#some events are already known
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
Note
Hello moma! Your feathers are really pretty jabe a flower!
But I have a question have you lost anybody important in your life? Or has anybody important turned back on you?
Beings don't turn on her really. There have been misunderstandings, fights, fallouts... But that is part of life and relationships.
She can't heal or please everyone afterall...
Creator note :
I'm trying to get back into it ! Now that is one is done, I can do the others faster, hopefully !!
This has been sitting in my asks for so long đ
I'm sorry for the asks that have been here for months, and the VA thing too
Thank you for your patience
In the meantime, I also sometimes share wttmv lore on my own little site (with the greenlight from the others on what I can share or not)
And some asks may be released early on ko-fi
Ik it's shameless promo but I gotta work on marketing myself and my work better
I bet most people don't even know my comms are open â¨
Anyway, that's all for the note
Thanks again for the patience
#welcome home au#welcome home#whmultiverse#keeper poppy au#multiverse mom#ask peacekeeper poppy#ask blog#poppy partridge#welcomehome#poppy welcome home#this one got big lore#i referenced many events or details#Nyxie got two ref because nepotism btw - it's the same event- she's just my fav child /j#get the theories rollin' !! /j#some events are already known#like Trader's event or Faceless backstory#big lore drop here#but I can drop bigger too#happy 400 followers !
60 notes
¡
View notes
Text
x
#HH i WAS just THINKING of drawing yuu visiting his place with a dress after attending the college event with everyone with usual suit get up#and maybe just did a little dance together and have him laughs at the fact she is dressed but actually barefoot; but then ... BUT THEN H#twisted wonderland#twst#sebek zigvolt#twst yuu#twst mc#fanart#i was thinking maybe this is set up by lilia again#but then i want trey senpai sincere *but goofy* compliment on the dress; maybe he helped to pick the dress#anyway that dress is so delicate and beautiful#that website has a lot of good green dresses#he actually suited up tidy just some while ago but he started dismantling himself when he got to be alone out of sadness & frustration#because of what he heard#maybe it was even an official announcement#details detai ls#one can only call her yumimi in several occasions -- or maybe forever if u get to that point of relationship with her#she prefer to be only known as yuu because she thinks the mimi in her name is too cutesy for her#i said this on tags on another post already but just for new people who are looking if u are reading this right now hello#i just wanted to draw yumimi in beautiful dress that was all#it's funny if i just imagine jade elbowing on trey and delivering better compliment for yumimi because jade knows the situation needs it#does it look more like cabbage roll#eeh
568 notes
¡
View notes
Text
Chasm: Curse of Kaine (Vol. 1/2024), #1.
Writer: Steve Foxe; Penciler and Inker: Andrea Broccardo; Colorist: Brian Reber; Letterer: Joe Caramagna
#Marvel#Marvel comics#Marvel 616#Chasm: Curse of Kaine#latest release#Scarlet Spider#Kaine#Kaine Parker#(âŚwhy am I feeling reminded of Spider-Man 3? alshsksj)#and Kay???? As in Sir Kay of the Round Table? Arthurâs foster brother known for his acid tongue? (please excuse the arthuriana)#anyway so hereâs the thing#Kaine is ???? remarkably mild-mannered here???#which sure is somethingâŚ#I guess the argument could be made that his time working with the New Warriors and leading a team during Scarlet Spiders#could have matured/mellowed him out a bit#but idk man#I always perceived Kaine as what youâd get if you wore down Peterâs already surprisingly short temper with chronic pain#and I liked that about him#he would cuss a blue streak at an old lady but he would still save that old lady#he had some major teeth and some very rough edges#maybe Iâm blowing things out of proportion with only one issue out of this series#but I was just surprised by howâŚcomparatively subdued Kaine is here#but all in all and again#at least heâs back on-panel and not as a last minute cameo after being absent the whole event hahaha
35 notes
¡
View notes
Text
Sunday doodles
#you ever just *puts feet on the wall*#or sit upside down off the side of your bed#i saw a post earlier this week I've been trying to find about fearing god#i read it but didn't have time to share my thoughts and i forgot to save it to my drafts so i lost it#anyway they talked about fearing god in service today#the overlap of related events like this scares me all the time#like... i know this stuff just happens and they had this sermon planned for months and it's coincidental#''but what if god is actually real and this is him trying to talk to me? what if he's trying to move me back on track?''#that's something i can't help but think#i'm starting to think I'll never know what is real and whether there's a god and if i really am setting myself up to burn in hell#i have to make a choice whether to leave my friends and hide who I am and go back to the church#or be myself and enjoy my time alive knowing what could be waiting for me when I go#I know that sounds extremely dramatic but it's something I think about a lot#it's one thing for someone to have never gotten to known God#but some say that the one unforgivable sin - the only thing that can keep you out of heaven forever...#...is knowing god and accepting him in your heart but then turning your back on him#I've done those rituals; been baptized and taken communion and said the famous prayer#if that unforgivable sin is true then I guess i've already made my choice; there really is no going back for me haha#damn right that god is scary lol#not tagging the game because I monolouged too much lmao#doodles#sunday doodles#depressing sunday doodle posts have arrived once again#dw im chilling today just lost in thought#was able to put in pto so i get the day to reflect on the very important things 21 year olds think about#things like ''what could've been'' and ''how do i want to draw my next fluffy boy''
8 notes
¡
View notes
Text
rewatched nerdy prudes must die for the first time since the digital ticket premiere and iâve been on a âthinking about the spankoffski brothersâ kick recently and something sort of notable is that ted is never mentioned. pete mentions his dad in the present tense, (sells womenâs shoes,) so heâs still around, mentions his mom in the past tense, (made him do tap as a kid,) so who knows if sheâs still alive/in peteâs life, but ted isnât mentioned once unless i missed something
but his connection to ted is still acknowledged, with the line richie says about how pete looks like the homeless guy, (which, ouch, thanks for that.) pete actively draws attention to his last name being spankoffski, and the nightmare time episodes that dropped before the release of npmd made it a point to show that pete is tedâs little brother and that he looks up to him. obviously there are some differences between the realities but not usually in who is related to who, or any major changes in how one person feels about another, so itâs safe to assume ted is still peteâs big brother, and that pete still cares about ted, making it a little weird that he never even mentions his brother
⌠unless ted is an sore subject in a way his parents arenât, someone heâd rather not think or talk about. afaik, we donât have any clue what age pete usually is when ted presumably goes âmissing,â so i sort of wonder if this is a reality where ted has already âgone missing,â and the reason that ted is never mentioned despite tedâs last name being considered a âspoilerâ and the material released before npmd going âPETE IS TEDâS BABY BROTHER BTW AND PETE CARES ABOUT HIMâ is because heâs already gone and peteâs like⌠mourning
#Iâve seen some fics about ted and pete interacting during the events of npmd#and for the record i like these fics a lot! but I kinda wonder if the intention was that Ted is already gone#ted showing up in person would have been difficult obviously since joey plays both him and pete but Pete never mentioning him feelsâŚ#intentional yâknow? like an intentional omission#ted spankoffski#peter spankoffski#npmd#nerdy prudes must die#there was originally going to be a scene where grace pins maxâs murder on the homeless guy#and he babbles that he didnât do it his brother did with nobody understanding or believing him#but nick said it got cut. i just think itâs interesting that the only planned Ted appearance for a story focused on Tedâs brother#was his time displaces homeless self and not the Ted pete would have known
13 notes
¡
View notes
Text
Threaded, bound, and rooted three trees today...
Can you tell I was stressed?
#suddenly added to some major stuff on thursday in a position i don't think i'm qualified to do yet#jessie has surgery tomorrow and i'm really worried about that#on top of other work i was already focused on#just kind of suddenly went from as low a pressure week as it could be considering the surgery#to having stuff pile up while i'm very much going to be worrying about the surgery#and having to focus like my life depends on it tomorrow because i'll have 45 minutes of director training#and then be expected to run an entire event solo thursday#i love the 2nd place I work with and I want to do the best job possible#but i will have almost no training to do a good job#and i know they arent setting me up to fail- ive known the guy in charge my entire career and he always has my back#but im worried#and im so worried about jessie's surgery#it is supposed to be very routine and simple but she has never had surgery before- at least not since she was fixed#and theyre operating on her face which cranks the anxiety up
2 notes
¡
View notes
Text
ohohoho got to the first big dark urge event.. my only fault with it is i wish they had included if your mc was honest with the others and told them of their urges BEFORE hand... so they could have different reactions.
like my mans was confessing to ALL of them, âhey i dont know who i am and i have these rlly dark urges that make me want to kill everyone around meâ
them, âoh haha! that seems fine, everyone has those urges sometimes :)â
like my guys should not have been that shocked to wake up to a dead body when they were warned in advance....... is all im saying......
#scatmaan complains#bg3 spoilers#this is def a bit more spoilery#i did love the event tho#i had already sorta known abt it#through seeing some spoilers#but i didnt know exactly what happened#also i wish they had made her speak to the dead dialogue more interesting#like bring up wtf happened
2 notes
¡
View notes
Text
that moment when: everyone's lives are restricted and constricted and these imposed consequences are attributed to anyone's continual individual failures to seek, find, and follow the Correct Path through Life, and so everyone is left on their own to only be seeking & finding these failures as well as the only answer to how their lives can be better....versus Not seeing the world as the free marketplace meritocracy of everyone's personal failures/successes, nor everything in your own life, and thus not forever having to scrutinize Where You Must Be Bringing It Upon Yourself by fucking up or at least failing to do the correct thing, and exist only in perpetual punishment for your ongoing failure and occasional temporary reprieves from it. recognizing everything that wasn't & isn't & wouldn't be [this is because you're bringing it upon yourself] and thus having more capacity & capability to look at the realm of your personal individual self, reality, experiences, life through the perpetual instances of seeking, finding, and following your own needs/wants through one's inherent personhood and exercises of autonomy and recognition of where & when & how one recognizes moments of their existing freely & in more resonant genuine alignment with themself, you know? endless examples to be found in endless fractals of [where & how are people's lives made smaller]. and that of course this doesn't preclude the ability/option at any time to question one's choices, since you'll be able to find more Actual choices available to you (and, also crucially, find more actual choices made by others that are in the pursuit of limiting Yours) to look at, and people getting to exercise their autonomy isn't the same as "everyone doing anything they want regardless of how it affects others" since that [how does it affect others?] element instead being Regarded would be able to lead to recognizing that, in fact, an effect might be the infringement on others' autonomy, hence: There's A Problem....like the ability to just go ham with [questioning???] anything in existence, certainly including oneself, b/c the "norm" is such that rather you're only supposed to be able to question yourself for your failings (or those positioned as less than, thus, beneath you) and not even have the language to express a questioning of aspects of life beyond that b/c stop calling anyone "cis" they're just Normal, Just Be Normal and it would all be fine
#brought to you by: i think one of my feelings lately of A Shift is in my less than ever running this like continuous background function of#looking for Thee Answer (just like the black suits) in any & everything that could serve as the Key to like. whatever could fit into place#to like set things on a [hell yeah. life? better] path. juxtaposing this recent sense of things with the [lol. in retrospect i Do see a new#context wherein i can Recognize smthing abt myself] past going on of like. granpa greentext story be me be fifteen i'm in college b/c i hat#school i also mostly assumed i'd probably fail out freshman yr but didn't. i've never known what i'd wanna major in & as a sophomore i'm de#supposed to figure it out in time for scheduling my jr yr classes (though Ideally have known from the start / been scheduling thusly) & so#many evenings during dinner i'm furiously perusing the daily print news as i've been doing for some yrs to Keep Up W/Current Events but now#also consciously like ''boy i hope in the course of doing this i stumble across some info that sparks some eureka moment of Getting what my#major should Obviously be so i can understand the rest of my life around [do job] b/c i sure as hell don't understand it around [be married#much less [be parent] so one option remains obvi'' whereas now i realize like lol you Were figuring out a guiding light in doing so & that#perspective being honed was one of Having A Political Analysis times....which also provides another Example of [only being able to interpre#what makes your life & your world the way it is: via Your Personal Failures to have already Had Better] in that just like i often forget i#misguidedly (but also reasonably; clearly also using & seeking that autonomy & freedom) tried to have a better existence within the#situation i was in by Coming Out As Trans to parents via an email that was then not directly discussed ever; b/c any legitimate discussion#was not permissible like how so many matters of [supposed correct existence] are Unspeakable so as to be Unquestionable#languaging that succeeds & sustains itself having to be expansive / flexible / creative / evolving too. Making Up Words hell yes#anyways so i also forget i Did try to propose majoring in things that Did more approach what i was suspecting were things i'd wanna do#but even the first like expression of anything on the periphery of that was met with ''no you'd hate it b/c you'd have to deal w/Stupid Ppl#every day'' (by which was meant; with believed inherent synonymity: poor people) & then i also will oft forget i pushed for it any further#which i Know i did b/c of it next being met with angry & aggressive ''i've never heard you talk abt that interest before So''#(wonder why? withholding info to protect yourself=finding room in one's life for existing more freely; exercising the autonomy to Do That)#but it's easy to forget b/c The All Encompassing Perspective was rather [i'm sure Failing to just Know my major for the sole possibility fo#defining one's entire life: The Correct Dream Job] & then Failing to push it or just express it & be understood ''correctly'' even if i Did#have any ideas in that realm. vs seeing how i Was succeeding & was recognizing shit & pursuing it & looking out for myself & etccc#it's undeniable lol like the framing even that Blaming Oneself is an autonomy seeking response. b/c your autonomous power in your own life#sure Would be more immediate if Everything Really Was Your Fault (when ofc really this is abt obscuring & denying the responsibility of ppl#who have the power over others' lives & then have to act like this is all the fault of the Others; they themselves have never Truly Chosen)#no victim blaming no condemnation of anyone's ''passivity'' here babey#re: the undeniability it's how like. maybe you've only Just realized you're not cis but in doing so it's like ''oh That's what i already#recognizing in various ways throughout my whole life'' it's all always Been there/going on & perspex shifts + new lenses can reveal them
4 notes
¡
View notes
Text
đđđđđ. âTreesâ also symbolize wisdom. In one of the legends, a sage hanging upside down on a tree had acquired the knowledge of how to inscribe runes and control sacred words, and thus followed the kingdom established along the tree's roots, eventually gaining a glimpse of the secret of the cosmos / demonic skies. All knowledge, memory, and experience flow through this giant tree [...].
Reading this description, it got me thinking if the kingdom that is alluded in the Silver Twig's description is Khaenri'ah. While it doesn't have to be necessarily it (there is a terrifying readable that talks about a kingdom even further down below than Khaenri'ah viewed in a dream), it's also true that Khaenri'ah is the kingdom we know of that was established underground. There is knowledge about Khaenri'ah using the Ley Lines as a source of energy (they made blocks out of the elements they carry, to be precise) until relatively close to the Cataclysm that they switched it for abyssal energy, so it is safe to presume that they were in touch with Irminsul be it directly or indirectly.
Where I want to go with this is the recurring thought I have sometimes of the role as Bough Keeper (also known as Seeker of Truth, Guardian of the Branches, Observer of Fate or The one who picks up the branches) stems from the Khaenri'ahn times, hence the possibility that there was a more spiritual (not religious, although the devotion many have for the Abyss is if not outright religious, borderline) faction that held ceremonies around Irminsul or one of its emanations in a similar fashion as Sal Vidagnyr did by sending a priest to offer the tree a crown of white branches as tribute and seeking answers that Irminsul did give them once the gods stopped answering to humans (Irminsul also was the one that warned the last king priest of the coming calamity that would happen to the civilization and, as it announced him, he came back to the whole devastation).
There is one last detail that could make this possibility viable and is the fact that there is a sword art known among the Black Serpent Knights named "Truthseeker", which could be adapted to other weapons as well. While not directly related to Irminsul per se, there is this link with one of the translations Bough Keeper has as Seeker of Truth.
#âŕźşâ§ŕźťâ events to be remembered in blue veins âaddendum.â#I did touch a little bit on RP in the past#on Dain being some kind of priest of Irminsul#but I'm keeping it lowkey for now#as it isn't guaranteed that it was an actual thing#another detail I forgot to mention is#that during the Cataclysm Dain could already search for information in Irminsul#about B.oreas in this case due to the abyss twin's curiosity#so there is a possibility that 1) during Khaenri'ah times he already was attuned with Irminsul#or 2) something happened as soon as the Cataclysm broke that made him be#personally I'm going with the premise that he was since birth#as it is possible just like with the princess of Sal Vidagnyr#who was blessed with foresight as a result#there is also another premise revolving around King I.rmin#who happens to look like Odin#and it's known from mythology that Odin forsook one of his eyes#in exchange of wisdom#so this might give the theory some extra traction too
3 notes
¡
View notes
Text
Am I abt to become a regular where the owner knows me at the local goth shop
#im already known at the place we do trivia every week but like. this place moved locations and she recognized us?#then we had like a 20 min conversation abt the city even after theyd technically closed for their soft opening#she got a photo of me gawking over some book from my childhood it was cute <3#she gave us free wine and snacks too and shes making a free event space?? she is going to single handedly fix this town i stg
0 notes
Text
đđđ đđđ & đđđ đđđđđđ.
rule #1: even if the world crumbles down in front of you, never, ever trust sylus with your heart. because even the fiercest flames can't match the danger of loving a man like him.
âą pairings. sylus, fem!reader
âą genre. angst, smut, boss/assistant, 18+
âą tags. villain!reader, reader works for onychinus, reader is not l&ds!mc, set in the N109 zone, unrequited love, profanity, petnames (kitten, baby doll, darling, sweetie), unprotected sex, throatfucking (m!receiving), cunnilingus (f!receiving), cum-eating, slight dom/sub play, spitting, hair-pulling, spanking, biting, choking, overstimulation, bondage, blindfolding, lots of jealousy, possessiveness, yandere themes, stalking, blood, violence, usage of guns, allusions to prostitution, killings, death, *coughs* that one harley+joker scene.
âą notes. 8.2k words. inspired by this song bcos i canât stop thinking abt him for days
âBoss is looking for âya.â
It was already nighttime when you emerged from the library, only to encounter the eccentric twins, Luke and Kieran, lounging on the window sill as if they had been waiting for you to come out of your bat cave. They always donned their signature uniforms of leathered attire and beaked masks, an outfit reminiscent of Sylusâs mechanical crow, Mephisto. Behind their silhouettes, the red glow of the blood moon poured through the window, casting an eerie, crimson hue across the dimly lit hallways. Any normal person would have found such an atmosphere disturbing.Â
But that was the N109 Zone for youâa dark, lawless, enigmatic place you called home.
