightly feral with the high of perceived victory. That, paired with the crooked smirk on his lips is kind of, uh- well. Hoo boy, that's all Danny has to say about that.

Well, he does have one other thing to say.

“Bet.”

The way Red Robin's face falls in disbelief when Danny phases out of his grip is nothing short of glorious. Danny's already floating off the roof and out of grabbing distance before Red finishes buffering.

“Are you fucking kidding me?!”

Danny cackles, tossing him a salute he can't even see.

“Better luck next time, Angry Bird!”

“Son of a bitch!”

Masterpost

[leclercsluvs]

LN4 | Our Forever Moment

an: i still don't really know how much i like to make written fics, but i have ideas for them so i'm going to continue to try and write them, i think. my first language is NOT english, so sorry if there's any mistakes <3 pairing: lando norris x fem!reader, vasseur!reader (this is gonna be fun, lowkey not important, gets mentioned like a few times because i forgot) warnings: swearing (like twice) inspired by: mine - taylor swift word count: 6.2k

As she’s being dragged to another race, she wonders when her dad is going to realize she's always running off and never in the garage of his own team, she doesn’t know that he’s fully aware she’s never there. She’s been welcomed by everyone she’s visited though, which does make him happy. She mostly goes to Mercedes and Red Bull, but lately Mclaren has been looking quite interesting. 

“Are you going to stay in the Ferrari garage today? Or am I gonna have to send someone over to Red Bull or Mercedes to find you?" Fred looks at yn with a playful smile.

“I didn’t think you noticed.” She's quite shocked. He always seemed to switch off being a dad whenever they stepped into the garage, so it never even occurred to her that he even wanted her there.

“Who do you think sends someone after you at the end of the day?” He turns back around as they get closer, “I think you, Charles and Carlos would be great friends if you gave them a chance,” they turn and walk into the Ferrari hospitality. “Oh speaking of boys, have you found a boyfriend I need to approve of?” He quickly looks back to see her surprised face before he turns back to see where he’s going, even though he could probably navigate it blindfolded.

“Well first of all, you wouldn’t need to approve of him, this isn’t the middle age,” yn lets out a small laugh, “and second, all of my relationships have failed, you’re partly to blame for pulling me to almost every race, and then I guess I’m just not girlfriend material.” She follows her dad around, because even if she does get pulled to all races, she usually doesn't hang out here for more than 5 minutes before she’s off to find Max or George. 

“Chérie, anyone not willing to spend the short time you're home isn’t worth your time,” he stops in his track turns around and puts a hand on her shoulder, “and I’m not sure if I ever said it, but if you truly would prefer to stay home and only travel to a few, that is fine. I would understand.”

She gives him a reassuring smile, “I know. You wouldn’t have been able to drag me out of the house if I didn't truly want to be here.”

He gives one quick smile before continuing walking, and before she knows it, she’s left to herself because he’s needed for something important.

~~~

It doesn’t take long for Charles to spot yn, sitting by herself, because apparently everyone else is busy today. “Yn? what are you doing here? I thought you’d be off doing something with Max?” Charles looks around to see if Max is around and he just hadn't seen him, but it’s a lost cause, which he should have realized, Max wouldn’t be seen anywhere near anything related to Ferrari. Except for Charles of course.

“No he’s busy. Everyone suddenly got busy.” She looks back down at her phone and the messages between her and her friend, however it would be rude to text back while Charles is in front of her, so she turns it off and stuffs it in her pocket. “I don't really remember the last time everyone, well except for you I guess, was busy at the same time.” 

“Well, I’m meeting Lando and Oscar for lunch, do you want to join us?” Charles asks with a smile, flashing some cute dimples. Not that anything could ever happen between the two. As attractive as Charles may be, her dad was his boss, and nothing good was going to come out of that. 

“I think I’d like that,” she smiles back as she picks up her bag with her essentials, “it’s nothing fancy right? I didn’t really get dressed for something over the top.” She looks down at the ripped jeans and the oversized t-shirt that she’s wearing. Not exactly the cutest outfit.

~~~

“So you still live with your dad?” Oscar asks curiously, they all seemed fairly happy she was invited by Charles. And Oscar, who she hadn’t really spent any time with, has been asking a lot of questions. 

“I do. I may be 21, but living at home is just a little easier. And I like spending time with my dad, even if I run off to other teams at the first chance I get.” She answers as she takes another bite of her food. Lando has been awfully quiet and it didn’t go over yn’s head. She was fully aware of how glued his eyes were to his food. 

“Is it weird? That your dad is responsible for a Formula 1 team?” Oscar almost forgets to eat, because of all the questions he’s asking.

“It was in the beginning, but I've gotten used to it by now,” she takes a sip of water. “Is he always this quiet?” yn looks at the way Lando is poking his food “and is he always just poking his food?” She questions, making Lando's eyes move up for just a split second and then back down to his food.

“No. He’s usually pretty chatty, maybe he’s just nervous for tomorrow," Oscar says, finally eating some of his food. “He doesn’t usually get like this before a race though,” Oscar leans his head a little to the side as if thinking about it, before poking a finger in Lando’s side making him jump a little. “What’s going on in that head of yours?” Oscar asks.

“Maybe he’s got a new crush,” Charles jokes, taking a bite of food just as Lando suddenly coughs and gulps down water.

“Are you okay?” Yn asks as Lando suddenly gets up from his chair avoiding any and all eye contact.

“No, I’m actually not feeling so great. I think I’ll have to cut this short if I want to be good to go by tomorrow.” He quickly gathers his things as everyone looks confused. “Bye!” And then he’s out of there.

“Well that was weird.” Oscar says as he goes back to eating

“Do you think it was me?” Yn looks at the rest of the men sitting around the table, a little sad that she may have ruined their lunch.

Charles smiles. “Yes,” he says, looking at yn, “but in a good way. I think I might be right, even if it was just a joke.” He lets out a laugh. “I’m sure there’s some truth to it.” He goes back to eating, and so does yn, deciding that maybe she’ll talk to Lando in private.

~~~

On his way back to the hotel, Lando struggles to figure out his emotions. Of course yn is absolutely gorgeous. But considering she’s Fred's daughter he wouldn’t dare to think of her as anything but a friend. He may not race for Ferrari, but he still has a lot of respect for the man. And Lando knows about his reputation of not being able to keep his relationships going for long. Hopefully he can just subtly ignore her. Because the feelings, and thoughts he had during that lunch were not friendly. And before he even considers anything, he needs to make sure his feelings for her are romantic, and not just him finding her pretty.

~~~

Lando spent close to 4 months avoiding yn to the best of his abilities, and when he wasn’t ready and she caught him off guard he made up some weird excuse about needing to look at data, test the car, try some new Mclaren merch for photoshoots. Yn usually knew they were lies, and wondered why Lando was so set on avoiding her. To be quite honest, it brought down her mood, and she spent more and more time in the Ferrari garage and hospitality. Her dad sensed something was wrong. She was rarely there and suddenly she never left? Something was going on and he was going to get the bottom of it. 

“I see you’re spending time here today,” Fred sat across from yn. She was eating lunch. Alone. That was how she spent most of her time lately. All alone. Lando had unknowingly made her really anti-social.

“I guess.” She poked a little at the salad she had bought. She didn’t really want it anymore. 

“Did the others have plans?” Fred asks, looking around.

“I’m not sure.”

“Is something bothering you?” Fred asked, concerned for her daughter who used to have a lot to talk about. A lot of people to talk to, and who never spent time at lunch alone in Ferrari.

“Nope.” Fred sighed. He wasn’t going to get any answers. If it was because she genuinely just didn’t feel like talking today or if there was something wrong, he wasn’t sure. But he was gonna ask Max, or maybe Lewis to talk to her. He didn’t want her to be lonely. He got up from his chair. He had to get this started immediately. 

Fred’s quest to find Lewis was surprisingly easy. He found the soon-to-be Ferrari driver hanging out with Charles and Carlos near their own garage. “Lewis! Can we talk?” Fred called out before he reached them. Lewis just nodded and started walking towards Fred.

“Is it about my contract?” Lewis asked cautiously. He knew he hadn’t been performing that great in the Mercedes this year and was afraid Fred was going to only make it a year so he could be finished with him.

“No. I need you to talk to yn. She's suddenly spending a lot of time with Ferrari, but alone. Which, as you may know, isn’t where, or how, she usually spends her time.'' Fred looks really concerned, and it’s like it’s transferred to Lewis immediately. He’s known yn ever since her dad started dragging her along. She would usually spend time with George when she went to Mercedes, but sometimes when George wasn’t there and she just wanted to be somewhere else, Lewis and yn would play some games. Usually chess. Lewis was definitely better than yn but she still loved it. They could often lose track of time and suddenly one from the Mercedes team would come and get Lewis to either do some media related stuff or because it was time to get ready for a race.

“Of course! Now that you mention it, I haven't seen her around Mercedes for quite some time now. I’ll see what I can do, if I can't figure it out, I'll have Max ask her. They’ve always had quite a special bond I don't understand” Lewis gives the man a reassuring smile and a clap on the shoulder “Don’t worry, we’ll get her back to her talkative self very soon.”

“Thanks Lewis,” Fred looks relieved, but only for a second when his eyes widen. “Do you think Max did something to her? To make her feel this way?” He looks around as if he's scanning the surroundings for Max. And good thing he isn’t around. It wouldn’t have been a good outcome.

“I doubt it. He’s always been nice. Especially to her,” when he realizes how that may sound to the man in front of him and the way his eyes narrow, he quickly adds “as a friend. Not romantically. I’m pretty sure he’s actually in a relationship.” Fred seems to almost relax at those words and gives Lewis a quick pat on the shoulder

“Hurry up and get my daughter back. I miss her.” and with that he walks off. Hopefully not to find Max. And if so, Lewis sure is glad he isn’t Max right now.

~~~

When Lewis finally finds yn sitting just on the outside of the track he’s surprised she was allowed. But then again she probably just mentioned being Fred's daughter and she was allowed. “Hey there. Looking cozy. Mind if I join you?” He doesn’t wait for a response, just sits down next to her on the grass.

“What do you want?” She asks. Not really feeling the company right now.

“You haven’t been spending much time with George lately. Have you been spending more time with Max?”

“No.” Straight to the point. But not really the point Lewis was looking for.

“Have you been spending time with Charles and Carlos? Since you’re spending so much time with Ferrari at the moment?”

“Would that be a crime?” She looks at Lewis, and he sees something different. Her eyes don't look as alive as they usually do. They’re missing the glow that makes yn herself.

“Yn, is something wrong? You know you can talk to me. Or Max,” he waits for a second, not sure if he should continue, but as she starts plucking at the grass without answering he decides she needs to know. “Your dad is worried about you.”

“Oh.” She answers, plucking a few more grass straws

“Did something happen?” Lewis asks, trying a different approach.

“I don't know. Maybe you should ask Lando.” Lewis is unsure what Lando has to do with this entire situation, but he promised Fred to get to the bottom of it, so he will.

“Did he do anything?” Lewis is ready to fight Lando. “If so, I’ll gladly talk to him”

“Well, maybe he’ll talk to you,” yn shrugs and gets up from the grass. “I have no idea what I did to him. He seemed happy enough about me being invited to join him, Oscar, and Charles for lunch a couple months ago, and then during lunch he was so quiet, barely looking up from his food and then he suddenly said he wasn’t feeling great and needed to leave.” Yn turns around and looks at Lewis, tears starting to form in her eyes. “He has ignored me ever since. Every time I’ve tried to talk to him he either runs away or makes up some dumb excuse to get away from me,” she wraps her arms around herself as if to protect herself. “I’m sorry,” she says, shakes her head and turns around again and starts walking away. “I shouldn't have put all of this on you. I'm probably just overthinking it anyway.”

"Wait!" Lewis is quick to get up from the grass and gets a hold of yn’s arm, ”I’m glad you told me. Let me talk to Lando. See if I can figure out why he’s avoiding you. Maybe there’s a reason,” yn smiles a small smile, but it’s better than the empty expressions she's had lately. “Nice to see you’re still capable of smiling.” Lewis returns it with a smile of his own and guides her towards the Mclaren hospitality. “Now let’s get to the bottom of this.”

“Thank you. Not just for this, but also for always putting up with my bullshit.” Yn looks straight ahead. She wasn’t exactly planning on saying any of that, but oh well. It won’t hurt anyone. 

Lewis just laughs and pushes her lightly. “You should be grateful. It's impossible to keep putting up with it.” If he wasn’t laughing while saying it, she would have been hurt, but she just laughs with him and follows him, to hopefully get some answers from Lando.

~~~

Lando was not expecting to see Lewis, so he wasn’t able to run off as quickly as he usually does, and when he spots yn behind Lewis, he tries to make up some excuse about having to talk to an engineer about a possible car problem but Lewis stops him. “Lando. That’s enough.” He puts a hand on Lando's shoulder before he gets a chance to run off. “Why do you keep running away from yn?”

Lando sighs, he can’t run away from it anymore. “I kinda would prefer for this conversation to happen between just me and yn.” He runs a hand through his hair and down the back of his neck. 

Lewis looks back at yn, then at Lando, then back at yn, “are you fine with that?” He asks, while she nods and follows Lando into his drivers room

“So.” Lando starts, not really sure how to get the conversation going.

“Why have you been ignoring me for the past 4 months?” Yn asks, wanting to get this solved as soon as possible. “Did I say something that upset you so much during lunch that day?” Yn can feel the tears threatening to spill over, but she would like to get through this conversation without crying.

“No! Oh my god. Not at all!” He turns around because he’s not sure he can look at her while telling her this. “I think I might, sort of, have feelings for you.” The room is filled with silence. Lando is almost afraid she ran out of the room, If it wasn't for the fact he could hear her breathing. 

“So you decided the best action was to avoid me?” Yn asks, with a playful grin. If she had known this was all it was she would have had someone talk to him earlier. 

Her playful tone makes Lando turn around with a sheepish smile. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have ignored you or run off every time you tried talking to me. I was just afraid I would end up spilling a full love confession, and I’m not sure your dad would be too happy with that.”

“Well he doesn’t get a say in my love life.” Yn closes the distance between her and Lando. 

“I suppose you’re right.” Lando takes a step forward, making the distance between them smaller.

“So are you going to be doing anything about it?” Yn tilts her head slightly.