âIs he in his room already?â you asked, quietly closing the door behind you. In your arm was a thick book, an archival file you had spent nearly two hours searching for. It contained records of historical events, of life before the Chronorift Catastrophe of 2034, before the Deepspace Tunnel was opened. Sylus had tasked you with finding the file for reasons he didnât care to disclose.
A curious Luke tilted his head and swung his feet in the air as he pointed at the book. âLet me guess,â he began with a teasing tone, âIs that book some sort of Kama Sutra?â
Kieranâs snigger followed. âI bet it is, since itâs her birthday in a few hours.â
âVery funny,â was your quick retort. âItâs a history book, you idiots. Sylus needs it for something.â
The twins then let out a teasing coo. âAww, so no birthday âfunâ for you?â asked Luke, âI thought sleeping with your boss would have its perks, too.â
Although his comment was meant to be a joke, you bristled at his jab at your professionalism. It had been a few years since you started this kind of relationship with Sylus, with him being your boss and the leader of Onychinus, and with you as his personal assistant and, well⌠escort.Â
In and out of the N109 Zone, Sylus was a popular man for both good and bad reasons. His notoriety was mostly for his influence, and sometimes for his crimes. He was known to be unforgivingâa brute man who carried no conscience towards his enemies. One wrong move and youâd find yourself six feet under. Perhaps, that was what you admired so much about him. His aura, his domineering persona, his dangerous charm. He had mastered the art of seduction, the sin of hunger and desire. His power. There was no one like him.Â
And so, you were the happiest woman alive when what began as an unrequited admiration eventually blossomed into something more. Spending more time with your boss played a pivotal role in gaining his interest towards you, because day-by-day he started to learn how much of an asset you could be for him. You were his prized possession. You were the most powerful weapon in his arsenal. Despite Luke and Kieranâs constant warnings of the abyss you were throwing yourself into, you were willing to be a pawn in Sylusâs game of chess. You wanted to be the Queen next to a King. Because that meant you were too valuable to simply set aside.
Yet Sylus was never one to clarify the nature of your relationship. Heâd often say there was no need to clear up such a silly thing. All you knew was that when Sylus needed you, he had to have you. In all ways. Heâd still act professional and distant depending on the audience. But behind closed doors, he spoiled you like a princess, treated you like a queen, and worshiped you like a saint. He was a sadistic, draconic man towards others, but he always had a gentle spot for you. Only for you.Â
And that was a spot you would never, ever share with anyone else.
âWhatever. I gotta go see him,â you excused yourself from the two, just as one of them tossed a black box to you. âIs this my present?â
The twins jumped down from the window sill in perfect sync. âAdvance happy birthday to the princess of Onychinus. Make sure to open the gift when boss is around.â
Your lips spread into a smile as you held the box in your free hand. Luke and Kieran giving you a gift was the last thing you would expect from them. âWhy, thank youââ
âYeah, yeah. You should go see him now,â said Kieran, pushing you forward by the shoulders. âCanât keep boss waiting.â
By the time you reached Sylusâs door, the twinsâ distant, mischievous chuckles then echoed down the hall. You couldnât help but laugh and shake your head before grasping the door handles, stepping inside of Sylusâs bedroom with slow, measured steps. You didnât know why you were nervous. As the door shut behind you, the familiar scent of leather, cardamom, and sandalwood immediately enveloped you like a fragrant, hallucinatory mist. However, his king-sized bed lay empty with the sheets still perfectly arranged. There were no signs of him anywhere, until the sound of cascading rainwater drew your gaze toward the bathroom, where his tall figure was visible through the frosted glass. He was engaged in a steamy shower, clearly unaware of the intruder that entered his room just now.
âBoss?â you called out, standing by his bed. âIâll leave the file on your nightstand.âÂ
Receiving no response, you placed the book on the bedside table and waited for him patiently. Should you stay or should you leave? It usually depends on Sylusâs mood. There were nights where he wanted to be left alone, and nights where he craved your presence. His lack of response may be a sign to exit his room. But as you prepared yourself to leave thinking that Sylus purposely ignored you, a certain black velvet box resting on his nightstand suddenly caught your eye. Unlike the typical small box that might hold a ring, this one was more rectangular in shape and you were drawn to it like a moth to a flame. It was your curiosity that led you to touch the soft surface, wondering what lay beneath it.
Is it for me�
âThey say curiosity kills a cat.â Sylusâs deep, resonant voice broke your trance as he stepped out of the shower. Wrapped in nothing but a white towel around his waist, his muscular form was on full display as he approached you with assertive footsteps. Every curve of his muscle flexed as he moved. And his carnelian eyes sparkled with amusement, the corners of his thin, pinkish lips curving upward when he walked closer to you. âTouching my things without permission. Are you asking to be punished, kitten?â
Your heart raced as he closed the distance. Yet, maintaining composure around Sylus was a skill you had honed since the day you began working for him. âOh, forgive me, master,â you merely teased. âIt caught my attention.â
âCurious about the box or who itâs for?â he taunted, raking his fingers through his damp gray hair. Beads of water glistened on his bare skin, and you found your gaze wandering to his perfectly sculpted abs until you felt his finger lifting your chin up. âEyes on me, honey. Donât tell me you thought that velvet box was for you?â
So it isnât? You suppressed a disappointed expression, but your clouded eyes betrayed you. âNo, I⌠just curious.â
âIs that a sad kitten I see?â he asked, tilting his head to catch even the slightest changes in your expression. âYou wanna open the box?â
âNo, thank you.â Your stubbornness prevailed this time.
Sylusâs lips curved into a smile as he stepped closer, his arms wrapping around your waist and turning you gently. He then went on to open the velvet box and fastened a silver necklace around your neck. âHappy birthday, my darling,â he whispered into your ear, his warm breath sending shivers down your spine as he planted a tender kiss on your shoulder. âThatâs a red beryl crystalâone of the rarest gemstones in the world.â
Your eyes sparkled in awe as you touched the red pendant, feeling its exquisite value beneath your fingertips. Oh⌠to receive such beautiful, rare gem from the boss of Onychinus himself. You were too overwhelmed with appreciation as you turned and wrapped your arms around his neck. âSy!â you exclaimed, your heart swelling at his effort. âItâs beautiful. I love it.â
He returned your gaze with a smug look. âYou better love it. I sacrificed two gold bullets just to get that for you, sweetie.â
âYouâŚâ Your eyes widened at the implication behind his words. Someoneâs life was lost in exchange for your birthday gift. It was beyond your expectations to know that Sylus went to such macabre lengths just to surprise you, but banality was his worst enemy, and the last thing he would do was be called boring over things like birthday surprises. â...Well, thank you. Iâll treasure it forever, my love.â
âNow,â he said, abruptly breaking the sweet moment as he glanced at the other box on his bed. You realized he was scrutinizing the gift from the twins, which you had unwittingly left behind when you hugged him. His expression darkened slightly, clearly displeased at the foreign object on his bed. âCare to tell me where this is from? Or did some other bastard get you a present before I did?â he questioned, âTell me his name, his identity. Give me his location.â
Chuckling, you cupped his cheek and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. âItâs not what you think. Luke and Kieran gave it to me before I came here.â
Still unimpressed, he raised an eyebrow and nodded toward the box. âWho told you to receive gifts from other men?âÂ
âIâŚâ
âLetâs see whatâs inside, shall we?â
âIâm sure itâs just someâŚâ you began, hurriedly untying the ribbon at the sight of Sylusâs growing pique. But as you opened the box, your mouth dropped in shock upon seeing a black lingerie set inside. An awkward laugh forced its way out of your mouth. Those two! âI⌠Ha-ha! They fool around too much. Donât mind it. Iâm just gonna throw it away.â
Sylusâs frown quickly transformed into a deep chuckle as he lifted the lingerie by the strap, his eyes widening with interest as he examined the lace corset. âWhy donât you try wearing it first, baby doll?â he suggested, an idea clearly forming in his mind. âItâs rude to toss aside a gift.â
He knows exactly what heâs doing, you thought, feeling your cheeks flush under his gaze. You almost lost your mind when he looked down at you with a roguish smirk, like he was an animal whoâs about to devour his first meal in a long time. âYou really want me to put it on?â
âSince itâs your special day,â he insisted, settling at the edge of his bed while keeping you positioned between his legs, âLet me help you with that.â His tone was more command than suggestion as he slowly unbuttoned your shirt, peeling it away from your body. âThatâs it, be a good kitten. Just follow your masterâs orders and youâll do just fine.â
You felt his cold fingertips brushing against your chest as he slipped your blouse down, his hands reaching behind to unclasp your bra and set your breasts free. Instinctively, you shied away from the intensity of his gaze and covered your chest. But he was quick to grab your wrist, an eyebrow raised at your disobedience. âIâm sorryâŚâÂ
âNothing I havenât seen before,â he mumbled in a deep, orotund voice before continuing to undress you. His hand now fiddled with your pants, unzipping and sliding it down your legs in a painfully slow way. To your surprise, he had also pulled your underwear down along with your pants, leaving your lower body as bare as it could be. âLooks like my kittenâs prepared,â he said with a lowly chuckle, his gaze locked on your freshly waxed lady part. âBut Iâll take my time before I devour you.âÂ
Taking a deep breath, you placed your hand on where his shoulder and neck met. All your clothes were discarded on the floor and you were nothing but naked in front of the very man you so deeply adored. He alone was the most perfect gift for you. âBossâŚâ your voice came out like a whisper, âAbout your upcoming transaction with Mr. Davis. H-He agrees to meet at the nightclub this Friday.âÂ
Sylus displayed a devilish smirk, noticing your effort in opening a subject to distract yourself from the compromising situation he had put you in. Though, instead of shaming you further, he had decided to play the part. âIâm surprised you managed to bargain with him,â he praised, slipping in a black, lace underwear up your legs. It barely covered your folds, and with Sylusâs warm breath tickling your cunny, you knew that your underwear would only be ripped apart sooner or later. âBut then again, it must be your⌠irresistible charm that made him agree to meet up,â with a pause, he made a twirling gesture with his finger. âTurn around for me, sweetie.âÂ
You did as told, chest rising and falling deeply as your boss began to tie the corset behind you. It was too tight, but he seemed to have liked it that way, because your breasts were almost popping out of the padding. âI-I⌠Is it supposed to be this tight?â you asked, hesitantly, âI canât breathe.âÂ
âItâs perfect.â He let out a deep chuckle before suddenly pushing you down on his bed. The sudden force left your heartbeat somersaulting, the anticipation and nervousness rising deep within you as you looked up at his predatory gaze. âNow, for the best part.âÂ
Sylus whipped out a handcuff and a blindfold from his drawer, and his first action was to grab your wrists and lock it within the silver handcuff around the headboard. The very next thing he did was cover your eyes with the blindfold, tying it neatly behind your head to deprive you of one of your five senses.Â
âSylusâ?â You werenât sure what was happening now, and hated that you couldnât see his handsome face because of the blindfold. Your vision offered nothing but darkness, blinding you from whatever Sylus was planning to do with you in his king-sized bed. There were sounds of fabric rustling around you, the sound of clothing dropping to the floor, and the wet, sloppy noises near your face. When you felt the tip hitting your cheek, you realized it was Sylus touching himself, leaving you to imagine how he was stroking his hard length in front of your face, preparing his cock for a wild night ahead. âAre youââ
âShh.â Your voice was cut off after he held a strong grip around your jaw, forcing your mouth open before the taste of his cocktip started entering your mouth. Not even halfway in, you already gagged from his cock. He was too huge for your mouthâtoo thick, too veiny, too lengthy. But nonetheless, despite the threads of saliva that waterfalled on the sides of your mouth, Sylus still shoved his entire length in. He didnât care if you had started choking from his monstrous cock. He was too focused on burying his member in and out of your mouth, hitting your uvula, and allowing for tears to escape your eyes. âThat mouth of yours is heaven for me, honey,â he said, your chin on his hand as he released a deep, guttural groan. âMove your tongue around it.âÂ
âMmhângh!â Even if you were getting asphyxiated, fucking your throat was one of Sylusâs favorite foreplays. And so, like the obedient kitty you were, you started bobbing your head along to the rhythm of his thrusts. You also moved your tongue in circles around his shaft, and Sylusâs moans got louder, turning you on knowing that you were doing great at pleasuring the love of your life. You couldnât even taste him enough, your mouth was too sore and numb at that point.Â
Not even long after, he started angling his cock to your cheeks as if he was desperate to feel every inch of your mouth. When he pulled away, you released his member with a pop, and the string of saliva ended up coating your chin. While you couldnât move your hand to wipe it off, you did try to move your wrists around the handcuff wondering if you could set yourself free.Â
âTrying to break free?â Sylusâs voice was so near your right ear, the weight of his body becoming heavier on top of you. âWeâre not done yet, darling.âÂ
A sloppy, open-mouthed kiss quickly calmed you down. You allowed Sylus to explore your mouth with his tongue, letting him lap you up like a meal he couldnât stop eating. And with every bite on your lower lip, you were whimpering like a helpless cat. âS-Sylus,â you begged, âS-Sy⌠IâŚâ
âHmm?â His mouth was now on your neck, suckling and nibbling on the skin until they would leave purple marks all over.Â
âMmh⌠I want you.âÂ
âNot so soon, birthday girl.â Sylusâs teasing led to him pulling away from you. Now, you were unsure of his next move. But your chest only continued to move in an unsteady rhythm, the lack of sight heightening your auditory sense as a compromise.Â
The next thing you knew, his manly hands started kneading at your breasts. He cupped them with such a force that made you stop breathing for a moment, focusing the sensation of his touch as he slightly pulled the padding of your corset to peek at one of your tits. In an instant, his mouth was attached to your nub. His tongue licked around your nipple, flicking it playfully before sucking and biting on your mounds.Â
âHaaah!âÂ
âThe twins did well in delivering this gift to you,â he made a subtle remark, releasing your tit from his mouth. His movements suggested he was moving down south, down to where your crotch was, and he only confirmed your thoughts when he began spreading your legs open and pulling your underwear to the side. âLook at how wet that pretty pussy is.âÂ
You moaned at the feeling of Sylusâs finger toying with your entrance. âT-The twins,â you barely said, squirming from the coil you were feeling inside your body. âWhat do you mean they delivered⌠the gift? Was it your idea after all?âÂ
Too bad you couldnât see his face, but you were sure as hell that there was a triumphant smile spreading on it. âHow else would they know your bra size, kitten?â he replied in a low voice before surprising you with the feeling of his tongue moving inside your slit, âOnly I have access to your body.âÂ
Fuck, fuck. You were going insane. âMhmângh! Aah!â
Sylusâs mouth was rough against your cunt, the tip of his nose tickling your clit as he continued spreading your labia apart to give himself better access inside your pussy. He completely devoured your sopping cunt, grunting and growling like a rabid dog as he alternated between french-kissing your pussy to burying his digits inside. His three fingers orchestrated deep and fast movements against your walls, with each stroke inside earning a wild whimper out of you.Â
âHaaahâ! Sylus, I⌠I canât hold it⌠anymore.âÂ
He found your sweet spot soon enough, and chuckled darkly as you tried to squirm like a pathetic little kitty under him. With your legs dangling on his shoulders, he resumed abusing your sore cunt by fingering your vulva until you were at your seventh heaven. And as soon as you felt the need to pee, you knew heâd only pick up the speed of his fingers even more.Â
âI-I⌠Please, Sy⌠IâmâŚâ
For the first time in your life, you felt yourself squirting all over his bed. Your hips raised itself involuntarily, legs shaking violently on top of his shoulders. The overstimulation was sending you to ecstasy, as if you were in a place where every pleasure in the world was given to you. In your extremely vulnerable state, Sylus chose to grab the opportunity and forced all eight inches of his member inside. He hushed your moans and whimpers by kissing you on the mouth, his lips encasing yours in a loving and passionate exchange.Â
This was the most erotic you had been with him.Â
âYouâre so fucking sexy to me, Y/N.â His cock moved fast and hard inside you. You could even feel his member twitching as your tight walls gripped him like vacuum, milking him of his every seed until he was fully drained. His lips then trailed around your jawline, then onto the valleys in between your breasts while he went on to thrust even rougher than the last. He plowed his cock inside you like there was no tomorrow, rutting and rutting and rutting like he was desperate to reach his own climax. âThis pussy⌠Canât get enough of your sweet pussy, kitten.âÂ
âAhâaah! Mmhângh.âÂ
âMore?â
âY-Yes⌠please!âÂ
âHarder?â
âMhmm!âÂ
âFaster?âÂ
âS-Sylus!âÂ
âSuch a nasty girl you are,â he quipped, your hips now gripped by his strong hands as he sat in bed, readying for the final position. âNext time, Iâm gonna eat your ass.âÂ
Gosh. You were already feeling limp under him. And when you felt his hands ripping your panties off, you knew it was game over for you. He was a hungry beast whose desire for lust would make him the worst sinner in hell. You couldnât contain the loudness of your moans and whimpers as Sylus started thrusting into you at an otherworldly speed, your cunt feeling the soreness of his every slam. The skin-slapping sound dominated his entire room as your slick coated his entire length. At that point, he began biting on your lower leg, his cock doing its last twitch deep inside your cavern. He was balls deep inside, his bollocks slapping against your pussy with every jostle.Â
âC-CumâŚâ you pleaded, âInside me⌠Please.âÂ
But to your disappointment, Sylus pulled out. You didnât know where he was releasing his seed until you felt the warm liquid shooting at your stomach. Three times you had asked him to cum inside, and he still continued to refuse. You thought your birthday would have been an exception, but Sylus was too smart for that. He knew knocking you up would ruin his plans. Getting you pregnant would make him lose his chances with her.Â
âYou can sleep on my bed tonight, darling.â Sylus easily released your hand from the cuffs with his evol, and did his own effort in untying the blindfold around your eyes. Little did he know that your tired eyes actually carried pain inside. âClose your eyes now. Iâll take care of the rest.â
You watched as he walked toward his nightstand, oblivious to the pessimistic thoughts swirling in your mind. If only she never existed in his life. If only she was you instead.Â
âSylus.â You fixed your gaze on his face. âI love you.â
His eyes widened in panic for a moment before he masked it with indifference. It was as if your declaration had caught him off guard, as if your years of devotion hadnât already made it clear how deeply in love you were.Â
âYou shouldnât.â
~~
The N109 Zoneâs most famous nightclub was alive with pulsating lights and thumping bass on a Friday night, a den of excess and shadows where shady deals and dangerous liaisons were also par for the course. Sylus was dressed in his signature dark attire, leaning against a plush booth in the corner, and the red glow from the neon lights flickering off his white hair and crimson eyes. Meanwhile, you, draped in a red revealing dress that accentuated your every curve, moved with foxy grace as you joined Sylus at the booth.
Letâs just say Sylus didnât exactly approve of your dress tonight. He thought it was revealing too much skin that was supposedly for his eyes only. But ever since the night of your birthday where he didnât return your declaration of love, you started rebelling against your boss. Everything he disliked, you did out of spite. You did them out of the bitterness boiling inside you.Â
Across from you two, in a secluded corner of the club, sat Sylusâs business partner, a man whose sharp suit and cold gaze reflected a ruthless demeanor. The table between you was littered with documents and blueprints, a clear indication of the shady business transaction underwayâan armory deal of massive proportions, weapons, and munitions that could alter the balance of power in the underworld. Sylusâs arsenal of weapons could already destroy Linkon City if he wanted to, but there was no fun in that. It would be too much an easy disposal.
Nonetheless, Sylusâs eyes sparkled with approval as he glanced at the stacks of weaponry displayed before him. âI must say, Iâm impressed,â he remarked with a sly grin. âThe quality of your armory is unparalleled, Davis. You really outdid yourself this time.â
The business partner, clearly pleased, gave a curt nod. âI aim to please. But payment in cash alone doesnât always satisfy, does it?â
Sylus leaned back, his gaze shifting to you. You were just settling next to him, your quiet presence commanding everyoneâs attention as the low neckline of your red dress drew admiring glances from his business partner. Sylus was quick to notice the manâs eyes lingering on your breasts, a hint of predatory interest flickering in the old manâs gaze.
âSeems like my partner here is quite taken with you,â Sylus mused, hinting at a dangerous edge in his voice. âHow about it? Would you like something other than money for your trouble?â
Mr. Davisâs eyes never left you as he smirked, a flicker of greed clouding his gaze. It was obvious to everyone in that booth that the old geezer was undressing you with his eyes. âWhat do you have in mind?â
Sylusâs smile grew sharper. âY/N here is quite the treasure. If youâre interested, she could be yours for the night. Do what you want with her. What do you say?â
Unbelievable! Stunned by his words, you quickly turned to Sylus in protest. You couldnât believe he was offering you like some whore to that old man, but you had to hide your disgust after meeting Sylusâs glowing carmine eyes shooting you a knowing look. Just play along and stay quiet, you could almost hear his voice in your head.Â
Mr. Davisâs perverted gaze remained fixed on you, clearly tempted as he battled with the demons in his head. And at your bossâs signal, you were ordered to walk towards Mr. Davis apprehensively, sitting on his lap while keeping the disgust you were feeling from showing. His hand soon grazed your thigh, the other squeezing your breast. âThatâs a tempting offer,â commented the old man, a triumphant grin on display, âBut Iâd be a fool to refuse a bad bitch like her.â
âGood,â Sylus said, his tone suddenly serious as he slid a sleek, black gun from the table. He idly toyed with the handgun, clearly unfazed. âLetâs finalize our deal then. Iâll just take this gun youâve provided. Donât mind if I do a little âquality testingâ,â he added with a chilling smile, loading the magazine with .45 ACP bullets.
The business partnerâs eyes widened in realization as Sylusâs hand tightened around the weapon. Panic soon flashed across Mr. Davisâs face before he desperately pushed you off his lap and scrambled to his feet, hoping to de-escalate the rift he had caused with the Onychinus leader. âWait, Mr. Sylus! I-I didnât mean to offend. Iâm not going to steal your lady, I swear! Donâtââ
But just as you expected, Sylusâs expression remained cold and unyielding. With a swift, practiced motion, he pulled the trigger. The sound of the gunshot was sharp and final, cutting through the pulsating music and leaving a deadly silence in its wake. Mr. Davis quickly dropped to the floor, his eyes wide open and the hole on the side of his head leaking with dark, red blood.Â
Your eyes remained cool and detached as you watched the scene unfold, your expression too unreadable for the killer next to you. Youâve seen worse things while living in the N109 Zone, right? was Sylusâs inner thoughts as he placed the gun back on the table, his gaze steady while regarding the now lifeless body of his former business partner. The carpet was now drenched with an unsightly amount of blood.Â
Just then, the twins, Luke and Kieran immediately swung the door open with a guarded stance, worried that something had happened to the Onychinus leader whom you all served under. But upon looking at Mr. Davisâs fresh corpse sprawled out on the floor, both twins merely shrugged it off, praising their boss for dealing with the old man in a brutal fashion.Â
âLeave us for a while,â Sylus instructed the twins, pulling you closer by gripping your waist, âIf any of Davisâs men try to come in, kill them with no mercy.âÂ
âRoger that, boss.âÂ
As soon as the door was closed, Sylus turned to you, you recognized a demonic glow in his eyes as he tugged at the neckline of your dress. âYou,â he spoke under his breath, âare testing my patience.âÂ
~~
You werenât sure how to feel about it.
Heck, you couldnât tell if you were even turned on by it, but Sylus fucking you in front of a dead man did bring in a rush of adrenaline in you. This was the fourth time he had killed a man for desiring you, and while he would usually play it off and say he was just feeling bloodthirsty at the time those incidents happened, this was the first time he was compelled to actually touch you next to a man he had just mercilessly shot. It was as though he was trying to prove a point, that dead or alive, no other man would have the pleasure of having you.Â
âS-Sylus,â you let out a whimper, knees beginning to feel sore as your boss continued to hit you from behind, hips snapping against your bum in a rough, merciless manner. A stinging sensation was soon felt on your butt cheek as Sylus sent a hard, crisp slap on your ass. âMmhâ!âÂ
His nails dug into your hips, jostling you forwards and backwards so your ass could meet the base of his cock with how deep he was plowing himself into you. You had already creamed around his member multiple times that night, too satiated by the possessiveness Sylus was showing towards you, and yet, the signs of him stopping seemed to be a far end of the line.Â
âDid you enjoy my show, kitten?â he asked, a question borne from feelings of spite, âDid you like how he was gawking at your tits? Look at his pathetic face now. You see that?âÂ
Sylus grabbed you by the face and forced you to look at Mr. Davisâs lifeless body for a good minute. A minute to remember such a ghastly image for the rest of your life. And only after he was satisfied at the fright in your eyes did he start pulling you by the hair, only to then wrap a tight hand around your neck. You couldnât breathe. You were choking from his hand, restrained to receive any bit of air down your throat. The strong smell of iron, gun powder, and leather was also beginning to intoxicate you, and you knew you were a minute away from passing out. But Sylus was too enraged to stop, his mind was a toxic fire you couldnât easily extinguish and the only thing you could do was allow him to take his anger out on you.Â
âHnngh! Sy⌠SylusâŚâ you cried, moaning as his hard thrust almost sent you forward to his business partnerâs corpse. The pressure on your windpipe was too strong that barely any sound came out of your mouth. âSylus, Iâm all y-yours, my love. Ahâaah! All⌠yours.âÂ
He did loosen his grip on your neck, because he had pulled you by the chin to spit into your mouth. A string of saliva connected your tongue to his, your chest undulating in heavy breaths as he began to grope your tits from behind. âDress like a whore again,â he whispered a warning into your ear, âand I wouldnât hesitate to treat you like one.âÂ
Your mind, too numbed by the overstimulation all over your body, couldnât fully grasp the words he had just spoken. All you knew was that he pressed you further down the carpeted floor, with your ass high up and your body down low. The next thing he did was to spread your butt cheeks apart to gape at the exact hole he was destroying.Â
Sore. Too sore. Too numb. Too⌠Too⌠âSylus, Iâm g-gonnaâŚâÂ
âFuck,â he cussed, accelerating his thrusts at an animalistic speed, his deep breaths turning into a guttural groan as he chased his high. His cum was thick when they landed on your face, and the taste was sweet and salty when he forced the rest of his cum onto the back of your throat. You gagged as he hit your uvula, drool oozing at the corner of your mouth as you choked and yet managed to swallow every drop of his semen.Â
Like a good girl, for him. Always.Â
You didnât exactly black out afterward. You were caught in a liminal state, not fully awake but not unconscious either, as you collapsed onto the floor. Sylus discarded you like a toy heâd grown tired of. If you had been more aware, you would have immediately noticed the abrupt shift in his behavior. The sound of his fading footsteps made you realize that the man you loved so obsessively had just left you in that booth, right next to a dead man.
âY/N?â
âY/N. Hey, you okay?âÂ
The coat soon enveloping your body wasnât Sylusâs; it belonged to one of the twins, and you could feel yourself being carried in his arms.Â
âLukeâŚ?â you murmured weakly.Â
âNo, itâs Kieran,â he clarified, since his older brother was occupied with disposing of Mr. Davisâs body. âIâm taking you home.âÂ
You clung to his shoulder, your heavy-lidded eyes searching for Sylusâs distinctive white hair. âWha��? Whereâs he? Where is SyââÂ
âBoss already left.â His words felt like a blow. âYou know heâs dangerous when heâs angry, so you should just go home for today.âÂ
You tried to wriggle free from Kieranâs grasp, confused by the sudden turn of events. âBut what did I do? Why is he angry with me?âÂ
âItâs not you, just⌠complicated,â were the last words you heard before exhaustion overtook you, unaware that you were now outside the nightclub.Â
Continuing to squirm from Kieranâs hold, you cried, âWhat do you mean complicated!â
âLuke and I tried to warn you, Y/N,â he said, grimly, as if he felt bad for you. âYouâre not supposed to mess with his emotions. Those feelings are reserved for another.â
~~
The night air in the N109 Zone felt heavy and suffocating. It had been a month since Sylus had abruptly cut off contact with you, leaving you in a state of uncertainty, overthinking, and anger. When he had asked you to take a break from work, you already found his command suspicious, and then the silence that followed was a deafening confirmation of your suspicion. No texts, no calls, and every attempt to visit Onychinusâs base was continuously met with cold dismissal.Â
With this, you found yourself at your makeshift gun range, the repetitive bang of the shots echoing in the dimly lit space. The targets were riddled with holes, each bullet a release of your pent-up frustration. Your thoughts were a tempest of spiteful musings: how you should have maxed out his credit card for everything it was worth if you had known he was going to just dump you. The thought of doing so now felt petty, but it also served as a bitter reminder of how easily he had discarded you that night.
But amid your rage, a more serious thought began to surface. Sylusâs avoidance wasnât merely a cruel game or a sudden whim; it seemed to hint at something deeper, something more troubling. Was there something he wasnât telling you? Had something happened that he couldnât or wouldnât explain?
You should probably confront him, but you needed a sign. Barging into Onychinusâs base without prior notice would be a suicide wish, so you had to have a reason on showing up unannounced. A sign. You desperately needed one, and perhaps the universe was toying with you, but the very sign you were looking for came in the form of a mechanical crow that landed on the lightpost. Its red eyes glowed like lasers through the night, tilting its head as it looked at your way.Â
âCaw! Caw!âÂ
âMephisto,â you breathed a sigh of relief. Did Sylus send him to watch over you?Â
With your confidence growing back, you decided to finally confront the situation head-on. This cold war would bring you nothing but a painful whirl of overthinking. And so, you returned to Onychinusâs base that night, your anger tempered by a new, steely resolve. As usual, the base was as imposing and foreboding as ever, its corridors silent except for the occasional echo of footsteps.
Where is everyone?Â
As you neared Sylusâs quarters, your heart pounded with a mix of dread and anticipation. You approached his door, and through the thin walls, you could hear soft, unfamiliar voices. Your breath was caught in your throat as you recognized a womanâs voice, distinct and unfamiliar, but laced with a strange resonance that made your skin crawl.
âFrom the beginning, you trapped me here, forced me to resonate with you, and even said weâre âthe sameâ... One wouldnât treat a stranger like that, so⌠donât tell me you like me. Is this all so you can get my attention?âÂ
âŚ
âYouâre so gullible, kitten.âÂ
The twins, who were lounging nearby and keeping an eye on things as usual, saw you by their bossâs door and exchanged knowing glances. Luke, with his usual smirk, leaned in. âOh, look who decided to show up. Youâre just in time.â
Kieran, with a more serious tone, added, âHeâs got a guest in there. A hunter from Linkon, with an Aether Core, no less.â
Your heart sank. The mention of an Aether Core was a dagger to your already shattered heart. Sylusâs connection to you had always been complex, but it was a lot different with this other woman he had been keeping an eye on for the longest time. They were marked by their shared Aether Core, which tied them together in ways you could never fully understand. To hear that he had met the girl he had been searching for with the same rare core was like a death knell.
âSince when did Sylus bring her here?â you asked the twins, struggling to keep your emotions in check. This was the real reason Sylus had asked you to take a breakâhe knew that the presence of this girl would push you to the edge of losing all sense of morality. For the first time in your life, he saw you as a threat. An enemy.Â
Luke responded with a shrug. âA couple weeks ago after she leaked her information in The Nest. Boss has been trying to resonate with her, you see. So donât mind their little bonding moments.âÂ
Kieran took the initiative to drag his older brother away. âWe gotta get going. Donât cause a scene, Y/N. You wonât like it when our boss is angry.âÂ
Disregarding the twinsâ words, you pressed your hand against the door, the muffled sounds of conversation and the soft rustling of fabric seeping through. The realization of what this meant was crushing. Sylusâs soul was bound to this new woman in ways you could never compete with. And the anguish of this discovery broke you inside.Â
Why? Why canât it be me?Â
With trembling hands, you turned the knob and pushed open the door just a crack to peer inside. The sight that met your eyes was enough to confirm your worst fears. Sylus was there, his attention fully on the woman from Linkon that he had pinned down on his bed, a tenderness in his gaze that had never been directed at you.Â
Unable to bear the sight any longer, you quietly closed the door and retreated, and Sylusâs head turning in your direction only made you hide even further. You were already taking hurried steps before he could catch up to you. But then again, what kind of idiot would he be to leave that fragile girl alone to run after a woman he didnât even care about? You were nothing but a placeholder for her, warming her seat temporarily before she finally came into the picture. And now that she was here, you were easily cast aside like worn-out clothing, no longer bearing any purpose for him.Â
ââŚI hate you,â you muttered, the words barely a whisper as they escaped from your trembling lips. Running through the hallways had quickly become exhausting, each step felt like a drag with the weight of your emotions. âI hate you, Sylus.â
Your hands, shaking uncontrollably, grasped the Beryl pendant that hung around your neck. The sharp pain from the necklaceâs chain digging into your skin only added to your anguish. And with a frustrated cry, you yanked the pendant off and hurled it down the hallway. The pendant skittered across the polished floor, its once-beautiful gleam now discarded like mere rubbish.
âWhat did we tell you?â The twinsâ imaginary voices were mocking you in your head, their taunts reverberating through your thoughts as you headed out of the base with no footsteps following you behind. It became clear to you that Sylus had chosen to stay with the girl instead of chasing after you. âJust because boss gave you a chance, doesnât mean heâll actually date you! You poor thing! Youâre just a game he likes to play!âÂ
âStop. Stop!â You had to press your hands into your ear, suppressing the torture that your mind was creating. Â
You decided to run away. Far, far away from Onychinusâs base. Far away from Sylusâs reach.Â
Your footsteps echoed through the deserted streets, your mind still reeling in jealousy from the events you saw earlier. The image of the woman pinned under him, her dark hair and fair skin, had your hands shaking from the anger in your heart. She was as beautiful as he described, as radiant as heâd often whisper about in his dreams. And now that she was within his reach, did you really think he would let her go?Â
~~
The night was cold, the air biting at your skin as you walked aimlessly, lost in a whirlwind of emotions and tortuous thoughts. The betrayal, the hurt, the lingering sense of being usedâall of it churned within you, making your steps heavy and your heart even heavier.
âI⌠hate you,â you murmured under your breath.Â
As you turned down a dark alley, a sudden prickle of unease crawled up your spine. You quickened your pace, but the sound of a second set of footsteps followed closely behind you. Panic set in as soon as you realized you were being stalked.Â
Before you could react, however, a shadowy figure emerged from the darkness, blocking your path. The manâs eyes gleamed with malice, a cruel smile spreading across his face. âYou no longer have Sylus to protect you,â he sneered, his voice dripping with menace. It was one of Davisâs men. âYou're all alone now, and I'm going to make you pay for the death of our master.â
Fear gripped you like a tightrope, but before the man could take another step, a swirling mist of black-red enveloped him. The pressure of the mist seemed to squeeze his entire body, forcing him to his knees, his screams of terror cut short as if the mist were obeying commands from an unseen master.
You turned around, your heart pounding, to see Sylus standing at the edge of the alley. His domineering eyes bore into yours in a mixture of curiosity and cold calculation. âShould I kill this guy? Yes or no?â His voice was low and raspy. âMy decision depends on you, kitten.â
Your gaze hardened after hearing the term of endearment he was now recycling with the hunter girl from Linkon. âI can handle him,â was your cold reply, your voice steady despite the turmoil inside you. You drew your gun with a swift motion and fired repeatedly, each shot bouncing in the narrow alley. The manâs body crumpled to the ground, lifeless.
Sylus watched you with an appraising look. âImpressive. Still feisty as ever.â
You then pointed your gun towards him, but keeping a safe enough distance. âWhy were you following me?â you demanded, your tone cold as ice.
A chilling laugh echoed through the alleyway. âMy own assistant wants to kill her boss? Now, isnât that a spectacle?â
âShut up!â you yelled, finger tightening on the trigger. âI donât care if one bullet wonât kill you. I can shoot you enough times to make sure youâd at least feel some pain.â
Sylus sighed before reaching into his pocket and revealed the necklace, the red beryl pendant glinting in the dim light. âYou forgot your gift,â he said, his voice softening ever so slightly.
You stared at the necklace, feeling a sting in your heart that you couldnât ignore. âIâm not worthy of such a gift,â you replied monotonously, âGive it to her if you want. And also, take this night as my formal resignation as your assistant."
Sylusâs eyes widened, a rare look of surprise crossing his features. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. It seemed as if he was truly, genuinely stunned, caught off guard by your decision.
I canât back out now. You repeated it like a desperate mantra in your mind as you turned and walked away, leaving Sylus standing alone in the dark alley, the necklace still clutched in his hand. You were done with his games, done with being played. You were determined to leave him behind, until suddenly, he vanished into a puff of black smoke. Dark feathers floated in the spot where he had stood moments ago. To your shock, he reappeared behind you, his hand forcefully grabbing your chin to make you look up at him.