“When I have planned it,” Lando smiles and takes a step back as he feels a vibration in his pocket. “Damn, I actually do have to go now,” a text from his engineer asking him to come back for a meeting. Lando grins and walks towards the door, “but you're totally free to stay here until I’m back. And trust me, I’ll be spending the entire meeting planning the perfect way to ask you out.” He flashes a quick smile before he's out of the door and yn is left alone in the room. But this time being all alone is different. She doesn't feel all alone. She’s the happiest she’s been in four months.

~~~

“I have the perfect plan.” Lando and Oscar are doing a track walk just to have something to do and make sure the track is fresh in their memory for the practice the next day. 

“Yeah?” Oscar isn’t really sure it’s going to be as perfect as Lando thinks it is. “Are you totally sure about that?” He questions, raising an eyebrow, while taking in the surroundings of Monaco.

“I’m 100% sure.” Lando nods. He knows exactly what he’s going to do. He’s in fact not going to ask directly. He’s made a fun little game, and got a few drivers in on it. “Just promise me to not ruin it when she comes to you.” Oscar sighs. He obviously isn’t going to spoil it.

“How are you going to ask her? If you aren’t doing it directly.”

“That’s a surprise.” And no matter how much Oscar pushes, Lando doesn't tell. Just smiles and shakes his head.

The next day when yn arrives at the paddock Alex greets her as soon as she’s arrived. “For you.” He says and hands her a letter.

“For me?” Her face is full of confusion as she opens the letter. 

“Dear yn, I’ve made a little scavenger hunt for you. I hope you’re going to have fun. At the end you’ll find a surprise. Here’s the first clue.”

That’s the end of the letter. “So what's the clue?” If anything she's even more confused now, it doesn’t even say who it's from. It could be from George. But she doubts it. He’s never done anything like this before.

“Oh right, I almost forgot,” Alex rushes and pulls a small lego car from his backpack. more specifically a Mclaren lego car.

“So I'm guessing I have to go to Mclaren?” She questions and looks at Alex who just shrugs. So that’s where she heads to next. Who knows how long this is going to last. She does think it’s going to be fun though. She’s always loved clues.

As she gets closer to the Mclaren garage she finds Oscar standing looking around holding a letter in his hand. As he notices her, he walks towards her. “Here. From a mystery man.” He says, hands her the letter and walks off trying to look mysterious.

Yn laughs and opens the letter. This time, there’s no text. Just a card. “Happy fathers day.” She reads out loud. That’s all the card says. “I guess that means i’ll have to go to my dad?” She wonders out loud. Would this person involve her dad? Would her dad want to be involved? “Hm, probably just ferrari.” She says as she notices the card is mostly red.

She walks over to the Ferrari garage but can't find anything and decides it might be at the hospitality. As she enters the building she notices Carlos standing with a smile on his face and a whistle in his hands. “Here you go.” He hands her the whistle as she reaches him. 

“That's it? Not a letter? Anything to guide me more than-'' she looks down at the whistle now in her hand, “a whistle?” She looks back up at Carlos who looks around.

“Consider the first letter of the whistle.” He whispers and quickly walks off, whistling. 

“The first letter of whistle is w. So..” she thinks for a second. “Williams?” She laughs and quickly walks over to the Williams hospitality, but to her surprise finds no one, and decides it must be their garage then.

Here she finds Logan happily holding a small boat toy. “For you.” He says and hands it to her. Happy to be included. She smiles and wonders if this is the last one.

“Thank you, Logan.” She sends him a smile and walks to the dock to find a boat. Not really sure which type of boat, big or small. But she’s determined to find it. 

When she gets to the dock, she fears it’s going to take a long time, until she spots Charles casually sitting on a yacht. As she approaches she notices a full basket of red bulls sitting beside him. “I guess I’m going back to the track. To Red Bull. Their garage?” She is sure to get those 10k steps she’s supposed to get every day. 

“Yeah, if you want something to drink on your walk, I have plenty,” he pushes the basked towards yn and gestures for her to bring it, “in fact, let me join you on the way back, I was only sent here to give you the clue, and I don't drink Red Bull, so I can return it.” He smiles and gets up, taking the basket full of cans. “Are you having fun so far?” Charles starts walking back towards the track with yn following.

“Yeah. It’s a lot of fun,” she answers as she opens a can of the regular Red Bull, "I'm excited to see who set all of this up though” she looks ahead and takes a sip of the can.

“I can’t wait for you to see who arranged it,” he says. And that’s all he says. Yn tries to get more clues about who it is, but Charles’ mouth is shut. He’s not letting anything slip. And they arrive at Red Bull way earlier than yn was expecting so she doesn't get nearly enough time to interrogate Charles about who it is. 

“I see you’ve come to terms with the fact Red Bull is the best.” Max teases as Charles and yn are within hearing range of a normal voice. While holding a bouquet of flowers?

“Ha ha ha,” Charles smiles, as he hands Max the basket full of red bull cans, “I’m just keeping yn company, and decided to return these as I won’t be able to drink them.” Charles laughs and gets into a conversation with Max until yn clears her throat, reminding them she’s still there.

“I’m looking for a clue,” she says, begging that it's close to being over because she’s tired of walking from one side of the track to another over and over.

“Oh right,” Max hands her the bouquet of flowers he was holding. She takes them in her hand and her eyebrows furrow.

“What kind of clue is this?” She looks at Max whose eyes go wide.

“I forgot this.” He pulls a letter out from his pocket and hands it to her.

“Another letter. Is this the last one? I don't know how much more walking I can do.” She looks so defeated but reads the note.

“If you received this letter, that means you figured out all the clues. I know you were just there, but you can find me on Charles’ yacht. Where the big surprise is waiting.”

She looks up as she finishes reading. “He’s got to be kidding. I swear to fucking god, if this is George and he just made me walk from that yacht, back to the track and then back to that stupid yacht i’m going to go insane.” You look back at the letter. 

“My yacht isn’t stupid.” Charles pouts as Max hits him on the arm. “Ow?”

Yn sighs, “I guess I’ll get going. Thanks for the flowers I suppose.” 

“Oh they were not from me. They were from him. Just hurry up,” Max looks down at his phone, “practice starts kinda soon, and he can’t be late.” Yn starts walking back towards the yacht. She can't wait to kill the man that made her walk this much.

Lando however has been setting everything up ever since yn and Charles left. Strawberries covered in chocolate, and since he doesn't like chocolate, strawberries without chocolate, candles on a small table on the sun deck. As yn gets closer, Lando walks down to greet her. “I swear to fucking god George if this is yo-” her sentence gets cut short as soon as she sees Lando. “You set all of this up?”

“Yeah. You didn’t seem to like it that much?” Lando rubs the back of his neck. He wasn’t the best planner of a scavenger hunt.

“I kinda wasn’t the biggest fan of walking all the way out here, back to the track and then back here again.” She crosses her arms, but seeing the concerned look on Lando’s face she relaxes her arms and walks onto the yacht with a huge smile. “It was still kinda fun.” 

They spend a little while on the boat, sitting with their feet almost touching the ocean. Lando is not really sure if he should put an arm around her or not. He decides not to move too quickly and they just sit next to each other. “Oh I almost forgot,” she turns and looks at Lando. “I was supposed to tell you to hurry up, practice starts soon and you can’t be late,” she looks down at the strawberries, “but you distracted me.”

“Oh shit!” He gets up quickly and puts his shoes on, “meet me at the track! I would love to spend some time with you between practice 1 and 2!” He hurries up and practically runs all the way to the track.

~~~

For the next couple of weeks Lando spends a lot of time wondering how quickly to move forward. They spend a lot of time sitting near water, almost like the first time, except they don't have access to Charles' yacht every day. Every time Lando wonders if he should put an arm around her, but he never does. Until one day, when they’ve been sitting at the end of the gangway on the dock, their feet so close to the water, if they stretched them out their toes would be dipped in the water, and Lando’s arm comes closer and closer to making its way around yn. “Just do it already,” she says and leans on him, putting her head on his shoulder, “I've been waiting for the last many weeks for you to do it.” Lando can’t help but let out a small laugh and put his arm around her. 

“I wasn’t sure if you even wanted it.” He looks down at her quickly before looking back at the water. 

“I've been waiting for you to make some sort of move, so I knew if it would be appropriate to do this.” She says, as she sits back up straight and puts her hands on Lando’s cheeks and pulls his face closer. He puts his hands on her waist and pulls her closer while making sure none of them fall into the water. Her lips meet his softly, a tentative brush that sends a wave of electricity through her body. The kiss deepened, growing in confidence, and everything else faded away. All that existed was the two of them.

When they finally break apart, Lando puts his forehead against hers, a smile stuck on his face. He would never be able to forget this moment, and she wouldn’t either. “I’ve dreamed of this moment ever since that time Charles invited you to lunch.” Lando shares, not aware that yn has shared the same feeling since he shared that he had feelings for her.

“I was sure you’d do something about it sooner.” Yn lets out a small laugh and leans against Lando’s shoulder as he puts his arm around her.

“I was too afraid you didn't want to,” he says and lets out a sigh. “And I guess I just never thought to just ask.” 

“Well, you should have.” She smiles, before looking up at him, and he can’t help but smile back. They sit like that for a while. Just enjoying each other's company.

~~~

A couple weeks later, when they’re lying on the couch in Lando’s apartment, watching a movie, yn can’t help but smile, thinking about this moment, and how she never thought this would be a reality in her life. “Can you believe it?” She says in a soft whisper, her voice barely even audible.

“Believe what?” Lando asks, while his other hand mindlessly runs through the soft strands of her hair.

“This. Us. I never thought I’d be in such a happy relationship while traveling so much.” She says, softly tracing small circles on the back of his hand, that’s draped across her waist.

“Well I’m glad you're happy,” He says, placing a kiss on the top of her head, earning a soft hum from the woman. “You know, you could bring some stuff here. Just enough for a drawer if you don’t want to get too serious.” He mumbles, nuzzling his head into the crook of her neck.

She can’t help but smile, because she had been thinking of asking. “That would be nice, especially considering how much time I spend here.” She brings his hand up to her lips and places a soft kiss there, before going back to the movie.

~~~

It didn't take long for her to basically move in. It wasn’t official, but it might as well have been. She spent more time there than she did at her own home. But Lando didn’t mind. In fact, he loved having her there. They even started spending time together publicly, whether that was around Monaco when it wasn’t a race week, or if it was in the paddock. The fans had noticed how close they had gotten, and speculation quickly began. Were they a couple? Just friends? No one knew. Did Fred? No. But he wasn’t stupid, he knew something was going on, but he didn’t want to ask. But he didn’t mind, as long as yn was happy. And she was, for the first couple of months. And then it seemed like Lando had other priorities. Of course she knew racing was important to him, and she didn’t expect to suddenly be on the absolute top of his priority list, that would always be F1 and she knew that. However, that didn’t stop the feeling of neglect starting to spread through her. She knew he had a packed schedule, but she would often find herself wishing he had more time for her, yet it just seemed he got less and less time for her.

As the relationship between them progresses, small arguments make it to the surface. Usually sparked by the fact yn feels unimportant, or that Lando misses a date or an anniversary. It’s never his intention, and he always makes it clear that he loves her, but as it continues to get worse and worse, she begins to question it. She even stops believing him 100%.

It was 2 am. Lando had just returned back to the hotel after the race in Singapore. He silently opened the door to the room he was sharing with yn, expecting her to already be sound asleep on the bed, but to his surprise she was sitting up, leaning against the headboard with the bedside lamp on.

“Can we talk?” She asks, her voice soft but filled with a hint of vulnerability.

“Of course.” Lando quickly closes the door and walks over to sit on the edge of the bed.

“Look, I know racing is extremely important to you, that it’s everything to you, but,” she pauses for a moment, not really sure how he’s going to take this. “What about us?” She asks, her voice shaking slightly.

“I know it’s been tough, and I’ve not been the best, but I’m under a lot of pressure right now,” Lando looks up at her and he can see the way his words hurt, and he can’t help the defensive tone that creeps into his voice. “I didn’t have a choice.”

“Didn’t have a choice? You’ve always had a choice! You chose to sign up for all those PR events. All the additional promotional videos. Do you know how it feels to always be the last thing on your mind?” Her voice raises a little as the frustration takes over, and she searches Lando’s eyes for a reaction, just some sort of reaction.

“I never wanted you to feel that way,” Lando sighs and looks her in the eye, he genuinely never wanted her to feel like she was his last priority. “But this is my career, it’s what I’ve worked towards my entire life.” 

“And where do I fit into that? When you talk about your future, you’re talking about your next race, the next podium, the next win. I can’t continue to just sit back and wait for you to finally have time for me. I can’t continue to just be a spectator in your life, Lando.” The hurt is visible on her face, and she turns away momentarily to look out the window. The rain is subtly falling outside, and small drops of water roll down the window.

“I thought you understood when we got together.” He says, trying to defend himself. “This is my life, my dream. I never wanted you to feel like you're not important.” His voice softens, but his tone is still defensive as he tries to avoid addressing the core issue.

“I did understand. And I’ve been nothing but supportive, but it’s been months of you forgetting a date, or something else. And I’m not asking you to quit racing, I would never do that. All I’m asking is that I become a priority too. Because right now it feels like you���ve made a choice. And it’s not me.” Tears start to swell up in yn's eyes, and Lando is at a loss for words. He never wanted it to get to this point, but he doesn’t know what to say. He looks away, and that’s the last straw for yn. She swings her legs off the bed and grabs her suitcase that she packed as soon as she returned from the race, since they were planning to leave early in the morning anyway. “I’ll give you some time to think about all of this. But I won’t be waiting forever. Figure out if this is something you want. Because I can’t keep doing this.” And with those words she leaves the hotel room, and into the elevator.

She walks out into the rain, with tears flowing freely from her eyes. She stops and takes a deep breath. She doesn’t want it to end between her and Lando, but she also can’t continue to just be a bystander in her own relationship. As she grabs her suitcase and is about to begin walking she hears Landos voice. “Wait!” 

She turns around and sees him walking in long strides toward her, the rain already drenching his hair. “I don't want to lose you. I’ll never leave you alone again,” he says as he reaches her. “I remember how it felt when we were sitting by the water on our first unofficial date. Every time I look at you, it’s like I’m seeing you for the first time all over again. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” He places a hand on her cheek and gently rubs his thumb along her cheekbones. “Please don’t leave. We’ll make it work. I’ll make time for you. You’ll be my first priority, I promise.”

She looks up at him with an aching heart at the raw emotion in his voice. For a moment she wants to believe him, to just forget all the missed moments, but the pain is still too much. 

“You say that now, but what happens when life gets busy again?” She asks in a whisper, her voice shaking as she speaks. “What happens when I become the last thing on your mind again because something else takes priority?”

Lando’s hand trembles slightly against her cheek, but he doesnt pull away, and neither does she. The rain falls a little harder, and their breaths are visible in the cool air of the night.

“I won't let that happen.” His voice is filled with an urgency, a need, that she’s never heard before. “I know i’ve failed you, but this time-”

“”This time,” she interrupts him and takes a step back, resulting in his hand slipping from her cheek. “How do I know this time is any different?” She looks at him with tearfilled eyes, waiting for an answer she might not want. But it doesn’t come. Instead, Lando takes a step closer and his eyes are filled with so much love and hope.

“Because this time, I know what it’s like to lose you,” his voice is trembling and he pauses for a moment, searching for the right words. “And I can’t. I can't lose you.”

[babygirl-riley]

I was thinking of this, if you'd be willing to write it, something based on "Redeemer" by Palaye Royale where simon's s/o is depressed and suicidal... it's ok if you don't want to thanks anyway luv ya<3

Every Step

Reader is struggling with their mental illness

A/N: This is a HUGE trigger warning, if you cannot read any sort of suicide please do not read. It gets dark in this one. And Anon! This really broke me, this song really just wow! Beautiful and damn sad. Good one 🖤

“Will you please pick up the phone?And I'm waiting for you to come home. And I'm screaming all on my own”

Warnings: suicide attempt, thoughts of suicide, depression, anxiety, mentions of anxiety attack, mental breakdowns, angst, soft!simon, husband!simon

simon x reader guide

simon x reader fluff/angst

You sat curled in the corner of your bedroom. Everything seemed to fall apart in the last 5 months. You had a job you loved just to be let go due to company being bought, your rent was becoming overdue for a month, job hunting going South, your family starting to become more distant after the death of your mother, and Simon and you have been at each others throats.

You have tried to just smile and move on, that life will eventually piece itself back together. Mask your true self-feelings. Even when Simon had been around it was ‘fake it to you make it.’ Little to your knowledge that he noticed, mind you, it wasn’t always your fault when starting fights. However, it was most. He would ask what was the matter and you would blow up.

You never mean to, never wanted to, that’s just how it goes when you get into these ruts. Just not too long ago you and Simon fought, it wasn’t pretty both things from each other were said that shouldn’t have been. Not meant. It got to the point where

Simon left the house, didn’t say a word and left.

You threw things, punched things, broke things. Now you are here, curled up with bloody knuckles and a stained red teared face. You didn’t know how long you were sitting there. Everything ran through your mind of what was going on. What has been happening. Your mind trailing to dark places. It started to panic you slowly, things you have never thought of before.

You thought about ways to make yourself not here anymore. Ways to make the pain go away. You thought how everyone around you would be better off than to handle a bitchy person. Simon would. Your parents would. You friends would. No one truly thought of you as important or loved. You were only loved because it was an inconvenience to them.

You looked at your bathroom and thought about all the pills that were stacked inside the cabinet. Sleep then not wake up. That would be the best way. No pain. You got up to walk to the bathroom, mind racing on how rude and feeling like you have been fake. You shut and locked the door, grabbing each bottle and opening them.

You heard a soft knock on the door then the handle moving. “Love, let me in,” Simon started to put things together, he didn’t hear the water but he did hear pills. Panic rushed through his veins. “Open this door now.” He was stern yet soft at the same time. That’s when he heard the soft crying.

Simon backed up to kick the door. One. Twice. And it slammed open, he scanned the room as you were in the corner in the bathtub. He looked at the pill bottles and froze. Empty. He stormed towards you with panic on his face. “How many!”

You cried even harder. You shook your head, as he grabbed your cheeks gently yet firm. “Y/N how fucking many!”

You looked at him your tears spilling harder. “None! I threw them down the drain!” Simon stood up quickly to look in the sink, the cover go on the drain open.

You sobbed harder as Simon inhaled deeply. He walked to you and gently picked you up. You leaned more into his chest and sobbed harder. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” You kept repeating.

Simon hushed you softly as he placed you on the bed with him following. Laying your head on his lap while he used his fingers to comb through your hair. You just sobbed and sobbed, it felt like hours until you were able to stop. It was silent. Dead silent.

Simon inhaled deeply. “What made you want to take ‘em?”

You sniffled a bit. “I don’t know.”

Simon’s heart hurt before remembering all the phone calls. All the ones he missed just to think it could have been your last. He knew that you were going through something, he tried to be there but you seem to push it off or push him away. “I don’t think anyone would miss me,” His mind lost track of his thoughts when you mumbled those words. “I have been so angry, so upset, and so not happy. I just thought that you and everyone else would be better off without me.” Your voice choked at the end as you sobbed again.

Simon felt his chest tighten, looking at his band on his ring finger. For better and for worse right? He couldn’t fathom the world without the woman he married. Has the last couple of months been hard? Yeah but both of you said in your vows, you would always be with each other. “Baby, I couldn’t live without you. It would-it would kill me.” Simon said softly feeling his throat closing. Softly gliding his finger over your stained cheek. “I’m sorry you felt like you weren’t loved or shown differently.”

You sighed as you started to calm down. “It’s not your fault.”

Simon slowly shifted you to look up from him from his lap. You could tell the worry and hurt in his eyes. The emotion that you caused, he frowned like he read your mind. “I think we should call your therapist.” Simon suggested softly rubbing your arm with one of hands.

You rolled your eyes sitting up, your back towards him. “I don’t need to see her. I can…”

“Baby you attempted...” He said his voice breaking a bit before sighing, he saw your shoulders tense then soften. He gently rubbed your shoulder. “Please.”

You nodded slowly as he heard sniffling. He stepped up and walked over to you kneeling in front of you. Simon’s expression softened even more as he watched you cry again. He rubbed his thumbs against your knees. You sighed and wiped your eyes. “I will call her tomorrow. Can you be next to me while I do so?”

Simon smiled and nodded. “‘ll even dial her up.” You half smiled and nodded placing a hand on his. “Let’s get food?”

You nodded and looked out in the hallway. “Can we eat in here and watch tv?”

Simon stood up and kissed your forehead closing his eyes. “Of ‘ourse.” He stood back having his hand on your cheek before grabbing out his phone. He glanced over at the door and the scene that was once live. His heart tightened. Simon will fight whatever demons you have, he won’t lose you. In sickness and health. He will be there every step of the way.

[sunny-fox]

Random thought from yesterday:

Pet! SAHSR (Self Aware Honkai Star Rail) AU

Notes: reverse isekai, characters turn into animals, Astral Express Crew, Caelus and Stelle are twins, kind of Cult! AU?

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

Dutch Rabbit! Pom Pom who pretends that they don't like being petted. They don't look at you when you pet them, opting to stare at random things around them, but they move towards you slowly and secretly, a few steps at a time. They nuzzle into your palm but pretend that they didn't afterwards by ignoring you multiple times when you call their name. Pom Pom does try to nip at your fingers if you ruffle their fur too often, thinking that you're trying to mess up their soft fur. If Pom Pom is feeling particularly friendly on some days, they might even let you hold them for hours (they usually lie still in your arms for about 5 minutes before squirming to get away). March will start complaining and pawing at your arm though, as it's her spot on other days.

Cocker Spaniel! March 7th who loves following you around your house. She's quite energetic, often bringing her toys to you, pleading for you to play with her through her gaze. You do play with her, but it's impossible to do so every 10 minutes, what with your work and everyday duties. March gets bored when you can't play with her, lying on the floor and looking here and there for something else to play with (that isn't her toys). Don't be surprised when you return to the living room and find your bags turned inside out, belongings undamaged but strewn across the floor, Himeko picking them up and piling them together for you. March wants you to think of it as revenge for not playing with her (>:3).

Siberian cat! Dan Heng who prefers resting on cat trees than interacting with the others. He'll swipe a paw at anyone (except you) who dares invade his personal space, though he acts more lenient towards the other pets. He watches you from his special spot on the cat tree every time you walk around the house doing chores or just going from one room to another. Sometimes Dan Heng does follow you just like March, but if you tell him that he's practically tripping you every step you take, he quietly leaves and goes back to his spot. If March is following you as well, Dan Heng will paw at her back, telling her to follow him to the living room. He'll ask for help from Welt if she doesn't listen.

Maine Coon! Himeko who's just like the mom of the group. She's mostly calm, but will gently nip at the younger pets' ears or swipe a paw at them - claws retracted, of course - if they misbehave. Himeko likes it when you brush her fur. Eight to nine out of ten times she falls asleep when you do so. She has to have her fur brushed weekly if not daily - she'll bring her comb to you and purr to let you know. Himeko will curl up next to you if you let her sleep on your bed, guarding you throughout the night, nuzzling against you when you wake up screaming (or not) from nightmares.

Bernese Mountain Dog! Welt who's really calm and quiet. He rests his snout on the edge of your bed each morning so the first thing you see when you wake is a pair of honey-coloured eyes staring right back at you. Please pat his snout as a good morning; he'll feel so happy if you do! As mentioned above, Dan Heng asks Welt for help when March insists on running in circles around you: he picks her up by the scruff and takes her away. Welt likes to accompany you on walks at night, treasuring the precious time he gets to spend with you. There's this one time when you took a photo with Welt and put a pair of toy glasses on his snout. He seemed to love those glasses a lot after that.

Raccoons! Caelus and Stelle who are disappointed that they can't go dumpster diving in your house. You can't have garbage strewn around your house, after all. You caught them red-handed during their first few attempts after arriving at your house. When you leave your house, they'll try to dig through the trash cans again. March and Dan Heng try to stop them, with March tugging on Stelle's tail with her mouth and Dan Heng standing on his hind legs, trying to pry Caelus off the can. Eventually you prepared a huge box for the troublemaker twins and hid new toys or snacks in it, underneath old clothes and colourful, hollow plastic balls. That seemed to satisfy their interest in dumpster diving, albeit briefly. Caelus and Stelle still try to climb into trash cans whenever they go on walks with you.

Even though Pom Pom was a rabbit, Dan Heng and Himeko were cats, Welt and March were dogs, and Caelus as well as Stelle were raccoons, they often stuck together like a family. Pom Pom likes to make Welt's back their personal couch. Welt won't move at all unless you pick up Pom Pom or Pom Pom climbs off his back. Himeko plays with March to distract her from turning your house upside down when you're busy. Caelus, Stelle and Dan Heng lie in a cuddle pile during naps. Sometimes March, Himeko, Welt and Pom Pom join them too. You're quite puzzled as to why they love each other dearly, but hey, it's nice to see them acting like family, no?

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

Had a lot of fun writing this :D

[angstywaifu]

Black Dahlia - 5. Not A Good Idea - Garrick

One tragic day changes Dahlia's life forever. Despised by her father and brother, she's spent her entire life trying to be the child and sister she use to be. But nothing she ever does is good enough. She joins the Rider's Quadrant to prove them wrong. Garrick now in his second year has proven he is more than the mark on his skin to his fellow riders, and taken leadership of his own Squad alongside Xaden. Little does he know the girl walking across the parapet is about to send him on a rollercoaster of a year.

Garrick Tavis x OC (Dahlia Aetos)

Black Dahlia Masterlist | Masterlist

“I don’t think this is a good idea.” I tell him again as he sits in front of me, placing his plate on the table.

“I told you, it’s fine. Just trust me on this.” Xaden says sternly as Bodhi joins him on the other side.

“What’s not a good idea?” Bodhi asks, looking between the two of us confused.

“The Aetos girl. Your cousin here requested her on his squad for some stupid reason.” I say bitterly, shoving food in my mouth.

Luckily the hall is loud, drowning out anyone that could hear our conversation. Everyone getting to know their new squads or reunite with friends or family they hadn’t seen since being in the quadrant. It also helped that no one really sat near us. The perks of being a marked one I guess.

“And as I keep saying, just trust me. I don’t think she’ll be a problem.” Xaden tells me again. I was honestly starting to loose count of how much back and forth we’d had on this topic since she stepped off the Parapet this afternoon.

“And you saying you don’t think she’ll be a problem is the problem. She’s going to draw too much attention to us from that father and brother of hers. She could wreck everything we’ve worked for.”

Xaden goes rigid at my words. He knows I’d never speak openly about what we’re doing, but he still gets nervous at my hint. His eyes quickly assessing the few cadets around us. But all of them are too caught up in their conversations to hear us.

“In Xaden’s defence she doesn’t seem that bad. Though she really keeps to herself. Don’t think I’ve seen her utter a single work since she stood next to me in formation.” Bodhi chimes in, taking Xaden’s side as per usual. That boy would follow Xaden blindly no matter what.

I look down the table to where she sits with the rest of Xaden’s squad. Like us she’s sat a little away from the rest of the squad. Either by choice or because no one wants to sit next to her. Either way she doesn’t seem to mind. But honestly it’s hard to tell, her face showing no emotion. I thought Imogen had resting bitch face, but she takes it to another level. Thank the gods those two aren’t on the same squad.

“And that’s what concerns me. For all we know she could be putting on an act.” I add, turning back to the two of them.

“You act like I’m going to let her in on what we’re doing.” Xaden says bitterly, almost sounding hurt at my accusation.

“I know you won’t. But she might pick up on something. Hear something. And as soon as she does she’s running off to the Colonel.” I warn, trying to convey how stupid this was despite trusting him on that parapet. Why the hell had I listened and written her down for his squad.

“I don’t know if you noticed, but she didn’t exactly look to be on the best terms with her brother. Both of them looked ready to kill each other as soon as they stepped off the parapet.”

Xaden was right. They hadn’t looked pleased to see each other or even be near each other. But it could all be an act for what we knew. But there was something about the hatred in her eyes. Almost too hateful to be faked.

”I can confirm this. He went looking for her once we got to our beds. She’d already gone off somewhere, but he wasn’t too pleased when the girl next to her bed said she wasn’t here. Stormed off muttering something.” Bodhi adds.

Seems I was out numbered in this conversation for some unknown reason.

“Fine. But don’t get mad when I say I told you so.” I warn, turning my attention back to my food.

“Oh I won’t. You’ll be the one getting mad when I tell you that.” Xaden says smugly before turning to Bodhi and changing the conversation to what had happened in the last five years.

@imtoanonymousforyou @simplyme-fornow @omalmal @lalaluch @wolfbc97 @leptitlu @fullmoon-94

[maybetorbie]

one look at you and I can't disguise

6.9k words (yeah...) | warnings: Dark!Steve, implications of child abuse, implications of grooming, outdated language, yes there is also fluff! | nothing explicit, but I would suggest that you read with the precautions in mind. Set sometime in season 2.

Summary: Billy and Max moved into Hawkins that one summer, not realizing that Steve has made it his personal mission to make Billy his.

Or, 5 times Steve is a jealous, stalking, obsessive creep, and the 1 time Billy is somewhat endorsing it.

For @harringrovewinterbingo prompt fill, Jealous Steve

1

Billy Hargrove and his half-sister Max were the new kids in town three months ago. Hawkins embraced the "cool kids" persona they threw out as a facade into the world, accepting both of them into their ranks easily, without caring what that facade might be hiding.

Unfortunately for the unaware Billy, he attracted the covert attention of the currently-reigning king of high school Steve Harrington, which is good, right? staying on the popular kids' good side means he'll be left alone, just like he wanted, right?

It was a hot, sunny afternoon. Spring break is near, but the heat is suffocating. Billy is surveying the hardware store for a new lock, as his current one is busted down to shrapnels by his good-for-nothing, oftentimes abusive, pathetic excuse of a father, who didn't even need a reasonable excuse to use Billy as a punching bag. This time, he got lucky that it was only his lock that got torn to pieces and not his eye socket. He mindlessly looks through the options, not paying attention to his surroundings.

"A bit hot to be wearing leather, isn't it?" A voice calls out to Billy, surprising him. Luckily, Billy isn't the kind of guy that reacts like a pansy-ass little boy when taken for a surprise!

Instead, he turns around coolly, appraising the source of the voice. "Harrington. What's it to ya?"

Steve smiles at him easily, slowly leaning against the wall, barring Billy from walking past him in a practised, effortless manner that he's probably done thousands of times before. "Wouldn't want you to catch a fever in this weather, y'know? We need you for basketball practice after all,"

Billy raises an eyebrow at the sentiment. 'How fucking magnanimous of you, your majesty,' he thinks to himself.

This has been happening for some time, too, since he first arrived at this shithole of a town. Billy goes to the arcade to look for Max, and then he finds Steve, sitting on the steps outside the place, giving him a smile, greeting him like he was just passing by. Billy thought nothing of it then, really.

Billy went grocery shopping with his reluctant kid sister on the weekend... again he finds Steve, sitting on the bench at the cafeteria, waving at him with that obnoxious smile, trapping Billy for useless small talk. Okay, it's a small town. Maybe they just happened to be at the same place at the same time a couple times, no big deal.

But it happened again, and again, and again. Outside of school, Billy feels like he's always got that certain fucking guy somewhere, ready to trap him into meaningless conversation, always standing just a little too close for comfort in front of Billy, as if they're lovers having an intimate conversation.

But they're not.

They're guys. Billy isn't into guys. And neither is Steve. The king of Hawkins High is dating Nancy Wheeler, and they seem to be a cute pair.

So why is it, that outside of school, this fucking royalty is always gonna run into Billy?

"Nothing to do with you, Harrington. I'm just getting stuff here. What's your fucking deal, huh? You following me or something?" Billy manages to reply with some semblance of defiance and his signature Tough Guy Gruff Countenance, but he can't help it if slight trepidation is to be felt at the back end of his sentence.

Steve shakes his head with a small smile, one of the loose strand of his hair falling into the middle of his forehead. He immediately fixes it, running a hand through his hair upwards. He fixes Billy a look. "Why'd you think that? It's a small town, y'know." He glances at the sealed product Billy's holding in his hand, then back at the blond. "New lock? Moving out?"

Billy, at this point, isn't even sure what the point of their talk is anymore. And he doesn't really want to give out more than he needs to. "Just... looking at options."

Steve doesn't reply. He takes the same one Billy has and places it into the basket he's holding. "You're right. Crime rates increasing and shit? Better safe than sorry."

He gives Billy one last glance, walking away from their encounter.

Billy watches him leave, miffed.

-

Steve steps into the car, where Nancy is waiting shotgun.

"You gotta stop scaring the guy," She mutters as he closes his side of the door without looking at him. "I get that he's your new obsession or whatever... just because you're into girls and guys, doesn't mean you should be falling for the first guy that walks into town,"

Steve chortles in amusement. "It's not that, Nance. I think he's cute. I think the whole tough guy act is bullshit, and I wanna know what he's hiding."

"We're hiding the Upside Down from the whole town," Nancy offers in confusion. "Isn't that a bigger secret than whatever the fuck Max's brother is hiding? Maybe he does drugs, I don't know?"

Steve shrugs. "I don't think it's that." He drives his beemer out of the store, merging into the easy traffic. "And that's what's driving me nuts."

2

Basketball practice was rough. Steve is having a particularly bad time. Everything was too much, going too fast, and he's just not having it. So naturally, he needs to cool off with a shower at the locker room, right?

Except for the fact that the asshole Tommy just walks in, lathering his own head with shampoo, and Steve can just tell from the unpleasant look on Tommy's face that he's about to say shit again.

"So, heard your girl's skipped town with that Byers guy, the weird one with the fag brother?"

and there it is. The opening line to Tommy's feature film Annoying Classmate #1.

Steve doesn't even bother giving him a look. He continues shampooing his head, trying to regulate his breathing. Tommy's not even right on the money. One, he and Nancy broke it off way before she even considered Jonathan cute. Two, he and Nancy, and Jonathan, are now on friendly terms, because of something of the supernatural kind terrorizing the town, which makes it kind of hard to be enemies with people you fought monsters with. Three, Tommy's an asshole, and there's a proper time and place to be one. Right now is not the time.

Steve is about to ignore him and move on with the day, but Billy Hargrove walks in to the communal shower, already in his birthday suit.

Billy walks in, positioning himself right next to Steve, who's only one Tommy Sentence away from pummeling the guy a la Lawrence of Arabia.

Billy thinks he's got it all figured out. He thinks to himself, that if he annoys Steve enough, the guy will stop giving him the creeps, because then he'll avoid Billy. So enter Billy into the conversation with the opener, "Hey, don't even worry about it, yeah?"

Steve gives him a look... while stealing a glance of what goes on down there. He doesn't say a word in reply, which encourages Billy to continue.

"Pretty boy like you got nothing to worry about, yeah?" Billy adds on to the sentiment, giving Steve's shoulder a squeeze, only now realizing that Steve is... pretty toned, with generous amount of freckles scattered across his torso... and beneath. Regardless of the observation he makes underneath the water stream, he continues, "Plenty of bitches in the sea,"

Steve fixes him a look. Something in his eyes shifts. "Yeah, I guess,"

Billy doesn't like what he's seeing. He's expecting annoyance. A hint of irritation. Being pummeled, even. But he doesn't understand what he's seeing, and he doesn't like it one bit. But what he doesn't like, isn't really the way to put it, as the blood from his brain is starting to rush down his body from the way Steve's staring at him, and he makes a point of leaving the shower, giving Steve one last aloof look before practically darting away from the scene.

Tommy watches the whole scene unfold, none the wiser.

Steve gazes at Billy leaving, his curiosity increasing tenfold, the awful time he's having slowly dissipating.

3

Late May.

Billy stuffs his shit into his locker, his face a gradient of the colors of the rainbow, with scattered blues along his jawline, some on the socket of his right eye. He makes no comment on it, people at school doesn't comment on it, though the general consensus says that he got into a fight last night, and he's now showing his battle scars. Such a badass.

He closes his locker door shut, and Steve is right behind it.

Billy is saved by the bruises on his face, making his facial expressions slower to show, giving him the grace to not look surprised at the way Steve just seem to appear out of thin air.

"What happened to you?" Steve asks in a slightly teasing way, but the hints of worry simmering underneath is audible, if only at the slightest decibel.

Billy thought that Steve would avoid him. It worked for the next few weeks after the shower talk, but then Steve wouldn't leave him alone, no matter how much Billy refuses to engage with him. He hates to admit it, but when they actually got into an actual conversation a couple times, he finds Steve extremely charming, pleasant, and he gets the idea of why Steve's the king of Hawkins High. But there's always that tug at the back of Billy's mind saying, 'this guy is bad news. Very bad news.'