You struggled, trying to wrench his hand away. âLet goââ
But he silenced you with a bruising kiss, locking his lips around yours despite your desperate punches to his chest. He only pulled away when he felt your warm tears streaming down your face, looking at you with a gaze full of unwanted sympathy. Sympathy that cut deeper than any blade.
âAre you happy sheâs back in your life?â you choked out, your voice trembling as you stared at him with tear-filled eyes.
Sylus responded with a hesitant hum. âI am.â
You inhaled shakily, his answer shattering your heart. âThen, why are you here?â
â...I donât know.â His crimson eyes reflected the sorrowful glow of the moon peeking from behind his head.
âDo you intend to keep me as your lover?â you asked, forcing him to confront his true intentions.
Sylus took a long, agonizing moment to respond, as if wrestling with a tumultuous storm of emotionsâthe pros and cons, the rights and wrongs. Finally, he spoke, and his words were a dagger to your soul.
âNo,â he said at last, his hand retreating from your face. He stepped back and turned the distance between you into a chasm of heartbreak. âItâs been nice working with you, Y/N. Iâll send you a yearâs worth of salary for your dedication to me. This should be the last time we meet.â
The weight of his words crashed down on you like an earthquake, and the full reality of your situation made it hard for you to breathe. Yes, it was a gut-punch. You were breaking in half, your heart shattering beyond repair because the pain was too much. It was all too much for a person to take, and it twisted something dark inside you.
âIf I canât have you,â you began, your voice shaking with an amalgam of rage and despair, âthen no one can.â
Sylusâs eyes narrowed. âY/N, you wonât dareââ
âIâll kill her,â you spat, your tone dripping with venom. Your vow was laced with a genuine resolve, as if it were a promise you had embedded in stone. âThe next time I see her, Iâll end her in the most brutal way I can. I swear it.â
His eyes flashed with a sinister light, one eye emitting a faint glow like a candlelight in a dark room. âIf you try to go near her,â he said, his voice low and menacing, âIâll kill you first.â
A twisted smile spread across your face, and madness began to gleam in your eyes. Driven to the brink of insanity, you laughedâa wild, almost feral sound that scared even the rats hiding in the darkest places.
âThen, do it,â you challenged, the final thread of your sanity snapping as he raised a finger, and the tendrils of his black-red mist soon swirling around you and crushing your bones with its pressure. âYouâve already taken everything from me, Sylus. Finish what you started.âÂ
SECOND PART
#love and deepspace x reader#love and deepspace x you#lads x reader#lads x you#l&ds x reader#l&ds x you#sylus x reader#sylus x you#sylus angst#sylus smut#sylus fic#lads smut#lads angst#lads sylus
4K notes
¡
View notes
Text
Developing the random card au sekai mini stories a bit more and I'm loving the comedy Im building with Kanade and Honami. Honami vc this girl lives out in the middle of nowhere near an area where ghost sightings have been reported, and she's so deathly pale and almost dead looking, that nearby ghost must have rly gotten to her :(
#rat rambles#random card au#sekai posting#to be fair. ghosts are like stupid rare and only barely documented in any concrete sense but still only vaguely because of how rare they are#plus even with the few documented ghosts they varry Wildly in almost every regard due to the nature of them being unintended side effects#of different rare events thatd effect your soul and thats assuming that damage is enough to keep them around for more than a few seconds#souls are Not made to survive without some sort of body and can basically only exist outside of it if it cannibalizes itself and you can see#why theyre so short lasting in the rare cases this does happen#kanade is a very special case and even she is holding on by a thread and by being barely well known enough to draw in some curious ppl#otherwise she would have long faded but even with the occasional visiter she is rarely very awake#its a bit completely exactly how she works but long story short her soul kinda canibilizes on other ppls souls alongside her own so she can#survive much longer than your average ghost#its non concious but surprisingly effective with only needing a few days of contact to survive her a few years#but rly the only reason it is that effective is that shes been around long enough for her soul to sort of recalibrate kinda#and the only reason shes been around so long was from her being around a bunch of ppl for a while when she first died#she fled to the mountain she continued to reside in immediately after realizing that she was kind of killing ppl#by then she had already slurped up a Lot of soul juice so she ended up not instantly disolving#as she grows weaker and weaker so does her soul's ability to emulate a humany body#so usually when shes starving she is barely properly concious and is just autopiloting a routine#this is the state honanmi first found her in and she ended up deciding to help her out a bit since she was in rly bad shape#kanade started to perk up a bit a few days after but since she was still very groggy from being on resource reserving mode for so long it#didnt quite hit her what was going on until honami's own health started deteriorating#at that point she freaked out and tried to rush her out of the mountains but due to both of them being in not the best of states she lost#honami while traversing over one of the areas that the void place melted through a bit#and then honami dieded rip#again no sekai characters are super important in the random card au theyre just here for funsies and so that I can play around with#worldbuilding so most of them are either dead or pretty irrelevant to any main plot#if this was Their au Id be a bit nicer but its not so sucks to suck lol#kanade might mildly come up or be mentioned by the exiled trio but thats abt it for these two#the exiled trio being lisa eve and arisa to be clear since they have to move through some of the mountains in the area
0 notes
Text
Batfam AU where Jason never dies, so Tim doesn't join the family the standard way. Instead, he continues pouring most of his time and energy into his photography, eventually becoming known as a popular photographer for events and all that. So now, picture this: Tim gets hired to be a photographer for a Wayne gala. Obviously, he's ecstatic, because he can take pictures of Batman, Robin and Nightwing and be in their presence for a whole night. Since Tim is so naturally talented in stealth and taking pictures unnoticed, the second one of the fam realises this they're like: this kid is good. Tim manages to go unnoticed by all 3 of them (all bat-trained, one literally batman) multiple times during the night, and even when he is noticed, he disappears before they can manage to get a good look at him; to the sheer amazement of Dick and Jason.
Jason, (very discreetly putting snacks in his suit pocket): i know you're under the table, kid.
Tim: don't mind me, Mr. Todd-Wayne, sir, just taking a few pictures
Jason: right... Jason's fine, and what pictures were you taking from under the table?!
Tim, showing him perfectly good shots of him: these.
Jason: how did you get that. it looks like you took it from the rafters
Tim, nodding: I did.
Jason, glancing at the ceiling: ...what?
Tim, gone:
Jason: no fucking way.
Dick, hearing a very, very faint camera shutter from behind him:
Dick, turning around and finding no one there: what the actual...
Dick, getting the feeling of being watched and whirling around to find Tim staring at him from across the room: ... huh.
Jason, pulling Dick aside: you see that kid too, right?!
Dick, nodding: the camera kid, yeah?
Jason: who is that.
Dick: he's one of the hired photographers, apparently. one of the best in his field, despite his age.
Jason: he's good. like, really good. snuck up on me 4 times already, the little bastard.
Dick: you too? i swear he's constantly watching. it's creepy how well he can sneak past both of us.
Jason:
Dick:
Jason: you don't think...
Dick: no. B would've told us.
Jason:
Dick:
Dick: did he get another kid and not tell us somehow
Bruce: what do you mean another kid?
Jason: you heard us. did you adopt another kid and not tell us?!
Bruce: no?? how would I even?? ... what's this about?
Dick: one of the photographers has managed to sneak up on both me and Jay multiple times already
Bruce: what.
Jason: he also can't be more than like. 15 or 16. so forgive us for assuming you took another one in.
Bruce: do you know his name?
Dick:
Jason:
Bruce: really?
Dick: in our defence, he's very hard to catch. i wouldn't be surprised if he's snuck up on you, too.
[camera shutter noise]
All of them, whipping their heads toward the sound only to find nothing but air:
Tim, smiling from the other side of the room:
Jason: do you see what we mean?!
Cue an entire night of shenanigans where it's just Dick, Jason and Bruce trying to catch Tim and learn about him. Upon finding out who he is and where he lives, Dick immediately asks to keep him as an honorary member of the family. Jason is hesitant at first but at some point Tim calls Bruce Batman instead of Mr. Wayne on accident and Jason laughs so hard he's basically won over. Bruce can do nothing but watch as Tim proceeds to come over almost every night for sleepovers and is coddled by both of his sons. And he can't deny, the kid's investigation and stealth skills are top tier. By the time Dick and Jason both start referring to Tim as 'their younger brother' Bruce has just accepted his fate.
#batfam#batman#dc comics#tim drake#bruce wayne#jason todd#dick grayson#batfam au#dick: look he's even got the dark hair and blue eyes#jason: he fits the pattern. you gotta#dick to tim: you are ours now#tim who just wanted to spend time with his heroes: oh#they declare him as theirs so he is theirs#bruce does not get a choice#he is THEIR little stalker#when jason finds out that tim follows them as vigilantes too he falls over laughing#dick wiping a tear away: he's perfect
5K notes
¡
View notes
Text
fall right into me
pairing: steve harrington x fem!reader
summary: when something happens to your apartment and you need a place to stay, steve, your best friend, is quick to provide it for you. your prolonged proximity forces you both to realize some things.
word count: 13.6k
warnings: childhood bffs to lovers, absolute idiots in love, mentions of a negative relationship with parents, probably inaccurate descriptions of some things but itâs (say it with me) for the plot!!!
a/n: i know itâs been a LONG time since iâve posted a long fic so thank u guys for ur patience <3 i had so much fun getting back to it and writing these two, and i hope itâs at least a little bit worth the wait!!! ily :,)
đđ
Your shoes are still wet as you dial the first number that comes to mind: Steveâs.
He picks up on the third ring. âHello?â
âHey, Steve.â
âHi,â you can imagine him on the other side of the phone, leaning casually against the wall, an easy smile on his face, âwhatâs going on?â
Youâre not quite sure where to start.
Coming home from work earlier, youâd been excited to shower and change and lay around for the rest of the evening, your book hanging open in your lap and some mindless TV filling the silence.
The day seemed to have other plans for you, though, because as you walked down the stairs to your apartmentâone in the basement of a sweet, older coupleâs house who just never used the space and converted itâthe carpet had made an ugly squelch as soon as you stepped on it.
You looked down at your shoe against the carpet, at the way its color was darker than usual from whatever water had gotten into it. Looking up, you found a complete mess. A piece of the ceiling hanging open right above your bed, water still dripping in steady drops from the gap, your bedding ruined among many other things.
You donât know how long you stood there, hand over your mouth, eyes flickering over the damage like you were hoping it would vanish, like it was only something you imagined.
Unfortunately, it wasnât.
The couple who owns the house came down when they heard you shout for them, unsure of what else to do. Theyâd both gasped when they came down, and began apologizing for something that really wasnât their fault before one ran up to call whoever it was they needed to call to fix this and the other comforted you with a gentle âweâll take care of it, sweetie.â
You nodded, eyes still roaming your space that was now uninhabitable.
Itâs an old house, something was bound to happen at some point, you only wished it wasnât so inconvenient for you. A small leak, you could have handled, but the ceiling practically caving in?
Yeah, it was a complete fucking mess.
Hours later, with the damage assessed and set to take a few weeks to fix up, youâre on the phone with the one person youâd known would pick up.
You fill Steve in on what happened, and his first response is a sigh of, âShit.â
âYeah, shit,â you agree. âAnd now Iâm gonna have to live with my parents for a while and I donât know how Iâm gonna go back into that house, Steve.â
If youâre being honest, the couple you live with now was kinder to you than your parents were. You suppose thatâs one of the many things that you and Steve have bonded over.
âJust come live with me, instead,â he offers without hesitation.
Steve says it like itâs obvious, a no-brainer, and you guess it should be, since youâve slept over at the Harringtonâs house countless times before. Only, this is different because youâd be staying for a while, because youâd be needing his help, which makes you feel all awkward and guilty.
Heâs been your absolute best friend for as long as you can remember, and youâre one hundred percent sure youâd offer the same thing if the roles were reversed, but that doesnât make it any easier for you to accept, not when youâre already frazzled from the events of the day.
âNo, Steve, Iâm sorry Iâm just being dramatic,â you say, twisting the phoneâs cord around your finger. âIâll be fine, really. Itâs just a month, or so, and I donât wanna be in your way or-â
âWhen have you ever cared about being in my way, angel?â The pet name heâs called you ever since your ninth grade Halloween party slips out naturally, the way it always does. âBesides, this house is too fucking big for me as it is, and you know my parents wonât be around to care, either.â
âI canât ask you to let me move in, Steve.â
âWell then, itâs a good thing youâre not asking. Iâm offering. Itâll be like that one week when we were twelve and you stayed over for spring break, only longer. Itâs perfect!â
Thereâs a small smile ghosting across your face as you recall the memory heâs talking about. A blanket fort in their spacious living room, sleeping bags and pillows piled inside it along with two flashlights.
You can picture the way he looks on the other end of the phone, his hair a bit messy from running his hands through it during the day, one strand rogue against his forehead, his shoulder leaned carelessly against the wall the way it usually is when he stands. Like he canât be bothered to hold himself up, like thereâs constantly a weight on him.
âAre you sure about this, Steve? Itâs really okay if youâre not. I swear Iâll be fine.â
âAs if Iâm letting you spend multiple weeks back in your parentâs house. Youâre staying with me, alright?â His voice is insistent, yet kind, letting you know that heâs being honest, that he means it. âWeâll order pizzas and watch shitty romcoms, âkay?â
âYou can call romcoms shitty all you want, but we both know you get teary at every single one.â
âDon't change the subject, angel. Also, fuck off,â he says, though you can hear the smile in his voice. âSo, youâre living with me, yeah?â
You donât think you could say no to him even if you wanted to.
âYeah, alright, Steve. Thank you so much.â
âNone of that. I know youâd do the same.â
Thereâs something beautiful about the kind of trust and ease that comes with a friendship as long as yours. One where youâve watched each other grow up, awkward phases and all, and stuck together the entire way. Thereâs no questioning whether or not youâd be there for each other if you were in need.
Itâs known, felt. Like a fact.
âNow,â he continues, âIâll pick you up, okay? Ten minutes, tops.â
âOkay.â
âYou need me to bring boxes for your stuff?â
âIâm not sure how much is worth keeping. Itâs pretty ugly in there.â
Your voice goes small at the end, because the gravity of it all is really sinking in. Youâll have to replace a lot of stuff. Stuff you donât have money for right now.
But, you havenât let yourself cry just yet, so you swallow it down.
âIâll bring some anyway, then. Weâll figure it out, angel, donât worry.â
âThanks again, Steve. See you soon.â
âTen minutes,â he assures you, then the line clicks.
-
True to his word, Steve arrives in under ten minutes, which isnât surprising considering the size of Hawkins, but feels reassuring all the same.
Youâre sitting on the curb in front of the house when Steveâs BMW pulls over on the other side of the road, and you stand just as he climbs out and shuts his door, rounding the car and jogging over to you.
His keys jingle as he tucks them into the pocket of his faded jeans, his opposite hand coming up to squeeze your shoulder, âYou okay?â
The warmth of his palm seeps through your work shirt that youâve yet to change out of, and you let your eyes fall shut just for a second before looking at his face, âGuess so,â you nod. âMaybe ask me again after all of this?â
Steveâs arm winds itself over your shoulders, tugging you into his side and dropping a kiss to the top of your head, simple as an instinct. âIâve got you. Weâll get through this, angel.â
Weâll, he says. A team.
You reach up and squeeze his hand and nod, guiding him to the side-entrance leading to your basement apartment.
âI hope you didnât wear your good shoes for this,â you say.
Steve looks down at his feet and shrugs, âShoes can be replaced.â
He lets you lead the way down the stairs, his footsteps close behind yours. You wince when you look at the damage again, even though youâd seen it minutes ago. You can't bring yourself to look at Steve, to see the reaction on his face, because you think itâll just make it all more real.
He mouths the word âfuckâ while you arenât looking, then claps his hands once. âOkay, letâs figure out what we can save, yeah? Where do you want me?â
Youâre grateful for his gentle guidance at what to do. âMaybe the bathroom? Everything in there should be fine, so it just needs to be packed.â
ââKay. Iâll just go grab some boxes from my car,â Steve says. He squeezes your hand once before heading up the stairs. âIâll be right back.â
You decide to tackle the worst spot first. Though the place is more like a studio, the side that houses your bed and your closet is the most affected, so you head over there and try to tune out the squish of the carpet beneath your feet.
Youâre opening the sliding doors to your closet when Steve comes back, dropping a stack of boxes by your feet and running his hand down your arm softly before heading over to the bathroom to pack for you.
Even his presence seems to be making things a little bit easier for you, and each time he finds a small way to touch you or speak to you, to remind you that heâs there, youâre glad for it.
Half of your closet is a gross, wet mess, but some things are salvageable, which you take as a win. Things might be damp, but at least itâs only water, you suppose. A cycle in the dryer and most things will be wearable again.
Your dresses that are hung get the worst of it, soaked and smelly, and you decide that itâd be easier to get a couple new ones than to try and save whatâs there.
Steve checks in every now and then, poking his head out of the bathroomâs doorway to look at you and make sure youâre doing alright, giving you a thumbs up when you look over to him.
Youâre not sure how youâd be managing this if you were alone, and youâre thankful that you donât have to.
The next time he checks on you, youâre by your nightstand.
Sitting atop of it is a framed picture of you and Steve from summer camp when you were around ten years old, maybe younger. Only now, the pictureâs stained with water and the frame youâd decorated all those years ago at camp is a splotchy mess.
Where yours and Steveâs handwriting used to be, is now a blur from the water seeping into the wooden frame, the markerâs colors muddy. You frown, picking it up and running your thumb over the edge.
Before you can stop yourself, youâre tearing up, frustrated and sad and tired. Memories like this one are the most special to you, the ones that have kept you going for so long, and just like that, the picture thatâs sat on your nightstand since being taken is gone, and it fucking sucks.
âHey, angel?â Steve calls.
When all you do is sniffle and mumble an âmhm?â in response, he sets the box heâd been packing on the bathroom counter and walks over to you.
He comes up behind you, resting his hands on your upper-arms and peering over your shoulder at the ruined picture.
âIt was my favorite one,â you say, voice breaking a little. You wipe your tear away as it trails down your cheek, your own fingertips too harsh against your skin.
Although itâs soaked and splotchy now, Steve knows which picture it is. The one where youâve both got your neon summer camp t-shirts on, the one where his cheeks and nose are completely sunburnt and youâre both grinning up at the camera from your seats on the ground.
Steveâs clutching a stick in his hand for some reason, and youâve got your fist tangled in the sleeve of his shirt.
It feels like no time and forever has passed since then.
Steve grabs the picture and pries it gently from your hands, setting it back onto the table and turning you around in his grip to face him.
âWe can fix it,â he tells you, his brown eyes all soft as his hands come up to cup your face, thumbs swiping your tears away.
âBut the frame-â
âWeâll fix it, angel. Iâll find a way, okay? We can pack it in one of the boxes and figure it out.â
âSteve-â
âLook at me,â he urges you when your gaze flickers to the ground. You listen. âThis fucking sucks, I know it does, but youâre strong and Iâm here, and we can handle this.â
His voice is quiet, but sure. You search his face for any trace of a lie and find none. He really believes what heâs saying, and he really believes in you.
âThank you for being here.â You take a deep breath and drop your forehead against the collar of his shirt. âIâm sorry for crying. I know itâs kinda stupid. Most of this is replaceable, itâs just-â
âItâs not stupid,â he says, letting his chin rest atop your head. âYouâre allowed to cry. Hell, Iâd probably be kicking and screaming on the floor like I'm back in the terrible twos.â
You laugh wetly into his shirt.
âNow,â he says, pulling back and putting his hands on his hips, âthe quicker we pack, the quicker we go home. Iâll even let you wear a pair of my good fuzzy socks.â
A smile tugs at your mouth. âDeal.â
-
Steve wouldnât let you do much of the work after that.
Instead, he simply held up items for you to assess from where youâd been leaning against the wall and packed it into a box if it was a âyes,â or tossing it aside dramatically just to try and get you to laugh if it was a âno.â
Once things were sorted through and packed, you loaded everything into Steveâs carâwhich wasnât a whole bunch, considering how much you had to leave behind.
Youâd refused to let Steve carry the boxes all on his own, though he tried, but he still managed to open the doors for you whenever you made it to his car, even when his own hands were full, too.
By the time you were finished, you were drained. It felt like youâd lived multiple days in the one. An eight hour shift opening at the store, then coming home to a wrecked apartment. All you wanted to do was shower and lay down and not get back up.
Steve knows you well enough to be able to tell when itâs time to fill the silence and when it isnât, and on the drive back to his place, while your head was leaned against his window, he knew to stay quiet and give you a bit of space.
He turned the radio on, but not too loud, letting the songs hum through the speakers. At every stop sign, he reached over and gave your thigh a light squeeze. Reassuring, kind, somehow exactly what you needed at the moment. Nothing more, nothing less.
You were no stranger to the Harringtonâs house, having been there countless times since you were little, but it feels more intimidating now, knowing youâll be staying. You feel silly for being worried, but you are. Asking for help makes you feel like a burden.
Steve, however, doesnât let you entertain that thought for long, parking in his driveway and jogging around to open the passenger door for you. âHoney, weâre home!â
âDork,â you say, though you accept his hand and let him tug you up out of the car.
Grabbing the first couple of boxes, Steve leads you inside and upstairs, right to the guest room across the hall from his own bedroom. The closest one to him.
The house has at least two guest rooms, though you suppose with how little Steve's parents are around, you could consider there to be three. Three spare rooms and Steve puts you up in the nearest one possible. It makes your heart squish in your chest, how caring he is. He doesnât even have to try, really, the goodness in him shows even when he tries to keep it hidden.
It only takes a few trips down to his car and back before all of your boxes are stacked against the wall. You decide youâll deal with them later.
Steve runs over to his room and grabs a set of pajamas that youâd left there, and hands them to you. âI figured youâd wanna wash up.â
âYou calling me smelly, Harrington?â
âShut up, I think you smell nice. Usually.â
âHey!â
âIâm teasing, angel.â He ruffles your hair. You swat his hand away. âYou know where the bathroom is, and there should be soap and stuff in the shower already. Just yell if you need something, okay?â
You do know where the bathroom is. You have your own toothbrush in a cup by the sink, a set of travel-sized skin care products in the cupboard behind the mirror for whenever you end up staying over.
Itâs funny, youâve always felt more at home here than at your own parents house, and though he hasnât said it to you, Steve much prefers this house when youâre in it. Thereâs a warmth that comes with your presence that makes him ache when itâs not around.
You nod, âThank you again for letting me stay, Steve. I wonât be in the way, promise.â
âI want you in the way. You know youâre always welcome. This is no different.â He shrugs, âPlus, itâll be nice having you around. Place always feels so empty when itâs just me.â
âMaybe Iâll just stay forever, then,â you say, tone light and joking.
Steve, completely serious, says, âIâd let you.â
Thereâs a zip that goes through you when he says it, quick as lightning, something youâve never feltâor noticed, ratherâaround him. It throws you off just a little.
âAnyways,â Steve cuts your thoughts short, âIâll let you get settled. Pizza will be waiting for you when youâre done.â
He leaves the room before you can thank him again, his footsteps retreating and heading downstairs.
Youâve been to his house a million times, so you donât really feel the need to âget settledâ but you desperately need a shower so thatâs where you go.
You stay in for longer than you need to, letting the too-hot water run down your neck and back.
When you finally do step out of the bathroom, now clad in your pajamas, and head downstairs, Steveâs sitting on the couch in the living room, the romcoms he owns sitting out in front of the TV for you to choose from, your favorite blanket resting on your side of the couch, and pizza boxes on the coffee table just as promised.
Itâs the best thing in the world, you think, to have a friend like Steve.
-
Youâve been staying at Steveâs for a couple of days already, and time seems to fly by a little quicker when youâre there, especially when youâre around him.
Heâs taken it upon himself to have coffee ready in the pot for you every morning, one of your favorite mugs already next to it on the counter. Youâve cooked breakfasts together (pancakes one day, where youâd done most of the work, or something simple as toast when you both have to get to work), ordered dinners, and Steve comes home from his shifts with a new movie to watch almost every day.
Itâs been so nice. Almost perfect, actually.
This morning, the first day where your shifts happen to be at the exact same time, heâd even insisted on driving you to work. It was an easy yes, considering it wasnât out of his way at all.
After a short stint of working together at the grocery store in ninth grade, and your subsequent firing from the job after a month of constantly distracting each other on the clock, Tim, the grocery manager, took it upon himself to warn Hawkins not to hire the both of you together.
Eventually, youâd taken the closest you could get which resulted in you working at the arcade and Steve next door at Family Video.
You share a parking lot. Steve already drives you to work most days. You like to put up a bit of a fight just to annoy him.
Though you havenât worked together in years, and he isnât far away by any means, you miss having Steve around on days like this. Where the arcade is quiet save for the sounds of the games in the background, where youâre simply babysitting the desk and cleaning things multiple times to try and make the hours pass by.
If Steve were with you, heâd make stupid jokes that you donât wanna laugh at but do, or coerce you into playing the games while on the clock with the change you find whenever youâre cleaning.
Heâd probably trash talk you, and bump your hip with his while playing pinball, and be a sore loser, and for some reason you want him around so bad.
You chalk it up to getting used to spending hours and hours with him, every single day, these past couple of days. Staying with him has made you miss him more, you think.
Thatâs it.
Meanwhile, over at Family Video, Steve isnât feeling too different from you.
Heâs spent the morning stocking shelves, memories popping into his head whenever heâd come across a movie you loved or watched together, while Robinâs been manning the desk.
Then, when his cart was empty and put back into the back room, he sat on the chair behind the front desk, spinning around until Robin stopped him with her foot and asked what he was thinking so hard about.
Steve caught her up on what had happened with your apartment (youâd told him he could tell her, because sheâs your friend too and would find out sooner or later) and how youâd ended up staying with him in his house.
She raised her eyebrows and hummed in a way that was automatically suspicious, because Robin isnât very good at hiding things.
âWhat?â Steve asks.
âNothing.â When Steve only gives her a pointed look, Robin continues, âWell⌠are you sure thatâs a good idea?â
Now, Robin is one of Steveâs closest friends, and him one of hers, and she supports him in pretty much everything that he does even when she teases him relentlessly along the way, but she cares about both of you and doesnât want to see anyone hurt.
She can read Steve better than he can read himself, probably, because to Robin, itâs clear that he feels more than friendly towards you. And he doesnât even know it.
When they became closer, it was clear to Robin, even before meeting you, just from the way Steve spoke of you, that there was a spot reserved for you in his life that couldnât be filled by anyone else.
He would say itâs that of âbest friendâ but Robin would call it something even bigger than that. Still, even though she thinks heâs an absolute dingus, sheâs trying to let Steve figure it out for himself.
Clearly, itâs taking fucking forever.
He looks confused at her question, âWhy wouldnât it be a good idea?â
Robin sighs and resists the urge to drop her forehead against the desk and decides on, âYou know what they say: become friends with your roommates, donât become roommates with your friends.â
âWhoever they are, theyâre dumb as shit,â Steve says. âSheâs been over, slept over, hundreds of times. Itâs not any different, just longer.â
âI guess so,â she settles on. âThe rules of the world never really seem to apply to you two.â
âThatâs because the rules of the world are also dumb as shit.â
âHow would you know? Itâs not like youâve ever tried following them.â
ââCause Iâm a rule breaker, Robs.â
Steve wiggles his eyebrows. Robin shoves the rolling chair heâs sitting on with her foot, sending it into the other side of the desk with a thud.
âDonât think that smoking weed in your backyard is enough to call yourself a rule breaker, dingus.â
-
That night, your routine was pretty much the same.
Steve was already waiting for you in his car when you left the arcade, a smile spreading onto his face when he saw you making your way across the parking lot to him, your skirt swishing a little with the breeze.
Rather than go straight home, you made a stop at your apartment to talk things over with the couple who owned the home. Theyâd met with a builder and plumber about getting everything fixed and wanted to walk you through it all.
Steve came with you and held your hand, and both of them cooed at him and pinched his cheeks and called him a cutie before getting to the important stuff.
After going over what had to be done (rip out the carpet, replace it, fix the pipes and make sure no others were at risk, replace the ceiling, and more you couldnât even remember already), theyâd assured you that they would be taking care of it all. Covering the entire cost.
You probably wouldâve argued if not for how little money was in your bank account, and how stubborn you knew these people to be. Instead, youâd squeezed them both and thanked them while your eyes grew misty with tears.
Steveâs hand stayed in yours and squeezed when you sniffled.
He knew, because he knew pretty much everything about you, that these people were kinder to you than even your own parents. That, if this had happened at their house, they wouldâve found a way to blame you for it.
You feel lucky to have found that kind of parental love elsewhere, sad that you didnât know exactly what it felt like beforehand.
After giving the couple Steveâs phone number to call in case they needed you and giving them both another hug, you and Steve headed back home.
Home, you call it. Like itâs yours.
Sometimes it feels like it is.
Later, after you and Steve have both showered and had dinner and gotten comfy in your sweats, youâre back in the living room, Steve shows you the movie heâs brought back this time.
âGremlins?â You ask, smiling and shaking your head.
âHell yeah, angel. Itâs a classic.â
Steve sets everything up, joining you on the couch after pressing âplayâ on the movie and adjusting the volume with your guidance.
âSo, how was work?â Steve asks during the opening credits. The two of you have a hard time being next to each other and not talking. Itâs why you get dirty looks whenever you go to the movies.
âWeekdays are so boring, Steve,â you say, letting your head fall against the back of the couch. âYouâre so lucky you have Robin to entertain you during the day. I think I dusted like, ten times at least.â
âRobin is a pain in my ass.â He says. He doesnât really mean it, because even when she is, heâs glad to have her around. A different kind of gladness than he feels with you. âShe kept pushing me every time I sat in the rolling chair. Thereâs probably a dent in the desk.â
âThatâs because you were probably hogging the chair, Steve.â
âWhat the fuck!â Steveâs smiling when he says it, lacking any sort of anger. âYouâre supposed to be on my side.â
Your smile mirrors his, the way it always does. Itâs contagious, you think, the way his eyes crinkle at the corner.
Shrugging, you say, âI donât know, Iâd wanna push you around on that chair too, I think.â
âYouâd spin me too much. Iâd get sick all over you and then nobodyâs happy.â
âDonât talk about barf while Iâm eating, Harrington.â
You throw a piece of popcorn at him. It bounces off his cheek and lands on his lap, and he doesnât even flinch. Steve just picks it up and pops it into his mouth.
When the bowlâs empty, you lean forward and set it on the coffee table before sinking back into the couch, Steve's shoulder brushing yours. You let the warmth seep through your clothes and shut your eyes.
Itâs a little more than halfway through the movie when Steve realizes youâre asleep. Youâd been quiet, sure, but Steve only thought that meant you were paying attention to the movie.
That was, until your head slipped and rested against his shoulder.
He looked down at you, at the hair falling across your forehead (he smoothed it away gently, so it wouldnât be in your eyes or your mouth), your eyebrows relaxed and free of any worry, your chest rising and falling with steady breaths.
He thinks of how tired you must be, after everything. Your apartment and dealing with the aftermath both emotionally and physically, working long shifts most days to keep your bank account full.
Steve, though he doesnât let himself look too deep into it, also thinks of how beautiful you are. Now and always.
Not wanting you to get a kink in your neck from the position, Steve decides to rouse you from sleep as gently as possible. He slips a hand under your head to keep it steady and maneuvers himself to kneel in front of you.
âHey, angel,â he almost whispers, thumb dragging across your cheek. âCâmon, letâs get you to bed.â
Your nose scrunches and you grumble, but after some coaxing, you blink your eyes open and squint at Steve. You blame your half-asleep mind on the way you nuzzle into his palm. âHmm?â
âYou fell asleep.â
âOh, sorry,â you mumble.
Steve laughs softly. âDonât be sorry, I just didnât want you to be uncomfortable.â
The warmth of his hand leaves your cheek as he stands and holds his hands out for you to grab. He pulls you up off the couch and starts leading you towards the stairs.
You knuckle at your eyes on the way, a tiny smile gracing your face at how sweet Steveâs being. As if you havenât fallen asleep on his couch plenty of times before.
Still sleepy, you stumble a little on the stairs, but Steve catches you easily with an arm around your waist and a small âCareful.â
He leaves his arm there the rest of the way to whatâs become your bedroom, guiding you over to the bed and lifting the covers for you.
Tomorrow, youâll regret not brushing your teeth or washing your face before climbing in bed. But today, you donât feel like risking not being able to sleep again if you wake yourself up further.
Youâre practically asleep again by the time youâre settled with your head on the pillow as Steve tugs the blankets over you.
Youâre just awake enough to feel the light press of his lips on your forehead and a soft âGoodnight, angelâ against your skin before he leaves the room and shuts the door behind him.
-
On a random Thursday that you and Steve both have off, he convinces you to let him take you to the mall.
âWe should go shopping,â he says when you walk into the kitchen. Itâs a little later in the morning, having slept in since itâs a day off, the sun slipping through the window in warm beams.
You raise your eyebrows at him. âLike, groceries?â
âNo, like shopping shopping. You know, the mall?â
You lean against the kitchen island, the countertop cool on your back where it touches the sliver of skin between your tank top and sleep shorts. Steve has his shoulder against the fridge, his arms crossed over his chest, the sleeves of his t-shirt tight against his muscles. Not that youâre looking.
You squint at him, trying to find his motive on his face. âYou literally buy whatever the mannequins are wearing to avoid shopping.â
âThatâs what theyâre there for!â The sass in his voice has you biting back a smile. âYou need new clothes,â he continues, âand I need to get out of this house.â
âWe can do something else, Steve,â you say. âI thought you hated shopping.â
âWell, I donât hate you.â Thereâs a pause, Steveâs eyes lowering to that sliver of skin above your shorts. He flicks them back to your face quickly, hoping you didnât notice, because even heâs not sure what compelled his eyes to wander. âPlus, Eddie called me a hermit the other day and I really canât stand for that, can I?â
âOhhh,â you ignore the way your skin suddenly feels warm beneath his gaze, âso you need to make a public appearance to prove Eddie wrong?â
âExactly. Weâll replace some of the things you lost and restore my reputation. Two birds, one stone, right angel?â
So thatâs how youâd ended up at the mall. After Starcourt burnt down, the closest place was a couple towns over, and Steve (as always) offered to drive.
He lets you pick the music the entire way, sings along when you hold your water bottle by his mouth like a microphone, even attempts to harmonize with you which just ends in laughter because neither of you sounded that great.
Youâre a couple of stores in, and Steveâs been complaint-free so farâwhich makes sense, since this was his idea, but youâve caught him side-eyeing some things, so you know heâs got some remarks in his head he just hasnât said out loudâand follows you around as you browse. You try not to take too long, because you canât imagine that this is any fun for him.
âHow about that one?â Steve asks, pointing at one of the dresses hanging along the storeâs wall.
Heâd seen your apartment, though that was a bit ago, and he remembered what youâd lost the most of, along with the type of stuff you like. He pays attention like that, in small, quiet ways that you think mean the most.
He knows you. He cares enough to know you.
âYeah, thatâs really pretty, actually,â you admit.
At your approval, Steve grabs one in your size (which he also just happens to know) and adds it to the couple of things heâd already been holding for you. Every time you picked something up, he was quick to snatch it from you, telling you it was âtoo hard to browse with your hands full.â
After making your way through the rest of the store, you decided to head back to try things on, holding out a hand for the stuff Steveâs holding. âYou can wait out here, Iâll be quick.â
âHold on,â he says, holding the hangers out of your reach. âWhy do you think Iâm here, angel? I wanna help you pick.â
âSeriously?â
âYes, seriously. Give me a fashion show, yeah?â
âOh my God,â you mumble, letting him follow you to the fitting rooms.
Theyâre hidden behind the back wall of the store, a hallway painted bright blue with pink changeroom doors on one side, and white benches along the other.
âHi there,â an employee with auburn hair greets you both, her smile wide and kind, though you know itâs a practiced one. Customer service smile. âHow many you got there, darling?â
âOh, um,â you turn back towards Steve, whoâs counting the hangers in his hand. âFive.â
âPerfect!â The girl takes the key hanging around her neck and unlocks one of the rooms for you. She takes the clothes from Steve and hangs them up inside for you, then turns to the two of you and says, âYour man can have a seat right here. We call them the âboyfriend benches.ââ
âHeâs not my-â
âThanks,â Steve says, cutting off your correction because for some reason he didnât want you to correct her.
Did he⌠like the idea of being your boyfriend?
Fuck. No. He just didnât want you to have to explain the whole situation in your rambly way. Thatâs all.
The redhead smiles again, âHoller if you need anything,â she says before walking off.
You stand there for a second, something like confusion on your face. Did it look like you were boyfriend and girlfriend?
âCome on,â Steve says, snapping the both of you out of whatever that was. âShow me what youâve got.â
âI can't believe youâre making me do this,â you say, walking into the fitting room and shutting the door.