"Got into a fight." Was the go-to that Billy chose. Everybody already thought it, might as well confirm it.

Steve looks skeptical. Not what Billy wanted to happen. "Yeah? Got you good, huh?"

"You should see the other guy," Billy quips with as much aloofness he can gather. It actually hurts like hell.

Steve gives him a placid grin. "Okay. You're a tough guy, you can handle yourself. So listen... your sister and a couple of her friends are gonna hang out at Hopper's place, the police chief; and they appoint me as their chaperone. You wanna come?"

Billy furrows his brows. "My sister seems to like hanging out with those fucking shitheads... and with you. What am I supposed to think about that, pretty boy?"

Steve is unfazed by the nickname. "That's why I'm asking you to come, Billy. See for yourself, and it'll all make sense."

"You know something, Harrington?" Billy steps closer into Steve's space, his nose barely an inch away from Steve's. "You give me the creeps. You and your baby friends."

Steve looks at him with the same aloofness Billy showed him earlier. "Then just come. We'll explain everything."

Billy backs off. "No. Fuck that. Whatever it is you fuckheads are doing, I don't wanna know. But if my sister got hurt because of you, I'll fucking gut you, okay?"

"Okay."

-

"You told him to come, right?" Nancy asks, handing out empty papers for the group of friends to write with, the sky darkening outside Hopper's place.

"I did." Steve nods, sitting at one of the dining table chairs strewn across the living room. "Guess he's a no-show."

Max sighs.

Steve uses this opportunity to ask, "So, Max... Billy told me he got a black eye from fighting a guy. But I don't think that was it,"

"No."

"It was your dad, wasn't it?"

Max's silence speaks volumes.

"Why?" Steve had to ask.

Max shrugs. "I don't know... that fucking guy loves using Billy as his punching bag. I know my brother's an asshole most of the time, but... I also know that he got the shit beaten out of him for me a lot of times, too, and... he just wouldn't admit it."

that was all Steve needed to hear.

-

A couple of days after that, Billy watches Neil come out of his car, slamming the door a little too rough, the familiar jolt in Billy's body telling him that tonight will be another night where he will need the bag of frozen peas.

Except that Neil didn't come into the house, instead he examines the rear end of his car while cursing up a storm.

Billy and Max watches from the window, glancing at each other uneasily.

"Someone rammed into his car or some shit?" Max asks a rhetorical question.

"Should've taken his life with it, too," Billy scoffs under his breath.

Max doesn't disagree with the sentiment.

Billy thinks nothing of it, going to bed. In fact, he's glad that something like this happened to Neil, as if it's proof that karmic retribution has a way of finding Billy's address and agreeing to be his avenger. He thanks the guy who totaled Neil's car in his head, something resembling prayer before bed.

-

The next morning, Billy parks his camaro at his usual spot, letting Max out first. They exchanged no words the entire ride, but there was an air of agreeability between the half siblings, perhaps something of shared joy.

Billy is left alone inside the car, where he takes the time to breathe. Compose himself. Put on the mask he's been parading around for the entirety of his existence ever since his mom left. He has a tough guy reputation to uphold, and shedding a tear isn't going to give him any credit. He takes a deep breath, looking at his own face in the visor, the blues and purples still stinging.

A car parks a few spots away from his, the front part of the car completely wrecked, the engine nearly taking a hit.

Billy watches dispassionately, until he realizes it's a fucking maroon beemer.

Nobody else in the entire fucking school drives a maroon BMW 733i except for Steve Harrington.

"No... that's just a coincidence..." Billy mutters under his breath, connecting the dots yet disbelieving what it proves.

He steps out of the car, approaching the crowd gathering around Steve and the scene of his wrecked car.

Steve easily sits on top of the trunk, giving the crowd an enchanting anecdote, which they eat up all too easily.

"The fuck happened here?" Billy asks, parting the sea of 8 or so people gathered around Steve for an explanation.

'Please be something else.'

Steve gives him a smile, and an easy, effortless shrug. "Got into a fight. You should see the other guy."

The crowd laughs. It's a crowd-pleaser sentence, of course. But those were the exact words Billy told him about the bruises on his face, and his words were all a lie.

Billy has a deep seated feeling that Steve's words are all a lie, too.

He can't prove Steve did it.

But for some inexplicable, baffling feeling, Billy wishes it was Steve.

To receive the attention of a king is nothing short of flattering, after all.

4

Summer break is officially here. Which means Billy will have to get a job. Luckily, he struck gold when he found out that the guy working at the pool could hook him up with a lifeguard gig, and all Billy had to do was give the guy his Love At First Sting album, which couldn't possibly be worth much in the future, he thought to himself.

It's all easy, really. All he had to do is sit on the high chair, blow the whistle once in a while, and act like he's watching people swimming at the pool. He doesn't even need to stand up most of the time unless someone is like, actually actively drowning.

But that's not the part he hates about the job.

It's the grandstanding he has to do in front of the middle-aged women.

They sit in groups in their brand new, spiffy swimsuits, lounging in one spot of the pool, begging for his attention. It's not like he's unaware that he's a decent looking guy. He just hates the attention he's getting, when all he's trying to do is get paid so he can save up and leave this shithole one day. But the guy working before him tipped him, that the middle-aged women loves the attention, and they're willing to pay him actual money for swimming lessons. He pretty much figured out that the swimming lessons were going to be the sexual kind.

But he needs the money.

A deep breath is pulled inside his lungs, and he makes his debut as the lifeguard of Hawkins community pool for the summer.

"Ladies," he gives them a charming smile, not forgetting to suck in his breath to show the women he's been lifting. "Looking good,"

"Oh, you flatterer." One of the women waves him off sheepishly.

One woman in a purple piece steals his attention. "Hello there."

Billy swallows and smiles. "Mrs. Wheeler. Looking gorgeous in purple."

Nancy's mom loves the attention.

That swimming lesson was pretty much a done deal.

-

The same night, a tired but money hungry Billy knocks at the Wheeler's door.

Mrs. Wheeler opens the door in her finest apparel, giving Billy a bashful smile at how she appreciates the attention.

"Mrs. Wheeler. I almost mistook you for Nancy's sister." He had to say. What else was he supposed to say?

She preens at the attention. "Ready to go?" she asks.

Billy had to play the part. "We can take my car,"

Before anything can happen, the telephone rings from inside the house.

Karen excuses herself to pick it up, as nobody else is home to answer it. "Hello? Yes? Is that so? Oh... Alright, then. I'll... wait for you at home,"

She hangs up, and returns to where Billy is standing, right at the threshold of the doorway. "Sorry, Billy... that was Nancy. She's not feeling too well, and I have to stay home for the night, just to give her a bit of company."

Billy sighs in relief inside. "Oh, that's too bad. Well, I suppose it can't be helped..."

he turns to go.

"Wait, maybe... you could... come in for a bit?"

Billy didn't stop walking back to his car. "Nah, I mean... Nancy's probably on her way back, y'know? I should get going, too. Good night,"

Billy drives away from the Wheeler's with relief, again thanking his invisible guardian angel for what happened.

-

It was late in the Wheeler's, everybody gone to bed, even the doting mother. Nancy takes the now-cold rag off her forehead, tossing it on the floor without much care for it.

She dials a number on the landline. It connects. "Hello?"

"How did it go?"

"He wasn't here when I got back. Nothing probably happened."

"...I see. Thanks, Nance."

"You owe me one, Steve."

"Hey, your mom was about to cheat on your dad. I think you owe ME one."

Nancy hangs up unceremoniously.

-

For the next couple weeks, the gig has been easy. The older women doesn't seem to fancy Billy as much anymore, and the kids are somehow running less vigorously than usual along the skidmarked tiles.

Tired after a long shift, Billy changes into his clothes in the pool's locker room, the evening sky darkening outside casting a rather eerie scene at the premises.

He pays no attention to the eeriness of everything, even if his own mind is running a mile a second. Thoughts about the obnoxious Steve Harrington keeps resurfacing, and how he finds the guy creepy, yet at the same time charming. He's pretty sure it was Steve who totaled Neil's car, which ended up costing the guy 5 grand in repairs. But the real question is, why would Steve do that for him? Did he even know Neil was the reason Billy's face was purple? Certainly not. But a part of Billy yearns for someone to understand the real him, but he would sooner die than to let anyone in. Especially Steve Harrington.

He suddenly remembers his sister, and what he was supposed to be doing today.

'Shit,' he thinks to himself. He was supposed to pick her up from the very same obnoxious guy's house, as they were playing DnD in the basement with those shithead kids. He curses as he locks up the place, driving his car onto the road, making the route to Harrington Residence as fast as he can.

-

He got there in under 20 minutes. It was nearly eight. Billy sighs in consternation to himself. Neil is usually more lenient when Billy's running late because of a job, but he still expects a pummel or two when he gets back.

He composes his face. He knocks at the door.

Steve opens the door, all smiles as usual. "Billy."

Billy doesn't address the charm of the smile. "Here to get Max home,"

Steve shakes his head. "You're way too late for that. The shitheads all got themselves home. I think she was on Dustin's bike,"

Billy sighs in somewhat of a relief. "Great. I came here for nothing."

"Not nothing," Steve steps aside to let Billy in. "You can come in... it's late, grab a drink or two, maybe?"

Billy's face is well-learned in facade. But he still feels the heat rising to his cheeks at the invite. "Nah, I..."

"What's the rush? It's summer break, you don't even have a shift tomorrow," Steve beckons him in.

Billy relents and walks in... also taking note of why the hell Steve would know about his shifts. He stuffs his hands into his pockets, looking around the interior of the home. "You're a rich fucking prick,"

Steve shrugs. "Folks are. I just live here,"

"They here?" Billy asks. 'Please say yes.'

Steve shrugs yet again, all too effortless yet practised. "They're out of town. They usually are."

'great.'

"Can I get you anything? Water? Soda?" Steve makes a beeline for the kitchen, a generous and spacious one at that.

Billy follows him, not too keen on drinking. "Uh... I think, I'd like to ask you a couple questions,"

"Shoot."

"...How did you total your car back then?"

"Got into a fight," Steve answers the same thing.

"Which guy?" Billy presses.

"One of those guys,"

"Right," Billy purses his lips, his back leaning against the unlit fireplace's brick structure, keeping an eye on the guy all the while. "And... how did you know what days I work?"

"From Max," Steve answers. Too easy.

"Uh huh," Billy nods uneasily. Steve hands him the glass of water, which he takes. Steve walks closer, stopping just a few inches from where Billy's standing.

Steve doesn't seem scared of what sort of accusation Billy might throw his way. Billy had to get it out of the way.

"Harrington, you--"

"Steve."

"Steve, you... you give me the heebie jeebies, you know?" Billy doesn't drink the water. He sets it on the mantle, fixing the guy a look. "You're... always following me around, you seem to know where I would be, and you always give me these looks, and I..."

Before he even knows it, Steve is now an inch away from touching him. Their shoulders nearly brush, and Steve's face is so close to his. Steve's warmth is radiating off his body, making Billy flustered in its wake. "and you what, Billy?"

Their noses nearly touch. The dimly lit house isn't helping the situation, as it only quickens the beating of Billy's heart, threatening to jump out of his chest. The strands of Steve's hair glisten under the light, stopping Billy in his tracks from moving. "I..."

"Yeah?"

"Are you... Coming on to me?"

"What do you think?"

Billy is at a loss for words. He scoots to the side, managing to get himself free from the grasp. He slowly backs away, the whole situation unfurling like the start of a horror movie. And yet... He can't help but blush at the attention. "Ya know something, Steve? I... I just gotta go. I gotta sleep early, wake up early and all that, yeah? So I'll just be taking my leave,"

Billy steps out of the Harrington residence in a flush, leaving Steve at the living room, watching Billy leave with an amused sip of his drink.

5

It's a science project, because of course it's a fucking science project. The exact one that pairs up Billy with none other than the Hair Harrington. 'Great. Just my luck.'

Because why wouldn't the teachers give their kids a big science project just before winter break? It's not like the kids have their own thing going on after school.

Steve insists on doing the project over at Billy's house, to which the blond doesn't even know what to say.

'If I come over to his place, then he'll corner me again. But if I let him come to my place, then at least I have the home turf advantage... for when he... god, what the fuck am I even saying? Get it together, dickhead! He's not into you! Get that out of your big head! We'll just do the project, nice and easy. Nothing will happen.'

-

As expected, Steve knocks at the Hargrove resident front door, right on time, 5 o' clock sharp. Billy opens the door, immediately irked by how charming Steve's smile is.

Steve wordlessly slinks in to the house, Billy closing the door behind him with a sigh.

"Let's do it in your room," Steve requests, sounding almost sinister in a way; except he accompanies that with a smile, and an easy skip to the blond's bedroom... which he seems to know where it's located.

"Fucking... Yeah, sure, let's just do that..." Billy follows along slowly, leaving the bedroom door open.

Steve plops himself easily on Billy's unkempt bed, leaning his body weight on an elbow.

Billy looks uneasily. He fiddles with his hair, watching his reflection in the mirror as his back is turned against Steve. He sighs, and turns around to face the brunette.

"You know I don't like guys, right?"

Steve almost scoffs. "Yeah, you do."

"As you can see around you, pretty boy, I like chicks!" Billy exclaims, pointing at the numerous posters of scantily clad women plastered all over his bedroom wall as proof.

Steve isn't moved. "We both know that's not true, Billy."

"And how the fuck would you know that?" Billy looks at him, befuddled.

"I've been in your room before," Steve shrugs easily. "Seen your stash."

"Yeah, all playboys--wait, what? Shithead Max let you in, huh?"

"No," Steve denies Max's participation.

"So when--"

Billy stops short as Steve dusts himself off Billy's bed, heading towards one of the drawers like he knows what he's looking for.

And he does.

Steve fishes out a handmade book, a shitty notebook plastered with magazine cutouts of women-adjacent breasts on the cover. Steve waves it in front of a gobsmacked Billy, and he turns over the pages. "All dudes, Billy. This is gay porn."

"You..." Billy's face grows red, he lunges for the brunette to get his book back, but Steve dodges the advances, stepping to the side. This throws Billy off his momentum, and he staggers, a hard landing on the carpeted floor is expected.

Steve pulls him before he can kiss the floor, his one hand grabbing Billy by the waist, the titty-covered book in his other grip.

Billy doesn't understand why this is all happening. He's pressed chest to chest with Steve, and the warmth is enough to drive him insane. But he needs the book back, his hands wildly reaching for it, as Steve hoists it up high in the air. They continue this uncoordinated dance number around Billy's bedroom floor for a while, until Steve's leg stumbles on the frayed end of the blanket hanging on the edge of the bed, and they both fall backwards on the bed with a hard thud.

Steve softens the landing for Billy, his grip on Billy's waist nowhere near slack.

Billy is on top of him, their noses touching, their lips already grazing each other's. It's kind of pointless to try and punch the guy now.

"Why are you so obsessed with me?" Billy asks in a hushed voice.

"I think you're cute."

"Bullshit. You... you want blackmail material, right? Following me around town, learning about my work hours... you just... you just wanna know I like guys so you can..."

"So I can what?" Steve asks quietly. Softly, almost.

"I... I don't know, Harrington--"

"Steve."

"It was you, wasn't it? That wrecked Neil's car?" Billy asks at the cost of sounding like a lunatic.

"I had nothing to do with that," Steve mutters adamantly, though the small upward twitch at the corner of his lips betray his defense.

Billy's face distorts into slow anger. "Why would you fucking do that? Because you figured out he beat me up?"

"Dads shouldn't do that to their kids, don't you think?" Steve basically admits it in so many words.

Billy frowns in confusion. "Why would you do that? You care about me or something?"

"When was the last time anyone was nice to you?" Steve asks instead of answering, the entire time their lips grazing each other's as they converse. "Do you know what that's like? Someone being nice to you?"

Billy wants to get off. But Steve isn't letting go, and he's not actively making an effort to break free, either. His discomfort at the truth of Steve's words contracts with the comfort of Steve's embrace. "Nice? Nice is when someone makes you... I don't know, fucking coffee, or say you look nice, not... totaling someone's car just because he beat his son up!"

"You give me too little credit, Billy. I know you like guys, and I know those moms at the pool were also salivating over you."

It all clicks for Billy. "You..." He momentarily rises his head away from their embrace, his face all sorts of red. "You asked Nancy to call in sick so her mom canceled with me? That was fucking you?"

Steve shrugs, pulling Billy back into the grip. "I didn't say that."

Too much. Their lips are grazing, Steve not making any effort to close the distance. Billy feels as if a magnet is drawing him to closer. He's overwhelmed by the idea, really. Someone so polished, effortlessly casual and hip like fucking Harrington? What does he get out of this?

Billy lowers himself, slowly pressing his lips against Steve's, which the brunette welcomes all too eagerly. Billy hates this. Steve Harrington turns out to be a creep. A jealous stalker. But at the same time, he feels safe in Steve's embrace, the tender way Steve holding him right now a polar opposite of how much of a creep he is, it's as if Steve cares about his well-being.

"You're a fucking creep," Billy whispers inbetween kissing, his breathing growing ragged.