You try on a couple of sweaters first, and Steve feels the fabric both times, making sure that itâs not scratchy on your skin. Then, thereâs just some basic t-shirts that arenât all that exciting, but Steve says they look nice anyway.
Finally, you get to the dress he picked out.
It really was pretty. A midi-length with a ruffled hem and straps that tie into little bows on your shoulders. You donât always feel good in your clothes. Sometimes you wish you could crawl out of your skin when you look into the mirror, but right now, you donât hate what you see.
You actually like it.
âWell?â Steve calls softly from the bench.
In response, you open the door and step out so he can see you.
Steveâs seen you in plenty of dressesâhell, you went to prom togetherâbut for some reason this one makes his heart beat just a little bit quicker. Maybe itâs simply the fact that it looks great on you, or the way youâre smiling shyly as he looks you over.
Or, maybe itâs because heâs the one who picked it.
He stands up, spinning his finger in the air in a gesture for you to twirl. You roll your eyes but do it anyway, and he canât take his eyes off of you. The hallway of fitting rooms isnât very big, so with both of you in it, youâre standing toe to toe, the gold flecks in the middle of Steveâs eyes and the faint freckles that dot his nose are visible from where you stand.
As if he canât help it, Steve lifts a finger and dips it beneath the strap on your shoulder. Not moving it or undoing it, just gliding along your skin where it sits.
âYou look beautiful,â he says. His voice goes all quiet and soft when he says it, and his eyes widen a tiny bit, like he hadnât meant it to slip out that way. It sounded⌠more than friendly. He clears his throat and steps back as much as he can in the small space, his finger leaving your skin. âI have great taste. Clearly.â
You blink at him, then shake yourself out of it as much as you can. âYeah. Donât let it get to your head.â You lift the tag where it hangs by your armpit and look at the price. You gasp and swat Steveâs arm. âSteve! Why would you let me walk into a place so expensive?â
You probably shouldâve looked at the tag beforehand, but here you are. Steve, shrugging exaggeratedly, says, âI didnât know!â
âOkay, Iâm gonna change before she comes back. We can make a run for it.â
âWeâre not stealing.â
âI know, but they look at you all judgemental when you try stuff on and donât buy something. Trust me.â
You turn and go back into the fitting room to put on your own clothes, taking a look at the dress in the mirror one last time before shaking your head at yourself.
Steve, however, takes the opportunity to leave you and head back out into the store. He finds the dress easily and grabs another one in your size from the rack and heads to the cashier.
Heâs just finishing up, bag in hand, when you walk out and meet him at the front of the store.
âFor you,â he says, holding out the bag for you to take.
âSteveâŚâ You grab it and look inside. Your chest aches when you see the dress, your heart suddenly too full and your stomach fluttering stupidly. âYou didnât have to do that. I wouldâve been fine with something from the Gap.â
âI know that,â he says, a hand lifting to scratch at the back of his neck. Itâs a nervous tick of his, and the thought of him being nervous right now makes you melt even more. âI wanted to get it for you. You looked too pretty in it not to have it.â
Your eyes catch his, and again, something passes between you that you donât think youâve ever felt before. A fizzle, a spark.
You rock back on your feet, looking down at the ground before meeting his eyes again. Theyâre so fucking soft it makes you wonder how lucky you have to be to have him in your life. Being your best friend, driving you to work even when he doesnât have a shift, offering you a place to stay, buying you a dress.
Heâs the sweetest boy youâve ever known.
âWell,â you twist the straps of the bag around your fingers just to keep them busy. âThank you, Steve. This is really nice.â
His knuckle traces down your arm just once, featherlight. âYouâre welcome, angel.â
You donât buy anything else after that, instead stopping at the food court for fries, stealing from each otherâs baskets, smiling and slapping hands away.
Itâs the best day youâve had in a while.
-
You donât think anything you do will convey just how grateful you are that Steve has been so kind to you. Always, but especially now. Letting you stay with him and refusing to let you pay rent. (âI donât even pay rent, and I live here all the time.â)
But, this morning, youâve decided youâre gonna try.
Steveâs favorite meal of the day happens to be breakfast, which is funny, considering he usually eats something as simple as cereal. Heâd told you once that it was because, as a kid, breakfast was the most peaceful of meals, his parents too busy getting ready for work or wherever they were going that heâd have the kitchen table to himself.
Lunch was usually spent at school, and Steve was never a fan of school to begin with. Then there was dinner, which his parents (when they were home) still wanted to have all together. Theyâd ask him questions and make backhanded comments about every single answer he gave. He never won at dinner.
So, breakfast was, and has remained, his favorite.
You made sure to get up early enough to give yourself time to get everything ready before he wakes up. Steveâs usually the one making the coffee in the morning, and you figured the least you could do was give him a break.
Yesterday, while Steve had been at work, you went over to the Wheelerâs and asked Nancy if you could borrow their waffle maker. Sheâd directed the question to her mother, who went and grabbed it for you and handed it over with a smile. You promised to take good care of it and have it back in a couple of days.
By the time Steve walks into the kitchen, youâve already made the batter and set out the toppingsâberries, maple syrup, whipped creamâlike a buffet. However, he just so happens to come in as youâre swearing at the waffle maker.
âStupid fucking thing,â you mutter, trying to open it.
Steve smiles to himself before saying, âMorning, angel.â
You jump at his voice, not having heard him walk in. When you turn around, your heart beats for a different reason.
Steveâs still only in his pajama pants, plaid and soft, hanging low on his hips. And heâs shirtless, his chest smattered with hair and his skin a little tanned from the sun. Heâs got beauty marks all over, like a constellation you could chart, and his abs are just visible beneath the soft of his stomach. A trail of hair leading to the waistband of his pants and disappearing beneath them.
Youâve seen Steve shirtless plenty of times. Swimming and sleeping over in the summer, in high school when you used to go to his practices, but it hits you harder for some reason this time.
The way his hair is still a mess from sleep, his eyes a bit heavy. The way it feels to be greeting him in the kitchen, cooking breakfast. Intimate. Domestic.
You clear your throat and turn back around to pry the waffle maker open, revealing a slightly burnt but otherwise good-looking waffle. âIâm making breakfast. Coffeeâs already in the pot, too.â
He walks over, his chest close to your back as he grabs a mug from the cabinet above you before heading over to pour himself a cup. He looks at the spread youâve prepared, âWaffles, huh? What did I do to deserve all this?â
âJust wanted to do something nice for you,â you say as Steve walks over to lean against the counter next to you, his hip barely touching yours. âTo thank you, in a way. For letting me stay and the dress and-â
âHow many times do I have to tell you to stop thanking me?â He says, though his voice is soft and still a bit rough from sleep. âI like having you around.â
âSo you donât want the waffles then?â
âOh, I want the waffles. I just donât want you to feel like you have to do anything for me. Itâs not some debt youâll owe me, angel.â
âWant you to know I appreciate you is all,â you say, pouring a new scoop of batter into the waffle maker.
Steve, unsure of what exactly possesses him to do so, dips in and presses a kiss to the apple of your cheek, his lips a whisper away from your skin when he says, âI appreciate you, too.â
Then he pulls away and moves to set the table. Like it was natural.
And it was, in a way. How you moved around each other in the kitchen. You leaning out of the way when he needed to reach something you were blocking, him putting a hand on your lower back when he walked behind you so you knew he was there.
Your cheek still tingles from where heâd kissed it when you bring the plate of waffles to the table, your skin somehow even warmer under his gaze, like heâs still remembering exactly how it felt, too.
You sit in the chair beside Steve, not noticing the way he tugs it a bit closer to him with his foot before you sit down. Soon enough, both of you are digging in. Steveâs got more whipped cream on his plate than waffle (you tell him as much) and youâve got your berries on the side the way you always do.
Neither of you work until later in the day, and itâs nice knowing that you can take your time. Steve tells you about the advice he gave Dustin about how to be âcoolerâ in school (heâd told him that being cool is completely overrated, he knew from experience, and that being himself is the most important). Youâd told him he was going soft with age.
You talk about anything at all. How Keith somehow manages both of your places of work, how he also somehow does both terribly. The way he says âif you have time to lean, you have time to cleanâ while literally having Cheeto dust on his fingers. Laughing at each otherâs impressions of him.
What the new highscores were at the arcade, what people were renting from Family Video.
You wonder what itâll be like when you have to leave. When youâre living alone again.
Logically, you know youâll still see Steve frequently, because heâs your favorite person and you canât remember the last time you went longer than a few days without hanging out. Still, itâll be different than right now, waking up in the same space and sharing breakfast and brushing your teeth side by side in the mirror.
Youâll miss it, you think.
Trying not to dwell on something thatâs still a few weeks away, you take another bite of your waffle. Steve catches your chin and wipes off a bit of whipped cream from the corner of your mouth, then pulling away and sucking it off his thumb.
He goes back to his own plate without a thought. Like touching you just now was an instinct.
Then, he teases you, âThese are a little crispy, angel. Maybe you should stick to letting me make breakfast in this household.â
You kick his leg under the table. âThatâs a funny way of saying âthank you,â Harrington.â
He kicks you back, much gentler than youâd been. âThank you.â
âThatâs what I thought.â
When you look at him, thereâs an easy, boyish smile on his face.
A similar one stretches across your own lips.
-
Steve has had the thought pop up into his head a couple of times, that maybe he shouldâve just asked you to live with him before you ever bought that apartment. Because having you around feels the most right things have ever felt in his house.
And though the circumstances of your moving in with him (temporarily, he has to remind himself), were far from ideal, he canât lie and say that he isnât glad that youâve ended up sharing his space.
The room across the hall will always be yours, even when you move back to your place.
He knows that you feel indebted to him for all of it, but if anyone owes the other something, he feels like itâs him. For everything youâve ever done for him. Sticking around even when he was an asshole in highschool, defending him to his parents whenever youâd cross paths, simply being the kind of friend he needed.
Even when youâre not around, he can picture your face, the way your smile spreads slowly until youâre fucking beaming. Worse, the way you cried into his chest that day at your apartment.
He remembers the crack in your voice when you spoke about that picture frame from summer camp. Though he hasnât seen you cry since, or even bring it up, heâs decided he wants to fix it. Heâd told you he would.
Dustin wound up roped into his plan: find a similar frame, decorate it the exact same way, and scour the photo albums in Steveâs room for his copy of that same picture.
When he was younger, the photo albums pissed him off, because they were purely for show. Pictures of his family that were all fake smiles. Now, heâs glad for them, because at least he has some good memories to look back on. To know it wasnât always all bad.
Steve probably shouldâve thought that one through, because when they looked through his albums, he was on the receiving end of relentless teasing from Dustin. (âDude, you have an insane boogie in this picture.â âI was four!â)
He hopes itâll be worth it.
Dustin was the one who found the picture theyâd been looking for, and he cheered and waved it in Steveâs face as if theyâd been racing.
Now, after driving Dustin back home, decorating the frame the way the two of you did as kids, trying to make his handwriting look like it did back then (which wasnât too difficult, âcause Steveâs writing still isnât that neat), heâs waiting for you to come downstairs before giving it to you.
Heâd picked you up after your shift at the arcade not too long ago, but he knows you like to shower and change as soon as you get home from work, so heâd taken the opportunity to wrap the frame and have it ready for you.
Steve can hear you singing in the shower, and he knows youâre done when it goes quiet. A few minutes later youâre walking down the stairs in a baggy t-shirt and silky sleep shorts.
His eyes, for some reason, linger on your legs for a second.
He stands up, frame in his hand, when you walk over. âI have something for you.â
âSteve! Stop buying me things. Seriously.â
âThis thing was free, so you canât even be mad,â he says, smiling almost sheepishly.
Your eyes search his face, flickering between his own and dipping down to his lips and his nose and back to his eyes. He looks⌠nervous.
Steveâs never nervous around you.
âOkay,â you say, shuffling on your feet. âWhat is it?â
âHere,â he hands you the poorly-wrapped frame. âOpen it.â
You scrunch your brows at him once, because you have no idea what it could be. It isnât your birthday, or any sort of holiday at all. With zero guesses, you look down at the light yellow wrapping paper in your hands and slowly tear it open.
What you find makes your eyes grow misty, tears pooling at your lash line but not quite falling.
Itâs your favorite picture, the one of you and Steve in those stupid neon shirts with messy hair and dirt on your hands. Only now, itâs not water damaged, and the frame is new, but decorated just like the old one. You run your thumbs over the glass lightly, smiling down at little you and little Steve.
When you look back up at him, heâs already looking at you, his brown eyes all warm, his smile kind but also worried, waiting for your reaction.
Seeing his face springs you into motion, jumping forward and wrapping your arms around his neck tightly with the frame still in your hand. âThank you,â you say into his skin.
Steveâs arms move to hold you around your waist without a thought. A reflex. They squeeze you close to him, his nose pressed into your damp hair, smelling your shampoo.
âItâs not perfect,â he says. âBut I know how much you love that picture, and I wanted to fix it.â
âSteve. Shut up. It is perfect.â
âIâm glad you think so,â he says, his thumbs running back and forth against your back.
You hug for what couldâve been minutes, but neither of you moves to pull away first. Youâre not sure if itâs still considered friendly to stand in each other's arms, breathing each other in, for so long, but you donât care at the moment.
This is probably the nicest thing anyoneâs done for you in a long, long time.
When you finally do pull away, you donât go far. Your arms stay slung over his shoulders, Steveâs hands framing your hips. His thumbs still dragging those sweet patterns against you.
âIâm keeping it forever,â you tell him.
âYou sure?â he asks.
âCertain. Youâll always be my best friend, Steve.â
âYouâll always be mine too, angel.â
Then, your eyes both move to each otherâs lips, yours flick back up in a second, startled at their wandering.
Steve, however, is a bit transfixed. He looks at the slope of your cupidâs bow, the way your lips are shiny from your lip balm. He thinks it quickly, like a gust of wind that canât be stopped: I really wanna kiss her right now.
Fuck. He wants to kiss his best friend.
He blinks a few times, clearing his throat and pulling back, letting his hands fall from your waist as yours slide off his shoulders. He misses the feel of your touch immediately, but heâs too freaked out and confused to do anything about it.
âWhat are you in the mood for tonight?â he asks, cutting off his own thoughts. âI brought back a horror and a comedy. Take your pick.â
âMmm,â he picks up two tapes from the coffee table and holds them up for you to choose from. âHorror. Unless youâre too scared?â
âYouâll just have to hold my hand, then, wonât you?â
âI guess I will.â
You look back at the picture while Steve puts the movie into the player. You smile at it every time you see it, because you can still see parts of Steve in him now that were in him then.
His eyes, always kind, the way he smiles when he laughs, and about a half hour into the movie, the way he holds your hand and squeezes it when heâs scared.
-
Youâre having one of those nights. The kind where sleep seems to be fighting you.
You worked a closing shift at the arcade, which usually lasts until late considering how long youâre open plus all of the cleaning you have to do afterwards. Today was no different, and despite how much later you finish than him at Family Video, Steve waited and drove you home. He hung out in the arcade with you until close, actually.
Youâd think that after such a long day, the second your head hit the pillow youâd be out and breathing steadily. Today, that is not the case. You fell asleep for maybe an hour before a nightmare woke you up. You canât quite remember what happened, only that youâd been yelling for Steve and he wasnât there.
Groaning quietly, you rub your eyes and toss the blankets away. You stand up and head down to the kitchen in the dark, hand trailing along the walls to make sure you donât bump into anything.
Just as youâre pouring yourself a glass of water, you hear the shuffle of sleepy footsteps coming into the kitchen.
âHoly shit,â he says, walking over to grab a glass, one hand on his bare chest. âI thought you were a ghost or something just now.â
You shift out of the way to let him get some water just like you did, taking the second that heâs distracted to look at him. His hair a mess, wearing nothing but his boxers. You take a big sip from your glass.
âI feel like I should be offended right now,â you say, âif you think I look like a ghost.â
âShut up,â he says, dragging out the second word. His voice being rough from sleep makes his words sound much warmer than they are. âMy eyes arenât awake yet. Nothing to do with you, angel.â
You shake your head, though thereâs a soft smile on your face the way there always seems to be when you try to be annoyed with Steve. You tilt your head at him, asking, âCouldnât sleep?â
He shakes his head. âBeen tossing and turning. Just canât get comfortable, then I got pissed âcause I couldnât get comfortable and only made it worse.â
âYou would get pissed at that. Probably slapped your pillow like it was at fault.â
He folds his lips inwards and blinks at you. Because he did smack his pillow and call it a dipshit. âWhy do you know everything? Spying on me?â
âHate to say it, but youâre getting predictable, Harrington.â You shrug, then move to put your now empty glass in the dishwasher. âI know you too well.â
He looks at you, your hair falling across your shoulders, your pajama shorts riding up a little as you bend down. The moonlight slipping through the window seems to hit you perfectly. Like a halo.
Fitting, he thinks. Youâre his angel, after all.
âYeah, you do,â he agrees. Then, âWhat about you? Whyâre you up?â
âNightmare. Been forever since I had one.â
âYou okay?â he asks, trailing a knuckle over your shoulder, pushing your hair behind it.
âYeah,â you say, skin tingling where heâd touched you. âI can't even remember most of it, but now my brain wonât let me sleep.â
Steve wishes he couldâve protected you from whatever haunted you in your sleep. Itâs silly, he knows, to think he might be able to ward away anything that hurts you, but he wants to, nonetheless.
He thinks about how comfortable he is whenever you cuddle during movie night. Your head on his shoulder or his chest, his hand on your back or waist.
So, he blurts, âWhy donât you sleep over?â
You furrow your brows at him, âUm, Iâve been sleeping over. A couple of weeks now, actually.â
âNo, I mean, like in my room with me,â he says, suddenly shy at the idea. Heâs grateful for the darkness, because he can feel his cheeks warming up. âA proper sleepover.â
Youâve done it before. Shared a bed a bunch of times, but for some reason your heart jumps when he says it. Your stomach swirls as you say, maybe a little too quickly, âOkay.â
Steveâs eyes widen like heâs surprised, just for a split second, before a soft smile takes over his face. He holds out a hand for you to take, âCâmon.â
Soon enough, Steveâs lifting his navy bedspread for you, letting you slip into bed next to him. He stays further away at first, letting you settle and lay on your side the way he knows you always do.
You blame sleepinessâor, maybe, the lack thereofâfor the way you reach behind you for his arm and tug him closer, draping it over your own waist.
He obliges, of course, his arm securing itself across your stomach, palm spread out and warm against your sleep shirt. His chest is only a breath away from your back, though he keeps his lower half a little more distanced.