Steve makes no reply.

The sound of a car pulling up into the driveway startles both, Billy immediately jumping out of the bed, his curls all messed up from their dance-fight, his clothes all wrinkled from the friction against Steve's cashmere sweater.

He doesn't look at Steve, his eyes peeled at the window, confirming it was indeed Neil that came home. "Let's, uh... move to the living room,"

Neil walks in to the living room, seeing Steve and Billy, with scattered, important-looking papers on the coffee table, seemingly the object of the two's attention. Neil clears his throat.

"Who's this?" he asks, addressing Steve.

Steve stands up, with an all-too-charismatic of a smile. He offers a hand, which Neil reluctantly shakes. "Steve Harrington, sir. We got a science project together, and we've been busy at it,"

Neil seems agreeable to Steve's straight man behavior. "Hm. Harrington? Your folks seem alright. You don't happen to drive a BMW, do you?"

Steve shakes his head with a laugh. "No, sir. We're a Ford-only family,"

Neil nods, satisfied, leaving the two to go back to their project.

Steve sits back down near Billy, greeted by the blond's miffed expression.

"What the fuck was that?" Billy quietly asks.

"I should've fucking killed him when I hit him with my beemer, too," Steve whispers nonchalantly to an alarmed Billy.

"Shut up!" Billy hysterically whispers, the flush on his cheeks betraying the butterflies fluttering inside his stomach in fear of not knowing what Steve is capable of.

-

As winter break finally comes, things have quieted down over the town, or maybe the snow muffles the hubbub of small town life to a whisper. Billy and Max had nothing to do, so they opted to sit on the living room couch while saying nothing to each other as the TV plays the news on mute.

"Shithead," Billy slowly turns to her.

"What," she replies in an equally disinterested tone.

"You know Harrington, right? From your..."

"If you wanna know, I really don't mind telling you,"

"For fuck's sake... Look, I don't care about your DnD shit, okay? Just... I don't wanna know about it. That's not what I wanted to ask,"

"Then what?"

"That Harrington guy, is he... ya know, a creep? a weirdo?"

Max looks baffled. "Creep? No... he's more like... I don't know, goofy?"

"Goofy?" Billy looks at her wildly.

"Yeah, like, a weirdo but in a goofy way or something. Nice guy, really, and Nancy said he's fine,"

Billy leans back on the couch with a disbelieving sigh. "I don't believe it,"

"The guys and I spent a fair amount of time with him, and he's... well, that. Goofy. Why do you ask?"

Billy shakes his head. "Nothing, really... and uh, did you also tell him what days I worked at the pool?"

Max scoffs. "I don't even care, why should I know?"

"...fair enough," was all that Billy could muster.

They continue watching TV in silence, the companionable aspect of it somewhat resembling comfort.

-

"Steve, you really should stop playing with the guy," Nancy sighs, sitting on the bean bag chair in the Wheeler's basement (Which the kids have turned into a demogorgon-defeating tactical base).

"I'm not playing with him! He's playing with me! Being all hot and cold!" Steve argues, pacing around the room while gesturing wildly.

Nancy rolls her eyes. "You're wasting your time with him, Steve. Guys like that are probably just gonna use you for sex and move on to drugs or something,"

Steve shakes his head. "Not if I make him mine first. Then he won't resort to shit like that,"

"I swear, where is all this coming from? You weren't even this crazy back then,"

"Well, that's because you had nothing crazy about you," Steve offers, to which he got smacked with a pillow on the face for.

The kids soon file into the basement, marking an end to their conversation.

+1

It's been almost one year since the Hargrove-Mayfield siblings moved into Hawkins, their lives turned upside down in more ways than one. Max continues seeing her circle of friends, even after the enemy is defeated (...for now).

Billy avoids Steve like the plague while they're at school, as they really have no reason to hang out, being from different circles and all. Steve has no reason to want to change that. They graduate in less than six months, after all!

The Harrington residence is once again empty, like it's always been most of the time. Steve sees his parents off again after a new year's eve party together, the sizes of their luggage a tell-tale sign telling Steve that they'll be gone for another year.

Not like it bothers him.

Steve's in his bed, comfy and cozy. Billy is in his hold, accepting his kisses while acting like he had no choice but to be kissed. Billy returns the kisses, sloppily letting their tongues enter each other's mouths with no sense of decorum.

Steve suddenly parts from the kiss, getting up from bed. "I gotta piss. Don't go anywhere,"

"Shut up," Billy utters disinterestedly, still maintaining whatever shred of aloof tough guy persona he has left.

Life's been a roller coaster for Billy. It's really true what they say, to be loved is to be changed. He went into town not hoping for much, he didn't even think he'd make it past 20 with the way his life was going. But then, this guy walks (well, creeps) into his life and turned it upside down. Steve offered him kindness, patience, persistence (that sometimes gets on his nerves), and all Billy had to do was let him. He didn't have to beg for Steve to stay, Steve is everything he thought he couldn't have.

Billy is... happy, kind of. In a way. He won't let his guard down, though. Shit can still happen, and Steve can still walk away. He's just a dirtbag, after all.

Billy walks around the bedroom, which is more spacious than his. He whistles at the collection of expensive watches. 'pretty boy won't mind if I wear one or two, right?'

Something pokes out of one of the boxes in Steve's drawers. Billy thinks nothing of it, but the way the slits of sunlight peeking through the blinds making the thing glisten, well... it makes it hard for Billy to ignore. He pulls the box out of the drawer...

And, well, is he even surprised?

Steve gets back into the bedroom, only to see Billy sitting on the floor, poring over the content of the box.

Steve sits down next to him, pursing his lips. "For what it's worth... those are old,"

Billy turns to look at him with a hapless, unimpressed smile. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, well, I have my own guy developing these," Steve defends himself half-heartedly, taking the printed photographs out of Billy's hand, putting them back into the box. "He's a no-questions-asked kind of guy, okay?"

Billy rolls his eyes. "You don't even have a camera,"

"I got a bunch of disposables,"

"And you wasted them being a creep, taking pictures of me!" Billy starts to argue, waving the photos around. Some of them are blurry, some aren't even close enough to depict anyone, but Billy knows they're all pictures of him throughout last year, how Steve took these he can't even tell. There must be at least ten film rolls' worth of photos here.

Steve shrugs. "What can I say... you really caught my eye,"

"You're a creep, and a stalker, Harrington."

"Steve." he insists on the name. "I keep telling you to call me Steve."

"I'll call you Steve when I actually like you," Billy challenges, absentmindedly tossing the photos into the wicker box.

"What do I do to get you to like me, then? Do I kill your dad?"

Billy looks at him, wide-eyed, but the smile forming on his lips betray his seriousness. "No, you... you wouldn't,"

Steve looks at him. Billy looks back at him.

'Yeah, no. He definitely would.'

"Okay... fine, I like you, Steve," Billy relents.

"Well now I don't want you to like me, if you feel like you have to say it," Steve sighs.

Billy quirks up an eyebrow, looking at the brunette in disbelieving haplessness. "You little..."

He lunges at Steve, tackling him as they're both still seated. He pins Steve underneath him, Steve's hair a mess on the carpeted floor, looking up at Billy with all the affection somebody could offer another person, and then some.

"You're gorgeous, Billy Hargrove."

"I'm about to sock you in the jaw and that's what you have to say?" Billy asks, his curls spilling from the top of his head, barely brushing against Steve's cheeks.

"We both know you won't," Steve smiles, easily. One of the many things Billy's learned to hate (love) about the fucking guy.

"You're lucky I don't feel like fighting right now," Billy mumbles under his breath, forgoing the punching, instead planting a kiss on Steve's lips, which he welcomes impatiently, feverishly.

Billy wants this to be his forever. He knows it's not, but he's starting to question what he actually knows to be the truth, or whether it's all just the voices in his head telling him he's no good.

He chooses to know now, for a fact, that somebody loves him to the point of no return, and if he were to complain about any of it, it would only to lament about past pains, while he patches up the present, and hey, while he's at it, why not the future?

[dropitlikeapeong]

Waiting for You: Chapter 4- It's really over, isn't it?

Genre: EVEN MORE angst (atp we should be used to it)

CW: Mentions of cheating. More arguing. More swearing. More crying. Seeun is an asshole (Im sorry to my serangdoongies). Y/n is mad as hell for a minute (AS THEY SHOULD BE). Implied sexual relations (nothing explicit, literally the words "spent a night together") Seeun hurts Y/n (gripping your wrist tightly). Let me know if there's more that I'm leaving out.

A/n: FINALLY AN UPDATE WE ALL CHEERED! I'd like to apologize again for keeping you all waiting for this long but yay chapter 4 is finally here, and chapter 5 is not too far behind.

I apologize in advance, to all my Seeun stans, this one's gonna hurt.

As always, likes, reblogs and comments are appreciated. Enjoy!

From coming in late to work, upsetting your co-workers and friends, catching a nasty and uncalled for attitude from your ex, accidentally landing one of the boys in the hospital causing him to miss an important schedule, finding out said ex has likely been playing you throughout your whole relationship with another celebrity, also finding out there might be a little more that story since your boss seems to know a lot more than he's letting on and being forced to go to therapy or else you'd lose your job and get sued, safe to say today had been exhausting.

You felt physically and emotionally drained and really just needed to sleep off the events of today. Fortunately you don't have work tomorrow, or any day after that unless you see that stupid therapist.

You definitely felt horrible about what happened with Hunter but therapy? Seriously? But if that's what is needed for you to keep your job, so be it. You wonder if you'd be allowed to visit him, to maybe apologize in person. Hunter always goes on about how you're his favorite out of all their staff, He'd understand you didn't mean for that to happen right?

Your thoughts are interrupted by the elevator beeping, letting you know you've reached your floor. The doors open and you let out an irritated sigh at the unexpected guest standing at your doorstep.

Technically, it isn't unexpected, you were warned that someone would be picking up your ex's things, although he never mentioned who would be doing the pick up. Considering all of the people he could've called, this was just ridiculous.

"Why are you here?"

Seeun jumps a little at your voice turning to face you.

"Don't scare me like that! Gosh, you almost gave me a heart attack."

You continue staring at him blankly while he avoids your eyes, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

"Why are you here?" You ask him again.

"You sound like a tape recorder. 'Why are you here' haha, I'm sightseeing, obviously." His laugh is uncomfortable and awkward.

"This is a really nice apartment complex." He remarks, looking around the empty hallway. "I might just move in here someday." Another awkward laugh follows. Then silence.

One thing you know about your ex, is that he is either really horrible at reading the room, joking around when it was time to be serious, or he's really good at playing dumb when he knows he has fucked up. But with the day you've had today, you couldn't care less about which of those he was doing.

"It's very quiet this side of town isn't it?"

"Seeun go home."

You go to unlock your door and he moves out of your way.

"I came to get my things." he mutters, you roll eyes barely sparing him a glance.

"Maybe lead with that? I'm not in the mood for any shit right now." You open your door stepping inside leaving it open for him. He just stands at your doorway, a small pout on his face.

"You won't invite me in?" He laughs giving you a lopsided smile.

A smile that would've had you weak in the knees back then. A smile you would usually return with one of your own. Maybe a little giggle, because it would instantly cause him to start giggling too. A smile you loved seeing at times like these, where you felt like your world was crumbling, as it always made you feel so much better.

A smile that now causes your eyes to start brimming with tears. A smile that makes you feel like your throat is closing up, and causes bile to rise up from your stomach.

A smile that now repulses you.

He shifts uncomfortably at your glare. "Tough crowd I guess." he mumbles stepping inside, closing the door behind him.

"So... Can I start in the bedroom? You took a LOT of my hoodies-"

"Take what you're here for and leave, Seeun."

He huffs at your cold response.

"I'm not here to fight with you, Y/n. There's no need for all of this."

"There wasn't any need for you to be a dick towards me all day, yet that still happened."

"Oh come on, you're still mad about that?" He scoffs.

"You can't keep taking everything so personally Y/n."

He sighs shaking his head.

"Look, I have things to do-"

"-Like Areum?" You cut him off and he freezes at that. You feel his eyes on your back.

He knows that you know. Did he seriously expect you not to find out after both his and her company released public statements? it's quite literally the only thing k-netizens are talking about right now.

Though xikers may not be a really big name in Korea, Areum on the other hand is practically the nation's princess, one of YG Entertainment's top models with an impressive reputation, and several brand ambassadorships under her belt. Already having garnered a large fan base after only one year since her modeling debut, the news of her having a boyfriend would most definitely have her fans going crazy.

You could've liked Areum too at some point. She seemed to be a sweet girl. She was always lovely towards her fans and her staff. Very polite and respectful in front of the cameras. You do not doubt that she was likely even sweeter behind the scenes as well.

Unfortunately, the chance that her and Seeun have likely been seeing each other since your relationship with Seeun started, leaves a bitter taste in your mouth.

He clears his throat harshly, an attempt to compose himself.

It seems you've caught him off guard.

"That's none of your business."

Now it's your turn to scoff. He has some nerve. You turn to face him and he has the audacity to look mad at you. As if this was your fault.

"Congrats on that by the way. Although I would've appreciated a little heads up that you've been two-timeing me our whole relationship."

His eyes widen in shock. He opens his mouth to speak but immediately closes it again, his facial expression neutral.

"It wasn't like that." You scoff at his words.

"Could've fooled me."

"Y/n don't." He grits out, avoiding your eyes.

"I really was just a joke to you, wasn't I?"

"For fucks sake it wasn't like that!" His loud voice causes you to flinch.

Throughout your relationship he has never raised his voice at you. Sure he was loud and yelled often, within your vicinity. But he has never yelled at you. He loved you too much for that. Perhaps he still does with how he instantly looks regretful at what he just did.

"Then what was it like Seeun? What you're telling me and the way you're treating doesn't match up. So what am I supposed to believe?"

"It-I-" He exhales deeply hands over his face, clearly at a loss for words. Or at a loss in general.

In this moment he no longer looks at you with a snarky glare, or a cruel smirk. He just looks lost. He looks like the boy you fell in love with again.

It reminds you of the conversation you had with the CEO.

Something about an arrangement.

You take a step closer to him.

"Seeun?" he looks up at you, a nervous look on his face. Like he's scared of something.

That gives you a small glimmer of hope. That this was all that it was, an arrangement for publicity's sake.

But why couldn't he just tell you that? Was a breakup necessary?

"Seeun, what is going on?" You slowly take another step closer, and hold his hand. He lets you.

"Please, just talk to me. What is this arrangement Mr. Kim mentioned?" He looks startled by your question but doesn't pull his hand away.

"It's about you and Areum right?" He doesn't answer you, nor does he pull away from you.

Instead, he pulls your hand towards his lips and plants a small peck on your fingers, mumbling something inaudible.

"What?" He finally looks into your eyes, with a blank expression.

"I liked the date." You stare at him, utterly confused.

"...What?" He gives you a small smile.

"March 22nd. It's a nice date. It's cute... And very believable considering we were at the same event together around that time."

"Seeun that's- no but it-I-" You feel overwhelmed, a bad feeling creeping into the pit of your stomach. They couldn't have picked a different date? One that wasn't yours and his' anniversary?

"Seeun that's ours. It's our date, That's when we started dating, not-"

"I need you to know-" he cuts you off gripping your hand a little tighter, "-after I left last night, I went to Areum's place."

Your feel your heart sink at that.

"We spent the night together and... we're dating now."

You feel nauseated, his tight hold on your hand is now uncomfortable. Why hasn't he let go yet? You try to pull away from him but he only holds on tighter.

"I need you to understand something, Y/n." His grip on your hand, is now painful. He pushes your chin up with a finger, making you look into his eyes.

"What I had with you, is nothing compared to what I have with Areum."

Your eyes are already brimming with tears. You try to move out of his hold but he only pulls you back. A cruel grin on his face.

"You want a reason for why we broke up? Here it is; I don't love you."

The tears slowly roll down your face. He sees them, and laughs.

"Cry all you want, I'm only telling you the truth."

His tone is mocking as you stare up him, with teary eyes and a trembling lip.

You should've never let him in. You should've never allowed him into your home. You should've told him to leave, fetch his things when you weren't at home. You shouldn't have said yes to dating him. You shouldn't have let him into your heart.

"My arrangement with Areum, has nothing to do with you, so stay out of it." He finally let's you go, yanking his hand away from yours, as if he's disgusted by your touch. Your hand now stings from how tight he held it.

"Get that into your head, and never forget it; I do not love you. You're nothing to me."

He leaves you in the living room, heading off to your bedroom to collect his belongings.

"One more thing," It seems he still wants to rub some salt in the wound.

"I don't appreciate you or anyone referring to my relationship with Areum as an 'arrangement'. I don't care who you heard it from, don't ever disrespect my girlfriend like that again."

He heads off into your room closing the door behind him.

You collapse onto your couch and finally break down, heavy sobs escaping you.

You really wish you had just told him to leave...

<previous chapter :: next chapter>

[shroomyart404]

I’ve been thinking about the thunder legion, more specifically how they came to Fairy Tail. Because out of all the characters we see stuff about, we don’t see anything about them or their initial connection to Laxus.