His thumb runs circles over your shirt, once, twice, three times before stilling, his forehead pressing to the back of your neck.
âGoodnight, angel,â he says into your hair.
Your hand splays itself on top of his. âNight, Steve.â
And suddenly your eyes grow heavier, and sleep doesnât feel like much of a battle anymore.
-
You wake up the most rested youâve felt in a while. Thereâs warmth surrounding you, but not the uncomfortable kind. The kind that feels safe.
Somehow, you and Steve are even closer than youâd been when you fell asleep. His arm is still around your waist, his other outstretched and tucked beneath your head like a pillow. His chest is flush to your back, and you can feel it expand with every breath he takes.
Most differently of all, however, is the way his hips are snug against the curve of your butt. And you can feel him hard against you.
Your skin feels even warmer than before when you notice.
Steve hasnât woken up yet, you donât think, because the faintest snores are getting puffed out against your shoulder where his face is tucked. His hand on your stomach has worked its way beneath your shirt, though, and his fingertips press against your skin, like heâs fighting to keep you close.
As if youâd go anywhere even in your sleep.
His knee is tucked between your legs, and youâre quickly realizing that itâd be pretty impossible to get out of bed without him noticing. Youâre completely tangled together, a knot of limbs somehow fitting together just right. Like two puzzle pieces.
In his sleep, Steveâs mouth presses against the back of your shoulder, and only when you involuntarily shiver at the contact, does he stir.
It takes Steve a bit to really wake up, mumbling words that donât make sense, scrunching his eyes shut even further before blinking them open. Heâs met with the sight of you right in front of him. Body curved perfectly against his.
âSteve? You awake?â you ask, checking.
âMhm,â he hums.
Then, something that has his cheeks flushing pink, he registers the feeling of his boner pressed against your ass. He shuffles them back enough so thereâs space between you. âFuck. Sorry.â
âItâs okay,â you say. Because he canât control the way his body reacts while heâs asleep.
âI didnât think-â he cuts himself off, because heâs not quite sure how to say I didnât think about the whole morning wood factor or that Iâd fucking plaster myself to you when I suggested a sleepover without sounding stupid. Instead, he just repeats, âIâm sorry.â
You twist yourself around to face him, sheets crumpling and twisting as you move. When you settle back onto the pillow and look at his face, at the redness on his cheeks and the tips of his ears, you squeeze his hand thatâs now laying between you.
âItâs okay, really,â you say. âItâs, like, anatomy. Youâre human, Steve.â
âI donât want you to think I invited you to sleep in here for some pervy reason,â he says, scrunching his nose when he says it.
âI donât think that at all,â you tell him. You squeeze his hand again. âWeâve shared a bed like, a hundred times by now. If anything Iâm surprised this hasnât happened already.â
âOh my God,â he groans, shutting his eyes and pushing his face into the pillow.
âSteve,â you drag out his name, fighting a giggle at the way heâs acting. Heâs got a reputation, after all, and how shy and embarrassed he seems to be doesnât reflect the things you heard about him in high school. Heâs changed a lot since then. âItâs seriously fine. We can pretend it never happened. Promise.â
Steve pulls his face from the pillow, eyes catching yours as his fingers squeeze yours back in appreciation. He lets his eyes wander a bit, at the messy bits of your hair around your face from sleeping, the marks in your cheek from the pillowcase, the way your sleep shirt has fallen off your shoulder.
He feels lucky to get to see you this way, right after youâve woken up. Vulnerable, unguarded, beautiful.
Itâs during this small stretch of silence that you realize how close your faces are now. Youâre sharing a pillow, his nose not even an inch from yours. Shift forward the slightest bit, and theyâd be touching. Your eyes trail down to his mouth, to the visible patch of chest hair and the freckles that dot his skin. Heâs already looking right at you when your eyes flick back upwards.
You know Steve, could tell what heâs feeling just from the look on his face, but this is one youâve never seen before. At least, not directed at you.
Steve moves first, his eyes a little darker than usual, shifting forward slightly, then looking at you. Daring you to make the next move.
âWhat if we didnât forget about it?â he says. Quiet and scratchy.
You donât have time to think before you move forward a bit, too. Your noses brush. âWhat would that mean?â
Steve doesnât answer with words. Rather, he moves forward the final bit and brushes his lips against yours in a question mark of a kiss, giving you time to pull away.
You donât.
Instead, the hand of yours that isnât still holding his comes up to the back of his neck, gently encouraging him to do it again. His free hand tightens at your waist as he dips in a second time.
It isnât as tentative now that youâve urged him on. His lips meet yours more sure, more firm, but still soft against you. Neither of you cares one bit about morning breath, or about what this might change. As if the morningâs haze slows time, minds still a little sleepy.
Youâre simply acting on instinct. And this feels too right to stop.
Soon enough it grows more heated, Steve shifting to hover over you, his elbows pushing into the mattress to hold himself up, his tongue sneaking out to lick against the seam of your lips for permission.
Just as you open up for him, the blaring sound of Steve's alarm cuts you off, pulling back with a gasp. He simply leans up on one arm and slams the snooze buttonâand you laugh, you laugh, at how hard he hits itâbefore diving back into you.
You feel hot all over, where one of Steveâs hands has moved to cup your jaw, his thumb running delicately against your face as his mouth moves against yours, practically devouring you. Where the blankets are still over your lower halves, trapping in heat. When he pulls back, looks into your eyes, fucking smiles all dopey and pretty, and then kisses you again.
Itâs so good, youâre almost angry at yourself for not kissing him sooner.
You kiss until his alarm goes off again and Steve's forced to pry himself away from you, groaning about being on his âlast tardy warningâ from Keith.
Still, he takes the time to kiss your forehead on his way out, Family Video vest slung over his shoulder, calling a sweet, âbye, angel,â on his way out. His hairâs still a mess from your fingers, and he doesnât even seem to mind.
You stay in his bed longer than you probably should, blinking up at the ceiling, fingers pressed against your lips like youâre searching for physical proof that everything was real.
What the fuck just happened?
-
Itâs been a couple of weeks, and Steve canât stop thinking about that kiss. He doesnât know it, but you canât stop thinking about it either.
Neither of you have brought it up, and things have faded back to normal as if it had never happened. But you and Steve are both thinking the same things without knowing it. How good and natural and easy it felt, how, every now and then, you think about doing it again.
You talk and joke and watch movies and eat meals together the same way you always have, and itâd be so easy to stay that way, to never kiss again. But then, what if you could stay that way and kiss? Wouldnât that be something close to perfect?
You lay awake thinking about it every few nights. Because, when you really reflect on your life and how intertwined it is with Steveâs, you realize that youâve sort of always acted like a couple, minus the kissing and sex aspect. You go on what could easily be classified as datesâthe movies, lunch or dinnerâyou cuddle on the couch almost nightly, and youâve never shied away from physical touch with one another. Held hands, a palm on your back.
You havenât brought it up with Steve because you havenât even come to terms with it yourself. Feelings are so fucking confusing and messy and youâd like to have a better idea of whatâs going on in your own head before asking him about his.
Meanwhile, Steve has allowed himself to come to terms with it. Heâs in love with you.
Heâs pretty sure he has been for a while. Months, maybe even years.
It hadnât come easily, though. It was nights spent similarly to yours, running through interactions youâve had and the way he felt that one time in senior year when you went on a date with some guy from your math class. Even then, a part of him felt wrong about it, that pit in his gut.
Then there were his shifts with Robin at Family Video where heâd practically spilled everything just to get her opinion. She looked up and sighed âthank youâ before saying that it was nice of him to finally catch on.
Had he really been that obvious? All this time? And had he really been that oblivious to his own feelings?
Steve canât answer those questions. He canât say when his love for you changed from platonic to romantic, he just knows that it has and he doesnât think heâll ever come back from it.
Youâre his best friend in the entire world, the prettiest girl heâs ever seen, and he canât picture himself loving anyone but you so wholly.
Heâs fucking terrified of losing you, but heâs also terrified of never telling you how he feels and testing that what if.
So, like a desperate idiot, he knocks on the door to Eddieâs trailer.
Eddie opens it after a minute and what sounded like him stubbing his toe, âoh, hey Harrington. More weed?â
âNo, shut up. I need your help.â
âYou,â Eddie points at Steve, then at himself, âneed my help for something? Are you ill?â
âOkay,â Steve, dramatic and bitchy as usual, sighs and mutters something about this being a stupid idea and turns to leave.
âCome on,â Eddie laughs, âIâm just joking. Whatâs up?â
Soon enough, Steveâs sitting on Eddieâs couch, Eddie pacing in front of the coffee table like this is a very serious matter, and telling him pretty much everything. Your kiss, the train of thought it sparked.
âBasically Iâm in love with her and I have no clue what to do,â Steve finishes, sinking back into the couch cushions. It squeaks as he shifts.
Eddie pauses, tugging at his bottom lip between his fingers, then looks at Steve and says, âYou know Iâve never dated anyone in my life, right?â
Steve groans into his hands, âWhy do all of my friends have to be losers with no dating lives.â
Eddie ignores that, because he can tell how affected Steve actually is by all of this. How much he cares. He walks over and sits down on the opposite end of the couch. âHave you ever thought of, I donât know, telling her how you feel?â
Steve rests his elbows on his knees, leaning forward and letting his head hang for a moment before picking it up. âOf course I have, but Iâm fuckinâ scared.â
âWhatâs the worst that could happen?â
âUm, she could reject me and not feel the same way and everything would be awkward because I ruined it and Iâd lose my best friend in the entire world.â
âWhat if she does feel the same?â Eddie asks.
Heâs both yours and Steveâs friend, heâs been around the both of you together. Heâs seen the way you look at each other. Eddie might not be an expert, but itâs always looked a lot like love to him. Heâs pretty sure the chances of you feeling the same are quite high.
âWhat do you mean?â
âWhat if she does feel the same and you never figure it out because youâre too afraid?â Eddie says. âMan, donât you think that risk is worth taking?â
Steve thinks about it, and as much as he hates to admit it, Eddieâs right. Heâd hate to always wonder, to lose out on the chance to really be with you when he knows it could be so good.
You are worth the risk to him.
âWhen the fuck did you become so wise, Munson?â
âDunno,â Eddie shrugs. âWanna smoke?â
Steve laughs, âYes I do.â
-
With Steve gone at work and you off for the day, thereâs been too much room for your thoughts to creep in. Too much silence.
Youâve already been thinking about things so much. Thinking about him so much, that in his absence, your mind seemed to work overtime to fill in the gaps.
You thought about the day he picked you up from your apartment, how quick he was to drop whatever heâd been doing and come over and help you and take you home with him. The day he took you shopping and bought you a dress because he thought you looked pretty in it, the way his fingers fiddled with the strap on your shoulder when you tried it on for him.
The day he gifted you a remade version of your favorite picture from summer camp because he knew how much it meant to you, the way you held on to each other afterwards.
How youâd been waiting for him to get home that night he went to Eddieâs, just to make sure he was okay. How when he came in, he smiled at the sight of you curled on the couch, and he kissed your cheek when he walked by like it was the easiest thing in the world.
Your brain knew he was high, you could smell the weed mingling with his cologne on his clothes when he leaned in close, but your heart didnât care about that. It thumped in your chest the second he leaned in closer, even worse when his lips touched your cheek.
The realization hits you now like a shock, a quick zip of electricity running through your system. You fucking love him.
Sure, youâve loved Steve practically your whole life, but this was different. You love him, love him. Like, you want to kiss him when he comes home from work and in the morning. You want him to introduce you as his girlfriend and to be able to call him your boyfriend.
You feel stupid for not realizing it sooner, because looking back on things now, knowing how you feel, you can see it written throughout your entire friendship. Holding hands and kissing foreheads and hands pushing hair away from faces.
For a second, youâre purely happy, because you get to be in love with your best friend and it feels as warm and sweet as sunlight. Then, the fear creeps in, and youâre scared. Scared of losing him, of making things weird, of change and doing the wrong thing.
So scared that you start to panic and pack up some of your things in your bag like youâre running away.
Truthfully, youâre not sure what else to do. Youâve never been in love before, youâve never known it this wayâso kind and unconditional. And your parents sure as hell didnât set a good example for you. Theyâd fight, and someone would leave with the slam of a door, and then theyâd be back and the cycle would continue.
Youâre scared and confused and your instincts are telling you to run away even though the only place you really wanna be is with Steve. In his arms.
Youâre stuffing clothes into your bag just to keep your hands busy, breathing hard and fast, when you hear the front door open and close. Steveâs quick to find you, his eyes scanning your room and then looking at you. âWhat are you doing?â
You feel like you might cry just looking at him. His brown eyes worried but warm as always, his hands stuffed into his pockets like heâs nervous.
âI thought you werenât supposed to be home until later,â you say, hoping he canât hear the shake in your voice.
âIt was dead, so Keith let me off early. I-â Steve furrows his brows, âare you leaving?â
You nod. âIâve been in your way long enough.â
âI told you, youâre never in my way.â Steve knows you, and he loves you, and he can tell that thereâs something going on. That youâre panicked and trying to get away from whatever it is. He cares too much to let that happen. âI want you to stay.â
You want to stay, too. You just donât know what comes next, and that unknown, the lack of control, of familiarity, it makes your hands shake.
Your mind doesnât work the same when youâre afraid.
âGive me one good reason why I should stay, Steve. Iâve been taking up your space for weeks and-â
âBecause I love you.â Steve cuts you off. He hadnât planned on telling you this way, he wanted it to be romantic and perfect but he canât wait any longer. Especially not when youâre trying to run away. âIâm in love with you. And I want you here.â
You immediately stop in your tracks, blinking up at him like youâre not sure youâd heard him correctly. âYou- what?â
âI love you. Romantically. And I think I have for a really long time.â
âYouâre not high again, are you?â You ask, your eyes a little misty.
Steve walks over to you and grabs both of your hands in his, making sure youâre looking at him, at the sincerity written all over his face, when he says, âCompletely sober. I fucking love you and I want you to keep living with me, because this house doesnât really feel like home unless youâre in it.â
âWhat about when my apartment is ready?â
He squeezes your hands. âStay then, too. Stay forever.â
You look up at him, his hair falling over his forehead, his eyes so honest, a tentative smile on his mouth. The only boy youâve ever loved.
You feel silly for trying to escape this when this is how itâs turning out. Steve had been brave just now, telling you he loves you and he wants you to stay, so you decide to be brave, too.
Itâs easier than you thought it would be to say: âI love you, too, Steve. I feel the same. I only just realized it and freaked out. Iâm so scared of losing you, is all.â
âYou wonât. Not ever.â
You tip your chin up to kiss him after he says it, because you can. You pour your feelings into it, and Steve returns your kiss as if itâs one heâs known for years. Itâs slow, and deep, and sweet, and so full of love youâre practically overflowing with it.
The two of you only pull away when you need a breather. Steve doesnât go far, resting his forehead against yours.
âSo what happens now?â You ask.
âWell, weâve been acting like a couple for a while, I think, so we stay the same. Mostly. Except now I get to call you my girlfriend-â
âUm, Iâm pretty sure youâre supposed to ask me first.â
He lets go of one of your hands and pushes a loose strand of hair behind your ear, his knuckle running lovingly across your cheek. âMy angel girl, will you be my girlfriend?â
Your grin is wide and lovesick and cheesy and you donât care one bit. âYeah, yes I will. Boyfriend.â
âAnd, being your boyfriend means I get to do this.â
He kisses you once more. And you donât ever want to not be kissing him again.
đđ
thank you guys so much for reading!!! it would mean a whole bunch if you would consider leaving a comment or a reblog and letting me know what you thing!! it helps more than you know <3
#steve harrington#steve harrington x reader#steve harrington x you#steve harrington x y/n#steve harrington fanfic#steve harrington fic#steve harrington fanfiction#steve harrington fluff#steve harrington imagine#steve harrington imagines#steve harrington oneshot#steve harrington one shot#steve harrington blurb#steve harrington blurbs#steve harrington reader insert#steve harrington request#steve harrington requests#steve harrington x y/n fluff#steve harrington x fem!reader#stranger things#stranger things fic#stranger things fanfiction#stranger things fanfic#steve stranger things#stranger things steve#stranger things x reader#stranger things x you#steve x reader#steve harrington friends to lovers#stranger things imagine
2K notes
¡
View notes
Text
"Pretty thing, isn't she?"
Preview: LnDs boys reacting to other guys hitting on you.
SYLUS
You stood in front of the heavy wooden doors covered in gilt, a gateway exuberating luxury and inviting only the top 1% of the N109's population, which of course, includes Sylus. You had yet to be used to attending such fancy events but Sylus had managed to convince you by being apart of such events, you would be able to establish your name within the N109 zone quicker and that people would learn not to mess with you as much anymore. Perhaps you were not having a clear mind during then but here you stood now, in the middle of a huge banquet hall, in a maroon red dress that makes you feel naked due to how cocooned you feel within the fit.
"Breathe, then maybe you may not feel so nervous." Sylus slipped an arm around you and started to lead you into the highly ornated hall. You could tell that nobody here belonged to the 'average' class as their manners, demeanours and even body languages rotated around the word demure. Escorted to a standing bar table, your partner leaned down just enough for his lips to hover over the side of your ear and you could feel his hot breath tickled against your lobes. "Stay here, I will get us some drinks." And off he went, his tall figure blending into the crowds of dancing participants.
Sylus strutted over towards the bar and casually leaned against it. One good thing about events as such is other than the free flow of alcohol, waiters are built to be more attentive and aware of their surroundings as they do hold a split image of the host of the event. "One whiskey and a glass of lemon soda." The waiter nodded and immediately started to get to work. Sylus then turned around, his eyes scanning the crowds of people and landing on you, the lady in red still standing at the table alone, awaiting for him.
"Eyeing the bird I see?" A voice chimed out of the blue, laced with a thick British accent that any lady would have been charmed over. Sylus's crimson eyes glanced over and caught sight of a man in a tailored suit, brunette hair slicked back and eyes the shade of ocean. "I wonder if she would be pleased to have company for the night." The hint of tease in his voice got the lover of yours quirking an eyebrow, expressing amusement at the man's confidence.
"You can give it a shot." He snarked, one side of his lips tilted upwards to form a smirk. "She does not seem to be the type to let in so easily." The clink of glass onto the table top got Sylus to turn over, grabbing his glass smoothly and tasting the whiskey. "How does a bet sound?"
"Whoever gets her by the end of the night shall be crowned winner then?" The young man downed his vodka shot in one go and he stood straight, adjusting his outfit and shooting his head back to Sylus, who is still smirking in his direction. "It's on, then."