So I got to brewing

Evergreen was the first to meet Laxus, she was maybe 12 when Laxus passed through with one of the adults in Fairy Tail. They were on their way to the train station to get back to the guild and stopped for food. She overhears Laxus say they’re headed to fairy tail and she gets so excited by the fact theirs a fairy guild she interrupts and asks Laxus numerous questions, saying she’s gonna join. So when she shows up 2 years later, dropped off by her older brother, Laxus isn’t too surprised. He is a bit caught off guard though when she only seems to hang around him though - he’s the only person she knows and joining a guild isn’t like what she’d thought.

It was just her and her brother, and he thought Fairy Tail would be a good place for her to start making friends and earn money she wouldn't get back home.

Between meeting Evergreen and Evergreen joining is when Bickslow meets Laxus and joins Fairy Tail.

Laxus had finished up a solo mission, and needed a place to stay afterwards as it was getting to night. And he was hungry. He passed through a really run-down town, grumbling about how he wasn't gonna find much out here until an old man calls him over. it's clear Laxus isn't around here, and after confirming that Laxus is a wizard asks him to protect the house for a few days in exchange for food and shelter.

Laxus agrees and stays out on guard the first night, watching as some kids his age make their way through town going to houses and taking food, led by a lanky boy with a trail of 5 dolls following him. One of the kids tries to approach the house Laxus is guarding but is quickly scared off. The next night, similar happens, but this time the lanky kid, Bickslow who is clearly the ringleader of this group, approaches him.

"You're messing with the wrong place. I suggest you leave before things get messy." Bickslow says, and Laxus refuses. So, Bicks challenges Laxus to a fight. And to no surprise Laxus wins, and before he helps Bicks up he asks what's even happening around here.

Bickslow tells him about how the city was plagued by attacks from a dark guild that's now been disbanded. The town didn't have the money or the resources to rebuild, Bickslows friends were caught in the crossfire of the dark guild's anarchy - these friends' souls are the ones in the 5 toys, later to be his totems. Laxus knows he can't help, but he tells Bickslow that money's needed he can join Laxus on higher-earning quests. Help keep other towns from ending up like this. This convinces Bicks, and the future of the town gets better because Makarov talks with his connections and the town gets rebuilt.

Finally, Freed. It's maybe a year after Evergreen joined. Freed has been travelling around Fiore trying to find someone who could take away his "curse" (the forbidden magic). He often goes to the cathedrals and such, but most either direct him on to the next or to wizarding guilds - which Freed doesn't want to go near fearing rejection. He comes to Magnolia, and after Kardia Cathedral also say there's nothing they can do, he's sat on the steps knees pulled up to his chest.

"You crying?" Evergreen approaches him, having nothing better to do while she waits for Bickslow and Laxus to be done with whatever they are doing.

"No." Freed doesn't look at her, which Ever finds rude and gives a huff.

"Well then stop looking like you are."

"My sadness is none of your business."

"So you are sad?"

the conversation carries on like this back and forth, Freed utterly confused how this girl keeps asking questions and invading his business. Eventually, Laxus and Bickslow come over to ask Evergreen who she's talking to.

"Oh, I dunno. I didn't ask his name."

"Freed. My name is Freed Justine."

"It's got to be a bit cold sat on those steps," Bickslow says

"Does it matter? I've got nowhere further to go on my search."

"Then you can get out of the cold, don't go being stupid." Laxus holds out his hand to help Freed up, and he takes it. They take him along to the guild so they're out of the cold and have some food. They ask why he's in Magnolia, and Freed reluctantly tells them about his fruitless search to have his magic taken away.

"Well, you've come to the right place," Laxus says, and Freed has a look of hope.

"Really? You mean there's someone here who can take this curse away?"

"Nope. but there are people a bit like you here." Laxus gestures to Bickslow and Evergreen. "I seem to keep collecting randos with weird eyes, what's another one."

"Hey!" Evergreen huffs and gives Laxus a shake "But he's right. You'd fit right in, Freed."

And thus, the Thunder Legion was formed.

[lueurjun]

hufflepuff boyfriend heeseung

feeling really inspired these days idk why, hence why the frequent posts. i might do a written scenario on this too. also lmk if you want more hogwarts enhypen. this is also really long so i’m very sorry about that but i’m running on no sleep it’s 5 am and i’m tired so pls if it’s bad cut me some slack aasdhfkfkdl enjoy

idc what anyone says lee heeseung screams hufflepuff to me

maybe bc i’m a hufflepuff and i want that man in my house

let me have my moment

for the sake of this you guys are also in hufflepuff because this was an impulsive burst of motivation I DONT HAVE A LOT TO WORK WITH RIGHT NOW PLS LET ME LIVE

change it in your mind if you’d like

anyways we’re going for the you fell first, he fell harder trope

i mean who wouldn’t fall at the mere sight of him?

you began harbouring a little crush on him during third year

specifically during potions class when he took the fall for you against snape after you messed up the shrinking potion

he wasn’t even mad. he just gave you a small smile and told you ( gently) to be more careful

you never messed up ever again because if lee heeseung tells you to be careful YOU BE CAREFUL

anyways yes from then on you’re all heart eyes for him any interaction leaves you a bumbling mess

he once sat down next to you in the great hall and you damn near drowned yourself in pumpkin juice

he didn’t reciprocate your crush until fifth year

he’s a lil slow but hey! we got there in the end

his crush specifically started after he got sick and had to spend some time in the hospital wing and you went to great lengths to get past madam pomfrey JUST to give him your notes

you’re an adorable little magic try hard for him like who would go to great lengths like you? no one heeseung should put a ring on it rn

or else i will

jkjk

unless…

ANYWAYS

you’re very good at hiding your crush ( for the most part other than the fact that you freeze whenever he’s around ) but you’re not completely hopeless

heeseung, on the other hand, is absolutely hopeless

anytime you’re in the vicinity this boy becomes a blushing mess

literally heart eyes for you

you notice that he’s acting different and at first it scares you because suddenly he seems distant

and you start panicking

so you go to sunghoon

bad idea

“is heeseung mad at me?”

“yes. he hates you.”

“WHAT?!”

cue jake stepping in with a wild look of panic on his face

“HE DOESN’T HATE YOU!! SUNGHOON WHAT ARE YOU DOING THIS IS OUR DEAR FRIENDS SOULMATE!!! WHY ARE YOU CAUSING TROUBLE?”

sunghoon just sips his pumpkin juice and goes: “funny”

it wasn’t funny you almost cried

little baby hogwarts student riki who follows them around found it hilarious tho

“HA GOOD ONE HYUNG”

jake is like a stressed out father

“riki nishimura eat your toast!”

and you’re just confused because you heard jake call you heeseung’s soulmate in a moment of stress

heeseung is blissfully unaware of the turmoil at the dinner table when he strolls into the great hall

though he goes paler than nearly headless nick when he sees you, his precious little soulmate, surrounded by the group of demon spawns he calls his friends

he manages to go even paler when you stand up and march towards him with a look of determination

and he’s taken by surprise when you yank his tie and drag him out of the great hall prompting many hoots and whistles from your friends

poor heeseung just wanted some breakfast

you pull him into a quiet corner and he’s absolutely petrified

“do you hate me?”

you surprise yourself with how blunt you are

it takes a moment for the question to register in heeseung’s mind and when it does…he starts?? laughing

like manically

him? hate you? that’s the funniest joke he’s ever been told

then he catches onto your ‘wtf’ look and realizes that you’re serious

mortified. sickened. DEVASTATED at the fact that you think he hates you

“no-no! oh my god! no no. i don’t hate you? HATE YOU? ME? Goodness no! I’m sorry I made you feel that way-it’s just…you make me nervous and you’re really good looking and i think-no i KNOW! I KNOW i’m in love with you. please don’t hate me”

honestly you aren’t sure what you was expecting but it definitely wasn’t that

you’re at a loss of words because holy shit

lee heeseung likes- no! no he said loves! he loves you

there’s no words that come out

instead you dry heave and heeseung nearly sobs at the fact that he made you almost throw up with his confession

and that makes him dry heave

so there you both are in the corridor continuously heaving

jake, sunghoon and riki are peeking around the corner watching the whole exchange

one looks perplexed, and the other two look absolutely delighted

“bet you five galleons heeseung throws up first”

“you’re on”

“you are not betting on our friends failure! and riki stop gambling you’re like six”

anyways back to the shit show which is confession land

both of you manage to keep down the contents inside your stomach much to the dismay of sunghoon and riki

“i wasn’t- i got nervous!” you try to explain

“it’s completely fine! i wasn’t meant to confess like that and i already knew you weren’t like-into me—“

sunghoon has had enough

bro pops out from around the corner

“they’ve liked you since before merlin was even cruising around! just date already and spare me of this torture!”

everyone say thank you to sunghoon because after his help, the two of you start dating

finally! this took longer than i anticipated-i got carried away very sorry! okay continue

THE RELATIONSHIP YAY EVERYONE APPLAUD

the professors definitely shipped it and had bets on you both

snape owed mcgonagall twenty galleons

even dumbledore was in on it

holding hands under the table is an absolute must

heeseung does this thing when he senses you getting a bit stressed out in class where he’ll rub his thumb over the back of your hand

finding you both curled up together in the common room is a regular occurrence

you’re both devastatingly awkward but in the cutest way

that’s also really painful to watch sometimes

cue your friend group watching you get all blushy and flustered after shamelessly flirting with each other

“someone break them up before i avada kedavra myself here and now”

dragging heeseung by the tie is a common occurrence

and he has a thing for walking behind you gripping the sides of your shirt or robes

you’re both terribly protective of each other

if anyone hurts heeseung’s feelings, oh boy! not even voldemort would be able to stop you

“did they just insult you, hee? i think they did. HEY YOU! SAY THAT TO HIM AGAIN AND WATCH HOW FAST I RIP EVERY HAIR OUT OF YOUR SCALP, YOU TOAD!”

and if anyone upsets you? oh boy.

he literally shaved someone’s eyebrows off for making you cry. man knows no consequence when it comes to protecting his partner

you both get really shy about pda

so that means whenever you want to share a peck, one of you will hold up a book to hide your faces

making out in the restricted section is a must

the two of you start sneaking off and it becomes noticeable to your friends

“where are they?”

“probably swallowing each others tongues”

when they finally investigate they find out that the two of you have been sneaking off to read muggle stories to each other in the abandoned bathroom

even moaning myrtle cringes at how in love the two of you are

the two of you are really happy

and everyone else is happy that you’re happy

“dibs on naming the future child!”

“sunghoon you are absolutely never naming our baby”

“why not? sunghoon jr lee has a nice ring to it”

you manage to compromise and agree to let sunghoon be the best man at your wedding

he did get the two of you together

perhaps the two of you should repay the favour and find him a match?

[aishangotome]

Alfons Sylvatica: Chapter 6

Chapter 5

♡———♡

Roger, Liam, and I enter the bar together.

It's daytime, but the interior is dimly lit, filled with the smell of cigarette smoke, suffocating perfume, and alcohol.

(But maybe I'll blend in better this way)

(Liam, as expected of a stage actor... he knows what to wear to fit in)

Liam: Hey, we'll be found out if we stay like this... let's disguise ourselves a bit.

After that, we disguised ourselves with the hat and glasses that Liam quickly coordinated for us, and now we're lurking in this bar.

(Where is Alfons?)

I search the surroundings with my eyes only...

Woman in a nightgown: Ugh, Alfons, you never come when you say you will, but then you show up out of the blue.

Man smoking a cigarette: Do it again today. I want to see something really intense.

Alfons: You're so impatient... I'm only on my first drink.

Alfons: Let's wait until I'm a little more drunk.

(There he is...!)

Several women's arms are already wrapped around his body, and several men are smoking suspicious rolls of what might be cigarettes, laughing happily behind the smoke.

Roger: Ah-ah, there he goes again.

Liam: Looks like his friends were just getting together.

My head spins as I witness a glimpse of the "decadent private life" I had imagined.

(He really is the type who takes this kind of lifestyle for granted...)

Our night together probably doesn't even account for 1% of his vast experience.

(... Not that it hurts me or anything!)

Ignoring the faint prickle of pain in my chest, I turn my attention back to Alfons.

I take a seat at a nearby table and sip my drink while discreetly observing him.

(Besides...)

Kate: This kind of scene isn't really a weakness or anything, is it?

Roger: Hm? Ah, well, I suppose not.

Roger: It's common knowledge in society circles that Al plays around.

Liam: And the fact that he can still attend balls and public events is all thanks to Her Highness.

I stare at his profile from afar through my glasses.

(Ah... again)

(Alfons is smiling, but it doesn't feel like a real smile...)

His cheerful smile seems awfully cold.

It's the same discomfort I felt when we were face to face.

(Even while he's playing around in a place like this, he has that expression...)

Kate: Is he really having fun...?

Roger: ...Huh?

Roger, resting his cheek on his hand, looks at me curiously.

Roger: Are you worried about Al, lil lady?

Kate: N-No, I'm not worried!

I shake my head vigorously and turn my gaze back to Alfons' fixed smile.

(But...)

Kate: It's just... sometimes it feels like his heart isn't really in it.

Kate: Even though he says he likes having fun, he doesn't look like he's enjoying himself... it bothers me.

(...Maybe that expression is a clue to Alfons' weakness.)

(He's playing around, but he's not having fun. In other words—)

(Alfons' "fun games" are a way to distract himself from something....)

That would make sense.

(Also, let's see. He's a seasoned playboy, but he's devoted to one woman?)

(He's fooling around to fill the void... that's a common story.)

While pondering these speculations and observing him for a while...

(Ah!)

Alphonse and a few others left the tavern through the back door.

(Oh no... I can't lose sight of them)

Kate: Let's go after them!

Roger: Ah, Kate, I don't think it's a good idea to follow them through that door...

Roger: ...She's already gone without hearing me out.

Liam: Hmm, I wonder if she'll be okay. Maybe she'll get caught up in something naughty?

Roger: Yeah, probably.

Roger: I'll have another beer, then I guess I'll go after her.

Liam: That's kind of you, Roger.

Roger: You never know what might be useful for my "curse" research.

Roger stares at the door at the back of the tavern.

Roger: ...When it comes to his curse, I can never have enough research material.

-

(This must be the place...)

Passing through a dimly lit alley where sunlight doesn't reach, I followed the faint sounds of a man and woman's playful voices and stepped into a ruin-like building.

The voices grew louder as I climbed the crumbling stairs with missing bricks...

(Beyond this door...)

After confirming that I could hear the voices by pressing my ear against the door, I resolutely reached for the doorknob.

-

Kate: ... Huh!?

As I opened the door, the scene that unfolded before me was—

A canopied bed draped in a thin veil.

And... the figures of multiple men and women intertwined.

(Wh-Wh-What...)

The room seemed to have no other purpose... wherever I looked, there was nowhere for my eyes to rest.

Alfons: ... Hehe, you're a bad girl for following me all the way here.

Kate: Huh!?

Alfons emerged from behind the curtains and smoothly embraced my waist.

Kate: A-Alfons!

As I opened my mouth, the sweet scent filling the room and something I couldn't tell if it was smoke or steam flowed in.

For a moment, I inhaled deeply, and my vision swayed dizzily.

(Wh-What... Is this a drug, or something...? )

Alfons: You were totally obvious while tailing me. You're a bad little robin.

His voice reached her ears, sometimes sounding distant, sometimes close, making it impossible to respond properly.

Woman in lingerie: Al, who is that girl?

Woman with long black hair: Cute... Hey, won't you play with me too?

Half-naked man: You must've had a hard time too, right? Let's forget everything here.

Her body swayed from side to side, as if being pulled from both directions.

Alfons: ...Well, yes.

Alfons: Want to play together?

(Play... together...? )

Her thoughts were hazy, making it hard to think straight.

But, her senses were strangely sharp––.

Kate: Ah...

Just the slight movement of Alfons's fingertips, sneaking in through the gap in my blouse, made my skin break out in goosebumps.

(My body... remembering last night...)

Kate: Ah... p-please... stop...

Woman with long black hair: Hehe... such an innocent reaction... hey, can I touch too?

Alfons: No way. She's my recent favorite.

Woman with long black hair: Oh? That's rare...

I could hear their conversation, but I couldn't muster any strength in my arms or legs.

Alfons: You're as defenseless as ever.

Alfons' amused expression looked down at me, leaning against his arm.

His hand traces the curve of my body and reaches between my legs, and my hips start to move on their own.

Kate: Ah, ah, ah... Hi? Why am I...?

(My body is hot... I'm going to go crazy...)

Alfons: I know all about your little secrets.

Alfons: After all, we have a special relationship, don't we?

He smiles, looking into my eyes.

Maybe it's because of something I inhaled, but my body's sensitivity is only getting higher...

Kate: Nn, stop... , ah, uh... I, no...

Alfons: ... Ah-ha, stop saying that, you're getting me so wet.

Alfons: Were you perhaps expecting this even as you chased me here from the bar?

--CHOICES--

...That could be true

I don't know

I'm not expecting anything

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

Kate: Expectations... I don't have... any... expectations...

Alfons: Really? It's not just a bluff...?

Alfons: They say this fragrance has the effect of heightening certain emotions...

Alfons: In your case, it might just be fueling your usual stubbornness...?

Alfons: ---Shall I reveal your true feelings?

(Eh?)

Alfons suddenly looks around.

On the bed lie empty cocktail glasses, a single earring, a corset, garter belts, and a tie.

Alfons: Ah, here's something interesting.

Picking up a fallen hand mirror, Alfons slowly lowers his arm.

(...Wh, what...?)

I can't grasp his intention with my hazy mind, and I follow the movement of his arm with my eyes.

Alfons chuckles faintly near my ear and flips the mirror over.

Kate: --- Nn, no...!

There, reflected in the mirror, was my shameful state.

His fingers wriggled beneath my messy skirt, opening the gap in my underwear and penetrating my wet spot.

Overwhelmed by the sight of it all, I was struck by such confusion and shame that I wanted to run away.

Kate: W-well...

Alfons: But, come on, don't you feel great?

Actually - he was right.

Even my own lewdness reflected in the mirror fueled my pleasure, and that fact plunged me deeper into a spiral of confusion.

Alfons: Stop trying to find something that isn't there, like my weaknesses.

Alfons: Just surrender to pleasure.

Kate: Ah, ah, ah...

My voice and the sound of water mingled with the laughter and squeals that filled the room.

Unable to stand any longer, I collapsed onto a large, four-poster bed.

Alfons: Do you want to feel even better?

I stared at the smiling face that was now hovering over me.

The feel of the sheets against my back, his approaching breath, the touch of his hands sneaking under the hem of my disheveled dress...

(Has Alfons done this... on this bed before?)

(How many times... with whom?)

(Will he do the same to me?)

Kate: ...

The moment I thought that, I pushed Alfons away.

Alfons: Oh-ho.

Kate: ... I'm going home!!

As I hastily got out of bed, the hand mirror fell to the floor.

I heard the sound of the mirror breaking, but I didn't have time to care.

Alfons: Is that so? Be careful on your way home.

Alfons remained sprawled out on the bed, unhurried.

I wanted to say something, so I turned around just once.

Alfons: ... What's the matter? Do you want to continue?

Kate: -- Oh,

Kate: Well, too much alcohol and staying up late is bad for your health, you know!

I blurted out whatever came to mind, and it sounded like a parting shot...

(Ugh...)

Embarrassed, I ran out of the room without looking back.

Alfons: .............

The door was slammed shut by Kate's hand.

Alfons: ... pfft, hahaha!

No one seems to notice Alfons clutching his stomach and laughing.

Behind me, the usual debauchery continues.

Alfons: Haa... You're really a fool, aren't you?

-

My legs wobble as I stumble out into the alley, bumping into things here and there. Someone's outstretched arm catches me.

Roger: Whoa there. Kate, are you okay?

Kate: Haa... Haa...!

(The tailing failed...!)

Alfons is living a life of debauchery, just as I expected.

That undeniable fact was all that was burned into my mind.

(Once again, I've fallen right into his trap and been placated by pleasure...)

(I couldn't get ahold of any leverage at all.)

Liam: Your breathing is really ragged... Are you okay?

Kate: I'm fine... I'll never give up...!

If I back down, he'll just keep playing around as he pleases... And besides.

(Even after all this, I still can't help but wonder why he has that unhappy-looking smile.)

.

.

.

.

.

.

Chapter 7

If you’d like to support my translations, feel free to buy me a coffee here! :)

[iamjucie]

A History in Lessons

Chapter 5: "Your Most Prized Spawn" pt. 3

You take a long sip from the cup. As soon as it touches your tongue, tingling warmness spreads through the roof of your mouth and spreads across your cheeks. It goes down very smoothly and has very strong notes of citrus, notably lemon... The warmness spreads further up your face, crawling behind your eyes and touching your mind. Your head reels for a moment and the room wavers slightly. Has it really been that long since you’ve drank?

Astarion is swept away by Count Zarovich, leaving you alone in a room of unwelcoming vampire lords. Leaving you alone to your thoughts. Alone, until a familiar face approaches you with a goblet of very, very strong wine.

AO3 link Word count: 1.6k Rating: Mature CW: Implied drugging

(thank you @itsthatpearl for beta reading as always <3 love u)

You begrudgingly take his hand and he helps you off the ground and you set off out the door to join the other lords and ladies of the night.

He drags you along, holding your hand limply behind him and dropping it as soon as you are within the eyesight of the elegant party goers. You stand on the outskirts of the crowd. Vampires chatting, dancing, and intermingling with one another; you look from the crowd to Astarion. You imagine him intertwined with the set of people before you and it doesn’t feel right. The Astarion you loved would be scoffing at this group, making fun of the way they all pretend to like each other, not desperate to have them like him. Not pushing you away for their approval.

You shake off your angst for the time being and look back to the dance floor. While scanning the crowd, you spot a tall lord standing at the opposite end of the ballroom. You do a double take, flinching slightly when you realize he is looking directly at you, now staring predatorily into your eyes between the crowd of people. Astarion doesn’t seem to notice. You maintain eye contact with the man, squinting slightly in an attempt to show him you have more fight to you than he may assume.

Astarion interrupts your staring contest. “Let’s find our proper place settings, shall we?”

You nod and look away from the man who continues staring at you like you're on the menu. Even after you’ve looked away, you can feel his eyes on you.

Not gaining more than two steps behind Astarion, you follow him as he politely greets the party goers with slight bows of his head. They respond to him with a bow and gentle smiles. The smile on their faces drop as soon as you attempt to do the same as your partner, however. Your polite greetings are met with a deadpan, borderline threatening stare from each of them. After the third or fourth failed attempt at being cordial, you give up and leave it to Astarion.

You continue to walk around the ballroom when suddenly Count Zarovich appears from thin air and clasps his hand on top of Astarion’s shoulder with a firm grip. The Count leans into his ear. “I saw you escape the party to admire the decor within the castle.” 

Astarion flinches and tenses up, his shoulders rise to his ears. He glances at you with eyes that scream, “We’re in trouble, get ready to run.” 

Astarion winds up to begin to apologize and grovel in an attempt to remain in the Count’s good graces. He is certainly the last person you want to be on the bad side of. Especially as a new Vampire Lord.

He leans away slightly, hand still remaining on Astarion’s shoulder and exclaims to both of your surprise “If you wanted a tour you only had to ask, my Ascended brother!” the Count begins to pull your partner away from you. “I will show you every inch of the castle! You’re doing renovations yourself, yes? Maybe the Ravenloft Castle can be of inspiration to you!” he continues talking at Astarion as he is pulled further away from you. Your partner turns over his shoulder to face you as the Count continues to talk his ear off. 

“Behave.” He mouths to you 

You scoff and roll your eyes slightly. As if there’s anything else to do. None of the attendants of this ball are anyone you care to be friendly with. You watch as Astarion and his tour guide disappear into a hallway adjacent to the ballroom. 

You remain outside the main pulse of the ball, watching the different lords and ladies enjoy their time. People watching was one of your favorite hobbies when you would to get out of the palace more often. 

You find that although all the attendees are very different in appearance, they all have mannerisms that remain the same between all of them. The way they walk, the way they move their heads and hands when conversing, it’s as if there was a class on how to behave when you become a vampire lord.

You suppose when you live for long enough, all habits and subconscious behaviors would begin to meld into one result. Is this your future? A copy paste vampire lady attending a ball, putting on a nice face to remain in the good graces of your immortal counterparts? Part of you says, “No, you’re different from the rest of them.” and another says “Yes. You are not the exception.”

Your partial spiral is interrupted by a tap on the shoulder. It startles you. You hadn’t expected anyone here to interact with you, so you had allowed yourself to get fully lost in thought. You turn to see the woman you had seen at the entrance standing next to the Count when he greeted you. Well, when he greeted Astarion. She’s his spawn.

She holds a goblet out to you. “Do you drink?” You look from her eyes (that appear much more full of life than the first interaction you had with her) to inside the goblet. Thick purple liquid sloshes inside as she pushes it closer to you. You look at her, a friendly gentle smile spread across her lips. “I’m Fuchsia. Count Zarovich’s favored spawn.”

Well, if you’re going to enjoy talking to anyone in this place, it would most likely be another spawn. Looking around, it appears you two are the only spawns allotted by their counterparts to be in the center of the party. 

“Hells, why not.” you take the goblet with a smile. “It’s been a minute since I’ve partaken, but it is a party after all. I’m Tav.” 

“Really? If I had the ability to drink alcohol without it tasting putrid, I’d be spending my time drunk as a sailor." She laughs lightly. "So, you do have the same abilities as the Vampire Ascendant as his spawn do you not?” She asks with a slight tilt to her head and the same lighthearted tone. 

You take a long sip from the cup. As soon as it touches your tongue, tingling warmness spreads through the roof of your mouth and spreads across your cheeks. It goes down very smoothly and has very strong notes of citrus, notably lemon. “Yes, I do. And because of that, I can tell you this wine is delicious.” The warmness spreads further up your face, crawling behind your eyes and touching your mind. Your head reels for a moment and the room wavers slightly. Has it really been that long since you’ve drank?

“I’m glad it’s to your standards.” She sits at an empty table setting and pats at the chair next to her indicating you to sit. You do. You take another sip from the goblet. “So, tell me about your master.” she asks. 

“Mm-” you finish your sip with a slight chuckle. You wipe the wine from the corner of your mouth. “Please, I only call him that in the bedroom.”

Your eyes open wide, and your lips purse. Did you just say that out loud? Why the fuck did you just say that out loud? You put a hand on your mouth in shock at your remark. The Count’s spawn only laughs.

“You’re so funny! No wonder he keeps you around.” 

“He better keep me around.” Gods- why can’t you stop talking?! You shouldn’t be sharing this. Not with a stranger. The way Astarion is acting he surely doesn’t want anyone to know that- “We are lovers.” Your words spill from your thoughts to your tongue. 

She stops laughing and her gaze becomes slightly serious for a moment. “Oh, you aren’t joking. Are you seriously treated as an equal by him? Calling him not by master, but by his name?”

“Yes, as well as other pet names like darling, babe, baby, daddy, etcetera.”

Your mind is clouding and your vision is slightly warping. You’re having trouble keeping any of your thoughts inside your head, they are pouring out like a waterfall. You can’t even think straight. As moments pass, you seem to care less and less about what you say. It must be really strong wine. 

Fuck it. Astarion left you to have fun on his own, why can’t you have some fun too? You take the last sip of wine from the cup.

“That’s fascinating.” the other spawn leans onto the table with both of her hands on her chin holding up her head. “What can you tell me about how your ma- sorry, how Astarion managed to become the Vampire Ascendant.” 

You lean into her closely and whisper loudly, “Truth be told, he couldn’t have done it without me.” You raise your eyebrows and bring the goblet to your lips to take another sip, forgetting you had already finished it.

Her face is shocked, but intrigued. “Oh? How so?”

You lean back into a sigh, crossing your arms at your stomach. “Well, how much time do you have?”

She looks around the ballroom, scanning for any signs of Astarion and Count Zarovich. “How long are they gone for?” she asks. 

“Hmm… twenty minutes maybe?”

“Oh.” she scoffs “We have plenty of time. They probably haven’t even reached the Master's garden yet.” she chuckles. 

“Perfect.” You lean closer into her, preparing for the dramatic retelling of you and your lover’s origin. “Well, it started on a mindflayer ship.” Fuchsia raises her eyebrows curiously.

Next part

[shakebelton]

let me be serious for a sec about adam and blake and their images and fame and online discussion that goes with it and why i even care...

the thing about adam levine is that it's damn impressive how resilient he is. i would just be fucking evil now if i were him, but he's chilling. in retrospect, knowing all the facts, 2018-2022 was just a really messy depressive spiral for him (i'd like to think i would've picked up on it if i were following his life in any way at that point but who knows really) and it's just insane how he got (and still gets) dragged to hell and back for every minor messy thing he did. i think the public should forgive him, but also like i think there's nothing to forgive. it's just clown level discourse, everything that's been happening around him these past few years especially.

i cannot even imagine that every single one of my, however slight, fuckups, is ridiculed by millions of people for months at a time. once, i cried at an airport at 5 am when i found out from a tweet a person hated me (it hurt more that they admitted it wasn't really for any discernible reason). if i had 10% of the things that happened to him happen to me i would've straight up killed myself or been full on evil by now. and like, i'm not really seeing the jerk people talk about. god knows i've dug around in his life for two years now and i'm not seeing a bad person. and granted, he's literally Just Some Guy with flaws to me, not an "adorable kitten who must be protected" as 2013 tumblr seemed to believe, but also i'm not seeing an asshole. and yeah maybe he's somehow shittier than i think, there's so much private stuff i might not know about, but what i know is, every public thing of his that i've seen criticised is just horribly misconstrued, like it's just plain wrong just about all the time. like i'll be looking at him talk about his workout and he comes across fine, funny and down to earth, and then i'll read the comments and it's people saying he's full of himself. i'll see him recoil in shock as a fan he didn't see approach runs into him on stage and all the people are saying he thinks he's better than everyone. it really makes you think... like whenever i see something about people saying he was a jerk when they met him, i really question the truth of that, because i've seen what they label 'jerk' behavior from him and they are straight up wrong, straight up.

and it's not like i even want to like him either. he's too rich, too talented and too good looking, and lives at a level of comfort i cannot even imagine if i try, and it pisses me off. but goddamn it if it isn't downright impressive/commendable how he can go on with his life with the amount of hate thrown around. he's stepping back, shutting up, minding his own business in the face of ill intentioned insanity, and it's almost incomprehensible to me.

it's somewhat similar when it comes to blake too, by the way. the shit that man's gone through and is still going through about everything related to his divorce with miranda and him getting together with gwen, i cannot even grasp it. and unlike adam's, blake's situation is even more crazy in some ways, because so much of stuff about him is just lies, like just completely made up by tabloids things, or full on delusions. and it's hard for me to imagine carrying on with my life, calm and silent, in that face of things like that potentially happening to me, and i applaud them for it.

so when it comes to me writing fanfic about them, i started out with mostly fun things, like pretty much on the crack side, just because their stuff on the voice is mostly banter and it's funny and you naturally try to replicate that dynamic in your writing. but lately i've been trying to explore angsty writing more, and the truth is that i can't even scratch the surface of it, of the level of low i perceive them to have experienced. some of it's really just drawn out hell, and i can't stay there long enough, story wise, to give it the justice it deserves. but i'm gonna keep at it, because the bad, upsetting things they've gone through just astonish me, and it's just endlessly fascinating to explore complex human emotion like that, and some of it even helps me work through my own trauma or figure things out in my own life. so at the end of the day, it's not all about them, it's about me, but sometimes i just can't stop thinking about their stories.

[beepbeepinthecorner]

I GOTTA know your thoughts on the Diet of Dungeons finale because that shit changed my LIFE. I cried (happy), I cried (sad), I screamed I threw up etc etc

Oh my GOD how do i even get into my thoughts!! I was clutching my head thumping my desk rolling on the floor and scrabbling at the walls for like, the whole last 5 episodes or something!! So amazing. Best way I can break down my thoughts is by going character by character I think- just explaining what I was feeling for them. Insanely long rant incoming~

Markus feels like a reasonable place to start. The lead up to the finale was a strange one for him. Initially he was feeling pretty good, just having a goofy chase scene with his friends. I think once he started having visions of The Tower is when things started getting a little more serious for him. Markus is no stranger to mind muddling magics, but for this illusion borne of seemingly nothing to so thoroughly overwhelm him out of nowhere? It spooked him for sure. And then of course, his step into the tear. Markus Velafi. Markus “this can’t be the only option” Velafi. Markus “we can find a way around this” Velafi. Markus “Conga Line for Peace” Velafi. Markus jumped into a tear in reality without a second for thought or discussion. It speaks such volumes about Markus that he will minimize collateral to the moon and back, right up until he’s the one on the line. A trait he shares with several of his friends, if we’re being honest here. I think it also speaks to the trust he has in himself as well as his friends though! Because his leap wasn’t one of sacrifice- it was one of faith! He never planned to die there. He hit the ground running and was prepared to fall back on whatever it was his friends came up with.

Onto The Ashen Knight. Ohhh my god. When he came out of that door and stood up..!! Absolutely blown away. And the flashbacks?!? That is truly a man who wants one thing: to see his husband. And that his life with his husband was taken from him? That explains why he hates those who take. Why those who take are monsters to him!! AOUGHH. Makes me insane that he was reunited with his necromancer husband’s ghost btw!! Perfect ending for him!!

HARLOCK AUHHH this arc is the beginning of so much growth for her!!! She has been denying denying denying that she has any affection for these people she chooses to follow. But god damn it if that were the case she’d be long gone by now! Her charge has vanished into the night, yet Harlock remains. Because whether she says so or not she likes these people, and she doesn’t want them to die. In fact, she goes so far as to repeat her greatest only mistake at great personal cost. She tore open reality with her bare hand because god damn it, maybe this time she can save her family. Her conversation with Emile afterwards is also so enlightening to her relationship with Gregor. When she is looking at Gregor she is looking in a mirror. Just a kid who lost so much and just can’t seem to stop losing. And she desperately needs to save him, because in a way that would be saving herself. The world doesn’t need more Harlocks, but it could certainly use more Gregors.