Watching the man walking over to you, each step radiating manly confidence nearly got Sylus laughing, if only the man knew how hard it was for Sylus to get you to just stay with him. "She may be pretty, but she ain't stupid that's for sure." Picking up her glass of lemon soda, he too, started walking towards the table. Seeing you talking to the British man, slightly chuckling got Sylus feeling an ick at the back of his throat and it did not taste good. He made his presence known by loudly clinking the glass of lemon soda onto the table.
You gulped when you saw Sylus had returned, and accepted the glass of lemon soda he had gotten for you. You boyfriend turned over to the British lad and smiled a bit too politely for his usual manners before he spoke. "The moment you had picked her to be your target, is the moment I already knew I won the bet." His eyes gleamed murder under the shine of the crystal chandeliers. "If I were you, I would scamper off immediately before I hunt you down."
XAVIER
It has been a while since you had been on a hotpot date with your lover. Ever since Captain Jenna had assigned him on a mission, it has been hard to match up both of your timings to plan for a date. Hence, once you received the text from your boyfriend stating that his mission had finally met the end of it's trail, you could not hide your excitement and went ahead to book for a hotpot store that had recently opened up just a few streets down. Your sole motivation of booking the store was hearing Tara's praises over the services offered there. She claimed that anyone who goes in would surely come out feeling refreshed and that was what got you sold on making a reservation.
Perhaps, just maybe, the way Tara had phrased that got you picturing a whole different scenario; where an otherworldly hotpot experience was what you were anticipating, with fastidious services and amazing food and offers you a new kind of service. Yet, here you sat, in the middle of a table with tons of half naked men walking around you, serving hotpot dishes. So this was Tara's definition of feeling refreshed. Palming yourself on the forehead, you were figuring why did you bother asking for a hotpot recommendation from one of your girl friends who happens to be single.
"May I help you with something?" A young man, wrapped in biker shorts and an apron approached you and you gulped, eyes immediately avoiding whatever skin he has to show. Seeing your reaction, a chuckled rolled out of his lips and he took a seat beside you, unaware that you already have a boyfriend as Xavier would be slightly late due to an unexpected traffic jam. "Would you like me to give you a massage to ease your tension hmm?"
You gave an awkward chuckle, hands waving back and forth while rejecting his oncoming offer. "I have a boyfriend and I am not interested. I would like to get a menu please." Just by talking to the guy, it left a bitter taste in your mouth, it felt like you were cheating on Xavier although you were barely doing anything. The weight on the couch shifted and you heard a soft thud, seeing the shadow beside you disappearing out of the corner of your eye.
The waiter that had initially served you headed back towards the counter, his other colleagues wriggling their eyebrows at him. "How's it going with that chick, Ken? You manage to ask for her wechat yet?" One of the guys asked, his pearly whites flashing. But Ken shrugged and muttered something about her having a boyfriend. "Well adding her on wechat is not exactly a crime. No harm in storing a cute girl's number in your phone anyways."
A figure walked past them, stopped mid way and approached them. This figure was leaner, taller, and looked more elegant than the other men adorning aprons and biker shorts within the restaurant. "Which girl?" His voice chimed in and Ken responded without much thought, thinking it was one of his colleagues asking for the target. He pointed exactly at you and the stranger's cerulean blue orbs caught yours and his lips pulled into a warm smile. Seeing you being so uneasy within a crowd of half-naked men amuses him. "Easy. If I get her number, does this mean I get to keep her?"
Ken then noticed the source of the voice, a man dressed up in a wool hoodie, with sandy blond hair and dreamy blue eyes and an innocent smile. He holds very effiminate features for a man. Given that the store was not opened for that long, Ken thought he may be one of the newcomers coming for an interview. "Sure buddy, if you get it, I guess you can keep it. But she does have a boyfriend, she said it herself." Xavier chuckled and casually shrugged his shoulders and sauntered over to you. The men stood by the counter and watched intently.
Watching Xavier talking to you and getting you to smile got the men to exchange glances at one another. Maybe they are missing something, or maybe it did hurt their small ego a little. But the moment Xavier got you by the hand and started to lead you out of the restaurant, the men were shocked, eyes widened and jaws slacked at how Xavier could easily get you to comply. Walking past Ken, Xavier stopped to say. "Next time, if you want to lay a bet, don't be such an airhead and at least lay it with someone who does not have a boyfriend already."
RAFAYEL
Getting stuck in a foreign city with little to no guidance is not that rare of an occurrence as Rafayel does enjoy being 'lost' with you. "That is how you can truly get to enjoy a city." Is what he would usually use to comfort you. However, that sentence of his may only work if the both of you are not entirely soaked under the heavy rain. Shivering, hungry and worn out. "Shall we head in there for some shelter?" Rafayel suggested, slender index finger pointed towards the building ahead of the both of you.
With a slight nod, he led you towards the building. It turned out to be a bustling bar within the small town. Locals filled to the brim, chattering in their own mothertongue while enjoying each other's company. "Stay here, I will get us some drinks." Rafayel informed you and headed off after pressing a small kiss onto your left cheek. The both of your arrival certainly did alerted a couple of the locals. Seeing a drenched couple within a bar is a good sign for them to know that you guys are far from home.
Perched against a standing bar table, you studied the crowd that were occupying the dance floor. The crowd are drenched in the bask of neon glow emitted by the LED lights that hung high above the ceilings. Some of them had drinks in their hand as they swayed to the beat while some others were clearly in their own world, striking dance moves that are attracting a spectacle. "Hey!" A voice called out to you and you turned your head, landing your sight on a tall male figure, with hair that are akin to the sunset and with milky pale skin. Upon approaching you, you caught sight of his emerald eyes that sparkled like eccentric jewels under the dim lights. "You dropped this?!"
Looking down at his palm, he held out your phone to you. The music is probably too loud for you to even notice that your phone had fell out of your pocket and landed onto the floor with a thud. "Yeah!" You responded with the volume that hopefully reaches his ears. The ginger haired man smiled and stood next to you and he started striking a conversation with you, asking if you were alone and if you happen to be a local as well. "Oh, I am from Linkon City and I am not here alone!" You smiled awkwardly but also responded out of a polite manner.
A hand that landed at your back made you jumped slightly and you retreated from the guy's vicinity when you realised he was trying to get close to you. "What's wrong?" Feigning shock, he only closed in on you, a smirk creeping its way onto his face. He looked nothing different than a wolf that is ready to pounce whenever he finds the chance to. "Whatever happens in here, stays in here." His statement got your voice stuck in your throat, your chest tightening when you realised that you are about to get jumped by a 'kind' stranger.
"You have to try so hard to get her to pay attention to you?" A mocking voice came from behind you and your heart sighed in relief when Rafayel towered behind you, two glasses in hand and a genuine amused smile stamped onto his features. "I didn't even have to try to get her to come on this trip with me." Rafayel casually handed you your drink and he took up the space in front of you, his height on par with the guy whom had tried to hit on you. Rafayel's eyes gleamed a shade of striking electric blue when he leaned in towards the guy, his demeanour taking a turn towards being protective and establishinig dominance.
This side of Rafayel got your heart lurching for a moment. Seeing such a nonchalant and charming individual taking a turn towards being protective over you got the butterflies in your stomach blindly colliding with the walls of your insides. "Touch her one more time, I dare you." Snapping his finger, the flames of his evol came alive and the guy muttered curses, stepping aback. "I might not be able to guarantee you would be able to leave here in one piece."
ZAYNE
The cardiac surgeon's off day is spent on paying you a surprise visit during your demonstration day. This day in specific is held annually at the Linkon City Hall, where the public are informed about the roles of a deepspace hunter and it is also a day for the organisation to recruit potential new hunters for their task forces. He remembered that day as you stood in front of him, with a brochure shoved into his arms before you sprinted off like a whimpering fox. The piece of paper featured your face on it, posing with your guns, with a huge title pasted above your head that is promoting 'Hunter's Showdown Performance'. Zayne could not help his lips from tugging into a small smile as he stared blankly at your wannabe serious face on the piece of paper.
You stood at the back of the stage, isolating yourself from the rest of the crew as you quietly rehearsed your steps. You were only given a month to prepare for this demonstration and knowing that you are not able to strike to wanderer actors makes it all the more tedious for you to rehearse your steps. Every movement, every swing of the guns and every shot has to be precise and realistic, minus the actual damage to be taken by the other actors. Executing a full 360 turn, you came to a halt when your name was hollered out by someone in the background. "Y/n!" You turned your head and your partner came up to you, his smile wide. "Hey, you rehearsing for your part?"
Upon nodding your head, he proceeded to ask if it would be alright for him to rehearse his part with you. On usual notes, hunters are usually dispatched in pairs and since Tara is not around, hence Captain Jenna decided to pair you up with Christopher. The rehearse took around 15 minutes till he paused, patting you on your shoulder encouragingly. "You got anyone coming over to watch you?" You opened your mouth to speak but a voice chimed in before you could even say anything else.
"Yes." Zayne stood behind you, his features darkened at the sight of the hand of a stranger's on your shoulder. Christopher coughed slightly and retreated his touch, feeling guilty instantly. You were of course, shocked, that Zayne had managed to make time to come and see this silly demonstration of yours. When you gave him the brochure, you were certainly not expecting him to appear in person. You figured he might just watch it via the online link from his office if he happened to not any surgeries scheduled for the day. You were totally wronged.
"You...uhm...never told me you had a boyfriend." Christopher chuckled awkwardly, his hand lightly tapping and rubbing the back of his neck to somewhat soothe himself from the tense stare he was getting from a pair of unfamiliar emerald orbs.
Zayne took this chance to stand beside you and he extended a hand towards the guy, expression still indifferent. "I am Zayne, y/n's boyfriend, it is nice to meet you." Christopher did shook his hand out of respect but did not took long to stay, muttering that he has to get his makeup done and off he went. You could somehow feel dark clouds crowding in above your head, a storm lingering in the back of Zayne's gaze. "Was that the guy that you were supposed to perform with?" His voice was gentle, but he awaits for your answer.
"Yeah...Tara could not make it during this event, hence Captain Jenna got him to pair up with me for the demonstration." Your voice was slightly quivering, thinking that Zayne might be upset with you not openly telling your colleagues that you are already in a relationship. But you came from his standpoint, as Zayne is someone who cares about his privacy, you figured he might not appreciate you going on yapping about you being in a relationship and would much rather keep it low-key and only between the two of you. "I'm sorry I never mentioned about you to any of my colleagues as I thought you would like to keep our relationship private and confidential."
Zayne's eyes caught yours and he smiled warmly, his hand coming up to tuck a stray strand of your hair behind your ear and he leaned down, pressing a soft kiss onto your forehead. You froze, knowing that at this point you would be receiving tons of stares from your surrounding colleagues. "Y/n, as much as I would like to keep our relationship private, I would not like it if someone were to try to take advantage on you just because they think they could." His palm smoothed the baby hairs atop of your head, his smile still evident as he continued speaking softly to you. "If you find it hard to tell your colleagues about us because of me, I will just let my actions show them what we are."
#love and deepspace#love and deepspace x reader#zayne love and deepspace#rafayel love and deepspace#lnds#xavier love and deepspace#rafayel x reader#zayne x reader#xavier x reader#sylus x reader#love and deepspace sylus#lnds sylus
2K notes
¡
View notes
Text
ăGo on and Love Meă
ŕ¨ŕ§ â ę° male!reader | he/his prounouns | Sagau | Genshinimpact
ŕ¨ŕ§ â ę° Streamer!Reader who gets sidetracked by people's donations/chats making the genshin characters feel jealous
Ft. Xiao, Wanderer, Kinich, Traveler
A/n: inspired by la2yn0va hsr fic
X I A O
(Name) happily smiled at another donation sent to him after recently completing a natlan quest
"Thanks for the 20 bits donation!"
He thanked the chat with a wide smile, the chat which was filled with people commenting every second flooding the entire screen making (Name) shift his focus to answer their questions about himself.
This cute interaction made (Name) feel warm and lovely in the inside, being able to interact with fans who admired him.
You know who wasn't happy? A dark headed male inside a screen wasn't that happy unlike (Name). Why were these people gifting you so low? Most of all why was (Name)'s attention not on him anymore?
He had to pull alot of strings to make his own crit rise up since (Name)'s luck on the Vermilion domain was absolutely dog shit.
(Name) â Hm? My favorite character in genshin?
Xiao â You called?
Xiao unintentionally blurted that out without any thoughts whatsoever, but when he did realize and saw (Name)'s confused face along with the chat going wild.
Without any choice Xiao did his idle animation to hide his face away from you, he used his mask so that Xiao won't face you for a while since he was in a very vulnerable state
(Name) â New mail? Sweet 300 primos!
(Chat) â Fr? I didn't get any new mail from hoyo yet.
(Name) â Well.. Free primos is free primos
If (Name)'s happy then he'll rest easy today. Hopefully no rumors circulate about what happened earlier.. Self aware fanfics are crazy these days.
W A N D E R E R
Wanderer stared at (Name) blankly, he was too busy thanking people with countless of donations to even realize they were still in a boss fight farming material's for upcoming characters.
Wanderer became (Name)'s fan ever since he saw him at that temporary event named 'Unreconciled Stars Event Quest The Crisis Deepens'.
Smug mf since he made (Name) hit hard pity for him. But was kind enough to give you his c1 after 140 wishes
(Chat) â Why don't you change your main (Streamer Name)?
An irk mark appears on Wanderer's face but wasn't that visible on screen.
Is this swine telling (Name) to replace him with someone else? Hard pass. He was already stolen from (Name)'s attention and now these nobody's are trying to persuade him into maining some other weak random than him.
Just so happen that (Name) spotted a chest nearby and happily went over to open it, Wanderer took this opportunity immediately
(Wanderer) â Unnecessary.
(Chat) â Is it just me or is his voice rougher than usual?
Damn right it's rougher since he just wanted to vent his anger out on any enemies on sight
The chat won't know but what he had said was directly targeted at them, if only he could say every insult known to man right now
So (Name), keep your eyes on him only and no one else, then maybe he'll make his attacks stronger if you comply
(Name) â Well to answer your question earlier chat, no I don't think I'll be changing my main anytime soon. Wanderer's pretty fun to play with.
After (Name) finished talking he took a closer look at Wanderer's face, but his eyes swore Wanderer had a tad bit of pink on his cheeks
His eyes must've been starting to break with the amount of streaming his doing
T R A V E L E R
(Name) had just began to prep for his stream of the week and now he was currently adjusting the Traveler's artifacts to try out a new build
You know what's crazy though? His builds are pretty shitty.
He has the absolute worst luck in artifacts plus in leveling up pieces, most of which usually goes to defense or HP%
But he still hits about 800k regularly with the Traveler! How could he do such thing with only 44.6% Crit rate!?
(Chat) â 1 MILLION?? (Name) are you doing hacks?
(Name) â What? No! Guess my Traveler's just really op
The Traveler is a smug motherfucker
Of course the Traveler wouldn't hit such high numbers without using a...slight adjustment to the system
Sure their pieces are pretty bad but they'll accept anything (Name) had given them! How could they just shake off his hard work on griding for their ascension and talents?
Whenever the Traveler sees (Name)'s shocked expression during the massive crit's appearing on his screen they are damn right happy and overjoyed they managed to satisfy their grace!
(Chat) â Your builds are bad af tho lolol
(Chat) â Why main the Traveler? They're a pretty bad character to main, you should go for Nuevillete or Alhaitham.
The Traveler's good mood immediately faded into dust once he saw the chats text
Are those no lifers saying that they're not fit to be (Name)'s vessel? They're the most perfect one!
What could Nuevillete or whatever character have that they don't? Could they switch elements? Don't think so
If they wanted bigger numbers, the Traveler will show them big numbers all right, if you want them to hit 10 million they're gonna make it happen with just one click
(Name) â Thanks for the suggestion chat but I'm going to stick with the Traveler, I'm already wayyy too attached
The Traveler's mood once again took a 360 and smiled softly at what (Name) said to them, their stomachs fluttering with delight
(Name) is attached to them? No other compliment or praise could ever reach what the Traveler was feeling at the very moment
Their grace! Oh their grace... If only they could just grab onto you and drag you here where you rightfully belong
K I N I C H
Kinich is an upcoming playable character but many in the genshin community have fallen head over heels for him
Yet he couldn't careless about them, after all just being near (Name)'s presence even though it's just by the Traveler's vessel already makes him nice and comfortable
(Name) â Day 10 of saving up for Kinich let's goo
(Chat) â Woah already 200 wishes? You're quick man
(Name) â Can't help it lmao, Kinich seems fun to play and he's really pretty!
(Chat) â He seem's boring though
(Chat) â Dude the dialouge is slightly glitching wtf
The dialouge's glitching is caused by Kinich's embarrassment and rage, he was previously just about to talk till he heard (Name) sing praises about him! How could he not accidentally stutter and mess up the dialouge!?
But on the other hand, the hell did that person meant by he was boring? He wasn't even released yet! This caused Kinich to panic mentally if whether or not you'll change your mind about pulling for him
He stared at you from the screen, clenching his fists tighter by the second. Just a small bit more... Just one more step and he'll be released, then he could really be by your side now.
(Name) â Aw man, hold on chat I gotta pause the stream to fix this glitching
(Name) eventually had to exit the game to try and see what the problem was with his device or if it was overheating again
Meanwhile Kinich was still standing there re-adjusting his thoughts about what just happened. His feelings were all a mixed bag at this point, he sighed rubbing his temples slowly
Ajaw eventually came to his side while looking at him weirdly like he had done something wrong
(Ajaw) â Wow.. Just wow
(Kinich) â Shut up...
To rightfully apologized the system eventually sent 10 wishes in (Name)'s game mail which he was confused at first but eh, more wishes for c6 knich!
Once he becomes playable Kinich would definitely spoil (Name) with high numbers and crit's. He would just have to deal with Ajaw's yapping in the meantime..
So don't get distracted over what those 'Chat' people say about him!
A/n: likes and reblogs are appreciated! Have a nice day(ďžÂ´ăŽÂ´)ďž*: シďž
#genshin#genshin impact#genshin fanfic#genshin impact x reader#reader insert#x reader#genshin x male reader#genshin au#genshin impact sagau#genshin sagau#sagau#genshin x reader#x male reader#kinich#Xiao#Traveler#wanderer#yandere genshin impact#genshin cult au#self aware#genshin self aware au#male reader insert#male reader#xiao x reader#aether x reader#lumine x reader#kinich x reader#wanderer x reader#genshin impact x you#self aware genshin
2K notes
¡
View notes