Speaking of Gregor.. ouuughhHFF. This was a really rough finale for him!!! A lot of Gregor’s personal ass trauma got dragged to the surface the last few episodes and he did not react well. There has been a viciousness bubbling just below his surface for most of the arc, and it absolutely exploded in the form of animalistic rage when he came face to face with The Boar. One moment that left me fucking stunned was when Gregor impaled The Boar, and The Boar actually said “Ventis..?” That made me fucking crazy. That must have been so diabolically infuriating and confusing for Gregor. To be addressed as your mentor by the man who killed your mentor. Christ alive. The entire fight was a sequence of brutality after brutality but that moment really got me. And then, to really drive salt into the wound, Markus steps into the tear and Gregor loses his family for a third time. They aren’t all gone yet, but he’s seen it happen like this before. They all fall away, one by one, until it’s just him left. It broke my damn heart seeing him desperately grasping at the people he has left. Grabbing at Markus’s arm, only for it to turn to mist in his clutches. Begging Harlock to open the portal back up because Markus is still in there! And then he finds out Ashe is missing. Golly. Gregor’s only saving grace was that Zalvetta was there for him. Watching him absolutely crumble when he couldn’t protect his third fucking family was fucking heart wrenching.

And Rory the Story Bamboozlé is alive????

I think that uhhh pretty much sums up my thoughts?? It was a god damn rollercoaster for sure.

This is a lot longer than I was going for lmao. Too many thoughts in head

[crimsonkenjii-writes]

okay after that tag game I can’t help but think about my faves as cats. I need to ramble now.

Giyuu: cute all black cat. Hair on the longish side, but surprisingly easy to care for. He’s an overall chill cat. Maybe a little too chill. Sometimes you really wander what’s going on in his head, he’s been staring at that same spot on the wall for a hour now. Not amused much by toys. Will go crazy for crinkly ones but gets of them quite easily and just paws at it gently instead of flinging it across the room and chasing after it like he was moments ago. Occasionally gets him stuck in places he can’t get himself out of. He was just curious. And now regrets it. Seems almost humanly embarrassed whenever you gotta help him out. He loves sitting on your lap and chest. He’ll knead your chest too. Always wants to be near you and see what you’re doing. He will follow you into the bathroom. NO closed doors in this household. He’ll press his nose against the door and meow so loud and sad until you open it up. His meow quickly turning cute and innocent.

Aki: Little brat tbh LMAO. All black short hair cat. He’s a petty ass cat. He will knock your water off your table if you fed him two minutes late. Loves cuddles though, so clingy. Has a real nice loud and deep purr. Looovvesss scritches on the chin, he does the whole eye squint and pushing his head out to get more. He’ll knead on you too. He don’t care, he wanna use your thigh, even if you didn’t cut his claws yet. He’s finally being affectionate, you gotta smile through the pain. He only wants attention once HE demands it. He’s the cuddliest thing when he approaches you first. But you see him sitting all cute in his tower and want to come up and pet him?? WHACK. He likes to sleep in bed with you every night though. And he INSISTS on sharing your pillow. If it snows where you live, he likes to watch the snowflakes through the window. He’ll walk around in the snow if you put him out there but he’s doing the whole one step *shake foot* one step *shake foot* and that’s about all he’ll do. He’s (slowly) walking back into the house. Jumps on your shoulder and watches you cook.

Kento: one of them fancy spotted ones. I’ll look up the specifies later. Idk what kinds of temperaments those kinds of cats would have. But this is Kento energy now so it don’t matter bc I said so. He’s the most easy going cat anybody would ever own. He’s why the stereotype of cats being “fully independent pets” came from. Barely vocal, he’s a very quiet cat. He’ll only speak once it’s getting close to his feeding time. You always feed him at 6pm?? He’s meowing politely and sitting patiently at his bowl at exactly 5:50 to remind you it’s almost time to feed him and to not be late. Just about as affectionate as Aki. He needs his alone time, and will come to you when he’s craving cuddles again. Has a real deep purr, low and sometimes you either gotta feel him or lean in close to hear his purrs. He always smells so good, he doesn’t really get stinky. He will clean himself after you kiss him lolol. He likes sitting on your lap. He’s also ALWAYS curious about what your cookin. He never wants to eat any of the food you give him to sniff, he simply just wants to sniff and watch lolol.

Shouta: such a sassy cat. Definitely a stray you randomly just came home with one day with no preparation whatsoever. Very very recluses cat. Doesn’t like hugs, doesn’t like being held. Doesn’t like being groomed bc it goes into being man handled. Such a soft little baby once he starts to warm up to you though (which definitely takes a while). Softly nudges your arm with his face, looking at you with big sad eyes bc he wants pets lolol. He never sits on top of you either, he’ll always be touching but never on top. When he does, it’s RARE!!! Maybe once a year. And it will be your chest when you’re sleeping lolol. Snooziest cat, he doesn’t like toys, he almost looks like he finds them ridiculous. Old man in a cats body. WILL make himself comfy. Bought him a bed? Nah, your blanket and pillows are better.

[loveroftoomanyfandoms]

Every Little Thing She Does is Magic, Chapter 8

Pairing: Platonic Steven Grant x Reader (for now, but we just might slowly be heading into non-platonic territory! 👀)

Rating: T

Word count: ~2300

Story Summary: Steven meets a beautiful woman in the Egyptian exhibit at the British Museum...

...Too bad she's his new boss.

Tags/Warnings: Canon Divergent since Steven still works for the British Museum post-canon, No Jake Lockley, developing friendship, wingman Marc 😉

A/N: I'm back!!! October is the busiest month of the year for me as far as day job goes, but since it's over I have more free time to write, so enjoy this next chapter!

Tag list: @runny-mascara

Let's see, we've got Jason, Sibohan, Ruby, and myself next Thursday, Steven thought to himself later that afternoon as he penciled in a tour for a group of students from a nearby summer camp on his desktop calendar. That won't be a problem.

He looked up as a light knock sounded on his door, his brow furrowing when he realized Dr. Y/L/N was standing in his open doorway with her purse hanging across her shoulder. 

“Hi,” she said. “Just seeing if you're ready to go.”

Steven looked at the clock on his computer, which read 5:06 PM. “Bollocks.”

Dr. Y/L/N huffed out a light laugh. “It's okay.”

Steven shut his computer down then grabbed his messenger bag out of his desk drawer. “I'm so sorry, give me just a moment. I was working on a couple of things and lost track of time.”

Dr. Y/L/N shook her head as Steven joined her. “Really, it's fine. I'm not in a hurry.”

Steven bit his lip. “In that case, would you… er, would you maybe like to stop for a cup of tea on the way home?”

A soft smile spread across Dr. Y/L/N’s face. “Sure, that sounds lovely.”

Steven grinned, pleased that she had accepted his invitation. “Great! Shall we, then?” 

They bade goodbye to Marlie, Fiona, and Darren, who were on the evening tour shift, then headed out of the museum.

“The weather's nice today, isn't it?” Dr. Y/L/N said as they descended the museum steps together. “It's definitely starting to feel like fall.”

Steven nodded. “I love this time of year.” 

“Me too.”

“So, how was your day?”

Dr. Y/L/N shrugged. “It was fine. Managed to get caught up on some stuff I had been behind on because of everything that was going on last week, so that was good. How was yours? Any fun tour groups today?”

Steven shook his head. “Not really. To be honest our guided tour numbers have been a bit low for the past couple of weeks, even including group bookings.”

Dr. Y/L/N nodded. “I was looking at statistics from the past few years and it seems like there's always a dip in paid tours around this time, but even with the slowdown we've had three times more tour bookings than we had the entirety of last year so I'm not overly concerned. It'll pick back up once school starts in a few weeks.”

Steven nodded, reassured by Dr. Y/L/N’s confidence in him. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

They walked the rest of the way to the café in comfortable silence, just enjoying the sunshine and each other's company. 

Once they had reached the entrance, Steven opened the door for Dr. Y/L/N. “After you, ma'am.”

Dr. Y/L/N smiled at him as she stepped inside. “Why, thank you, kind sir.”

Steven chuckled then followed her to the register, recognizing the same young man who had taken their orders the last time they had been there.

“Afternoon,” Michael said. “What can I get for you?”

“May I have a cup of Earl Grey and a scone, please?” Dr. Y/L/N replied.

Steven pulled his wallet out of his pocket. “Make that two of each, please.”

He shook his head as Dr. Y/L/N turned to him to protest. “I’ve got it.”

Dr. Y/L/N bit her lip. “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

Dr. Y/L/N smiled. “Okay then. Thank you.”

Michael tapped at the register screen. “Anything else?”

“No thank you.”

Michael nodded. “Okay, your total is £8.43. Name for the order?”

Steven handed Michael his bank card. “Steven -- with a ‘v’.”

“Okay, I'll have that right out for you.”

“Thanks.”

“Where do you want to sit?” Dr. Y/L/N asked as they headed towards the tables.

Steven gestured towards the corner table they had sat at the first time they'd had tea and coffee together outside of work. “How about the same table as last time?”

Dr. Y/L/N nodded. “Yeah, that's good.”

They walked over to the table.

Steven bit his lip as they sat. “I, er, I wanted to thank you for the kind words you said about me in my evaluation.”

Dr. Y/L/N shook her head with a soft smile. “I didn't say anything that wasn't 100% true. You are a wonderful person and are absolutely incredible at your job, Steven. Keep up the good work.”

Steven nodded, his face heating at the praise. “I will, ma'am.” 

“When we first met I assumed that you were a tour guide or at the very least that you worked in curation because of how observant and knowledgeable you were about the exhibits.” Dr. Y/L/N huffed out a quiet laugh. “Imagine my surprise when I pulled your employee file and discovered that you worked in the gift shop."

She bit her lip. “Not that there was anything wrong with that, of course, I just meant --”

Steven shook his head. “Oh no, it's fine, I completely understand. I, er, I actually had always wanted to be a tour guide but there weren't any positions available when I applied at the museum, so I took the job in the gift shop intending to eventually transfer departments.”

He paused. “By the time there was a tour guide position open though Donna had already been promoted to gift shop manager and kept telling me that it would never happen and that I shouldn't bother applying.”

Dr. Y/L/N sighed. “I know I'm not supposed to say this, but I'm glad to be rid of her.”

Steven shook his head with a grin. “I won't tell anyone if you won't, because I am too. To be honest, I never really cared for her.”

Dr. Y/N huffed out a laugh. “It'll be our little secret then.”

Steven nodded then looked over at the pick-up counter as Michael called out his name. “I'll be right back.”

Dr. Y/L/N nodded. “Okay.”

Steven headed over to the counter and picked up their order, thanking Michael before bringing it over to the table. “Here we are.”

Dr. Y/L/N smiled up at him as he set the saucer holding her cup of tea and scone down in front of her. “Thank you.”

Steven set his own cup of tea and scone down on the table then sat. “You're welcome.”

He dipped his tea bag into his hot water to help his tea steep. “Oh, I've been meaning to ask you, have you tried any of the other teas from the collection I got for you?”

Dr. Y/L/N nodded. “Oh, yeah. Most of them, actually.”

She pulled a small pocket-sized notebook out of her purse and handed it to him. “I found this tea journal online and figured it would be the easiest way to keep track of what varieties I liked and didn't like and why.”

Steven opened it, smiling at Dr. Y/L/N’s hand-written notes for each variety of tea. Variety: Earl Grey. Flavor profile: Fruity (contains bergamot). Notes: Recommended by Steven G. from work. Excellent, definitely a favorite. Variety: English Breakfast. Flavor profile: Dark, kind of a roasted flavor? Notes: Tastes like the tea back home. I like it. Variety: Peach-orange oolong. Flavor profile: Peach and a hint of orange. Notes: Lighter tea, wonderful flavor. Variety: Lady Grey. Flavor profile: Earl Grey with lemon. Notes: Lemon overpowers the bergamot. Not a fan. Variety: Chai. Flavor profile: Spice? Notes: Very warm wintery flavors (I can definitely taste cinnamon and nutmeg). Will probably be a go-to during the colder months.

He read through her notes on the rest of the teas she had tried and handed the notebook back to her. “I love that you're keeping notes. It’s very you .” 

“Oh.” Dr. Y/L/N looked down at her cup as she stirred some sugar into her tea. “Yeah. Thanks.”

She took a sip. “Since I'm almost done with these I might get some different ones to try out. There are so many varieties out there that sound interesting -- like chamomile honey vanilla, green tea with blackcurrant, pomegranate, and peach, and mango pineapple.”

Steven added a teaspoon of sugar to his own tea. “I've never had any of those varieties, although they all do sound interesting.”

Dr. Y/L/N bit her lip. “Maybe you can try them with me then -- if you want to, that is.”

Steven nodded. “Yeah, that sounds lovely.”

“Great! I'll let you know when I get them.”

Steven grinned. “I'll bring some biscuits and we can have our own little tea tasting session in the staff kitchen at work.”

Dr. Y/L/N huffed out a light laugh. “Sounds like a plan.”

She took another sip of her tea. “So have you gotten a chance to explore the neighborhood yet?”

Steven shook his head. “Not really. I was actually planning on going for a bit of a wander this weekend, check out the neighborhood shops.”

Dr. Y/L/N nodded. “Let me know if you want some company. My weekends are usually pretty free.”

“Yeah.” Steven smiled at the thought of getting to spend more time with Dr. Y/L/N outside of work. “Yeah, I will.”

He and Dr. Y/L/N continued to talk as they enjoyed their tea and scones.

Dr. Y/L/N set her cup down after taking her last sip. “Ready to head out?”

Steven nodded. “Yeah, I should probably get home, check on Gus.”

They collected their dishes and brought them to the return counter, thanking Michael again before leaving the café and continuing towards their respective apartment buildings.

“Thank you again for the tea -- and for walking me home again, of course,” Dr. Y/L/N said once they had reached her building. “I know it's a pretty short walk, but it's still nice having someone to talk to along the way.”

Steven nodded. “You’re quite welcome, ma'am, and I agree. I'd be happy to walk home with you anytime, especially since we're now in the same neighborhood.”

Dr. Y/L/N reached out and touched his arm, a soft smile on her face. “I'd really like that. I'll see you tomorrow, then?”

Steven nodded, his heart quickening in his chest at her touch. “See you tomorrow.”

He waited until Dr. Y/L/N was inside before taking a deep breath and continuing towards home.

Oh, buddy, Marc said as Steven headed up the street towards his apartment building. You’ve got it * bad* .

Steven sighed to himself. No matter how hard he had tried to fight them, his feelings for Dr. Y/L/N had blossomed into more than just a simple crush. 

It's not like I could help it, he replied silently. She's beautiful, and intelligent, and kind and caring and… and just a lovely person all-around.  

So what are you going to do about it?

Steven shook his head. What *can* I do? No matter how I feel about her, she's still my supervisor -- and not only that, she's the director of the entire museum.

So you're just going to suffer in silence and miss your chance with her, then.

Steven could hear the disappointment in Marc's voice. It's not like I have much of a choice. And don't you dare pretend to be me while you're in control of the body and tell her how I feel.

Marc scoffed, clearly offended by the mere suggestion. I would never do that.

I dunno, you asked Cheryl out without my knowledge.

No I didn't.

Well *I* certainly didn't ask her out for dinner at a bloody steakhouse!

You had to’ve, it just might've been during one of those weird moments where neither of us remember what happened.

Steven shook his head as he reached his apartment building, waiting until he had unlocked the door and headed inside before answering. It's just my bloody luck though, innit? Had to go and develop unrequited feelings for my very-off-limits boss.

I wouldn't be too sure about that.

Steven's brow furrowed. What do you mean?

Just that I'm not so sure your feelings are all that unrequited.

What makes you think that?

You don't see Dr. Y/L/N asking anyone else to taste-test new teas with her, do you?

Steven stopped by his mail receptacle before heading to the elevator. She was just being nice.

I doubt that, but even so, there have been other signs too. 

Steven caught Marc's reflection in the elevator door. “Like what?” he said aloud.

Marc shrugged. “Like the fact that when she's feeling overwhelmed and needs a break at the museum galas she seeks you out, not to mention the fact that you never hear about her offering to spend time with anyone else from work outside of work except for you.”

Steven shook his head as the elevator opened and he stepped inside. “She’s comfortable with me, that's all. And since we now live in the same neighborhood, we'd wind up running into each other anyway, so it makes sense for her to offer to accompany me on my walk this weekend.”

Marc smirked. “You honestly believe that she doesn't have any sort of non-professional feelings towards you?”

Steven shrugged as the elevator stopped on his floor. “I guess we've sort of become friends, but that's all there is -- on her end, at least.”

The elevator door opened and he stepped out into the hallway, shutting Marc out in the process. 

He shook his head, trying to clear it off the seed of possibility Marc had planted. He was completely wrong -- there was no way Dr. Y/L/N felt anything but friendly cordiality towards Steven.

...Was there?